Baking...

Veronica makes everything...and I mean EVERYTHING in her micro-convection oven. She doesnt have a cooktop (yet), so she has to. Mind you, she has a large one, which makes it all much easier. I, on the other hand, have a small one. Not only is it small, but the LCD screen is a bit hit or miss. It isnt that the appliance is old, or anything, but the screen misbehaves, so that you only see part of the numbers and words. It can be VERY frustrating.
However...Taking a leaf out of Veronica's book, I decided to try using the convection side of the oven. At least the oven is slightly larger than the ToasterOven/Convection Oven I have and have used otherwise. I dont like baking in this little oven, even though it is convection. I suspect there just isnt enough room for all that hot air to sufficiently and correctly cook things. It is also very hot.
I have blamed the flour for some failures in baking. I had woken up this morning deciding to make some scones for morning tea...Veronica must have heard me because she called to say she was coming over!:)
So...I just made a two cup recipe of scone mix with a hard , sharp English Cheddar cheese (grated). We figgered out how to use the Convection oven (well, Warren did!) and I watched:)
So, all set to put the scones in. Because you have to use the carousel when cooking, this means that I have to have the appropriate sized cookware. I ended up putting the scones into a round tin..no matter, they just all joined together.
Bummer that we were so excited with the results that we didnt take photos...sorry!:(
Now all we need is some proper english bone china to have our tea out of, instead of Pier 1 mugs (which hold a truck load of tea, I might add) with their 'thick lips' as I say.

So..all enthused, we decided to go and look for something that would accommodate more than 10 scones, to bake with. Only problem with this is that whatever we buy has to be very versatile. No problem...we found a Pizza pan which totally fits the bill...Can bake Pizza (home made, of course) AND more than 10 scones:) Anything that needs it's bottom cooked well!

 

While at Target, we also found a small (1 1/2lb) Bread Machine. This has been the topic of many conversations, and  because our latest store bought bread failed to satisfy us (too sweet) we decided the only way around all that sugar is for us to make our own. The raw ingredients are plentiful in the supermarkets, so we dont have a problem there.

 

And...while at Target, we also found this mix...shortcutting the time needed to make it all from scratch..AND it is gluten free! yay!

 

And just above the bread maker was this Breakfast Sandwich maker, which is a total crack-up to us...

But it makes perfect sense. Better than the pre-made sandwiches which you can buy in the freezer section of any supermarket...they DO NOT taste good! Warren ordered one way back in Feb. when we were in Florida. We wondered how those marvelous people in the cafe managed to bring it out so fast!! it arrived at least 15 mins before my toasted bagel, lol.

 

Veronica has visited again...for a cuppa, since the scones, and when she heard I was making Pizza for dinner, she has volunteered to help us eat that too...and will bring the anchovies:)

I had better get making, hadnt I?

I had better not forget to take a photo of the first pizza!!

Ciao for now!