Zucchini Gate

Hey everyone,

This is just a quick one.

Do you know what I love? Friends and food. Oh yeah.

Okay, you’re getting confused.

I don’t know if I have complained here that we got A TON of courgettes this year and we have no idea what to do with them. I usually use them for soup and that’s about it.

While living this sad, sad dilemma, I come upon the sweetest lady and blogger, Sophie, who blogs over at Foodzesty, which might just be my absolute new favorite cooking blog (I love you all but, when you fall in love, you fall in love).

She suggested this wonderful recipe Courgette Pie (Kolokythopita), that I have yet to try, but which brought me great hope on being able to use up my HUGE zucchinis, instead of trashing them.

We got chatting and I’m very confident I’ve made a new sweet, sweet friend. She’s so awesome she has just posted yet another courgette based recipe,  Courgette Patties with Tzaziki Dip, which made me decide I want to marry her!! Now I have two awesome recipes to try this weekend, using the beautiful and plentiful zucchinis.

She’s even more lovely because she actually mentioned me in her post, which might have contributed to my marriage proposal.

Hello everyone, The other day I was chatting with a really sweet new blogger friend, in regards to recipes with Courgettes/Zucchinis.  She mentioned that her garden is filled with Courgettes, and besides soups she really didn’t know what else to do with them. So, because I know she is a very busy bee, I am posting another recipe that I think she will enjoy, as I hope you will too. 🙂

I mean, she’s just precious.

Thank you so much for being so nice and friendly and sweet and helpful, dear Sophie.

I lit up as soon as I saw your new post. ❤

People, if you don’t know her already, you need to go over her blog. Just eat something first, otherwise you’ll get super hungry.

Meanwhile, Mr.R decided to take matters into his own hands and bake a lemon, carrot and zucchini cake. I’m anxiously waiting for it to come out. I’ll let you know.

If you like pictures of pretty vegetables and would like take a pick at our harvest, follow Mr.R’s amazing Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/masquericostomates/.

See you soon.

 

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Perfect Party Series #11: Anni

Today I’m featuring dear Ann-Kathrin or Anni, as everyone likes to call her. Her blog is Gluecksgeist and I bet you know her. She’s one of my favorite bloggers and a fellow pink lover, so I’m really happy to be giving her shout-out today.

Anni is 19 years old and she’s from Germany. She’s been blogging for over a year and she mostly writes about DIY’s and recipes and boy, is she good at it.

She has recently bought two cacti and I’m jealous as I’ve been meaning to get a few. Their so popular right now, especially the little ones and I see them everywhere so I’ve been getting cactus fever.

Anni has been going through the same, what she calls a cactus obsession, which has resulted in so many cute posts:

Cacti-picking

My Cactus Obsession – Cactus Cookies

My Cactus Obsession

I mean, she’s obsessed with cacti and I’m obsessed with her blog and the beautiful things she makes. When she gets into baking, my major sweet tooth just drools uncontrollably.

Happy Birthday Mama

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Flower Cake

Milkshake Cupcakes

 

Lord help my waistline. And my scale, she might cute. Can you understand why I love her blog so much? The amount of pink and creativity and deliciousness is just adorable and the cuteness overload is just too much.

A few of my favorite posts:

How To Spice Up Your Summer Drinks – She doesn’t mean booze, you guys…

Pink Obsessed Since 1997 – I mean, I guess I win because I’ve been pink obsessed since 1991. Also, aren’t people who were born in 1997 still toddlers? I’m so old.

The Moment When You Realize That You Deleted Nearly All Of Your Blog Pictures – It’s not actually funny, I’ve done the exact same mistake. But I happy that I’m not alone in my clumsiness and proud that she is so much like me 🙂

Spring Haul – You do know how nosy I am and how much I love to stuff my nose into people’s shopping bags and carts, and homes, and routines, and everything…

I guess now it’s time to her answers to my party questions:

Tell us about yourself:

My name is Ann-Kathrin and I started as annkathriin2015, such an original name. 2015 was the year I decided to start my blog and in November I published my first blog post. I am blogging for quiet a while now. I loved blogging from the first day although nobody read my posts for a year. That’s why I am so happy that so many people are reading my posts now. I upload quiet a few baking posts. Baking became a huge hobby for me when I was about 14 years old, I think. I also always loved crafting things with my mum. She is so creative and I am so proud that she gave a little snippet of her creativity to me.

What was your favorite thing about my party?

My favorite thing about your party was that so many people got to know each other. They started by talking about what they wear to your party or mostly about chocolate cake and then shared blog posts and more about themselves. I think your party is such an amazing way to get to know so many amazing bloggers who share the same hobby as you.

Did you get any new followers or views because of the party?

I did get a few new followers, but I didn’t see them on the party so maybe they were just quiet party-attenders?

Did you make any friends?

I didn’t make new friends because I knew quiet a few people! I was so happy about that. When I started blogging I knew nobody and seeing so many known names and faces now makes me so happy.

---

Dear Anni,

I wish I could be as creative as you are. You’re such an inspiration. You make me want to bake and get into diy, even though I’m not even close to being good. I love how sweet you are and how colorful… in shades of pink…your blog is. Thank you for always being so sweet and supportive. Keep rocking your blog and your awesome projects.

So much love ❤

If you don’t know any and her blog, you are definitely missing out.

Thank you for reading!

xx

 

 

 

 

 

Recipes: Apple cake and coffee cupcakes!

Hello again,

I was away for a while so bear with you shall!!

I was asked in the comments for the recipes for my baking spree. And I shall deliver…

Coffee Cupcakes

(Makes 24)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (I doubled this, actually)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon (be careful not to use too much, it can total overpower the coffee flavor)
• 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (I think just any coffee powder will do)
• 2 cups sugar (I used yellow sugar, do you have it where you live?)
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup milk, room temperature
• 1 cup strong brewed coffee (room temperature)  – 1 cup is about 3 espresso coffees
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla – I used powdered, sugared vanilla

Instructions:

• Pre-heat your oven to 180ºC (+-350 F) . Line your cupcake pan with liners or grease with butter and flour.
• Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, espresso powder, sugar and vanilla powder in a bowl. (If you’re using liquid vanilla extract don’t mix it here, wait for the eggs and liquids)
• Whisk the oil, milk, coffee (should be cold by now), eggs and vanilla together in a bowl.
• Slowly add the flour mixture to the coffee mixture and mix to combine.
• Distribute the batter among the liners.
• Bake the cupcakes for about 25 – 30 minutes, or use a toothpick to check if they’re done.
• Allow the cupcakes to completely cool before you frost them.

Coffee Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:

(Enough to frost 24 cupcakes)

• 500 g of butter
• 1 kg of icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 6 tbsp of instant coffee powder
• 3 tbsp of boiling water

Directions:

• Mix the instant coffee powder with the boiling water  and set aside to let it cool.
• Cut the butter into small cubes and then beat  until soft. Gradually add the icing sugar and beat until combined.
• Add the vanilla extract and slowly add the coffee, mixing.
• When it’s fully combined, the buttercream is ready and you can frost your cupcakes!

Notes: The recipe is easy to cut in half or double, if you need more or less than 24 cupcakes. I say you can cut on the sugar, if you don’t like it too sweet. Maybe instead of 1 kg of sugar you could use 750 g. I will try it the next time, since Rui said it turned out too sweet.

Apple Cake

Ingredients:

• 300 g of all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 10 g of cinnamon
• 5 g of salt
• 250 g of sugar
• 50 g of raisins (I didn’t use raisins)
• 125 g of margarine (or butter)
• 4 eggs
• 250 ml of milk
• 250 g of apples, cut into cubes

Directions:

• Mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, sugar and raisins.
• Melt the margarine and add it, then mix again.
• Beat 4 eggs until they start to get “white” and fluffier and add to the mix.
• Add the milk and the apple cubes and slowly involve.
• Pour the mix dough into a greased (buttered) cake pan.
• Pre-heat the oven at 180ºC (+- 350 F) and bake for 35 minutes or until cooked (you can always check using a toothpick, the baking time can depend on the oven)

 

I’m really sorry I have no pictures to show you. I dropped half of the cake on the floor and my frosting looks like a turd on top of a cupcake. For real. You can totally try both and show me pictures, that would be cool!

I hope you like it, guys!!

xx

Cheila

Blessed day (literally)

Hey guys,

How are you?

Just having a regular Saturday, aren’t you?

NOT US!!

• We have the pope.

Oops!

• Our soccer team might win the National Championship for the 4th year in a row today! Benfiiiiicaaaa!!!!

 

• We might win the Eurovision Festival tonight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymFVfzu-2mw

You may not understand the language (we’re the only ones not singing in English!) but the song is lovely! Listen and give me your opinion 🙂

Oh, the pope has left at 3 p.m.

Anyway, of course I’m gonna watch the game and the finale of the festival being super ambitious and hoping we can win both. I’m surrounded with snacks, bae and dog and very excited waiting for the results.

My Friday didn’t start very well, some family drama being responsible for it. I cried a lot and then I decided I wouldn’t take shit and would get up and bake a cake instead, ha! I tried a new recipe (apple and cinnamon cake) and used whole-wheat flour for the first time. The cake was delicious but, as usual, it didn’t grow. I have tried EVERYTHING, every single tip, different brands of flour, different brands of baking powder, different ovens, different programs on my oven, different cake pans, different recipes, different temperatures, different times. NOTHING works. My cakes never grow or, if they do, they shrink immediately. I’m begging for some new tips. Please!!

Oh, and that is not even the funny part.

I dropped half of the cake on the floor. Yap. And I couldn’t even apply the 5 second rule because I have a dog and there’s always dog hair on the floor. Oops. Whatever I didn’t drop, Mr.R gladly ate.

I’ve just made a batch of cupcakes for the very first time. 100% homemade coffee cupcakes with coffee buttercream frosting. They actually grew and taste delicious, although Rui thinks the frosting is too sweet. I followed the recipe and I think it tastes pretty good but I might cut a little on the sugar next time. Do you have a favorite cupcake recipe?

Oh, and you should see me frosting a cupcake for the first time hahaha. Not very artistic but I’ll eat it anyway. Too embarrassed to take pictures!

Mine look exactly as these… not.

I’ll be reading blogs while watching the game and the festival, so please stop by and say hello. So sorry I can’t share snacks.

Are you doing something exciting today?

Are you having a good weekend so far?

What have you been eating?

Do you like soccer?

P.S. We are already winning the soccer game!! 3-0

Love!!

P.S.S I’m actually catholic and am not making fun of the pope. Even if I was, he has a very good sense of humor and would probably laugh (he made a mother-in-law joke the other day. The pope!!)