Quick Trifle

I don't know many people who dislike trifle. My Mother makes a lovely trifle, but I was looking through the school recipe books again and found this easy recipe. I made it for pudding for today's Sunday dinner.

Quick Trifle

Ingredients

4 sponge bricks or any plain sponge+2 tbsp raspberry jam or a jam swiss roll

1 pack of raspberry jelly

Tin of fruit

Custard - either a tin of Ambrosia or use custard powder

1 small carton of whipping cream or double cream

Hundreds and thousands/glace cherries or both.

2-3 tbsp sherry

Method

1)Make jelly.

2) Slit sponge bricks and put jam on or slice the swiss roll. Put in trifle dish.

3) Drain fruit over sponge and add sherry if desired.

4) Arrange fruit on sponge then pour jelly over. ( Do not pour boiling water into a glass dish - it will crack, let the jelly mixture cool a bit first).

5) Let the ingredients cool, then put into a fridge to set.

6) Make custard and let it cool, or just open a tin of Ambrosia and pour over the set ingredients

7) Whip cream and spread over trifle.

8) Decorate with hundreds and thousands or cherries.

Martin Niemoeller

(Image from: http://uboat.net/wwi/men/photos/niemoller_martin.jpg)

(Image from: http://filipspagnoli.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/martin-niemoller.jpg?w=200&h=308)

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist;

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew;

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

by Martin Niemoeller, found at: http://www.christianethicstoday.com/Issue/009/First%20They%20Came%20for%20the%20Jews%20By%20Franklin%20H%20Littell_009_29_.htm ,accessed 28/2/10.

Martin Niemoeller was a decorated U-boat Captain in World War 1. By the time Hitler came to power he was a staunch Protestant and opponent of Hitler. Hitler ordered his incarceration in a concentration camp, but Niemoeller survived the war.

I really like the quote at the top of the post. I feel there are too many people resembling ostriches nowadays. Common things I hear are; 'What can I do?', 'What difference can I make?', 'What's it got to do with us?'

If all Hitler's opponents had stood up and done something, would there have been a World War 2?

Fruit Crumble

This was the first recipe we made when we started the Allertonshire School in 1982. I made this yesterday and used tinned pears. You can also use apple, bramble and apple, fruit cocktail etc.

Crumble

4 oz plain/S.R flour

2oz sugar

2oz margarine/butter

Filling

1 lb cooking apples or any other fruit

3oz sugar

OR 1 tin of fruit/ frozen fruit/1 tin of pie filling

Oven 190 Celsius for 20 -40 minutes until brown.

Method

1) Put prepared fruit into dish.

2) Rub fat into flour into sugar until like breadcrumbs.

3) Cover fruit with mixture and bake.

This is traditionally served with custard hot, and also tastes nice with ice cream or cream, hot or cold.

Buns - Rubbing - in Method

Another recipe from school, 1982. These taste really good and are ideal for when you have visitors.

Plain Buns

4 oz S.R flour

2 oz sugar

2 oz margarine

1 large/2 small eggs

1/8 pint milk

12 bun cases

Chocolate Buns

Sieve 1 rounded tablespoon of cocoa with flour.

Fruit or Nut Buns

Stir in 2oz currants, raisins, nuts, cherrries, chocolate bits or coconut after rubbing in.

Oven 190 degrees C ,or 15-20 mins until risen, golden brown and springy to the touch.

Method

1) Oven on, put paper cases into bun tins.

2) Rub fat into flour and sugar until like breadcrumbs.

3) Mix to a very soft dropping consistency with the egg and milk.

4)Put mixture into bun cases and bake.

When they are baked, put them on a wire rack to cool, then store in an airtight tin.

Music

MICK MARS

Image found at: http://www.metalsludge.tv/home/images/stories/Mick%20Mars%20Motley/mick_hat.jpg

The above image of Mick Mars of Motley Crue is cool. Mick , the man who thought of the band's name is someone I admire for his guitar playing skill, listen to any Motley Crue album and be blown away. My favourite songs include Dr Feelgood and Home Sweet Home. What I like most about Mick is his attitude to music. This quote from the band's autobiography, Dirt sums it up best;

If you're at home playing a good album, and some nosy ass neighbour claims he can't hear his TV, why does your music have to suffer so he can watch his TV?I say 'Too bad for the neighbour'.( The Dirt, Motley Crue & Strauss, N, p.123, New York, (2002).

In reality none of us like to fall out with the neighbours, but he has a point.

School Recipes - Savoury Layer Potatoes

I loved the cookery lessons at the Allertonshire School, Brompton Road, Northallerton. I attended this school from 1982-1985 and had cookery lessons with Mrs Drury, Mrs Garlic and Mrs Pennock. I still use the recipe books today and thought I would share them with people online. Please try them out and let me know what you think.

Savoury Layer Potatoes

Ingredients

1lb potatoes

1 onion

1oz butter/margarine

salt+pepper

1/4 pt of milk/stock

OR miss out milk and add 4 tomatoes or 4oz of cheese or both. The onion can be missed out.

You will neeed a dish and lid or foil for the oven.

Oven - 190 c for 90 minutes or use your microwave, I use it for 20 minutes at full power (800 watt microwave.)

Method

1) Oven on, grease dish.

2) Peel and slice potatoes and onion.

3) Layer ingredients in dish with slat and pepper (add milk if used).

4) Dot with butter, cover and bake.

This is nice on its own or with sausage, bacon or baked beans or even all three.

Noddy

Image courtesy of: http://www.wmc.org.uk/htmlarea3/clientImages/NEWSHOWS20OCT/noddy_main.jpg

My little lad is obsessed with Noddy. He reads Noddy, watches Noddy on T.V and video, wears a hat his Nana knitted him which is blue and has a jingly bell. He has Noddy cars, soft Noddy toys and if given the chance, talks about nothing else.

He is not the only child to develop a craze about a fictional character, but it proves that Enid Blyton wrote children's books that have lasted the course of time. It is rather sad that Golliwogs were removed on the assumption (by the politically daft mob) that they were racist. I never associated them with black people, I always thought they were another soft toy like a teddy bear.They have left the main characters in, of course, but I have noticed Big Ears is appearing less than he used to on the T.V show and Mr Sparks the mechanic has been replaced by a robot. Shame.

On a more positive note Noddy has got some really good new vehicles including a monster truck and submarine. May it never leave the T.V screen.

Have a look at:

http://www.thetoyreview.com/wiki/Noddy#The_History_of_Noddy, http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/noddy.php