Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all my followers {and those just popping in :-) }... 

Wishing you all a very blessed Easter time with family and friends, and those travelling, drive safely!

Here's a few Easter ideas for you!

Make a beautiful marshmallow easter cake for your table

Fill hollow candy coated easter eggs with chocolate mousse

And make paper boats to serve your easter eggs, cheese and biscuits or any nibble that you want to put into it :-)

quotes i love {Stephen Grellet}

Rice Krispies Stars {no bake treats}

What you need:
3 Tablespoons Butter
1 Pack Marshmallows {about 40}
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Line a pan of approximately 35 x 25 x 5 cm with wax paper and cook 'n spray.

In a large saucepan melt the butter over a low heat.

Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted then remove from the heat.

Add the Rice Krispies and stir until well mixed.

Spread the mixture evenly into the lined pan {make sure that your mixture is not spread thicker than your cookie cutter, but not too thin that it will break}

Allow to cool.

Cut out your star forms with a star cookie-cutter {or any other form that you wish to cut out}

To put it on a stick: Dip the stick into melted white chocolate, then push it into the Rice Krispie star {it just helps keeping it together, not necessary}.

You can cover a piece of Styrofoam with material and push the "stars on the sticks" in this to serve!

Kids LOVE them and adults as well! ;-)

{Store at room temperature for not more than two days in an air-tight container}
{Can be frozen, use wax paper to separate the treats, and remove from freezer 15min before serving}

quotes i love... {Walt Disney}

Easter {Vanilla and Marshmallow} cake

This is such a beautiful cake, one that deserves a photo taken of it :-) it looks very impressive {and it's not that difficult}

What you need:
2 basic vanilla cakes
butter icing
400g marshmallows {10 for the middle of the cake}
1 packed of speckled eggs
1 Tablespoon butter

Place the one layer of vanilla cake on the cake stand, and spread half of the icing on the cake.  Cut the marshmallows in half and spread it on the cake.  Cover the bottom of the other vanilla cake with the res of the butter icing.  Then place it on top of the marshmallows.  

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Place the rest of the marshmallows in the pan and stir until melted.  When all the marshmallows have melted completely, pour it over the cake.

Place the speckled eggs on top of the cake.

This is a beautiful cake, but difficult to cut.  So make sure you have a sharp knife to cut it with.  Kids also love it they can pull everything apart.

If you don’t have a recipe for a basic vanilla cake or butter icing here is some out of the “You, Let’s cook book” a very easy cake recipe and only need one mixing bowl :-)

Basic white cake
150 g soft margarine
3 extra-large eggs
200 ml milk
5 ml (1t) vanilla essence
500ml (2c) cake flour
12 ml (2.5t) baking powder
pinch of salt
250 ml (1c) caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C
Grease two 20cm loose-based cake tins with butter, margarine or nonstick spray.
Line the base with baking paper.
Place the margarine, eggs, milk and Vanilla essence in a large mixing bowl and beat well.

Sift the Flour, baking powder, salt, and caster sugar over the margarine mixture in the bowl.  Beat with an electric beater for 1min or until well blended.

Divide the batter between the 2 cake tins, making a slight well in the centre of each.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 min or until a testing skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cakes.  Turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.  {makes 2 layers}

Butter icing
150g soft butter
900ml icing sugar
5ml (1t) vanilla essence

Beat the butter until creamy.  Sift in the icing sugar by the spoonful while beating continuously.  Add the vanilla essence and beat until creamy.

HAPPY EASTER!

quotes i love {Coco Chanel}

Origami paper boat

Do these paper boats not bring back memories? 

If you have forgotten to fold them... then I'll show you how and you can teach your kids :-) so they can go sailing them on the water and have "boat races" blowing them along.  

These boats also makes cute name tag holders for parties.

You need: a 25 x 20 cm paper {I used brown paper but a A5 or a A4 would also work well}

Start by folding the paper in half {lengthwise}

Then make a fold in the middle of the paper {as a guide} and fold the two top corners towards each other in the middle, with the "open" end to the bottom.

Then fold the "open" ends up

Fold in the corners.

Repeat both sides so that you end with a triangle.

Then open the triangle and fold the two bottom corners towards each other. 

So that you end with a diamond shape.

 Fold the two bottom pieces of the diamond shape up, so that you end with a triangle again.

Open the triangle and fold the two bottom corners of the triangle towards each other.

To end with a diamond shape again.

Separate the two top corners of the diamond shape to open it up.

Voila... you have a boat!

Happy sailing ;-) 

Carrot cake and brunch ideas

I had my sister's baby shower this week-end and thought I'd share some of the brunch idea's...

For dessert I made a lovely carrot cake {from a previous blog post :-) } it's lovely and moist and very easy!

Some croissants with a piece of wax paper tied with bakers twine just for the finishing touch ;-)

Plain yoghurt, drizzled with  honey and pieces of a seed bar that I cut up and put into the yoghurt.

Serve with a pretty container filled with yummy muesli.

Mini blueberry muffins... {yes I cheated and bought them} and they fit beautifully in the ramekins, so they almost looked like they were baked in them! ;-)

quotes i love

Ribbon Bunting

This ribbon bunting is so soft and feminine.  Add a touch of vintage to your next event! It's easy and quick :-)

What you need:
{for 1 meter of ribbon bunting}
Lace {different shades and patterns} 25 x 60cm strips {15m}
Soft satin ribbon {different shades and patterns} 25 x 60cm strips {15m}
2 m strong rope or ribbon {to tie the pieces to}

{You can also use material and cut it up into 60 x 2 cm strips - but remember it must be soft and flowing material}

Then simply just tie the pieces to the ribbon, one knot it enough and move around till you are happy with the spacing.

If you find it difficult to tie the it - tie the ribbon between two chairs then you don't have to worry to keep the ribbon straight :-)

Another idea is to arrange your ribbon and lace so that it goes from light to dark to give an ombre effect!

Hang above a table, at the entrance or under the trees and enjoy!

Chocolate mousse {for easter}

I'm not sure if the hollow sugar coated chocolate eggs are available all around the world... but if not i'm sure you can use the hollow chocolate eggs.  I thought this would be a nice dessert for easter to bring in the theme.

What you need:
4 eggs, separated
125 ml castor sugar
25 ml strong coffee
200g dark chocolate
100g unsalted butter chopped into blocks

To start I recommend you "prepare" your eggs :-) by just hitting off the top of the egg with a knife {softly}

Turning the egg around as you hit it until it comes off.

First mix the egg yolk and the castor sugar until it becomes thick and lighter in colour.  
Then mix in the coffee.  
Melt the chocolate over hot water on the stove {double boiler}.  
As soon as the chocolate is melted, start adding the butter one block at a time, until a smooth cream is formed. 
Now mix the chocolate to the egg-yolk mixture.  
Beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the chocolate mixture.  
Let the mixture rest in the fridge for about 30min before dishing into the eggs {the mixture is then less runny}

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Enjoy!

quotes i love...