Baking With Gab

Baking and absences

Hello dear followers!

I’ve nabbed a computer to let you know that I’ve not forgotten you all, I have broken my computer.

And I miss you!!

I was madly blogging the other day and leapt up from my seat to plug it in to the charger, and I knocked the computer from its perch. My computer was in a very sorry state, but I’ve sent it off to be fixed and should have it fixed in a number of days.

If you miss me terribly, you can keep up to date with my adventures (Norman and I are continuing to be cute and bake, respectively) on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

I’ve been Instagramming like mad, because there has been so much going on. I went to Mudgee for a fabulous weekend with friends, I turned 24, Norman got a hair cut, the Boy’s parents have flown over from England come to spend Christmas and the new year with us, and CHRISTMAS IS COMING!! We finally got out Christmas tree as well. The house smells all piney and delicious, I can’t wait to share photos with you!

Overall, I’m pretty excited, I love December.

Ooh AND my teapot give away is still running, there are four days left – find out how to win here!

Can’t wait to get back to blogging once my computer is fixed. In the mean time, happy baking!

Mini chocolate mint cupcakes and December

Hello my lovelies. Christmas is creeping closer and I’m buzzing with excitement. So many things are happening – December always seem to run at such a frantic pace. My younger brother’s birthday was yesterday, friends and I are going for a wee sojourn to Mudgee this weekend, my birthday is edging closer, the Boy’s parents are coming to visit from England, and I’ve got a teapot competition to wrap up oversee (check out this post to find out how to win!)

This is all before Christmas.

And this isn’t counting the numerous feasts that friends are planning in the days before Christmas. I need to invest in some stretchier fat pants, the Christmas season is far too kind to my belly! Continue reading “Mini chocolate mint cupcakes and December”

Caramel filled cinnamon men and little things:

Today was one of those days where small tasks were accomplished. I had to stay at home because a cabinet fitter spent all morning fitting a wall unit in our lounge room, so I pottered about, baked and did little jobs that usually get overlooked in favour of Christmas shopping/preparations at this time of year.

Somewhat inspired by the small tasks, I made small gingerbread men… except they aren’t gingerbread men, they’re cinnamon men.

Cinnamen?

I think I’ll stick with Cinnamon men, I like the repetition. Continue reading “Caramel filled cinnamon men and little things:”

Watermelon salad and Christmas smells

When I was younger my brothers and cousins used to have competitions to see who could spit their watermelon seeds the furthest. We’d line up on Nan and Pop’s balcony in Nambucca, still in our swimmers from the morning’s beach adventures, and launch the tiny little black rockets towards a particularly large gum tree about 100 metres away.

Christmas day was never far away when these competitions took place. The house would be full of delicious Christmas smells; salt-laden-seaside air, cherries, ham, tea, and tinsel. Continue reading “Watermelon salad and Christmas smells”

Chocolate chai cupcakes and a subtle Christmas

I’m ready for Christmas right now. Mother cooked a Christmas pudding last week and filled the house with delicious Christmassy smells. As Christmas draws close, I find it impossible to walk past a bowl full of alcohol soaked sultanas without sneaking a few into my mouth. Sultanas are usually such sad, puckered little things that I’m not too fussed about. Come Christmas, though, I can’t resist their alcohol-bloated siren song.

Sultanas have nothing to do with this post, I just really enjoyed sneaking them out of the mixture! I’m not ready to make full-blown Christmas related recipes thought, it’s still too early, so I’ve made these delightful little cupcakes, which are perfectly festive, but a little understated as well. Continue reading “Chocolate chai cupcakes and a subtle Christmas”

Teapots and giveaways!

Hello dear readers!

If you saw my Facebook post yesterday and are wondering how you can get your hands on one of these magnificent teapots, wonder no longer! (If you don’t follow me on Facebook yet, why not try it out? Find me here, because you’ll need to like Baking With Gab on Facebook to enter this competition.

All you need to do to win one of the tea pots is email me. Continue reading “Teapots and giveaways!”

Gluten free chocolate lasagne and layers

This weather is all about layers. The torrential rain means that you need about 12 waterproof layers to stay dry. The cold snap means you need several layers underneath your waterproof layers to stay warm. It is a well-documented fact that Norman (and most sausage dogs), regardless of the weather, love being in the middle of a few comfy layers.

So it was only natural that my food would begin to mimic these layers. It is with great delight that I present to you: chocolate lasagne. Continue reading “Gluten free chocolate lasagne and layers”

Vanilla Christmas biscuits and festivity

I’ve been trying to resist posting Christmas recipes for about a fortnight now. I adore Christmas, but I dislike how it seems to creep earlier into our consciousness each year. In my family, we don’t buy our tree or decorate ANYTHING until December first (and there are two birthdays in the family to focus on before December 25^th rolls around anyway.)

This year, however, I have caved; the combination of abundant free time and having the blog as an excuse to create delicious Christmas things means that I’m allowing myself a bit of a head start this year.

And what a start it is! These biccies are simple and adorable…and they don’t have to be Christmas themed if you don’t want!! I chose a star shaped cutter because I thought my family would scoff at my if I’d gone for the candy cane or Christmas tree shapes. The good thing about a basic biscuit mix like this is that it lends itself really well to any shape you want! Continue reading “Vanilla Christmas biscuits and festivity”

Double chocolate biscuits and salted caramel

These biscuits are divine. They’re like little bites of cake; they’re just the right amount of chocolateyness and they have these perfect seams of chocolate running through them… topped with the salted caramel, these may just be the answer to every first world problem you can think of.

Internet stopped working? Have a biscuit.

Significant other not texting back? Have a biscuit.

Wasted your study time perusing Pinterest? Pin this recipe, then have a biscuit. Continue reading “Double chocolate biscuits and salted caramel”

Gluten free garlic parmesan pull apart bread and Wintery weather

The weather in Sydney is consistently wet. It has been six days since I last posted a recipe, and the only excuse I have is the weather! Weather like this makes me want to cook and eat.

And repeat.

Blogging took a back seat while I busied myself baking (and eating) delicious Wintery foods that I thought I’d have to wait until next year to post.

I also got the chance to use some gluten free flour I was kindly given by Well & Good. I’d never baked with gluten free flour before (to be honest, I was pretty apprehensive!), but the result was perfect. The bread rose perfectly and crisped nicely. The gluten free flour seems to result in a slightly different tasting bread – not a bad taste, just slightly different to regular flour. Continue reading “Gluten free garlic parmesan pull apart bread and Wintery weather”