A Breakfast-cake, a Sweet Pie and a Hearty Winter-dish(even If You Can't Cook)

Everybody knows I can't cook. Baking is a bit better, because it requires an oven and that is easier (in my) view. But I like to pretend I am a sophisticated person, good at anything I try my hand on, and so I sometimes have to survive on my wits alone. Just keep reading all my articles and you will discover my secrets. This time we are going to make a breakfast-cake.I work in Celsius so now is the time to get that oven-booklet out to see what that might be in Fahrenheit. I also work in grams so for all of you who work in something else, I truly hope you can work it out!

For the Breakfastcake:You'll need: 250gr. self raising flour,150gr.brown sugar (if you don't have that you can use white sugar), 4 dinnerspoons Golden Syrup, 2 dinnerspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cloves,1 teasp.nutmeg, and 200ml.milk. Mix everything, pour the milk in last. Line a loaftin with oil, and pour in the mix. Like a cake, which is hopefully what it is going to look like when you take it out of the oven, but a lot browner. Bake on 170 C and treat it exactly like a cake. It is best eaten with a bit of butter on top.

Another favourite is for people with a very sweet taste: Buttercooky. You only need: a round pie-tin,225 gr. plain flour, 200gr.butter, 200 gr.sugar. Mix all this up, pour it in the tin and to give it a professional glazed look, brush some egg over the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes on 200 C.

The next one is one of my absolute favourites in winter. A beef casserole with peanutbutter. For about 4 portions: 750 gr. casserole-meat, in cubes,2 large onions also cubed,2 carrots sliced,a bit of garlic ( if fresh crunch it),2 dinnerspoons tomato-paste,1 bayleaf, a pich of ginger, a pinch of cloves, pich of pepper and salt, 450 ml.stock.This is part 1; brown the meat first in a bit of butter and then add all these ingredients together and let simmer. Part 2: after 2 or 3 hours simmering you will need: 30 gr. smooth peanutbutter,30 gr.plain flour and 2-3 dinnerspoons water. Take the bayleaf out! Make a paste of the peanutbutter, the flour and the water. Add this to the other ingredients in the pan, mix well and serve immediately. Goes with mashed potatoes and carrots. Or of course your own version of winter-vegetables!