The Pinata:
The cake after:
The kids (who were so good and very well mannered!!)
Overall, it was a great time. I wished more kids would have come, but what can you do? It was nice to have friends and family there as well!
Here I go again on my quest for the perfect crumpet recipe.
I found a woman online who blogged her story of trying to get the right recipe, so I thought I would take advantage of all of her knowledge on what to do and what not to do. I got a lot of great tips and along the way, I think I discovered the secret. I don't want to get ahead of myself, though. My friend found the 'egg rings' that we so desperately needed for this recipe at Bed, Bath & Beyond. The 2 pack cost around $4. Needing around 8 of them, it got pretty costly. So, Jason went and picked them up for me on his way home from work. Not only was it expensive, the size of them were way too small for the size of crumpet I wanted, so I returned them. I instead bought the large cans of tuna fish (barf, barf) and opened them on both ends (let me tell you, was I ever popular with my cats during this tuna expedition) which was not an easy task. I ended up having to cut the bottom part of the can with a knife because the can opener would not work on that end. Luckily I didn't lose any digits. So, back to the actual "making of a crumpet", I used yeast, but really didn't give it time to 'do it's thing' because, well, let's face it, I'm inpatient. I let it sit for awhile in the warmed milk, but it didn't form the 'froth' that the recipe said it would. But, no fear, I still worked with it.
Here is the start, with the tuna cans (that by the way were scrubbed and then put in the dishwasher, I failed to mention that very important step!):
I found that the longer the batter set, the better the crumpets got (I think this is the secret, perhaps I should have let the yeast 'do it's thing'!). So here they really start to develop:
I had to add water every time I put a new batch on, the thinner the batter, the better they cooked. I thought only having 4 tuna cans would have me there all night, but it turned out that after the crumpets 'set', which really only took a few minutes, I could remove them and spray with oil and get another one on the grill.
Ok, this is the part of the crumpet making that I broke out into a song that consisted of the words, "Oh yeah, oh yeah, I made crumpets, and they have holes, yeah, yeah......It went on for a little longer, but you get the idea!! I knew I wasn't totally out of the woods just yet, because the most important part had yet to be done: the tasting.
Look at those fabulous holes!!
I toasted one and smothered it in nutella and I have to say, it was good. Not fabulous like I'd hoped, but pretty good. I have to admit, I have never tried a recipe so many times over and over to try to perfect it, but I feel accomplished in getting this recipe right and I will be making more. I rate it an A-. So, the bottom line is, let the yeast work and thin the batter and enjoy!!
What goes better with crumpets than tea, of course! On a recent trip to Wegman's I took longer than usual in their tea department. They have amazing tea, some of which is so costly I can't imagine who is drinking this (I bet it's good, though!). I saw some there that was $239.00/pound! I know a pound of tea is a lot of tea, but almost $15 an ounce--wow!! On a side note, as I was walking through the produce section I saw truffles (mushrooms) locked in a clear case, selling for $699.99/pound. Double WOW!! They must be delicious!! Anyway, back to the tea, I found these:
I actually liked the packaging and was thinking of how I could reuse it when I decided to buy it. We have yet to try the fruity wreath one, but the other two were ok. Not as good as the earl grey, but not bad.
I went into Pier One yesterday in search of some Christmas gift ideas. Every time I go into this store it reminds me of days past. The smell, the look, the feel of all their products used to adorn my old apartment. I would, on a regular basis, go to Pier One after work or days off and fill my basket with candles, decorations, fragrance beads, etc., most, if not all, were clearance items! Now, it's just not realistic to have candles burning and cat/dog hair would just fill up decorative pillows and throws, so I have opted for a more 'animal friendly' home! So, it always allows me to walk down memory lane when I walk in there. I took my time, looking through all the drapery and furniture, wishing to someday have a Pier One furnished house! Wishful thinking. But, I did find a little tea mug (on clearance, too!) that made me smile.
