FUN WEEKENDS

How quickly the weekends pass and before you know it is is Monday morning once again.
We had a lovely weekend. We had been invited to a colleague of my husband's for brunch and I was really looking forward to it. We have got to know Sallie, James and toddler Maddox over the last year and knew we were in for a fun time. It would be fun to see how Maddox is growing and hear how life for them in Minnesota is turning out. Sallie is from Georgia and I always feel for her during these cold winter months. She has done wonderful things promoting my blog down there and often see hits form there. Thanks Sallie for being one of my biggest fans. She also has a blog
handsomebabybug.blogspot.com
Take a look.

One thing I have come to realise since I started to write this blog is that people worry about what they will serve up. They seems to think I am all the time thinking of where my next blog is coming from and are afraid they are going to be the subject of a bad review. So all I want to say to these people is, being invited to your home, to enjoy good conversation and a meal cooked by someone else is a such a treat for me and I would never, ever criticise a meal cooked for me by a friend. I value my friends way to much. So relax I am just so happy to share a table with good friends, after all my name is not Martha!

I also sometimes feel high expectations are expected of me when I go somewhere. I usually take along some kind of treat, either cookies, jams or something I hope people will enjoy after I have gone. I decided, having just seen a food network programme called "Barefoot Contessa" one of my favourite TV cooks, to make sticky buns which I had seen her make earlier in the week. As they were made with pre bought puff pastry it was an easy offering to take along. I was so impressed at how easy they were to bake and at how impressive they looked and also at how delicious they actually tasted. This is about to become a regular food gift from me.

1 1/2 sticks (6oz) room temperature unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 package, 2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, defrosted.

FILLING
2 tbs unsalted butter, melted and cooled.
2/3 cup light brown sugar.
3 tsp ground cinnamon.
1 cup raisins.

Heat oven to 400f(200c). Put a 12 cup muffin tin onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
Combine the 1 1/2 sticks (6oz) butter with the with the 1/3 cup brown sugar until smooth.
Place 1 tbs of this mixture into the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans between the cups on top of the butter mixture.
Lightly flour a board and lay out the first sheet of pastry.
Brush with half of the melted butter.
Leaving a 1" border sprinkle sheet with 1/3 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 a cup of the raisins.
Starting with the end nearest to you roll up the pastry into a snug sausage shape. Do not press too hard. Finish with seam side down.
Trim off ends and cut into 6 even slices.
Repeat with other sheet of pastry.
Press each slice into a muffin cup, pressing down lightly.
Bake for 30 mins, until buns are golden to dark and firm to the touch.
Cool for 5 mins only before inverting onto parchment paper.
You may need to spoon some of the topping out with a spoon.
The recipe now suggest you cool before eating but this will not be an easy thing to do, I say enjoy them warm if you can.


EASY STICKY BUNS