Sticky Chocolate Pudding

Sticky Chocolate Pudding

This is like chocolate cake - only hot, with sauce. So yummy!

4oz margarine/butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups self-raising flour
4 level desertspoons cocoa
1 cup milk
tsp vanilla essence

Sauce
Extra 1 cup sugar
extra 4 level desertspoons cocoa
3 cups hot water

1. Cream margarine, sugar and vanilla
2. Add egg and beat well
3. Fold in flour and cocoa alternately with milk
4. Place mixture in greased ovenproof dish
5. Sprinkle with extra sugar and cocoa
6. Pour hot water over very gently

Bake in moderate oven for 35 minutes.

Market under the trees

It was a hot, sunny, buzzing market day at the Tea Under the Trees on Sunday down the East Coast Resorts Road, along the Jikileza Route.

Visitors could order breakfast or lunch and then stroll around the various stalls offering everything from beadwork to pottery, leatherwork, home-produce and even second-hand goods, wool-spinning and a hat tree.

There is a play-area for smaller children and pony rides were also on offer. Those wanting some exercise could take a walk down the Forest path.

From Baghdad with Love

Book Review

"From Baghdad with Love"

by Lieutenant Colonel Jay Kopelman with Melinda Roth

It is against the rules for a soldier serving abroad to keep a pet - but when the US marines storm a compound in Iraq, they find a puppy and not one of them has the heart to destroy it or abandon it.

This is the story of a dog called "Lava" and how he became one of the most important and difficult missions for Lieutenant Kopelman.

Why? Kopelman says, "I liked that he forgave me for scaring him. I liked not caring about getting home or staying alive or feeling warped as a human being - just him wiggling around in my hands, wiping all the grime off my face".

Lt Kopelman is not the first soldier to have tried to rescue an animal in a war zone. Many have heart-rendingly tragic endings. But this is a story of hope. And what makes it compelling is the courage shown by ordinary people - wartime journalists, hardened marines and endangered Iraqi citizens.

"A heartwarming story of devotion".

Brandy Tart

Brandy Tart

250g packet stoned dates, chopped
250ml boiling water
5ml bicarb of soda
125g margarine, softened
200g sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2ml salt
2ml baking powder
190g flour, sifted
60g pecan nuts, chopped

Syrup
400g sugar
10ml margarine
250ml water
200ml brandy
5ml vanilla essence

1. Soak chopped dates in boiling water with bicarb
2. Cream margarine and sugar till pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs
3. Sift together dry ingredients. Fold into creamed mixture alternately with date mix. Add nuts
4. Turn into two greased pie plates (or one large)
5. Bake at 190 degrees C for 20 minutes

Syrup
Boil sugar, margarine and water to form thickish syrup.
Remove from heat, add brandy and vanilla

Remove tarts from oven, prick all over and pour syrup over.

Serves 8 with cream or ice-cream

The Legend of the Worst Boy in the World

Book review

The Legend of the Worst Boy in the World

by Eoin Colfer

What fun! This chapter book for pre-teens is hilarious and obviously written by a dad. The story is narrated by Will, the second of five boys, who can't seem to get a word in edgewise with all his brothers around.

Will's main problem is his older brother, Marty. As he says: "Dad sometimes comes into a room just to hear Marty complain about something. He says that Marty is far more entertaining that any television show".

Then his brothers Bert and HP have invented new words. Bert says "canniva" as in "canniva chocolate" or "canniva bag of crisps" and HP always says "snoffair" (It's not fair).

It seems the only one who will really listen to Will's problems is his grandad. But grandad has such great stories of his own that Will can't compete. Until his dad tells Will what Marty did to him when he was only two years old.

This story is so typical of family interactions and is so simply and amusingly told that it will appeal to children and parents alike.

Don't punch the ladybug!

Such a bizarre thing happened the other day. My daughter and I were at the local plant nursery and we saw this lifesize ladybug. Another kid was playing with its arms that just flopped up and down so we thought it was a dummy or doll, just for display effect.

I said to my daughter: "Its just an ornament" and she did this karate stance with a fake punch. Well, the "doll" jumped backwards, knocking over a potted palm tree, and said "Woah!" and Briony and I got such a fright we also jumped back and were in fits of giggles.

The owner came up and said "Who was scared of the ladybug?"

It was ridiculous. But the guy in the mascot suit was so quiet - turns out he had been instructed not to talk (because ladybugs don't).

He is there to hand out sweets to the kids. We took a picture of him as well as a funny sign of some rusks and some baby venus flytraps.