Beatrix's Special Dog Biscuit Recipe

Hello! It's me, Beatrix again, hosting while Anna's busy this week.

Today I'd like to share with you my recipe for homemade dog biscuits. Money's going to be tight for lots of humans this Christmas, and more than ever are making their own presents. We furry friends like presents too, but they don't have to be expensive, because to be honest, I don't have a clue how that money lark of yours works. This recipe is made from things you'll already have in your kitchen. Humans can eat them too, so it's very important that you keep them in a special tin with 'Mine. Paws Off. Grrrrr!' written on it. Got it? Then we shall begin.

You will need:

• A handful of chopped parsley
• 1 large carrot, finely chopped (and a little extra if you have a guinea pig knocking around the place like we do. He gets grumpy if we don't share)
• A sprinkling of parmesan cheese (or a lot if I get my own way)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 oz wholewheat flour
• 1 tablespoon oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Water, to mix

1. Preheat your oven to 180C and grease a baking tray.

2. Mix together the parsley, carrots, cheese and oil.

3. Mix together your flour, oats and baking powder.

4. Combine the two lots of ingredients and add enough water to make a moist - not wet - dough.

5. Knead for one minute, then roll out.

The ability to be kneady is essential to the success of this recipe

6. Choose a snazzy cutter - I opted for stars (Anna says I am one) and hearts. Cut out your biscuit shapes and pop on the baking tray and in the oven for 20 - 30 minutes until brown.

7. (And this is the hard bit:) don't let your dog have a sample until they are completely cool. (Mean).

You can add or substitute ingredients to make any dog-friendly flavour you wish. Anna sometimes uses apple instead of parsley, and sometimes adds bacon, cooked chicken, chopped egg or ham. Mmmm... ham...

Before I go, Anna says I have to tell you that you're invited to take part in a two hour special of Creatives Unite tomorrow evening, 8-10pm on Twitter, to celebrate the opening of her Etsy shop. I don't know what an Etsy shop is, but she seems excited about it. I'm hoping it's edible.

Shake a paw to you for reading,

Love Bea. x

Lavender Shortbread Recipe

If you're keen to hang onto the memories of summer (eh? what summer?) or just fancy making use of the last of your lavender flowers from the garden, lavender shortbread always goes down well, I find. It's not at all flowery or over-powering, in fact it's more like a delicate after-taste, and this buttery recipe is the one that convinced me that shortbread is far from dry and boring.

You will need:

125g caster sugar

350g butter, room temp.

4 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted

4g fresh chopped lavender

325g plain flour

Pinch of salt

65g cornflour

Cream together the butter, caster sugar and icing sugar until light and fluffy (this is always my favourite bit because the transformation is magical!) Next, mix in the lavender. 

Mix the flour, cornflour and salt, add into the butter mixture and combine together. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and pop in the fridge to firm up for around an hour. 

Preheat the oven to 180C. Forget the rolling pin - pop your dough onto a greased flat baking tray and flatten it using your fingers so it forms a round, about 5-7mm thick. Use a fork or a finger to mark round the edges, or make any pattern you wish.

Pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until your shortbread is beginning to look golden. 

Leave it to cool for half an hour before cutting into individual biscuits. You could sprinkle some caster sugar and extra lavender on for decoration.

These biscuits make a great offering for an afternoon tea party, posh snack with a cuppa in front of the telly, or a present for someone lovely.

Have a sweet day,

Rhubarb and Apple Autumn Pastries

I'm a huge fan of pastry but must admit I'm a little lazy when it comes to making it myself. For the cost of a packet of puff pastry from the supermarket (£1 in this case - hurrah!) and some grown or gifted late summer fruit if you're lucky, you can knock up a batch of these seriously tasty breakfast or afternoon tea treats in minutes. Perfect if you become tempted while watching The Great British Bake Off!

You will need:

5 sticks rhubarb

2 apples

1/2 handful sultanas

1 pack of shop bought puff pastry

A little milk

1 tsp brown sugar

Chop your rhubarb and pop it in one bowl, and chop the apples and place those in another. Sprinkle both bowls with a little sugar - or add some sweet cecily - and stew in the microwave for a couple of minutes until softened, but not too soft.

Roll out (or unroll) your packet of puff pastry, and cut it into squares depending on how large you want your pastries to be. Pop a spoonful of your rhubarb into the middle of half your squares, and apple on the other half, adding a few sultanas over the apple ones.

Brush round the edges of your squares with milk. I folded the rhubarb squares in half to make triangles and the edges of the apple ones up to make squares so I could tell the difference, but the shape you choose is entirely up to you! Sprinkle a little brown sugar on top of each.

Now just bake in the oven according to the instructions on your pasty packet, then once cool dust icing sugar on top.

I'm extremely impressed if any of you have mastered homemade puff pastry, I just never seem to manage it. I am excellent at eating it, though! 

Happy Monday!

Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding

The more blog posts I've read over the past week or so, the more it seems that autumn is creeping into our consciousness, rather earlier than usual, I suspect due to to the none too summery summer we've been having! While I adore autumn for bringing wellie socks, reading in front of the fire, crisp woodland walks and  well, Doctor Who (what?) I'm still hoping for a warm September because I don't feel I've had my full quota of sunshine before being plunged back into darkness.

I decided to share this Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding recipe with you because for me, it's the perfect way to celebrate the last of the summer rhubarb while looking forward to the warming comfort food of autumn. And it's divine with ice cream or custard, depending on which season you're currently leaning towards.

On family chalet holidays to Scotland during the summers of my childhood I used to be bought a bowl of bread and butter pudding from the onsite pub after a day of running around in the fresh air among the heather, and it was the ideal comforting end to the day, sometimes while watching a spot of Scottish singing and dancing. Great memories!

Serves 6 (or Anna three times)

6 slices white bread

1 oz butter

2 eggs

1/2 pint milk

The rind and juice of a small orange/satsuma

Pinch of ground cinnamon 

2 tablespoons brandy or rum

1 oz sugar

1/2 lb rhubarb, stewed

Remove the crusts from the bread and butter the slices on both sides before cutting each into two triangles. Grease a large dish, then arrange a layer of bread on the bottom and sides, followed by a layer of stewed rhubarb, then another layer of bread. Beat the eggs and milk together, then stir in the orange rind, juice, cinnamon and brandy or rum. Pour over the bread and leave to stand for an hour (this is really important because the soaking is the secret to a truly scrumptious b. and b. pud!). Sprinkle the sugar on top of the pudding just before going in the oven, then bake at 180C/ gas mark 4 for half an hour, or until the top is crusty and brown.

There are of course many variations of this pudding you can play with - I like raisins in mine but was sharing this with someone who doesn't, and who likes their pudding not too sweet (just call me Goldilocks) so instead of stewing the rhubarb with sugar I used the herb sweet cecily instead, which does the same job as sugar but isn't quite as saccharine. Sweet cecily is an ideal substitute for sugar if you're cooking for a diabetic, too. 

Whether your Wednesday is summery or autumnal, I wish you a happy one,