Playdate cupcakes

This week Tate had a friend round to play and we were having blinds fitted. So how could I keep two young children busy and away from the man who came to fit the blinds?

My theory was let's decorate cupcakes, so I very quietly made up a dozen. While Tate and I take it in turns to mix I did worry that we would end up with more on the floor with two little ones.

very simple mix
100grams of caster
100grams of margarine
100grams of self-raising flour
2 medium eggs
1/2 tablespoon of vanilla essence

cream the sugar and margarine until light and fluffy, I  use my electric whisk
Add one egg then a little flour then another egg and vanilla essence with the rest of the flour until nicely mixed.

spoon the mixture into cupcake cases and cook for about 25-30 minutes.
(don't forget to lick the bowl, unless you cannot eat the raw ingredients)

I bought some icing in tubes which I let the boys go mad with .....

The finished results ready to go home 

Blinds successfully fitted without any mummy meltdowns and I got a couple of cupcakes thrown in

Thanks for reading x 

Blackberry Crumble

By our front door is a blackberry bush. It hangs over from the Leisure Centre next door. I have been looking at them for a while and seen people eat as they go and thought I really should pick some and bake. So this morning during a break from the rain I popped out with my trusty plastic tub and went picking.

There is something calming about being outside and peacefully picking fruit. The last time I did it was last year in the same spot in the sun, while 8 months pregnant, so with baby now sleeping a picking I went.

A managed to get quite a tub and there are plenty left for other would be pickers as well as those who grab a few as they leave the gym.

I decided to make crumble, husband was very much in favour of this. I do love it when I have the supplies in to bake, it doesn't happen often but on this occasion it did.
Here's what I did

225g of Plain flour,
110g brown sugar
75g of butter
450g of Blackberries (about a plastic tubs worth)
2 tablespoons of caster sugar.

I got out my pie dish about the size of a dinner plate and placed in the washed and sorted blackberries.
Next I measured out the flour and butter (at room temp) and rubbed them together until it went all crumbly and well mixed. Next throw in the brown sugar and gave it a mix.

On top of the blackberries I put two tablespoons of Caster sugar, then spread out the crumble topping carefully on top smoothing it over with a spoon.

In the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes until the top is brown and there you have it

oh oven temp about 350f 180c or gas mark 4.

leaked out a bit but tasted yummy.

yummy either with ice cream or custard, with the weather we have been having, its custard all the way for me.

Thanks for reading x

Cushion for Rita

Hi
Today I had a rare couple of hours to myself and decided to finish my latest project, a birthday present for Rita.

There is a background to this present. Rita has been starting a veggie patch this year in her garden and is very proud of her planting, I haven't seen them for a while so I have yet to see how they are getting on.
We were visiting with our boys, the weekend after the little plants were safely and carefully put into the ground, you may have put two and two together already and seen where I'm going with this.

My eldest is a good playmate to Rita's Charley dog which is where the trouble usually starts.
Charley came in the house with a half mangled lettuce in her mouth. They had been playing in the veggie patch.

So when I saw this veggie cushion in the June copy of Handmade living magazine I had to have a go.

   It was designed by Woo Gilchrist of The Devil Makes Work . It really is a lovely pattern and has the chance for me to practice machine embroidery which I love having a go at with mixed results here is one of my first attempts

You can still see the hoop, ironing isn't my strong suit, need to work on that.

So for my cushion I am quite proud of it and I hope it will go some way in making up for lost lettuces.
Thanks for reading Claire x