Tuesday's child is full of Grace

So its birthday month in our house- which means Party month!!

How hard is birthday party planning!!! From the theme, to who you invite, to the cake its all big decisions!!!

I remember my birthday parties when i was small - in the village hall, disco, magicians, cabbage patch kid cakes - and i remember them being so magical that i've always thought i want my children's parties to be filled with great memories!!

So as Rocco and Honey are a day apart i can easily have a joint party which is a big relief - however they are into completely different things! I toyed with a cupcake decoration party - but then this would only be for the older children - magicians again only for the 4 year olds - petting zoo again Rocco wouldn't be that bothered.

The Cakes - do they share a cake? have a cake each? just have cupcakes?

Party Bags - do you fill it with bits and bobs? get one nice thing? a book? a cupcake?

Bouncy Castle - do you get one with a slide? one with a roof for rain? a pink one?

Food - sandwiches? Hot Dogs? Picnic? Will the other mums think theres too many sweets?

Activities - Pass the Parcel (ends in tears), Fancy dress competition? Races? treasure Hunt?

Entertainment - Cupcake decorating? Magician? Enchanted Fairy? Disney Princess? Clown?

Dads have it kind of easy really Nicks just like get 1 cake, they don't need a party bag, any bouncy castle, sandwiches and crisps, pass the parcel and thats it! Job Done! Invite anyone. Alternatively lets just go to Euro Disney!

But as a mum .............. Can they have 1 cake if there are 2 of them? i wouldn't like to share a cake haha! They do need a party bag but what can i buy thats good quality for like £3 per child? we need a bouncy castle with a slide and roof and it needs to be red realistically , we need activities and we need a children's entertainer! Must invite long lost cousins aunt incase they see it on Facebook and get upset they didn't get the invitation! And the worrying doesn't end there!!! Even when they are opening their gifts from the party guests theres the mum manically writing who bought what so the thank you cards can be sent out the next day!

Its such a huge pressure!!!! But still generation after generation we still do it!!! And we still love it deep down!!!!

The look on Honey's face the morning of her party will be priceless and worth all the huge decisions that realistically we are the only ones that care about! I mean Honey doesn't care what bouncy castle it is or if theres 1 or 2 cakes! She would be happy with a bowl of ice cream and sprinkles and a candle in it! But me at the mum would feel guilty if there was no party!

Sooooooooooo this is what i've decided on!

We are having a party
We will have 2 cakes and Cupcakes! (i love cake!)
Party Bags will consist of 1 cool gift and a lovely cookie (well over budget but ho hum)
Bouncy Castle i have left to Nick to arrange (eeeek)
Food will be Hot dogs, sandwiches and picnic food and a plethora of sweets
I have arranged an entertainer (well 2)

I feel happy with my decisions - i hope everything goes to plan and i hope above all the Children enjoy it and have a magical day!

They are only young for such a short amount of time and when they are 10/12 are they really going to want a magician? So i say make the most of being in charge of the party before they can tell us what they want and what they don't hahah!!!

Can't wait to show you some pictures in 2 weeks time!!!

Love
J xxx

My Hubbies Bday!!

Its my wonderful husbands 34th birthday tomorrow!!! Hip Hip Hooray!!! 

We had a lovely bar b q yesterday with lots of friends and family!! I think Mr T might have a small hangover but i cant be sure so i'll just shout in his ear to check ........... yep he's defo got one!! 

Nick "arranged" the bar b q - by arrange i mean he invited everyone and i was left to sort haha! 

A friend of mine does the most amazing cupcakes!!!! I mean amazing and we got our wires crossed and she has a big vintage fair to do this weekend so is unable to make Nicks! However she will be making Honey and Rocco's birthday cupcakes!!! Can't wait to show you pictures! If you do need any cakes/cupcakes and i mean they are pretty special then Sacha is your girl!!! mabels vintage tea.

These are for the Children!! How super cool are they!!! 

Anyway back to today - so on Monday night i spoke to Sacha and we had a mild panic about cakes for Nick and i was like oh i'll sort something.  So i quickly text Leeanne and tried to trick her into a making a cake for me but she said if i bake the cake she would ice it - mmmm nice try Lee - icing is the best bit hahaha!!!

So i was going to make a Golf cupcake cake like this that i made for a friends birthday

But to be honest i just couldn't be bothered with baking and icing when i had a million other things to do! And i'm a perfectionist so if it wasn't amazing i wouldn't be happy!!!

I had a look around the internet at cakes etc.... and then i came across this ....

A Krispy Kreme Tower cake!!!! How amazing on numerous counts!!!
Firstly - No Baking
Secondly - No icing
Thirdly - No plates needed
Fourthly - No Cleaning up
Fifthly - They taste amazing!!!!!!

So here is my attempt at Nicks cake - it was the yummiest cake i ever have eaten!!!

Lee and I drove to the Krispy Kreme Drive Through on Friday night about 11pm to get them hot of the belt!!! We even got a free one each! Yummm !!! Nicks cake was made from 61 Krispy Kreme's - i ate 4 my brother ate 7!!!!!! Well diets aren't for Birthdays!!

Everybody at the party loved it and i didn't feel guilty about not baking it myself.  The moral of the day - Its the thought that counts! Happy Sunday

Love
J xxx

Sticky Ginger cake with lemon icing

This is literally the best cake i have ever made. Everything about it is perfect and simply delicious! I'm not known for baking good cakes, i try but i just cant do it but this one i can and its scrumdidilliumptious!

If you like ginger cake then you wont regret taking the time to make this! It is a bit fiddly and time consuming but the results are worth it i promise! The recipe is from Good Food Magazine Feb 2004.

Hope you love it now i have bigged it up so much haha.

Love
L xx
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Sticky Stem Ginger Cake with Lemon Icing

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 225g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground mixed spice
• 115g butter, cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing
• 115g dark muscovado sugar
• 115g black treacle
• 115g golden syrup
• 250ml whole milk
• 85g drained stem ginger, finely grated
• 1 egg

For the icing

• 50g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. Preheat the oven to fan 160C/conventional 180C/gas 4. Butter and line an 18cm round, 7cm deep cake tin with greaseproof or parchment paper.
2. Put the flour, bicarbonate of soda and all the spices into a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Put the sugar, treacle, syrup and milk in a medium saucepan and heat, gently stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to just below boiling point.
4. Add the stem ginger to the flour mixture, then pour in the treacle mixture, stirring as you go with a wooden spoon. Break in the egg and beat until all the mixture is combined and it resembles a thick pancake batter. Pour this into prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes-1 hour, until a skewer pushed into the centre of the cake comes out fairly clean. Leave to cool completely in tin before turning cake out. (To freeze: wrap in greaseproof paper, then in cling film. Freeze for up to 1 month.)
5. To make the icing, mix together icing sugar and lemon zest, then gradually add lemon juice until you have a smooth, slightly runny icing, adding more juice, if needed. Drizzle icing in a zig-zag pattern over surface of cake, turn cake around and drizzle again to create the cross-hatched finish (see below). Cake keeps for up to 2 weeks stored in an airtight container

Banoffee Pie (my fave)!

Wow i do so love a Banoffee Pie - i would say its my favourite dessert but i think all desserts are my favourite haha!!!

This is an amazing dessert on 3 counts!!

Firstly its so quick to make you can make it within 15 mins and take to bar b q or event!
Secondly its so easy and no baking or boiling so even toddlers can make it
Thirdly it tastes and looks amazing!!!

Ingredients

4 Bananas
300ml Whipped Cream
250g pack of Digestives
1 or 2 cans of Carnation Caramel
100g melted butter
Chocolate to decorate

Firstly crush the biscuits into crumbs - I normally put mine in a ziplock bag and get honey to hit and roll them with a rolling pin! Place the crumbs into a bow and add the melted butter to the biscuits.  Once mixed press onto bottom of a lightly greased 20cm cake tin.  Pop in fridge for 10 mins.

During this 10 mins (which is an eternity for an impatient 3 year old) i get Honey to cut the banana with her special plastic knife!

Take the base out of the fridge and spread the carnation caramel over the base - ive said 1 or 2 cans depending on how caramelly (i know thats not even a word but i like it) you like it! I would then place this in the fridge to harden up!

Then place you banana slices on top of the caramel - try not to leave many gaps.

Spoon the cream on top and then grate some chocolate on top!

Taaaaa Daaaaa !!!! Fool Proof quick and easy dessert!!!

You can also use condensed milk and boil it however with toddlers in the house and a previous burn incident i just try not to over complicate things! It does seem to set better though!  Also you could make these into little ones in fairy cake wrappers and make them in a 6 cake tin for the children!

Hope you all enjoy
Love
J xxx

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Banana Bread Bonanza !

Happy Saturday!!!!

Last Sunday my husband went to golf early doors and woke the whole house up looking for things (does this sound familiar?) So up we all get pre 7am and i'm thinking right what can we do to make this morning go a bit quicker?
I wonder if there is anything i can make with those 2 brown bananas in fridge that no one will touch?

So i googled and came across a lovely Banana Bread recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery!

We happened to have most of the ingredients except the light brown sugar so i used caster sugar as the point was to have fun and not make a culinary delight!

So Honey (age 3) dons her apron and get busy cracking eggs and mixing ingredients! It was super easy and she really enjoyed doing all of it! I had it warm with butter and Earl Grey and my nieces had it for dessert with Ice Cream - it really was yummy

Enjoy 
J x 

Banana Loaf

Makes 8-10 slices
Ingredients
270g soft light brown sugar
2 eggs
200g peeled bananas, mashed
280g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
140g unsalted butter, melted

A 23 x 13-cm loaf tin, greased and dusted with flour
Preheat the oven to 170oC/325oF/Gas 3.

Put the sugar and eggs in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment and beat until well incorporated. Beat in the mashed bananas.

Add the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and ginger to the sugar mixture. Mix it thoroughly until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the egg mixture. Pour in the melted butter and beat until all the ingredients are well mixed.

Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and smooth over with a palette knife. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, or until firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave the cake to cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.