BAKING: The Great Purple Alpha-Bake | E for Eton Mess Cheesecake

It has been months, pretty close to 6 since i've added to my alpha bake. I've been so very manically busy, that I haven't had time except the odd Brownie here and there, which I have to say have been delicious. Lorraine Pascal's Oreo brownies are AMAZING!! I also tried out my own recipe and added some Rose flavouring to a batch, which I LOVED!! Although it is an acquired taste.

Last weekend I had ladies night at a friends house volunteered my dessert services and made an Eton Mess Cheesecake - my own recipe and Caramel Shortbread, like we used to have at school.

Mini-me couldn't believe her luck when I let her loose with a rolling pin and pack of digestive biscuits, which formed the base of both my desserts once added to butter and left to cool.

The Caramel Shortcake was simple enough, condensed milk, butter and dark brown sugar brought to the boil and then poured over the chilled biscuit crumb. Put in the fridge and bish, bash, bosh, back to Primary school we went... Didn't get a chance to photograph them :-(

The Cheesecake, although the brain child of my overflowing brain was suprisingly just as simple. I used the basic unbaked Cheesecake recipe of whipped double cream with mascarpone cheese and icing sugar, to which I beated in broken up meringue and raspberries, I then folded in some more, spooned the biscuit into champagne glasses, spooned the cheesecake mixture on top and garnished with more broken meringue and raspberries. Sounds even more ridiculously easy now that i've written it down, but it was also ridiculously delicious.

It is testament to my absolute love of dessert that I am mastering this baking malarchy and taking the time to make things, although these recipes weren't exactly baking....

Maybe I should challenge myself to making actual food...? Hmmmmm....

I'm baaaaack...

It's been a while since i've graced these pages and it hasn't been through lack of things to say, I wouldn't even say it was through a lack of motivation, let's call it laziness shall we, or the constant cloud blocking what could possibly be the silver lining, that is procrastination...

I even flaked on my Project 365 which is a shame as I was actually enjoying writing it and looking back on the days I managed to blog is quite cool.

Anyhoo... This week I signed up to a creative writing course, just because it's something I've wanted to do for a while and found one locally. I've decided to post my completed assignments to 'ze blog' as a way to get back into blogging.

So here's assignment one: Describe yourself in 100 words, including 20 facts. Imagine it to be the blurb at the back of your first novel

"Unique, creative and ever so slightly random, Leah Samuel, Lee, Lilly, Lea Lea or Mackton as she is known to her nearest and dearest is ruled by her constant need to satisfy her sweet tooth, her inability to remember anything and her penchant for purple pens.

Born and bred South of the river, failed personal trainer, procrastinator extraordinaire, accomplished though somewhat erratic designer, friend, daughter and shoe collector would all appear on her resume.

She dances like no-one is watching, is a bookworm that despises the Kindle, can hold a full conversation using 'Friends' quotes and her favourite colour is Teal."

I think that's me in a nutshell... More posts to follow as I progress through the class :-)

PR xx

PurpleRamblings Project 365

Happy New Year!!

I'm late I know, but i've been busy...

I should've written this post 5 days ago when I started my Project 365, but I didn't so sue me... :-p

A friend of mine sold me on the idea. 

She completed her Project 365 for 2011 and throughout the course of this year I have taken great pleasure in following her ups and downs through a series of images, photographs and quotes. 

So decided to give it a go. I started mine on 1st Jan and hope that at least one person will find it as interesting as I found hers.

There is a link to the right handside of this blog or the url if you want to follow is
http://prproject365.blogspot.com/

This blog will continue as it always has being updated as and when I am grabbed by the urge to blog.


PurpleRamblings Project 365 will be updated daily :-)


PR xx

Thoughtless Thursday...

Loads of people in my cyberworld were complaining about today being Thursday and not Friday and how annoying and pointless Thursday was and it inspired me to write this...

Thoughtless Thursday, why are you here? Nobody likes you and nobody cares.

Third-Rate Thursday you're just in the way, 24 hours of an unwanted day.

Trivial Thursday I can't make you out, what is your purpose, you've come with no clout.

Towering Thursday, standing in the way, blocking Friday, causing Saturday further delay.

Torturous Thursday your hours drag by between Wednesday and Friday you're so frigging dry!

School Shoe Situation...

Blogging on the go again, but the trauma of this morning has been too much!

I can't be the first parent traumatised by the navy, black, grey colourless transition from nursery/every day clothes to school uniform... Can I?

I'm having a serious melt down over here!! I can't cope with the fact that from now until FOREVER (ok, not forever but she'll be at school for a long time) my unsuspecting 5 year old will be forced to enter the realms of the NAVY BLUE EVERYTHING against my better judgement...

Friends and family have grown tired of my endless questions and suggestions regarding shoe colour, coat colour and socks/tights colour, the only things not stipulated on the uniform list as having to be blue, grey, black.

Me: Purple kickers? They have Velcro...
Them: NO!!
Me: Shoes with flashing lights at the bottom...? They're black...
Them: NO!!
Me: Striped tights...? They have blue and grey stripes...
Them: NO!!
Me: Red Mary Janes...? They're very sensible...

You can guess what they said. And on and on it went... I was even told mini-me would be bullied as she would stand out from the other children in her brightly coloured shoes. What happened to being individual?!! I despair :'(

You may remember me having a similar breakdown a few years back regarding the "fairy throw up" that are Lelli Kelli's, I'd give my right arm for her to be able to wear them to school now. Actually maybe my left arm, I don't use it as much.

Why so dramatic I hear you wonder...? Because I am!! Lol. No that's not true I'm not usually quite so dramatic, passionate maybe, but this has pushed me over the edge, people around me are shocked, confused, nervous... I can see it in their eyes, the concern that there could be more to this, that my mental health may actually be questionable right now. That they may have to call for back-up... LMAO!!

Ok, Ok, the drama got the best of me.

The long and short of it is this, I like colour, I think children should be dressed colourfully. They have the rest of their working, office lives to be dressed in black, blue, grey... Why start at 5?!!!!

*sobs uncontrollably*

Brands In Your Bag... SS

Another chance for a sneak peak in someone else's bag...

My analysis: "Firstly this Lady must carry a pretty small bag as her content is tiny.

It suggests that she is a very no frills kind of person who doesn't have time for

frivolity and unnecessary extras.

Music, hygiene and organisation seem important to her as her diary, pen, iPod and antibacterial gel

are the only non-essentials she bothers to carry.

She has Hayfever and travels on public transport"

What do you make of this Lady from her bag contents...?

Brands In Your Bag... RR

Ever wanted to see what was in someone else's bag...? Here's your chance...

My analysis: "Stylish lady - Mulberry, Cartier, Bourjois, Menthol Marlboro's

Appearance is important - Quantity of make-up

Slightly quirky - Purple heart keyring

A little unorganised - Absence of make-up bag"

Care to guess at the character of this lady from the contents of her handbag?

Age? Job? Starsign?

Do you know which logo belongs to which item?