Gingerbread recipe

I've promised this recipe to a few people, so here it is...

A couple of years ago I went on the hunt for the perfect gingerbread recipe - I like them a little bit soft, not too much sugar (because, lets face it, my little people are going to eat a lot of them and they're no fun when they're sugared up) easy and quick to make. I tried lots of different recipes before I came up with this one of my own.

Sam's Gingerbread Recipe

'Dry' ingredients:

3 cups of plain flour

1 tsp bicarb soda

4 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

'Wet' ingredients:

125g softened butter (I usually over-microwave it and it still turns out OK)

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 180 C (fan-forced) 

2. Mix 'wet' ingredients together.

3. Add sifted dry ingredients

4. Knead into dough

5. Roll out approx 5mm thick

6. Cut shapes

7. Bake for approx 10 mins

8. Let cool, then decorate

This recipe will make around 30 medium sized gingerbread men or 50 stars (I make them each year for my students to decorate at Christmas time). I usually halve it for home (it's tricky to halve an egg, but NOT impossible).

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PS They're 'snowmen' not ghosts... It's so hot here this week, I'm dreaming of cooler weather. Snow would be perfect!

Shoes, shoes, shoes!

This is my latest "in front of the telly" project... baby shoes!

I started making these little mary-janes when there seemed to be a baby boom last year...

When I found out we were having a boy, I had to investigate boy shoes and this is what I've created for our little 'miscellaneous' (as Jase refers to him)

Nearly all of the patterns were designed by Vita at http://www.monpetitviolon.blogspot.com/ She has an etsy shop where you can buy her patterns and finished work...

Babushkas are one of my favourite things ...

I found these on the Deals Direct site today... they are measuring cups! Aren't they gorgeous?

I just love Babushkas, can't explain it, but I do... I had a lovely handpainted set from Russia for a friend for my 30th

and here are some I made around this time last year for Nat's bookshelf

People have liked my little "dolls" so much, I've had some custom orders... this one is hanging in an old people's home here in Bundaberg and I've sent a little set of Babushkas to London and Melbourne...

I'm still working on a few Babushka related things... a painting, a photostory and a few other odds and ends... I'm not sure about this particular obsession, but I never seem to get tired of looking at them....

Homecooked yumminess...

Someone once told me that people will forget a lot of things about you, but they'll always remember the food you prepared for them...

To me, the effort someone takes to put food on your plate always seems to be a reflection of how much they care, so despite the fact I:

1) hate following recipes and
2) hate spending time in the kitchen

in recent years, I've tried to put effort into improving my cooking skills. This has been quite a challenge for me as I'm more a hunter/gatherer type of person and while I love shopping for tasty treats, I'm the sort of person whose recipes never quite turn out right...

Yesterday, I decided to try a grown-up recipe. You know, the sort you have to plan ahead for, put items on your shopping list for, have someone in mind for when you cook it. Since we were expecting visitors, I decided to try baking a Blueberry Cake. It had yoghurt and fresh blueberries, so I figured it wasn't all bad (so far as cakes go).

Here is the fruit of my labour... it actually turned out OK! Shocking, I know but I am finally showing some progress!!!

Here's where I found the recipe http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/9524/blueberry+cake

I did it!

My New Year's resolutions this year:
* Count your blessings
* Stop procrastinating about stuff you want to do and just DO IT

I didn't think I really needed a blog, but I'm coming to realise in order to get stuff done, I need to be accountable to someone, somewhere... So here we are.

I think this blog is going to be about sharing those recipes I always agree to email people (but never get around to actually doing) and about actually finishing, in a timely manner, the various arty things I start (something that will make my husband very happy). Let's see how it goes...