Cupcakes with Granny

A few weeks ago my Granny Pam bought all her Granddaughters the new 41st edition of the Be-Ro Home Bakes Recipes book having seen an advert on the side of a bag of Be-Ro self-raising flour - she has been baking with a very old version of the same book all her life. The only problem with this is that I really can't bake. Whenever my Mum and sister would make buns I have only ever done two things: 1. lick mixture off various utensils and 2. get in the way.

So whilst my first thought was to make something out of the book for my Granny as a thank you, in the end I chickened out and asked if we could bake something together instead.

We went for the obvious, cupcakes!

Be-Ro Cupcakes Recipe
4oz Be-Ro self raising flour
4oz caster sugar
4oz unsalted butter
2 eggs beaten
2 Tbsp milk
(Plus a few drops of vanilla essence which we didn't actually have in.)

Preheat the oven to fan 160, conventional 180 or gas 4. Line your muffin tin with paper cases (this recipe is supposed to be enough to make 6 big buns, we doubled so I could bring some in for work mates Monday - plus the buns are enormous, you can get 8 easily out of this recipe). First sift the flour into a bowl and put it to one side. Now using an electric whisk, cream your sugar and butter together until it goes floaty light and fluffy. Gradually add the beaten eggs, vanilla essence and milk with a little bit of flour after each addition until all the ingrediants are combined.

Divide the mixture into the cases and bake for 20 minutes until lightly golden. We actually baked for nearer 30 minutes because they were so big we werent convinced 20 minutes would do it. Then get decorating - my favourite part!

The decorations were a bit of an improvisation. I went for 3 themes - strawberry, lemon and a very sweet Hokey Pokey topping from the Be-Ro recipe book. We also adapted the Hokey Pokey ones slightly to have chocolate cake rather than plain, and because we didn't have maply syrup we used golden.

Hokey Pokey Frosting
Gently melt 3oz butter, 1 Tbsp milk, 1 Tbsp soft dark brown sugar and 1 Tbsp maple syrup in a saucepan. Beat in 7oz sieved icing sugar and let it cool before swirling over cupcakes and finishing with a crushed honey comb bar.

The lemon and strawberry frosting was a comination of butter, icing sugar and milk with pink colouring for strawberry and lemon juice for lemon! A Granny top tip was to microwave the lemon juice before adding it to the butter/icing mixture. I'm taking her word on it too because the lemon cupcakes were my favourite - they also had a hidden filling of lemon curd!

All in all what a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Even if I do say so myself, the are gorgeous - and according to family and colleagues they taste just as good!

Guess Who's Back...

To the lovely people who signed up to be notified by email about my blog ramblings, I apologise, I'm back.

I can't promise for how long or in what way but I was just redirected to my little blog here after I was notified that someone anonymously commented on my law personal statement post - it was a nice comment thankfully. I was reminded how much I used to enjoy this, I guess I'm one of those people who just likes to talk about themselves! So what's new?

Let's see, Urm, first things first I graduated with a 2:1 from Edinburgh University. Go me!

The charity I started last year is going from strength to strength under the safe guard of the new and lovely Project Manager. I got a job, my first proper one! I'm now a trainee Recruitment Consultant in an education staff supply firm and whilst admittedly I stumbled into it I'm absolutely loving it. Can't say I'm loving the long hours just yet (7-4.30 some days, 9-7 on others) but colleagues keep assuring me I'm going to get used to, it it's just going to take a few months. Yesterday I got my first pay cheque (well not first ever but you know what I mean)!

I'm not even sure what I'm going to write about anymore, as I said to my boyfriend last night it's much easier to maintain a blog when, as a student, for 9 months of the year you really have very little going on. But this blog was meant to be a sort of timeline, and I like to think this is a whole new chapter, so I guess I'll just write as and when I feel like it. I imagine alot less will be about coffee shops now as I rarely I'm rarely out of the house/office.

I think part of the reason I stopped before was I made a few mistakes with how I ran this. For example telling people on Facebook made me feel more nervous than anything that people were judging me, I'd love to be on of those 'screw em' type people but I'm just not - far too paranoid. So if your reading this then great, I'm not going to go out encouraging people to anymore. And if you're reading this and going 'oh gaaawwd why has this rubbish popped up in my email' please unfollow/unsubscribe! Also I'm sorry if there's spelling, grammar, formatting mistakes but I'm blaming it on the iPad.

As far as it stands these are the general topics you might (if I manage to stick to writing for more than just today) see pop up in future...

• My job and things I learn along the way e.g. sales dos and don'ts as I figure them out for myself
• Career stuff generally e.g. Cv writing, interview tips, where I'm at and where I'm trying to get to.
• Wedding/crafty/pretty things... I'm still a gooey romantic at heart and my Pinterest page is still going strong.
• My opinions. I stress the word opinions, I accept that I'm not even close to well read enough to be able to offer really important or influential opinions on anything but for example especially with regards education now I'm starting to get there, with a boyfriend studying for a PGCE and discussing education news with head teachers all day long you can't help but get involved and a bit soap box-y about some topics.
• Weight loss via Slimming World.

That's a fairly big thing or feels like it for me to just put out there, a year ago now I lost a stone with Slimming World and I've never felt better about myself, but final year at uni being stuck inside studying/eating/studying/sleeping/eating etc everyday for 3 months meant that didn't last long! However I started again over the summer and so far it's going well, I'm 11 pounds down and trying to make it more of a lifestyle thing than a diet as such. It's scary to admit to people that not only are you unhappy with the way you look but that you're trying to change it, somehow it becomes more pressure when people are either rooting for you or just observing to see if you manage it. But this is important to me and in a sad sort of way I really enjoy it, so this may end up being a bit of healthy eating blog who knows, and for that matter who cares!

• And finally I suppose just whatever pops up or I feel like writing about!

Anyway thank you for reading if you genuinely are interested in my jibber jabber!

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Finals Shminals

 

Reason, Season or Lifetime

People come into your life for a reason, season or a lifetime.

When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.

When someone is in your life for a reason,
it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty;
to provide you with guidance and support;
to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually.
They may seem like a godsend, and they are.
They are there for the reason you need them to be.

Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a season,
because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it. It is real. But only for a season.

LIfetime relationships teach you lifetime lessons;
things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson, love the person,
and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life.
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.

— Unknown

The Dissertation

I am literally about to submit this bad boy...

 

It's a weird feeling, I'm not as ecstatic as I expected to be. Nervous if anything, and tired. As soon as I pressed print (which took some serious psyching up) I got that IT'S ALL WRONG feeling. I suppose it's a bit late for that now! Fingers crossed for me anyway please!