Obsession of the Week: The Music of Sheryl Crow
Dipping into my i-tunes I rediscovered my love for Sheryl Crow. She is such a versatile singer and has recorded some truly amazing songs. Here are 10 of her best (in no particular order):
- ‘I Shall Believe’, from Tuesday Night Club (1993)
- 'Weather Channel’, from C'mon C'mon (2002)
- 'Everyday Is A Winding Road’, from Sheryl Crow (1996)
- 'Strong Enough’, from Tuesday Night Club (1993)
- 'Lullaby for Wyatt’, from Detours (2008)
- 'I Know Why’, from Wildflower (2005)
- 'Abilene’, from C'mon C'mon (2002)
- 'My Favorite Mistake’, from The Globe Sessions (1998)
- 'Light in Your Eyes’, from The Very Best of Sheryl Crow (2003)
- 'Make It Go Away’, from Detours (2008)
The Long Journey Home

I love visiting Oxford and have been there many times since I was young. Attending an interview there yesterday was an enjoyable experience, but it made the return to the ugliness of Wolverhampton all the more depressing.
Yann Tiersen is a genius.
Crusty Cob Loaf

Inspired by the BBC’s The Great British Bake Off, yesterday the Mr and I decided to try our hand at baking bread. I had never made bread from scratch before so it was a relief that it turned out as well as it did. We used the recipe for a cob loaf from the show, which can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/paul_hollywoods_crusty_83536 and I fully intend to use it again in the future

Obsession of the Week: Blogs by Tennis Players
I am obsessed with tennis, and I love gaining an insight into the personalities of the ATP and WTA tours through their blogs. Reading about their daily lives, their ambitions, the things they go through in order to compete, their injury troubles etc humanises players and never ceases to fill me with respect and admiration. Some of the blogs out there written by touring pros are a little stilted, especially those written for the ATP and WTA websites, so I have compiled 3 of the best (in my humble opinion) to share with you all:
- Anne Keothavong (http://www.tennishead.net/blogs/Anne-Keothavong-Blog/): I have so much respect for Anne and all the set-backs she has had. She is incredibly honest and you’ve got to give her credit about that.
- Dmitry Tursunov blogs from Estoril, Dmitry Tursunov (http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2006/blogs/dmitrytursunov.aspx): A classic. I know I slated blogs on tour websites, but Dima is a comedy genius, and the corresponding blog by Bryanne Stewart on the WTA website is also great (http://www.sonyericssonwtatour.com/blog/20060505/bryanne-stewarts-estoril-blog_2257191_1677680).
- ‘Road to Success’, Megan Moulton-Levy (http://meganmoultonlevy.blogspot.com/): Megan writes from the heart and that really comes across in her writing.
Finn and Charlie are Hitched
I’m not really into webcomics, but I love this one and look forward to it every week. Charlie and Finn are such a cute couple.
What I Am Reading At The Moment

Currently I am reading The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton. My love affair with Wharton’s novels began with The Age of Innocence five years ago, but until this year I had not had the opportunity to read another of her books. That changed when I spotted a new edition of The House of Mirth in a bookshop in July, which I quickly devoured within days of purchase. Earlier this month I was surprised to see The Custom of the Country in a bookshop and just had to buy it too - am I missing something? Are schools in Britain finally teaching the mighty Edith Wharton? Whatever the reason for the revival I must say I am so glad that there is suddenly a glut of her novels out there for people to enjoy.
Wharton has often been dismissed as a lightweight immitator of Henry James, but I feel this is an unfair comparison, as there is a lot more to her writing than this criticism implies. Wharton’s prose can match Austen for its satirical acidity, as well as be emotionally heart-wrenching, and reflects Wharton’s interest in Social Anthropology (Just read Ellen’s farewell dinner in The Age of Innocence to understand what I mean).
I truly hope that The Custom of the Country lives up to her other novels, and so far I’m thoroughly enjoying reading about the deliciously self-absorbed Undine Spragg.
Lemon Tart

Last night the Mr came home to inform me that we had been invited over for dinner by one of his colleagues. Cue mild panic and the resolution that I’d bake a lemon tart. I made the same tart a few weeks back after news that the Mr’s aunt and uncle were stopping by and the panic attack that bombshell brought on [excuse the melodrama].
As the previous post about my vanilla biscuit fiasco suggests sweet things are not my forte in the kitchen, however the last time I made the tart it came out surprisingly well, so I was hoping for a repeat success. I found the pastry to be a little troublesome, but it seemed to work out ok. I used Fran Warde’s recipe from her book New Bistro, and have included the recipe below.
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Fran Warde’s Lemon Tart
For the pastry:
- 150g plain flour
- 75g cold butter, diced into small pieces
- 25g caster sugar
- 1 large egg
For the filling:
- 2 eggs
- 50g caster sugar
- 175ml double cream
- the juice and zest of 2 lemons
- icing sugar for dusting
- For the pastry, place the flour and butter in a bowl and rub together quickly using your finger tips until the mixture resembles the texture of breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix through. Whisk the egg, then stir into the pastry to form a dough ball. Wrag the dough in clingfilm and chill it for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 190C. Place the chilled pastry on a work surface, press out with the heel of your hand, then roll out to fit a 23cm loose-based flan tin. Do not stretch the pastry to fit. Trim away the excess from around the edge, and prick the base with a fork. Line the pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans, then cook for 20 mins.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 160C. Remove the beans and the parchment and return the flan case to the oven and bake for a further 10 mins.
- Meanwhile, make the filling. Whisk the eggs and caster sugar, then add all but 2 tablespoons of the cream, and the lemon juice and zest, and mix together. Pour into the prepared pastry case and cook for 10 mins. Swirl in the remaining cream to create a marbled effect, then continue to cook for a further 20 mins until the filling is just set.
- Leave to cool and dust with icing sugar before serving.
Natalie Portman + Winona Ryder + Ballet Psychothriller = Cinematic Bliss
