My Dad

As it is Father's Day today I thought it appropriate to dedicate a post to my dad.  Daddy's are great, aren't they?  Mine is no exception to the rule.  In fact, I think he is the best in the business. 

He is a quiet man, who loves the comfort of his own home.  He meets his brother and friends on a Sunday afternoon for a drink, his tipple of choice is a pint of Smithwicks with a Guiness head and after a few of them he loves a Gin and Tonic with lots of ice and a slice.  The rest of the week he can be found at home, sitting in his back garden on a sunny day developing a tan to rival George Hamilton, and in his living room in the evening watching movies with his surround sound at full blast so that the whole house rocks. 

He has the sharpest sense of humour and also the filthiest, a trait I am ashamed to say I have inherited from him (I am a lady the majority of the time).  He knows lots about lots so is a great go to guy when you need an answer or an explantion for something.  He is the worlds biggest Frank Sinatra fan and has a voice to rival him, he used to sing in a band when he was younger you know.  He is the vainest 71 year old I know, he insists on dieting so as not to put on weight, he lashes the Nuxe oil in his hair when he is going out and is always a dapper little fecker in his suit and matching shirt, tie, handkerchief and cufflinks.

When we were younger he was the only man when you had an ouwie, he would sort it out in an instant.  If we happened to be in trouble for what ever reason and doing some 'time out' in our bedroom he would come home from work give us some money and send us off to the shop for a treat.  This did not go down well with my mam.  He lived qietly in a house with 4 women and didn't complain much (note the use of the word much, he can be a moany old shite when he wants to be), but he loves all of his girls relentlessly and since he lost his best pal he took on the role of both mother and father and has excelled. 

He is always there for us three, quietly in the background ready to step up when we need it.  He does all of the little jobs we ask him to and never complains that they are an inconvenience to him.  He buys us little treats on his trips to town and on a Saturday when we descend on his house we go to the shop and as he picks up sweets for his grandchildren he also pops something onto the counter for his three grown up girls.  He throws us a few bob every now and then for a nice lunch or to treat ourselves to something and when we go on holiday we get some money for a few drinks while we are away.  You see no matter what he is doing his grilies three are always in his thoughts.

In recent years he has been blessed with three grandchildren by my two sisters and while his love for his daughters overflows, the love and pride he has for his grandaughter and his two grandsons is a whole other story.  You can see it oozing from him when he is in their company.  They are like the elixir of life for him.  He might moan about the standard aches and pains of any 71 year old when we talk to him on the phone, but put him in a room with these three little people and he has the energy and agility of a 21 year old.  He rolls around on the floor, runs, jumps up and down and throws them around as if they were light as feather rag dolls laughing and roaring with fun.

So there you have it, a glimpse of the man I call dad.  He is truly wonderful and we are all blessed that he is ours.  Happy Father's Day dad, you are most definitely the best in the business, your the boss!

As I have said, my dad goes out for a little drink on a Sunday afternoon, and has done so since forever.  When we were little we would enjoy our Sunday roast and then dad would make us up a delicious dessert.  I haven't had it for years but can still taste it.  It was the simplest thing in the world but was a firm favourite on a Sunday in our house, so in honour of my dad I am going to treat myself to a coke float.  What treats did your dad make for you when you were little?

Coke Float

1 tall glass
1 generous scoop of vanilla or raspberry ripple ice cream
Coca Cola

1.  Place the ice cream in the bottom of the glass.
2.  Pour the coca cola over to fill the glass.
3.  Enjoy!

Apologies for the photo quality that follows but the blazing afternoon sun does not make for clear close up photos and the shade of my parasol wasn't much better.

Happy Birthday E (7)

A certain little someone I know is turning 7 tomorrow.  I decided to bake her a pretty little pink cake today to kick start celebrations for her birthday weekend.  She is a standard 7 year old who loves all things pretty, princess and pink so I decided to bake her a pink sponge cake with pink frosting and lashings of sparkles and prettiness.  All went well barring the colour of the sponge which remained decidedly un-pink really(after adding 6 drops of red colouring following the milk at stage 6 of the recipe I decided to call it quits and rely on pink frosting to provide a suitable princess themed cake).  It would seem sponge cake requires rather a lot more colouring than frosting and icing so next time I will lace it with the stuff.  It was a rather pretty little cake none the less and the sight of her little eyes lighting up when she saw it was approval enough for me.  Happy birthday E, have a fabulous princess day.

Madeira Cake with Pink Frosting

for the cake

175g/6oz Unsalted Butter (softened)
175g/6oz Sugar
3 Eggs
1tsp Vanilla Extract
225g/8oz Plain Flour
1tsp Baking Powder
2tbsp Milk

for the frosting

80g Butter (softened)
250g Icing Sugar
1-2drops Vanilla Extract
25ml Milk
approx 4 drops of Red Food Colouring (I used liquid colouring in this recipe)

1.  Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/Gas 3.
2.  Line the bottom of an 8" round cake tin with grease proof paper and grease the sides with butter.
3.  Place the butter in a bowl and cream using a hand held electric whisk.
4.  Add the sugar and beat for a minute.
5.  Add the eggs individually while continuing to beat, and then add the vanilla.
6.  Fold in the sieved flour and baking powder, and then add the milk. (red food colouring was added to the mix at this stage but did not make a difference to the colour after 6 drops so was abandoned)
7.  Transfer the mixture into the prepared tin and place in the preheated oven.  Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8.  Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
9.  While waiting for the cake to cool make the frosting.
10. Place the icing sugar and butter in a bowl and beat with a hand held electric whisk until well combined.
11. In a seperate bowl combine the milk and vanilla extract and then add to the butter mixture a couple of tablespoons at a time.
12. When all of the milk has been incorporated add in 4 drops of food colouring and then turn the whisk up to full speed and beat for at least 5 minutes until the frosting is light and fluffy.  (if you would like a deeper colour frosting add in more food colouring 1 drop at a time and incorporate fully before adding more)*
13. Once the cake has cooled spread the frosting all over using a spatula or palette knife and decorate to your liking.

* you can use any food colouring of your choice to adapt the cake to be suitable for a boy or an adult.  I have used liquid food colouring as it is what I had available to me but you could use paste, powder or gel colourants and adjust quantities as necessary.

A little pinktastic I know, but for a 7 yr old it was frosted perfection!