Christmas cake progress.

So I still can't find my camera cable. I am going to have to admit defeat soon and properly unpack all our boxes instead of leaving them in the spare room and pretending they don't count. Anyway...

Back to the bake along!

I've been feeding it a little rum once a week, that is just brushing it over lightly with some rum. The rest of the time I've been keeping it in an air tight package of baking paper and cling film, (I don't have a cake box that's big enough.) The fruit is starting to get really plump and the smell is just amazing. Its so utterly christmassy. Spicy and rich. 

Now is the time to start thinking about how, if, you want to ice it. Do you like marzipan and rolled royal icing? Or perhaps a dusting of powdered sugar is more your style? I usually go for a layer of lemon whipped icing with a rolled royal icing on top. The cake won't be decorated until just before its served (on the day or the day before) so there's plenty of time to decided what you want to do. 

Only 34 days to go till the big day! How are all your cakes going? 

Minnie xoxo

What we lost in the move

Our christmas decorations. Yes really. Its daft and random, and a really stupid thing to be upset by because we have no room for a real tree. For a while I was convinced I'd just put them some place safe, but then I had a proper look and Bloke had a proper look. Nope. They are some where between here and Loughborough but they are most definitely not here.

They must be somewhere so I'm not going to replace them (just yet anyway- I live in hope), but I still want the flat to look festive. The solution required some serious patience on my part. Paper crafting. I am utterly, completely terrible at anything beyond the making of paper chains. So please be very, very impressed with what I have to show you. I made this! It only took an evening!

I used this tutorial for the wreath. I did use a few staples to keep the individual pieces tight and did use a glue stick to make it sturdy enough to survive the festive season fixed to the door.  A 36 pack of designer paper for scrap booking was enough to make one large wreath, a long paper chain, a decent length of heart shaped chain and a few gift tags.  The whole endeavour cost much less than £10 including staples and glue.

Huzzah! Cheap, cheerful and festive. I'm rather proud. So I had to share.

Minnie xoxo

Further christmas preperation

I made a teeny tiny tree! We don't have the space for a real tree this year. Tiny flat is tiny. I used this tutorial off the martha stewart site.  It was pretty simple, there was a Murder She Wrote marathon on and my tiny tree only took two episodes from start to finish, so less than two hours! A few little pompoms and some glitter and it'll be even more festive. It might be a little lopsided but I'm quite proud. 

Minnie xoxo

Lets talk about scones.

Proper scones. Proper plain scones are a versatile little fluffy parcel of wonder. You can get a batch to the table in less than half an hour, you don't need to buy anything fancy to make them. And while we're at it a real scone mix is egg free. That's right. No eggs. And to boot they are great with everything, cheese, marmalade, golden syrup, clotted cream and strawberry jam. Or simply buttered. Brilliant with a cup of tea or a bowl of soup. From breakfast to supper.

(On a side note I am digging the camera cable out today, this is getting crazy.)

Ingredients:

200g of self raising flour (or 200g plain and 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda and 2 teaspoons of cream of tartar)

25g of butter

pinch of salt

milk (butter milk, greek yogurt or any dairy free milk alternative) 

Method:

Sift the flour. add the salt. Rub or cut the butter through. Stir the milk in until you have a stick elastic dough. Tip out onto a floured surface. Roll out to about 2cm thick. Cut anyway you see fit! Mix makes about 5 good size scones or 10 small high tea style scones. Glaze if preferred with a milk or egg wash. Bake in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes until golden. 

Enjoy! 

Minnie xoxo

The past wee while in pictures

I carved a pumpkin. His name is Seonaidh. 

He's a handsome fellow isn't he?

We took a Hamis MacLego on a hike 

He was awestruck by the views.

We went on an explore and discovered that the old Dunblane road is hardly a road at all any more.

It was tarmac before the storms washed it away.

The weather has been cold, crisp and clear.

Lovely.

Could there be a more appropriate time of year for this top?

It glows in the dark. Squeak.

What Have you all been up to recently? Ready for Halloween? 

Minnie xoxo

Depression is like the bad pair of tights.

Everyone who wears tights (pantyhose) know what I mean about the bad pair of tights. They look just like any other innocent, well behaved pair of tights in your drawer but as soon as you are irreversibly out of the house for the day they will turn on you. The ankles will bag, the crotch rides down to just under the bottom of your skirt hem. Your whole day is spent trying to slyly adjust, pull and cope. You try and look like you aren't wearing Bad Tights. But the effort of running into every loo you pass, hiding behind bloke trying to adjust in public and performing all kinds of stealth gymnastics that everything falls to the wayside. Nothing is enjoyable, you can concentrate on anything and by the end of the day you are exhausted.

You throw the bad tights away, recognise with hindsight that something felt off when you pulled them on. They'd been brilliant tights up until now, just the right colour, not too shiny. You loved them dearly, hand washed them in the bath, never made them bobbily by wearing socks over them. Alas the Bad Tights are a constant, not tied to any one pair. The Bad Tights can be any pair, a previously loved pair, a pair in a multipack of otherwise wonderful well behaved tights or the greatest betrayal a previously trusted brand begins turning out only Bad Tights. For some people is not tights, it can be knickers they got from being comfy trusted friends to bum floss seemingly over night.

I've been really low recently, its been a Bad Tights day every day. Even when I wear jeans. Its so difficult trying to appear normal that everything else gets left behind. I'm back on the upswing now, which is quite nice.

I hope none of you are having a Bad Tights day,
Minnie xoxo

My life right now.

SO MUCH STUDYING. It's essay time right now. So much due, i'll update soon though.

What are you guys all up to?

Minnie xoxo