Diversion to Dargo

Margareta — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 06:02:32 +0000

Diversion to Dargo

Margareta Sat, 19/04/2014 - 4:02 pm

I thought I’d give you a little look at what H and I get up to sometimes when we have a little ‘down time’.

Recently my husband’s mother’s daughter’s brother arrived (did you work that one out? I can try to be so tricky sometimes, I bamboozle myself!) to help us out with a few things on the farm. He arrived up here in our hills on a Diversion 900 motorbike complete with side-car and trailer which has caused great hilarity amongst the family. We’ve all had rides in it, including my kids, my Dad, my Dad’s partner (who’s lovely and kinda like my step-mother), my uncle (who feels kinda like my Dad because he’s been there for us so much throughout our lives), my uncle’s partner (who feels kinda like my step-mother no. 2 because she’s lovely and with my uncle …) and numerous others who’ve happened to come over the cattle-grid at the right (or wrong) time.

Anyway, the other day after a quick ride over to Dargo on our VTR 1000, it was H and my turn to give the Diversion a whirl.

“You sure you know how to ride this, Hon” I say to the man who has raced road bikes across the length and breadth of Australia.

“What are you insinuating?” he says to me knowing full well I trust him with my life. Regularly.

“Nothing! Nothing at all," I reply, thinking, <em>Oh golly, do I really have to get in this thing?!

“If you want to get home,” he says reading my mind, “you have to get in. Now. The kids will be home on the bus soon.” 14 years together does that mind thing to you. I just can’t get away with anything anymore ... And by the way, whoever recently wised him up on that well used line, ‘Where did I get this new top? Why Hon, I’ve had it in my cupboard for months!’ needs to be metaphorically shot. With a 303. Or maybe even a 22-250. Seeing this is metaphorical, I really don't have a preference. {wink} (I repeat, I cannot get away with anything anymore!)

‘Okay, I’m in and all set to go.’

(Where’s our VTR??!!! Oh, of course, my husband's mother's daughter's brother is riding it )

And, despite the bumps and thumps, the ride in the side-car wasn’t so bad. Especially around the beautiful hills of Dargo, Castleburn and Glenaladale.

Good enough to even persuade me to give whoever that pesky dibber-dobber was a metaphorical reprieve … Mmmm…. Maybe …

My Country Kitchen - His Birthday and Boiled Chocolate Cake

Margareta — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 06:51:16 +0000

My Country Kitchen - His Birthday and Boiled Chocolate Cake

Margareta Thu, 27/06/2013 - 4:51 pm

It was my beloved husband's birthday this week. My present to him was my most favourite thing in the whole world besides him, my kids, the dog, my family & friends, the farm ... I got him boots. Motorbike boots though rather than the other kind I like (Ariats forever). He loves them, which ultimately equates to brownie points for me. My birthday’s still to come. You have to think ahead with these things.

And of course you cannot have a birthday in our house without a cake, a family gathering, a table load of food, some alcohol, and a whole lot of banter and laughter. The birthday boy (or girl) gets to choose the cake. Most choose a marble cake, some an icecream cake, others a sponge, and once, I even had a request for a giant ‘rum ball without the rum cake’. It looked amazing albeit a tad over the top. The birthday boy on that occasion was my nephew Patrick, and he was in seventh heaven.

But H’s request was chocolate cake, because in his words ‘I have rum, chocolate cake and my wife, what else does a man need?’ Awww … isn’t he nice, (although I did notice I came third {wink})

So in my country kitchen this week we’re making a Boiled Chocolate Cake.

Now H first thought I meant you boil the ingredients rather like a steamed pudding. He was wrong for the second time in his life and the first time he was mistaken. (Or so he assures me ...)

This is such an easy, peasy cake recipe.

Using a nice biggish saucepan, your heavy metal tablespoon (from last week’s jelly slice), and your pretty measuring cups (from last week’s jelly slice) follow thus:

(Ahem…what is H’s rum flask doing in this recipe?)

My tablespoon in case you'd forgotten.

Tip into saucepan:

1 cup of water,
2 tablespoons of cocoa (my tablespoon is such a versatile thing),
½ teaspoon of Bi-Carb soda,
125 gms of yummy, creamy yellow butter which it pays to chop a little first so it melts easier.

Chopping … chopping …

A lovely bunch of ingredients

And here we take a break.

Load a song onto your ipod/cd player. This week I think it should be something like Birdy’s Skinny Love, because next into that saucepan goes

… 1 ½ cups of caster sugar.

(I know. I was so embarrassed I didn’t photograph that bit.)

Stir all ingredients with your heavy metal tablespoon over a low heat until butter has melted.

Bring to the boil and watch it like a hawk otherwise it’ll boil over (you’ll really hate me if that happens) and then simmer for a few minutes.

Simmering ...

About to boil over ...

Once boiled, take the saucepan off heat. Let the mixture cool. Go outside and sort out Lucy the dog, who is dragging Winkie the cat around by his ear, cue woeful meows and happy yips ... (The cat lets her do this, mind you.)

Back to the kitchen. When cooled (it doesn’t take long) I tip the mixture into a large bowl. If you have a big enough saucepan you shouldn’t have to do this.

Mix in 2 beaten eggs (don’t be tempted to pour eggs in while mixture is still hot or you’ll have fried egg floating in your cake.)

Mix in 1 ½ cups of sifted Self Raising flour. (You’ve got to sift it first otherwise you’ll end up with flour lumps floating in your cake.)

Sifting

Pouring

I have no idea why that rum flask keeps photo bombing - there's none in the cake ... although the cook... ahem...)

Stir cake mixture until all ingredients are combined. It should look like this with lots of lovely big air bubbles floating around. (Air bubbles are good floaters for cakes, not like those flour & fried egg lumpy things.)

Cake Mixture Ready to Go

Tip mixture into a greased cake tin. (I use a greased, spring form cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper.)

Lined Springform tin

Ready for the Oven

Bake in a moderate oven at 180 deg C for 1 hour.

I know. It's not show standard because of the crack, but remember, icing hides a multitude of sins. The crack itself we could blame on the flour, the oven, the dog and cat fighting, the sheep who got through the electric fence, the cattle that were in the

In these photos I made a double mixture, as I have found this cake doubles really well. You’ll just need to use a bigger saucepan and cake tin. This double mixture cake was made in a 26cm spring-form cake tin.

And if you go for the big cake, you'll need to play Birdy’s ‘Skinny Love’ really LOUD as you tip in 3 cups of sugar. Sigh. (You might need that rum flask after all.)

This was the finished product. My 8 year old daughter chose the ‘aquamarine icing’ and she and her 10 year old brother were the decorators. I thought they did a rather nice job {angel}...

Happy Birthday H

This is a deliciously moist and airy cake, you, your family or stock camp will love.

As evidenced by all the crumbs ... ENJOY!

H and I

Diversion to Dargo

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My Country Kitchen - His Birthday and Boiled Chocolate Cake

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