How to become an accidental husband poisoner

Imagine the scene, you are due to visit a new friends house (these lovely people with their own fantastic farm and wonderful rare breed products) and then some more friends the following day.  Baking is needed and something chocolately.  Mums are always in need of chocolate.

Step 1. Begin one of your favourite recipes - Rocky Road- without fully checking you have all the required ingredients

Step 2. Get to the bit where you add the crushed biscuits and find you haven't enough. Get in a flap and say rude words (both boys are in bed, so I quite enjoy having a jolly old swear apres bedtime)

Step 3.  Feel relieved and smug when you find a stash of amaretti biscuits at the back of the cupboard. Add the almondy biscuits, complete the recipe, put in the fridge to set and toddle off to bed.

Here comes the crucial bit...

Step 4. The next day, dust with icing sugar, slice and box up in 2 batches and then, go out for the evening without thinking to mention to Handsome husband about the unusual addition of the amaretti biscuits...

The following morning Handsome husband mentions that he really doesn't feel very well at all.  I ask him what he ate (as I was out for the evening he was self catering)  The food he lists all seems pretty normal, apart from 'oh and two of those chocolately things in the cupboard'

Oops. Handsome husband has a nut allergy.  Two visits to the emergency out of hours doctors and a prescription of mega ultra antihistamines, an unbearable rash, constant nausea, nearly a week off work and an aching restricted throat, Handsome husband has just about forgiven me.  Though not without checking e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g I now offer him is nut free.

And, by the way, if you were wondering, the addition of the amaretti biscuits to the Rocky Road was actually very tasty, just the teeniest bit toxic to those who are anti-nut!

Only 24 hrs from meltdown

Tomorrow we are due to hear from the local council if they have approved our planning application.  It has been a long road, and we haven't even started yet!

We first met with our architect before Christmas and had hoped to be building by March.  As the sharpest amongst you may have noticed, we are in fact, just at the beginning of July and not so much as a spade has been lifted (apart from the holes Handsome husband dug to see if there was any foundations to the barn)

So, we have waited and waited and waited and tomorrow is the day the council have said they will get back to us by.

It's nail biting stuff...

(and by the way, Handsome husband found some foundations, just 'some'...not the words you are wanting to hear when renovating a barn) 

Blondies

Handsome husband and I celebrated our 11th anniversary this week and to mark it, I wanted to bake him something tasty and chocolately, but with a minor nod to healthiness (I know, not always two qualities found together in the world of cake)

Anyway, a trawl through my memory found something that might fit the bill.  Good old Nigella (how I heart her) had a recipe for what she called blondies...Basically, an oaty (and therefore, healthy) bar, stuffed with condensed milk, sugar, butter and chocolate.  The idea is to slightly undercook them to give them a squidgy, brownie like texture.  And oh dear, they are very good.  Though I think they might be more accurately (and rudely) called collar and cuffs, as the chocolate sinks to the bottom (in both mine and Nigellas-natch)  Still, I'm not complaining, who doesnt like a chocolately bottom, hoho.  Ok, rudeness over now.