Tag: #cooking

Where do you get your baking inspiration from?

Here’s one I made earlier

I realise that this blog is called Bells, Bakes and Bettering Myself and that most of what I write about is predominantly #bellringing or something to do with learning a new technique, learning more about myself and the world I’m in, and there is very little to do with baking. Occasionally I’ll mention the latest BakedIn green box that has landed on the doormat.  I did say a while back that I was going to get in the habit of baking something from series of magazines that I’d invested in and I did make a start but didn’t get very far.  The trouble was some #bellringing activities took over which meant most of the time that I could put aside to bake was taken up with meetings. This is now starting to lessen so regular baking can resume.

I do have a few things in the cupboards that need using up such as flavours icing sugars that make great buttercream icing or you can use them in the cake batter to flavour it.  I have a cinnamon bun kit in the cupboard that needs using up, and quite possible a brownie kit too.  Then I need to get some inspiration and start getting creative again.  I have all these tools and things at my disposal but I just don’t get to use them often enough.  I need to get some practice in, and I do still have a voucher for a session with my friend Sarah, of The Cupcake Oven.  But I need some inspiration.

I follow several cake decorators on Instagram and Facebook.  Many of them are way too advanced for me, or I look at what they’ve created and think that I could actually do that if I had the time.  I’m not very imaginative so I need a plan to follow or use something someone else has done for inspiration.  I used to follow Paul Bradfield and I have used some of his tutorials in creating versions of Star Trek Enterprise, or standing up Santas.  They are really good step by step guides.

In fact it was through following Paul that I met Sarah.  I had been to a different cake making class and one of the other students in the class mentioned Paul.  I googled him and found that he was due to give a demonstration at my local Sugarcraft Guild (never knew they existed).  In order to get a place on the workshop, I joined the Guild for a while.  Sarah was a member, and may have been on the committee at the time too, before she moved further away.  I stopped going to the Guild as I found that a) I was by far the youngest in the room b) they all sat in cliques and c) when one of the committee members came up to me and said “Welcome, is this your first meeting”?  to which I replied “No, I’ve been coming here for over a year”, I realised that this wasn’t the group for me.  And to be honest, I wasn’t really learning much.  The people they had in to do demonstrations where far beyond what I could do, or indeed I had already mastered several techniques and didn’t learn anything new. 

It would be good to see Sarah again for another class, but I’ve done most of hers now and need to find other excuses for a visit.  I need some inspiration for your average hobby baker, who can make a reasonable tasting cake, and can make it look quite good with sugar flowers and bits. 

Any suggestions?

Day of Rest

Sundays are described in various parts as a day of rest.  I wish.  I usually have just as much to do on a Sunday as any other day of the week.  And just because it was Mothering Sunday, that didn’t make any difference.

C and I are currently ringing 2 bells on a Sunday morning at the Cathedral, just to keep the bells sounding and the world outside knowing that the church is still there and what day of the week it is for all those for whom it seems a bit samey.  When we come home its time for a vat of coffee and we’ve taken to having a lump of garlic and herb focaccia from the bread stall in town, usually warmed up in the microwave.

Sundays in this house is also the day of ironing.  Ironing only gets done on a Sunday and if we’re not home for any reason it doesn’t get done and has to wait until the next Sunday.  C has caught up with all the washing so there were about 3 loads that needed ironing.  I don’t like doing the ironing (or any housework really come to that) but cannot abide wearing things that haven’t been ironed.  It was an agreement we came to when we first got together.  I’d do the ironing or cook Sunday lunch, not both.  I think I lost out on that one. 

Ironing is so mind numbingly boring though, so I have to watch something on TV to keep me at it.  However, that can’t be anything that requires too much attention otherwise I’ll burn the shirts!  I usually watch some mindless nonsense on Netflix.  This week’s trash of choice was the final view episodes of Fate, the Winx Saga.  A teen who finds out that she’s a fire fairy attends a magical school only to find out that she’s probably the most powerful fairy ever.  Lots of teenage angst, love, hate, rebellion etc.  Far too many Harry Potter derivatives.  Its not great, but it passes the time.

By the time ironing mountain has been cleared, lunch is ready.  Todays was roast beef, followed by chocolate pudding. 

Only then do I get to sit down.  However, not to rest.  To sit down means to go through emails. To produce posters for things that need advertising this week.  To set up Doodlepolls for various meetings of various workgroups that I organise.  Oh, and I needed to make my breakfasts and lunches for the working week ahead.  Biscoff pancakes for brekkie and chickpea pilaf rice for lunches.  Oh, and whack out a cake because it’s our wedding anniversary tomorrow and I’ve got some buttercream to use up.

Then it’s time for the 10 bell Ringing Room #bellringing practice.

Only when all of that is done, can I then sit down and do nothing.  A nibble of some cheese and crackers with a sniff of something to drink it our usual Sunday evening wind down.  Now I can stop, and rest a while.

And it all starts again tomorrow.