Cake oh cake
Well, the chocolate cake rose a little more, but it just wasn’t as incredible as the ones my mum makes. I bought new self-raising flour and mum came over and sat in the kitchen and watched my every move. I did it exactly the way she would have. Exactly! So what went wrong? My theories to this now include that my oven is not the same as my mum’s. Perhaps it needs to be cooler – or hotter… or it’s the fact that mum pours melted butter into her metal mix-master bowl which immediately cools it slightly whereas my bowl is plastic so the butter stays hotter. Or maybe the eggs are too small or the eggs are too fresh. Perhaps it’s that the milk is not creamy enough (although mum says she uses Trim which is a low fat milk much like my Lite-Start). Anyway. The cake was fine. Just not perfect. Instead I think I am going to make some of this popcorn. The recipe looks pretty easy and the reviews are rave!
In other news, someone drove into my car while I was parked outside a friend’s house this afternoon. Fortunately they left a very nice note (“I RAN INTO YOUR CAR sorry…”) with contact details so I won’t have to pay for it but to get the back bumper bar fixed means I will be without a car for a while. While this doesn’t worry me too much because I still hate driving, it means it’s going to be hard to get little Amelia J around, because this is the car that her baby seat has been fitted into. Logistics are always trickier when there is this little new person involved.
Having your car damaged is horribly inconvenient. I’ve had the worst luck with cars (my last car was named “Christine” by my family because they were convinced it was bad luck — people just kept hitting it). It was wonderful of that person to leave you a note. You don’t hear of that very often. P.S. I too like the new illustration look!
Your poor car! Never mind, at least it’s only inconvenient and not awful, which it would be if they hadn’t left that note!
you’re lucky the someone left a note. in the past six months, i’ve had trolley scratches in my door, a smashed up side mirror, a stolen car stereo and today we discovered someone had backed into my car slightly and smashed up a headlight. all with no note, no apologies and nobody owning up. so it’s me who gets to foot the bill.
people suck.
It’s quite distressing when you can’t get a recipe just right, isn’t it? I know… I can’t seem to reproduce my mother’s cabbage rolls no matter how I try. They just don’t have that special mom-made flavour. Someday Amelia J will probably experience the same puzzle. And speaking of Amelia J… I’m dying to hear some AJ stories… What new exciting activities is she managing now? What’s her favourite toy? Does she still like one arm tucked in and one left out? she has an eager audience out here all ready to oooh! and aaaawww! her ever move! Beautiful illustration once again, Claire. I love the textures!
There was a hint from a magazine (here in the U.S.) called Cook’s Illustrated that suggested you could determine an approximate read of your oven’s true temperature by baking some of those prepackaged biscuits (like from Pillsbury) following the directions exactly, and seeing how long it takes. If the biscuits aren’t done in the times suggested, then your oven is colder than the dial reads (or hotter, conversely) — they said something about how the test kitchens at those major manufacturers standardize their products so they bake “perfectly” every time — which can help tell you how your oven works. I remember from the article that is was estimated that most ovens are off, reading 25 degrees (F) away from what the temperature really is — which can probably effect how a cake lifts or not.
I forgot — whe I said biscuits, I meant like breakfast biscuits (not cookies.) 🙂
My mom once told me that while cooking is an art, baking is a science. An oven thermometer come in extremely handy when you’re attempting to make all sorts of delicious dessert-like treats.
On the other hand, every time my mom asks my grandma how to make her blackberry-apple pie, a new “secret ingredient” is divulged, which is claimed to be the only thing missing from the last not-quite-there attempt. Maybe your mom just wants you to visit more. 😉
Hi,
just wanted to say that I really love your site – I’ve had some bad news today, and I came in here as part of my daily surfing and it made me feel better because it’s such a beautiful site – your illos are lovely.
Sorry about your car though.
thanks.
Oh! Love your new illustration style! Gorgeous!!
I am dreaming of a Spring illo! Your style is changing, evolving. You seem to be playing and it’s great.
I am dreaming of a Spring illo! Your style is changing, evolving. You seem to be playing and it’s great.
i don’t even try to emulate my mum/grandma’s recipes… they are both brilliant cooks, while i am not! but funnily enough my partner can cook their dishes better than me, and she’s not even chinese!!!! heheh… so i can still eat fantastic home-cooking that i have loved since childhood!
LOL.. “I ran into your car sorry…”
How cute.
A similar recipe to the caramel popcorn, but a low fat version is to melt some honey and peanut butter together then pour the mixture over some cooked popcorn and toss through until its all coated. Its best to keep it in the fridge and it is a delicious low fat snack!
PS I also love your new illo..
Sorry to hear about your car! I love the texture of the hair and the cheeks! Awesome!
Just a little something to keep in mind (although I hate to make your day any worse): I think when your car is in an accident with the baby seat in it, “they” (the experts, I guess) recommend that you replace the seat, in case it was damaged. The guilty party’s insurance should cover it. At least, that’s how it works in the States…
Hope tomorrow’s better!
that totally sucks about your car!
i’m glad they left a note though.
it’s nice to know that there are some good honest people left in this world. 🙂
I think you’re really lucky to have a little note from the person who ran into your car. My friend had his the whole of back rammed into, lights, boot & all. Hit & run, basically…
Well, goes to show that there are indeed some nice drivers out there.. hehe
Wow your new style of illos is wonderful! You are just such an inspiration to me. I come visit your site every day and it just makes me get on my wacom and draw draw draw! I hope to be half as talented as you!! And hopeful to get into a similar career. Which is hard right now in New York, but may be more possible when I move to Stockholm next month.
I can’t believe they actually left a note on your car! Around here it’s “If nobody saw it, I’m getting the heck outta here!”
I’m teaching a class to teachers enrolled in a Masters degree program and am including a portion about blogs. I am utterly fascinated that there are so many kind folks commenting on your postings. Do most of the posters know you in your everyday life, or did they all meet you here online?
Lori… very few I have met or know in real life. I imagine most people who leave comments have arrived here via links from other blog sites.
please post more comments, I will visit this site again
Your are not the only one.
Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius.