Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:
125g butter (room temperature)
2 cups of caster sugar
2 eggs
2 cups of self raising flour
3/4 cup of cocoa
3/4 cup of milk
3/4 cup of water

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Butter a large round cake tin and then line with baking paper.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add eggs one at a time, beating well after each until smooth.  Sift flour and cocoa into a separate bowl then add half to the butter mixture along with the milk, beat on a slow speed until just combined.  Add remaining flour mixture and water, beat again until combined then increase speed and beat until the mixture is smooth.

Pour into the cake tin and bake for about 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Take cake out of tin and cool on a wire rack.

Icing Ingredients:
50g butter (room temperature)
2 cups of icing sugar
1/4 cup of cocoa
1/4 cup of milk

I just pop all the ingredients into a bowl and beat with electric mixer until thick and creamy.  Spread over cold cake.

This cake is so great as it stays moist for ages if kept in an air-tight container.

Hummingbird Cake

Ingredients:
2 bananas
220g crushed tinned pineapple (drained)
1 1/4 cups of caster sugar
1 2/3 cups of self raising flour
2 tspns of mixed spice
2/3 cup of oil (I use sunflower)
3 tbspns of pineapple juice
2 eggs

Preheat the over to 180 degrees.  Grease an 8 inch round cake tin and line with baking paper.  Pop the banana, pineapple and caster sugar into a bowl.  Add in sifted flour and mixed spice and stir until combined.
Whisk the oil, pineapple juice and eggs and then pour into the banana mixture. Stir until smooth.
Pour the mixture into the tin and smooth the surface.  Bake for 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Leave in the tin for 15 minutes and then turn out onto a rack to cool.

Icing Ingredients:
60g softened butter
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups of icing sugar
2-3 tspns of lemon juice

Beat the butter and cream cheese using a mixer until smooth.  Slowly add in the icing sugar and lemon juice and beat until thick and creamy.  Spread over the cake once it has completely cooled.

I like to enjoy a slice (or two) with a cup of tea ... delish!

Lollycake Slice

Ingredients
100g butter, melted
250g (1 packet) malt biscuits, crushed
200g (1/2 tin) sweetened condensed milk
190g (1 packet) eskimos, roughly chopped
coconut

Combine crushed malt biscuits with butter, condensed milk and eskimos.  Shaped in a log and roll into coconut.  Refrigerate until firm and then slice...ready for eating, yummy!

Rainbow Cake

This is MY take on the stunning rainbow cake.  I found the recipe on the Martha Stewart website but the cake was actually created by Whisk Kid.  The Marth Stewart recipe can be found here and she also has a video of them making it on the page if you want to watch it before you begin. I have made a few changes but nothing major.
There are a HEAP of ingredients, so this isn't a cheap cake to make, and certainly not a cake to eat if you are watching your weight.  In saying all that, when I cut into the cake I was so delighted and the kids 'oooohhhed'  and 'aaaahhhedd' which made the hours of preparation worth it!

Cake Ingredients
3 cups of standard flour
4 tspns of baking powder
1/2 tspn of salt
225 grams of butter at room temperature
2 1/3 cups of sugar
5 large egg whites at room temperature
2 tspns of vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of milk at room temperature
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple GEL food colouring

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and brush an 8 inch round cake pan with butter.  Line the bottom with baking paper and then brush again with butter.  I used an 8 inch pan instead of the original recipe which uses a 9 inch pan as I wanted the sponge layers to be thicker, so up to you which size you want to use.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.  In a mixer bowl fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar then slowly add egg whites until well combined.  Add vanilla and mix again until it is well combined.  Add a 1/3 of the flour mixture into the creamed mixture and beat slowly, add 1/3 of the milk and beat again, do this until all the flour and milk has been added.  Mix until well combined.
Divide batter evenly into six bowls and add enough of each food colouring colour to each bowl, then whisk.  The colour of the mixture will be the colour of the baked cake so add enough colouring to get the desired look you want.  It is SO important to use gel colouring otherwise the colours won't be vibrant enough.  I purchased my gel colouring from Millys.  Transfer each colour to a cake pan and bake for about 10-15 minutes (I cooked mine for 10 minutes but it will depend on your oven).  You can test by inserting a fork or tester into the middle, it is cooked if it comes out clean...no gooey mixture on it.  Make sure to spread mixture out evenly before cooking.
Remove cakes from oven and transfer onto a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes then turn over and let it completely cool.  Use a serrated knife to trim tops if you need to make them level.  I didn't need to do this with mine.
Starting with purple, lay the cake on baking paper, spread about 1 cup of buttercream filling over the entire layer, keeping it level, repeat process with blue, green, yellow and orange.  I even put a thin layer on top of the red cake as I had enough mixture and then I went around the sides and filled in any gaps and leaving a thin layer over the entire cake, all nice and smooth.
Lastly add the frosting layer over the top and sides.  I then used a hot dry knife (I dipped the knife in a bowl of boiling water then dryed) and slowly smoothed out the frosting.  Refridgerate until set.

I kept mine in the fridge until a few hours before the party.  I decorated with M&M's in the shape of a number 2 as this was for my little man's birthday.


Filling Ingredients
9 large egg whites
1 3/4 cups of sugar
450 grams of butter cut into small pieces at room temperature
2 tspns of vanilla extract

Cook egg whites and sugar in a small pot over a medium heat, whisking constantly until sugar is completely dissolved.  Test by rubbing some in between your fingers, if the mixture is smooth (no sugar grain) then it is ready.  Transfer to a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment and mix on high for about 10 minutes or until the mixture has soft peaks like a pavolva mix.  Turn down the mixer to medium and add the butter one piece at a time, mixing well after each addition.  This takes time but don't rush it as you will have lumps of butter through the mixture at the end.
Remove whisk attachment and switch to paddle, increase speed to high and beat until the buttercream comes together (about 5 minutes) then add vanilla.

Frosting Ingredients
5 large egg whites
1 cup of sugar
225 grams of butter cut into small pieces at room temperature
1 tspn of vanilla extract


Cook egg whites and sugar in a small pot over a medium heat, whisking constantly until sugar is completely dissolved.  Test by rubbing some in between your fingers, if the mixture is smooth (no sugar grain) then it is ready.  Transfer to a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment and mix on high for about 10 minutes or until the mixture has soft peaks like a pavolva mix.  Turn down the mixer to medium and add the butter one piece at a time, mixing well after each addition.  This takes time but don't rush it as you will have lumps of butter through the mixture at the end. 

This isn't necessarily a hard recipe, more time consuming but so worth it! Good luck and if you make it, post up a photo on my facebook page www.facebook.com/beckylipp - yay!

Easy Pavlova

This recipe was given to me by my lovely neighbour Angela, and it is a hit, as the name suggests, because it is so easy.  Instead of the usual fruit on top, my son Billy decided that we need to sprinkle over 100's & 1000's...hence the photo...usually it would have strawberries or kiwifruit but I let him decide.

Ingredients
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups caster sugar
1 tspn white vinegar
1/3 cup boiling water
1/2 tspn vanilla essence
1 tspn cornflour

Place ALL ingredients in a bowl and beat for 15 minutes....DONE!  Well ... place mixture on a sheet of baking paper in a round shape and bake at 175 degrees for 10 minutes and then turn down to 125 degrees and bake for 1 hour...then DONE!

You can add more eggwhites to the mixture for a bigger pavlova but you will need to bake for longer.

Add whipped cream and top with fruit, grated chocolate, 100's & 1000's....whatever you like really.

Potato Fritters

So in my attempt to get my boys to eat some vegetables, I thought I would try something other than mashed potatoes.  Light bulb...why not try something different with potatoes...fritters!  Well... they went down well with the boys PLUS my hubby LOVED them.  I think they will be a big hit for bbq season coming soon.  They are easy to make and super tasty.

Ingredients
2 peeled potatoes
6 tbspns standard flour
2 tspns baking powder
2 cups tasty cheese
a dash of milk

Simply grate the potatoes (I squeeze out the juice a little in my hands) and then add the flour, baking powder and cheese.  Stir together and then a little milk, just enough to make the mixture consistent.

Fry on a BBQ or on a hot pan until golden brown and crispy. Enjoy!

The great thing is you could probably grate some carrot or kumara and either substitute or add in, as well as maybe some onions...yummy!

NEW CALENDAR PROJECT

Together let us create something wonderful!  Let us create a stunning calendar filled with images of our children and raise money for a great cause! 

Photos need to be in by Friday 28th of October 2011

(my aim is to have the calendars printed ready for sale early November)

Email your photo NOW to thelipps@xtra.co.nz

Please send in just ONE photo (or one of each child), if mutiple images are sent in I will be just selecting one.  I would prefer landscape images too for the calendar if possible.

We are wanting for you to submit a 'stand out' image of a child/children.  My sister Ceara from The Little Things  and I, will select the twelve most amazing photos to include in the calendar.  I will create an album for you to all view on my Facebook page Becky Lipp and you can vote for the 12 you like most BUT voting isn't what will win a spot in the calendar (it might help us if we get a bit stuck though).

Please send me your stand out photo to Becky at thelipps@xtra.co.nz.  If you can send a small version of the file (under 1 MB) but you will need to have a high resolution image available if you are selected.  By submitting a photo you give me the right to use the image in any way I see fit (my intention is just for calender).  You will not have rights to any money raised in this project or any ownership of the final product. 

PLEASE NOTE:  If your image has been taken by a professional photographer please ask their permission first.  I am happy to print the photographers details under the image on the calendar with website details, whoever takes the photo will have their details written on the calendar.  By submitting the photo I will assume you have been granted permission to use the image.  Professional photographers ARE able to submit an image as well but if you are an amateur don't be put off by this as I have seen MANY brilliant images taken from non-professionals.  We are simply looking for something amazing to have included in the calendar.  Also, permission must be granted from the parents of said children in the photo if taken by someone other than the parent entering the competition and we shall assume this has been given.

As well as sending in a photo if you have a particular uplifting quote, please include this also.  This may be included with the image on the printed calendar.

Let's create something beautiful TOGETHER and at the same time do something wonderful by making a difference to girls of the world! 

With this calendar I would like to raise money for The Girl Effect and I will spend the proceeds at The Girl Store.  Check out how a little can help help get a girl an education here at the Girl Store. 

Check out The Girl Effect website and you will find out some shocking facts, like...the leading cause of death worldwide for girls aged 15-18 is CHILDBIRTH!  70% of children living in poverty are GIRLS! There are videos of girls stories from around the world as well as international speakers like Bill Clinton taking about the importance of helping young girls and the ripple effect it will have on our world at The Girl Effect website - http://www.girleffect.org/

To order a calendar email Becky thelipps@xtra.co.nz and put "CALENDAR ORDER" in the subject field.  Calendars are $20 each with $2.50 postage NZ & Worldwide

Mini Banana Bites

These are just perfect for little hands or a one bite treat for big people.  I decided to make them today as I had a lot of ripe bananas to use up.  They are also great for kids party food as they are quick and easy to make PLUS you can decorate in keeping with your theme by simply changing the icing.

Makes 40-50 muffins

Ingredients:
2 cups self raising flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 cup milk
1 egg
2 tspns vanilla extract
75g butter, melted and not too hot
3 large ripe mashed bananas

Preheat oven to 200 degrees and grease 2 x 12 mini muffin holes with butter.  Sift the flour into a bowl and then stir in caster sugar leaving a well in the centre.  Whisk together the milk, egg and vanilla essense and then pour into the well.  Add butter and banana.  Fold until combined.  This mixture makes me about 40-50 mini muffins so I do it in two lots.  Simply fill the muffin tin and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and leave for a few minutes before trying to remove onto a wire rack.  Add the last of the mixture to the muffin tins and repeat.

When the muffins are cool, ice with the colour/flavour icing you like.   I used butter icing in the photo above and added a bit of food colouring.

Butter Icing:
100g soft butter
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
2 cups icing sugar
2 tbsp hot water

Sift icing sugar into a bowl and then mix in the rest of the ingredients.  Beat until smooth.  You can add in food colouring or cocoa for chocolate butter icing, or a bit of lemon zest and lemon juice depending on what flavours/look you are after.  HAVE FUN!!

Banana Pops

These are super quick and easy to make and as you can see look great!  Something fun and different for the kids (or big kids) in the house or even a great party treat.

Ingredients
Bananas
Cooking chocolate
100's & 1000's
Iceblock sticks (or coffee & tea sticks)

Simply cut up the banana into thirds and slide three quarters of the way onto an iceblock stick.  Dip the top of the banana into melted chocolate.   I used dark chocolate but depending on what you and/or your children like, you could use milk or white chocolate instead.  Then dip into a bowl of 100's and 1000's....DONE!!!

To melt chocolate, heat a small amount of water in a pot and place a heat resistant bowl over the pot.  Make sure not to have the bowl touching the water.  Pop the chocolate into the bowl and stir.  Remove as soon as it has melted.

They look fabulous plus a bonus is that there is some fruit in it - yay!

Caramel Slice

This recipe I got off my twelve year old neighbour quite some time ago and has been a total hit with everyone since!  It is one of those recipes that I get asked for all the time.  Even though there are three parts to the slice, it really is easy to whip together.  So here it is...

Ingredients
1 cup of self raising flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup desicated coconut
125g melted butter
395g can of condensed milk
2 tbsp golden syrup
30g butter
200g Nestles dark chocolate melts

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Grease a small baking tin and line with baking paper.  Combine the flour, sugar, coconut and melted butter in a bowl and then pour and press down into baking tin.  Cook for 10 minutes.  While that is in the oven combine the condensed milk, golden syrup and butter in a pot and over a medium heat stir until butter has melted.

When the base has been in the oven for its 10 minutes, remove and pour over the condensed milk mixture and return back to the oven for a further 10 minutes.  Remove and leave to cool.

Heat a little bit of water in a pot and place a heat resistance bowl over the top (ensuring not to let the bowl touch the water).  Pour in chocolate and mix until just melted and quickly remove.  Pour melted chocolate over the cooled slice and cut into squares once the chocolate has set.

Chocolate and Coconut Slice

Ingredients:
125g butter
125g sugar
1 egg
1 cup coconut
1 cup flour
1 tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Grease and line baking tin (I use a small square one). Cream butter and sugar, add egg and beat well.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and ice immediately with the following icing...

2 heaped cups of icing sugar
4 tbsp hot milk
2 tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup coconut
2 tbsp butter

Put icing on the base as soon as you take the base from the oven.  A good tip to help spread the icing is to wet the back of the spoon in hot water.  Once set, cut into slices and enjoy!

Forgiveness

'When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel.  Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.' ~ Catherine Ponder

Forgiveness keeps coming up for me at the moment, not because I feel guilty but because I have felt a lot of resentment and bitterness as of late, so I feel compelled to write about it today.

Although forgiveness seems a lovely thing to do, how many of us actually forgive others and more importantly, forgive ourselves?

I recently had something go sour and I was so angry about how it all turned out.  The anger, resentment, injustice and loss emotions felt black and so very negative.  I didn't want to hold onto that and attract further negativity into my life so I tried to simply move on, ignore and forget.  Somehow I seemed to be constantly reminded, in one way or another of what happened.  I realised that until I truly forgave the people involved and their actions, I wouldn't be able to move on to a positive place.  What I have found is that it is a lot easier said than done.

"I forgive you!" 

If only it was that easy to simply say it and mean it.  How does one come back to a place of inner peace after a negative event, big or small, and forgive?  I started saying it everyday to myself, in the hope that I would eventually feel it to be true.  Sure enough, each day the negativity seemed to lighten  but what I found worked more was how I carried on, my actions afterwards that seemed to really make me feel that forgiveness. 

So I guess forgiveness is about shifting your perception of that event/person to a different place in order to move forward, and every action afterwards is one that is not coming from a place of revenge or negativity, but from a place of love and forgiveness.

'True forgiveness is not an action after the fact, it is an attitude with which you enter each moment.' ~ David Ridge

Gooey Lemon Slice

So lemon trees are laden with lemons at the moment. I love hot lemon drinks with a bit of honey and I also love a bit of lemon gooey slice with a large helping of whipped cream.

Here is the recipe if you love that citrus tang, meringue-like crust and an overload of sweet...

Crust Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of flour
3/4 cup caster sugar
150g butter, softened and cubed

Filling Ingredients
4 large free range eggs
1 3/4 cups caster sugar
zest from 3 lemons
2/3 cup of lemon juice
1/3 cup plain flour
Icing sugar

Preheat over to 180 degrees C.  Line a 20cm x 35cm rectangle tin with non-stick baking paper.

Sieve flour into bowl and add sugar and butter.  I mix it for ages in my mixer until it resembles a crumble or breadcrumb look.  Press crumbs evenly over base of prepared tin and bake for 15 minutes until golden.  Remove and reduce the over down to 140 degrees C.

While the base is in the oven whisk the eggs and sugar together until very thick and pale in colour (the longer the better).  Fold in lemon juice, zest and then flour.  Pour over crust and bake for about 40 minutes or until set (when you take it out give it a slight shake to see if it is still running, if so, bake a little longer).  Cool completely before removing and cutting into squares.  Dust with icing sugar. I keep mine in the fridge....yummy!

Anzac Cookies

Baking is my way of releasing stress...I just love it!  I wouldn't say I was a great baker but I do ok and my baking gets eaten.  Nobody has taught me to bake, I just learn as I go. 

I had tried to make Anzac cookies the other week at the request of my hubby.  The first batch were a disaster, but I didn't give up.  I tried a new recipe...better, but not great.  So this is when I decided to just change the recipe a bit and ta-da!  Yummy cookies that are crunchie on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle.

Here is my recipe for you all :

Becky's Anzac Biscuits

Makes 25-30

1 cup flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup desiccated coconut
2 cups rolled oats
150g butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp baking soda
3 tbsp boiling water

Heat oven to 180 degrees. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
Place flour, caster sugar, coconut and oats in a bowl and stir to combine, leaving a well in the centre.
Melt butter and golden syrup in the microwave or stove.
Dissolve baking soda into boiling water.
Add melted butter and syrup as well as the boiling water and baking soda into the dry ingredients.  Mix to combine.
Roll about one tablespoon of mixture into a ball and then squash between your hands.  Place onto baking paper leaving room for biscuits to spread while cooking.
Bake for about 10 minutes OR until golden brown.  I like to undercook slightly so the biscuits are still a bit soft in the middle when you take them out of the oven.  Simply change the cooking time to suit your desired result.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

The great thing about Anzac biscuits is they last for up to a week in a airtight container and are super quick and easy to make!

Perceptions

'The voyage of discovery is not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.' ~ Marcel Proust, The Captive

How can several people be involved in the same event and all come away with different recollections of that event? PERCEPTIONS!  How we each perceive things can vary greatly. Just in ourselves, from day to day, our perceptions can differ depending on what mood we are in. If I am feeling happy and something dislikable happens I am more likely to let it go and not dwell on it than if I am in a 'blued out' mood.

Do we always perceive similar events/people the same way every time? Even if the event/person changes over time, do our perceptions remain the same?

After suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder most of my life, I am lucky in that I went through years of intense therapy to change the pathways in my brain. I wasn't able to tolerate medication so I had to get better the 'hard' way. What was also lucky was that I learnt to change the way I looked at things...my perceptions....I literally had to in order to survive!

These skills were very hard to learn. A bit like retraining your brain when you give up smoking. Breaking the chain so that when you sat down for your morning coffee, your brain didn't continue to tell you to reach for the cigarettes.

Our perceptions can literally build us up or crush us. Ultimately the power is ours. Simply (well, not really) by changing the way you look at things, you can alter the way you feel and live your life.

I find so many people are stuck in their ways, their judgements. Do you ever ask yourself, 'what if I am wrong?'.  I try to do this and I find I often am! My perceptions of events and/or people have many times been really off the mark. By stepping back you can analyse your thoughts and actions and see things in a whole new light. Well, I guess the point is to try and see things differently and then assess the situation from a new perspective.

If you change your perceptions, does it change how you feel? If by changing your perceptions does it make you feel better, does it help you to move on?

Changing the pathways in your brain takes time and practise. The first step is simply being aware of your thoughts, what do they mean, how do they make you feel, how do they affect others. Then it is up to you if you should change them.

'One has not only an ability to perceive the world but an ability to alter one's perception of it; more simply, one can change things by the manner in which one looks at them.' ~ Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get The Blues

One of my all time favourite songs is 'All that we Perceive' by Thievery Corporation... always gets me thinking....

Sunshine

"Just living is not enough, said the butterfly, one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." ~ Hans Christian Andersen

Even on a cold Winter's day a little bit of sunshine can do the world of good to ones soul.  Today was a beautiful day in Auckland and I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the sun, feeling its warmth on my face, while the boys played on their bikes.  That little taste of warmth has made me very eager for Summer bbq's, swimming, and some beach time.  Long Summer days entertaining with friends and family, eating and drinking beautiful food together, listening to music.....aaaaaahhh, just can't wait!!

JANDALS, I can't wait to be living in my jandals again.  I have permanent jandal marks on my feet all year round as I literally wear them a long as I can.  Summer means jandals again - yay!

Sunshine really is good for the soul and has a healing power. It destroys harmful bacteria and sunrays supply us Vitamin D.  Vitamin D is absorbed by our skin and then gradually conveyed by the blood from the skin to the inner organs and all the cells of our body. I never knew that this process takes time so it is best not to wash the skin with soap and hot water straight after being in the sun.  Allow a couple of hours if possible to get the suns full benefits. Obviously we have to be safe in the sun but I absolutely love felling the sun's rays on my skin.  It feels like I am literally soaking up happiness!

"The sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world’s joy." ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Good Intentions

Is this the right path?

"Remember, people will judge you by your actions, not your intentions.  You may have a heart of gold - but so does a hard boiled egg." ~ unknown

Good intentions....do they really matter?  Does it actually make any difference to others whether your intentions are good or bad?  Is the end result or action all that matter?  Are you always going to be perceived in a different light, irrelevant of what your intentions may be? I think so! I know so!

I guess intentions only matter to you, in your soul.  In your last days, hours or even just at times through your life, you may sit and reflect on events, decisions, achievements and failures.  You may feel good or bad depending on what your intentions were.  Or maybe your intentions are forgotten, swallowed up by the end result.  With the best of intentions, things can work out terribly, and vise versa. 

By being true to yourself, loving what you do, choosing paths that are right for you, can this be the way to inner happiness?  Does it matter what your intentions are at all, even to yourself?

Well, to me it does... but the more I think about it, the end result and impact on others has to matter too!

"We judge others by their behaviour.  We judge ourselves by our intentions." ~ unknown

Beauty is everywhere!

Beauty IS everywhere!  If we decide to live in the moment and take a deep breath of life in, then we would see beauty in every part of our day.  We get swept up in 'doing stuff' and most of the time miss the amazingly wonderous moments that we are presented with each day.  I know I do!  I want to start really being conscious of life.  Conscious definition; aware of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings. 

When I wake in the morning, all warm in my bed with my youngest son curled up in my arms and I can smell him and pull him closer to me for a kiss, that is beauty right there.  Our bond as mother and child.  I have just started my day like this....WOW!  How lucky am I?  Then my eldest son rushes in, 'morning Mum!' and plants a big kiss on my cheek.  I look at his beautiful face smiling at me and just feel so happy to be in this moment right now.