There I was, all set to do a "Five on Friday" post and then I realised I only really had four photos and I couldn't think of a fifth thing to write about anyway... so in trail blazing style I bring you "Four on Friday"
1. A Pear and Ginger cake
This was my first effort to recreate the Sticky Pear and Ginger cake I had on holiday. I sort of combined a sticky toffee pudding base with an upside down pear cake. My first mistake was to use a springform pan... The sticky bit of the upside down bit leaked all over my oven. I hate cleaning the oven! Despite this the cake tastes good but it's not the same as the one I had at the weekend so it's back to the drawing board.
2. A Spiced Apple cake
My Mum came for lunch on Wednesday and she can't stand ginger, so I made another cake... this time it was an apple traybake. It was good... but now my Mum and visiting sons have gone and we are left with two large cakes, just the two of us here all weekend and a backside that seems to be expanding at an alarming rate. Definitely no cake next week so my pear and ginger experiments will have to wait until I have shrunk.
3. A Cushion
My friend commissioned me to make this cushion weeks ago but I was having a bit of a mental block over the design. Then suddenly I knew what I wanted to do and so yesterday I got started... plenty of time as we weren't we were meeting for lunch until today. I got it finished 15 minutes before I was due to leave the house this morning only to discover that the buttons wouldn't go through the buttonholes... which is why there is no photo of the back. Solution... Quickly pack sewing kit and fabric in handbag, buy new self cover buttons on the way and sit sewing on new buttons whilst eating lunch... no problemo! My friend loved it, thank goodness!
4. Pumpkins
We don't really celebrate Halloween but I love carved pumkins, so these two chaps are on my doorstep this evening to welcome any little visitors... only one or two so far which means I'll have a bucketful of chocolate buttons left if no-one else turns up, which is not helpful for my expanding backside!
Happy Halloween everyone... and happy weekend!
I a sitting in waiting for little children to stop by. Not many so far. We didn't manage to get a pumpkin, they were all sold out ages ago :( but we've made a paper lantern to show we are in. My backside is so big that my teenager thinks I am embarrassingly fat! I love your cushion. That was quick thinking of you to pick up some self-covering buttons on the way! I might have just cried in a similar situation, or maybe thrown a tantrum. Enjoy the cakes and chocolate buttons! xx
ReplyDeleteLove the cushion!!
ReplyDeleteVery expertly craved pumpkins I must say!! :)
ReplyDeleteGorgeous cushion and wonderful cakes as always.
V x
know all about expanding backsides ! absolutely love that cushion.
ReplyDeleteI'll be watching the pear and ginger experiments with interest - two of my absolute favouriltes.
ReplyDeleteBlimey, I missed out on three posts! Your Holt holiday cottage looked lovely, glad you enjoyed the weekend. Nice cakes - I've made two batches of muffins while Mum and Dad are here, so that's 24 muffins between 3 of us in six cakes. And you're worried about YOUR a**e!!
ReplyDeleteThat should read 'six days' - see I've got cakes on the brain.
ReplyDeleteFab pumpkin carving - I'm pants at that sort of thing, but I do believe the pros use power tools not kitchen knives! Bothersome about your expansion, as the cakes look so good! Maybe just eat the cakes for all meals instead of other more worthy foods?! It's that or something drastic like sprints or star jumps :(
ReplyDeleteThe cakes look great and I love the cushion
ReplyDeleteWonderful cakes, beautiful cushion and great carved pumpkins. You could always open a temporary tea shop to finish off the cakes!
ReplyDeleteGina, those cakes look so delicious.
ReplyDeleteLove the cushion.
ReplyDeleteGinger Pear cake!!! Oh my!
ReplyDeleteGina, I smiled in recognition as I read about your solving of the case of the buttonhole. These sorts of discoveries have often featured in my creative history. in many media.
ReplyDeleteI do like the look of those carved pumpkins, and all of the cake, as usual.
xo
Ooh, I love fruit in cakes and ginger and pear sounds a match made in heaven. Those pumpkins have been very well carved, I must say.
ReplyDeleteOh the pumpkins are fabulous--definitely the best ones I've seen! Very keen to try the apple cake--looks delicious. And I've done exactly the same with an upside-down cake in a springform pan! xx
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you have been doing Five on Friday posts to join in! I think that you should count each pumpkin as one thing each as they are both so good! xx
ReplyDeleteThose cakes look yummy Gina! I've noticed several brit blogs talking about trick-or-treat -- I didn't think you guys did that -- is it a new thing over there? Or am I just thinking about Australia?
ReplyDeleteThe desserts look amazing, and I'm glad they're in your kitchen and not mine. The peach/ginger combo sounds delicious! Love the cushion design. And the pumpkins are cute too. I've given up on Halloween, and we now darken the house. We were ending up with heaps of candies and only a handful of kids, so enough is enough. Wendy x
ReplyDeletemmmm, spiced apple cake (am feeling hungry now even though I've just eaten toast!). What a lovely autumn post Gina, the cushion is especially beautiful - not surprising that the friend loved it!
ReplyDeleteSo I now have cushion envy and a craving for pear and ginger cake ... blogging can be dangerous!
ReplyDelete