making and baking

More bears, Harry is made using the Moda wool in Aqua.

Lola is rather posh and made from a cashmere wool.

And on the plate.... Afghan biscuits and Louise cake ready for my cousin and her family who are coming for afternoon tea tomorrow...of course we had to taste test them.

Happy Friday!

Using up the Scraps

Recently I bought myself some lovely stamps and I have been playing with them on fabric.

And using up scraps of fabric...

I was inspired to take them outside for a photo after seeing Louise's lovely photo this week.  I think I have baker twine envy.

We also enjoyed some of these for our afternoon tea

My favouritist biscuits ever.  They are fiddley but so worth it.

Loving the weekend!

Best Ever Scone Recipe

This is a bold statement I know, but as someone who has been a failed scone maker for many years I feel qualified to make this statement.

This recipe NEVER goes wrong, they are super easy to make and everyone likes them.

4 cups self raising flour
Pinch of salt
300 mls cream*
300 mls water

Pre heat oven to 200 degrees celsius. Sift flour and salt into a bowl, pour in cream and water together and mix.  Place dough on lightly floured flat surface and shape.  Cut out scones and place on tray with baking paper.  Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Serve with jam a nd cream - diet food!  YUM.

*  I know you can get different types of cream overseas - for any overseas readers this cream is liquid but can be whipped (I hope this makes sense).

playing with a new toy

This afternoon was my first opportunity to play with the new toy I received for my birthday last week.  Whilst I am excited about my new super dooper red K Mix, I am a little sad because for the last 13 years I have been baking with my Mum's 60 + year old Sunbeam Mixmaster.  It seems like the end of an era.

When my Mum passed away my Dad asked if there was anything I would particularly like of hers.  I asked if I could have her cake mixer and recipe books because some of my fondest memories growing up were of baking with my Mum.

Every time I bake or sew I feel like she is close by. 

sticky pages

I can always find my favourite baking recipes because they are the extra thick pages in my recipe book, where cake batter and everything else has splattered on the pages over years of use.  Often I have to gently pull the pages apart.

Lemon Cake/Loaf is one of these recipes and it is from our local school recipe book that was done several years ago as a fund raiser.  I like that these recipes are the contributions from local families of their tried and true recipes.

Melt 125 g butter
Add 2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup milk

Stir into that
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1/4 tsp salt
Grated rind of one lemon

Pour into a greased loaf tin and cook for about 35 - 40 minutes at 170 - 180 degrees celsius

Topping:
Mix juice of lemon
1/4 cup sugar

Pour over cake while still hot after taking out of the oven. 

In our house the cake does not get a chance to cool, the first slices are eaten while it is still warm.

15 years ago

15 years ago today we had our first baby.  Our baby boy is 15!  Where did that time go. J is now 6 foot tall and gorgeous on the inside and out.  He is a fun, gentle, kind and loving person and for that I am very grateful.  He is still a work in progress when it comes to picking up after himself and doing it now not later, but I am sure in time these things will come and my nagging will pay off.  Most probably in time for someone else to reap the rewards!

This morning I baked a birthday cake.  Gone are the days of Thomas the Tank Engine and pirate ship cakes.  We have a special chocolate cake recipe which has become the birthday cake of choice in our house, we call it the Chocolate Fish Cake.  The first time I tried this cake I bought it at the local church cake stall and it was yummy.  Luckily a firend of mine knew the person who baked it and I was fortunate to get the recipe.  I am sorry I don't know the person's name because this cake is divine and easy to make.

WARNING this cake is not for the faint hearted or diet conscious!

Chocolate Fish Cake

125 g butter
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup homemade raspberry jam (if you don't have homemade try and get the next best thing in terms of store bought jam, here in NZ it is Anathoths for my money).
1 1/4 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 180 degrees celsius

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time.  Add jam. Mix well.
Sift flour and cocoa together.
Dissolve baking soda in warm milk.
Add alternately to creamed mixture with flour etc
Fold in choc chips
Sppon into a prepared cake time - 22 cm round or square cake tin, lined with baking paper.
Bake for about 50 - 60 minutes depending on size of tin.
Cool on cake cooler.
Ice with your preferred chocolate icing.  Decorate with chocolate fish, marshmallows etc.

EAT

15 minutes after J and a friend came home from school.