Yelly Reads

The Fabulous Boy Who Bakes

Yelly

I love Twitter because it makes celebrities more accessible.  Now, before you think that that statement sounds lightly stalkerish, I don’t mean you follow their every tweet.  It just allows you to post a comment and it allows the people you look up to to respond to your message.

I’ve had a few fan girl moments on Twitter where my baking heroes have actually responded to my tweets.  It can be quite the giddy moment.

I have quite a few favourites on Twitter from the Great British Bake Off.  One of them being the first ever winner Edd Kimber.  I’m not ashamed to say that I very much wanted Ruth Clemens to win that series but it was, really, an undeniable truth, that Edd was quite the baking talent.  I became quite the Edd Kimber fan when I was given his cookbook.  His blueberry streusel pie is absolutely amazing and the streusel recipe is so versatile!  I’ve used it for other baking projects and it has been a wonderful addition to my other fruit pies!

Edd has a stall in Maltby Street Market selling his lovely baked treats from his Eddibles Bakery.  I’ve been twice now.  And today, I had the chance to get his new book (which is on my cookbook wishlist) and get it signed too!  Edd was lovely and very accommodating.  He talks to the people who visit his stall and talk to him about the GBBO and his baking and his books.

I felt really cheeky asking him to sign the book for me but he did, even saying that he brought a pen for “just in case!”.  I asked if he could take a photo with me and he said yes!  Total fan girl moment.  I was honestly feeling a bit under the weather this morning but this certainly lifted my spirits!

Thank you Edd!

I’m soooooo looking forward to trying my hand at making the rainbow cake…and the lamingtons…and the bourbons…and the custard creams…

Yelly Writes

Writing Pit Stop

Yelly

I think the one solution to my writing woes is to write when inspiration strikes me.  I’ve got so many entries floating around in my head that I think the only way to stop these writing ideas from floating away is to just stop for a moment and type out my thoughts.

This is going to have to be quick because I need to really start working on a handover document!

NR11 came to visit my blog and I found this link to Hugo and Adele’s website.  In a nutshell, Hugo and Adele sell party supplies but I was drawn to how adorable their cupcake baking cups were.  I’m all about the cute stuff as, after all, I am a girly girl!  If you like lovely pastel coloured party supplies, I think you may just have to wander around their site.   Thank you NR11 for sharing this wonderful bit of information!

Here’s a teaser of some of the lovelies that they have.  This is isn’t an advertising scheme mind!  I just thought sharing this would be helpful to someone else too!

Yelly Snaps

Harry Potter!

Yelly

Yes, I am a Potter head and yes, I took the Harry Potter tour at the Warner Brothers Studios in Leavesden.

The experience was glorious.  I knew what to expect because one of my church babies, Paula, had gone on the tour a few months earlier.  I didn’t expect to be so captivated and I know it sounds awfully cheesy, but I didn’t expect to be transported back to Hogwarts!  Going on the tour made me want to watch all 8 movies all over again!  It’s just driven home the point that JK Rowling had the most amazing mind, being able to create a whole world filled with wizards, witches, a wizarding school and a whole other world!

What I loved the most about the tour was that you got to see how much detail went into creating that world that drew everyone in.  It was amazing and quite the mind-blowing experience.  I tip my hat off to the men and women who took part in the creating the wonderful Harry Potter experience because this was truly amazing work!

I could post the nearly 500 photos I took during the tour (yes, they even tell you to have your cameras at the ready!) but it wouldn’t really put into words how absolutely magical it was.  Yes, magical.  Remember how you felt when you watched Harry Potter for the very first time, and marveled at the world you were entering (via the movie, of course)?  Multiply that a hundred times and that’s how it feels walking through the tour!

Yelly Writes

Thank you!

Yelly

I thought it would be good to start October with a note of thanks.

Thanks to everyone who has come to check the blog out and a special thanks to everyone who has followed the blog.  You all inspire me to write and get out of the writing slump that I am currently experiencing.

Yelly Reads

Book du jour!

Yelly

Someone has very kindly given me the book I so wanted (see post on 25 September!).

It has now been added to my Kindle and I cannot wait to get stuck in!

Apart from that new development, there is nothing new.  I’ve still got so much to write about but as usual, I am plagued with inertia and the lack of initiative to find the time to write about things.  Not good, I know.  I will get over this writing hump though.  I really will!

Yelly Reads

I want this book!!!

Yelly

I’ve got a list of favourite authors and I collect cookbooks.  I have stopped counting my cookbooks since I started this blog because, considering the size of my flat, I’ve got an obscene amount.  At least in my opinion, it’s obscene, considering the storage limitations.  My next project is to source a book case that can hold my burgeoning cookbook collection!

I do, however, want this book.  It’s supposed to be released on Thursday, 27 September.  And it’s already creating quite the ruckus.

It’s J.K. Rowling’s next book, aimed at grown up readers.  The tagline they’re using to promote it is “A big novel about a small town.”  I should have pre-ordered my book, but things have been hectic and I didn’t get around to doing anything about securing my copy.  The Kindle edition is more expensive than the hardcopy.  But really, I am a J.K. Rowling fan.  I think I’m more than likely to get the actual book!

Yelly Snaps

What’s in my handbag?

Yelly

Ever since I had the operation on my right hand (I suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome) I’ve been looking for ways to stop me from having to carry heavy things.  They’ve become very weak and I can hardly carry a kilo without my hands, arms and elbows telling me off for a good 72 hours.  I have the most beautiful bag from Modalu but because it is 100% leather, it is slightly heavy and with the amount of things that used to put in my bag, carrying my lovely Pippa would, right now, not be a good thing.

I’ve recently acquired a lovely Radley bag that is beautifully lightweight.  I also bought the matching purse, quite by accident.  But because the purse is smaller than my usual handbag, I am forced to carry less.  I think I’m becoming smarter about the things that I carry with me on a daily basis.

For the cosmetics in the bag, you can find out what they are here.  But I will always have my wallet, my keys, my phone (which obviously isn’t in the photo because I used it to take the photo), my mifi doohickey, my trusty ticket holder from Cath Kidston that carries all my train-related paraphernalia, Olbas Oil sniffy stick, a pocket mirror and a notebook and pen.

Now what’s in YOUR handbag?  Care to share?  Let me know if you’ve taken a photo of your handbag and I’ll repost your blog post on the blog!

Yelly Eats

Croque Madame Muffins

Yelly

Rachel Khoo burst into the TV cooking scene early this year with her little Paris kitchen exploits.  When I first saw the TV adverts for her show on the Beeb, I wondered if it was all too good to be true.  Everything was neat, tidy and oh-so-trés-Français.  But I was very (very!) curious so I made sure her show was sky-plussed.

I loved everything about the show.  It somehow de-mystified french cooking for me and seemed to make it more accessible.  I’ve got Julia Child’s Mastering The Art of French Cooking, but have never tried any of the recipes.  French cuisine is, really, quite daunting (to me it is, anyway).  I’ve cracked the book spine by reading it but haven’t really had the courage to actually try one of the recipes (yes, I know I really should!).

Because I enjoyed the show and the recipes that were featured (and thought I’d be a dab hand at trying out the recipes) I bought Rachel’s book and it really is quite adorable.  The illustrations in the book are completely hers (and considering her visual arts background, I wasn’t surprised that the little illustrations were good, and really quite refreshing to see in a cook book!). 

The first recipe I’ve tried and have always come back to in the cookbook is the recipe for croque madame muffins.  They are simple to make and they taste absolutely scrummy.  There are only 6 ingredients: bread, butter, eggs, ham, cheese and bechamel sauce!  If you are considering buying this book, do, if only for the croque madame muffin recipe!  They’re wonderfully tasty and oh-so-easy to make.  And, they do, come out quite beautifully.  When you pull them out of the oven and see their lovely golden bakedness, you can’t help but say, “Oh wow!  I made that!”

Yelly Eats

Baked Figs

Yelly

Figs are my fruit du jour.

My favourite dessert at the moment is baked figs with Greek yogurt and honey.  It’s a quick, comforting dessert.  And very easy to prepare: cut the figs into quarters and roll them in sugar.  Then place them in a baking pan and bake them at 200°C for 20 minutes.  Serve with yogurt and honey.  Figs will give out a syrupy juice so make sure you spoon the syrup onto the yogurt too.  Makes for a very tasty dessert!

Yelly Snaps

Lovely Keele Hall

Yelly

My job takes me to all sorts of places.  I don’t really see much of the places that I get to, it’s mostly train stations or airports, cabs, the venue and then back again.  But there are times when you get to be in absolutely lovely places.

On Monday evening, I was overseeing the dinner at the conference that I was managing.  We were fortunate enough to be in a wonderfully old building.  I’m sucker for old buidlings and this was certainly a treat for me.  We had dinner in the Salvin Suite in Keele Hall.  Keele Hall was originally built in the 16th century and was rebuilt in the 19th century.  After dinner, everyone who wanted a bit more tipple moved to the bar which is actually an old library.

Sometimes, even though you’re at work, you can stop and still enjoy your surroundings!

 To see my other Keele Hall photos, click here.