Friday 30 November 2012

Goodbye Movember..

Although I haven't taken part in Movember very much, (partly because I don't have the ability to grow a nice curly moustache) I still have had a lot of fun seeing the variety of gelled and styled bristles as the month draws to a close. I must say, it has been a pretty tough month for me with various exams and bits and pieces. And with the harsh weather homing in for Christmas, I would like to close the month with a very happy Movember to everyone and remind you to get your advent calendars ready - Christmas is fast approaching!! And oh haven't I got some more DIY tutorials to share ;)

Thursday 29 November 2012

Insta-Thursty: Week 2

It has most certainly been a stressful week and I am glad to announce my piano exam, over. Done and dusted! Having played the piano for a whopping ten years, I am glad to say I have finally finished my grade 8! Calls for a spot of baking :P

Preparation for my piano exam - it's certainly a pain learning all these words and knowing you will only need two from the list!

So blessed to have amazing friends that give me so much love and support - gotta love 'em!

A celebratory meal at Harvester with my family to mark the completion of my grade 8 piano

A most certainly missed treat since - chocolate marshmallow treats with a fruity jam centre :P

Wow. -  "A picture is worth a thousand words."

The birthday cake I made for my grandma
Most slowly but certainly, I am starting to get my act together again and enjoy the blogging life. I have previously blogged about a birthday cake I made for my grandma's birthday on Insta-Thursty last week. Hopefully, I will get round to posting it with pictures from the last slice of cake I managed to save for breakfast! As of now, happy Insta-Thursty :)


dustingoficingsugar

Thursday 22 November 2012

Insta-thursty: week 1

It's the first week of Insta-thursty!! And I have two bakes I have instagrammed since last weeks post. And believe me, baking has relieved some of the stress that is overflowing out of me - I have a piano exam on Saturday; a scary, grade 8 one that I believe will make my legs tremble.


Please, pray for me.


First up, my grandma's birthday at which I decided to bake a layered strawberry and green tea sponge cake. I have realised the decoration is somehow extremely sloppy for my liking but disaster struck when I opened the strawberries the night before to find that they have all gone mouldy!


I've ended up smothering it with angel delight and sprinkling on some fruit flakes. However, I don't think it is the presentation that counts all the time as the cake was memorably decorated by me and my cousins, one of who is only five and loves to contribute to a pink and green cake!


Secondly, a dream come true. I had this vision one night as I was laying in bed and an insane idea struck.


I imagined this massive cookie with gooey marshmallows oozing out if the centre and there it was, a giant s'more cookie.


As it was my good friend's birthday today, I had baked up this giant cookie, just for her!


And you know what, my dream came true.



dustingoficingsugar

Thursday 15 November 2012

Introducing...Insta Thursty!

Ever since the discovery of Instagram, I have found a love for it. Those cool filters and funky borders never tire me out and the best thing is that they can make simple snapshots from your phone camera look ever so "wow". It's a whole new level of photography! 
Juicy longan fruity//Red, plump strawberries
And with the ever-so-easy sharing feature, I find that I probably update my instagram more than my blog - I know, it's a crime. So I have decided to introduce Insta Thursty - weekly posts using photos simply from instagram.

Rainbow chiffon birthday cake//My ham and cheese panini

"Why the name Insta Thursty?" you ask. First of all, it's quite cheesy. You get it? "Thirsty" for a bit of photo sharing or "thirsty" as in food and drink, not vampire-wise. Yeah, I know.
It also represents the amazing Thurs-day where I am forced encouraged to update my blog with some mouth-watering food photos. And lastly, just for the sake of the cool accent it makes when you read it quickly - try it.

You ready for Insta Thursty?!
A pretty cupcake//KitKat yoghurt for pudding!

Feel free to link up with YOUR intagram snaps or even just simply photos of your scrummy food using the button below: (copy and paste the code into the html box next to the "compose" button and it should work when you hit publish!) 


dustingoficingsugar

Wednesday 7 November 2012

DIY: a sweet lolly flower

After abandoned the blog for so long, I have decided to spring in some ideas from my colourful cap and stick in some fun and easy tutorials for the blog. And here goes...my first tutorial!

Introducing an extremely sweet lolly flower. Yes, the pun is intentional ;) As I was doing some baking for a party last week and had to wrap up a birthday present too, I came across a stash of sweets with brightly coloured lollipops and mini plump marshmallows. Needless to say, an idea came about to turn these sweet treats into perfect girly gifts!

A sweet lolly flower: bunbun-rabbit.blogspot.co.uk

Method:

Step 1:Gather your fairy dust: A lollipop, matching tissue paper of your choice, green card, sheet of cellophane, green wire, handful of marshmallows and ribbon (not pictured), scissors, pencil and cello-tape
Step 2: Using a pencil, sketch out a simple flower shape and cut out shape for all tissue paper
Step 3: should look something like this depending on your artistic skills!
Step 4: Stack up the tissue paper and poke the lollipop through the centre
Step 5: Tip: you may want to make a small snip to allow the "poke" to be tidier
Step 6: Scrunch the petals upwards to create a bit of dimension
Step 7: Admire your half-completed lolly flower
Step 8: Twist the green wire in half if it is too long but remember to leave some for twisting
Step 9: Wrap the wire around the stick of the lolly
Step 10: Keep wrapping and tidy it around the bottom of the lolly stick
Step 11: Mine looks something like this
Step 12: Cut out a leaf shape from the green card, extending one side of it
Step 13: Using some tape, wrap the extended side around the lolly stick
Step 14: Place down your sheet of cellophane, corner touching the lolly, and place your "stem" on top. Sprinkle on a handful of marshmallows
Step 15: Take the bottom corner and fold to the top
Step 16: Take the sides and wrap towards the middle
Step 17: Tape down and secure. Decorate with a cute ribbon.
Step 18: Get a coffee and admire your sweet gift!

I really do hope you will excuse this first tutorial of mine, I really need to decide what materials I will need before photographing it! But for now, go make your Sweet Lolly Flower(s)! Have fun :)


Scotch Pancakes

It has been getting pretty chilly around here in London. The British weather is really kicking in, not that there hasn't been any rain for the past few days...
Nothing better than pancakes to make you happier, eh?!

Scotch pancakes - dustingoficingsugar.blogspot.co.uk

 Pancakes have always been a favourite of mine. They are so easy to "flip up" and the ingredients always seem to be on hand. Hence why it has been a reoccurring treat that I always make with my mum and sister after school in primary school. What a lovely memory :')

Scotch pancakes - dustingoficingsugar.blogspot.co.uk

As a pancake-lover, I have already blogged about pancakes in Easter when the daffodils were just springing up in the garden. You can also tell how old the blog post is! 
I think that it is about time to bring fame to these glorious pancakes now - introducing: Scotch Pancakes (also known as drop scones)

Scotch pancakes - dustingoficingsugar.blogspot.co.uk

They are deliciously soft, hearty pancakes and are great with any topping or just by itself. I, myself couldn't resist munching on a few on its own before I had the chance to get out my toppings! To add a bit of zing to it, you can try sprinkling your favourite spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice.

Scotch pancakes - dustingoficingsugar.blogspot.co.uk

Pictured, I have peanut butter choc chip and honey and crème fraiche. I have also later used some sweet strawberry jam, just for the "summery" side of things in this harsh rainy weather. If only I didn't run out of nutella on my toast for breakfast...
Cook up a batch, its not very hard at all (there really are no excuses!)

Scotch pancakes - dustingoficingsugar.blogspot.co.uk

Scotch Pancakes
Ingredients:
125g self raising flour
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 medium egg, beaten
150ml milk
vegetable oil to grease
All your favourite toppings! E.g. jam, butter, creme fraiche, peanut butter, choc chips, honey, maple syrup, lightly whipped cream, spices, cream cheese

Method:
1. Mix flour and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and mix in egg. Working quickly and lightly, add the milk to make a batter consistency like thick cream.
2. Place spoonfuls of the mixture onto a oiled hot griddle or heavy-based frying pan and cook. When bubbles rise to the surface and burst, turn over (about 2-3 mins)
3. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the heat and place onto a clean teatowel. Cover with another teatowel to keep the pancakes moist.
4. Serve warm with your favourite toppings!



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