Secret Family Recipe - Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding

It's getting colder and I am getting the munchies.

Oh and this is one of my favourite dishes, its a green and dark cream straight sided pudding basin by Denby.

Kentucky Candy

I received this lovely package from Jessica via swap bot, the other day and the kids went crazy with their begging.

ANZAC Biscuits

It was ANZAC day Friday (26th April), a very important day for us in Oz.

ANZAC biscuit
noun:- a national biscuit of Australia, purportedly invented on the war fields of the First World War. The recipe can vary but the essential ingredients are rolled oats and golden syrup.

ANZAC Day
noun:- ANZAC day in Australia, April 25th, the anniversary of the ANZAC landing at Gallipoli in 1915, is the national day of remembrance for Australian Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen, killed in wars overseas.

Ok I admit it . . . . . I'm flat

I have fallen into one of those blogging slumps that many of us get into, you just don't feel like letting people out there, in. At the beginning of 2008 I made a resolution to say 'NO' more often and to look after 'Self and Family First', and I think that I have been getting a handle on that. But unfortunately it has meant that blogging has taken a backseat.

Alex started school at the beginning of the year and it is taking me a while to get used to being a full time school Mum, there is so much to learn. Alex who was so ready for school, hasn't looked back, and is beginning to develop school attitude, which if it wasn't so different to his normal easy going persona, it would be funny.

I did go to Perth and had a wonderful time, but got back and felt really flat, and flat is how I can explain how I have been feeling for a long time. My camera battery is also feeling flat, so pictures have be few and far between but to recap the last two months.

The Cake and Cupcakes have still been coming out of the kitchen but at a much more sedate pace than this time last year. I do have orders for 2009 but 2008 is scarily quite. Mind you I have been enjoying the stress free weekends. Lets hope the pace picks up a bit over Winter, and if it doesn't I am planning a series of display cakes, just for fun.

In my last post I mentioned that Transformers were taking over my kitchen, well they brought their All Spark, which is 'the power force that created the Transformers, or something' (definition provided by Alex!).

And when it is cut open, you get Classic Vanilla Pound Cake, torted with Honeycomb buttercream. Sounds good to me. More pictures can be found here.

Easter was full of chocolate, Mr. E. Bunny does a wonderful job at breaking our health eating plans, and is very helpful with putting kids and adults alike into sugar overload. I helped the teachers celebrate Easter by providing them with cupcakes on the last day of school.

The best banana & macadamia Cupcakes, topped with chocolate fudge frosting, styled with sugar paste bees, yellow sprinkles, royal icing flowers and edible glitter.

And for those who could not do without their morning coffee hit I provided deliciously lite coffee cupcakes, studded with crushed Macadamias, frosted with espresso buttercream, and styled with a chocolate egg and a dusting of espresso powder and edible glitter.

This year I have made a commitment to myself to make the majority of presents, so friends and family received vanilla and chocolate sugar biscuits as Easter gifts, instead of over priced store bought chocolate. Unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures, but these will give you a good idea. Sam was a great help with the decorating of the biscuits whilst Alex was at school.

Well I have to walk a friend kid to Kindy, I'll be back soon to tell you all about the Black and White Wedding Cake & Cupcakes that I was creating earlier in the year.

Away

Ok so it's pretty obvious that I am somewhere else at the moment. I many not be technically away but I have been mentally away from my blog. My appologies to all, I am sure you can all relate. But on a good note, I am 3 1/2 hours away from jumping on a plane to Perth for a 4 day weekend to see my bestie girl, and I am hoping that will get me back in a good mind set and you will be all inundated with posts and inspiring cakes.

I have been busy, caking, dealing with Christmas, school holidays, Summer, A starting school for the first time, more cakes, lots of chocolate brownies, and Transformers taking over my kitchen and stealing cupcakes.

Young vs. Old - The Daring Bakers Tender Potato Bread Cookoff

The Daring Bakers are at it again, and this time its savoury, includes yeast, really sticky dough and in my case helpers!

This month challenge of Tender Potato Bread was meet ed out to us by Tanna of My Kitchen in Half Cups, and many of us were jumping with joy and already smelling the baking bread in our ovens.

Tanna has taken the recipe for Tender Potato Bread from Home Baking: The Artful Mix of Flour & Tradition Around the World Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, and from my experience of the recipe it is a winner.

If we ever make bread, or actually if I even step into the kitchen with intent, both my kids want to help. Well this time was no different, except I had left completing this challenge down to the last minute, and really didn't want to deal with the extra mess that the kids can create. But I relented and promised them that they could make their own rolls. They picked their own Rosemary crushed their own pepper and salt, brushed their own oil, mind you they didn't clean up their own mess. And not surprisingly they did a wonderful job, I am actually more impressed with their efforts and creativity, as mine was a run of the mill, by the book focaccia, whilst they created gingerbread men and star shaped rolls which they baked perfectly and scoffed for dinner with their choice of cheese and olives.

When trialling a recipe I try to stick as close as possible to the original format so that I have a sound base to make adjustments from, the only choice i made was to use 12oz of potato but if you read the recipe at My Kitchen in Half Cups, you will see that you can use 8oz - 16oz. So I wasn't disappointed when the focaccia was soft, moreish and so so good. I highly recommend this recipe to all bakers and wanna bee bakers. Be aware that the dough is really soft and sticky, but don't be tempted to add too much flour to counteract this, just go with the flow.

As for the Young DB'ers vs me the Old DB'ers, place your votes. I will cast the first one and vote Young, but they have an excellent teacher.

I can't wait to see what is in store for December but you will all have to wait until almost next year, how crule.

Questions

Does anyone have any questions about, cakes, cupcakes, cake deco supplies, tachniques and the community garden, that you might have asked in the past and I never got back to you? Or want to ask.

If you do please ask again in the comments on this post and I will get a Q & A post happening.