Back to basics

2011 was a year of experimenting and side tracks, I tried to do a lot of things and didn't achieve very much. Therefore I have decided that 2012 will be the year I go back to basics, focus on my long term goal and start taking baby steps towards it.

I want to open my own sweet shop in the long term so am going to start small and find the right people to work with in 2012.
I have a stall at a mother and baby sale the first weekend in February so I am going to use that as a starting point. I want to sell valentine themed sweets and chocolates, some I want to make myself and others I will buy in.

I want to revamp my website, my business cards and my logo so I have a lot of work to do! I will start by finding a proper graphic designer to come up with a logo for me, so if anyone knows one, please let me know!

Better crack on, I've got Nathan's first birthday cake to ice and some gluton free gingerbread to make for the birthday party this afternoon

Christmas cake

I thought I'd have a go at making my own marzipan this year for my Christmas cake. I used the James Martin recipie and am no overly happy with the outcome.
It tastes good but seems to be cracking and sliding off the cake. Will have to see how it looks in the morning but may have to have a quick trip to the supermarket and buy some shop made marzipan.

Hope to have it all finished tomorrow so will post a photo when I'm done.

Christmas trees and a possible set back

This weekend we had the in laws down and I spent Saturday afternoon on the sofa getting very excited about biscuits with my mother in law. We were looking at the Biscuiteers website and sat there say we can do that!
They had a couple of you tube videos that we watched and I decided that I would give it a go on sunday morning as I had been given a bottle of green cookie icing, that I had not used before and after serveral practices I was happy with the outcome.

I decided that I would make these biscuits for the Christmas fayre I am doing on Friday afternoon along with some fudge but woke up this morning with a horrible stomach bug (as this is a blog about food, I won't go into details) this puts my plans for Friday into jeopardy I wil see how I feel tomorrow night and make a decision if I am going to go ahead with it.

Good Food show

I have had a busy couple of days, on Friday I was busy making a load of different mini puddings for an order. I made New York Cheesecakes, Key Lime Mousse cakes, brownies and a few cake pops and if I may say so they looked good! Stu was very happy as there was a few left overs and cheesecake is one of his favourite things.

Then on Saturday I met up with my mum and headed to the NEC for the BBC Good Food Show. Mum and I have gone to this several times over the past few years and have always had a good time.
The first stall we stopped at when we got in was a cupcake stall (unsurprisingly) and I noticed a woman that I knew from somewhere and was about to say hello when I realised that it was Mary Ann from the Great British Bake Off and I am not embarrassed to say I got a bit excited! we then saw the GBBO stand and it reminded me that I still need to finish completing my application for the next series and get it sent off.

Mum and I had a lovely day walking round, eating all the free samples and spending far too much money. I saw a few fudge stalls and made mental notes of the different flavours that I want to try out.

But the best part of the day was when my mum gave me a bag that she had been given by a friend when they heard about what I was doing. It had 4 AMAZING sweets and chocolate making books - all printed back in the 1980's and full of so many different recipes for some amazing looking sweets that I am going to have to have a go at making.

Am going to have to start cooking ready for my next Christmas fayre and my Christmas presents soon or it will be Christmas before I know it.  

American candy!

While walking through Bristol today doing a spot of Christmas shopping I spotted a new shop that I hope stays around for a long time.

It was a sweet shop that sold old fashioned sweets AND American candy! Having paid a lot of money for the 2 things in the picture below. I will try not to eat them both tonight but I can't promise anything!

Seeing all the American candy makes me want to go back to the states and when Stu suggested we just book a holiday to Florida for next summer I was very tempted to say yes!!

Stir up Sunday

Well after a difficult week with illness and a bit of teething thrown in (Nathan, not me) I have finally found some time to make my Christmas cake. It's got about 10 minutes left to go and the whole house smells Christmasy!

Have not had any time to make any more sweets but have booked a days holiday from work this Tuesday so am hoping I'll get a chance to make something as well as update my website (www.littlesprinkles.co.uk) then meet a friend for coffee and do a bit more christmas shopping, think there should be enough hours in the day!

Am wanting to make some little sweety christmas presents for some of the family so need to start thinking about doing that as well.

I had an enquiry for a big cupcake order last week, am waiting to hear if they are happy with my quote and if they are then that will give me a bit of money to use next year to get Little Sprinkles out and about at different fairs and events so hopefully I can start making a proper go of this business rather than just playing at it as I am doing at the moment.

Oh there goes the oven timer got to go sort my cake out.....

Fridge full of goodies!

My fridge is currently full of sweet goodness all ready for the Christmas fayre tomorrow. Have worked hard all day, my second attempt at coconut ice looks a lot better than my first attempt.

I've got four types of fudge, vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter and Baylies. I've got my festive red and green coconut ice, bags of Christmas biscuits and for the children a bag of flumps (not home made) lets hope that tomorrow is a sucess!

Coconut ice disaster

I'm busy making sweets and treats ready for the Christmas fayre at Bernard Lovell School on Sunday. So far I have made 3 lots of fudge and tried to make coconut ice. Am not sure what has gone wrong but it is very runny and I don't think it will set.

I am going to blaime the recipes as it seemed to be to be asking for a lot of liquid and not enough dry ingredients I have put it in the fridge so we will see what happens. I have found another recipe in my new sweety book!
I treated myself to a birthday present this week and bought The Home Made Sweet Shop book which arrived today! It has got me all excited about sweets again and want to try the recipes in the book so think I will be nice and busy again.

I am also looking to update my website so feel that I need more hours in the day or need to use one of the serveral holiday days I have from work when Nathan is a nursery so I have time to sit and do this. I am wanting to start offering fudge by post via my website so watch this space for updates!

Well no rest for the wicked, that fudge isn't going to make itself!

Holy Baileys fudge Batman!

Well I finally made more sweets this weekend, not from my book as I had a request for birthday fudge so I thought I would do something other than vanilla fudge.

Baileys fudge was a lot easier to make than I thought it would but with a quarter of a cup of Baileys it is very alcoholic tasting, which isn't a bad thing I just don't think you can eat too much of it in one go.

I took a little field trip yesterday to the NEC for Cake International 2011. I have never been there before and am not sure if I will go back, there were some amazing looking cakes that were entered into the competition which I am not sure if I could ever emulate.
I did not buy an airbrush kit as much as I wanted one but I did buy a lot of other things that I will enjoy playing with.

I've got a stall at a Christmas faur at Bernard Lovell school in Oldham Common next Sunday so I've got a lot of sweets to make this week, am mainly making fudge but am also going to do some coconut ice and some large gingerbread people. Very busy week ahead!

Cupcakes fit for a wedding

My little brother in law is getting married today with a Halloween theme. I have knocked up a few cupcakes for people to enjoy. Stu tried his hand at decorating as well and even if I say so myself they all look damn good!

Brownies!

After 2 nights of very interrupted sleep (thanks Nathan!) I felt I needed a pick me up and with my parents down for the weekend I felt that I had a perfect reason to make some brownies.

I decided to use what was a proper American recipe from one of my favour cook books. And I must say they are good!

I wanted to make some fudge as well but I do not like the recipe from my candy book as it has marshmallow fluff in it, is it ok to use a recipe from another book??

Got a weekend of fun lined up, Mum bought me the British Bake off book so I will attempt making my own pastry this week and make a pie tomorrow.

Snickerdoodles

I am taking a short break from my candy making and indulging in another of my favourite past times - baking.

I have decided that I also want to try lots of new recipes as I have tended to stick to the tried and tested, mainly cupcakes so I am breaking free and trying new things.

This has mainly been fuelled by watching the Great British Bake Off and wanting to make what I saw! I have downloaded the application form for the next series but having looked at it I have realised that I am really lacking in some areas so I need to start making the type of thing that is on there. For example I don't think I have ever made my own pastry so I am going to give that a go at the weekend and make a pie for my parents who are visiting.

I am going to start with Snickerdoodles which are cakey biscuits that look yummy!

Well they turned out ok, I managed to make them between bathing Nathan & cooking our tea.

Gelatine 2, Ruth 0

I thought I would give the gummy bears another go last night, it did not work!

Have trays of green strawberry flavour jelly sitting in my fridge. Again they taste good but are not as solid as gummy sweets should be.

Have decided to give up on the gummy for the moment, think I will give hard candy a go.

To dream the impossible dream

For a while now I have had a dream of jacking it all in and opening my own old fashioned sweet shop with rows of glass jars filled with sweets. This started about this time last year when I was facing the possibility of redundancy (I survived it and am back at work)

When I have days like I did today I start to dream my impossible dream. I am someone who needs to keep busy, I am no good at doing very little. Since returning to work last week after my maternity leave I have found myself short of things to keep me busy during work hours. This is for serveral different reasons that I won't go into on here. Most people have said that I should enjoy the quiet as it won't last long. So I have spent my time thinking of things I can sell in my sweet shop and partaking in a bit of internet shopping!
On the plus side, one of my collegues has just come back from a week in Las Vegas and brought back some Taffy for us in the office. Taffy is one of my favourite sweets that I can not get very easily here in the UK I think there is a reciepe for it in my book and I am really looking forward to making it!

I want to have another go at gummy bears this week, will do it one night after work once Nathan has gone to bed

No time for sweets, but always time for tea!

Was going to make some sweets on Friday for my friend Anna's surprise 30th tea party, but Nathan was up to his old trick of not wanting much sleep during the day on Friday so I had no time to make anything. So I promise to send Anna some sweets in the post (Anna, let me know if you have any preference)

Had a lovely day on Saturday, Anna had no clue what was going on, we had a lovely old fashioned tea party in a village hall in the middle of nowhere near Cambridge. We had cucumber sandwiches and scones with clotted cream. Tea in vintage teacups and a little bit in champagne!
We also had a chance to decorate 6 cupcakes (my 2nd favourite pass time)

Am back home now and am planning to make some sweets this week, think I will give gummy sweets another go, also have to make some cakes for my brother in law's birthday next weekend.

What next??

Another weekend is looming and I don't know what to do now. I am waiting for my chocolate thermometer to arrive so I dont think I will try anymore chocolate things. Might attempt another reciepe with gelatine & see if I can make friends with it this time.

Caramel filled moulded chocolates

Yeah, these work! (and taste very good)


have had issues getting the final lot out of their moulds but at least these work. I need to work on the moulds as there is a nack to getting them filled but hollow. I also need to get some more normal chocolate moulds as all of mine are shaped but not necessarily the right shape and size for filled chocolates. Also need a chocolate thermometer. Lots of things to add to the old birthday list for this year!


Not sure what I will do next but am starting to flick through the book to get inspiration

Tempering chocolate - 1st problem

Am attempting caramel filled moulded chocolates and have encountered my first problem. To temper chocolate you need to first heat it to 44 degrees then cool it down to 32 degrees. My sugar thermometer only starts at 40 degrees so this could be interesting!

Is this a good idea??

We have had a bad week, Nathan has been ill so both Stu & I have had very little sleep and had to deal with a grumpy little man during the day.

Unsuprisingly I have not had any time to make any candy. I am beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to start this challenge as it will result in me knowing how to make all kinds of sweet goodness very easily. At the moment if I want a sweet treat I have to travel to the local supermarket and get something but now I will be able to whip something up without leaving the house! This will not help me loose the last of the baby weight I want to loose.

Never the less I have decided to continue on with my challenge and this weekend I will be attempting to make filled chocolates which means temporing chocolate which I have never done before, so wish me luck! If all goes well I will take them into the office on Monday, which is my 1st day back at work after my maternity leave.

And we have a little boy who is much better but I have caught what he had.

Giving up on gummy!

I know I said that I was going to attempt gummy bears again yesterday but motherhood got in the way. Stu is back at school so I had Nathan and boiling sugar water and an 8 month old crawler do not match.
I have decided to give up on the gummy bears and come back to them later. I am looking at trying a filled chocolate next which means tempering chocolate which is something I have not done before. I am just waiting on some new chocolate moulds that I have ordered.

As it is National Cupcake Week I have gone back to what I know best and have made a batch of chocolate cupcakes to take into work with me tomorrow for my penultimate keeping in touch day before I do back to work after my maternity leave.

Gummy Bears attempt 1

I thought the gummy bear recipe would be the easiest to start with so tried it yesterday afternoon.

Boy was I wrong!

It looked simple enough, I don't have a gummy bear mould so decided to use my pig mould instead (have seen a giant gummy bear mould that I fancy getting though) The recipe itself was really simple to make and I poured the mixture into the moulds and left it in the fridge. I did get excited when I saw it had started to set, but when I went to get one out I soon realised that it was just jelly rather than a gummy candy, it did taste god though

If it is possible for an inanimate object to have feelings I think that gelatin does not like me as I had the same problem with my marshmallows. But I will not be deterred, I am going to make another batch today with more gelatin in.

a jelly gummy pig

What and Why

While watching Julie and Julia last night my husband Stu suggested I set myself a cooking challenge

I have started to make my own candy (sweets) and have had good and bad results so far. Thought I would start with something simple and made marshmallows that did not set. My peanut butter fudge was much better and didn't last long!

I have bought myself Field Guide to Candy by Anita Chu which has recipes for every type of candy you can think of so I have decided to make every recipe in the book, which is 113 of them.

I am starting with the ones I like and that look the easiest which may be cheating but I don't care.

I have bought myself a sugar thermometer, a large pan and 2 wooden spoons so I am ready to go!