just a pretty picture

i  baked these beauties for my birthday this year!

an update

so, i have been badly absent recently,
but hopefully that will change soon?
an update of my life?
the assignment i thought i did so poorly on?
i ended up getting a distinction for!
so i was super chuffed :D
i also managed a HD for my assignment on early childhood depression,
so it has been a good time for assignment results!
hopefully the assignments that i am doing this weekend will turn out just as snazzy!
in non-uni related news,
i have been procrasti-baking...
which i guess is uni related?
cos i was avoiding assignment work...
but choc cupcakes are always worth it...

my weight loss has slowed at 15 kilos lost...
but none gained, so i am happy,
i will have another crack at hard core diet and exercise in a bit and get down even further!
i have had some nice coffee catch ups lately,
but unfortunately not today,
i went into uni early to do some assignment work before a coffee 'date' at 10:30,
but that ended up being cancelled,
and then my lunch catch up was also cancelled,
but it's all good,
plans were made for a re-scheduling :D
anyhow,
dinner time :D


byeeeeeee

thursday

i do love thursday,
not only because it signals the begining of my weekend,
but also because i don't need to get out of bed at 6:15am!
which makes a lovely change to the first 3 days of the week!
but i really can't complain, my uni timetable is rather good this semester!
this weekend was set to be rather busy,
until my sunday even got cancelled!
which i am majorly disappointed in,
because it was going to be a chance to hang out with all of my favourite eddie rice vollies and kiddies,
and best of all it was learning how to surf!
but hopefully i will be available to go when they reschedule it for later in the year!
i have 2 days of work again this weekend,
so hopefully my bank accounts will soon be blossoming!
on top of that i have a quiz night, and a 21st!
so, many social activities for your local recluse!
other than this i have really not been up to much!
i went shopping yesterday and bought many cheap shirts to keep me warm,
and i have been eating my favourite pasta!
om nom nom,
there is actually nothing better than pasta!
unless you are eating it along with a side of onion rings from jus burgers...
but now i am just talking about food too much!
i really don't spend al of my time eating!
promise!

another round of cake pop pics

the horn of africa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_of_Africa

the horn of africa is currently struggling with the the worst drought in decades, which is causing massive famine and starvation!
i feel so useless sitting on my computer in perth, my house and comforts around me.
but every single dollar we spend to help these people will go a long way!
so here is a suggestion,
for the next week (or however long you choose) donate all of the money you would normally spend on food, to the poor people in the horn of africa.
instead of buying food, use up all of the things that are sitting around your house?
half used packets of rice?
frozen meat of meals?
tinned foods?
use them up, and donate to the 10 million or so starving children in africa
and tell everyone you know to help out as well!
here is the link to unicef

bananas

thanks for noticing georgie

best cookie ever

butterbeer cupcakes

Makes 18
For the cupcakes:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon butterscotch schnapps
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup cream soda
For the filling:
5 1/2 ounces butterscotch chips (half an 11 ounce package or a little less than a cup)
1/2 cup heavy cream
For the frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup butterscotch filling
1 tablespoon butterscotch schnapps
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar
Splash of cream soda (as needed)
Directions:
To make the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350º and line cupcake pans with liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add both sugars and continue beating until well combined. On low speed, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the cream soda and buttermilk. Mix until just combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full, then bake for 15-17 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
While the cupcakes are cooling, make the filling by combining the butterscotch chips and heavy cream in a glass bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Stir occasionally until combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to a squeeze bottle and fill each cupcake just until the filling comes to the top.
To make the frosting, cream the butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the butterscotch filling, schnapps and salt and beat until well combined. On low speed, beat in the powdered sugar one cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Add cream soda as needed to thin the frosting. Frost cupcakes and drizzle with remaining syrup.

so much harry potter cakery

masterchef food blogs

here are a couple of interesting ones!

http://cinnamonpig.com.au/

http://www.atablefortwo.com.au/

http://www.haydenquinn.com.au/

http://danivenn.com/

http://cookingwithgoths.com/

http://www.elliepaxtonhall.com.au/

i'll see what others i can find

exclusivity

it doesn't matter if i can spell that or not, all that matters is that i have discovered a restaurant in paris that seats a maximum of 16 people per night!
and all from the comforts of my computer chair!
obviously it gets booked out months in advance, but there are some cancellations in october if anyone wants to book it?
haha

here it is:
http://hkmenus.wordpress.com/

i will be keeping it in mind when i travel to europe in the near(hopefully) future!

sausage dog?

nawww

banana hammock

let them have cake

chocolat

it's like chocolate, but FRENCH!

i would seriously recommend this to anyone travelling to europe with a sweet tooth!

i made a visit back in 2005 with the fam, and it was pretty much like willy wonka's choc factory!

12 avenue du president roosevelt,
26600
tain l'hermitage
FRANCE


http://www.valrhona.com/worldwide#/accueil

a sword i wouldn't mind in and around my mouth

om nom

yum

i'm not sure if i have already posted this pic,
but i saw it and it made me hungry!

on a similar note,
the cake pops were a disaster!
so no pics,
they all went in the bin,
maybe i will attempt them again sometime?
they may work better the second time around?

the day of the cake pops

i am attempting to make cake pops today,
i have baked the cake,
crumbled it,
mixed in the icing,
and rolled it into balls,
now it just needs to set in the fridge,
before i cover them in yummyness