James, my partner in baking and cooking

James...... we met early 2017.
Hard to believe we are together for almost 2 years now, time flies, dear readers!

James and I match so well! We love experimenting, tasting new things, looking for possibilities to make life easier with saving on money.  And we do great!
As soon as I come up with a new idea, James is ready for it and helps me where ever he can.
We never argue on forehand, afterwards we discuss the failures and how to do it better next time.
Although he is very strict in following up my cooking gestures, he also easily adapts when we have to rethink it. Yes, I love James!!!

The only thing that James does not do, is ice making. No matter how hard we think of how and when, it seems impossible. Fortunately I received a second hand ice maker, problem solved.
Right now James and I are in the phase of baking bread, low budget bread to be precise. And without an oven, that is part of the fun.

Photo: Ike Roelfsema Photography

Unfortunately I do not have the luxury of an AGA, preferable with logs. I admit that sometimes I think I would have enjoyed living 2 centuries earlier.   A Yorkshire Range, spreading his warmth, snoring day and night during the cold winter......... a dream.....



I am not an excellent cook, somehow I miss the fantasy to create a tasty and different, delicious meal.
But I love baking! Only till recently, I baked on gas, in a so called (50 years old) 'wonder pan'. These cakes do much better than in an oven. But gas is expensive these days, electricity is much cheaper but ovens use a lot of wattage. Pinching pennies is another hobby which is giving me joy. I am so amazed in how many ways one can cut back on spendings! One of the reasons James arrived is cutting back on money. The other is that where I can not cook, James can and - last but not last - dinner is ready in time!

Back to bead making.
Last week I read a beautiful, touching and very impressive book: 'The Great Alone' by Kristin Hannah. I shed a few tears and could not stop reading.
In this book she writes about a family in Alaska, baking sour dough bread with the starter always available. I talked to James about it and we decided to give it a try. Tonight is the moment, I will tell you more about it in another blog post.
This recipe got me curious to search for yeast free bread and I ended up with the delicious Irish Soda Bread.

Photo: Helen Varras

James and I were thrilled about it, it is so easy to make! No rising and kneading, just a matter of mixing the dry and wet ingredients and baking. I did the mixing and the light kneading and James did the baking, 2,5 hours on high. From 2 hours on I frequently knocked the bread until it sounded hollow.
I am so pleased to say that James and I were very happy with the result. It is tasty, particularly still warm with butter.

You can't keep it for too long unless you allow it to cool down to store it in the freezer.

But it tastes great the next day when you toast it. Want to give it a try? Here is the recipe.
If you prefer to bake it in an oven: preheated 180 C (365F), 30-40 minutes.

Right now we are working on another try out: Kajmak, a delicious creamy cheese from the Balkan. More about this in another blog post.

Ooohhh....... I forgot to tell you that my magnificent, lovely, loyal James is my Slow Cooker......

Love,

Helen