So when the UK sleeps, we know you other MNers are out there part II

[tadjennyp]

I was looking for thumbwitch's recipe for that cake and found the old thread has disappeared so Linzer and I thought we'd resurrect it!

So what is it you are tweezing?!

Just the brows (which DH hates). Nothing dirty for you here tonight!

He's said he hates your brows?

Ds is doing my head in at the moment. Standing at the top of the stairs, screaming his head off: 'I want you, I can't go to bed.' I am so, so tired and sore.....

no he hates me plucking them.

DS unfortunately I guess will have to adjust to you being otherwise busy. Supernanny would say he'll be alright . I'm trying to say you can't do wrong, if you need to rest then so be it. Hopefully won't last too long. I take it your at the 'get this out of my body' stage. Is DH not in yet to help yet, speaking of which how's the insurance woes.

Am watching criminal minds, it's a bit weird. Currently sorting out my photos. Multi-tasking like only a woman can :)

That would be cultural overload. I have just got out of the bath, am listening to a Woman's Hour Podcast and reading Mumsnet all at the same time. Probably not doing anything at all well!

Dh is back from the Wall too but is currently on the phone to Singapore as they are 16 hours ahead of us..

I'm impressed by the sorting out of photos. I have a number of albums that are beautiful and entirely empty as I never get round to printing anything out!

I've been very organised (although mainly in electronic format). All the photos are arranged by data which are in folders labelled by how many weeks DD is. How exciting is the life I live .

I smell of sweat and chalk so better go shower and it's DH's B'Day. You can imagine dirty things now!

I always fancy dh when he's been to the wall. (Not that I can make the most of it now ) There's something about his old Rohans and the smell of chalk that does it for me! Happy Birthday to your dh!

ok, ladies, i need some culinary help.

i'm trying to sell cupcakes at local farmers' markets. to do this i'm trading under the
'cottage foods' acts, which means i don't need a licensed kitchen (rules here are strict - it would cost a lot to lease & fit out the right space).

to make them a bit 'different' i'm doing a range of cupcakes based on english desserts & giving them silly names, e.g.'fred & ginger' for smooth golden syrup & fiery hot ginger iyswim.

anyway i am struggling with sticky toffee pudding. under the cottage foods act, i cannot use cream as the cake would then need to be refridgerated in a licensed kitchen. so, i cannot make the toffee sauce with cream/evap milk or anything like that. all i get is toffee, which tastes nice, but is a crunchy layer sitting on top of the cake (instead of a gooey laying melting into the cake) which then completely takes away from the flavor of the cake. (which wasn't great, but i can fix that)

any ideas on how i can make gooey toffee sauce without using cream or evaporated milk?

sorry to completely change the subject! i was trying to work this out last night, haven't even got dressed yet & still working on it.

and fwiw, spun sugar is not as easy as it looks, either.

Doesn't evaporated milk come out of a tin though? What about Carnation condensed milk? That's tinned too. I'm sorry, I am not a baker but they all sound delicious! Sell them to the British Corner Shop and we can all order them online (seriously tempted by the Jamaica Ginger Cake!) Best of luck, it sounds wonderful.

Mmmm those cupcakes sound delicious.

Sorry can't help with a recipe but agree, evaporated and condensed milk both out of a can so should be ok?

once the can is open, you're supposed to keep it refridgerated. there's also the slight issue of keeping things cool enough during the summer, i'm thinking just a few cakes on display & the rest in cool boxes with ice packs.

and typing this has just taught me that americans don't use a 'd' in refridgerator.

so how come there's one in fridge?

It rhymes with bridge. I didn't think we used a d in refrigerator either?

i know - i'm confused now, and i used to be a good speller.

and there's me applying for jobs to teach 'english'!

American grammar is quite different, isn't it? I found myself, while learning Spanish, referring to the grammar book I'd bought in England as the explanations and comparisons were much more familiar than in the American textbook I have. Especially when learning verb tenses! You wouldn't think it was the same language sometimes!

Good luck with those jobs kickass. I hope someone snaps you up very soon. Just listened to the Friday night comedy podcast and going to download Kermode now! Night night!

Podcasts are great, aren't they Jenny? I always download the Friday night comedy one too.

Re fridge vs. refrigerator - don't the Americans use refrigerator much more often than we do? I don't remember ever hearing anyone say fridge when we lived there. And yes, the grammar can be confusingly different too.

I'm not much help with the recipes I'm afraid kickass, but the cupcakes sound lovely - good luck with your venture!

we've listened to the same podcasts here! didn't enjoy having the replacement instead of simon mayo.

i'm giving up on sticky toffee pudding cupcake, even milk powder, once mixed up, is meant to be kept cool!

so now i'm going to try a bakewell tart cupcake - pastry layer, marzipan layer, cake with raspberry jam in the middle, (or maybe raspberry juice drizzled over, not sure yet), almonds, then fondant & some decoration.

The News Quiz and the Now Show on Radio 4 are absolute classics and really cheer me up and I never bother listening to the film reviews unless it is Kermode and Mayo!

I would be practically dribbling over the Bakewell Tart if I didn't have so much bloody heartburn!

You HAVE to send me the recipe, kickass. I love marzipan with a passion. (Hi to all on the Living in America thread, we're having a screen-free week, and I'm quickly cheating. I don't mind giving up TV, but the computer thing is killing me. So happy tomorrow is the last day)

Then you must have tried Niederegger Luebeck marzipan from World Market bucket? The best there is!

ooohhh hello. I can ligitimately post on this thread now

I also cannot spell it seems.

jenny - Lubecke marzipan is god's gift to marzipan lovers - I ADORE it! MMMmmmmmm.

Kickass - I can safely say I know nothing about how to make sticky toffee pudding but you could try adding glycerine to the toffee if you just want to keep it liquid. Or - what about butter instead of milk of any kind - does that need refrigerating? I know it'd be more like fudge than toffee but hey, who's going to know. I don't think butter would be an issue because you don't need to refrigerate buttercream icing (do you? I never have)

Hello Serenity - how's the Big Wet? Drying out ok? Have you had a cyclone yet?

Hello MmeBucket - a screen-free week? Eep! We wouldn't last more than 48 hours (and not that at the moment with the Australian Open being on)

Hi everyone! :) kickass those sound lovely, and as a heads-up I will definitely be in your state summer of 2012, so if you're still making them I will stop by and buy the lot! :)

OMG!!

It is ONE degree F (-18C) out there atm!!

the heating has been on for an hour & the house is STILL not warm yet!

right, the oven goes on - I need to do some baking.

serenity - hi, i don't think we worry too much about spelling here. whereabouts are you?

One degree Fahrenheit? That's practically balmy compared to the -22 we had yesterday :o Of course my parents had -48 (which I think is the same in C) so I shouldn't complain either. It's a been a nasty cold winter, hasn't it? It always is, but this one seems particularly brutal.