just keep rolling

Holidays mean lots of baking, because lots of little people need lots of food. One new thing we tried was this honey cream swiss roll. I won’t show you a photo of the top, it got cracked pretty badly (any tips on how to not crack a swiss roll?), but it tasted the part. I had to improvise a bit when I discovered I had

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Twenty Treats :: the round-up

1. Double Choc Chip biscuits 2.Mars Bar Slice 3. Cinnamon Palmiers 4. Chocolate Crackles 5. Turkish Delight Slice {with recipe} 6. Melting Moments 7. Sour Cream Coffee Cake 8. Chocolate Pretzels 9 & 10. Cherry Ripe Cheesecake & Pepppermint Crisp Cheesecake 11. Caramel Mudcake 12. Pink Cupcakes 13. Cinnamon Tea Cake 14. Tiramisu Cheesecake 15. Banana Bread 16. ANZAC Biscuits 17. Apple Cinnamon Donut Holes

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sea salt caramel shortbread

  I came across this recipe on Tumblr, and saved it for future reference. When the discussion regarding teachers gifts came up with the idea of baked goods, I thought this would be perfect. Fast forward a bit. It’s Tuesday afternoon. School finishes Wednesday, and I’m madly sewing mugrugs as another part of the gifts. A meeting that night sees me toting three mugrugs, needle,

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20::20 {gingerbread men}

PROJECT PROGRESS: TWENTY! OCCASSION: why the heck not? BRIEF & RATIONALE: Small people @ & 3 thought they looked good, simple as that! SOURCE: Essential Baking Cookbook EASE OF MAKING: 8/10 CHILD FRIENDLY? yes – they loved kneading and helping cut out their shapes! REALITY V COOKBOOK: well, as good as biscuits decorated by 7, 5 and 3 year olds can be! TASTE: 10/10 –

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9::20 ~ sultana scones

PROJECT PROGRESS: 9/20 (somehow I skipped straight from 8 to 10!) OCCASSION: It was Wednesday. BRIEF & RATIONALE: Part of the “we have no eggs” bake-up. SOURCE: That old standby “The Essential Baking Cookbook” (I bought this my first year of working in a lunchroom book club, and it has been one of the best value purchases!) EASE OF MAKING: 8/10 CHILD FRIENDLY? not really,

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19::20 {white velvet cake}

PROJECT PROGRESS: 19/20 OCCASSION: practice for “someone’s” birthday BRIEF & RATIONALE: It looked like something that the birthday “someone” would love. SOURCE: http://www.nlrockrecipes.com/2012/10/white-velvet-cake.html via Pinterest EASE OF MAKING: 8/10 CHILD FRIENDLY? not really REALITY V COOKBOOK: Pretty close – though I used a white chocolate ganache instead of the marshmallow frosting, and went with a single layer square cake instead of double layered round. I

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18::20 ~ apple cinnamon donut holes

PROJECT PROGRESS: 18/20 OCCASSION: a lazy Monday at home with the girl BRIEF & RATIONALE: I was in the mood for something different for this week’s baking, and decided to check my baking pin board SOURCE: Domesticate Me via Pinterest EASE OF MAKING: 9/10 CHILD FRIENDLY? yes REALITY V COOKBOOK: reasonably close – though I used patty papers to make it easier for the children

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17::20 ~ ANZAC Biscuits

PROJECT PROGRESS: 17/20 OCCASSION: we needed to bake biscuits and had no eggs. We did, however, have rolled oats. BRIEF & RATIONALE: Easy, quick, yummy. Plus we’d been given some after Beetle was born and I may or may not have hoovered them fairly quickly. Anzac bikkies are yum! SOURCE: http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/anzac-biscuits-L79.html EASE OF MAKING: 10/10 CHILD FRIENDLY? yes. I melted the butter and then they

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16::20 ~ banana bread

PROJECT PROGRESS: 16/20 OCCASSION: over-ripe bananas in the fruit bowl + school holidays BRIEF & RATIONALE: Entertain the children, provide them with morning tea, use the bananas turning brown in the fruit bowl SOURCE: The Essential Baking Cookbook EASE OF MAKING: 8/10 CHILD FRIENDLY? yes REALITY V COOKBOOK: Not too shabby! TASTE: 9/10 FINAL VERDICT: I’m not sure why we don;t make this more to

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the paleontologist turns five

The birthday train rolls on! This past weekend, it was Boy2’s turn, and somehow, I made the mistake of blinking, and he is five. FIVE. The age of saying goodbye to our favourite weekly activities and hello to big school. Goodbye to lazy days at home and hello to the morning school rush. Goodbye to paint stained hand me downs and hello to uniforms.  

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