Can't find buttermilk? Here's a good tip to make your own

Buttermilk .. Makes scones lovely and moist and which I can't find here in Sweden.

This is how I usually get my buttermilk (not the real thing but good enough and so simple!)

Ingredients:

* 1 TSP of lemon

* milk

1.  Firstly, squeeze 1 TSP of lemon into a measuring cup and pour milk into it to make up for 1 cup.

2.  Let sit for at least 5 minutes.

Voila! Your 1 cup of buttermilk is ready for you!

Easiest ever Lemon Curd recipe

Made some lemon curd last night, which I thought tasted pretty awesome!  Love the tarty taste!

Firstly, you'll need to sterilize your jars. *important*. Your utensils to scoop curd into jars need to be clean too. You wouldn't want it to get mouldy or have any nasties in there.. ;)

I put my jars and lids into the dish washer and washed at the highest temperature. You'll need to time it, so the dish washer finishes at the same time your curd is ready to be jarred.  Bring out and let them stand on paper towel. The heat will dry them quick.  Never never put hot stuff into cold jar. Your jar will break.  Always have hot in hot and cold in cold.

You can also put your jars in the oven but since we have a dishwasher, was the most convenient for me.

This recipe made me 1 1/2 little jars

* 2 whole eggs and 2 extra yolk

* 3/4 cups of sugar

* 80g of chilled unsalted butter

* lemon zest and juice from 2 whole lemons

1. Put eggs, yolks and sugar into saucepan and start whisking until smooth

2. Put saucepan on stove on the lowest heat

3. Put butter and juice and zest into saucepan and continue whisking until the texture thickens

4. Sieve mixture into jar.  But if you had grated the zest really fine, you can pour straight into jars

* You might need to whisk for a while. It took mine nearly 20 minutes before it thickens slightly. Make sure you keep on whisking ( you don't want to burn the mixture). Temperature has to be at lowest as you don't want to end up with scramble eggs! 

** should last in the fridge for 2 weeks

I put mine in the fridge and it thickens like a pudding the next day!

Last but not least, enjoy!

How do you usually use lemon curd??

    Whisking mixture at the lowest heat

        Great for scones, pancakes etc! 

Need self raising flour?

Need self raising flour and only have all purpose flour?  No worries, just add two teaspoons of baking powder to each cup of plain flour. 

Or....

Add one teaspoon of cream of tartar and half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda to one cup of plain flour gives the same result.

Yay!

Vanity.. Vanity is my middle name.. Or is it denial?

How many of us women buy clothes that are too small, in the hope that we will lose weight and fit into them?

Or...

Keep all our clothes, even though we have piled on weight and in no way will lose those weight anytime soon? Or just hoping that miraculously we will somehow fit into those clothes somehow... 

Yep! I'm guilty on both accounts!  As a woman in my mid 30s I've come to realized that clothes that looked good on me in my 20s, wouldn't necessary mean that they suit me anymore. Hint: I'm talking about those short skirts and low cut tops.  Never mind that my hips and tights have expanded beyond recognition .

I know a few women in my live who fall into my vanity book.  Why? Why do we keep tormenting ourselves about sizes.  Why do we keep grasping at straws, at our past hoping we will somehow miraculously lose those weight we have steadily gained while still eating the same amount and type of food we have consumed in the last few years?!

I don't care what other people would say. Some people might call it Denial.. Me? I insist it's all down to vanity.  It's vanity that have one slip into a too tight dress to a wedding, while wearing a wonder bra in the already unbreathable dress which caused friction.  "The dress is 2 years old and I can still fit in it!!" By the end of the night resulted in an awful looking blister. That my dear, is what you will remember of the wedding party! Not the beautiful bride and groom.  Not the food.  Not all the beautiful new people you have made.. But that huge blister which had you running to the doctor to check it out.. That my dear friend is .. Vanity! ;)

In the meantime, I will continue to hide my 2 sizes too small dresses and tops at the back of my wardrobe.. You'll never know! I could still lose all these weight I've slowly accumulated in the last few years.

Now, if you would excuse me, I think my jar of cookies are calling me...