These Edible Sparkles are so simple you can make them with your children, yet they look so effective people will think they took hours to create! These are easy to make with small children too: they love bashing the honeycomb for example. I made the chocolate disc shapes with the melted chocolate and left my two girls to add the toppings themselves. They did a great job and took real pride in making the gifts for their teachers. If you don't … [Read more...]
Sweet spiced cookies on a snowy day.
When the snow is falling, I end up raiding the kitchen to find things to do with the Pocket Dictator. She loves being in her FunPod and helping me whilst I cook, so a lump of leftover pastry was the perfect thing to focus our attention on. In actual fact it was pastry that I used to make mince pies at Christmas, the leftovers of which I had just used to make a Mincemeat tart, so I've been feeling quite DG about the fact that I made something so … [Read more...]
The baby wants fish pie for supper…
People have been asking me whether I have been having cravings for anything weird now that I am halfway through the pregnancy. They seem desperately disappointed when I say that I haven’t really felt the need for something so badly that I’ve dispatched the DH to the 24 hour garage at 3am. Then I caught myself eating pickled onions. From the jar. With my fingers. I have been buying a new jar every few days. DH is quite grateful is nothing … [Read more...]
The Pre-Christmas Fudge-off
The Nigella was making Christmas food gifts before Christmas, and her recipe for fudge got me thinking about my childhood and how we used to make edible gifts for people. I remember making peppermint creams for my nan, a lifetime smoker and big fan of mints, coconut ice and chocolate florentines. The thought of making fudge again seemed to appeal to my nesting instinct. I’d recently been given a very dated recipe book by the lady who runs the … [Read more...]
Cocktails and Memories
Dad and his wife, when they came to stay at the Money Pit recently, gave us the most beautiful cocktail glasses as a wedding gift. Growing up, I thought cocktail glasses were the epitome of stylishness- they were reminiscent of a 1920's-Great-Gatsby-type of decadence and sophistication which I aspired to. But they have never been something I would have bought for myself, so we were absolutely delighted with them. This of course meant a trip to … [Read more...]
Pear and Almond- a piece of heaven on a crappy day.
I am tempted to take a leaf out of Wakeup's book and have a Monday Moan (OK, I know it's Wednesday) but am afraid that if I start I'll never be able to stop. I actually cried on he phone today with the plumber, begging him to come and fix the water. I just want a bath, I sobbed. The hot water is buggered. As is the timer for the heating. So we have ferocious heat from dusk to dawn-whether the timer is on or not- and no hot water. At all. This has … [Read more...]
Banoffee Cakey
A bunch of friends convened last night to help the-happy-couple-to-be (the wedding is next week) move some furniture. She is moving in with him, and apparently he has no storgae...typical man! In return for offering up the servies of husbands and boyfriends as furniture movers, we were amply rewarded with supper and wonderful G&Ts. I provided dessert, without really thinking through the challenges of transporting a cake in the rush hour. … [Read more...]
