tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23661942567767463452024-03-13T15:50:52.087+00:00Makes, bakes and occasional fakeshillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-37274292027208843532016-02-27T15:39:00.000+00:002016-02-27T15:39:28.381+00:00Dairy Free creme "eggs"A few weeks back, everyone was talking about creme eggs, and how the chocolate wasn't as good any more. In the past there has been much speculation about the diminishing size of the eggs too - so all in all, not good news for Cadbury. It got to a point where This Morning did a bit about it, and Paul Young showed the presenters how to make their own eggs.<br />
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This piqued my interest, as I had not considered making an egg before. The girls said that they would love to try a creme egg, so it was time to get the big bag of chocolate out and try for myself.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8ID5QT354_YGe0anR5emARDu3H4_iDBBDs45mO9kIe6hznQl25FydYk8Fe3-Z2kNFrbe9nq91QRdOvfnLZLfS_qzgCJZfxM6KCAWEJr3IZqq2wRy9DY0sqEImhtKYhf17OaPymZy0-A/s1600/IMG_7242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk8ID5QT354_YGe0anR5emARDu3H4_iDBBDs45mO9kIe6hznQl25FydYk8Fe3-Z2kNFrbe9nq91QRdOvfnLZLfS_qzgCJZfxM6KCAWEJr3IZqq2wRy9DY0sqEImhtKYhf17OaPymZy0-A/s320/IMG_7242.JPG" width="240" /></a><b><u>Ingredients</u></b><br />
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Vegan chocolate<br />
Fondant icing sugar<br />
Vanilla essence<br />
Water<br />
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Silicon moulds are great for making chocolates, but as all I had were individual heart shaped moulds we had to have hearts and not eggs.<br />
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The chocolate I used was from <a href="https://www.plamilfoods.co.uk/shopping">Plamil</a>. I've been using their chocolate for years now and you can buy the darkness of chocolate that you prefer by cocoa percentage (45%, 53%, 60% or 72%). For this I used the 53% cocoa, which is still quite dark. If you want to make them more like milk chocolate, you can use the 45% or the <a href="http://www.moofreechocolates.com/dairy-free-chocolate/products/100g-chocolate-bars/dairy-free-milk-chocolate-bar.php">Moo free</a> chocolate bars, which are both great.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyQLcZpfRC7g-SBvDvXTbWC7BsTW8nHmLn_weFdRQ-DWWgXicIk60cnCtfbS8id5EMBkt7f2f8nj7De_l9rdtFV6x9_HBXGyyx1VN9XQM8M5ocJTOXYtPhe9JfVYLaHxcFzoSvMMn81U/s1600/IMG_7267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpyQLcZpfRC7g-SBvDvXTbWC7BsTW8nHmLn_weFdRQ-DWWgXicIk60cnCtfbS8id5EMBkt7f2f8nj7De_l9rdtFV6x9_HBXGyyx1VN9XQM8M5ocJTOXYtPhe9JfVYLaHxcFzoSvMMn81U/s200/IMG_7267.JPG" width="150" /></a>So, I melted about 200g of chocolate slowly over a pan of gently simmering water, then turned the heat off, but left the chocolate so it would not set again. I put a few tablespoons of the fondant icing sugar into a bowl and added a little water and flavoured it with vanilla. It is a bit of trial and error to get the quantities right so add small amounts at a time until you get that thick, gooey icing that you know from creme eggs.<br />
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Next, take your silicon moulds and fill them nearly to the top with the melted chocolate. I put mine onto a plate, then popped them in the fridge for about 5 minutes. After that time, you need to take them out and tip the chocolate out. A thick layer will have started to set around the edges, and the rest will pour back into your melting bowl. Put them back in the fridge to set the chocolate.<br />
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Finally, add the fondant centre to the top of the chocolate shell and seal the top by totally covering it with the leftover melted chocolate. Put them back into the fridge and leave to set. When they are ready to be eaten, the silicon mould can be peeled off, but keep them in the fridge until you want to eat them. I haven't mastered how to temper chocolate yet, so they will be quite melty as you eat them!<br />
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-33430731733767994072015-11-23T15:30:00.001+00:002015-11-23T15:30:07.178+00:003 ways with dates....and chocolateBeen away for a year, how did that happen? I've been baking and making but not blogging and I want to get back into it, so here is a great trio of things to do with dates.<br />
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A vegan friend of mine recently told me how she made her own twix bars, the recipe is from another site which I shall try to find in due course. The part that intrigued me was the use of dates to make the caramel section. My girls can't eat dairy, and miss out on traditional chocolate bars, so maybe this was a way to create something for them. I already make dairy-free chocolate truffles with dates, cocoa and ground almonds and the girls love those, so today I tried out my own twix recipe:<br />
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1 pack of supermarket shortbread biscuits<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiun3BvTTgjwAVrLpEwfJAXhKtnC1x5arxDwVfDd3ida0kJn49As-O7xUNYXVz40lFaJtMcYMtOb4Q7ilDSss16fmSjsb7P_01F4sZqoUMLqTRwViD-XY1jsqgNst3mSblliYuKES14Wdc/s1600/IMG_6587.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiun3BvTTgjwAVrLpEwfJAXhKtnC1x5arxDwVfDd3ida0kJn49As-O7xUNYXVz40lFaJtMcYMtOb4Q7ilDSss16fmSjsb7P_01F4sZqoUMLqTRwViD-XY1jsqgNst3mSblliYuKES14Wdc/s320/IMG_6587.JPG" width="320" /></a>100g moo-free chocolate bar<br />
3 tbsp plamil catering chocolate<br />
a block of dates (250g)<br />
2tbsp cocoa powder<br />
1 tsp caramel flavouring<br />
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I heated up the dates and caramel flavouring with about 100ml of water to soften them, then when they were cooled, I blitzed them to a smooth paste with 2tbsp of cocoa powder.<br />
This mix was then smeared thickly over 9 shortbread biscuits.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8AVLBNGcRMtK7hvqXXPMs3JEGBT1cCUseIGEvonGBK0eCa4RFGEGrZ6-tPpeb03cU1POCmU-z84FFjVT3IyOv7HYcsKK4ODDcLEdME_2mW_706ax9QHWlENXDJjcCsDYdzptcNm6hPI/s1600/IMG_6589.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8AVLBNGcRMtK7hvqXXPMs3JEGBT1cCUseIGEvonGBK0eCa4RFGEGrZ6-tPpeb03cU1POCmU-z84FFjVT3IyOv7HYcsKK4ODDcLEdME_2mW_706ax9QHWlENXDJjcCsDYdzptcNm6hPI/s320/IMG_6589.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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I melted the two chocolates together and cooled slightly before dropping each biscuit carefully in and turning it over very gently to coat it, using a fork. The coated biscuits were placed on the cool windowsill for about 30 minutes before going into the fridge. Done.<br />
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Almost.<br />
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I had a huge amount of the date mix left and the scrapings of the chocolate, which I couldn't waste. So, I thought to myself, what can I use this for?<br />
My girls are always on at me to make whoopee pies, which I'm not so bothered about, but I was feeling generous (why else would I have been making twix bars in the first place?) so I made up the following batter:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfkS7CGMutFIycY-ToM7T42DVVjwDxDXvYG_xk4-rJCwP3CZ1QpeURPYCXsqZKodk5a6gCG3d5lWYn4a7kgEgtmgpdOke7BBKBLRkl8ev9XnhrcHLxfPmqKC9EoNXlEsks0jd0XX8eTE/s1600/IMG_6592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXfkS7CGMutFIycY-ToM7T42DVVjwDxDXvYG_xk4-rJCwP3CZ1QpeURPYCXsqZKodk5a6gCG3d5lWYn4a7kgEgtmgpdOke7BBKBLRkl8ev9XnhrcHLxfPmqKC9EoNXlEsks0jd0XX8eTE/s320/IMG_6592.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
2oz sunflower spread<br />
2oz date mix from above<br />
about 2tbsp of melted chocolate<br />
1 egg<br />
2.5oz self raising flour<br />
a splash of soya milk to soften the mix<br />
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I mixed all this and made 12 dollops on a baking tray, then baked them at 180c for about 15 minutes. They looked fine, but I think that the mix could have been even softer to let them spread better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePDyxgQDCDErt20KomqeHLD9w75hYJT3nbVamGRsp5Ekhfl19q3td1DLwIwbIKK11mLGlnbF40a3hCgFl6v8VBj9cMIwotD8eK3B2mI63bHvQ23BUmSFwjMrB9nEMybdCnctxflLgltU/s1600/IMG_6590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePDyxgQDCDErt20KomqeHLD9w75hYJT3nbVamGRsp5Ekhfl19q3td1DLwIwbIKK11mLGlnbF40a3hCgFl6v8VBj9cMIwotD8eK3B2mI63bHvQ23BUmSFwjMrB9nEMybdCnctxflLgltU/s200/IMG_6590.JPG" width="150" /></a>Once cooled, I made my third date and cocoa creation - frosting. Yep, if you mix equal quantities of the date mix and sunflower spread, you get the beginnings of a very good frosting consistency; it's not chocolatey enough, so I tagged another tbsp of cocoa powder and the same of icing sugar to get the texture just right. I spooned the frosting onto one cooled cake round, then sandwiched another cake on top.<br />
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A sprinkle of icing sugar and they are ready to eat:<br />
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-88804583190731972342014-11-05T21:01:00.000+00:002014-11-05T21:06:52.186+00:00Christmas treasure mapFor the school Christmas Fair, I have made two games for the children to play. The first is a treasure map, which took a bit of thinking about. I decided to make the islands on the map look like a reindeer outline, to make it a bit Christmassy, but making the map took a bit of trial and error.<br />
I ended up using thick off-white card and drawing the details on with coloured Sharpies. I then made up washes of colour using transparent inks so the details showed through. I wasn't completely happy with the way the water had overlays of the ink which caused darker patches, but it was difficult to keep the colour flowing around my wobbly coastlines.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qbcGiM2nmWy9Ft4mUDwl6N1OVPR8UM6H6igGtZC0Gnn2I6x40wX-iztzVxAdw7wIEx2aYr8miwd4WR3bmBirkty6pXuhWoWZ61YPKERUfmKPxBdfc189nKCIYvaq_6A8J-VOBcWkHww/s1600/IMG_4186+copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qbcGiM2nmWy9Ft4mUDwl6N1OVPR8UM6H6igGtZC0Gnn2I6x40wX-iztzVxAdw7wIEx2aYr8miwd4WR3bmBirkty6pXuhWoWZ61YPKERUfmKPxBdfc189nKCIYvaq_6A8J-VOBcWkHww/s1600/IMG_4186+copy.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
To make the grid, I bought a cheap acetate fronted picture frame in Hobbycraft and drew the grid on the acetate. I drew the letters and numbers on backwards so that the grid and writing would be on the side of the acetate that the map was on, so if people touched the acetate they didn't rub any of the ink off - I used a Sharpie again to draw on the acetate. If we decide to do another treasure hunt the map can be taken out and a new one placed under the grid.<br />
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The second game is not quite finished, but I will post a picture when it's done.hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-13196145703991179762014-11-05T20:40:00.001+00:002014-11-05T20:40:44.248+00:00Back to the blogI've been away for nearly 18 months, time for a bit of a catch up now I have some time to myself.<br />
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I'll start with the most recent makes - the Frozen dresses. Both my girls wanted dresses to be just like the girls from the film. I refused to pay £65 for the official ones and decided it was time to get making again.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTch2V1iR5Ax9tZzfvY_g7TAtvgvAKFDpUWqt69xAhP-ZV1cuNhzMA8BsfS6bUohewx-25QXv1jVVxcXhjJTXkvK2-rF-X-TbfB2rP8DfxrRCUvrD5tAJX68wGzPiZjEKlzyJwWH311A4/s1600/IMG_4066+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTch2V1iR5Ax9tZzfvY_g7TAtvgvAKFDpUWqt69xAhP-ZV1cuNhzMA8BsfS6bUohewx-25QXv1jVVxcXhjJTXkvK2-rF-X-TbfB2rP8DfxrRCUvrD5tAJX68wGzPiZjEKlzyJwWH311A4/s1600/IMG_4066+copy.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a>I went back to my roots and made the patterns from scratch, which fascinated the children, who had never seen dot and cross paper or a pattern master before. The dress patterns were relatively simple to design and the cape for Anna was based on a jacket from their wardrobe. I bought the fabrics from Ebay and got to work, two weeks later, here they are (with their heads photoshopped, obviously!)<br />
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ps. that Elsa fabric was the worst fabric I have ever worked with - never again!<br />
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-52316311283047115152013-06-14T18:10:00.002+01:002013-06-14T18:10:42.201+01:00Royal baby cakesThe school cake sale this month was themed around the Royal baby. I was inspired by a colleague who had bought a <a href="http://www.krispykreme.co.uk/doughnuts/doughnuts-new/?id=38">Krispy Kreme donut</a> that you bite to reveal blue or pink filling, and made some little fairy cakes on the same theme.<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
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I made a 2 egg batch of my 5:4:4:2 cake mix and put 2 tbsp of the mixture in each of 2 small bowls. I coloured one bowl pink and one bowl blue using colour pastes. I think I put a little too much colouring in them, but was conscious that it needed to be obvious when you bit into it.<br />
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I spread a heaped teaspoon of mix across the bottom of each cake case and then a blob of the coloured mix on top.<br />
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Finally, I used a heaped teaspoon of mix to cover up the colour and baked the cakes for about 12 minutes at 180c.<br />
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I made some vanilla buttercream icing using pure soya spread and smeared each cooled cake with enough to cover any imperfections where the colour showed. I added a few sprinkles and they were finished. They looked just like normal little cakes and were a great little guessing game for the children.<br />
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-4009805363683385982013-06-07T21:55:00.000+01:002013-06-07T21:55:05.209+01:00The Big MirrorWe had our bedroom decorated 16 months ago and I have finally finished the mirror frame for my big leaner mirror to go in the room. I bought a (quite frankly nasty) cheap fake leather framed mirror off eBay which I naively thought would finish off the room perfectly. Not only was it nasty and cheap looking, the bits of vinyl started peeling off the frame almost immediately and it wasn't long before I got angry and ripped them all off.<br />
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A friend of mine has been using comics to rejuvenate pieces of furniture and this gave me an idea. Last November, I sold the smaller version of my big plan at the school Christmas Fair, when I covered 6x4 photo frames in comics and also <a href="http://makesbakesfakes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/lots-of-christmas-makes.html">salt dough tree decorations</a>. I bought the comics off eBay for 99p each and they are original 1950's Marvel comics.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsy8fH3riX8ZvYBpGDBy7AD_nSrZo_ufdPpmYgWL4uN8znJP_pXyplNhjTm3gyKr0dbO1748kEJTU9mJeCfW6MWqRpEwwucWn7GJZveKu2C9k4LU5VHgQuaMlOUr7Vp3XYsvoYZcFLfM/s1600/IMG_1615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsy8fH3riX8ZvYBpGDBy7AD_nSrZo_ufdPpmYgWL4uN8znJP_pXyplNhjTm3gyKr0dbO1748kEJTU9mJeCfW6MWqRpEwwucWn7GJZveKu2C9k4LU5VHgQuaMlOUr7Vp3XYsvoYZcFLfM/s320/IMG_1615.JPG" width="240" /></a>So, back to the mirror, which needed a lot of tlc because it was looking very sad. I stripped it down, taking off the layers of padding and sticky strips of glue encrusted vinyl to leave a bare, moulded fibreboard frame.<br />
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I took the mirror out of the frame and covered the whole thing in a layer of brown paper and pva glue to give a smooth layer to stick the comics to. Once that was all dry, I started methodically tearing the best images from each page of my comic selection (Fantastic 4, X-men, Hulk and Avengers) and mixed them all up before starting to glue the pieces down. All the less interesting ripped pieces were used to fill small gaps so nothing was wasted.<br />
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Each time I glued a piece on, I coated it with another layer of glue, so the whole thing is sealed in and has a slight sheen to it but the colour of the comics is not affected by any addition of varnish.<br />
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The mirror is now proudly in it's place in the bedroom and I am so in love with it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3ftgM9Xd07YGz43lTBIavdv8dwRiLYFot7LAjCZBqsW0Q4YyBmGBmWhUuSntmnKDy6Li-iAipJLjeAoL4BOrBhEmCVSmAq_T4vfI-5jCc3hv49CVUwBMADA-nUpeRXPi_Uh3u-No1Bc/s1600/IMG_2374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ3ftgM9Xd07YGz43lTBIavdv8dwRiLYFot7LAjCZBqsW0Q4YyBmGBmWhUuSntmnKDy6Li-iAipJLjeAoL4BOrBhEmCVSmAq_T4vfI-5jCc3hv49CVUwBMADA-nUpeRXPi_Uh3u-No1Bc/s320/IMG_2374.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-46844006862107193412013-06-07T21:21:00.000+01:002013-06-07T21:21:00.227+01:00Bunny shaped Yorkshire pudsMy children love Yorkshire puddings (maybe as much as I do, if that's possible) and although they love sausages, they don't like toad-in-the-hole. Strange, huh? I have worked out how to make pretty good dairy-free puddings after much experimentation, and the recipe is:<br />
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75g plain flour<br />
1 egg<br />
85ml rice milk (soya doen't seem to rise)<br />
ground black pepper and salt (a couple of twists of each)<br />
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I mix the ingredients with a hand whisk and heat a 12 hole pan in the oven at 220c with a little pool of sunflower oil in each well, when the pan is hot I quickly pour the mix into the 12 holes and slam it back in the oven. I leave the oven door firmly shut for 20 minutes or so while they rise and brown, then we scoff them while they are still nice and hot. They don't rise in the magnificent way that they do when made the traditional way, but they are still very good.<br />
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Today, as an experiment, I used a 6 hole bunny pan to make the puddings and they came out pretty well, look:<br />
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-66778422209758704602013-04-10T15:29:00.000+01:002013-04-10T15:29:17.851+01:00Painted tableLike a lot of parents with young children, I bought the £17 <a href="http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/50178411/">Ikea table and chairs</a> for my children. It's wooden and cheap, so I was happy for the children to draw on it to their hearts' content and leave all the other furniture and walls alone. It got to a point where I was a a bit embarrassed by the state of it, and it was relegated to under the stairs until I could clean it up.<br />
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Today was the day that the poor little table was given a new lease of life. I finally managed to paint it and it looks so much better! I took it apart and used an ivory spray enamel paint to cover the scratched and chipped top. I used 3 coats of red acrylic paint on the legs and sides, then put it all back together again. Now to start on the chairs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMs1G6K7Ezypzya6Zwblv_OLnZ5nBBfI6p_iGxOO7fl6ZTPRh0yBOJ0iboUdtc9m11LobqmqSvISfd45ZBn8D3ggq-jVgmVyjX5P9gL16ALq9GQl7cF6UnuyTPUODFTGXWzrxGDNT4js/s1600/IMG_2231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRMs1G6K7Ezypzya6Zwblv_OLnZ5nBBfI6p_iGxOO7fl6ZTPRh0yBOJ0iboUdtc9m11LobqmqSvISfd45ZBn8D3ggq-jVgmVyjX5P9gL16ALq9GQl7cF6UnuyTPUODFTGXWzrxGDNT4js/s400/IMG_2231.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-88987499927371761852013-03-31T21:28:00.000+01:002013-03-31T21:28:54.296+01:00The Bowser SuitIt was my daughter's 5th birthday last week and she requested a Super Mario party. She wanted to dress up as Mario, which was simple, and we bought an outfit for her. She wanted daddy to dress up as Bowser for the party. Not so simple. Daddy agreed, and spent the best part of 6 weeks making his outfit from scratch. When he got to the body, hands and feet, my skills as seamstress were put to the test as I not only made all the patterns for the pieces, I also taught daddy how to help with the sewing. After 3 weeks of doing a bit at a time, and with a couple of hours to spare before the party started we finished it. Here is the result.<br />
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Sorry the picture is taken in the middle of a messy room, so the costume does not stand out so much, but all the pictures at the party had other people's children in them and I didn't want to post them on here without consent.hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-29377091338238263342013-03-18T15:59:00.001+00:002013-03-18T16:03:27.239+00:00Blackberry puddingI made a pie for dinner yesterday, but after egg washing the crust, I couldn't throw the rest of the beaten egg away. I decided to try the traditional sponge recipe of weighing the egg and adding equal weights of SR flour, caster sugar and margarine. The small amount of mixture was just enough to spread over the base of my 2lb loaf tin to make a small rectangular cake.<br />
I had some blackberries on hand, which I heated up in a pan with a few spoonfuls of sugar.<br />
Once the blackberries were sticky and the sugar had all melted I poured them (and the syrup that was formed) into the oiled loaf tin and put the cake mix on top.<br />
I baked it for about 20 minutes at 180c and then tipped it out while it was still hot on to a plate to cool a little.<br />
It was delicious with vanilla ice cream.<br />
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-22857389256875851312013-03-09T09:27:00.001+00:002013-03-09T09:27:49.818+00:00Story diceI have been busy with work, I forgot how draining it is to be in that routine. When you add to that the emotional drain of working with young children all day, I have been pretty tired! I am loving it, though, and the children are giving me even more ideas of things to make - I just need some time to actually do it.<br />
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I love the idea of story dice. In fact, I bought some of <a href="http://www.storycubes.com/">Rory's Story Cubes</a> in Waterstones a few weeks ago, but soon realised that my children needed slightly different pictures to get their minds working. How hard could it be to make my own? Not hard at all, as it turned out. The tricky part is working out the 54 images you want on the dice. Luckily, I had two willing assistants shouting random words at me until I had enough to work with.<br />
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I bought some blank dice online, with indented faces, so the pictures were protected. I googled various images with the phrase "free ............. vector art" which generally brings up silhouette images which are perfect for this. I saved the free images and in photoshop I made each one just over 1cm square to fit on a die face, then printed them, cut them out and stuck them on the blank dice. I guess I could have drawn each image and stuck it on, which would have been more personal, but as the title of my blog shows, I do "cheat" occasionally!<br />
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-20535770852589725652012-12-28T07:40:00.000+00:002012-12-28T07:40:04.688+00:00Back to workI have been fortunate enough to spend the past 6 years at home raising my children. This has given me the time to be creative with them as well as for them. I have relearned how to cook and bake without using dairy products and more recently I have been able to enjoy craft and art activities with them. Now they are both settled in school, I need more to do in the day than making and baking.<br />
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So, from 7th January, I shall be back in the full-time work force. Luckily, I shall be working school hours and term times only so I won't need to arrange child care, but I won't have the time to be so creative and the blog is likely to suffer. I am sure I will be updating from time to time, so look out for updates, but for the first couple of months back in work I'm likely to be too shattered to even open the laptop!<br />
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-70467823266533362592012-12-11T19:15:00.000+00:002012-12-11T19:15:53.372+00:00Snowflakes and moreToday's Christmas task on our advent calendar was to make paper snowflakes to go on the windows. I have made them in the past and let the girls stick them on, but this year they made their own for the first time, and loved it. We also made some strings of Christmas things - robins, trees, reindeer and angels. Charlotte was amazed at the hearts that were made when we cut certain shapes out of the paper and was soon busy throwing them around the room like confetti.<br />
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-16186742580305512432012-12-02T14:51:00.000+00:002012-12-02T14:51:39.841+00:00Chocolate ginger cupcakesA fair few months ago I went to a friend's baby shower and her sister-in-law had made a selection of delicious cakes. My favourite were her chocolate ginger cupcakes, a name which does not begin to describe the mix of flavours hiding inside. I made a version of them for the cake sale at the school Christmas Market today, here is the recipe.<br />
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<b>Ingredients</b><br />
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4oz brown sugar<br />
5oz self raising flour<br />
1/4tsp bicarbonate of soda<br />
1tsp ground ginger<br />
1/2tsp ground cinnamon<br />
1/4tsp ground nutmeg<br />
4oz soya margarine<br />
2 eggs<br />
2tbsp golden syrup<br />
3oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped<br />
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<b>Method</b><br />
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Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, then add the eggs, margarine and syrup.<br />
Whisk with an electric whisk until smooth then add the chocolate and mix together.<br />
Spoon into 12 cupcake cases and bake at 150c for about 20 minutes, until cooked through.<br />
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When cool, the original recipe calls for whipped cream on top with chopped Crunchie bars sprinkled on top. I made frosting with philadelphia, butter and icing sugar, then sprinkled the Crunchie on top. To make them dairy-free, I have spooned cooled, melted dairy-free chocolate over the top, then topped with chopped honeycomb pieces.<br />
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-27077188697418623602012-12-02T10:32:00.002+00:002012-12-04T19:05:36.033+00:00Lots of Christmas makesIt was the school Christmas Market yesterday, and I paid to have my own stall selling home made decorations and gifts. My mum and I have been working hard making stuff, and that is why I haven't put anything crafty up on here for a bit. Here are some of the things that I have been making:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUB1MA99du7S1JX2YrobX8AKEH39Q3ECWG8aQorr8ObmYaO2mIUjmCuCTLE8MKPOQt3pSN2Na7BGdZoY-9IE-LgT3nfJogFyI2LCIeFskgTJ25WAd1VF0ETtgET19lVdVdUwf1nZMs8_s/s1600/IMG_1852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUB1MA99du7S1JX2YrobX8AKEH39Q3ECWG8aQorr8ObmYaO2mIUjmCuCTLE8MKPOQt3pSN2Na7BGdZoY-9IE-LgT3nfJogFyI2LCIeFskgTJ25WAd1VF0ETtgET19lVdVdUwf1nZMs8_s/s640/IMG_1852.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Malteasers with a foil covered chocolate ball in home-made packaging</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLOhnuZupDSddME5qQEd4KkOV7UAvgxJee8UqST2js4raM5FGFzyHLK6qVwf21AlyomvMGcnDD-CSCBbYDXiUSaaTYlBMXnrHrwix72znwwP4OuRr31xgUcgqbwKp8ZdC0epNlsfYP9Q/s1600/IMG_1854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZLOhnuZupDSddME5qQEd4KkOV7UAvgxJee8UqST2js4raM5FGFzyHLK6qVwf21AlyomvMGcnDD-CSCBbYDXiUSaaTYlBMXnrHrwix72znwwP4OuRr31xgUcgqbwKp8ZdC0epNlsfYP9Q/s640/IMG_1854.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rattan ball with organza and crochet ribbon details.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCUuKbodUBuCDvd_agTqHui9SctLY9lSSVLMpSA2xUCFw_v8OWuxICRSbswcMvKDE-GBE-BSWfbowOInNnWs11ne3wfaRqjcxpCzuTrJqam_-BIm1uy1lmjRwBYXRwlVrOBrwc6Fw5IU/s1600/IMG_1855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCUuKbodUBuCDvd_agTqHui9SctLY9lSSVLMpSA2xUCFw_v8OWuxICRSbswcMvKDE-GBE-BSWfbowOInNnWs11ne3wfaRqjcxpCzuTrJqam_-BIm1uy1lmjRwBYXRwlVrOBrwc6Fw5IU/s320/IMG_1855.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rattan balls, sprayed with enamel paint with ribbon details.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QiiG_L8UXKJ23hTCdNTiNIuHsvgmbnOCoHWvu38wsWcHk9aEVu8eGM5afBL4a7G0TIy0PLWp02xIEfzqXpLPkJVAP7wMwEW5ch5cxjwcr3MCA3rG-bRptQ9gcIX5WShU8a9CeLN9wok/s1600/IMG_1856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QiiG_L8UXKJ23hTCdNTiNIuHsvgmbnOCoHWvu38wsWcHk9aEVu8eGM5afBL4a7G0TIy0PLWp02xIEfzqXpLPkJVAP7wMwEW5ch5cxjwcr3MCA3rG-bRptQ9gcIX5WShU8a9CeLN9wok/s320/IMG_1856.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crystal and bead decorations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbzQJOex8ld9O0rxlNc-BmJhq6TPbJXVAO5zavdH6e4rErUqLBOVa4EFP3vItkS1Ec88vxhILLy8r1SqumCooeIZgfi3iWM7AcGMlbisvnMQYQFD1iiDJMAf_iV14-eG3t9_Nhrpu37k/s1600/IMG_1857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPbzQJOex8ld9O0rxlNc-BmJhq6TPbJXVAO5zavdH6e4rErUqLBOVa4EFP3vItkS1Ec88vxhILLy8r1SqumCooeIZgfi3iWM7AcGMlbisvnMQYQFD1iiDJMAf_iV14-eG3t9_Nhrpu37k/s640/IMG_1857.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin Christmas cards using origami papers and black pen.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEito2tM8Ikm2cGAOoZ1H2D1QWM3_NnODDROr0zqRbg-7zt3zvOG3T7FMYzWnoSKPH5czD0P9JoiNQkf6wXbqEtOP29rXA9BOsEGsK0Myixs7JcSRIa4JLDyqCwCI0Y3csxNjst9jwE8m3U/s1600/IMG_1860.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEito2tM8Ikm2cGAOoZ1H2D1QWM3_NnODDROr0zqRbg-7zt3zvOG3T7FMYzWnoSKPH5czD0P9JoiNQkf6wXbqEtOP29rXA9BOsEGsK0Myixs7JcSRIa4JLDyqCwCI0Y3csxNjst9jwE8m3U/s640/IMG_1860.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand-made stockings with ribbon and button details.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMKEIyU6hxdSOZ28uQ7Y8PSLfyw5dSvRusq1BD0G85k14RMfs-cl2UH2H49OxODMbULkcYE3WuA7SYNMXMsgG5XO18CyDmvMknKym7ZDL_XqYUrgyPi7kNMs5xB6HJokGiHvFLHtOtI3g/s1600/IMG_1863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMKEIyU6hxdSOZ28uQ7Y8PSLfyw5dSvRusq1BD0G85k14RMfs-cl2UH2H49OxODMbULkcYE3WuA7SYNMXMsgG5XO18CyDmvMknKym7ZDL_XqYUrgyPi7kNMs5xB6HJokGiHvFLHtOtI3g/s640/IMG_1863.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enamel sprayed curtain rings with crochet, ribbon, rattan and salt dough additions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRrguvy_fSdviw6PRhq452D_gfFYJhTJ4soiCJWXUDc7x2xYkQAWm173Pg9yv7oKUiMGcm5N8YRCs9Vymy0r1pbteD1KoJiuqycrgHHKj0BlulwtH7DQDbomUhE7zsh6PRD9GZDlVxdE/s1600/IMG_1865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRrguvy_fSdviw6PRhq452D_gfFYJhTJ4soiCJWXUDc7x2xYkQAWm173Pg9yv7oKUiMGcm5N8YRCs9Vymy0r1pbteD1KoJiuqycrgHHKj0BlulwtH7DQDbomUhE7zsh6PRD9GZDlVxdE/s320/IMG_1865.JPG" width="243" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt dough, ribbon and confetti decorations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKrVsQ9H9FGFnQkF3i7JRR9Mj_12qtveUwsl6cZozLnX6GrA7tc7bAluiWhlJCQdPv1kriexlk63n_7bevFR5D5G7hRHXWRuQanETC_iwEpoSdagKyyN6JHdIg5SfNUk-4UC69Uca1SQ/s1600/IMG_1864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKrVsQ9H9FGFnQkF3i7JRR9Mj_12qtveUwsl6cZozLnX6GrA7tc7bAluiWhlJCQdPv1kriexlk63n_7bevFR5D5G7hRHXWRuQanETC_iwEpoSdagKyyN6JHdIg5SfNUk-4UC69Uca1SQ/s320/IMG_1864.JPG" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red fleece and embroidery decorations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wPXTpJqtsjrgQayoCdNdO6wOFxLdJgAqK9F2_vAV5VFVfvFw3J1VgNEXvH9-Awg2NYv7mZc8F4HSQ6QindiZWDiC1GBZ7BI_bV8k8Q_fwa9A09x3HzrmhlJmOvlsIAvVtmZ4t3vbSNM/s1600/IMG_1868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="624" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wPXTpJqtsjrgQayoCdNdO6wOFxLdJgAqK9F2_vAV5VFVfvFw3J1VgNEXvH9-Awg2NYv7mZc8F4HSQ6QindiZWDiC1GBZ7BI_bV8k8Q_fwa9A09x3HzrmhlJmOvlsIAvVtmZ4t3vbSNM/s640/IMG_1868.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt dough with tissue paper decoupage decorations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAEdlBy5jDprj9Im9BAXKPc83WsVBa5iIx4fe5f2zNHVYFIawFHgKfpl5yRVqrwcPCEzhS7ov0K2QbvhQmtVvuvEuTj_LFXX8l2H7l2aVa-Vbs2DvNwRlw3wUEQ1Rx3lkBOW2J8otDgM/s1600/IMG_1869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaAEdlBy5jDprj9Im9BAXKPc83WsVBa5iIx4fe5f2zNHVYFIawFHgKfpl5yRVqrwcPCEzhS7ov0K2QbvhQmtVvuvEuTj_LFXX8l2H7l2aVa-Vbs2DvNwRlw3wUEQ1Rx3lkBOW2J8otDgM/s640/IMG_1869.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt dough and vintage comic decoupage decorations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYt7f7QK8x5mOfy2ew98C0z2fveYOi264CZT3wum1ERDrUsjOygdBgOVXz41JjquOGq0YyKIQbVhNKrQQoMlAXeGfdCb1D5m6Qhdhs9N52VcKhyphenhyphenyDS2hbG-_S7Id11UClH4hhSEkJA6w/s1600/IMG_1871.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYt7f7QK8x5mOfy2ew98C0z2fveYOi264CZT3wum1ERDrUsjOygdBgOVXz41JjquOGq0YyKIQbVhNKrQQoMlAXeGfdCb1D5m6Qhdhs9N52VcKhyphenhyphenyDS2hbG-_S7Id11UClH4hhSEkJA6w/s640/IMG_1871.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cookie cutters, butchers twine and mini bells decorations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkxy6QzKwEMH0MEcFYjjwFj0gzcFWKCeqjFHykDcz2Gfl2LSIRAnX116_WGIByRx1ghn0FE0qNni4RW5SBZaTPXwgPhrtpQ44C3h_Ie-F1_WAgcaymI4fuGjI3wPXtJIXq8lWtW_9l2I/s1600/IMG_1850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPkxy6QzKwEMH0MEcFYjjwFj0gzcFWKCeqjFHykDcz2Gfl2LSIRAnX116_WGIByRx1ghn0FE0qNni4RW5SBZaTPXwgPhrtpQ44C3h_Ie-F1_WAgcaymI4fuGjI3wPXtJIXq8lWtW_9l2I/s640/IMG_1850.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The complete stall at the Christmas Market.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-53482278196243808352012-11-26T16:03:00.000+00:002012-11-26T16:03:59.168+00:00Family advent calendar <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3vP6TRH20bzBu5rtSN0F-NDoNSE1kxBPeAf27YtcN7x1bFd7VAQK2QfDXZ7A45QznYZ8FPXOXJ1WvrpxCqpWkXd8LzDkgusERh9ievPK3qTlpBwGLwH4hhpgi92KoZ3OJgDCOriQ2B0/s1600/IMG_1848.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU3vP6TRH20bzBu5rtSN0F-NDoNSE1kxBPeAf27YtcN7x1bFd7VAQK2QfDXZ7A45QznYZ8FPXOXJ1WvrpxCqpWkXd8LzDkgusERh9ievPK3qTlpBwGLwH4hhpgi92KoZ3OJgDCOriQ2B0/s320/IMG_1848.JPG" width="240" /></a>I saw something on pinterest about doing a hand-made advent calendar with things to do each day instead of the ubiquitous chocolate. My children are dairy-free, so they can't have a chocolate advent calendar, and this seemed like a nice idea to do instead.<br />
<br />
In Ikea, I bought a set of 24 little paper bags with number stickers from 1 - 24 included. I bought some cheap wooden pegs in the pound shop and some nice christmas ribbon on eBay. Charlotte stuck all the stickers on the pegs, Emma unfolded all the bags and I attached them all to ribbons tied between all the curtain fixtures.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYRKSS_d6ip-82SHpg0139Ia8aM9QiAEPTMlgNRG1JJl1pzU3mC0YRZw3NqJ7kA1KU6WRyoprS7_tnlnGOJqJtWilj2UiVcHr7GxD92prk9WhAI36N2ndJI2MPdVrTvpEEGiwdQ7hzkk/s1600/IMG_1846.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYRKSS_d6ip-82SHpg0139Ia8aM9QiAEPTMlgNRG1JJl1pzU3mC0YRZw3NqJ7kA1KU6WRyoprS7_tnlnGOJqJtWilj2UiVcHr7GxD92prk9WhAI36N2ndJI2MPdVrTvpEEGiwdQ7hzkk/s640/IMG_1846.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcHdycwstYZOd98leQDbI5oe9Tt2zKS6qDrenkB1aq_sZqNBv2t6eqDjkVEDt1M2pbK97bOILl8qXn8KcItKIM_DJ-P_VCIvWsfEwtJpVKLPQzQ4FOn2HGNhGzLE65t7QSZf3R-ZdY_4/s1600/IMG_1847.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPcHdycwstYZOd98leQDbI5oe9Tt2zKS6qDrenkB1aq_sZqNBv2t6eqDjkVEDt1M2pbK97bOILl8qXn8KcItKIM_DJ-P_VCIvWsfEwtJpVKLPQzQ4FOn2HGNhGzLE65t7QSZf3R-ZdY_4/s640/IMG_1847.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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I found a nice Christmassy font, and printed out a thing to do for each day. Some are dates that are already arranged, but others may get moved around depending on how I feel on the day! The idea is that we all do the activity as a family and it makes sure we don't forget any of the things we love to do in the run up to Christmas.hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-32763300823358021962012-11-25T19:46:00.000+00:002012-11-25T19:46:09.330+00:00Mulling spice cakeI had a thought, would it be possible to make a cake that replicates mulled wine? I love mulled wine so today I had a go at making something that, while not quite a mulled wine cake, is still pretty tasty. I based it on the <a href="http://makesbakesfakes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/orange-and-poppyseed-loaf-cake.html">orange and poppyseed cake</a>, mainly because it uses milk, which is the key to getting the flavours into the cake.<br />
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<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">120ml sweetened soya milk</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">170g caster sugar</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">2 eggs</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">170g self raising flour</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">140g soya margarine</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Zest of 1 orange</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Zest of 1 lemon</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">1 tsp cloves</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">1/4 tsp nutmeg</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">1/4 tsp cinnamon</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">1/4 tsp vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><b>Method</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">In a small saucepan, add the nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon to the soya milk. Warm for about 1/2 hour without letting it boil, then allow to cool.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Weigh out all the rest of the ingredients, place in a large bowl with the eggs, zests and finally add the strained soya milk.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Use an electric whisk to blend all the ingredients to make a smooth, soft batter.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Pour into a lined loaf tin and bake at 180c for about 50 minutes, until a skewer pushed into the top of the cake comes out clean.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">Cool in the tin.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;">I think I need to do more with this cake, but I'm not sure what at the moment. It should have a syrup, I think, like a lemon drizzle cake. What I will try is to reduce down some mulled wine and sugar to make a syrup, then drizzle that on it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"><br /></span>hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-67174078091548085662012-11-17T09:03:00.000+00:002012-11-17T09:03:37.420+00:00Christmas is comingI have been very busy making, but not blogging about it. Naughty? No, just didn't want to start talking about Christmas too soon. I am making loads of stuff to sell at the school Christmas fair in 2 weeks, and over the next few posts I shall be sharing what I have been up to.<br />
<br />
My first make, is comic book tree decorations. The shapes were made of a mixture of salt dough and salt ceramic, then covered with ripped up vintage comics, using pva glue to both stick and seal the paper to the shape.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFo584XDUdbzgYbi_c9kt8UCBpHW5N2-vdVriHCeGDXODEOVtSVmRiwuVx9ffKQ1jljTjIuFlSM0BAvZBUs1Lcu1oNXg0zujYYkP2d23IismN8n8dXNaLkXXwKCMx70kWXR42KoP87mk/s1600/IMG_1804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="606" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxFo584XDUdbzgYbi_c9kt8UCBpHW5N2-vdVriHCeGDXODEOVtSVmRiwuVx9ffKQ1jljTjIuFlSM0BAvZBUs1Lcu1oNXg0zujYYkP2d23IismN8n8dXNaLkXXwKCMx70kWXR42KoP87mk/s640/IMG_1804.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
<b>Salt dough ingredients</b><br />
1 cup salt<br />
2 cup plain flour<br />
1 cup warm water<br />
Mix the salt and flour, then add the water and mix well to make a dough. Kneed for a few minutes to smooth the dough.<br />
<br />
<b>Salt ceramic ingredients</b><br />
1 cup salt<br />
1/2 cup cornflour<br />
2/3 cup of water<br />
Mix all the ingredients then slowly heat while constantly stirring until it thickens and forms a thick paste.<br />
<br />
I like the lighter colour dough that salt ceramic gives, but it did seem to crack while drying, so I made a batch of salt dough and a batch of salt ceramic then mixed the two together. The resulting dough was paler than salt dough with the slight sparkly quality of salt ceramic. It was easy to work, and dried nicely in the oven.<br />
<br />
I rolled the dough, using flour to stop it sticking to the rolling pin or worktop, then cut out the shapes using cookie cutters. While the cutter was still surrounding the shape, I pushed a chopstick end into the dough to make the hanging hole. This way, you don't affect the shape of the final piece by making the hole in it.<br />
<br />
The shapes were then placed on baking trays and dried in the oven for a few hours at about 100c turning them to make sure they dry on both sides. Once they are dry and cool, you can decorate them. Then string them and hang them up.<br />
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-89910727860433003922012-11-15T20:28:00.001+00:002012-11-15T20:28:49.804+00:00Gingerbread PudseysIt is Children in Need time, and today at school we held a cake sale to raise some money. I was determined to theme my baking, and what better way than this?<br />
I used my <a href="http://makesbakesfakes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/gingerbread-biscuits.html">gingerbread recipe</a>, then used rolled white icing and icing pens to add the details. Simple, yet effective.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePLogfCBLkoOoYdUGVO2eymkiKZpcDMAnLtJECXjhldr-dJKmPHvTSo36qWAZ8CvuXVJ-T4d5PFSv8Q1CYNypxNhf99acoTKX6AwiClUPvtW8QLDbKds01ycmgGetpKzrr0tGtiPna2I/s1600/IMG_1789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePLogfCBLkoOoYdUGVO2eymkiKZpcDMAnLtJECXjhldr-dJKmPHvTSo36qWAZ8CvuXVJ-T4d5PFSv8Q1CYNypxNhf99acoTKX6AwiClUPvtW8QLDbKds01ycmgGetpKzrr0tGtiPna2I/s640/IMG_1789.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-50326905633188295472012-11-14T10:31:00.004+00:002012-11-14T10:33:04.943+00:00Gluten-free and dairy-free peach cobbler<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tOqxQQGSgxgaEpGs4V7mlFadYrqLadtIqc12Bh_tqMZSYzeqENiGWTCSTS_rQYJsYHz-7FreoEDOpfImxNwm5gfqjAgI2JFr6JKnNqlH5CTe8UqQg45SVNoJU3OHrSmC4V91uHoVSlQ/s1600/IMG_1783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tOqxQQGSgxgaEpGs4V7mlFadYrqLadtIqc12Bh_tqMZSYzeqENiGWTCSTS_rQYJsYHz-7FreoEDOpfImxNwm5gfqjAgI2JFr6JKnNqlH5CTe8UqQg45SVNoJU3OHrSmC4V91uHoVSlQ/s320/IMG_1783.JPG" width="320" /></a>I wanted to bake a pudding last night, but there were no eggs left. I very nearly gave up on the idea, but then I remembered a peach cobbler recipe I made a while ago. It is incredibly easy to make, so I thought I'd try a gluten-free version.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<br />
1 cup self-raising gluten free flour blend<br />
1 cup icing sugar<br />
1 cup sweetened soya milk<br />
1 tin of peach slices<br />
4oz soya margarine<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg__Env1aic_MbNRUygYf3RcPUhltm0aQ6KBz15VGzwdIROiwAPZOzF9P2aG0Q5PcrExWlr1u2jjU8TbLbhtM0-6RZ7jY9MOEi1M2f8Wu6qCXxo1z4Zx03Eo0Yyydt6GMkidpGpSKQ9lY/s1600/IMG_1782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg__Env1aic_MbNRUygYf3RcPUhltm0aQ6KBz15VGzwdIROiwAPZOzF9P2aG0Q5PcrExWlr1u2jjU8TbLbhtM0-6RZ7jY9MOEi1M2f8Wu6qCXxo1z4Zx03Eo0Yyydt6GMkidpGpSKQ9lY/s320/IMG_1782.JPG" width="320" /></a><b>Method</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Put a baking dish into the oven at 190c with the margarine in it.<br />
While that is warming, mix the flour, sugar and milk together.<br />
Take the baking dish out and make sure the margarine has melted and spread across the baking dish. Pour the batter slowly on top and do not mix.<br />
Drain the peaches and place these all over the top of the batter.<br />
Bake for about 50 minutes at 190c<br />
<br />
Serve warm with ice cream.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, there was still a some partly cooked batter in the middle of the pudding. It was ok to eat, but I wasn't happy with it. The crunchy top was great, though, and Charlotte wants to make it again, so I need to sort out my quantities. I think a little less milk may be the answer.hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-53727327404788531232012-11-09T18:22:00.000+00:002012-11-09T18:22:02.957+00:00Dairy-free and gluten-free cupcakes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1kp3rY-B0NzyysMPBy0a4D6MxMM4PheQBQQQrTscvD_Y49tzg_XgWvwPJaOz6pFYHZl9Uxz_9hSNnJsOYq7h021YNvVJ7Nl5bA5CjyaK66MB7F9Ow2Tmsri5nh29ZVBwenV1Ayq88XU/s1600/IMG_1776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs1kp3rY-B0NzyysMPBy0a4D6MxMM4PheQBQQQrTscvD_Y49tzg_XgWvwPJaOz6pFYHZl9Uxz_9hSNnJsOYq7h021YNvVJ7Nl5bA5CjyaK66MB7F9Ow2Tmsri5nh29ZVBwenV1Ayq88XU/s400/IMG_1776.JPG" width="400" /></a>Hooray! I did it, I made cupcakes that are passable as regular ones, but with no wheat or dairy hiding inside. It was dead simple, thanks to my new favourite brand of <a href="http://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/flour-and-ingredients/gluten-free-flour/gluten-and-wheat-free-s-r-white-flour-x-1kg/">flour</a>.<br />
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I made my <a href="http://makesbakesfakes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/fail-safe-sponge-recipe.html">4:4:4:2 sponge mix</a> with vanilla extract, but added 2 tsp soya milk as the flour needs a little extra moisture to stop the cakes being too dry.<br />
<br />
The children had them after their dinner and have declared them "the best cupcakes ever" which may be down to the fact that they were ecstatically happy at being allowed cakes for pudding. They do go a bit over-the-top when they are given a treat, but it made for one very happy mummy!hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-54628459981465796162012-11-05T10:14:00.004+00:002012-11-05T10:14:53.566+00:00Gluten-free flour experimentWheat doesn't seem to do me much good, so I am cutting back on the amount I eat. Less toast, sandwiches and pasta are pretty easy to do, but cake and biscuits is another matter altogether. I discovered <a href="http://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/flour-and-ingredients/gluten-free-flour/gluten-free-plain-white-flour-1kg/">Doves organic gluten-free flour blend</a> the other day, and decided to try it out. The way I see it, if you can hardly tell the difference, why bother with wheat in the first place? I am going to be a harsh critic though, as I don't see the point in eating a cake if it isn't delicious!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcPgW_4I-1HlQSW1zi27tBiF8opGZDtXHVEPmeSLDGSjjEV9Xc4KfSWPoSFZo_eYWQNckwPBPlDKPn1gIbrp0Za0IkDQ5CRodmKp53Hl0fOSMJZR3fTCIADKKdby4HRh4VpIv2Yrc7a8/s1600/IMG_1752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcPgW_4I-1HlQSW1zi27tBiF8opGZDtXHVEPmeSLDGSjjEV9Xc4KfSWPoSFZo_eYWQNckwPBPlDKPn1gIbrp0Za0IkDQ5CRodmKp53Hl0fOSMJZR3fTCIADKKdby4HRh4VpIv2Yrc7a8/s400/IMG_1752.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All that was left of the banana bread after one sitting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, first of all I made a batch of dairy-free and wheat-free pancakes, using my <a href="http://makesbakesfakes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/saturday-morning-treat.html">pancake recipe</a> but with the new flour and a little extra soya milk. The girls told me they were better than the normal ones, although I thought they were a little more chewy than normal. The flour passed it's first test.<br />
<br />
Next, I made my <a href="http://makesbakesfakes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/dairy-free-banana-cake.html">banana bread</a> using the flour. Again, I added a little soya milk to soften the batter up, as the flour absorbs more moisture than normal flour. The cake cooked in the same amount of time as normal, and tasted exactly the same. The only difference was a slightly powdery texture on the crust, but I didn't mind that at all. Test 2 - pass.<br />
<br />
I also made some yorkshire pudding batter using the flour, and made myself some wheat-free courgette fritters like my mum used to make for my lunch yesterday. Literally, slices of courgette about 1/2cm thick dipped in the batter and fried. They were exactly as I remembered them, so must have been just right. Test 3 - passed with distinction!<br />
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More tests to go, but at this rate I might just give up on wheat flour all together!hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-59884222298222288202012-11-04T11:16:00.000+00:002012-11-04T11:16:02.793+00:00Pub stool makeover<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xVL9UNIwrl9ALvfmIwH9JXqYYGSUhlyPvDsEPSHWu531TNzvt5qtbyIJJqqgyGHSNUQ6JMyn-Unr6fy-SxSP8up7eBf7Mw3MgCLno0wpvKHWFl0_5RUMPe7JuCDPhA2tmBbRZMY_A0M/s1600/IMG_1629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xVL9UNIwrl9ALvfmIwH9JXqYYGSUhlyPvDsEPSHWu531TNzvt5qtbyIJJqqgyGHSNUQ6JMyn-Unr6fy-SxSP8up7eBf7Mw3MgCLno0wpvKHWFl0_5RUMPe7JuCDPhA2tmBbRZMY_A0M/s320/IMG_1629.JPG" width="240" /></a>Many years ago, when I moved in with Tom, I started using an old pub stool of his to sit at my dressing table. It was never pretty, but it did the job, even though I looked at it every time I used it and thought "I should do something with that."<br />
<br />
Well, I finally did it. Hooray! I took the seat off and removed all the fabric and padding. While that was off I mixed some white satinwood paint with artist acrylic paint to make a colour that I liked. I bought an off-cut of a neutral upholstery fabric in the local fabric shop and matched the paint to it. Once the wooden part was dry, I was able to do the seat. I had a piece of cushion foam cut to fit the round chipboard seat base, then made a cover with the fabric. Easy to do, just cut a circle the same size as the seat base with 1cm seam allowance added all round. Then I cut 2 long strips of fabric to make the sides. Once the sides were sewn to the circle, I just pulled it tight over the foam base and stapled it under the chipboard base. Then I screwed the legs back on and it was finished.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSAx5Cu4gDq4Gj_O6M4OJG25P8PZPnyNYx3GtgDtCcKAixW2vMRoqDuVERsTk8TCLTZp8AseyofXaVyAtIwqDpysLSYo-WWeBSXww5PFlT3Tm9u_hrm7juMlCoV6TXjLfB4Yakt0wHEI/s1600/IMG_1775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSAx5Cu4gDq4Gj_O6M4OJG25P8PZPnyNYx3GtgDtCcKAixW2vMRoqDuVERsTk8TCLTZp8AseyofXaVyAtIwqDpysLSYo-WWeBSXww5PFlT3Tm9u_hrm7juMlCoV6TXjLfB4Yakt0wHEI/s640/IMG_1775.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-34800954779780452212012-11-02T20:21:00.001+00:002012-11-02T20:21:37.731+00:00Fun bath time for the kidsThis was a pretty simple idea that I saw online, all I did was buy a pack of glowsticks (15 for £1 in a local cheap shop) and put them all in the bath. They are watertight, so there is no danger of leakage into the water and now the clocks have gone back it is dark enough at bath time to get the full effect.<br />
The girls (scribbled out in the picture to protect their modesty) loved it:<br />
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2366194256776746345.post-21615432143684499112012-10-20T08:38:00.001+01:002012-10-20T08:38:45.437+01:00Lemon cheesecake cupcakesI made my most delicious concoction to date yesterday. It was the combination of a few different ideas that came together beautifully for the school social last night. I was very pleased!<br />
<br />
I based the cakes on <a href="http://makesbakesfakes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/lemon-cheese-cakes.html">some I had made a few months ago</a>. I changed the icing and based the biscuit part on the topping from <a href="http://makesbakesfakes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/graham-cracker-chocolate-chip-muffins.html">these cakes</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Ingredients</b><br />
<br />
For the cakes:<br />
8.5oz self raising flour<br />
6oz caster sugar<br />
6oz soya margarine<br />
3 eggs<br />
grated rind of 2 lemons<br />
<br />
lemon curd<br />
<br />
For the cheese topping:<br />
3/4 tub of mascarpone cheese<br />
1 cup icing sugar<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1 tbsp milk<br />
<br />
For the biscuit topping:<br />
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (I was kindly sent some graham crackers from Canada, but you can use digestive biscuits for this part - they are close enough in flavour)<br />
1/4 cup plain flour<br />
1/4 cup soft brown sugar<br />
1/4 cup butter, melted<br />
<br />
<b>Method</b><br />
<br />
Make up the cake mix, adding a little milk if necessary to give a soft consistency, it should drop off the spoon into the cake cases with just a little help. Set out 16 cupcake cases and place a heaped teaspoon of mix in each case. Top each one with about 1/3 tsp of lemon curd, then cover with another heaped tsp of cake mix, making sure the lemon curd is covered completely. This method should use up all the cake mix.<br />
<br />
In a separate bowl, mix the biscuit topping ingredients together to make a crumble. Tip this out onto a baking tray and place in the oven with the cakes. Keep an eye on it to avoid it browning too much, it benefits form a stir during cooking to ensure it cooks evenly.<br />
Bake at 180c for around 14 minutes until the cakes are starting to brown on top, remove the topping from the oven after about 10 minutes.<br />
<br />
Allow the topping and cakes to cool in their tins, then place the cakes on a wire rack to ensure they cool fully before putting the toppings on.<br />
<br />
Make up the mascarpone cheese topping by mixing the 4 ingredients until you get a smooth creamy consistency. When the cakes are cool, spread a tsp of the mascarpone on each of the cakes. <br />
<br />
As close as possible to serving the cakes (I did this 4 hours before, and they stayed crunchy) sprinkle a tsp of the biscuit topping on each cake.<br />
<br />
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<br />hillyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17722064771386843883noreply@blogger.com1