I'm off to Switzerland!

I'm off to Switzerland for two weeks so i'll update the blog once i'm back! :D

Recipe of The Week!

This week I have chosen to share a cake known as Parkin/Moggy Cake/Ginger Cake

My friend made this cake a couple of weeks ago and it was soo good! So i've given it a go (it was the first time i've ever made it ) luckily it tasted really yummy! :D This is the recipe that my friend gave to me, i'm not sure where it came from but its a really good cake - especailly served with cream

Recipe :

250g self raising flour
2 eggs
2 teaspoons ground ginger
200g sugar (I used dark brown for a more treacly mixture, but you can't sieve it)
113g margarine (I used TREX)
Half teaspoon bicarb soda
2 tablespoons golden syrup
240 ml boiling milk (I didn't let it bubble and melted the TREX into it)

Method :

Sieve together flour, sugar, ginger, bicarbonate of soda into mixing bowl. Cut margarine into pieces and slice on top of ingredients. Put treacle on top of margarine then pour boiling milk on top, over all ingredients and beat well. Then add egg and beat well again. Place in greased and floured tin (worth doing this) and bake, 45 minutes to 1 hour at 180 degrees C, Gas Mark 4.

(The mixture is quite sloppy, so don't bake in a tin with a loose base!)

ENJOY!

Recipe of The Week!

I really love baking and cooking - especially baking! It's a real passion of mine. I've decided that I'll try and have a 'Recipe of The Week' to share with you all, be it a pudding, cake or savory dish.

So this week I have chosen fairy cakes which I found in Negella Lawsons : Nigella Express

They are really quick, easy and can look great with a bit of decorating!

So here is the recipe :

Ingredients:

125g soft butter

125g sugar

2 eggs

125g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of almond or vanilla extract

Icing sugar

food colouring of your choice

Method:

Oven 200 C/gas mark 6 . Line a 12 cake tray with cupcake holders

Cream the butter and sugar either in a bowl by hand or with an electric mixture.

Once light and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time with a bit of the flour (to prevent curdling) mixing as you go.

Mix in the rest of the flour, adding the bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and then the vanilla or almond extract. Mix well

Spoon the batter into the cupcake holders

Put them in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cupcakes are cooked and golden on the top. A good way to check is getting a wooden or metal skewer and dipping it in to the cakes - if it comes out clean then they are ready (this technique can be used when baking most cakes)

Once they are all cooled :

If you want to make butterfly cakes : cut out the mounded peak - or dig out a disk, cut it in half. Fill the holes with butter cream (butter and sugar mixed together into a creamy texture) then fill the holes placing the 'wings' on top.

Cupcakes : make a thick icing sugar mixture with any food colouring of your choice. Decorate with edible decorations of your choice!

ENJOY!

New year new blog...even though its a month late!

I know it's been such a long time since I've last posted a blog, but i've been really busy with uni since starting back after Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, I went up to spend a week with my family aunties and uncles,cousins,grandparents etc... (about 13 of us in total) Other than getting a stomach bug on Boxing day it was good overall!

I was really lucky - recieving a gym membership from my mum and dad and a beautiful Pandora bracelet from my boyfriend :D

After Christmas I went up to Edinburgh& the Highlands to celebrate New Year! It was really great, the third time i've been for New Year (Hogmanay as the Scots call it) in Edinburgh. They have a huge street party with live bands, singers and dancing! (And of course amazing fire works) It was seriously cold getting down to about -8 whilst we were standing out waiting for the midnight count down - it took ages to get warm!! But it was worth it! IF you have the chance to go up, then i'd definitely recommend it.

New years day we went up into the Scottish Highlands. I have not seen so much snow for a seriously LONG time! It was really picturesque - everywhere looked as if it could be seen on a postcard or calendar.

Here are some photos :

I really do love Scotland, it's like being somewhere in Canada,French Alps etc or even some people have compared it to places in Japan!

After coming back from Scotland it was soon time to go back to uni. I really didn't feel like going back, especially since i'd not done any work...But i had been really busy before we finished for Christmas so i didn't feel too bad :p

So...Is there anything of interest that I can think of since being back at uni?

Well it snowed , and it's been really cold the last month and now February is off to a cold start

I've got interviews/porfolio viewings for all my university choices! My first being next week at Wimbledon! Fingers crossed they all go well!

Been to Cambridge a couple of times - went to the Fitzwilliam Museum (supposidly the most comprehensive museum in Europe for it's size) this last weekend, saw a good sculpture exhibition - lots of organically inspired sculptural forms, alot being made out of iron! Saw the french film Prophet - it was good but sooooo long! (just like this entry now is!)

So I think it's time to finish the entry for now, i'll definitely try to write more frequently!

xxx

Must See Exhibition

Anish Kapoor

Exhibition at Royal Academy of Art

-11th December 2009

Beautiful

Inspiring

Amazing!

University Choices

Confused. By Mushy Pea

Which university to chose?!

I'm in quite a dilemma really, i'm just in the process of getting my personal statement and ucas sorted. However i'm not too sure on which degree course to chose or even which type of art to chose from: fine art or fashion/textiles....urgh

My dream is to go into fashion journalism, but all the great fashion degree courses are so unbelievably competitive, that its sooo hard to get onto any of them! So...getting onto a fine art course may be easier, then I could possibly consider doing an MA in Fashion or Fashion/journalism.

I enjoy fine art and fash/textiles equally, that its driving me mad! However after speaking to tutors it seems it'll be easier to incorporate textiles into fine art rather than vice versa. So that could mean the best of both :)

Any ideas or advice that anyone has would be greatly recieved!!

Make over!

This evening my sister and I were trying to do everything other than work! So we had make up to hand so decided to give each other make overs!

I decided to go for a "smokey-eye" "night out" look for my sister, here are a few photos:

It's quite a heavy, dark look. It is definitely a going out looking rather than a day time look due to the colours. Alternatively several different colours could be used to match eye colour, a dress, accessory etc.

I really enjoy doing make up, i guess it's just another form of art!