Herman the German Friendship Cake!

So, my lovely friend has brought me a German Friendship Cake called Herman. But, he's not actually a cake yet- I have to grow him and share him before I bake him!

I got a letter with him that reads-

Hi, my name is Herman and I am a sour dough cake, I'm supposed to be on the worktop, without a lid on, for 10 days, during which time you should feed me. If you put me in the fridge I will die and if I stop bubbling I am dead! Day 1 is the day you receive the mixture.
 
Day 1: When you get Herman please take off the lid and put the mixture in a large mixing bowl (2 litres+), cover the bowl loosely with a tea towel.
Day 2: Stir well
Day 3: Stir well
Day 4: Now I need feeding! Add the following ingredients, stir well and cover again: 1 cup plain flour, 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar.
Day 5: Stir well
Day 6: Stir well
Day 7: Stir well
Day 8: Stir well
Day 9 : Hungry again! Add the same ingredients as day 4 and stir well.
 
Now divide the mixture into 4 equal portions.
Save 1 portion to make a cake for yourself tomorrow.
Give portion 2 and 3 away to 2 friends with a copy of these instructions.
 
Keep the final portion for your next cake and follow these instruction to grow me again.
 
Day 10: Make your Herman cake as follows:
Stir well and add the following ingredients:
1. 1 cup sugar
2. 2 cups plain flour
3. 2 eggs
4. 2 tsp cinnamon
5. 2 tsp vanilla essence
6. 2 tsp baking powder
7. 2/3 cup oil
8. 2 cooking apples peeled, cored and chopped into chunks
9. 1 cup raisins
10. optional extras like cherries nuts, chocolate chips, coconut
 
Mix all together and pour into a large roasting tin. Bake for 35 - 45 mins at 170 - 180 degrees. When cold cut into fingers.

I just hope I fair better than I do with plants- I seem to kill them very easily.

This is how Herman looked before I baked him! I added some blueberries to the mix- lovely!

Creepy Crawlie Cupcakes

Jelly legs and sweetie eyes! (Could not find Smarties anywhere for love nor money!)

Chocolate Buttercream

Best bit- scraping the bowl afterwards!

Cheesy Witchy Fingers!

You will need...

250g plain flour
75g cheese finely grated
30g sesame seeds
5 tbsp milk
1 red pepper deseeded
a couple of pots of cress for serving

Method...
1. Preheat the oven.
2. Sift flour into your mixing bowl and rub in the butter until your mixture looks like breadcrumbs.

3. Stir in the grated cheese and sesame seeds.

4. Add enough of the milk to make a soft dough.

5. Roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut into lengths.

6. Roll each length to form a finger shape.
7. Lift onto a baking tray and brush with a little bit of milk.
8. Use kitchen scissors to cut out nails fom the pepper for each finger and press them into each finger end!

9. Use a knife to create lines for knuckles on each finger.
10. Bake for 20 mins until the fingers are golden and crisp.
11. Serve in the cress- or any other favourite food!

Party Politics

So, Mo Mo is going to be 3 very soon. I booked a large venue for a party. However, the more I have thought about it, the more I've decided against the idea. Mainly, I think because Mo Mo is going to be 3. I think it would be perfect if she was 6 or 7 and chose her own friends. But, I was finding it so hard to decide who to invite. On my list were all of my friends and their kids of varying ages. Then, because the venue was large, I was thinking of other people to invite just to make up numbers. The further down the line it got, the further I felt it moved away from what my little girl really wants which is this:

1. To be Cinderella.

2. To have a tea party.

3. For Daddy to be a pirate and Mummy and Bee to be princesses!

If this is what will truly make her happy (and lets face it, she changes her mind when the wind changes direction), then what am I doing??? Were we having the party for us or for Mo Mo? So, I have cancelled the venue which is fine, because I haven't told her I booked it, or invited anybody yet. Mo Mo doesn't have a huge amount of friends at the moment-  she has a handful who she sees regularly and these are not really of her own choosing. They are relationships based on my friendships with other mums and our kids are thrown into the mix. So, instead, we are heading off to the Lakes for the weekend as a family where we can have our own special tea party and we are also going to go for a girly outing to an ice cream parlour to stuff our faces!

Mo Mo is just venturing into the world of making her own friends since she has started pre-school. Most experts agree that children start to form their own relationships around the age of 3. It got me thinking- how do you explain what friendship is? It's taken me this long (thirty- ahem- something years) to realise that there are true friends who stick by you forever and those who are transitional, depending on what's going on in your life at the time. A bit of research led me to this:- "Aristotle provides us with one of the great discussions of friendship. He distinguishes between what he believes to be genuine friendships and two other forms: one based on mutual usefulness, the other on pleasure. These two forms only last for as long as there is utility and pleasure involved, whereas genuine friendship does not dissolve. It takes place between good men: 'each alike wish good for the other qua good, and they are good in themselves'. Aristotle continues, 'And it is those who desire the good of their friends for the friends’ sake that are most truly friends, because each loves the other for what he is, and not for any incidental quality' (Aristotle 1976: 263)." (http://www.infed.org/biblio/friendship.htm) Perhaps a bit wordy for an almost 3 year old!

Anyway, here's an interesting article on the Politics Of Kids' Birthday Parties.

The lovely Pinterest has certainly given me lots of ideas for a Princess Tea Party! Here goes-

Princess Pop Corn

Tea Sets and Sandwiches



Rainbow Cake in a Jar



Shortbread Wands

Fairy Bread- sprinkles of course!

These look very simple but effective. Everyone loves a crispie cake.

I know a little girl who would love these!

Tea Cup Biscuits

Simple Shortbread Biscuits

We love these biccies- they are our 'default' baking activity! Decorated this time with an 89p piping bag from Wilkinsons!


Recipe:
125g butter
55g caster sugar
180g plain flour

Method:
1. Beat the butter and sugar together.
2. Stir in the flour.
3. Flour the work surface.
4. Roll the dough to 1cm thick.
5. Cut out using your favourite cookie cutters.
6. Place onto greased baking paper on your baking tray.
7. Chill in the fridge for 20 mins.
8. Bake for 12-18 mins.
9. Decorate with icing and sprinkles (of course!)

Simples!

Cake Batter Pancakes!

Just found this recipe and it sounds like heaven! And yes, the world most definitely would be a better place if more sprinkles were involved!



Clicky here for the recipe from How Sweet It Is

















Fairy Bread Recipe- I remember this at parties as a child. TWH used to visit The Netherlands  for sales meetings with his old job and regularly had sprinkles on toast for breakfast!

Cupcake Cones

Brilliant- went to my friend Mandy's house today and she made us cupcake ice creams! Can't believe the wafer cones don't burn in the oven. Click here for how to make them! Think these would go down a treat for Mo Mo's birthday party.

I remember making Chocolate Mug Cakes at school a few years ago- must give them another go too.