Christmas Cheer - the edible version

Every Christmas I like to produce something handmade, these days with children, work and the general mayhem that Christmas thrusts on our household I tend to leave the sewing machine covered in dust and end up making something in the kitchen. Nigella, I am not but somehow the scents of festive food encourages me to partake in matters of a highly domestic affair as well as having the obligatory tipple of mulled wine whilst I am doing said domestic tasks!!
Friends are not the only victims recipients of the Christmas cheer produced in the kitchen, oh no, so too are the teachers of both my boys - they must LOVE Christmas ;)

This evening I have mostly been making a regular of mine at this time of year - Pistachio & Szechuan Pepeer Biscotti. Given with a bottle of a sweet dessert wine such as Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise it goes down a treat. As I tweeted a photograph of the process, I received a request to share the recipe. The scent of the warmed szechuan pepper corns and the caraway seeds is enough to make me pour a mulled wine even if I started the first batch at a little past 4.30pm - well it's Christmas for gods sake!!! Here is my gift to you - the recipe.

The process - wish it was scratch & sniff!

Makes about 30

1-1 and a half tsp szechuan pepper
1 tsp caraway seeds
325g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
170g caster sugar
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
100g shelled pistachio nuts

Preheat oven to 150C. Line a baking tray with parchment.
Dry fry the pepper & seeds in frying pan over medium heat until fragrant, cool slightly then grind in a mortar to a rough powder.
Mix the flour & baking powder & salt. Stir in the sugar and the spices. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs. Mix to a firm dough, get your hands in. Once mixed the dough should be firm enough to just hold it's shape. Work in the pistachios.
Dust hands with flour, divide the dough in half and shape each piece into a plump log. Put on the baking sheet and bake for 45 mins until lightly tanned and firm.
Take out of the oven and reduce the heat to 130C. using a serrated knife, slice each loaf diagonally into pieces roughly 1cm thick. Arrange on a wire rack then put it directly into the oven with no tray underneath. Cook for a further 20-30mins until dried and hard.

Enjoy the festive season, one and all x x

The runner took a stroll in the deep dark wood...

....in fact it went more like this. This runner took a run through the deep sunny woods,the runner smelt the woods and the woods smelt good. It was wonderful to be out there this morning. The sun was dappling through the trees and the ground was soft underfoot, the streams were flowing well after the recent rainfalls and this runner was in good spirits. There were no gruffalos though ;)
I saw only a handful of people along the way, it was just me and my run. It was blissful and nspired by runners I was privileged to meet yesterday.

Yesterday I went to support friends and fellow runners at the National Trusts Mouth to Mouth 10K off road run. In it's second year it is a fairly new race on the calendar but one not to be missed. I took part last year and enjoyed it immensely, not only was it a fairly small affair but so friendly and unassuming.
Jeff Cherrington from the North Cornwall National Trust was organising it as a keen runner himself he was best placed to select a route that inspired and challenged the most seasoned off roader. That it did! With hills that were nothing but epic, to woodland that was tranquil, to streams that were well, more like rivers yesterday, it really was a wonderful way to spend a morning.
I managed to miss the start as TJ's swimming lesson and Mr T's weekly cycle ride infringed on it slightly but was able to catch the finish where the first runner in was a Bude RATS member and was cheered in appropriately.
From then on it was a steady stream of runners, slip sliding their way down the descent back to Sandymouth, over the bridge to the home straight. Conditions were soggy, boggy and slippery and many runners were having to walk down descents due to the nature of the terrain after the rainfalls that hit N Cornwall in the last few days.
They all crossed the line with smiles on their faces and mud plastered up their legs to receive a warm welcome from a small but perfectly formed support network. Marshalls were along the route with one water station beautifully supervised by @thedaytodavis and Bridget, cheering people along the way with words of encouragement.
I managed to meet two runners from Twitter who I had tweeted many times and who have proved to be fellow mud lovers!!! @PhilippaDavey and Emily aka @plymfitness made their way to the North Cornish coast to take part in the Mouth to Mouth. It was great to meet them and get their reaction to the race. As they had both taken part in the Commando Challenge recently, they were used to getting down and dirty on trails and were taking this one on in the same style. They both commented that it was a tougher beast than the Challenge which I was quite pleased to hear as next year we have a team going into the Challenge from the mud runners in Bude RATS and my name is on the list! 
To top it off, there were medals for all participants, a T shirt and even some bling for category placers of which Emily was one of these!!
All in all, a great run in a spectacular location with some fantastic runners. For all those interested in next years race, keep an eye out on @NorthCornwallNT for information.

Philippa and Emily

BACK FOR GOOD?

Who know's. This blog has been very much a measure of my activity with regards my running and training. It has been some time since I have felt I have been able to write anything constructive and fresh about that subject.
After the marathon in May , I really felt the need to pull away from the weekly training runs and spend some more time with my family. Although there was never a time when it felt like i was sacrificing time with them - I would often take myself off early to be back before they noticed- I did want to have Sunday mornings and Saturday evenings not being consumed by my next long run.

I enjoyed the break from running and had entered an adventure race in St Mawes to give a little variety to the training. It was a welcome relief to include kayaking to our usual Wednesday mud runs. I found a new lease of life and started to get out on my bike more as well as getting to know Bude Canal fairly well on kayaking sessions.
I then decided as I had enjoyed the variety of the adventure race so much that I would enter the Bideford Triathlon set for 8th July 2012. I had become stronger on the bike and had kept my running fitness up enough to see me through the sprint distance race, no amount of swimming in the gorgeous Bude Sea Pool had prepared me for the hideous state of the River Torridge swim that we did!! The amount of water that the SW had received in rainfall in the weeks before the Tri was incredible, thus making the river a debris filled brown expanse of water. I have to say I was petrified when waiting to enter the water that morning.
I did it and did it in a time I was proud of 1:36:27 to be precise.

What I hadn't banked on was the swiftness of what was to take up my time and energy for the forthcoming months. My new baby..........

No, no my baby making days are well and truly over, my 2 boys give me much to be grateful for but I also know how much I can give to them and another one thrown into the mix would be messy to say the least!!! No, my new baby is my new business. It feels very much like a newborn has entered the house though. The time I spend with my business does take me away from enjoying sofa time with Mr T, it does make me have to say No to friend's invitations and it does make me make use of the grandparent's more, but I LOVE it.
I will introduce you to my amazing distraction -

My great friend, Avril @ei8htdesign and myself have gone into business together and have created a fun and vibrant digital marketing and PR company. Come and connect with us on Twitter @TheWireCornwall, like our Facebook page The Wire, N Cornwall or check out our blog at http://thewiredigitalmarketing.tumblr.com/ if you so choose!!
It has been an amazing couple of months with much interest around the business as well as many late nights and early mornings getting our business set up. There are many more of these to follow, we are a new business and I intend to give it all my care and attention. I also intend to keep a balance between my passion for my work and reviving my passion for the sport that gives me some quality time and peace, running. The connections I have made through the sports I do have also helped to engage our business in the accounts it already has, a wide network of friends and connections are made when you partake in a sport with like minded people. Just another great reason for me to continue.
Only last week, I was on the regular Wednesday mud run, when a member was asking about what we did. I proceeded to tell them about what The Wire offered and was told to expect an email in the next couple of days detailing the services they required!!! And boom, another proposal to get out.

I do enjoy all aspects of my work but know that for the health and sometimes wealth of my business, it is essential for me to keep on running and enjoying the social side as well as the time I have with my own thoughts when I take myself off on a solo run.

I hope to be back more often than of late to detail more of the running side of this maid's weekly activities, so see you very soon............