Sugar Nuts n’ Such

Well today I’m making this: Sugar Nuts . Beforehand, I made a batch of raspberry cream cheese swirl brownies (yes, using a package mix that was lying around!  gasp!) that refused to come out of the pan nicely so now they are all crumbled on a dinner plate.  I think they’ll have to go along side some vanilla ice cream or except defeat and remain ugly but still edible.  And while I take breaks between my nut stirring activity for the next hour, I’m thinking about life.  Then again, I feel that I’m doing that a lot these days.  I guess I’m just annoyed at how if you’re not working in American culture, you’re viewed as not being productive, something that is just so unthinkable in our culture.  That irks me.  Yeah ok, I don’t work currently, but does that mean that what I do is less important or meaningful than someone who does?  Just something to think about…

Ah, I don’t know why it just hit me, but I’d love to work in a bakery.  No, I wouldn’t like those early morning starting hours (having to be at work at 4:30AM thanks to working at a coffee shop wasn’t my idea of fun after a few years) but there’s something I’d love about having the radio on and working with something so natural and pure as bread.  I’m not talking fancy pastry shop work, I’m just talking making honest to goodness bread.  I think it’s good that people are starting to get back to basics given our current economic climate.  We should be appreciating things made and baked at home.  Hey, even if you’re using Bisquick, that’s a start–atleast you’re in the kitchen making something! I’m telling you, there’s nothing better than making something yourself!  

Cooking and baking teach you how to be creative, have self confidence, and best of all, you get to enjoy the outcome! If not, there’s always that frozen pizza that you should always have on hand in case culinary disaster strikes or the nearest pizza delivery on speed dial.

*My post continued one day later……*

Today is one of the most rainy and grey days we’ve had here in a long time….it makes you want to sit next to the radiator and read a book.  Atleast today it’s raining vertically rather than the usual horizontal direction typical of English rain.  I do wonder if England could ever run out of rain?  Ha.  I’m trying to keep myself warm by watching the UKTV food channel and thinking about what type of tea to have. I also have some udon noodles laying around that I’d like to have for lunch. Being that it’s yucky outside today, I will probably also whip up something comforting in the kitchen as well as crochet something with some amazing yarn I bought at the local haberdashery shop over the weekend….Can I just say that I had a great weekend? I always love paying a visit to my haberdashery shop and scoring some awesome yarn and I even picked up a few neat looking buttons. I also took a long walk in the English countryside with my BF. You can see my pics from the weekend below:

Havin’ tea in a 16th century building–notice the original beams above me. Also notice my new handmade scarf! Cool, very cool.

This was my view during tea time. Amazing.

Came across this on our walk

Ah so green

Make a wish! Pic taken by my BF

Also forgot to mention that my picture of Salisbury Cathedral got included in the latest edition of Schmap!  See it here