Jelly Oranges

This is a good'en people! Like most of my recipes its really quick and easy and costs only penny's to make. At first glance it just looks like ordinary orange segment, but look closer guys, this is no ordinary orange. Oh no, this is one half of a party time classic, yep thats right its JELLY! (or jello if your from America). 

Ingredients:

1) 2-3 oranges

3) Jelly (any flavour)

Method:

1) Cut oranges in half and scoop out the middle

2) Make up jelly as directed on packet and pour into orange halves

3) Put in fridge overnight

4) Once set slice into segments and enjoy !

If your more of a visual person, then worry not I've also make a step by step video to help you out:

That's it, its so visually intriguing and i'm sure it will be a hit at any children's birthday party's, or use red jelly and add some gummy worms to the middle for a halloween take on it, it will be sure to impress the guests at any halloween party you may be planning. I hope you have fun experimenting with different colours and flavours, no matter how you make them, they will always come out great.

Thank you and have a nice day,

Rachel Ward

Nutella Fudgesicles

I had nearly a full jar of Nutella in the kitchen cupboard that hadn't been used and I hate to throw things out so I decided to make some fudgsicles, and I know its autumn and cold outside and they are preferably not the first choice of snack for anyone at this time of year, but ohh my!!! just wait until you taste them, there so creamy and soft, and taste just like ferrero rocher (on a stick). Anyway enough of me babbling on, heres how to make these super simple, easy, quick and cheap homemade Nutella fudgesicles. 

Ingredients:

1) 1 cup of cold skimmed milk

2) 1/3 cup Nutella

Method:

1) Mix both ingredients together

2) Pour into lolly moulds

3) Freeze for 4-5 hours

4) Enjoy!

I told you they were really simple to make, I could even do it with a blindfold on (maybe I will try that one day). These would be great to make on a hot summers afternoon, although you will probably have to wait until next year for that. Another little tip would be to mix chocolate chips into the mixture which would add a little more texture to the fudgesicles. 

Thanks for reading, and have a good day

Rachel Ward

Easy Marshmallow Fondant

This has been a revelation in my life over the past few weeks, and I thought I would share it with you. I've always used store bought fondant to cover cakes with in the past and although its always worked out great, it always became hard and grainy also with many store bought fondants they contains many additives and preservatives to help keep there shelf life. Now I've found the solution to using that store bought fondant, a homemade fondant made with marshmallow and it only contains three ingredients. 

Ingredients: 

1) A bag of marshmallows (big or small it doesn't matter) 

2) Icing sugar (1 packet)

3) Food colouring 

Method:

1) Add 2 cups of marshmallows into a microwaveable safe bowl, add a couple of drops of water to the marshmallows until they are all damp (Not soaked)

2) Put the damp marshmallows in the microwave on 10 second intervals until they puff up and easily stir into a goo with a wooden spoon (grease your wooden spoon with a little butter) 

3) Add your food colouring to the melted marshmallows and stir until you get the colour you desire 

4) Start folding the icing sugar into the marshmallow goo until it resembles a soft and fluffy dough

5) Grease your hands with butter and turn the dough out onto a surface sprinkled with icing sugar and kneed the dough until it is stiff enough to roll out (if things get quite sticky just add more icing sugar, if things get to stiff just add a little butter to the dough) 

6) Once the fondant is stiff enough to roll out, you are done! Now all you have to do it cover a cake with your fabulous marshmallow fondant. 

To store your fondant wrap them in greased cling film, plastic wrap or ziplock bags, This fondant will have a shelf life of three or four months, if you've stored your marshmallow fondant and its become quite stiff it can be softened up by kneading a bit of butter into it and putting it in the microwave or 2-3 seconds at a time. 

This is a great alternative to store bought fondant as its cheaper to make and delicious, also you know exactly what has gone into it.

Thanks for reading, and have a good day,

Rachel Ward 

Nutella 3 ingredient cookies

Anything with Nutella will always get a thumbs up in my book, and I know its not very 'healthy' but sometimes its ok to have a little treat now and then, and this cookie recipe has zero sugar which is always a plus. With only three ingredients its super simple to prepare and bake which means less time baking and more time eating. 

Ingredients:

1) 1 cup Nutella

2) 1 cup flour

3) 1 egg

Method:

1) with a electric mixer combine all 3 ingredients together in a large bowl

2) Spoon out onto a greased baking sheet leaving 2 inches between each cookie (they will spread)

3) Bake in oven at 350degreesF, 180degreesC or gas mark 4 for 6-8 minutes 

4) Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes

5) Enjoy !!!

There you have it, I told you it was simple, quick and easy and they taste amazing, these are a perfect gift idea, just make a batch and wrap them in pretty tissue paper or put them in festive tin for a great christmas gift.

Thanks for reading, and have a nice day.

Rachel Ward 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

As always I try to keep a healthy balanced diet, but every now and then I want a treat, something sweet and indulgent that I know I will feel bad for eating afterwards. Instead of having that regret feeling after a feast of chocolates I'm going to let you in on a little secret of mine. These cookies are delicious, there super moist and sweet and they defiantly fill that craving for something sweet without actually breaking any dietary rules. First let me start by saying these are not 100% healthy as they do contain some sugar and butter but they are defiantly better for you than a double chocolate toffee filled chocolate cake with toffee buttercream frosting. Anywayy...

You came here for the recipe and I won't hold you any longer, here it is (and please treat it with care, it's a gooden):

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon raisins/dried fruit

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees / gas mark 3

2) Using a electric whisk / stand mixer beat together the butter and sugar until combined

3) Add egg and vanilla to the butter and sugar mixture (DO NOT OVER BEAT) 

4) Next add the flour, baking soda and salt into the butter mixture, after  mixing this in add your oats and raisins and beat until fully combined together

5) Line a baking sheet with grease proof paper

6) Using two spoons, scoop out the batter and place on the baking sheet about two inches away from each other (The cookies will spread in the baking process)

7) Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until golden brown, leave to cool for a further 10 minutes and then enjoy.

So there you have it, now you've baked your first of many batches of oatmeal raisin cookies and you don't have to stop at just raisins, here are a few other ingredients you could throw in the batter to create completely different cookies: 

• Coconut
• Almonds
• Nuts
• Banana Chips
• Chocolate chips
• Peanut Butter
• Sultanas
• Dried apricots
• Cinnamon & Dried Apple

The list goes on and on and on, there is no stopping this recipe, If you have any other flavour combinations you feel would compliment the cookies then please let me know as I would love to hear them.

If your more of a visual person, then your in luck, I made a little recipe video, with step by step instructions which hopefully you will find useful: 

Thanks for taking time out of your day to visit my blog and I hope to see from you again soon.

Rachel Ward 

Christmas is just around the corner...

It's only three months till christmas and already I'm getting that christmas feeling, I'm looking forward to baking christmas cookies and cupcakes and cake pops and after spending hours on Pinterest looking through various holiday boards it gave me a few inspirational tips and ideas for the upcoming holidays. I will be baking these closer to christmas and along with that I will post recipe guides and video tutorials along with step by step photographs taking you through the whole process of baking and decorating these desserts, but for now, heres a little sneak peak as to whats to come in the following weeks leading up to christmas! 

Cakepops -

I've make cake pops in the past, but to make and theme them in a festive way never crossed my mind until now, Using inspiration from traditional christmas characters I am going to create some unique cake pops that resemble reindeer, snowmen, and christmas puddings and more! Here are some visual examples: 

Christmas pudding cake balls - These are not really cake 'pops' but more like balls of cake, lets call them cake balls! They are make the same way as cake pops but without the stick and dipped in white chocolate to resemble the icing on a Christmas pudding then topped of with a jelly bean to add some fun colour. (full recipe will come closer to christmas) 

Rudolph the red nose cake pop - This is such a fun and quirky cake pop that I couldn't possibly not bake it this christmas, the red nose is make with a M&M or similar red sweet and the brown pipe cleaner creates the unique reindeer antlers, these are a perfect gift as they are wrapped in clear plastic wrap to keep them clean, bake a batch of these and give them to a friend or neighbour (thats my plan anyway) 

Snowmen cake pops - I love this cake pop with the cute Rolo chocolate hat its the perfect christmas time treat. This is make dipped into white melted chocolate and set with a Rolo chocolate on top, alternatively if you don't have Rolo's you can top the snowmen of with Oreo biscuits for a similar effect. The inside of these cake pops can be anything you want them to be, for me I think i'm going to fill them with a vanilla cake, and popping candy for a extra surprise. 

Christmas tree brownie pops - This is such a cool creation I don't know why i never though about it before, its a basic brownie mix baked, then cut into triangle, decorated with green frosting and red sweets to create a Christmas tree effect. A candy cane is then inserted into the bottom of the cake for a extra little treat, its also visually more appealing. 

Christmas Cookies -

Cookies and christmas go together like toast and butter, its a match made in heaven! Therefore of course I will be baking cookies like a mad lady this coming christmas, I have so many ideas that I don't think I will be able to make them all but here are a few of my all time favourite christmas cookie ideas:

The melting snowman - This cookie reminds me of the bath ballistic they sell in lush and thats what first interested me in this cookie, its a simple butter cookie on the base then topped with water icing, a marshmallow is them placed on top and detail is added with writing icing. You could have fun with this cookie and create a variety of unique snowmen.

Christmas trees& snowflakes - These are so cute and using festive cookie cutters you are guaranteed that each cookie will be exactly the same size which is a plus if your giving these aways as gifts. The pastel colours of these cookies are so pretty that I don't think I would want to eat them but just stare at them forever or hang them on my tree ! 

Christmas Cupcakes -

Yay! I saved the best for last, I love baking cupcakes and with so many festive spices and flavours, the best way to incorporate them is in a cupcake, from chocolate and orange to apple and cinnamon, theres a christmas cupcake for everyone. 

Gingerbread cupcake - The cupcake is adorable, make with a ginger cake, topped with vanilla butter cream and then a mini gingerbread man is placed on top of this cute little christmas time snack! 

Holly cupcake - So easy, yet so effective this chocolate cupcake is topped with vanilla bean buttercream then using jelly sweets its decorated to resemble a holly branch. To make this cupcake even more indulgent it can be filled with chocolate gnash in the middle, so when someone takes a bite, they will get a mouthful of gooey runny chocolate! 

Nutella, hazelnut cupcake - I know this doesn't look very christmasy but for me a Ferrero Rocher is a typical christmas treat so resembling it in a cupcake was perfect. Its a basic chocolate cupcake with a Nutella buttercream frosting then topped with a Ferrero Rocher. 

Caramel cupcake - Ahhh. Heaven in a cupcake is all I can say. I've always been a huge fan of caramel and nothing can take my love away from it so combining it with a cupcake just seemed to good to be true. It probably have like a zillion calories but ahh well, its a one of and what the hell its christmas, indulge yourself! This cupcake is a caramel cupcake filled with dulche le leche then topped with a caramel buttercream (don't worry a full recipe will come soon when I make this cupcake).

That's it for now, but no doubt i will think of more things to bake before christmas comes and when I don't you will be the first to know. 

DIY: Let's clear that skin !

Good afternoon, sorry I've been a bit MIA lately I've been really busy as you know i was in the USA (i'll go into that at a later date) for a few months but now I'm back and ready to rumble !!! So anyway I have LOADS of projects planned for the upcoming future, what with Christmas, Halloween and birthdays around the corner I have lots of baking to do and no doubt I will be recording my every step to ensure you don't miss a thing 👍

Anyway today my post is all about SKIN !!! Weather you have oily, dry or combination skin we can all look after our skin a little bit better and rather than using the store bought face scrubs, cleansers and moisturisers which are mostly full of harsh chemicals, I'm going to let you in on a few of my go to skin remedies that I make at home with little effort and may I add it hardly costs a £1. BARGAIN! And there are no harsh chemicals involved. Ok so enough of me chattier chatting, let's get to it;

1) BLACKHEAD REMOVER - get rid of your blackheads in literally five minutes with this quick and easy blackhead remover, all you have to do is chop a lemon in half and add 2-3 drops of honey straight to the centre of the lemon, then rub the lemon all over your face making sure to pay close attention to the blackhead prone areas of your face. Leave this lemon and honey mixture on your face for around go 10 minutes and then rinse with cold water and you will see the results immediately !

2) ACHE SCARS - did you pick your spots when you were a teenager and
Now you are paying the price with scarring? Well worry no more with this easy ache scar remover. First off all your going to need is 4 tablespoons of honey, 3 teaspoons of plain yogurt, 4 teaspoons of lemon juice and 1 egg white. Now once you have all these products your going to want to mix them together and apply the mixture to your clean skin and leave it here for 15-20 minutes, then rinse of with cold water. You should do this twice a week and after a few weeks you will see visible reductions in your ache scars.

3) OILY SKIN - Do you suffer from oily, shiny skin that you have to constantly powder or blot ? Well now I have to answer to your blotting prayers. Your going to want to take a avocado, one egg white and half a teaspoon of lemon juice and mix them together to create a paste, then apply this paste to your freshly washing face and leave for 10-15 minutes. After this time you should rinse your face of with cold water and vwalllllllllaaaa!!! Your skin should now me oil free.

4) DRY SKIN - or do you have to opposite problem and your skin is constantly dry, forget the store bought moisturisers and creams, here's what you need to do... Go and grab 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon of baby oil, combine them together in a bowl and apply this mixture to your face, elbows, knees or anywhere else you may have dry skin. Leave this mixture on for 20 minutes then rinse of with cold water. Repeat weekly for easiest results.

Anyway I think that's all i have for now, I'll be back a lot sooner than my precious post and will have more exiting, useful, creative tips and tricks to share with you (maybe even a little video to go along side them)

Thanks for reading my blog and as always have a great day 👋
Rachel (Catalow333)