CINNAMON TEA CAKE

There is nothing nicer than a bit of freshly baked cake .... still warm, a cup of tea and a chat with a friend. That is one of my favourite things. Slow living allows you to do all three in a calm and relaxed atmosphere. I think slow living does not mean you sit around all day. Rather its about taking time to do the things you love. Not over booking your life and filling it with too many things to do, However some people seem to thrive on that fast paced living. Me I am naturally slow. Maybe I was a snail in my previous life. That would account for my snail paced approach to blogging. Anyway without anymore blah blah blah here is the recipe so you can enjoy it during a slow moment. 

CINNAMON TEA CAKE

Waste - glass milk container ... recyclable
Compost - egg shell and paper wrapping from butter

INGREDIENTS
2 Eggs
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of milk
2 cups self raising flour
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1 tablespoon sugar (extra for sprinkling)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon (also for sprinkling)


METHOD

1. Separate eggs and place whites in a bowl and yolks in a cup for later
2. Add the salt to the egg whites and beat together until they form soft peaks
3. Gradually add the sugar and beat well
4. Sift in flour and add melted butter
5. Pour into a cake tin approx 20cm
6. Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar over the top
7. Bake in a moderate oven for 50 - 60 minutes.
8. You can turn it into apple tea cake by finely slicing an apple and putting that on top of the cake             before you add the cinnamon and sugar.

So there it is a quick and easy cake that you can share with a friend or by yourself in  a slow moment of your day. Enjoy. Thanks for stopping by ......  Eco Granny.

VEGETABLE PIE

As a blogger I fail to be consistent. It is because I am a person who requires peace and quite to collect my thoughts and wade through all the trauma that is technology to get the job done. Uploading photos then putting them where they need to go. Remembering passwords .... forgetting passwords and the resetting passwords. Computers who feel the need to take half an hour to update every time you decide to do something. All these things come together to make me put off blogging until another day. However lucky for you all the stars have aligned tonight. So I am starting my blog and sharing this vegetable pie recipe. As I always say make it your own. Take the basic recipe and add to it whatever you like and whatever you have in the cupboard. The contents of my pie are forever changing with the availability of the contents of my kitchen. So go forth and pie make ........

VEGETABLE PIE
Waste - Tin from kidney beans which is recyclable
Composted - veggie peelings and butter wrapping

WHOLEMEAL PASTRY

Two cups of wholemeal plain flour
One teaspoon of salt
One cup of plain white flour
250g butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup of water (more if needed to make pastry good consistency)

METHOD

1. Put all flours and salt into a bowl
2. Rug the butter through the mixture until is is like fine breadcrumbs. 
3. Gradually add the water and mix through with a knife until dough is firm but not so dry           as to be  falling apart.
4. Knead of a lightly floured board.


FILLING 

One large brown onion
Three cloves of garlic
One red capsicum
Large handful of spinach
500grams ripe tomatoes
One carrot 
400grams tin of red kidney beans (of course you could use fresh but you would have to precook them)
Dash of Worcestershire sauce (optional)
salt pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Dice all vegetables
2. Put a little butter in a pan and melt
3. Saute onion and garlic until is softens
4. Add capsicum salt and pepper
5. Add all the other ingredients
6. Cook on a low heat for about ten minutes.
7. Add a dash of water if it begins to stick to the pan.
8. Divide the pastry into two pieces and roll out
9. Put pastry in a pie dish then stab the bottom a couple of times with a fork to make a few small 
    holes.
10. Add the filling
11. Roll out the other piece of pastry and put on the top.
12. Make some small holes with the fork in the top of the pastry
13. Press the edges together and cut off the excess pastry
14. You can brush the top with milk, a beaten egg or just plain water.
15. Bake in the oven until the pastry is golden brown 
16. 20 to 30 minutes in a moderate oven.

This is a good meal for summer or winter you can add some mash or some salad. Depends on how you are feeling. Other things you can add to the pie filling are celery, pumpkin, sweet potato, zucchini the list is endless. I hope your pie turns out as yummy as mine. Thanks for stopping by ...... Eco Granny.