Maca-ruin

So, today I tried to make some Scottish macaroon bars for St Andrew's day tomorrow but it has turned out to be my first failed effort at baking. I found the recipe online, followed it exactly (although it was pretty vague) and instead of a stiff fondant creation I got a sticky and unworkable blob. It's in the fridge just now, as part of a desperate attempt to get it to harden to a point where it can be salvaged, but I'm not hopefull. I wasted most of a 1kg bag of icing sugar so I'm reluctant to throw it out, but I don't see what more I can do. It tastes pretty sickly anyway. Oh well, I'll see what it ends up like but I'm not going to take it into work, as planned - I would be ashamed!

Here's where to find the recipe if you want to try it and tell me where I went wrong:
http://www.food.com/recipe/macaroon-bars-lees-version-227822

Treats from Moomin Valley

After something of a break from baking anything new or interesting, the perfect solution to my baker's block arrived through the door yesterday morning - The Moomins Cook Book! It's filled with 150 savoury and sweet recipes and is billed as 'an introduction to Finnish cuisine', which it certainly seems to be, as it covers breakfast, lunch, evening meals, summer meals, garden party foods, picnic foods, autumn and winter meals, and birthday treats. So, expect some updates over the coming months, particularly as it includes many seasonal recipes such as 'Cold Comfort' to warm you up when suffering from winter chills, and plenty of winter soups and spiced treats that will be perfect for the Christmas period. But, what makes this book stand out from other cook books is that it is peppered with wonderful illustrations by Tove Jansson showing the Moomins and their friends enjoying various feasts, campfires, picnics and baking activities. There are also selected quotes from Moomin books that show where the inspiration for the recipes have come from and highlight just how important fresh foods and baking are to Moomin culture. As one quote suggests, "everything fun is good for the stomach" - I think that should be my new motto!