Zara Homes

I'm always on the look out for nice trays, as I have no dining table, so when guests come over for dinner I can offer them a substitution for eating off their laps-a tray on their lap, of course.
Zara have a lovely collection of dinner trays, from the cheap and chic to those that would cost more than a dining room table if I were to buy more than two.



 And then when the eating and entertaining is done and the job of washing and drying the dishes has to be done, why not do it with a little bit of style.

Sweet and Saucy

They say a picture says a thousand words, so I'll let these prints from PeaPress do the talking.

But if I had to say something, it would be, yes please!
These original prints are such a fun and funky way to inject some colour into the kitchen and for under £10 each, you can treat your eyes whilst whisking up a treat for your belly. 

Are You Being Served?

With this great serving board, you needn't worry about that, you can serve yourself. And do it in great style.

Handmade from Appalachian wild black cherry, these unique and beautifully crafted serving boards are available from AppalachianJoiner's etsy store.

This would make a great gift for newlyweds, perfect for sharing a sushi dinner with a friend, or could be hung on the wall for that rustic look, when not being used.

A fabulous minimalistic way of serving up style. (And saving on the washing up.)

Faking It

I am yet to use silicone moulds in my baking, but my mum swears by them. And mums know best. So I have decided to have a look at what the silicone world has to offer. There is some fab stuff out there.

Take these TeaCupCakes from StrawberryFool.

The set contains 4 reusable baking cups and saucers so you can impress your friends, with the presentation of their cupcake, when having tea parties...if you have tea parties. If not, then here is a perfect excuse to start having them.



A perfect recipe to bake in these would be Earl Grey Tea Cakes.

This recipe is taken from Nigella.com


Ingredients:

Butter for greasing
2 Earl Grey tea bags
60ml (1/4 cup) boiling water
80ml (1/3 cup) milk
100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
160g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
190g (1 1/4 cups) self-raising flour
230g (1 1/2 cups) pure icing sugar
1.5 tbsp breakfast marmalade
1.5 tbsp fresh orange juice (approx)

Let's get making:
1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Brush 12 medium muffin pans with melted butter to lightly grease.
3. Empty the tea leaves from the tea bags into a cup and add the boiling water.
4. Set aside for 3 minutes
5. Stir in the milk and then transfer to a large bowl. Add the butter, eggs, sugar and flour to the tea mixture
6. Use electric beaters on low speed to beat until just combined. Increase speed to medium and beat until the mixture is pale and creamy (the mixture may look slightly curdled)
7. Spoon the mixture evenly into the greased pans. (Or TeaCupCakes, if you have them.)
8. Bake in a preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted in the cakes comes out clean.
9. Remove from the oven and set aside for 2-3 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.

To make the marmalade icing...

1. Combine the icing sugar and marmalade in a small bowl.
2.  Add enough juice to make a very thick past
3.  Use a teaspoon dipped in hot water to spread the icing over the tops of the cooled cakes
4. Set aside for 15-20 minutes to allow the icing to set

And now you can enjoy with a cup of tea.

For the Love of Cupcakes

If you are crazy about cupcakes and crazy about the Royal Wedding (or more the opportunity to have a day off, pretending to celebrate the beautiful union when really it's just an excuse to have a champagne cocktail with your breakfast), then you will love these cupcake cases.

Priced at just £2.99 for 54, from delights.co.uk, you can bake your way into patriotism and eat cupcakes all the way through the ceremony. (Unless of course you have been invited to attend.)

Adorable Aprons

Want to feel like a movie star whilst preparing dinner?
Well, check out these vintage-chic aprons by Bambino Amore. Inspired by the the fashion of yesteryear and Hollywood stars such as Audrey and Marilyn, these two lovely ladies have created aprons that are almost too lovely to wipe your hands on.
One thing's for sure, there will be no embarrassing moments, caught short when the door bell rings and you're still wearing your pinny. If anything, you'll hope your guests are early.