the eve appeal ♥

We had a vintage tea party at work this week to raise money and awareness for the eve appeal - a gynaecology cancer research fund.  The staff, volunteers and patients at work donated cakes, scones, biscuits and loaves and we all enjoyed a tea party using vintage tea sets and cake stands,

      Chocolate loveheart themed cupcakes and cakes I made for the tea party with white chocolate icing.  There were also vanilla cupcakes in the same theme with love hearts for the eve appeal symbol

 Hearts cake, cupcake and biscuit

 Tea set

 Cake stand full of homemade treats

 Tea cups

 Stacks of loveheart biscuits waiting to be loved

  Another cake stand full of goodies

We all had a great time raising money for this fantastic cause.  Donations were taken for the tea party and we had a raffle and bags of tablet for sale.  Raising money while having fun.  And a tea party is right up my street I love cake stands and tea cups.  I am a granny in disguise with my china teacup :) 

Why not get involved and host your own vintage tea party?

Check out my mini tea for two party here

Puppy Party (Party Planner No 1 2013)

My sister and I were delighted to be asked to do a desserts table for a little girl who was turning 4.  She wanted her theme to be puppy party so our first idea was a gingerbread kennel - you know how I love gingerbread houses!  

The little girl calls herself Fluffy Doggy so here is Fluffy's kennel :)   

Along with some puppy love biscuits and dog bones.

We went with a pink and white theme - nice and girly.

Alyssa banner cut out of craft paper on the Cricut
and stuck onto cricut cut circles strung on ribbon.  Mini pink and white pompoms.

Pink mini pup-cakes :) 

Puppy food in puppy bowls :) 

                Everything looks better on a stick :)

Pink and white meringues

                                                                                               Marsh-marrows!

Puppy birthday cake

 Puppy!

Pink and white sweets

 Dog leads

     Jellies, strawberry mousse and strawberry milkshakes.
           (With a chocolate number 4 in the straws)

Mars bar krispies 

All with their own little bone label.  The party was so much fun and all the little boys and girls got their faces painted so there were lots of little puppies eating the puppy food (cereal!).   Lots of planning and preparation and it all went perfectly - the kennel was still intact at the end of the party (mum's request!) but I hear it is due for demolition soon :) 

We got a lot of inspiration from pinterest as usual

Check out last year's parties we did: 

Mario

Jubilee

Kermit

Ladybird picnic

Space

           Hope you enjoyed seeing our newest party =)

✪ Chocolate Box ✪

I kept seeing silicone moulds for chocolates in Lakeland and really wanted them so I bought the mixed mould and started on my first box of chocolates- after the number moulds which I tried out for my Dad's birthday I really wanted some good recipes that were not just "melt chocolate and let it re-set".  .

So I looked around on the net for ideas and came up with these...

Peanut Butter Cups

 Painting my mould with melted good quality milk chocolate.  I am not a fan of dark chocolate so I went for the best quality milk.

For my first go I just guessed the amounts because I didn't want to make a lot of chocolates at one time.  This is peanut butter, icing sugar and a tiny bit of salt mixed up.

Next I squashed tiny amounts into the moulds

Then I covered them in more melted chocolate

 And popped them out once the chocolate was set

They look a bit duff but tasted great :) 

So I moved on to my next selection

Clotted cream fudge

 Sugar, syrup and clotted cream melting slowly

 Thickening nicely

And poured into molds (the ends ones I did in chocolate cups but the rest I left uncovered)

 Lovely creamy fudge

 This chocolate had a bloom this time not sure what was different :(

Loveheart fudge for your Valentine?

Next I made Maple Toffee

 This recipe asked for syrup but I used all mine in the recipe for clotted cream fudge :) So instead of going to the shop I used maple syrup hence it is now Maple Toffee :)

 Yummy caramel bubbling away

 Poured into the moulds and scraped - my Pampered Chef scraper is so handy for this!

 These came out so shiny and perfect from the moulds.

This is actually the first photo but someone thought they liked the look of these :) 

And finally I made Chocolate Maple Crunch (again no ordinary syrup so I used maple instead :) ) 

Drizzled in white chocolate

These could also be inside a chocolate cup.  What doesn't taste better wrapped in chocolate?

So here is the completed box of chocolates.  I am not sure they are worth the money - I did not work out how much this would cost but not that cheap.  Also very time consuming,  But well worth a go and I would do it again.  I found other recipes for soft-centred chocolates but the orange one I tried failed and tasted totally disgusting so they had to be binned.  (I used orange extract from Lakeland but it had a very alcoholic taste when mixed with white chocolate so I will practice those until I find a soft centre I am happy with )

My mark of approval is always "would I be happy to receive this?"  "YES!!"  I would love someone to make me a whole box of chocolates - or make me anything really!

Here are the recipes for the chocolates I made - although I did not make them to the recipe I guessed at the amounts for filling my moulds

Peanut Butter Cups
1 cup Peanut butter
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/4 tsp salt
12 oz choc

Melt choc, paint moulds, allow to harden while you mix peanut butter, icing sugar and salt.  Fill chocolate cups with peanut mixture, cover in more melted choc.  Allow to set before popping out of moulds - don't do this too soon the chocolate cracks very easily.

Clotted Cream Fudge
275g caster sugar
100g syrup
227g tub Clotted cream
1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Place all ingredients in pan and heat gently, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Bring to boil, cover for 3 minutes, uncover, continue to boil until soft ball on thermometer.  Remove from heat.  Beat until thickens and more matt - could take up to 10 minutes.  Pour into moulds.

Maple Syrup Toffee

1 cup granulated sugar
1 3/4 cup double cream
1 cup syrup (I used maple)
1 cup condensed milk
1/3 cup butter
3 oz chocolate
1 tsp vanilla

Place syrup, sugar, butter, condensed milk and cream in pan and heat slowly over low heat.  Stir constantly until sugar dissolves.  Heat to 225℃ on thermometer.  Add chopped pieces of chocolate.  Heat until soft ball Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and salt.  Pour into moulds.

Maple Chocolate Crunch

225g digestives
115gbutter
30ml syrup (I used maple)
30g chocolate (plus more if you want these encased in chocolate)

Crush biscuits finely.  Place butter and syrup in pan and heat slowly.  Once melted add chocolate.  Once chocolate melted add biscuits.  Mix well.  Press into moulds (or moulds painted with chocolate)
Decorate with white chocolate.

Now I am away to watch my beloved Spartacus (first series second time round so I can watch the lovely Andy Whitfield - my hero... and eat homemade chocolates :)

White Chocolate and Cranberry Fudge ♥

I have been busy making more sweet foods instead of teas as usual.  I have pinned lots of real food ideas and I have made a couple but never anything so exciting I feel like photographing and writing about it!  Not like cakes and sweets and all things sugary!  So my new year's resolution hasn't really worked.  I've made some different tatties recipes and a sweet and sour chicken recipe and also Yorkshire puddings from scratch but I have not managed a whole new tea recipe every week of January.  Oops.  Now I have pinned more ideas I will get onto it in February :)

If my resolution had been to make lots of junk for the month of January I would have kept to it :)

 Here is one of my favourite combinations:  evaporated milk, sugar and butter melted then brought to the boil and left to simmer for 5 mins.

Dried cranberries and white chocolate - yum yum yum!  Cranberries are not just for Christmas :) 

Letting the white chocolate melt into the evaporated milk ensemble.  It gets lovely, thick and gooey 

 Poured into a prepared tin and left to set overnight

 Then cut into shapes

 Little love hearts for a Valentine's Day treat?

I am rubbish at photography.  I don't know anything about settings or lighting and my camera is not great but I am trying to learn :) This little photoshoot took tons of attempts to get any decent photos without flashback!  I really need to look up some pins on camera tips :) More excuses to spend time on pinterest! 

I ♥ Pinterest 

White chocolate and cranberry fudge recipe

12 oz granulated sugar

1 oz unsalted butter

6 oz evaporated milk 

3½ oz dried cranberries

10 oz white chocolate

Put sugar, milk and butter in pan.  Dissolve the sugar over low heat.  Bring to the boil stirring continuously.  Reduce heat to simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add cranberries and white chocolate.  Allow the chocolate to melt.  Stir and pour into a tray lined with baking paper,  Chill.  Cut into pieces with cutters if desired.  I desired :)