One thing you can say about me – I have determination!
Every time life knocks me over, I get up and, like the old song, dust myself off and start all over again.
Although you might not realize it, I’ve been on this planet for 7 decades, and I’ve learnt a lot. I’ve been married (twice), had two children, (lost 4 to miscarriage), been abused, been praised and been loved. But, whatever comes my way, I get up and face life again.
I have returned to the one thing I have loved, and wanted, all my life – the country.
I have 12 acres of beauty, on which I grow as much food as I can, keep chickens for eggs, and pick the vegetables and fruit as fresh as possible.
I also have bees for honey and pollination and to save the wonderful creatures from the foibles of mankind and his destruction, with poisons, of their pristine flowers. A byproduct of honey ain’t half bad either.
I teach music and do the occasional market with my fresh produce.
Since I’ve been by myself, I’ve turned my hand to writing. Another love. (see viewAuthor.at/MaureenLarter as well as viewAuthor.at/MargueriteWellbourne )
I love to write for children because I believe every child has the right to the opportunity to learn, and books, I hope, prod their natural curiosity. One thing that annoys me though. Children’s books should be read while the child is on a parent’s lap. E-books just don’t have the same ambiance. And to further complicate the problem, picture books just don’t sit correctly on an e-reader.
Now, I self-publish – at my home. My books are all in print form as paperbacks. Something you can hold, love and smell. Just pop my name into the URL bar to have an idea of what I do. If you want one, don’t hesitate to message me.
Now that I’ve told you a bit about me – here’s something for you.
Did you know you can use mashed potato in a cake?
Yummy Bun:-
Ingredients:
1 ½ cup mashed potatoes, 1 cup SR flour, 1 cup wholemeal flour, ¾ cup sugar, 1 tspn salt, 1 ½ cup mixed dried fruit/sultanas, 1 cup milk.
Icing:
1 cup icing sugar, 1 tspn vanilla essence, 1-2 tblspns lemon juice and water, 2-3 drops food colouring (optional)
- Pre-
heat oven to 180-200°C.
- Place mashed potatoes in a bowl and add sugar. Mix well.
- Add fruit.
- Sift flours and salt together.
- Add to potato mixture alternately with milk.
- Place in two greased loaf tins or one large cake tin.
- Bake for approx 45 mins.
- Remove from pan/s and allow to cool slightly. Ice while still just warm.
- Icing: mix all ingredients until it is a stiff consistency.
- Cut into slices to serve. Maybe buttered if you desire. Serves 6-8.
I hope you enjoy this tasty treat.
More from me in a fortnight. Remember to check out my next two pages – the next chapter of my book is free to read on page two, and some art for sale on page three.
With kindness
Maureen