Pink. With Sprinkles on Top

We're all jumbled again, telling you about our last week while enjoying this one. All part of a mixed up summer schedule, right?!

Our summer schedule - or lack of one - means that today, Big Sister drowsily emerged from her room more than an hour after we would have left the flat on a school morning. And don't get me started on bedtimes. The Olympic excitement makes it too hard. At least the Mister and I've stopped waiting up for John McEnroe's antics on the BBC's end of day show - ripe for a SNL skit. 

Anyhow. We drew "bake" one morning last week and our assignment languished a bit while we bounced on Stonehenge, checked in at the library, went to a birthday party, and took advantage of other adventures. Then a cool morning presented itself and baking popped back up on our itinerary. Also that the kids were chanting "when are we going to BAKE?!" whenever there were two quiet moments strung together. I do love that they enjoy something I like so much. It also justifies my bringing 4 boxes of cookie cutters abroad. One day we'll bake more and more complex things again. I find myself into quick and easy baking of late. 

Quick, easy, delicious and these smiley faces in the kitchen?!  What could be better?

It became sort of a team event. The girls made pink lemonade cookies (thank you, Kappa Prep!) and the boys whipped up iced brownies. Big Brother apparently feeling like Isaac Washington in the kitchen.

Baking always makes for a great maths lesson and usually results in a some conversions, too.

The desserts were just as pretty as they were delicious. The Mister was asked to judge. I believe he declared a tie. He is a diplomat, our guy.

I never did get to take a picture of the platter. We gobbled up the goodies all too soon.  

Yesterday we watched the Triathlon in Hyde Park, had lunch at Kensington Palace, and toured the new exhibits in the reopened palace, too. We should someday be experts on royal lineage. My camera battery died just as we followed this big crowd to watch the swimming. Biggest Brother helped me take palace pictures on my phone and hopefully he can also advise me how to download them, too. 

How super is it that a pair of brothers was on the medal stand at the triathlon?  How sweet it is, this summer!

And another thing, since we are talking pink sweetness. Apologies for discussing both the medical and the edible, but I have to confess that still reigning over our summer is my bothersome eyes. I will not go into the extreme yuck of it all, but will say that I am beginning my own campaign against the darling sounding "pink eye" (what's next? Polka dot mumps? Glittered gangrene?) when what I've been slogging through is bright red, zombie movie, swollen, teary peepers. That are now sensitive to light. I may be the only one who was squinting in the shadowed darkness of Kensington Palace. Don't get me started on having missed an already overdue hair appointment and going 3 weeks in glasses and no makeup because of my eyes. Vanity was my first symptom. 

So thus far, our summer: very sweet, but definitely not pretty. Now, who saved me a brownie?!

Orange You Glad?

There is so much to say about First Communion, my parents visiting, Baby Sister getting a short hairdo, the sun arriving back in London and much more, but meanwhile, wanted to send you this quick DIY for orange slice cookies.  Our Sweet School was holding a "Cookie Crumble" baking competition to raise money for charity. Baking (in grams and Celsius - my kryptonite!) was on my to do list all day.  And stayed there for countless hours.

The Mister used to say that a big difference in my staying home with the children would be that I would do the things I really love (among them baking and creating) during the daylight hours instead of late into the night after work. That was a good theory and long before England had a shot at taking the European Cup.

Step One. Pull out couch and let children stay up late cheering the England victory over Ukraine. Ignore breakfast dishes languishing in the sink. It is honest, my blog. Kitchen sink and all. And should you be here for some reason looking for kitchen decor ideas, I strongly discourage copying these countertops and the world's tallest back splash which are the precise color of crumbs.

Step Two.  Ponder variety of cookie cutter options. These four boxes were non-negotiable when planning what was important to bring across the Atlantic. Most of the cutters were gifts from friends and lots have stories behind them. But even with all these options, I went for a big, round circle.

Step Three. Survey the cupboards with surprise and glee that so many baking ingredients are already here. These are the little things that make me feel at home. That my "pantry" (really just one sliding skinny cabinet door) has food colors, fondant, caster sugar, flours, and all sorts of baking essentials. Maybe not as much or as varied as I would have had Stateside, but plenty enough. Anyhow, whip up batch of sugar cookie dough from a BBC recipe. Remind yourself you still haven't made the leap to baking with a scale and do rough conversions of grams to cups. Cut out circles and cut them in half.  Bake.

Step Four. Regret that among the baking necessities there are few options among my food colorings. We'd just used blue for royal (!) icing star cookies for the Jubilee Tea Party, so that left only orange. Thus, the orange slices!  Tint bowl of royal icing orange. Reserve some for plain white accents.

Step Five. Place foil (AL - lou - min - EUM, if you will) under cookies on cooling rack for quick clean up. Royal icing hardens quickly. Even on crumb colored countertops. Ice cookies with the back of a baby spoon dipped in orange icing. Let dry and add white trim.

Step Six. Put out for Smalls' admiration in the morning. Save a few for the ladies in the school office and one for Baby Sister's dear porter friend. He will accept his with a big smile even though she has lost the ribbon for its bag and crushed most of the cookie in her enthusiasm to deliver it. But no matter how they look, these little cookies are perfectly sweet. Just like their little delivery people. I even let the smalls sample some over breakfast. Clearly, I'm going for quite the mothering award this week. Dirty dishes, late nights, and cookies with breakfast!  Where'd the Mister and my parents go? This flat needs adult supervision stat!

Here's your merry baker about 12 hours before this project was begun. I am so humored in finding photo essays from Baby Sister on my camera a few times a week. Kind of nice to have a photographer around the house to take pictures for me -  even if she did catch me in that same sweater again!  Now, orange you glad you stopped by?!

New Friends. Fresh from the Oven

I was so tickled to be invited to meet other London bloggers for a lovely brunch that I decided to bring my new friends little cookie favors. Baby Sister was sweet company and a big helper in making these easy gingerbread Queen's Guards. We used our project as an excuse to take a field trip to SW3 and Jane Asher Sugarcraft, a bakery and baking supply store.  Some of their cakes were so pretty that Baby Sister declared they looked like "toys." The shop is as delightful as any toy store could be. Baby Sister likes Sloane Square (it's where the smalls get their hair cut. Fancy them! I go across the street from our pub. Next door to our dry cleaners.). As always, I spent most of my time craning my neck looking for Middletons.

Step One:

Come to "work" dressed the part in an apron and one of Momma's tanks (aka "vests") worn as a dress. And always, heels.

Step Two:

Roll out gingerbread men. Add elongated heads by attaching Easter egg cut outs to support their hats. Just like making "slip" in clay projects, attach with a bit of water.

Step Three:

Dust work surface with powdered (icing) sugar. Roll out and cut uniform parts from colored fondant. Ice cookies with a thin layer of buttercream to attach. I got a bit carried away with the Playdoh-like consistency of this batch of fondant and focused on appearance versus taste. Ideally it would be rolled thinner.

Step Four:

Use damp pastry brushes to "paint" away the excess sugar. This also creates a pretty sheen on the cookies. Allow plenty of time to dry. Pipe details. We experimented with an edible marker and didn't like the look as much.

Step Five:

Eat reject.

Step Six:

Wrap and embellish with ribbon and a Union Jack card: "How sweet it is to be together." Enjoy with new friends!  Baby Sister gave one to her sweet porter friend in exchange for the many pieces of fruit, kisses, and sunny smiles he gives her.

Step Seven:

Kiss the cook!

More on our on our adventures in brunching are here.  Enjoy! Happy baking. Don't forget your purple heels.