Hello friends. How are we all?
It’s been a mixed bag of a week over in Steph-fordshire – some yucky, anxiety inducing stuff (cue constant butterflies and nightmares of planes dropping out of the sky, one of my reoccurring out-of-control nightmares), some cute stuff (flowers and birds and pretty skies and whatnot), some brave stuff (meeting up with a few people) and a sprinkle of hopeful stuff.
This week’s thoughts:
I saw my first daffodil of the year – SO.MUCH.JOY and HOPE… Spring is COMING everyone!
I think we have a pet Robin… He’s so beautiful and spends literally HOURS bobbing around our front lawn on worm watch – honestly nature is just so pure, and beautiful and fascinating – very good to sit and watch the natural world go by sometimes.
Very pleasing moment deleting 653 photos off my phone in one click. I have an irrational anxiety about the number of photos taking up space on my phone and, in a moment of anxiety-boredom (you know when you search for anything to distract your mind?), randomly managed to identify a stack of photos that I had taken over the years that were pointless (anyone else take a photo of a shopping list or to do list so that they have it with them when they are out? Or do normal people write everything down IN their phones and forego the paper bit?) Anyway, I deleted them all in one click and it felt moderately cleansing… just another 30,000 to sift through – send help.
Note to self: don’t try to make a coffee in an empty Moka pot - carnage - singed the sleeve of my beloved Patagonia jumper whilst saving the palm of my hand (kinda wondering whether should have sacrificed hand instead), destroyed the rubber seal in the pot and everything smelt very smoky for a while. Rotten.
I want to get my hands on a bunch of Mimosa flowers. Wondering if I should make a special trip to Italy to source them? Seems like a no brainer really.
Food is so special; it’s beautiful, and delicious and fascinating and thrilling and it makes me happy. On that note - pancakes have gone up in my estimation this week (recipe below for some super cute ones). A baguetteXbutterXsalted crisp situation changes everything for the better. As does fresh pasta. It’s rhubarb season and my eyes are already dazzled with all the stunning pinkness (recipe for my roasted rhubarb here - new tip I’ve learnt, use blood orange juice/zest, and let the fruit sit overnight in its juices once cooked, for a more intense pink colour!)
As I eluded to above, I’ve faced a few unnerving situations this week which have been stressful to say the least. That being said, there have also been some incredibly uplifting moments or ‘glimmers’ as I now know to call them (I did not know these were official things until I saw someone else refer to them this week and toddled off to Google for some clarity…
A glimmer is the exact opposite of a trigger—it is some kind of cue, either internal or external that brings one back to a sense of joy or safety. This can be anything from catching a view of the skyline of your favourite city to seeing a picture of your pet.
From kisses in the sky, to kind people I’ve interacted with, and Lewis Hamilton moving to Ferrari (SHOCK SHOCK SHOCK), I’ve experienced some wonderfully comforting and reassuring little glimmers this week.
With particular reference to the kind people, I just feel incredibly grateful. Sometimes a kind word from someone can be enough to completely change your outlook, and I’ve experienced that more than once this week, so thank you people for all the kindness.
And there you have it… in the blink of an eye week 5 of this year is complete. Hope you’re all doing ok.
Love and hugs as always, speak soon,
Steph x x x
My Perfect Pancake
With pancake day fast approaching, I figured I should share my perfect pancake recipe with you in time for the BIG DAY (a week on Tuesday -13th Feb- if you were wondering).
To live up to its name, the perfect breakfast pancake (in my opinion) needs to fulfil a number of objectives, it must be:
simple to prepare
… also simple to remember because no faff please and thank you.
use ingredients that I generally have in the house (nothing too niche)
super tasty of course… and satisfying, don’t leave me hangry in 5 minutes please and thank you!
Now for a little segue and a short story:
I won’t lie, I have a complicated relationship with pancakes, I really want to be obsessed with them… but I have a few ‘issues’.
My first problem is a case of how they fit into my day. As you know, I have a strong attachment to my porridge-breakfast – my days are not right without it - most pancakes seem more than a snack, and I wouldn’t naturally reach for a pancake as a dessert - Tiramisu or something fruity and creamy please. Thus, pancakes just don’t really ‘fit’ on my menu.
Problem 2 is consistency: whenever I eat pancakes, I just find them a bit… errr, flabby (sorry this is the only word I can think of to describe them). And given that we add wet, squishy stuff as an accompaniment, it all becomes a bit ‘one note-soft ’ for me. Am I wrong? Did I miss the pancake gene?
Despite my issues (and let’s be honest, I have many), as pancake day approaches each year, I find myself on a quest to produce my perfect pancake… and so, just like every other year, I set out on my annual mission to achieve my Goldilocks pancake.
… and you know what? I think I may have gone and done it this week…
After a bit of recipe tinkering, I stumbled upon the lightest and fluffiest pancakes I’ve ever made – a completely flab-free zone here. They also happen to be a doddle to prepare proving that sometimes, simple really IS best and you can switch up the flavour to suit your preference: orange/lemon zest, cinnamon, vanilla – you choose. The batter is thicker than a traditional American style pancake - more of a scotch pancake or drop scone, which also makes it a little dryer (but in a good way IMO) and more robust - perfect for adding all the squishy toppings - woop!
I’ve been merrily munching on these through the week: I had half a batch FOR BREAKFAST (yes people, porridge was demoted for the day) topped with yoghurt and fruit compote. I then froze the remaining pancakes and ate them as snacks - a couple were sprinkled with caster sugar and a squeeze of lemon, and the remainder were briefly toasted and spread with butter and a little jam – trust me, this is pure comfort and a total gamechanger - it’s giving scone/pancake vibes (a sconecake).
I really hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
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