Glitter Chocolate Truffles Recipe

I saw this recipe in the latest issue of 'The Simple Things' magazine (issue 3), it has very few ingredients, is easy to make and tastes gorgeous.  It's a perfect treat for Christmas and can even be boxed up and given as a gift.  Keeping in mind the festive spirit I've added some extra sparkle to mine.

Recipe

200g dark chocolate

100ml double cream

5 tbsp coco powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

Method

• Chop the chocolate up in to small pieces and melt in a bain marie ensuring the bottom of your bowl is not in contact with the simmering water
• Once the chocolate has melted stir in the double cream and take off the heat once combined
• Allow to cool (put it in the fridge if need be)
• In a shallow dish sift together the coco, cinnamon and cloves
• Roll the cooled mixture into small balls and then coat in the powder mix until thoroughly coated

Tips and Additions

• You could add rum, orange oil, honeycomb pieces, chilli flakes or nuts to the mix for added texture and flavour
• You do not have to add the spices to the coco powder if not to your taste

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Weekend baking Granny Stylie

I was asked to bake some cakes for a family birthday party. I do love to bake a cupcake and have learnt you can hide a multiple of sins through the use of glitter! However I was a bit drip happy with the blue food colouring and didn't realise that red food colouring makes a peach colour when added to butter icing, not the pink I was expecting. Instead of baby pink and blue cupcakes I ended up with retro Granny chic peach and turquoise cupcakes. A happy accident or not? I'll let you decide.

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Tin Can Lanterns

It really is very easy to make tin can lanterns, see my step-by-step photos below.

1. Clean and remove the label from your tin can, fill with water leaving a 2-3 cm space at the top,  place in the freezer and when completely frozen it is ready to work on.

2. Design a rough template to fit the dimensions of your can and attach with sticky tape to hold it securely in place.  Alternatively create your design free hand.

3. You will need a hammer and a good sized nail to create your design.

4. The first thing you need to do is to make the holes for a wire handle (if you want one) about 1-2cm from the top edge of the tin on opposite sides of the tin.  Then work your way around the tin hammering enough holes to create your design, the more haphazard the better!!



5. Remove the paper and place a t-light inside the tin for a lovely effect (once dark).

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Homemade Meringue Recipe - easy peasy!!

I love meringues, I especially love homemade meringues, crisp, sweet and chewy, they are also fat free!!  I often make dishes that only require eggs yolks so am left with the whites which I used to throw away!! Meringues work better with egg whites that have been stored for a couple of days. Thinner older egg whites whip more easily and create more volume than newer egg whites. The simple rule of thumb is that you use 2oz of caster sugar per egg white. This has always worked for me regardless of the size of egg being used, I have also never added vinegar of cornflour. I use a food processor but have made these meringues by hand, it just takes a bite more elbow grease. They are so easy to make and I'm sure most people who bake can whip them up in an instant, however I thought I'd share the basic recipe....you never know it might come in handy some day.

 

Basic Meringue Recipe

3 x egg whites

175 g (6oz) caster sugar

 

1. Pre-heat your oven to 150 degrees centigrade

2. Line a baking tray with baking parchment

3. Add the egg whites to a clean bowl/food processor bowl, whip until they form stiff peaks (don't over whisk or the meringues will start to collapse)

4. Once you are at this stage you can add the sugar about an ounce at a time, keep whisking and adding the sugar until it's all gone

5. Using a metal spoon create either one large meringue (pavlova shape) or lots of small meringue blobs onto the prepared baking tray

6. Once complete place in the middle of the oven and immediately turn the heat down to 130 degrees centigrade and cook for about an hour keeping an eye on it.  If the meringues appear to be getting over coloured turn the heat down a little more

7. Once the hour is up turn the oven off and leave the door ajar, leave the meringues in the oven to completely cool

8. Serve with whipped cream and fresh fuit or to your liking

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Vintage Fabric Bunting - Homemade

I know!! Everyone can make bunting, but being as its a Jubilee year I thought I'd get my bunting out and put it up for my daughters birthday. I made this last year out of a stash of vintage/retro fabric I'd been given. We all love bunting.....don't we?

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Homemade Flower Press

This flower press has been made from thin sheets of MDF layered up. Holes have been screwed in the corner of each sheet and large nuts and bolts have been fitted to adjust the pressure. My partner made this for our daughter, he also etched the design in to the top to personalise it. It works really well and because it's pretty large our daughter was able to press large flowers such as poppies and roses. See her first efforts below, they look lovely. I also really like the indentations the flowers leave behind. They remind me of miniature botanical watercolours.

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Homemade Cotton Reel Holder

My partner made this cotton reel holder for me, he's a furniture maker/designer by trade (lucky me!!) and is really practical. He made it out of MDF board, painted it black and then distressed it with sandpaper to create a vintage look. He then marked and drilled the holes to accommodate the dowel. Each dowel was cut to size and shaped at the end and then hammered in to a hole. It works really well and looks great!!!

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