Things I thought I would never say

Dino-cake made with my new Sainsbury’s dinosaur cake tin

I picked up the phone this evening and spoke aloud words I never imagined would issue from my lips;

” I have a baking emergency! The icing for my dinosaur cake is lumpy and I don’t know how to rectify the situation!”

The only thing more tragic than having reason to utter these words, was speaking them into the answer machine of someone who had something more important to do on a Saturday evening.

For anyone who has not been keeping up to date with my blog this relates to an earlier post about a baking challenge. I have been challenged to make a chocolate marble cake for a Halloween party and my first attempt is pictured above.

I have already attempted dino-cake mark 2, but without any help from my “cake guy” (and yes I do actually have a cake guy!)

In one of my old jobs we used to keep a “stupid book” recording daft things people said – it served as a way of keeping things light on difficult days. With that in mind…

…have you ever said words aloud that have surprised you even as you uttered them?

Suggestions Please

As you will have noticed I have been attempting a little baking while I am on maternity leave. I don’t want to be a total cliche but I decided that I didn’t want to be one of those Mums who cannot make their son a birthday cake. Not that I  am making any judgement about those who do choose store bought options – after all there is a wide range of fantastic cakes and treats available now without the hassle or the almighty mess that baking creates in ones kitchen. However for me it is about choice and having never baked a single thing in my life I felt that it was a case of now or never.

So far I have successfully attempted two simple recipes for Cheesecake and Pavlova.

To inspire me further, FOMS came home the other night with the object pictured. A dinosaur shaped baking tin (there is a bit of a ‘dino’ theme happening in our household at the minute).

The only issue is I have absolutely no idea what to do with it.

Next week I am taking my son to his first Halloween party and have been tasked with bringing a dessert so I implore any of the bakers among you to give me some suggestions of simple tried and tested recipes utilizing my dinosaur tin. Preferably something that will make me the envy of all the other Mums 😉

I will of course post a picture of the finished product.

Dream Home – Living the dream

Visit to our property with Joseph in May 2014.

 

Anyone who has been following my blog will know that my longest held ambition has been to own a home of my own.

During my absence from blogging while I was pregnant with my first son, I achieved my dream. FOMC and I found a place in November 2013 and after much paperwork and going back and forth between solicitors, agents and builders we finally exchanged on 15th September 2014.

I love my new home. It is bright and airy, clean and fresh and the perfect environment in which my boy will grow up.

I have spoken at length in the past about how much home ownership means to me  and to be sitting at my computer writing my final post about getting onto the property ladder is simply the most amazing feeling in the world. On Saturday morning I was woken by my husband with a cup of hot tea and some buttery toast. I was still rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I walked into my living room to find my boys paying peek-a-boo on the floor with cartoons on the TV in the background. It made me feel really blessed and I realize that our difficulties in the journey to that idyllic Saturday morning will only make us appreciate it all the more.

 

Enjoying the view from the balcony September 2014

Pregnancy Photoshoot

 

 
Back in January I posted about my upcoming maternity photo shoot.

I was looking for ideas for some bump photography as a keepsake of my first pregnancy.

Today I wanted to share the final image we choose.

Pavlova

Pavlova

My second attempt at preparing a homemade dessert required a little more technical skills than my first.

My Mum has always made a fab pavlova and I was keen to recreate one of my childhood favorites

I did not have quite the same success as I had with my cheesecake and will need to change the cooking time when I do this again but it was nevertheless a good effort.

Ingredients

4 egg whites

250g caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons cornflour

475ml whipping cream, whipped

Fruit of your choice

Meringue

1/ Pre-heat oven to 150C or gas mark 2

2/ Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper – some people trace round a dinner plate to mark it with a circle template.

3/ In a large bowl beat 4 egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Do not get any egg yolk into the mixture.

4/ Start to gradually add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time beating the mixture until it becomes thick and glossy.

5/ Whisk in the vinegar, cornflour and vanilla.

6/ Spread the mixture onto the greaseproof paper using the circle as a template. Leave a slight depression in the centre to fill with your topping later.

7/ Bake for 1 hour then turn the heat down and leave to cool in the oven.

Topping

1/ Put the meringue on a plate and fill the depression with whipped cream.

2/ Decorate with your fruit.