Things We Love Right Now

{Chunky, colourful necklaces}

Every now and then, we come across some things that seriously make us happy. This week, it was all about food and continued welcoming of the summery weather that is making itself known around here. Here are a few of the things we are loving right now.

Have a great weekend!



{Harry's Lamington ice cream}

{International chocolates from Japan and Italy}

{Freshly baked brownies}

STANDBY BROWNIES

150g butter

1 ¼ cups caster sugar

3/4 cup cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

½ cup plain flour

Preheat oven to 100°C.

Place the butter, sugar and cocoa in a saucepan over low heat and stir until the butter has melted.

Spoon into a bowl and add the vanilla and eggs, whisking well.

Sift the flour over the mixture and whisk to combine.

Spoon the mixture into a 20cm-square cake tin, lined with non-stick baking paper.

Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until centre is just set.

Cool in tin and cut into squares to serve.

Makes 16.

Donna Hay: Fast, Fresh, Simple.

Nostalgia + Versatile Blogger Award

To celebrate a much welcomed Friday afternoon, we decided on a spot of baking. Catching up over a cup of tea, a stack of old magazines and freshly baked sweets has always been a favourite past time of ours, and Friday was no exception. When we came across this recipe for Smartie cookies, we were instantly reminded of our childhood; jars filled with brightly decorated biscuits on top of the café counter. Thus, it only seemed natural that we whip up a batch!

We would like to say a massive thank you to Bec, at Daisy and the Fox, for kindly awarding us The Versatile Blogger Award. We are very flattered and grateful for this acknowledgement!

The rules for the award are as follows:
-        Thank the person who nominated me and link back to them in my post
-        Share 7 things about myself
-        Pass the award on to 15 more bloggers that I enjoy
-        Contact the bloggers I have chosen to let them know that they have been selected!

7 things about us:

1. This blog is named after each of our dogs, Honey and Lulu

2. We have been best friends for 10+ years

3. We live two doors apart, on the same street

4. We are avid market-goers – always in search of a bargain!

5. When we were kids, we built our own billy cart and spent every weekend amused by its fun

6. We have the exact same taste in music – Coldplay is our ultimate favourite!

7. We love to spend our free time creating and baking in the kitchen

The deserving recipients we have chosen to award are:
-        Profiteroles and Ponytails 
-        Eat Sweet by Carla Sue
-        Top the Cupcake
-        This Home Sweet Home
-        The Style Department
-        High Feather
-        The Chic Brûlée
-        Walk On The Style Site 
-        Sam Loves Cake
-        The Sugared Pecan
-        Welcome To My Jungle
-        Go Bake Yourself
-        Bubble and Sweet
-        M's Choice
-        Diary of a Daydreamer

Hoping you all have had a wonderful weekend!

Rainbow Birthday Cupcakes

In order to celebrate a birthday, a cake of some description is always needed in our opinion. Whether it’s in the form of classic chocolate, sponge, or ice cream, birthdays and cake simply go hand-in-hand. We made these cupcakes for a close friend’s birthday this past weekend, and they were just perfect for the occasion. The vanilla cupcakes, which are a firm favourite of ours from an old Donna Hay Magazine, were really quick and easy to whip up.  Decorated with a few confectionary favourites, including rainbow sour straps, sprinkles and of course, chocolate coins, the cupcakes came up a treat! Accompanied by the most delicious icing  found here, which was so light and fluffy, they certainly looked the part, and were very popular!

VANILLA CUPCAKES

250g unsalted butter, softened

1 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or vanilla essence)

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups plain flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted

½ cup milk

Preheat oven to 160°C. 

Line a muffin tray with patty cases.

Place the butter, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 8-10 minutes or until light and creamy. 

Gradually add the eggs, beating well after each addition. 

Add the flour and baking powder, alternating with the milk, and beat until the mixture forms a smooth batter. 

Bake for between 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Makes approximately 18 cupcakes.

Donna Hay Magazine Issue 29.