Teaing with Alice!

photo by ana traina ~2012~

Admittedly, I am a notorious bibliophile. However, this is not a hush-hush secret to those who know me. I LOVE my books. I eat, sleep, and dream about books. Some could find this a bit peculiar, I know.  The thing I love most about books besides being the very best of company is when I happen upon inspiration where I am least expecting to find it. The igniting the old eureka moment happened to me on this very morning. I had not a single solitary idea running through my groggy head for a Zingertale, so, I did what I always do when that sort of thing happens.  I blankly stared at my bookshelf and prayed,  hoping that the powers that be would shine down on me.  And praise be to those little book fairies, they actually did speak.  They loudly whispered, “READ THIS delightful and wondrous recipe for Pebble Cake from The Alice and Wonderland Cookbook, a Culinary Diversion by John Fisher! It will be just so Zingerific for one of those lazy summertime literary tea party you are always daydreaming to host.”

Alice noticed with some surprise that the pebbles were all turning into little cakes as they lay on the floor, and a bright idea came into her head. 'If I eat one of these cakes,' she thought, 'it's sure to make SOME change in my size; and as it can't possibly make me larger, it must make me smaller, I suppose.'

 

So she swallowed one of the cakes, and was delighted to find that she began shrinking directly. As soon as she was small enough to get through the door, she ran out of the house, and found quite a crowd of little animals and birds waiting outside.

PEBBLE CAKE

Ingredients are as follows ~ 8 ounces self-raising flour/ 3 ounces sugar/ 1 ounce chopped candied peel/ one egg/ 2 ounces currants/ 4 ounces butter/ 1 pinch of salt/ 1 pinch of nutmeg/ 1 pinch of mixed spice

First, you must sieve the flour in a mixing bowl
Secondly, throw in salt, nutmeg, and spice.
Thirdly, chop up butter and rub it into the flour with the fingers until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Fourthly, add currents, peel, and sugar.
Ffthly, beat egg in a separate basin with a fork, and add to the other ingredients.
Sixthly, mix everything together, adding just a drop of milk if things appear too dry.
Seventhly, grease a baking tin and pile the mixture upon it in small rough-looking heaps.
Eightly, bake for 15 minutes in a noderately hot oven at about 400 degrees F.
And finally, go find a house that fits!

Happy Teaing with Alice to all!