High Five For Friday

After having a past few weeks where I've taken a few days off here and there during the week, working for a full five days seems so torturous! I'm linking up with Lauren in the USA to highlight my week so far.

1/  I made lemon cake this week! It was the first time I have ever, ever made this and it turned out perfect! I love it when a plan comes together!

2/  Thank God for Post-It notes. This week, I've had so much on my mind, I've had to write a list to remind myself to make a list.

3/  The heel of one of my fave pair of shoes broke the other month and I couldn't bear to throw them away! It took ages to get them sent away to be fixed so now feels like I got a new pair of shoes when I collected them this week! (not exactly 'new shoe' feeling, but close!)

4/  Thursday this week actually felt like Spring had finally sprung! Just ignore the forecast for the rest of the week.

5/  No more squashed morning train commute to work! So glad its Friday.

Nigella Lawson's perfect every time Lemon Drizzle Cake

When life gives you lemons, make Lemon Drizzle Cake! Why? Because this was the first time I have ever made this cake and the recipe was perfect! Hence the title. The most glamorous job a lemon has performed in my kitchen was to star in honey and lemon tea for a cold. Now we're really branching out here with cakes! A welcome change from all these cookies I've been baking too!

This cake is a great choice for a spring day (like today)! So I couldn't skip it. I polished off three slices yesterday with a cup of tea. Then I did the professional thing and got my two 'Cake Testers' (work colleagues, eh hem, eh hem) to sample a slice and the verdict was "very nice, moist but light and not too sweet or lemon-flavoured"   
I think we can trust their verdict. They have also been fans of my banana cake and White Choc-chip cookies   :-)

For something uncomplicated, give this one a go: If you follow this recipe spot on, it will come out perfect for you too! Not much needed in the way of utensils either, just a loaf tin. 

P.S: It helps to have your butter at room temperature too.

Kit

'Cookie' cookie mould, long tart tin, Baking beans

Some things are worth the fuss. Some things aren't.

Who has baking beans in their cupboard? I do, I do, I do! 
It was my birthday a few weeks ago and a good friend bought me some baking accessories! Amongst the useful cookie mould and fancy long tart tin (which I am eager to find a recipe for just so I can use it) (- found one!), were some ceramic baking beans. Now although I am a keen baker, this was one thing I just never had in my cupboard. And the one thing that's so boring to buy for yourself! It's like buying door handles. These are the thing to use when baking the base of your pies. As a substitute, I used to use scrunched up foil, or even rice, but they just didn't cut it as well as this will.
Happy Days.

New for 2014, here.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Hi. I’ve been gone a while. I Know. ‘Life ‘ was busy being a bit unfair to me. I'll tell you about it one day. But I’m back now, and look what I’ve made you!

I didn’t have much ingredients in the cupboard! Just enough to put this together and use half a jar of peanut butter that was due to pass its ‘eat before date’ in July of this year! I was pleased I found a cause for it!

But I’m gonna be honest with you, because I’m that type of girl: 
I made these; they came out right; they look good; and they were quite nice; but I'm just not that crazy enough about peanut butter! As I only ate one and a half!

Now you know that is not like me at all!  

See what you make of them...