Picnic Time

Kendalee invited people to join her for a midweek picnic. A picnic in blogland is lovely as it is a chance to meet new people but can be prepared for in a sporadic manner when time allows! Imagine that time is blurred and no longer matters so that things made on Saturday are served on Wednesday and photographs taken in the daytime look as if they were taken at night. Kendalee asked us to bring a recipe and a flower and to wear something pretty. You will have to take my word for the last bit! My recipe is a favourite one from Nigella Lawson (in 'How To Eat')-clementine cake. She recommends making it at Christmas which I have done but I think it is quite summery too and they happened to have clementines in the shop the other day. Put five or six clementines in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil then simmer for two hours. When they are cool, drain, then mash them up-food mixer or, if that is too much faff then a fork-it works! You need to cut the knobbly bits off the ends and remove any pips but everything else (skin and pith) is used.
Beat six eggs, mix in 225g sugar, 250g ground almonds, a teaspoon of baking powder, then the oranges. I didn't have the right sized tin so used two different sized ones. A 21cm springform tin was reccomended. Bake for an hour on gas mark 5 or 190C-a skewer should come out clean. Cover the top with paper or foil to stop it burning. It is a delicious cake-puddingy served warm but lovely cold too. Very moist and it keeps well.

So, have a piece of cake and a cup of tea-the picnic is just in my garden so the kettle is nearby!

Pull up a log and talk to Tiger while I get the drinks.

Lily has come to see what is going on too!

The jasmine smells delicious at this time of year and it gets better as the evening goes on.

This moon in the moonlight is a lovely present from a friend-thank you! It shows the evening is getting late.

I have got you a lantern to light your way home. Thank you for coming and thank you to Kendalee for bringing you here! Safe journey home!