Ice-cream cup cakes

I saw an idea on Pinterest to bake cupcakes inside ice-cream cones!  As baking cupcakes is Miss H's MOST favourite thing to do, I thought we could give these as go - as something a little different!!  Master J (who is not normally interested in baking) also thought they were a great idea

Now I'm sure you could get these little ice-creams looking far more professional and perfect if you used an icing bag and piped it on properly (and then stuck a sneaky chocolate flake in the side).  However, my kiddies though these were the bomb!!  They tasted pretty good too (not that I broke my diet to sample one *wink wink*).

I used a really easy peasy chocolate cake recipe with buttercream icing.  The recipe has been Thermomixed as I'm a hopeless cook without it.

EASY PEASY CHOCOLATE CAKE

120g butter
2 eggs
100g milk
1 tsp of vanilla essence
120g sugar
120g plain flour
30g coco powder (Cocoa)
2 tsp baking powder

First pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees (in bold because I ALWAYS forget this part)

• Melt the butter in the thermomix for 3 minutes at 60 degrees on speed 1.
• Place all other ingredients into the thermomix bowl and mix for 30 seconds on speed 5.

You see.......  I told you it was easy!

yummy chocolate cake mix in less than 5 minutes

Very important to taste test

Next, pour the cake mix evenly into ice-cream cones.  (Obviously don't use the pointy ones).  Don't fill them all the way to the top - only about 3/4 as the cakes will rise in the oven.  This recipe will make about 12 ice-cream cones.

Place the cakes into the oven for approximately 20 minutes.  Give the thermomix a quick rinse by placing about 300g water into the bowl and mixing it on speed 10 for 20 seconds.  Now you're ready for the icing.

EASY PEASY BUTTERCREAM ICING

150g butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbs milk
300g icing sugar (pre-made in the thermomix).

To make the icing sugar, place 300g of raw sugar into the Thermomix bowl and mill for 20 seconds on speed 10.  Scrape down the sides and mill again for another 10 seconds on speed 10.  *(When using thermo-made icing sugar it is not as white in colour as shop bought icing sugar - but it is much purer and better for you (if you can call sugar good for you).*

Add all other ingredients and blend for 20 seconds on speed 8.

I have made vanilla buttercream to make it look like ice-cream, but you could of course add a drop or two of any food colour to change the look!

All ready to decorate

The next bit is the fun bit and if you like things to be perfect (and like me, have a tiny bit of OCD), then I advise you now to step out of the kitchen and leave the kids to it!!

Make sure the cakes have cooled down completely before attempting the icing.  Buttercream will just melt if it is put on something too hot!

Such concentration

And there you have it!  Cup cake ice-creams!!  They really were delicious...

Last week! Love Instagram!

I don't know about you, but each week on the run up to Christmas seems to be getting busier and busier!  There are just so many end of year parties, picnics, get-togethers and lunches that it's nearly impossible to find a spare minute anywhere in the almost the whole of December!  Not to mention the Christmas card writing, shopping, cooking and Santa visiting to name a few other things to squeeze in.  Phew!!!! Makes me exhausted just thinking about it.  However there is just something magical about this time of year that puts everyone in such a good mood!  I love it.

It is funny though, how we are all so busy during the 11 months that run up to Christmas that we hardly have time for all these fabulous social get-togethers and then suddenly December arrives and we try to fit EVERYTHING into one month!!

Miss L has started teething this week and the poor little bunny has not been happy at all!  All red eyed and miserable and she still managed a little smile for mummy.

Late night cuddles with Daddy.

We had some pretty hot days last week and I just LOVE LOVE how easily I can whip up some fresh, delicious ice-cream in the thermomix for the kids in just a couple of minutes.  (I always have to remember to fill my ice trays with milk as well as water now)

Miss H and her little buddy enjoying the strawberry and kiwi ice-cream that they just helped me make.

An afternoon on the beach after school.  We are all really hanging out for the school holidays now.  I am so over the daily pick up and drop offs!!  Bring on the summer holidays.

Candy Bows and I have been very busy at the local Christmas Markets over the last couple of weekends.  Mr D has been rushing around with the big kids while I've had my little Market Hippy as company.  We've had an awesome time.

Little Market buddy

I had to take a picture of this little fella at Saturday's Market!  Fabulous Christmas spirit!

Mmmmmmmm Candy Floss ( or Fairy Floss, depending on where you're from).  I dread to think what it does to their teeth!!  He had to eat it so quickly as it melted quicker than ice-cream in the heat!

I was very proud of this home-made garlic and herb bread - pretty awesome if I say so myself.  Thanks thermi!!

You wouldn't believe that the hugest storm EVER hit this beach about 15 minutes after I took this picture.

Such little darlings xxxxx

The crab and the slap band

One afternoon this week I decided to take the kids to the beach for an ice-cream after school.  It was the most spectacular day.  The sky was as blue as the ocean and for those of you that know me well will know how that makes my aura all smiley.   It would have been shameful to go straight home (and I couldn't face another afternoon on the school playground with a couple of whingy kids).

School pick-up can be pretty hit and miss depending on how tired Master J is or what kind of 'mood' he's in!  Some days he doesn't stop talking.  Enthusiastically telling me every single detail of what happened during the day (mostly involving events that happened on the playground rather than the classroom).  Other times he is like a bear with a sore head and the most I get is "Mum, will you just stop asking me SO many questions!  You ask me about my day EVERY day and I told you everything yesterday already!!!"  On days like these, the best thing to do is just head to the beach!

You can't beat ice-cream to get them all smiling (well, Miss L smiles at everything at the moment) Oh and take note of the red slap band on Master J's wrist.

After having ice-creams and a quick play in the park we went for a walk along the boardwalk to the tidal pool for a dip.  (I always have towels in the back of the car, just in case!  Miss H is known for stripping off at any given opportunity!)  

Master J had one of those slap wrist band thingies that he had got from the school canteen earlier in the day.   You know the ones? - where you slap them onto your wrist and the curl around quickly? (I loved them as a kid).  Anyway he was was so attached to this thing and was slapping it on the railings watching it wrap around all the way along the board walk.  Until suddenly - he missed!!!!  and the bangle fell down into the rockpools below.  Seriously you would have thought it was the end of the world.  He howled so loudly I could almost see his tonsils!

Missing slap bangle is somewhere down there......

Realising the seriousness of the incident (in his 6 year old world anyway), I offered to climb down and get it, but as I learned over to see exactly where it was, a rather large crab walked out from under a rock with the bright red slap band in it's pincer!!!  Seriously, I kid you not!!  I mean what are the chances???  I thought it was hilarious and burst out laughing thinking that he would see the humour in the situation and stop crying.  But Oh No!!  He only howled louder  -"Stop laughing at me", he managed to get out in between sobs!  Clearly I made a very delicate situation worse, and there was no way I was going to wrestle the crab to get the bangle back either (neither was he, I might add).

Sometimes it's so hard to put yourself in their worlds and take these kind of 'incidents' seriously.  Hopefully one day he will see the funny side!

Oh and all was solved by the next day when I gave him another $1 to buy a new bangle from the canteen.

I couldn't resist adding this photo.  Miss L loving the swings (before we met the crab and everything went pear-shaped)

Summer with Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice 'GIVEAWAY'

"COMPETITION TIME"

Following my review of the delicious Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice pouch (which you can read by clicking "here" if you haven't already done so), the lovely people at Sunraysia have given me the opportunity to offer my wonderful readers a FANTASTIC giveaway.

So here's the deal:

THE PRIZE:
A family supply of Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice pouches for the WHOLE of the summer school holidays!!!!!!  That's a 6 week supply of juice pouches - pretty awesome if you ask me!! (based on 1 pouch per day for a family of 5).

HOW TO ENTER:

1. In the comments below tell me what is your family's favourite way to enjoy Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice (don't forget to leave an email address for me to contact you, if you were to win).
2. Sign up to become a member of "Mrs D and Candy Bows".  You can do this on the top right hand side of the home page.  I promise it will be worth your while xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

THE RULES:
You have to be living in Australia and you have to have at least tasted how awesome Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice is.  The competition closes on 20th December 2012 and there is only 1 entry per person.


*Thanks for Sunraysia and Birds of Prey PR for this great giveaway.  I have not been paid to write up this giveaway but was more than happy to do it as I love the product*