Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring!

My morning face!

Yesterday was the official start of Spring, there was a New Moon and there was also a a solar eclipse; unfortunately the clouds came out just in time to obscure everything so I didn't see it! I hear it was pretty cool.

Yesterday was also the day that I did something that I've been talking about doing for the last 5-7 years. I couldn't sleep the night before and when I finally did it I had a sense of relief, happiness, and a sadness for how long it had taken me.

I'm excited about this new phase in my life and the possibilities,so this morning, I woke up and made glitter lollipops with edible flowers (as you do!).

  

Recipe 

(makes 6 large lollipops in a mould)

250g granulated sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

100ml water

1 tsp strawberry flavouring

6 edible flowers (I got mine from eat my flowers this time but you can use violas, pansies or roses. They can be found at a garden centre or B&Q)

Lollipop moulds

6 lollipop sticks (you may have to cut them in half to fit the moulds)

Sugar thermometer 

Edible glitter, for decorating

Prepare the moulds by liberally greasing with vegetable oil and then lightly dusting with icing sugar.

Put the sugar and cream of tartar into a saucepan with the water. Gently stir and heat until the sugar has completely melted. Stop stirring & put the sugar thermometer into the pan (if you haven't done so already), and increase the heat, boiling the mixture until it reaches the ‘hard crack’ stage, or a small spoonful dropped into cold water sets hard.  You will  also need to watch it closely so that it doesn't burn or turn into caramel. It will be helpful to have a small cup of cold water nearby to keep testing the mixture.

Remove from heat immediately and swirl in strawberry flavouring. It is best to add the glitter to the warm mixture so that it spreads evenly, rather than once it is in the mould.

One mould at a time, carefully fill to halfway then place a flower in. Fill to the top, covering the flower with the warm mixture and place a lollipop stick in. Leave to cool for approximately 15 minutes until the lollipop comes out of the mould easily!

Clean your utensils and pots by soaking them in warm water.

This is relatively easy but you will need to keep an eye on the sugar so that it doesn't burn. You also don't need a mould or the sugar thermometer, but they do make things a little easier!

Here's to love, lollipops & Spring.

Peace & Love
xx

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Curate Your Space

Curate²

kjʊ(ə)ˈreɪt/

verb

verb: curate; 3rd person present: curates; past tense: curated; past participle: curated; gerund or present participle: curating

1. select, organize, and look after the items in (a collection or exhibition).

   "both exhibitions are curated by the Centre's director"

   • select the performers or performances that will feature in (an arts event or programme).

     "in past years the festival has been curated by the likes of David Bowie"
   • select, organize, and present (online content, merchandise, information, etc.), typically using professional or expert knowledge.

     
     

     

     
     

This week I had an enlightening conversation with a university friend. We were catching up on life, self-discovery and "curating your space". I thought it was a brilliant concept. Each of us, taking the time to select, organise & look after the items in our space. And by space I don't just mean our physical space. We also need to select what we let into our minds and who we let into our hearts.

As for me, I am working to surround myself with books, beautiful energies & art. One of the artists that I'm currently in love with is Michelle Robinson from CREATE.TURE. I'm not sure how I stumbled across her on Instagram, but I now have a wall covered with her prints and am hoping one day to have an original piece of her work. 

I love the detailed backgrounds, the colours and the strength and sensuality of the women that she paints. 

Dai by Michelle Robinson

I was inspired to make a cake, using the two images above. The cake itself has two layers of white chocolate sponge (click here for the recipe) and one red velvet layer (click here for a recipe), with caramel buttercream icing (click here for a recipe).

I recreated the painting using fondant shapes, cut individually. To say it took a while would be an understatement, but it was worth it to have the woman herself show her appreciation on Instagram. Maybe one day I'll get to bake for her in person!

Take the time to surround yourself with beautiful things that you love and that inspire you - curate your space;

Peace & Love

xx

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Just chilling...

This weekend I had the luxury of staying at home, baking and generally pottering around enjoying my new surroundings. 

I'm not sure if it's the fact that I'm getting kinda old but staying in is the new going out!

I promised that I would fill you in on my new adventures for 2015 & decorating my home is one of them. I got a pet cat last year & after realising that I am not a danger to living things, I decided to try my hands at plants. Now I'm not one to do anything by half so I probably have about 14 & I intend to get many more.

I'm going for a bohemian meets eclectic meets Scandinavia type look. Basically I'm making it up as I go along, taking everything that I like along with me!

Have a look at some of my pics, let me know what you think....

Peace & love
xx

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5 Ingredients for a Contented Life

If you're anything like me, you would have clicked through to this post looking for some easy answers. I'm pretty sure that every day I read some article promising happiness in a few short steps. I think I have tried most types of therapies, spiritual practices and philosophies and yet still haven't mastered the art of sustained  happiness (and by sustained, I mean longer than say, my menstrual cycle).

That being said, along the way, I have picked up a few nuggets of wisdom that I will graciously share with you. 

Here are my 5 ingredients for a contented life;

1. Peanut butter cake & forgiveness

"Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness." Marianne Williamson.

Learning how to forgive has to be my number one step for contentment. From the day you are born till the day you leave this earth, you will have cause to forgive someone. But even more than that, forgiving yourself is crucial. A wise friend once encouraged me to be kind to myself and to treat myself the way I treat others. That was a life changing moment for me and something I could go on about forever. Say nice things to, & about yourself, no matter what you've said or done or what anyone thinks of you. 

Forgiving yourself may be a new concept for you, as making peanut butter cake was for me. Providing you don't have a nut allergy, this cake is delicious and moist and a new favourite. Click here for the recipe link. 

2. Chocolate buttercream & gratitude

"Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognise how good things really are." Marianne Williamson

It's almost a cliche to speak about gratitude so I'll share 3 (of the many) things I'm grateful for;

1. Life. In January I lost my nephew (aged 12 months) & my great grandmother (aged 93 years). I am grateful for my life and my health. 

2. My children. I'm blessed to have two healthy beautiful boys that fill my heart. I am also an Aunty to many more beautiful souls that I get to see and love on regularly.

3. My access to knowledge. I love to learn and I'm so fortunate to be able to feed my insatiable appetite with the many types of learning that are within my grasp. 

With that in mind, I'm always on the look out for new chocolate recipes & I found another Joy the Baker special with her chocolate buttercream recipe (link here). It's literally everything. 

3. Chocolate Fudge & the dirty word 'should'

Should is my least favourite word. In fact, I find it offensive. Should is the cause of resentments, anxieties, disappointments, arguments, the list goes on. "I should have achieved x by the time I turned 30", "She should be like y." "He should do z." All rubbish. Do yourself a favour, banish the word and make chocolate fudge. Trust me. 

4. Golden Meringues & focus

"We can always choose to perceive things differently. You can focus on what's wrong in your life, or you can focus on what's right." Marianne Williamson

Have some fun & change your focus. I'm not talking about avoidance because we have to feel what we feel. But staying in your funk is not the way. Do something that breaks the cycle of negative self talk, this weekend I made cookies with my nieces & nephews. It was hectic & exhausting & it made me smile. Watch comedies or hang out with friends or paint meringues with golden glitter. It's not the answer to your problems but it will give you some welcome respite whilst you wait for time to heal. 

5. Ferrero Rochers & giving back 

A note I received at work this week :)

"We are not held back by the love we didn't receive in the past, but by the love we're not extending in the present." Marianne Williamson

Last but by no means least, do something for someone else. It doesn't have to be something big; a smile, a compliment, a cake topped with Ferrero Rochers. You get so much more by giving than receiving and you never know what people are going through. I've practically bought the affection of my niece with this cake, it was a small price to pay!

So there it is, sugar and contentment in 5 steps. Don't say I don't give you anything :)

Peace & Love

Xxx

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Learning to Say No...

“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.” ~Josh Billings

merk

verb

1. To kill someone

2. To beat someone at something

3. To insult someone

4. To do something to someone that causes them to feel merked

adj. (merked)

1. A mix of feelings including a combination of at least two of the following emotions; embarrassment, frustration, annoyance, confusion, irritation and powerlessness. Examples include; being lost and having no reception on your phone to check google maps, locking yourself out of your house and having to pay a locksmith over a £100 to get your locks changed, or transporting a wedding cake to a venue only to find that it collapsed in the box along the way & you only have 30 minutes before the guests arrive to fix it!

Merkage is always avoidable, always, but that is what makes the feelings worse. 

So now that I've clarified (to an extent) what I'm talking about, let me tell you about the last time that I was merked. I am having some work done to my garden and have been inviting gardeners to give quotes. One lady arrived on Saturday morning, moments after the window cleaner had finished their work. The front of my house was very wet even though it wasn't raining outside. Anyways, I opened the door and the lady walked into the house barely drying her feet on the two mats outside my front door. Her first step left a massive muddy shoe print on my wooden floor and she proceeded to take two more steps leaving two more muddy wet footprints. 

I was merked, fully & completely, and did what all conscious human beings do; I stopped time - well dramatically slowed it down anyway. As she turned in super slow motion to face me for further instruction as to the way to the garden, I pondered on my options. 

Option 1 - I bite my tongue and let her walk through my house leaving horrible muddy puddles and just clean up when she's gone. I had visions of her doing the running man in her dirty shoes on my kilim rug & moonwalking through my clean kitchen to the garden.

or

Option 2 - I tell her go back and wipe her feet before coming any further, making everyone feel super awkward.

I chose option 2. 

It was very awkward as I sent her (politely) back outside to wipe her feet (as any civilised human being would do). It was really awkward, but 100% necessary for me and the happiness of my kilim rug. I mean really! Who does that anyway?!

It was a victory for me and the shape of things to come. As I alluded to in my last post, 2014 could have been called "The Year of Merkage". I didn't say no enough and instead allowed people to rob me of my energy, time, love, happiness, creativity and money. By not saying no, go and wipe your feet before you come in my house, I let people trample all over me with their muddy shoes! No more I say!

Excited by my new found strength, I decided to celebrate by making one of my favourite cakes - the naked vanilla cake. I am a big fan of "less icing is more" when it comes to cakes. I also love berries, meringues & edible flowers so threw everything together in one cake because that's how I'm rolling these days!

The cake is a vanilla sponge with vanilla buttercream, sugared berries, meringue kisses and pansies (edible flowers). Click below for links for all of the recipes (for the cake, double the recipe and cook in an 8" inch tin and double the buttercream recipe);

Vanilla cake

Vanilla buttercream

Sugared berries

Meringue kisses

All that's left to say is that I have green highlights in my hair. I wanted turquoise tresses but instead it's green and yes, I am a little merked.

Peace & love

xx

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Things I Love Thursdays - Balloons

Sometimes it feels like life keeps throwing obstacles your way. Work is stressful, relationships are tense and the bills keep on piling up! 

It has been one of those times for me, but I am determined to keep my spirits up. I realise that circumstances and situations in life are just temporary. The current ones will go & new ones will step in to take their place.

With the above quote firmly etched in my mind, I am choosing to focus on the little things that bring me happiness, like balloons and baking. 

The other day I saw some cute cake toppers on Pintrest and was able to recreate them using mini balloons & bamboo skewers. I think they make this Neapolitan cake look really cute!

So whatever you are going through at the moment, be encouraged. You are here to do great things and the good times are on the way! :)

Peace & Love

xx

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The Earth Laughs in Flowers

After women, flowers are the most divine creatures ~ Christian Dior

Every now and then I become a little obsessed with something and can think of nothing else. My current obsessions are gold painted anything (especially if it's edible), and spring flowers - although to be fair, I'm always obsessed with flowers.

I just LOVE beautiful flowers and spring time is like the gift that keeps on giving. Even in the city of London where grey is the colour of everything; the concrete gives rise to a burst of pinks and greens and yellows, daring you not to notice: Who can help but be moved?

Here are a selection of some flower combinations I've been trying out on a "just-for-the-sake-of-it" 2-tier vanilla cake that I made this week.

I hope they bring you as much joy to look at as they did for me to make (& eat).

"It's so curious: one can resist tears and 'behave' very well in the hardest hours of grief. But then someone makes you a friendly sign behind a window, or one notices that a flower that was in bud only yesterday has suddenly blossomed, or a letter slips from a drawer... and everything collapses."  

"Let's dance in the sunshine with wild flowers in our hair"

Peace & Love

xx

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