Hello!
I enjoyed everyones cheese answers yesterday! It seems the vegan cheeses just do not cut it, but also people miss it less than they would have thought. Thinking about it more, I am not a massive cheese lover anyway- I really only like cream cheese, mozzerella, goats cheese, strong cheddar and wenslydale. No blue cheese, or brie, or feta or anything like that. I think I just got into the habit of topping meals with grated cheese, when they did not really need it.
Anyway, I forgot on my post yesterday so say that I was better (as my post was about Tuesday I suppose). But I was. Yesterday I had a run and it was great! I didn’t want to go too far, in the end I did just under 4 miles, but I managed it all with an average pace of 10 min miles, a speed I have not got up to for a while. Plus no walk breaks (well, except for annoying crossing the road ones). I was super pleased as I was starting to get a little worried about the upcoming 10K- I was hoping to beat my previous best time, but now I am hoping to run the whole way! I seem to have gone backwards!
I also got back into baking.
Some pumpkin whoopie pies! I was so excited to make these 🙂 Although I did not have any marshmallow fluff to add to the filling, so I made it without and the filling was super runny!
They were a hit with Andy and at work- gently spiced and really tasty. 🙂 Ones to make again for sure.
Also it is National Cupcake week this week. I am not sure if it is an excuse for the Food network to show more of Cupcake wars than usual, but I was emailed a few recipes from this cupcake book and asked to try some on my blog. I went for the black forest cupcakes, only half way through I found out I did not have any black cherry jam (I was sure I still had some of the lovely meridian cherry spread) so they turned into chocolate and raspberry cupcakes. Ffion I hope you approve 🙂 More for work anyway!
And now I am making some autumnal spiced apple crumble bars, based on this fruit crumble bar recipe from the lovely Katie. Happy days indeed.
And if that is not enough, I have body pump later 🙂
Lastly, it is nearly the weekend! We are off to see Steven Merchant on Friday night (I keep forgetting) and then up to Sheffield on Saturday for some Shakespear. How cultured! 🙂 I will have to tape the Great North run as I am getting a bit excited about it!
Any exciting weekend plans?
Haha, you and your baking! Mind you, if I could create anything that looked half as good as those whoopie pies, I’d be baking up a storm too.
Ooh, which Shakespeare play are you seeing? I’m such an Early Modern Literature geek…
xxx
…despite how much I moan about my subject 😉
Thanks 🙂 It is Othello – I did read it in about year 9 so I am hoping I understand what is going on haha!
Eee! I’m so jealous! Othello is my favourite Shakespeare play (yet another geek moment) and it’s never been performed up North when I’ve been able to see it. Whoever plays Iago makes or breaks the entire play though…I honestly believe Iago to be the greatest creation in the history of English Literature (not sure what that says about me lol). Enjoy!
Ah well the two main people are two guys from The Wire (and one of them now does The Hour on bbc)- one reason why we thought it would be good to go as we are working our way through the wire box sets at the moment!I am impressed you remember it, as I cannot really remember it at all. I am hoping it all comes back to me when I see it!
YAY for body pump 🙂
No plans this weekend but excitingly I have a date with a cleaner ….. can’t be doing this working malarky AND clean the house you know, hope she likes us!
Oooh how fancy! But do you have to spend time tidying up for the cleaner?
Oh wow I really want to make whoopie pies! I have to make some cupcakes def this week then 😉
Oh I always approve of Chocolate and Raspberry cupcakes! You’re going to send me one, right?! 😛
I thought you would! 😉 Yeah of course!!!
the pumpkin whoopie pies look amazing, can I have some?
Well they have all been eaten- will a virtual one do? 😉
All that baking looks great! I have a week off coming up soon and I can’t wait to do a bit of baking, its so relaxing and fun! I’m excited for the GNR too but I’m also scared!
Your baking all looks scrumptious! And I love the sound of those apple crumble bars, I’m not a huge raw apple fan but I adore apple in baked goods!
WoW! Loving all of the baked goods…yum!
sounds like a great weekend, hope you have fun… glad you’re feeling better 🙂
I got like that with cheese and really missed it when I did my vegan week but then found the Veganomicon cheezy sauce which is great – cheesy without tasting like something that’s trying to be cheese – if that makes any sense! I was the same though in that I’d just got in the habit of sprinkling cheese on dinner and having Philadelphia for lunch – it made me get more creative too, which has got to be a good thins 🙂
I’m glad that you’re feeling better 🙂
I love reading about all your baking. I would love to say I’m inspired, but I’m still yet to get into baking – I must try it soon!
Ooooh my sister has got that Hummingbird Bakery cookbook! I might have to borrow it off her for the whoopie pie recipe! They look amazing!!!
Yeah you should- it has some lovely recipes in it- so does the original one to be fair.
Oooh, your baking looks great! Glad you’re feeling back to normal 🙂
I have that Hummingbird Bakery book and I have some leftover pumpkin from this morning, so I may make those whoopie pies soon 😀 do you have special whoopie pie trays or did you just use normal baking trays? I actually have a couple of half full jars of Fluff in my cupboard, but they’ve been open for at least a year so I’m not sure how good they would be!!
Ah I bet the fluff would be fine- it is all sugar which is a preservative after all! Yeah just put the blobs on flat baking trays, like as if you were making cookies.