Weekend Cat Blogging

This is something I've always wanted to do but never gotten around to! Since I started this blog I've always nosed upon the Weekend Cat Blogging group, I mean, who doesn't love a kitty! And, after a year and a bit I've finally gone and done it! So, here is my very first Weekend Cat Blog....


Everyone meet Gogo! Gogo is my foster child and I love her very much! She came to me from a friend who has moved back in with her parents. Said parents have a kitty Gogo didn't really get along with so she came to stay with us for a wee while. I can honestly say she has made the last month of my life so much better, her little face lights up my day. I enjoy her so much, I've decided I'm going to get another cat once she returns to her birth mother. I don't think I've told Kris yet, so shhhh!


And this is the number one man in my life, Marmalade. I don't think it is possible for a human being to love a cat as much as I love Marmalade. He is my little life partner and my reason for getting up in the morning.

Unfortunately, Muffin hates the camera and runs for the hills every time I point it at her. So she will have to live in anonymity...for now.

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Sweet Melissa and her Carrot Cake

Good morning campers, and to all you yummy mummies out there, Happy Mothers Day! If any of you are like me then this cake will be making the perfect addition to an already lovely Mothering Sunday gift. I mean, every mam deserves a cake! This weeks pick was the choice of Julie from a Little Bit of Everything, Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting.


I was quite excited to make this one as for as long as I can remember I've turned the SMS layer cakes into cupcakes. So this week I decided to stick to the recipe, for once. Sadly, my excitement was short lived as I found this cake rather disappointing. As it baked the cake developed quite a crispy top, not dissimilar to the texture of a meringue. Oddly enough, while the top was quite dry, the inside was awfully moist, a little too moist, despite passing the toothpick test. Personally, I blame my oven! This was the last thing I baked before getting my oven door replaced as for the last year the inner glass has been loose and the seal has been broken (thanks mister landlord). Fingers crossed that from now on my cakes will be disaster free ;)


Don't forget to have a mosey over to the SMS bakers to see everyone else's mothers day treats!

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Upcakes

No, that wasn't a typo, today I have been making Upcakes. OK, I suppose I better explain myself, these cakes are based upon the charming and highly emotional film Up! Oh how I loved that film, I laughed, I cried and then I cried some more. So when I spotted these cakes on Bakerella's blog I just had to give them a try.


The only difficult thing about these cupcakes for me was finding a shop that stocked doughnut holes. Unfortunately the only holes I could find were jam filled so they were a little larger than the ones Bakerella used and I guess they were quite a bit heavier too. Rather than using noodles I had to use cocktail sticks to hold up the 'balloons' and even then the mound slid slowly down the sticks till they eventually met the top of the cake. Oh well, I'm sure they'll still taste just as delicious.

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Wooo, I've been nominated for a Little Dorset Blog Award. I'd be ever so happy if you'd vote for me. You could even win yourself a big case of fancy Dorset Cereals :)

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Sugarlove

Two Sweet Melissa's in a row? I must be getting my wee bot back on track ;)

First of all, I'd like to say one thing. For the first time since I was 17 I am no longer employed by the protective and cushy bubble that is the local authority. Yup, on Friday I bid Gateshead Council and Housing Company a final farewell, thus closing that chapter of my life forever. I've met some wonderful people and had some super fun times and I hope whoever may be reading this knows I'll miss that little corner of my office deeply. However, in the same breath I am overjoyed to state that I am now the newest member of the Bigface Studio family. Yeah sure, there might just be Kris and myself at the moment, but that's not the point ;) Now, onwards and upwards!

Right, now I've got that out of the way let me get to the main attraction. I've never been a big fan of sugar cookies, I've just never found a recipe that has worked for me. They're either too tough, to crumbly, too bland or just too damn difficult to work with. Sweet Melissas version was one of the better cookies I've came across. The dough came together quickly and easily and was very pliable. Now, I'm certainly not a fan of delicate flavours, I like to taste my food and taste it big, so with this in mind I upped the amount of vanilla and lemon zest by half a tsb each. After reading my fellow SMS bakers comments I'm certainly glad I did, the main theme running through the posts were 'lack of flavour' and 'bland'. Glad I dodged that bullet.



I've always been a little bit obsessed with sugar skulls and after having a rake through my assortment of cookie cutters I decided to use my halloween skull and spend an afternoon colouring in bright and beautiful Day of the Dead style biccies. I sold the biscuits at a friends gig and boy were they the hit of the show. Everyone that wandered past out little stall commented on their decoration before digging deep in their wallets to become a proud owner ;) Thanks Melissa and thanks Nina for your awesome pick this week, you've rekindled my faith in sugar cookies!

I do apologise for my early post, but I have a very busy day ahead of me tomorrow and I just wouldn't get the time to get this up. I hope you forgive me!

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