Cup Cakes

I have spoken before about the need for simplicity in cooking. Why cream butter and sugar when there is an easier way? Here is how you make easy cup cakes ....

1. Get a bowl.

2. Into the bowl put: one packet cake mix (Green's); 1 packet of instant pudding (Cottee's); 1/3 cup vegetable oil; 2 eggs; lemonade.

How much lemonade? Add about 1/4 can and beat the mixture, then keep adding until it looks like cake batter. Don't worry, you'll know.

3. Put the mix into paper cases and bake at 180 for 25 minutes. (Which I know to be accurate in my oven. You will have to play with yours)

Very, very important things .... preheat the oven!!!!! The cake mix flavour and pudding flavour should be the same.

When they are cold, you ice. My favourite icing is whipped ganache (which is what the picture is iced with). The brown ones are just milk chocolate ganache and the grey looking ones are white chocolate with Oreos whipped through. That nearly killed my industrial beater!

One canal, two days.

The photo on the right is April 2010 and on the left is January 2012. Same canal, slightly different spot.

It would be an interesting life on one of those boats. They are lived in and on both days there were signs of life - the smell of a wood burning fire, muffled arguments as we walked past.

Slowly sailing the canals, stopping when and where you pleased. Except in winter when the canals can freeze over.

I'm not sure it's a lifestyle for me though.

Some Time

It's been some time since I posted. The end of 2011 got swallowed up in term 4 stuff and then the start of 2012 was a secret trip to Manchester. I will try to be more vigilant with my postings.

The above image is Hollingworth Lake which is near Oldham. I remember going there when I was little. It was a big day out, a long way to travel. We didn't know then just how far we would travel...