No Fuss - Really!

Here's how Huggy's looking now that the hair has grown back over his wounds. Snake bites - no worries!

On The Mend..

..and glad to be out of his 'lampshade'! Almost the entire shaved area was affected by the swelling which was an ugly purple (His eye closed completely). It's now a far healthier-looking pink, although still very warm to the touch. The wounds are from the drain he had in for a week. We're both hoping that his visit to the vets next Monday morning will prove to be his last for quite some while! :o)

Beating The Viper!

Showing his best side, but still looking unhappy (Who wouldn't after recently being bitten on the face by a poisonous snake?!) Hopefully now past the worst. There's only one Huggy born Shaggy!!

Bread Matters 03

Tonight's go. Same recipe as yesterday. 7.5 out of 10, maybe. Next time I'll go lighter with my 'cross cut' though.

Bread Matters 02

Attempt two.

I changed the recipe a bit to see if I could save on the expense of the buttermilk:

Ingredients
170g/6oz self-raising wholemeal flour
170g/6oz plain flour
50g Lightly salted butter
Half teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
290ml/half pint semi-skinned milk.

I gently melted the butter in a saucepan, whisked in the milk, allowed to cool a bit, and used in place of the buttermilk. As the butter contained salt I left out the added salt. The dough was 'wetter' than yesterdays and I found I needed to give the loaf an extra quarter of an hour in the oven. Taste pretty much the same I thought - another encouraging 7 out of 10.

Bread in the Blood!

My very first solo attempt at making soda bread. Not bad I thought, but then baking as a profession has been in my family for six generations, so I would of been greatly disappointed if it had all gone wrong. Something I'm definitely going to try again! Here's the recipe I used:

IRISH SODA BREAD
Preparation time less than 30 mins
Cooking time 20 to 30 mins

Ingredients
170g/6oz self-raising wholemeal flour
170g/6oz plain flour
Half tsp salt
Half tsp bicarbonate of soda
290ml/half pint buttermilk

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 400F/200C/Gas 6.
2. Tip the flours, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl and stir.
3. Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk, mixing quickly with a large fork to form a soft dough. (Depending upon the absorbency of the flour, you may need to add a little milk if the dough seems too stiff but it should not be too wet or sticky.)
4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly.
5. Form into a round and flatten the dough slightly before placing on a lightly floured baking sheet.
6. Cut a cross on the top and bake for about 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

I used a wooden spoon instead of a fork, and lightly floured a greased baking tray.

Looking His Age?

The best 'old boy' around!