I found these cuties whilst trawling Pinterest one night and as I had all of the ingredients in my cupboard it made perfect sense to whip up a few last Sunday morning.
A friand is a delicious little cake, made with egg whites, icing sugar, flour almonds and (usually) berries of some description. They are a bit like a muffins in the way that they are made and like muffins, I think they are best eaten straight out of the oven.
I've been through the mills recently, feeling down & unappreciated. I think all of us experience that at some time, the people you love don't seem to understand you, work take you for granted & the knocks just keep on coming. It's easy to lose sight of what good things are in our future and the beautiful things that we already possess.
Our fear & anger & frustrations can manifest in the way we treat others. Holding on to bitterness, speaking harshly & questioning everyone's motives.
More important than how we treat & speak to others though, is how we treat ourselves. When disapproval & criticism seem to be coming from all angles, what do you say & believe to & about yourself?
A friend of mine played me a song on Sunday & one of the lyrics caused me to burst into tears. The singer said 'I wrote this song to say I forgive me. I wrote it to say I love me'.
That night I wrote myself a love letter & just acknowledged all the beautiful things about me. The secret thoughts I have, the quiet things I do & the love that burns in me. It was weird at first but I realised that if I can write love letters to others (something I love to do), then I could most certainly do one for me.
I pray that we all learn to be kind to ourselves. To not care what people think or say but to trust in our own hearts & to cherish us. And as we learn to do this we will see our oneness & learn to love each other better. Let's start a love revolution...
Peggy Porschen is one of my cake heros. I currently have two of her books and I love her style. Last year, I made my way down to her boutique in Victoria and bought about 5 cupcakes (it was the right thing to do!)
What can I say other than the woman is a baking goddess and one day I too will have a fancy boutique that people will flock to from far and wide to come and gorge themselves on the delights therein...? A girl can dream :)
Check out some of my iPhone pics and make sure you visit when you are next in London town. You can find the details on her webpage here.
So Valentines Day has come and gone... I didn't get any balloons or love letters or flowers but I did get to celebrate the birthdays of two special boys; my first born son & my gorgeous nephew.
My son was born on Valentines Day and I still remember his birth like it was yesterday. Like many first time mothers, it was a traumatic experience. I was in labour for 3 days and had every type of medical intervention known to man. By the time I had the cesarean, I was hungry, dehydrated and exhausted. But with my baby in my arms, I just couldn't sleep. I stayed up all night, excited, with him on my chest wondering how on earth I was going to look after this precious thing.
There's something special about the first child, that one on one time, the unknown, the excitement with every development. I remember the first time he looked around, the first time he saw a balloon, his first words, first steps, our first holiday and how he smiled at all the ladies, the first time he got a fever & we panicked and rushed him to the hospital, there are just so many memories.
Now he's grown and cuddles with mummy are a bit of a pain! He still lets me have them though and for that I'm grateful. :)
9 Years Old, I can't believe it!!
I've just been listening to Alicia Key's latest album recently and one song she sings sums it up perfectly. It's called 'When It's All Over'
"When they lay me down, put my soul to rest
When they ask me how I spent my life
At least I got to love you, when it's all over
When it's all said and done, when it's all over
At least I got to love you, at least I got to love you"
I can't forget my nephew who's birthday is one day earlier. He is the sweetest thing and always has something nice to say. I love baking for him because he loves his aunty's cakes! :) Check out a post that I wrote for his birthday last year here.
My very gorgeous nephew getting tickled by my boys :)
So to celebrate this happy week, it only seemed right to make cakies...
It's been a while since I made Red Velvet Cupcakes, I forgot how tasty they are! I'm not a big cake eater (believe it or not), but Red Velvet Cupcakes are my one weakness. Add some sugar lego men and lots of sprinkles and it makes for a happy time all round, who cares about Valentines! :)
Heart shaped sugar cubes are the easiest thing ever to make and make really cute gifts.
1. Pour out some sugar into a bowl, around 4 tablespoons per colour, and add just enough cold water to make it the consistency of wet sand.
2. Use a tiny amount of gel colouring of the colour you desire (you can also use a drop of normal food colouring). Mix until the sugar has a consistent colour and then shape using either a cookie cutter or a silicon mold.
3. To get the shape using a cookie cutter, first place it on top of a sheet of baking paper. Then stuff the cutter full of the coloured sugar and smooth the top using the back of a teaspoon. Finally pop it back out on to the baking paper.
4. Once you have finished making all of the shapes, leave them to dry in the fridge (or freezer) for about 2 hours and then they are good to go. You may need to dust off the edges so that you get a smooth shape.
It's that time of year again and Valentines Day is near. For me, Valentines Day is special because it's my son's birthday but I guess in a way over the years it's lost the whole romantic meaning....
Sugar cookies in the making...
As I've named this year the year of love, money and happiness, I'm focussing on what I want rather than what isn't. So to start with, I made a little collage of my ideal Valentines Day gifts (take note people).
Pictures courtesy of Pintrest
Love letters, flowers and balloons, what more can a girl want from her Valentine?
Sugar cookies of course!
Sugar Cookies Recipe (American style adapted from Sweet Designs by Amy Atlas)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour
1. Combine the sugar, butter and salt light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined. Finally add the flour (sifted) until it it's just combined.
2. Roll the dough into a large circle 1/4 inch thick in between two sheets of baking or parchment paper. Leave to chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
3. Cut out the cookies with a cookie cutter and place them on one of the sheets of baking paper at least 1" apart. Leave to chill for a further 1 hour.
4. Pre-heat the oven to 180oC (gas mark 4). Bake until light golden, 6-12 minutes depending on the size and shape of the cookies. Rotate halfway through cooking so that you get an even colour. Leave to chill on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
I covered these delicious sugar cookies with peach coloured royal icing (click here for a video recipe) and sprinkled them with love hearts. They lasted about 5 minutes and didn't even make it out of the house! Not to worry, this month my baking will be all things love and someone will get to be the recipient! :)
Peace & Love
xx
ps - if anyone wants to spoil me this Valentines, please do!!!!!
In a break from tradition, today's post will not feature any baked goodies (gasp!) I have had one of those days (weeks/months) where I am being given a very clear message about my character and I feel like I need to share it with you.
The issue at question here is my integrity & it's not about me lying or being dishonest. This goes deeper than telling the truth; it's ultimately about the power of my word.
I have long held on to the belief that through our words, we have the power to create our own destiny. And yet to make that a reality, you need to honour your word not only to other people but especially to yourself.
I have found myself making and breaking the same promises, having the same conversations, giving the same excuses and justifications for things that I should or shouldn't have done. I used to be confident in the fact that if I said something that I would do it but now I've starting doubting myself.
I choose today to be a woman of integrity, one commitment at a time, and wanted to declare that you all.
Thank you for listening and rest assured that normal service will resume :)!
Peace & Love
xx
ps please feel free to comment or share if you have had similar revelations/struggles/breakthroughs...
