Author: Nannie RaRa

Nannie RaRa is the author of the childrens books 'No more adventures?' and 'Search for the Wibble', both tales of Grandad’s Magic Dust. She is also creator of Counting Creatures – an Android app that teaches children to count using pictures of real creatures. Nannie RaRa enjoys photography and cooking.
Recipe

Cherry slice

Nannie RaRa

My grandson loves glace cherries so I made these cherry slices for him. He is coming to play tomorrow so I prepared these specially for him.

Ingredients

ingredients

  • 3 oz plain flour
  • 1 oz caster sugar
  • 2 oz butter
  • 3oz glace cherries

Topping

  • 2 oz butter
  • 2 oz caster sugar
  • 1 egg beaten
  • 2 oz ground almonds

Method

Set the oven to 170C fan, 190C or 375F

Line and grease the base of a shallow tin – approximately 12 x 4 inches or an 8 inch round tin.

Put the flour into a bowl, add the sugar and mix together. Rub in the butter until the mixture binds together.

mix base until binds together

Press into the tin in an even layer. Place the halved or quartered cherries evenly over the base.

add base and cherries to pan

Make the topping by creaming the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

mix sugar and butter

Add the egg a little at a time, beating really well.

beat in egg

Fold in the ground almonds.

add ground almonds

Spread the mixture evenly over the cherries.

spread over base

Place in the oven for about 35 minutes until the cake is set and golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

bake until golden

Cut into pieces when cold. This can either be eaten as a cake or with thick cream or ice cream as a dessert.

eat as cake or dessert

Enjoy!

Adapted from Good Housekeeping Easy-stages Cook Book 1972

Recipe

Summer Mess

Nannie RaRa

This is a very simple summer dessert, a take on Eton Mess using summer fruits which are plentiful now. It also works if you only have a few fruits. I have made a version of this using damson puree instead of grated lemon.

Ingredients

Ingredients
  • 300 ml double cream
  • 2 dessert spoonfuls icing sugar
  • grated rind of one lemon
  • meringue – you can make your own but I used ready-made ones from the supermarket
  • summer fruits – I picked raspberries and strawberries from the garden

Method

Add the icing sugar to the double cream.

add icing sugar

Grate the rind from a lemon and add to the cream. (An alternative is to add damson puree).

grate lemon rind

Whisk together until the cream thickens and forms soft peaks.

whisked cream

This can be used now or placed in the fridge for an hour or two until you need it.

Break the meringues into pieces.

Gently fold into the cream mix.

Put onto individual plates – this makes four servings.

Dot the fruit around. I used a mix of fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries.

summer mess

Enjoy!

You can now find all of Nannie RaRa’s recipes in one place: Recipes

nature, painting

Recent paintings

Nannie RaRa

Since writing Jenny Wren to the rescue and and illustrating the book with my paintings, I decided to paint for fun rather than for a specific purpose.

I’ve been experimenting with both watercolours and gouache. Looking back over some of my earlier works I can see improvements.

Here are some of my recent works.

I regularly walk through the nearby countryside and this hollow oak always looks so good. It is a popular place for children who can go inside and maybe visit secret places…

There is a ruined church near us that caught the morning light so beautifully.

I’ve been trying to find the best way to paint bark and leaves. Here is a study of a tree with ivy growing round it.

I often take photos of birds, both from my walks and those that visit my garden.

Last year we had Great Spotted Woodpeckers bring their young along to show them where the food is. It was great to see the parent feeding the young. This inspired the painting of the three woodpeckers.

Along the river we get many waders. This is a dunlin.

And finally, here is a composite picture of several birds that I have seen nearby. Of course Jenny Wren and Bobby Robin are here, but Jason Jay was away. Can you recognise the others?

Books, nature

Jenny Wren to the rescue

Nannie RaRa

Nannie RaRa has published her latest book: Jenny Wren to the rescue.

This is the tale of Jenny Wren who was looking for some tasty creatures to eat for lunch. But who will be eaten?

Gregory Grasshopper looks very appetising, but instead of eating him they become friends.  Jenny narrowly misses being eaten by a sparrowhawk while protecting Gregory from a frog.

Does Jenny eventually find her lunch? Read the book to find out.

The book is illustrated with paintings done in watercolour and gouache by Nannie RaRa, mostly from photographs she has taken.

Jenny Wren looking for a spider to eat
Jenny Wren looking for a spider to eat
The baby pigeon had fallen out of the nest
The baby pigeon had fallen out of the nest
Benny Blue Tit kept a look out
Benny Blue Tit kept a look out
Gregory Grasshopper would help Jenny get out of the soak away
Gregory Grasshopper would help Jenny get out of the soak away
The frog was going to eat Gregory
The frog was going to eat Gregory
Watch out for the sparrowhawk
Watch out for the sparrowhawk
Lunch at last for Jenny Wren
Lunch at last for Jenny Wren

It is available from Amazon both as a paperback and in electronic format.

Jenny Wren to the rescue: paperback

Jenny Wren to the rescue: ebook

Recipe

Melting moments

Nannie RaRa

This recipe for melting moments is at least thirty years old. My sister-in-law gave it to me when both our children were in primary school and always hungry when they came in.

Ingredients

ingredients
  • 3 oz caster sugar
  • 4 oz soft butter or margarine
  • 5 oz self-raising flour
  • 1/2 egg
  • approximately 2 oz porridge oats

Method

Switch on oven to 180 C. Grease a flat baking tray – a swiss roll tin is perfect.

blend sugar and butter

Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and light. Add the egg and beat well.

add flour

Mix in the flour, making sure the flour is well blended into the mixture.

roll in oats

Using your hands take golf size pieces of the dough and form them into balls. This quantity makes between 10 and 12 melting moments – this time I made 11.

Coat the balls in rolled oats.

Place on the baking tray and flatten slightly.

put on baking tray

Lightly press half a cherry into the centre. I forgot to do this and added the cherries when the melting moments came out of the oven. The cherries didn’t stick so well 😉

Cook in the oven at 180 C for about 15-20 minutes until the melting moments are turning golden.

Cool on a wire rack.

cool on wire rack

Enjoy!