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"Oh that would be marvelous, Maximus!" She tossed her mane back and batted her eyes at him with excitement, "What did you have in mind exactly?"

She could tell he was feeling restless, and she could honestly admit that she was feeling the same. She was too used to long rides with Edward to sit around for too long. Destiny quite enjoyed her meal with Maximus, but she was very much ready to trot around and stretch her legs.

Picnic for Two

Maximus watched Destiny pick out something and smiled softly. It was such a nice day. He looked up and saw a cloud that looked funny to him. “Oh ,Destiny my dear! Look up! Does that cloud look like a bird to you?” He whinnied cheerfully. It reminded him of his feathery companion. The cloud was moving very slowly over to the right. 

A thought occurred to the captain horse. He had never had a moment where he laid down in grass and did nothing. At least not in a long while. Maximus looked over at Destiny and smiled again. Thanks to her he was relaxing for once. 

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::Oh, Prince Edward is my owner! He is a bit silly, but I adore having him as my rider since he's so kind to me:: *She whinnied softly* ::Was he very kind to you?::

“Andalasia? You know…I think I may have been there once! Do you know Prince Edward?” she asked, only vaguely remembering her trip to Andalasia.

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dreamingof-trueloveskiss started following you

::Oh it's been so long since I've seen you!:: *She bobbed her head at Giselle* ::It's so wonderful to see you!::

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"Oh, it does! There's even one that looks similar to a small rabbit!" She whinnied excitedly and continued to look up at the clouds. It had been a while since she looked at them like this, so it was really fun for her.

Looking back at Maximus, she gave a gentle whinny, "Thank you for picking such a lovely day. I'm really enjoying this Maximus." She batted her eyelashes shyly at him. "It's definitely a change from only having Edward around. Not that I don't enjoy my Prince's company, but yours is much different from his."

Picnic for Two

Maximus watched Destiny pick out something and smiled softly. It was such a nice day. He looked up and saw a cloud that looked funny to him. “Oh ,Destiny my dear! Look up! Does that cloud look like a bird to you?” He whinnied cheerfully. It reminded him of his feathery companion. The cloud was moving very slowly over to the right. 

A thought occurred to the captain horse. He had never had a moment where he laid down in grass and did nothing. At least not in a long while. Maximus looked over at Destiny and smiled again. Thanks to her he was relaxing for once. 

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::I came from Andalasia!:: *She trotted closer to the girl* ::Have you heard of it?::

butihavntusedmycup started following you

::You look very kind! Oh, I do hope you are very nice indeed!::

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*Destiny bobbed her head and whinnied in response* ::Hello!::

butihavntusedmycup started following you

::You look very kind! Oh, I do hope you are very nice indeed!::

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"Oh, don't worry!" She whinnied lightly, "I wasn't offended or upset." She carefully watched what he had picked and decided it would be best to follow suit. Reaching her head over to the basket, she picked up a turnover for herself and took small bites of it at a time.

Destiny was very pleased in her decision to mimic Maximus's choice of pastry and showed it by lightly nuzzling Maximus when she was sure he wasn't eating. "This turnover is most delicious, Maximus! I don't think I've quite tasted anything like it before!"

Picnic for Two

“I’m so glad!” Padding the ground with her hoof lightly, she began to feel nervous. It sure had been a while for the two of them, but she had royal obligations to Edward just as he had obligations as the head of protection. My he sounded so dashing just from a title alone! She shook her mane out of her face as she looked back up at him. “I was really worried about that since I was still unsure of the things you enjoy.” Her eyes seemed to light up as an idea sprang to mind. “Maybe we could discuss that while we eat?”

Blinking up at him, she found herself nickering from her shyness; however, the more they talked about apples she felt herself opening up a little more before bobbing her head excitedly at him. “Oh a variety is really quite fine with me. I do love many types of apples! It is really hard to pick just one for a favorite!”

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Disney Challenge: Day 23

An Underrated Movie: Enchanted

I’ve always thought Enchanted deserved more recognition than it gets! I don’t think I’ve ever really seen a reference to the movie at any of the parks or Disney stores, and it makes me sad. (Read More)

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Fearless by *DANMAKUMAN

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Cobnut and Apple Tart

Kent might be mostly known for hop, cherry and apple growing.  However, there’s another delicacy hailing from this county that’s getting a welcome revival.  The cobnut.  Regula aka Miss Foodwise explores the growth of the nutritious cobnut and shares her delightful recipe for cobnut and apple tart.  

When I think of my beloved Kent, apples, cobnuts, cherries and hops are the four things that define this county for me. They have moulded the landscape with their orchards and plats and have influenced the kitchens and culture.

I discovered Kentish cobnuts on a late summer’s day when they are sold fresh in their green husks. The kernels are then juicy and resemble a chestnut flavour, yet more delicate. When autumn arrives the cobnuts are ripened, the husks, then turned brown, are removed and they look more like the hazelnut we generally know. Now they are dried and referred to as Golden Cobnuts. The flavour of the nut has developed while ripening, and has gone from fresh and juicy to an intense nutty flavour. When stored dry they keep till Christmas. The Kentish cobnut is larger and more ovoid shaped than a hazelnut and also has a different and slightly more intense flavour.

Cobnuts generally grow in Kent, where the variety the ‘Kentish Cob’ was planted in the 19th century by a Mr Lambert of Goudhurst.

They have however been around since Tudor times and were but revived by the Victorians who considered them to be a delicacy. There are more varieties of cobnuts but as Kent has historically been the main county producing cobnuts, the term Kentish cob is often used generally for every variety of cobnut grown in Britain.

Cobnut orchards are known as ‘plats’ and the nuts are harvested by hand by workmen called ‘nutters’. In the old days cobnuts were also sometimes picked by hop pickers coming down from London as cobnuts and hops both ripen at the same time. The disappearance of the Hop pickers roughly corresponds with the decline of the cobnut plats.

The last few years there’s been a revival in cobnut growing as well as in hop growing as many people are opting to buy British and the growing amount of micro breweries are showing interest in Kentish hops again. Cherry orchards are being planted once more and apples are still plentiful and taking over the British greengrocers.

I had Kent on my mind when my sack of golden cobnuts from Farnell Farm arrived and I was also in need of a cake or tart that is not only comforting and cosy on a dreary autumn day but also a bit more nutritious than your average tart.

This cobnut and apple tart is something between a cake and a tart, I am using spelt flour and lots of cobnuts and apples so this tart will not only give you your dose of sweets but also energy.

  Cobnut and apple tart

  Ingredients

• 150 g spelt flour

• 100 unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 50 g light soft brown sugar

• 2 free-range eggs, beaten

• 50 g (1 cup) *cobnuts, shells removed, roasted and finely chopped

• 2 large apples or 3 smaller (Cox or Bramley) sliced in discs

• 1 teaspoon of cobnut brandy if you’ve made some, cider or apple juice

• 1 teaspoon of sugar to finish of the apples on top of the batter to create a caramelised finish.

*You can use hazelnuts but you will have to remove the skin after roasting. You can do this by rubbing them roughly in a tea towel.

To roast the cobnuts

Remove the shells, arrange on a tray and place them in an oven at 160C for 45 minutes, let them cool before chopping them. When you take them out of the oven they need to harden first. You will get the best results in flavour if you chop the nuts instead of using a pestle and mortar.

Method

Preheat the oven to 160C

Line your 25 cm round shallow cake tin with baking paper.

Combine your butter with the sugar and whisk until creamy 

Beat in the eggs one at a time

Add the flour and combine to create a dough

Now fold in the chopped cobnuts and a teaspoon of brandy, cider or apple juice 

Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin, gently spreading the batter into all the corners

Neatly arrange the apple slices over the dough and sprinkle one teaspoon of sugar over the apples

Put the cake in to the oven and bake for 60 min, or until the apples are lovely and golden

Set the cake aside to cool slightly in the tin.

Keep in an airtight container, that way the tart will keep for 5 days.

Visit the Kentish Cobnuts Association for a list of cobnut suppliers.

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Enchanted (USA, 2007)

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Enchanted Queen Narissa

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Rarity under Aurora by ~Pyrestorm