A couple of months ago, I happened to come across an unusual old book on a niche subject my partner is keen on.  I bought it, thinking of giving it to him for Christmas.... then reconsidered.  Why wait, just to "solve the problem" of maybe not having something nice to give on one particular day of the year?

And when my son recently expressed curiousity about how the different variety of cheeses come about, and I found a cheese-making kit soon after that, it occured to me to save it for Christmas.  But again, this was something I wanted to give him, not simply to meet a "need" for a thing to unwrap under a tree. 

A gift given for no reason seems to me far more significant than one that must be given to fulfil an imposed expectation.  When my friend gave me a lovely glass recently, it was because she'd noticed I could use one, not because of any sense of obligation to do with the date.  

Don't we tell our children not to follow the crowd, to think for themselves, not to do things merely because "everybody else" is?  Surely a gift chosen for the joy of giving, without time pressure, without a feeling of duty, is almost by definition going to be better than one bought to beat a deadline. 

I'm not even talking here about the waste, the pointless plastic landfill fodder, the environmental damage in production and tranport and disposal of the sort of novelty items seen everywhere that serve no function but to be given away (before being thrown away). 

This year, for the first time, we have agreed a no-present pact in our family.  We all like giving, and we will continue to do so, as and when it's the right thing.  

Sorry about this one.  There won't be any courgettes til about June, and then only for a few months.  But I had to include this recipe on the graphic tea towels, not only because it was voted in as one of the most popular choices but because it really is so bloody good. 

This may possibly sound a bit weird if you haven't come across it before.  But the grated courgette disappears, and what it does to the cake is amazing - the texture becomes both very light and very moist.  Definitely the best chocolate cake ever. 

By the way, it also works beautifully as a spice cake, or lemon cake.  But I only just this minute realised why all the recipes one sees are for a chocolate version - I suspect some people don't want to see little flecks of green in their cake?  Personally, I quite like that and think it looks interesting....

Either way, you'll never have to worry about having a glut of courgettes again.   Bring on summer!

This is another of JJ's Graphic Recipes that was voted on to my  tea towels made last month. 

These pancakes make me think of Sunday mornings when I was growing up (although in the US,  pancakes get made with Bisquick, a sort of self-raising flour mix with added salt and oil that comes in a box.  My dad would sometimes put in a bit of nutmeg, which I didn't think to draw,  and I'd sometimes include raisins which might be just a bit weird.  As always, these recipes are just guidelines to be played with.  

And speaking of playing, we often dropped a few dots or squiggles or backwards letter shapes in the pan to turn brown first, before covering with a full ladleful of batter.  My dad started it by presenting pancakes with our initials to my sister and me, and of course I've done the same for my boys.  You can see this taken to wonderfully silly and amazing extremes by googling pancake art - seriously!

The day I realised that 'pancakes' dont mean the same thing here in the UK was when I went to a Pancake Day dinner at a friend's house and was surprised to find she'd left out the baking powder and they were coming out all flat...  Anyway, my version does exist as well, but is called a drop scone or Scotch pancake, though those seem to have a smaller diameter and aim for max height. 

Whatever the terms are, they're delicious, very easy, take very little time to make and are a good fun way for kids to get involved in cooking, too.  You can buy the tea towels here if you like, or see the original booklet they were printed in last summer.   And do let me know if you like making them!