I know lunch boxes are suppose to be healthy but if I pack fruit for my hubby and 17 year old son it only returns battered and bruise along with complaints that they didn't have enough to eat. I have learnt to stop wasting my breath and money where fruit is concerned and give them a naughty treat along with healthy sandwiches, at least that way I know what they are eating and can hide vegetables and fruit in their evening meals so they get their 5 a day. I know I'm naughty for hiding and controlling their diet and also for giving them a treat but although I don't have a sweet tooth I do enjoy baking when I can fit it in.
Yesterday was great fun all 3 of us in the kitchen together, hubby and son were making a cheesecake they had seen on Australian masterchef, which took over the oven for a good 3 hours plus in total so my baking became a bit of a marathon in between washing their dishes.It is now taking up space in my fridge and when it is allowed to emerge from it's tin I'll take a piccy and add to this post.
My bake turned into a marathon and from starting at 10 am I packed in at 6pm to start dinner and did all the finishing off this morning , which has been a mini marathon of 5 hours all told.
I had time that I couldn't do anything yesterday so decided I would have a go at making croissants for this mornings breakfast as I knew the dough should be rested in the fridge for at least 12 hours(great British bake off taught me that).
I finished them off this morning and made plain and chocolate chi[p croissants along with some experimental danish pastries. I have to say I didn't have any for breakfast as I am so trying to shed some extra pounds but both hubby and son said they were good. I did plan on freezing some as I reckoned they would only have one or two each but they really must have been good as what's left isn't worth freezing and I suspect will be eaten for breakfast tomorrow. I even thought they looked like the shop bought one, let me know what you think.
Here are the experimental danishes I made with the rest of the dough, I really can't believe how easy it was even though it was time consuming.
I do like to mess and play and decided I would try another couple of recipes from the great British bake off, battenburg, Viennese melts and salted peanut cookies.
The battenburg isn't perfect but that's more down to the baking parchment not being strong enough the stay straight , mine isn't foil lined, guess I should have added some foil to , never thought of that when I was doing it, hey ho. Never the less I don't thinks it looks too bad and son says the cake tastes great, which is all that matters.
The cookies even I think look fab and I really don't like dark chocolate. I'd never made praline or caramel which is the filling and actually threw one lot away only to realise I just hadn't left it long enough to change colour, so I'm really pleased . Hubby and son have tasted the plain biscuits and approve so that's good too.
These are what I call Viennese melts, though I know that's not what they were called by Mary the contestant who made them. In hers she added food colouring to give a swirl of colour, I didn't have any so mine are plain. Hubby and son have tasted the plain biscuit before construction and said they really do melt. They are very crumbly if you over handle as I found when putting them together but I think they look fab if not a bit sickly.
Anyway these are my boys lunchbox treats, if they last that long of course, if not I'll just have to find more baking time.
Haver a fab day all now I'm off to find the sugar nellie blog hop day 2.Thanks for popping by.
Told you I'd make another and think I like this one even better. Again coloured in promarkers, the papers are copy paper that I embossed and the ribbon, holly and gems are all from my stash and don't you just adore these loving snow people ,of course they come from the fab range at Funky kits where else?
The challenge over at the sugar bowl is to do something unusual for you, so after looking at the Christmas decorations I bought last year in the sale as I thought then they would look good on a card, but haven't yet plucked up the courage to use them as wasn't really sure how they would work decided now was the time.
I coloured the image with Promarkers and added stickles for christmas sparkle, The papers I have no idea who's they are (sorry) but love this one with snowflakes on. The snowflake I made by using the left over frame of a chipboard snowflake I'd already used and cut it out along with several others from some packaging from a shirt. This one I covered in bronze embossing powder and versamark ink. The sentiment is Penny Black. The pearls came from hobbycraft, just love the colour and think they finish it off perfectly. The layout is a sort of case from the Sugar Nellie Funky Kits gallery, just what I needed to help me with my woolley brain at the moment, fab place to check out if you are stuck as their DT ladies are really a very clever bunch so thanks guys.
I realised the other day that there are now only a few weeks left till Christmas and thought I ought to start marking some Christmas cards especially since my mum has asked for some too. I spent my pennies at Funky kits and got this fab happy Santa which I thought would be great for my 7 year old nephew, I think he is just so cute though I could do with Santa sending me some fine Promarker nibs before Christmas so I can colour the details a bit easier, but we can't have everything we wish for can we.
The sassy girl is coloured with promarkers and glitter added with sakura pen as is the shine on her shoes. I fancy cut her and did some embossing to fancy up my white background papers.Sorry for some reason blogger won't let me load the picture I want and this one doesn't show the embossing very well, the rectangle with the border has swirls on it and the circle with the image on has flowers embossed on it. I used a punch down the rectangle and added some white glitter card under it and then punched some daisy style flowers from white paper and white glitter paper. I later added an 18 and a happy birthday sentiment but popped it in the post without taking a further picture sorry, but I'm sure you can all imaging how it looked and I think as it is I quite liked it.
My sister in law, well sort of as she is my step brothers fiancée, is 40 next month so I made her a card, although again I haven’t decided whether to put a big 40 on it as I like the clean lines. If I do I’m not sure whether I should put it top or bottom corner or even near the oval of the image either top or bottom so I’m walking away at the mo until I decide, again open to suggestions, all you clever seasoned crafters.
My card I finished yesterday and it's for my sister in law who has a birthday later this month, mum saw the no more soggy paws and asked if she could have it and as it means more pennies in the coffers to buy rubber why would I say no?
The battenburg isn't perfect but that's more down to the baking parchment not being strong enough the stay straight , mine isn't foil lined, guess I should have added some foil to , never thought of that when I was doing it, hey ho. Never the less I don't thinks it looks too bad and son says the cake tastes great, which is all that matters.
No chance not when you are ten. Hope my nephew likes this card when he receives it for his big one ooh birthday. Even though I have a son myself and I do enjoy making boy cards I still find it hard making cards for my nephews, well I never know what any of them are into these days and sad to say as they live quite a way away I rarely see them, well the 2 younger ones the older one when I do see him he might as well not be there as he is away with the fairies attached to technology of one kind or another.
Hi all have to say I can't believe I have still had visitors even though it has been a long while since I posted anything, but as I have actually had some cards to make for a few family occassions I thought I'd take a wee break from the decorating and cleaning etc and put at least one of them on here , I might even see if I can find more than one challenge(the sugar bowl, as I followed their sketch) to enter too.
