For the Sake of Polka Dots

Okay, okay, I know polka dots are for little girls.

But aren't little girls for admiring?

They're cute, right? Just like the dots they might be wearing.

So, along this way of thinking, adults can enjoy looking at polka dots without feeling too silly.

Or so I tell myself.

In case you're interested, my testing is complete. 

Baking a 'flat topped cake' is actually possible. 

Here's how:

1. Tap against the counter a few times before putting in the oven.

2. Make strips of rag, as I've done in the photo below, 

soak them and attach around pan with safety pins. 

It is important not to have them too thick or else your edges will not bake.

3. I found, in my oven, raising the temperature 25 degrees worked perfectly, 

though I still had to bake the cake for almost double the time I regularly would have.

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Hazelnuß...

Also for coffee addicts, or just people nuts about nuts, who like flavouring in their drinks,

who would prefer something less palm-oily and glucose-fructose-y, than say liquid whitener,

here's an easy and tasty creamer to make yourself.

All you need to purchase is a cup of hazelnuts, 

which you must soak overnight (raw is what I used and let's say for 12-24 hours),

- the rest is likely in your cupboard already -

 vanilla (a bean would be nice) and a tablespoon of liquid honey.

Drain the nuts and blend with 2 cups fresh water in your high powered blender for one minute.

Pour through cheese cloth (a clean dish towel will work fine) and squeeze.

This will give you approximately 2 cups of hazelnut juice, aka hazelnut creamer, 

which you can re-blend with vanilla and honey as you desire.

It should keep for four days in the fridge. If you still have it around by then ;)

Plus you've also got yourself some ground hazelnuts!

(We've tasted them in cake and cookies)

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For the Love of Creating

I'll share a few photos simply for the love of making stuff, 

and also because I'd like to show you I don't actually just bake cake all day. 

I even have a real job. Fancy that. LOL.

Every so often I get the urge to sew something. 

This is not to say I have any kind of talent or knowledge in this area. 

Usually I haven't really got much on hand, like with this project, 

so it's really just a recycle of oddments project.

**My mom is a very good sewer of everything, but she seems to have forgotten to teach me.**

(she did however make me some very excellent Hallowe'en costumes)

1. Maybe she'll offer to teach me now that I'm pointing this out!  

2. Even with my very basic skills, 

I've managed to make something as cool as this Dresden type star,

which  I just had to show you. 

What it'll become, I do not know.

However, for the record, I'll just say,

You should certainly have your cake and eat it, too.

Otherwise that would be wasteful. 

And you can always share it!