BAKE ME - I'M YOURS (CONTINUED...)

Day 2 was much better. The finished result wasn't too bad - not bad tasting either, even if I do say so myself. Bang goes the diet (again).

BAKE ME - I'M YOURS!

One of my Christmas presents from DH was this lovely book:

So this afternoon I set about making petal paste to model pink hearts for a recipe in the book. What a nightmare! First of all the paste wasn't stiff enough, so I added more icing sugar. Then it got stuck to the bowel, then my hands, the worktop, the rolling pin and then my hands again. I eventually managed to fashion one or two that could actually pass as hearts and they are now drying (hopefully).

Tomorrow I will bake the cakes and decorate them (this should be the easy part).

Next time I will buy ready made cake decorations!

MY FIRST SOCKS!!

I fancied a go at making socks. I have been knitting for years but for some reason I had always been put off with socks - I don't know why - so these were made on two needles and double knitting yarn (left over from my throw). They will probably make a good pair of bedsocks for someone!! I have now bought some specialised sock wool and started a 'proper' pair on a set of four needles. I will post a photo of the finished result when they are finished.

PANNETONE BREAD PUDDING

I needed to use up the Christmas and New Year leftovers this weekend, so I made this delicious recipe from Jamie Oliver's book The Naked Chef 2:

Ingredients:
1pt Milk
1pt Cream
1 Vanilla pod
170g Caster Sugar
Pannetone, thickly sliced & buttered
1 Orange, zested
3 tbs cognac
A Little Icing Sugar

Bring the milk and cream to the boil. Cut vanilla pod in half & scoop out seeds and add to the pan with the orange zest and cognac. Whisk eggs with the sugar until pale. Add to milk and cream mixture and remove vanilla pod.

Preheat oven to 160'C/Gas 3.

Dip each slice of pannetone into the custard mixture and pile into a buttered baking dish. Pour remaining custard slowly over bread. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Fill a roasting tin half full with boiling water and add the baking dish. Bake for approx. 45mins. When cooked it will have a slight crust on top, but will be slightly wobbly inside.

CUP CAKES GALORE

Hello everyone! and Happy New Year. I have not posted anything for a while as I have been rather busy, but I have been keeping up to date with everyone's blogs.

I just wanted to show you something that one of my daughters bought me for Christmas - a cup cake hook! I think it is probably to hang a tea towel from or something, but I am using it to hold my kitchen calender.

It goes with one or two other cup cakey things I have in my kitchen:

MY CHRISTMASSY HEARTH

Complete with chandelier lights, ginerbread houses and stockings.

MY COMPLETED THROW!!

I have at last finished it. I took me two years to complete as I kept puting it away and doing other things, on top of working full time etc. etc. Life is so much simpler and calmer now I work less hours. Happiness and time with my family are far more important than money.