MELTED SNOWMAN CUPCAKES

I developed an immediate crush on these melted snowman bath bombs from Lush and couldn't get the little fellas out of my head, so this morning I decided to recreate them in the form of cupcakes! I'm not sure if it's obvious that they're meant to be melted snowmen, or if people will think I tried to make regular snowman, but that I'm a bit "spesh" in the kitchen... maybe I need too make a placard...

Anyway, we are in Australia here guys... it's hot! Snowmen... they don't survive in these parts!

Basic Vanilla Cake

125g butter at room temp

3/4 cup white sugar

4 drops vanilla essence

2 eggs at room temp

2 cups self raising flour

1/2 cup milk

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat eggs and add gradually, beating well after each addition. Add the flour alternatively with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Bake at 180 C fan forced, approx. 15 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.

Decorations

Usually when I make icing I will use icing sugar, milk, vanilla essence and a truckload of butter. The butter is what makes it super delicious. However, I wanted this icing to be as white as possible so I left out the butter. Not as oomy... but no one likes yellow-tinged snow.

For the melted head and body I used white marshmallows (I made a hole inside one and pushed another inside that hole to create a kind of flat marshmallow (this is because Woolies was out of giant marshmallows) and attached milk choc bits, using icing as glue, for the eyes and fallen buttons. For the carrot noses I cut up some Jersey Caramels.

On a humid day like today, take my handy hint and put the choc bits in the freezer before you attempt to place them, otherwise they get all melty... trust me, you don't want to see the practice snowman! (You can't see him anyway, he's in my tummy.)

If you're thinking of making some Christmas cupcakes you might also want to check out my Rudolph Cupcakes from last year. Happy baking!

MAD ABOUT THE MELONS

Chomping down on my watermelon snack, wondering if I could make an entire meal out of watermelons... internet says yes. Whacking these on the 'To Do' list!

WATERMELON FIZZ . WATERMELON GREEK SALAD . WATEMELON CAKE



SMELLS LIKE SUMMER

morning one of christmas holidays. 35 degrees and in heaven.

step 1... sleep in.

step 2... beach run [greenhills to boat harbour] and swim

step 3... berry smoothie [frozen mixed berries, jalna natural yoghurt, skim milk, flax seeds, rolled oats, cinnamon powder]

A VERY MANLY MOVEMBER

 

This year was my first experience of dating a moustached individual. Lindsay does Movember every single year so, as tempting as it might have been on the 31st of October to say, 'See ya in December mate', I thought I'd better just put on a brave face and strap myself in for a month of seedy male. The first time I saw him in November was after a full week of growth (if that sounds disgusting, that's because it is). I walked into his flat, took a look, walked away to gather my thoughts, then returned to make my brave and trepidatious approach. The Mo continued to grow and it did not become any more enticing.

 

The one redeeming feature of this frightening time was that Lindsay hosted a Movember morning tea at work and wanted to do a bit of baking. We found a mo-shaped cutter at Typo and whipped up these spectactular iced biscuits.

 

It's always hard not to eat the mixture, even if they are moustaches.

Never have I ever cooked while drinking beer. Beer in a stubby holder.

 

 

Would you like to have your moustache and eat it, too? All you need is a basic sweet pastry recipe, a rolling pin and some cutters. You can find my pastry recipe here.

 

Extra Notes: After you've mixed the dough and rolled it in a big ball, scatter some extra self-raising flour on a clean bench and roll out the mixture to around 3mm thickness with a rolling pin. To make the glossy icing, mix approx 1.5 cups icing sugar with about 1/2 tablespoon of butter and 1-2 tablespoons of milk... adjust as necessary to get a good spreading consistency. 

 



BOOKED: BIG FAT LIES

When I said I was struggling through Kokoda, I wasn't exaggerating; I actually took a break while reading it to see what David Gillespie had to tell us in his third book, Big Fat Lies. Gillespie's first two books, Sweet Poison and the Sweet Poison Quit Plan zeroed in on the evils of sugar consumption, while his third release looks at the perils of polyunsaturated fats, as well. In a nutshell:

'Diets and exercise won't help us lose weight. Vitamins and minerals are a waste of money and sometimes downright dangerous. Sugar makes us fat and sick. And polyunsaturated fat gives us cancer and works with sugar to give us heart disease. This book exists because I desperately hope that with a little knowledge we can all vote with our feet and change the rules of the game before the game kills us.'

I really appreciate reading Gillespie's no-nonsense approach. Unfortunately, this was probably the least 'grabbing' of the three books, and if you're interested in reading any of them, I would vouch for the second one. Big Fat Lies does have some important information to convey, but is a little more of a dry read.

Have these books caused me to give up sugar and polyunsaturated fats? No, silly, but I'm making some progress with a few more cut backs. In time I do hope to be able to kick the habits in a more convincing way... he makes some very good arguments, does Gillespie. Unfortunately, I've just consumed a piece of cheesecake for someone's birthday and it was absolutely devine. Not helping, cheesecake.

SANTA LIST FOR GIRLS

No need to get your Santy pants in a twist... here's a few last minute girly gift ideas, available from a global chain store near you... ;)



1. Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup $12.95 Wheel & Barrow 2. Pitcher with Green Handle $29.95 Wheel & Barrow 3. Striped Enamel Knuckle Ring $12.99 Lovisa 4. Rockwave Green Pitcher Wheel & Barrow $29.95 5. Fifty Fashion Looks That Changed the 1960s BerkelouW Books 6. Havaiana Gold Logo Thongs $39.99 City Beach 7. Casablanca Violet TPot $80 T2 8. Hot Pink Striped Paper Drinking Straws x10 $3.20 Ebay  9. Striped Cushion $36 Tree of Life 10. Coconut Body Scrub $27.95 The Body Shop 11. Wedding Notes $29.95 kikki.k

BOOKED: KOKODA

Kokoda is not the kind of book I'd ordinarily pick out at a book shop, but I selected this from my housemate's bookshelf one day when I was short of something to read. I'm so glad I did. This is no meagre manuscript, and I have to admit I struggled up until half way through the book; up until that point it was mainly focused on (I will sound ignorant when I summarise this) the ins and outs of the history of World War II, the formations of various army units and its commanders, and so forth. I'll be honest, there was a fair bit of skim reading through this portion.

The second half of the book was a different story; I couldn't put the book down. Peter Fitzsimons' account is historically accurate yet written as a descriptive narrative. I was blown away with the stories captured in this book. It wouldn't do any justice for me to try and recount those stories here, but I will say that my understanding, and I guess you could say, my "informed compassion" before having read this book, was extremely limited. I would recommend this book to all Australians... even if you have to persevere through the "admin" at the beginning, it's worth the journey for the understanding you'll gain.

BOOKED: SCANDALANDS

I just finished Scandalands, the autobiography of radio DJ, Kyle Sandilands. Sometimes after I read a heavy book (in this case, Kokoda) I just want to pick up a piece of fluff that I can flick through, and this fit the bill. And of course, I can't deny I was a little interested.

The likability, or otherwise, of Kyle is obviously not a matter or life and death, but while I'm on the subject... I always quite liked Kyle. Without over-analysing the man, I find that he has a quick-wit, of sorts, an honest approach, and that he is entertaining. Unfortunately, I found his book to be a bit on the insecure/pompous side... like he was just trying too hard to convince us that he's a good guy. The parts where he described his sex life were particularly cringe worthy. Honesty is one thing... but a bit of modesty wouldn't go astray.

I did enjoy learning about the progression of his career from humble beginnings. He worked hard to carve out his career and achieved what he set his sights on. I found it  interesting to read that during his year of being homeless on the streets at 15 years of age he would rip out pictures of things from magazines and newspapers that he found 'beautiful' (homes, possessions, etc) and keep these pictures in a pencil case. I couldn't help drawing a parallel with a 'dream board', where you pin up pictures representing your hopes and dreams. The idea is that by visualising and bringing these things into consciousness, you pave the way for the thought process to bring them into your life. I found it intriguing that Kyle, from his dirty cardboard box home on the street, unknowingly visualised the elaborate lifestyle that he would one day have. Perhaps a little bit of a deep assessment for this book, but I found that side of the story much more interesting than the tales of Kyle's debauchery and slip ups.

I wouldn't personally recommend this one...  but my Mum and colleague read this copy before me (I love a good book share!) and both liked it... I guess you'll read it if you're interested enough!

SECRET SANTA FOR GENTLEMEN

Charged with the task of finding a $10 gift for a male for workplace Secret Santa, I compiled this list of ideas...

1.EMBOSSED JOURNAL A5, TYPO $14.95 2.DELUXE COCKTAIL SHAKER, DAN MURPHY'S $5.90 3.TIC TOC, TYPO $6.95 4.EASY ON THE EYE, $4.95 5.GET HIM TO THE GREEK DVD, JB HIFI $7.95 6.BOSTON LUGGAGE TAG, TYPO $4.95 7.ROYAL LEERDAM BEER GLASSES 6 PACK, DAN MURPHY'S $7.99 8.BLACK TEAPOT, KMART $5 9.BAR STATION COOL ROCKS 8 PACK, DAN MURPHY'S $9.90 10.COCKTAIL UMBRELLAS DAN MURPHY'S $2.99

What did I end up finding for the lucky fella?

Two champagne flutes, 30% off from House. (Bargain!) Okay, so at least his Mrs will be happy.

CHRISTMAS LUSH LIST

If you're after a little something extra to top off a Christmas gift, I would suggest walking yourself towards the heavenly scents of your nearest LUSH store. Possibly my favourite shop of all time. A girl can never have too many good quality (key words! Step away from BIG W!) bath products, and when they come shaped as snowmen and scented like Christmas puddings, no contest!

 

 

 

 

 

1 Midnight Massage Bar (a brilliant one to enjoy with anyone you’d happily share a Christmas mistletoe kiss with) 2 Honey I Washed the Kids (irresistible toffee and honey soap) 3 North Pole Soap 4 Dirty Springwash Shower Gel 5 Popcorn Lip Scrub (featuring popping candy sweetness and salted caramel flavour) 6 The Melting Snowman (notes of rich fruit, reminiscent of Christmas cake and figgy puddings) 7 The Godmother 8 Northen Lights Soap (you could almost be standing in a Finnish forest, breathing in the scent of the forest and the sights of the Northern Lights)