Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Cake

This was my first attempt at a topsy turvy fondant covered cake.

The Kid's Birthday

Ashleigh's birthday is on Saturday, she will be 4. I am determined to make her a Mickey Mouse cake and am thinking of doing a topsy-turvy style stacked cake. I want this one... (from Way Beyond Cakes)

But clearly I won't be able to make this. So, I am appealing for advice, tips, volunteers and general HELP!

Banoffee Pancakes

Make up some of Delia's pancake mix which really is the best.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan and chuck in 1 sliced banana. Pour a ladle-full of pancake mix over the banana and tilt the pan to spread it out. Sprinkle a little (or a lot!) of brown sugar over the pancake. 

Wait a few minutes until the pancake comes away from the sides and slides about when you shake the pan. You could try flipping, but that probably won't work with the bits of banana in, so I tend to use some kind of kitchen implement to turn it over. The second side will only need a minute. 

Slide onto a plate and eat IMMEDIATELY! You could add a dollop of fresh cream for an extra special treat. Enjoy!

Sherbert Limoncello

Take 6 lemons and cut off the rind being careful not to get any of the white pith. Add to 500ml of cheap vodka along with 150g icing sugar dissolved into 50ml boiling water.

Leave in a tupperware or similar container for a few weeks, shaking occasionally. Strain through a piece of muslin and pour into a sterilised glass bottle.

Store in the freezer and enjoy after dinner!

Lola Silver-Ridge

That's my Burlesque name according to one name generator I found. I am also:

Dandelion St. Andre

Caresse A La Mode

Brittanee Richee

You may be wondering what relevance this has to anything. Well, on Friday I went to the Hot Boppin' Girls Burlesque taster session. It was great fun and I have of course signed up to the 5 week course starting tomorrow at The Garage in Norwich.

The Fab Hot Boppin' Girls

Latch-Hook Pirate Rug

"It doesn't take that long to do" chirped the lovely girl in Jarrolds. That was well over a year ago and I am currently on row 33 of 50. so it takes quite a while. But, for those of you with some spare time who want a go at a new hobby, here's how to make an awesome rug!

What You Need
A rug kit
OR
lots of pieces of wool about 6 or 7cm long
sqaured paper (to draw a pattern on)
rug canvas (a bit like a tennis racket)
AND
a latch hook

Norwich Fasion Week

Not one to back down from a challenge, the fashion industry of Norwich (is that an oxymoron?!) have decided that this week, London Fashion Week, is the ideal time for Norwich Fashion week. Righto...

I'm not going to do a review of the launch party I went to (for that see Jess' Feeling Stylish or her guest post onn Retro Chick) because I clearly just didn't get it. If there was something to get.

Instead I thought I'd tell you about the lovely dress I made! Here's a picture Jess took of me in it... I think I look a bit shorter than I really am.

A Norwich girl walks into a library...

...and says "I'll have sausage, chips and mushy peas please." The librarian looks very confused and quietly says "This is a library you know?" The girl thinks for a minute before whispering "Oh sorry, I'll have sausage chips and mushy peas please!"

I'm in a bad mood. I didn't sleep well, my phone isn't working, the kid was being grumpy, I came out without any money, it's raining. There's always one thing that cheers me up in this situation though - the library.

For those of you who don't really know Norwich, our library is in an amazing building called The Forum. It's a huge building which is home to the library, BBC East, Pizza Express & Marzano's Coffee, a gift shop and the largest permanent digital gallery with free public access in Europe. It also has the best public toilets in the city, something you need to know when walking round with a three year old.

Style Evolution

A post idea shamelessly copied from a post by Retro Chick but I just couldn't resist!

First Lets see where I started from. How did my parents dress me when I was little??

Delia's Frugal Pot Roast

This is a recipe from Delia's Frugal Food cookbook but I did make a few changes! You can find the original recipe here.

 I start by giving the chicken a good wash and then rub it with a load of butter, salt and pepper. I stuff it with 2 big quarters of onion, a couple of cloves stuck in each  one. This gets roasted at 220c for about half an hour.