Bea’s Mulled CIDER

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Why is everyone so anxious about turning 30?Honestly!I’ve watched my friends getting panic attacks before the BIG ”three-o” birthday, totally dreading that moment when they stop being 20-something…like the fun of life ends after you reach the third decade.
I think the whole world go a little(ok,a lot!) overboard with the cult of youth and I can’t understand why being younger is perceived to be somehow better that being older.(???)
So,for the past year I’ve been experiencing a very strangeΒ phenomenon.No one had ever reacted unusually about how old I was,whether I was 10,17 or 28.But I suddenly noticed the difference when I would say to people that I’m 30 this November…..”ohh 3o!!!” That’s how everyone reacts.What is more,I can see ‘I’m so sorry to hear that’ look on people’s faces followed by comments like “Still,no babies!?”, “Join the old gang”, ”It’s not so much fun any more”,or my favourite “Time to invest in a good anti-wrinkle cream”.

And here is what I have to say:I really can’t wait to be 30!I truly mean it!

I feel, that until now, my life was like Spring,that I was slowly waking up,absorbing things around me,sprawling my wings and NOW I’m finally ready to fly!Ready to enjoy the Summer and live my life to the fullest!

Sure, getting older is weird…..that feeling when you discover that your parents were right….99% of the times…that’s weird.And when suddenly your favourite way to celebrate Friday evenings is to have a long bath,get into pyjamas and sip warm tea…that’s even weirder.Or when you spend more money on good quality ”cotton-rich” lounge pants than on high heels!Who would’ve imagined?Not to mention that it takes a week to regenerate after a hangover!!!

But getting older is also a wonderful experience,and so liberating,like when you realize that you don’t need to fit in and be the person everyone expect you to be.You can just be yourself.(woo-hoo!)You start to accept your imperfections and fall in love with the freckles, that you used to hate so much.You discover the powers you have inside of yourself and realize you can do absolutely everything if you only believe you can.(So simple!And I’m sure my dad mentioned it to me before!)The possibilities are endless and everyday brings a new lesson.A new adventure.
What is there not to be excited about?I’m so excited about everything!

So,I’m raising my glass to those born in 1985 and to all of you!Let’s celebrate life!!!<3

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Have you ever tried mulled cider?I can’t believe I only discovered it recently!(oh,all this new things you discover while you get older ;)) It tastes like Autumn and is full of my favourite flavours!Apples,cinnamon,cloves,orange,honey and some % of course too πŸ˜‰ A perfect drink to celebrate with during those colder days,whether it’s a Birthday,Bonfire Night,or just a quite and cosy evening πŸ™‚ Enjoy!

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RECIPE:

for 2 drinks

INGREDIENTS:

500ml dry cider(I like medium)
1 small apple,cut into 8 parts
2 cinnamon sticks
2 pinches of cinnamon
10 cloves
1 tablespoon of honey or unrefined cane sugar
parted or grated zest of half an orange

METHOD:

Mix the ingredients in a medium saucepan(you can even do this up to 12 hour before,for the flavours to mix),stir over a low heat for around 5-10.Don’t boil.Serve warm.

TIP:For kids and drivers you can swap cider for a fresh apple juice,and without adding honey or sugar πŸ˜‰

The best muffins ever!

No kidding!These are the best muffins EVER!I mean like EVER!I’ve baked them millions of times,worked on every single detail and now I’m bursting with pride every time I make them πŸ™‚ THEY ARE JUST PERFECT!

The secret is the batter and once you make the perfect batter,the world of limitless muffin varieties opens πŸ™‚ Sweet or savoury,plain or chocolate,fruity,nutty,filled with jam,cream or caramel.Wherever your imagination will take you….Perfect muffins need nothing more than fine flour,room temperature(good quality)ingredients,and not over stirring the batter.They simply don’t like too much attention.

RECIPE:

for 10 muffins

INGREDIENTS:

FOR BATTER:
300 g self raising flour(preferably self rising fine sponge flour)
250 ml natural yogurt(room temperature)
100 g natural,unrefined cane sugar
2Β  eggs(room temperature)
125 g butter,melted and cooled
0,5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground nutmeg
1 medium apple,cored,peeled and chopped

FOR CRUMBLE:
100g plain flour
50g butter,cold and cut into smaller pieces
3 tablespoons of natural,unrefined cane sugar

ADDITIONALLY:
200g caramel (dulce de leche)

METHOD:

1.Preheat the oven to 190C.
2.Do the crumble first.Sieve the flour into a medium bowl,add sugar and the butter, then rub it into the flour using your fingertips to make a light breadcrumb texture. Do not overwork it or the crumble will become heavy.Place in a fridge.
3.To make the muffins,sieve the flour into a bowl.In a separate bowl place eggs,yogurt,butter and sugar.Add cinnamon and nutmeg and mix all the ingredients until smooth.Then add apple pieces to the mixture and tip it over the flour.Stir with a wooden spoon,the mix should look lumpy and may have the odd fleck of flour still visible but don’t be tempted to over mix the batter.Muffins don’t like too much attention πŸ™‚
4.Place the muffin cases into muffin tray πŸ™‚ and fill each one about 1/2 hight with batter.Place 2 teaspoons of caramel in the middle of each muffin and cover with the rest of the batter.
5.Sprinkle over with crumble and bake for 25-30 minutes.

NOTES: To prevent muffins from sinking,take them out the oven straight away,let them cool down for 5 minutes and then remove from the moulds and place on the rack to cool down.

You might also want to serve them warm,to do this simply put them in preheated oven for couple of minutes.(Just be careful with caramel as too much heat will make it extremely hot!)

WARNING:VERY ADDICTIVE! πŸ™‚

Enjoy xxx

Bea