Cupcake Caboodle, Mackay, Qld.

Strawberry Shortcake

2011-08-30T10:37:00.001+10:00

Strawberry Shortcake... a combination of hand made strawberries and flavoured icings and cupcake pics, and cupcake rings. I think it looks a fun mix though!

Say it with cupcakes!

2011-08-30T10:35:00.000+10:00

What more can you say!

Jungle characters

2011-08-30T10:33:00.002+10:00

These comical jungle characters are a hit for the youngsters birthdays.

Black and Gold Engagement

2011-08-30T10:29:00.002+10:00

The theme for the engagement was simply black and gold. The cakes were vanilla and sticky chocolate mud. The 60 cupcakes and a cutting cake fitted well on the 4 tiered stand.

Hello Sailor

2011-07-17T11:07:00.001+10:00

Keeping it simple can be very effective. White frositng, red anchors, and for an extra touch the blue and white cupcake wrappers.

Pink & Yellow 21st

2011-07-17T11:05:00.001+10:00

Tegan wanted frangipanies and opossite pink and yellow 21s on pink and yellow vanilla cupcakes. Yum!

AFL party

2011-07-17T11:03:00.001+10:00

Some Lions uniforms and Essendon uniforms for a party challenge.

70s Disco theme

2011-05-05T20:43:00.001+10:00

Cupcakes for a 70d Disco themed party! Hasné everyone played Twister! Remeber the mirror balls and the dial phones...?!!!

A Hens Night

2011-05-05T20:40:00.004+10:00

Looks like a fun nigh!

High Roller Night!

2011-05-05T20:38:00.000+10:00

A high rollers casino 50th Birthday... Not Bad!

Masquerade Party

2011-05-05T20:35:00.003+10:00

Cakes for a Masquerade Party.

2011-05-05T20:31:00.002+10:00

These cupcakes are vanilla, red velvet and dark mud. The customer told me that the gentleman to recieve these cakes was "into antique Norton Motor bikes." This is what I managed. The man LOVED them! Phew!

2011-05-05T20:22:00.003+10:00

It's a Boy!

A huge, giant cupcake!

What a wonderful gift!

Welcome to the World!

2011-02-06T21:39:00.001+10:00

A gift box for the new Mum and Dad! Welcome to the world little one but your Mum and Dad need a little reward too!

Shopaholics Gift Box

2011-02-06T21:37:00.001+10:00

We all have a friend who likes her shoes or bags just that little bit more than the normal gal! Well here is the gift box for her! Vanilla cupcakes topped with strawberry topping and decorated with elegant handbags and shoes!

Disney

2011-02-06T21:34:00.002+10:00

Disney in fondant. At Cupcake Caboodle we make our own fondant, colour it and flavour it. Donald and Micky Mouse were fun to make and if you allow enough time the sky is the limit for what I can create.

A lovely Birthday Gift box

2011-02-06T21:32:00.001+10:00

These beautiful cakes were Luscious Chocolate and Vanilla, decorated for a lovely present.

For the Horse lover

2011-02-06T21:28:00.003+10:00

On New Years Eve I was able to make some Chocolate Mud and Vanilla cupakes with opposite toppings and decorated with black and white horse themed decorations.

2011-01-29T14:23:00.000+10:00

Newsletter design customized with Smilebox

2011 Prices and Flavours

2011-01-03T07:40:00.003+10:00

Cupcake Caboodle offers a wide selection of flavoured cupcakes all topped with the appropriate flavoured toppings to make each bite a treat!

$40 per dozen or $3.5 each for midi cupcakes (smaller than a texas muffin, larger than a fairy cake), up to 3 flavours choices in a dozen.

$40 for 2 dozen mini bite sized cakes, up to 2 flavour choices.

Delivery in the Mackay area is $10 and stand hire is also $10.

Gift Boxes of white mud, dark mud and vanilla cupcakes are available in the following sizes and prices.

Box of 3 = $20

Box of 5 = $25

Box of 8 = $35

Box of 12 = $45

Flavours on offer are Vanilla/ luscious Chocolate/ Dark mud/ White mud/ Caramel mud/ Butterscotch/ Tiramisu/ Carrot/ Apple Strudel/ Cappuccino/ Latte/ Lemon meringue/ Rocky road/ Peanut butter & choc chip/ Cherry ripe/ Black forrest/ Banana caramel/ Sticky date/ Chai/ Coconut/ Mint choc chip/ Orange/ Jaffa/ Red Velvet.

Various SHAPED cupcake can be made too, trains, flowers, tea cakes, presents, bugs, dinosaurs, and ginger bread men.

Romantic Engagement Party

2011-01-03T07:12:00.003+10:00

This Engagement Party's only request was for something romantic. Wow! so I kept it simple and let the event and the cakes speak for themselves.

A black and red engagement party

2010-11-28T21:38:00.000+10:00

Simple but effective.

To brighten your day

2010-11-28T21:36:00.001+10:00

To brighten your day, or for a work place birthday.

For a baby boy

2010-11-28T21:35:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the world little man, and a sugar fix for Mum and Dad!

For a special friend

2010-11-28T21:29:00.002+10:00

A special gift for a special artist.

Soft and Romantic

2010-11-28T21:26:00.001+10:00

This weekend was a lovely relaxed engagement party, I had no colour instructions, just flavours and to make it romantic.... Simple and relaxed.

Pink, White and Silver 21st

2010-11-28T21:20:00.001+10:00

Stars and features are a hit at the moment!

Giant Cupcake

2010-11-28T21:10:00.002+10:00

For this 60th Birthday my guide lines were pale mint green, pale pink, and small white daisies, keep it elegant.

We boxed the individual cupcakes and tied ribbons around them so as the guests could take them home for a treat later. The feature was a giant cupcake on the birthday girls table with beads wired to hang from the cake.

Barbie Birthday

2010-11-28T21:05:00.001+10:00

This was a great little girlie birthday party! Barbie was the basic idea, and I developed the ideas a bit further for a fun girlie party. For a little bit extra $ we put pink cupcake wrappers on too!

Biggest Boob

2010-10-17T21:03:00.000+10:00

Mackay people gathered today to help create a "big boob" with placards and have an aerial photo taken. Cupcake Caboodle was there to sell boobie cupcakes and help raise much needed money for Breast Cancer. This event was a Pink Ribbon day event so some cupcakes had little boobs, some were big boobs and some had pink ribbons. A great way to spend a spring Sunday morning!

Hearts and hearts

2010-10-11T20:31:00.002+10:00

For this wedding I made dark and white mud cupcakes, topping the dark mud with a white chocolate icing and the white mud cupcakes with a milk chocolate ganashe and then decorating them with the opposite coloured hearts. To add to the effect I used wired to hang hearts at different heights from the display.

Pampered Pooch!

2010-09-18T22:44:00.000+10:00

For the truly pamper Pooch! Pup cakes made with low sugar (only in the icing) and healthy blend of pumpkin and oats and cinnamon, make these a great Birthday treat for any special dog.

Scarey 21st!!!

2010-09-18T22:42:00.000+10:00

Skulls, bones, hearts, stars, and spiders were the guide for this 21st Birthday. Luscious chocolate and vanilla cupcake with a Black forest cutting cake were what the guests and birthday girl enjoyed munching as the night went on....

Dinasours

2010-09-18T22:38:00.000+10:00

A prehistoric party! Dinasours look great in there natural habbitat! Vanilla cupcakes dipped in a strawberry flavoured glase and piped features really make these friendly fellows look great!

14th Birthday Bash

2010-09-18T22:34:00.000+10:00

Choc Mud, Rocky Road and Vanilla were the flavours for this 14 year old party! Mobile phone, shoes, Havanas and hand bags were also the go! After being booked out 2 years in a row this lucky girl finally got Cupcake Caboodle cupcakes!

Ruby Wedding Anniversary

2010-07-18T17:49:00.000+10:00

This lovely lady saw the work I was doing on our 21 st Bang with feathers and wanted her own version of it. It came up quite well with his and her cupcakes!

Soccer again!

2010-07-17T16:35:00.000+10:00

Once again my soccer cupcakes have made an appearance! Our local radio Sea FM did a promotion for kids called Soccer Monday on the day of the Grand final of the World Cup. I was privileged to be involved and of coarse my soccer loving girls came along too!

Fun in the Jungle

2010-07-17T16:31:00.000+10:00

One of my clients saw the jungle baby shower and loved it so much I recreated it for her sons 1st birthday.

Betty Boop

2010-07-17T16:29:00.000+10:00

Hey, this was a challenge! Betty Boop, tried to decorate with my usual hand made icings but had to admit defeat and get a great business associate to print some edible images for me. I did do some ruby red Betty Boop lips thou!

Baby Boy

2010-07-17T16:26:00.000+10:00

Hello Clare,

I wanted to email and thank you again for your lovely cupcake arrangement today! They were absolutely superb! A huge hit with everyone! Even the most seasoned of cucake bakers (the grandmother's of the group!) were extremely astounded and pleasant surprised by your secret recipe. People couldn't take their eyes of them all day and did not stop talking about the precision and detail (and taste of course) that went into each cupcake creation!
Thank you so, so much! ### was absolutely delighted with them and they were the true highlight of the day.

21st in Feathers!

2010-07-17T16:21:00.001+10:00

So what do you think of this one! I love it! We have 50 cupcakes and a cutting cake, flavours include dark mud, white mud, vanilla and black forest. Nice for something special don't you think? I did add a black feather bower around the base of the cutting cake as the party for that little something extra.

A Beach Wedding

2010-06-27T21:32:00.000+10:00

This wedding wanted some tropical flowers like frangipanies and to incorporated pink rose buds and the various colour in the bouquets. The cutting cake was black forest and the cupcakes were dark mud and white mud. I made 2 special egg free cakes for a family member with allergies.

Something different..

2010-06-12T22:32:00.001+10:00

I love a challenge, and this was definitely a challenge, a birthday party is coming up and the lady wanted the cakes decorated with frogs... Mmmm. I fiddled around for a while and finally came up with these examples, I think they look really cute.

School Reunion

2010-06-12T22:29:00.000+10:00

Hi all! Wow! I have been soooo busy!! I have moved home, and been doing heaps of cakes! These ones are worth a look though! One of our local schools is having their 20 year reunion this weekend and the organisers have stepped outside the box and got individual cupcakes decorated with the school logo. What do you think?? I individually packaged them so as the Old Boys and Girls could take them home.

Beach Theme Wedding

2010-04-26T17:47:00.000+10:00

This wedding was planned for a beach about an hours drive from Mackay. I needed to pack the cakes so as they could travel safely and be set up on their stand by the cheif bridesmaid. I decorated in line with their beach theme, and I have to admit that I was pleased with how they looked! The only problem we encountered was the moist air, and that makes the decorations very sticky, and even the colours can run.

Alice in Wonderland

2010-04-18T21:42:00.000+10:00

My challenge this week was to decorate some cupcakes in the theme of Alice in Wonderland! The main challenge is that the new movie uses real actors and not just animation, and this makes decorations more difficult! I ended up doing some funky looking Cheshire cats, some Mad top-hats, some red and white roses, the white rabbit, and some teacups, saucers and teapots, to represent the Mad Hatters tea party. Let me know what you think?! This was for a sweet 16 year old!

Tip 29

2010-04-18T21:28:00.001+10:00

Why is Steaming vegetables soooo popular?
Steaming is a great way to cook your vegetables, because the vegies are not sitting in water their vitamins are not leached out into the water and then tipped down the sink. You don't need to spend alot of money to be able to steam, a bamboo steamer or an expandable steamer that fits into any saucepan will do the same job at an electrical one.
If you can boil water, you can steam. Place your steamer in a wok or saucepan of water (5cm) but don't allow the food to touch the water. Food should be in 1 layer and not touching each other, use a tight fitting lid soa as steam can't escape, and allow veg to cook to desired texture.

Tip 28

2010-04-13T12:22:00.000+10:00

The best way to store Asparagus is to stand the spears upright in a glass with 1-2 cm of water and a freezer bag over the top and a rubber band to hold the bag in place on the glass.

Administrative Assistants Day

2010-04-13T12:18:00.000+10:00

Would you like to say THANK YOU to your Administrative Assistant on their special day?? April 21 is the day to say "Well done", so say it with a gift box of gourmet cupcakes, Clare will deliver by 11am on Wednesday the 21 April. Email Clare at trustclare@bigpond.com to place your order and get Clare's detalils for payment.

International Year of the Nurse

2010-04-13T12:13:00.000+10:00

Did you know that 2010 is the International Year of the Nurse? Well it is! So recently as a thank- you from one Health Division to the Nurses I did gourmet mixed cupcakes decorated with the red cross and hearts. I think they look OK, what do you think?

A Ruby wedding Anniversary

2010-04-04T22:01:00.000+10:00

A selection of dark mud, white mud and caramel mud cakes are topped with white roses, white hearts and the initials of the happy couple. The roses were the flowers used in the wedding. Congratulations Guys on 40 years!

Tip 27

2010-04-04T21:56:00.000+10:00

Did you know that people who are lactose intolerant can usually still eat yoghurt? True! The lactose is already broken down by the bacteria in the yoghurt.

21 st Birthdays

2010-04-04T21:53:00.000+10:00

This weekend was busy with 21st Birthdays! Here are some of the cakes that I made to help in the celebrations!

Wedding music

2010-03-28T20:54:00.000+10:00

Just want to share a local Mackay band/ duo/ trio with you! Lantana, two lovely ladies who sing and play music for functions and weddings. If you want more they are also a trio or can be a whole four piece band. Their size depends on your needs! They play all genres of easy listening cover music and their own originals. These ladies have character and I think you will really like them! You can contact Mary Anne on 0417632526 or cannonm@westnet.com.au

Tip 26

2010-03-28T20:47:00.000+10:00

Hi there! Long time no blog! So sorry, what can I say, life has run away lately! I hope I am back on track again!
Todays tip is that you can protect your non-stick pans when stacking them by simply popping a piece of paper towel or a dish cloth in between them to stop them crashing together and damaging each other. This is also a great way to store serving bowls and platters.

Tip 25

2010-02-14T21:01:00.001+10:00

Have you ever run out of milk in the middle of makeing a cake? If you have sour cream or yogurt in the fridge don't be afraid to mix some in with the milk, it gives a nice texture to the cake and doesn't change the reciepe's focus.

Big Kiss Down Under Hot FM

2010-02-14T20:50:00.000+10:00

Hot FM Mackay's Big Kiss Down Under. I teamed up with Hot FM to help promot the Big Kiss Down Under. The participants in the big kiss were given a white mud cupcake topped with raspberry topping and red roses and red hearts. A great morning was had by every one!

Scotish Thistles

2010-02-14T20:45:00.000+10:00

A Family reunion with 5 generations getting together requested cupcakes for the 2 Great Grandmothers with a special memory of Scotland. I had Scotish thistles printed on edibale paper and topped these Maxi cupcakes to help make the day extra special.

Puppy dogs

2010-02-14T20:39:00.000+10:00

Puppy dogs for a seven year old to take to school and share for her birthday. Don't know that the teacher will be thrilled to have 30 hypo children filled up with chocolate mud cakes....????mmmm

Valentine's day gift boxs

2010-02-14T20:33:00.001+10:00

Valentine's day was a busy day, actually a busy weekend! I delivered many gift boxs of various sizes to men and women, most hoping the gift receivor would share the booty of cakes with them! Enjoy a romantic day and remember the way to a man/ womans heart is through their tummy!

Edibale Printing

2010-02-14T20:24:00.000+10:00

Sugar Australia recently got me to make cupcakes and decorate them with their logo for a special training event. They particualily wanted the logo they were using printed on edibale paper, I was able to organise this, and although it did increase the cost, the result was Fab!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-01T10:10:00.000+10:00

Valentine's Day Gifts!

Cupcake Caboodle is offering gift boxs of gourmet-decorated cupcakes in packs of 3/5/8/12 priced from $17.50 - $40 delivered to your special person in the Mackay area.

Try a dozen Red Roses! 12 gourmet flavoured cupcakes decorated with red roses, more that enough to share!

Order before 12 noon on Friday 12 Feb. through blog email or 0439993775.

Tip 24

2010-01-31T05:55:00.000+10:00

Here's a good tip to remember with all the salads we eat during summer! Your lettuce will actually keep longer if you don't wash it as soon as you get home from the shop..... store it in a dry plastic bag in the fridge until ready to use it and then wash it.

Check out these!

2010-01-30T07:25:00.000+10:00

One of the blogs I follow is two creative ladies who design cupcake wrappers! Have a look at their blog an let me know which ones you think I should stock. I love the blank ones that kids can design them selves... maybe even adults at a Hens night or Baby shower! Their link is down the side of my blog....

tip 23

2010-01-29T11:42:00.001+10:00

Life is not a dress rehaersal!

Say Thankyou/ I love you/ or I'm thinking of you with a gift box of cupcakes!

Cupcake Caboodles gift boxs range in price and size from $17:50 for 3 decorated cupcakes to $40 for 12 decorated cupcakes.

70s theme

2010-01-24T20:54:00.000+10:00

A fabulous 40th birthday party was having a 70's theme! I chose colours and patterns appropriate to the era and topped white mud and dark mud cupcakes with these decorations!

Black and Silver 18th

2010-01-24T20:51:00.000+10:00

This birthday girl had no idea of how she wanted her cupcakes decorated, but her favourite colours were black and silver and she liked pretty things. So this is what I came up with for her. They went down a treat!

White elephants...

2009-12-08T13:26:00.000+10:00

Wow! what a weekend! I did 3 baby showers this weekend! All different, and all wonderful fun! Check out the white elephants and yellow rubber duckies!

Photo cake feature

2009-12-08T13:19:00.000+10:00

The mother of this birthday girl wanted a photo of her "little girl" on the cutting cake, so I contacted a local lady who specialises in this, we worked together and the result was great, as you can see.

70th Birthday Surprise

2009-12-08T13:10:00.000+10:00

When planning a surprise 70th Birthday party for her mother, Nikki fell in love with a wedding cake I had made, so we changed it from silver to gold and did it again! Yes, the birthday girl was surprised!

Tip 23

2009-11-30T17:59:00.000+10:00

When baking cakes, unless the recipe states a particular type of sugar to use, always use Caster Sugar as it dissolves faster than grade A sugar and gives the cake a great texture.

Tip 22

2009-11-22T20:34:00.001+10:00

Hey guys! When making pasta sauce, remember to stop cooking before the sauce is the ideal thickness that you desire. The pasta will continue to absorb the sauce while cooking and even while in your bowl waiting for you to eat it. So avoid the gluggy gluey sauce and keep it a bit on the runny side. Happy cooking!

Tip 21

2009-11-18T20:47:00.000+10:00

Next time you are rolling out dough try using spray oil instead of flour to stop the dough sticking to the bench, rolling pin or your hands. This helps maintain the texture of the dough. Really good with pizza dough!

Jungle Themed Baby Shower

2009-11-03T16:56:00.001+10:00

What do you think of these funky jungle characters! I love them! Gourmet cupcakes decorated like this on a stand made a great feature to wrap the whole baby shower around! Nearly makes me clucky!!!

Tip 20

2009-11-03T16:48:00.000+10:00

As a kid growing up I always wondered why my mother used to peel cue-cumber and then run the prongs of a fork down the length of the cue-cumber. Yes, when sliced it did look pretty, but, why bother! Well, I have recently learnt that by running the fork down the cue-cumber you are releasing the acid just under the skin that often cause cue-cumber to "repeat" on you! Give it a go! you might get to enjoy it for a change in your salads instead of avoiding it!!

Tip 19

2009-10-19T21:44:00.000+10:00

How often does dinner time roll around and you realise that you haven't got the time to cook the meal that you planned? If you have run out of time, why not make the make the stirfry vegetables or pasta that you planned, but instead of using raw chicken breast or thigh that needs marinating and cooking (maybe even defrosting!) chop up some BBQ chicken and stir it through your hot vegetables or pasta. Cheat! Cheat! Cheat!

Tip 18

2009-10-15T13:42:00.000+10:00

Don't you hate it when your tomato paste or pesto gets mouldy before you use it! Try following some Grandmotherly advice and portion it up into ice cube trays, freezeing it and just using what you need when you need it.

Taste experience

2009-10-14T12:38:00.000+10:00

I have had some fabulous feed back lately that I thought I would share with you! An email from one of the wedding cupcake displays called the cupcakes "a taste experience! People were looking for more! I LOVED the icing!" Another lady from a "Girls Night In" party said "the cupcakes were divine and looked fantastic. The ladies made a huge fuss over them." Some Cupcake Caboodle newbies have experienced the cakes at parties and work and have since become wonderful clients enjoying the various flavour sensations!

Logo cupcakes

2009-10-08T21:26:00.000+10:00

Strategic Media Partners used these dark mud cupcakes with their logo on them to invite their clients to their 1st Birthday. What a great idea!

Christmas in September!

2009-10-05T21:11:00.000+10:00

Wow! I have already done my first Christmas party for 2009!!! Can you believe it! This company wanted to be first and they were!! A mass of Christmas mud cupcakes makes a great change from ye ol fruit cake or pudding. Speak to Clare about orders for coporate Christmas gift boxs of 3,5, or 12.

Butterfly Wedding

2009-10-05T21:05:00.000+10:00

Mid September is a great time for weddings! This was a lovely wedding with the colour theme of silver and purple and butterflys. I made white mud and dark mud cupcakes and a dark mud cutting cake. They were topped with a mixture of 4 different styles of butterflys in various shades of purple and violet. I used some wooden butterflys on springs to add a different dimension to the cupcake display. I was really pleased with how it looked and tasted and so was the lovely bride and groom.

Tip 17

2009-09-28T21:25:00.000+10:00

When working out how much icing to put on a cupcake, allow 2 parts cake and 1 part icing for a good blend of flavour and texture. Enjoy!!!

Tip 16

2009-09-21T19:35:00.000+10:00

Why do we "brown meat"? Some people think by "browning" meat that we are sealing in the meats juices, but the real reason is to develop flavour and texture. Most recipes ask us to "deglase" the cooking pan at some stage, this is the process of using liquid to lift of the cooking sediment off the pan ( the bits left behind when browning the meat), this helps build a sauce full of flavour. So by "browning meat" we are starting to build the flavour for the entire dish that we are cooking.

Tip 15

2009-09-15T22:51:00.000+10:00

Why do so many baking recipes want us to "cream butter and sugar"? When I first started cooking I couldn't understand why we had to "cream butter and sugar", I prefered to melt the butter and mix in the sugar... I soon learnt that wasn't a good short cut! By "creaming the butter and sugar" we add air to our mix and trapping the bubbles in the butter, we are also dissolving the sugar so as we get a much lighter and smoother texture to our baking. So, don't be tempted to cut corners!!! Happy cooking.

BMX

2009-09-06T20:06:00.000+10:00

Recently I was asked to send some white and dark mud cupcakes to a 16 year old young man at work.... he is into BMX riding....
So after hours of trying to make bikes out of icing, I had to give up and find some funky BMX pictures that would help create the theme of the cupcakes.

Tip 14

2009-09-06T19:59:00.000+10:00

When making Banana cakes, muffins and bread why are we always asked for over ripe bananas??? and why don't normal ripe ones work as well?
Banana cake, muffin, bread receipes always ask for over ripe bananas because their sugar levels have increased as they have got riper and riper, and the banana has started to soften, so is easier to mash and add to your cooking batter.
Did you know that you can freeze whole bananas unpealed and just defrost and and squeeze them out of their skins when you are ready to use them? Give it a go next time you have a glut of bananas!

Tip 13

2009-08-30T21:16:00.004+10:00

Hi there cooks! Did you know that you get a worse cut with a blunt knife, and that it takes longer to heel than you do with a sharp knife?? It is true! So my tip this week is to sharpen your knives and keep them in tip top condition. Happy Cooking!

Naughtly but Nice.

2009-08-28T20:14:00.003+10:00

What more can I say!!! Great for Hens Nights, or a party with a difference.... even a gift box for the accountant or bean counter! Luscious white mud cupcakes with a dash of fun.

Tux Wedding

2009-08-25T21:18:00.002+10:00

This is the wedding cake that Clare made for Steve and Letisha who won the Whirlwind Wedding on Hot FM, in Mackay.
The cupcakes are dark mud and white mud cakes topped with garnash and white chocolate icing and then decorated. This stand hold 50 cupcakes and looks fabulous.

Upsy Daisy and Iglle Piggle

2009-08-25T21:14:00.001+10:00

Are your kids into "In the Night Garden"? Cupcake Caboodle can decorate cupcakes in their favourite character.

Tip 11

2009-08-16T20:41:00.006+10:00

One of my favourite winter things is Pumpkin Soup. But! I do get borde with the same old thing... So why not try some of the variations I use..

add some crispy fried diced bacon
add some curry paste and some coconut cream for a Thai style
add a can of creamed corn
stir in some pesto
add a can of minestrone soup
add some honey and sour cream

Happy cooking!

Tip 12

2009-08-15T21:39:00.003+10:00

I used to avoid making scones, but after watching Masterchef a few weeks ago I have gone into over drive with the scone thing! Try it out! No rubbing butter in! No fuss!!!

3 cups of SR flour

1 tea sp baking powder

2 Table sp caster sugar

1 egg

150 ml cream

150-175 ml milk

Mix with a bread and butter knife, lightly knead on floured board, cut, arrange on baking tray. If you keep the scones fairly close together they will support one another as they rise. Brush with a little milk, hot oven (220 degrees) about 10-15 min.

Enjoy!

Black and Gold Wedding

2009-08-10T22:26:00.002+10:00

For this cosey wedding of 40 I made white mud and dark mud cupcakes and topped them with chocolate ganashe, chocolate frosting, butterscotch topping and a mild pineapple icing. The cakes were topped with yellow roses and white frangipanies.

Tip 10

2009-08-09T19:49:00.002+10:00

How do you get a perfect, smooth mashed potato...? Give this a go... 1/2 kg of peeled potatoes, boiled, strain off liquid, add 4 Table spoons of milk, 2 Table spoons of butter, salt and pepper and then mash, (some people use a masher, a ricer or a fork, what ever you are comfortable with!). Once you are happy with the mash, finish it off by belting the mash with a wooden spoon! This really smooths out any lumps or bumps and gives a great glossy finish, watch out Master Chef!

Bill's 80th

2009-08-06T19:44:00.002+10:00

A lovely elegant way to celebrate Bill's 80th Birthday. 2 dozen gourmet cupcakes, lemon meringue, vanilla and strawberry, and luscious chocolate. Clare supplied a stand to help put the finishing touch to the cupcakes presentation.

USA President is a Cupcake Fan!!!

2009-08-05T22:16:00.002+10:00

Obama gave Vice President Joe Biden a gift box of a dozen cupcakes for his 66th birthday, and this week he sang Happy Birthday to Helen Thomas ( a veteran White House reporter) and presented her with cupcakes on his own birthday. Obama is also quoted as saying "Cupcakes are a necessity in life"!!! So! If it is good enough for the most powerful man in the world to give cupcakes why don't you give it a go!

Tip 9

2009-08-02T21:22:00.002+10:00

Does your block of cheese start to get mouldy even if you store it in "tupperware"? One way to help prevent this is to store a paper sachet of sugar (the sort we get with our coffees) in the cheese container too. This changes the pH of the cheese environment and gives the cheese a longer fresher life.

Relaxed Tropical Wedding.

2009-07-27T21:39:00.001+10:00

Here we have white mud cupcakes with a butterscotch icing decorated with hand painted palm leaves on fondant. Dark mud cupcakes are topped with a rich ganache and then whimsical coral coloured hearts. The bride and groom wanted to have a banana cutting cake with butterscotch icing and their ribbon around the base, fresh flowers were going to be put on the cake on the big day. The cupcakes were going to be served as desert with sorbets. Sounds Yummmm!

Tip 8

2009-07-27T21:35:00.000+10:00

WARNING WARNING!!! when boiling your pasta DO NOT ADD OIL, it might help the pasta not stick together, but it will also prevent that great sauce you have made (or bought!!) sticking to the pasta as well. Instead, try cooking the pasta in a larger pot with lots of boiling water... :-)

Tip 7

2009-07-20T21:38:00.000+10:00

Do you find "left-overs" a challenge... what can you do with left over Macaroni Cheese...
Grab your muffin pan, place a short cut of bacon around the muffin cup, put a scoop of Mac cheese in and crack an egg on top. Bake in the oven for a great Sunday night quick and easy meal! (Extra hint, your silicon muffin pans are great for this one!)