Ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup sugar (granulated or caster)
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
14 strawberries, preferably fresh (but if frozen, defrosted first)
2 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
Hershey's Kisses or strawberry jam

Heat oven to 350F, 180C, Gas Mark 4
Grease a muffin tin or fill with paper liners.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then add the milk.

Chop the strawberries up into small chunks, then stir them carefully into the batter, trying not to break them up too much.

Sift the flour, salt and baking powder into the bowl, then fold in. Do not over mix.

Fill muffin cups halfway. Add a Kiss or a scant teaspoon of jam, then add more batter to fill two thirds of the cup. Bake until the muffins begin to brown and a toothpick comes out clean (about 20 to 25 minutes).

Remove the muffins from the tin and cool.

I made Pancakes yesterday.
My family was here for breakfast.
They all love the Old Fashioned ones with blueberries.

Here is the recipe:
Old fashioned oats (Quaker)
Bisquick or flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch salt
1 c. blueberries or strawberries
Cornmeal
1 egg
2 tsp. brown sugar
Sm. dash cinnamon
Whole milk
Fill a large coffee mug (12 ounce). Using a coffee grinder or blender grind enough oats to fill 1/3 of the mug with oat flour. Fill the remainder of the mug with Bisquick. Put in a large bowl and add 1/3 cup cornmeal, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Use a fork or whisk to blend and get rid of most of the big lumps. Put the egg in the mug with the vanilla and add a little milk. Beat vigorously with a fork, then fill the rest of the mug with milk and add to the dry ingredients. Mix until blended but don't over mix.
At this point you may add about a cup of blueberries or roughly chopped strawberries directly into the mixture. If you add your fruit onto the top of the pancakes, when you flip them over the fruit will stick to the pan and burn. Ugh! I recommend using a non-stick pan buttered liberally over a medium high heat. Top with maple syrup. Serves 4-5.

I found a very easy recipe for Ginger Cookies.
My daughter and her husband love this cookies and me too!!!
I made them last Friday.
They were eaten up in only three days.

Here's the great recipe:

Here is my favourite recipe for Christmas cookies.
They are called "Peanut Blossoms".
My family loves them!

1 bag (8oz) Hershey's Kisses

1 egg
1/2 cup shortening
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
additional granulated sugar

Heat oven to 375F. Remove candy wrappers.
In large bowl, beat shortening and peanut butter until well blended. Add the 1/3 cup of granulated sugar and all of the brown sugar; beat until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to peanut butter mixture. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in the additional granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately place kiss on
top of each cookie, pressing down so cookie cracks around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.

This weekend I was visiting my friend Tina in Cologne. I haven't seen her for months.

We went to the Dom to see the awesome gargoyles. After that we had brunch in a tiny, sweet bistro near the mainstation.

It was a great weekend and I was really glad to see Tina. And she also was surprised to hear about my daughters pregnancy.

I hope it'll not take another few months to see her again.