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Life is short. Have you ever contemplated that fact? I have always had it in the back of my mind, my mortality lurking there, but recently a few events have made it glaringly obvious. Not that I want to go into all the morbid details, but I really just wanted to share how precious our lives are. How lucky we are to be well, alive and fortunate enough to have all that we do. I really just want you
Hi there! Remeber me? I know! Its been so long since I have last posted! I have been busy with my teaching prac and been LOVING it! But it has taken up a huge chunk of my time! I have been working at a Pre-School just up the road from my home called The Birches Pre-Primary. It is a totally awesome school. I have had to do art lessons with the kiddies for my first year pracs. Its been so much fun!
It's not often that I fall IN LOVE with a cookie recipe. I am an adventure-cookie-bakin-kind-of-person. I love to try out new cookie recipes, and it seems so does every other food blogger, so recipes for any-kind-of-cookie are in endless supply. This recipe, however, is a recipe that I crave, that I love, that I will make again and again. Let me tell you why: 1. These cookies t
ISO, aka, the potential to add grain and noise to your photos. Ha! I bet you can tell how much I love ISO! Just kidding, there is a far greater purpose for ISO, it is just such an over used, misunderstood setting! I hope by the end of this post, you will learn when to use ISO so it enables you to get get a shot you NEED to. First of all, what is ISO? ISO is actually a measurement of the sensit
For most of you, spring is on its way and berries will be popping up all over the place! For me, summer is on its way out, but there is still an abundance of berries gracing the shelves of the stores! I am really glad about that!I adore berries, mostly blueberries and strawberries,but I will happily have any berries! They are little packets of flavour and colour - not to me
Life is busy. Its a fact we all have to face. Whether you go work, or stay work at home, time is precious. I love making yummy desserts and treats, and I try to make something that won't take too much time (or create too many dishes!). This chocolate mouse is one of those desserts! You put 3 ingredients in - and you get a marvelous, smooth and silky dessert out. What's not to love about
So - are you guys up for the next serving of photography for foodies? With the last two posts under your belt: the photography challenge and lenses, you should be up for my favourite subject - lighting and backdrops. Why, you ask, is it my favourite photography subject? I think these two factors are the KEY to good, crisp and eye catching photos. Want to know how and why - k
Well, seeing as today is Valentine's Day, I have a surprise for all of you. If you have been following me on Instagram and Twitter, you would have already known this was in the pipe line. I have been so excited, I couldn't keep it a secret... I have been working on this for quite some time! And it was totally inspired by YOU! I started this blog with the hope that I could somehow
Love is in the air. Seriously! Have you seen the number of Valentines Day goodies floating around all the food blogs lately? My gosh! I am still getting over Christmas! Just kidding. I love Valentines day, not really because I am hoping cupid will deem me worthy enough to shoot me with the arrow of love, but because the man I already LOVE MADLY was born on Valentines day! He is pretty much t
I am going to say from the very beginning, this whole series is based on my own experience. I am, by no means a professional when comes to all the technical jargon, nor have I been on any photography courses. All that I have shared, and plan to share, is based on my own experience. Just letting you know! :) If you missed last weeks edition, it was pretty much jus
I think I just found the perfect brownie. I wouldn't say so if it weren't true. Its true. Try it and see. I won't even say anything more. Just try it. Ok?! Chocolate Rolo Brownies Print ¾ cup butter 2 cups white sugar 1 cup cocoa ½ teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 3 eggs 1 cup flour 1 cup chocolate chips 1 tablespoon vanilla essence 1 ½ cups of rolos plac
Since you have all been asking for this - here it is! I am going to say from the very beginning, this whole series is based on my own experience. I am, by no means, a professional, nor have I been on any photography courses. My whole DSLR camera experience started one and a half years ago. My husband bought me my first 'big girl' camera for my
You want to know something strange? Ok..did you know that Kit Kit holds the Guinness World Record for the chocolate bar with the greatest number of variants (2013). Want to know how many varieties there are? 120! Yip - and those include cucumber, wasabi, watermelon and salt. Wow hey!!! I can totally understand why people make so many varieties (ok - maybe NOT why they made a cucumber flavourthough
In the spirit of Christmas - I thought you may enjoy these! You can find the download links below. There are 4 types of Christmas cards for you to print out onto A4 Card and I have added cut and fold marks to make it easier for you (because I know there is SO much to do this holiday season!) The tags can be either cut by hand or with a 2" round or fluted punch! Thank you for visiting Bit
I love Christmas time. It is full of everything I hold close to my heart! The Lord Jesus, my family and friends, giving, and lots of Christmas treats! Its round about this time of year that all the baking bloggers are hard work, measuring, baking, photographing, editing and blogging - all in the name of Christmas Cheer - and I love it! Take a deeeeeep breath - can't you just smell all the goodies
I made this Candy Land cake a while ago for my special friend Megan. She had a 21st Birthday Party that I am sure will NEVER be forgotten by those who attended! It was AMAZING! There were bowls and buckets of sweets everywhere. It was just fantastic! When Megs asked me to make her cake, I have got to admit, I was kind of nervous! I mean a 21st cake is kind of a big deal! But she convinced me
There is just something so Christmassy about red velvet cake. The colour is sooooo holiday-inspired! I made these a while back and have only gotten around to sharinng them now :) - but they are worth the wait! And just in time so you can bake a batch to wow your guests for the holidays! These are no ordinary red velvet cup cakes! Yes - I know that look that way from the outside, but you g
A while ago Yuppie Chef held a Spring Cake Pop Challenge - and I was all in! I just happen to ADORE spring, and am madly in love with Cake Pops so this one was right up my alley! And to top it off - Bakerella herself had agreed to judge the entries (which Bakerella fan could resit that opportunity!) SO I decided to do mushroom and lady bug cake pops! I love that cake pops are so versat
This, my friends,is for my fellow South-African-bakers-who-would-like-to-scream-at-the-total-lack-of-baking-supplies-for-anything-in-South-Africa. Yes! Its true. It makes me mad, it makes me sad - well, it used to! Until I met Carla. I know, you hear about her ALL the time, but I am thankful for her ALL the time. She has really helped me in 2 BIG ways: the items I have SEARCHED for and cannot find
I am back! And I am SO sorry I have left you all with shrinking waistlines! I promise over the next weeks I will have you back to your former fat and flourishing state that your bellies enjoyed before I started writing my exams. And YES, I am done for this year! I wrote my last exam today, so I am celebrating by sharing these goregous little fellas with you... Yup - these are worth celebr
Have you ever had that feeling that the world around you is spinning waaaay to fast - and you are just too tired to keep up? Well, that is how I have been feeling this past week. I have an exam coming up on Tuesday - and I have been studying like crazy, as well as trying to keep the rest of my life on track. And in all of this I had NO time to fini
Ok, before you just look at the pictures and think - hmmmm, this look like too much for me, hear me out ok?!? I had a hankering to make these gorgeous little bites ever since I saw this post on Bakerella's blog, so I just decided to buckle down and do it! If you have never heard of a macaron - where have you been! Seriously! But just in case - a macaron is a meringuey type cookie, I suppose, th
First off - THANKS so much Lynna from Hearts in my Oven for her awesome post that she did here, was a winner. She had no clue - but I am totally in LOVE with anything blueberry. I could eat blueberries with anything if I had the chance, speaking of which this berry butter Ree from The Pioneer Woman made would be the ultimate spread for Lynna's muffins! Wow. I am drooling just thinking about it - j
Hey guys, I have a REAL treat for you today! I have a very special guest blogger - Lynna from Hearts in My Oven! If you a regular reader (and thank you very much for being that!) you will see Lynna's name in the comment section for almost every post! She is super sweet and has such a wonderful blog FILLED with amazing treats and bakes. I wish I was her neighbor! *SIGH* I especially love her tag li
I am SO sorry for being so quiet over the last two weeks! I have some news - ok stop holding your breath - its not THAT type of news. I am studying - yeah! I have started studying to become a primary school teacher. Wow hey! Not that I don't enjoy my current job - I really do, its just that I have wanted to study for a while now and have FINALLY taken the plunge. But that's not all I am doing - I
The latest craze to hit the baking world seems to be the concept of desserts in jars - and I LOVE it! Its such a sweet idea! Any ways - I made my own version of the craze (as always) and I made some dessert in glasses! If you saw this post last week, you will recognize some of these photos, because its the SAME process that I used to make my mini black forest cheese cakes! So here is the
I recently celebrated my birthday. Birthdays are really special to me and I have ALWAYS treasured the 24 hours each year that I get to have all to myself and get spoilt rotten. And, as far as I can remember - I have always been spoilt ROTTEN. My standard birthday cake growing up was a cheese cake, the no bake type. I strongly feel that there is a MAJOR difference between the two types of cheese ca
As promised...I am sharing these over at Carla's Confections today! Go and check them out! I have been helping her out this week, that is guest blogging for her this week, because she is having a short vacation in Australia (her Instagram posts have been amazing this last week) before jumping on a plane and flying back to the States where her and her husband Matt plan settle down there! S
Ok, so its an easy one that almost EVERYbody knows how to do - but just in case you didn't - I am sharing how to turn condensed milk into caramel treat over at Carla's Confections today! Go and check it out...
This picture says more about this sauce then I could ever type! It is all that! Smooth, creamy, vanillary! When I first saw this on Annies Eats, I was smitten. I had one purpose in mind for it - to flavour my coffee! Aaaannnddd I ended up smothering my ice cream with it, dipping cookies in it and spooning it straight out of the jar and into my mouth. Its that good! Its a fairly
Hi, my name is Heidi and I am addicted to Pinterest. How many of you just opened a new tab to check on your boards? Yip – that would be me! In fact, my morning routine is pretty much get to work, have a sip of coffee, open my browser and gawk at all the new pins! And then I check mail, and THEN my day begins. If you have never heard of Pinterest, tsk tsk, go and have a look! I PROM
Thank you for dropping by Bits of Sunshine today (",) you absolutely chose the right time because, together with Carla of Carla's Confections, we have an awesome giveaway for you! If you have been following my blog for a while, you may have noticed my slight obsession with cupcakes - both the edible and non-edible kind. I really like cupcakes and I like to surround myself th
A while back I was asked by one of my friends to make a cake for her GORGEOUS little boy who was celebrating his first birthday! I was super excited when she said it was a blue and green monster theme! She gave me a picture of one of Bakerella's Pop Stars who had made a similar cake in orange with cake pop eye balls - so I went out straight away and purchased a grass nozzle! The cake turned ou
I really love cupcakes! I am sure if you follow my blog you may have noticed that! There is just something extremely delightful about a personal treat. I think its even MORE delightful that you can add ANYTHING to the basic batter and create the PERFECT breakfast lunch dinner treat! I recently bought a big bag of Cadbury Whipsers (and I am very gratefull for my American translator :) Carla fro
There is something very satisfying about having a batch of home made cookies in your cookie jar! I must admit, I am almost always on "diet" so I try and give my baked goods away as soon as possible so I don't scoff them all - but I really like the idea of having a "stock"* of baked goods in my grocery cupboard :) These are very similar to the white & pink chocolate chip cookies I
Alright, I am just going to say this straight out: I made these from a packet mix. There I said it! I am a big believer in baking from scratch and love to bake from scratch. I hardly ever use box or packet mixes, but I seem to make an exception when it comes to pancakes, flapjacks and bran muffins. They just seem so much easier when you are in that blurry-eyed Sunday morning state! I include
Cookies- not much to say about them, cept they are perfect - in size, in crunchiness, in filling that snack spot...this list could go on. I like cookies in all flavours and sizes, but choc chip are at the top of the pile! I must admit, I have fallen in love with those stunning decorated cookies that Sweetopia and Sweet Sugar Belle make. I will attempt them one day - but for now I wil
I love the chocolate-mint combo. I will have anything chocmint! From milkshakes to peppermint crisp! Yum! I really enjoyed the recent St Patricks day celebrations! Although we don't celebrate it here, I was so inspired by all the mint goodies! So thanks everyone for sharing them! After spending hours gazing at all those minty treats, I was craving something minty - and quick! So I whipped
I like love custard. Warm custard over a warm baked pudding reminds me of home. I think it is a comfort thing. Custard slices remind me of home too. It used to be my responsibility, on a Sunday morning, to whip up a batch of custard slices for my family to enjoy after our morning church meeting. Back then, I would use cream cracker biscuits as the "crust"(if you can even call it that!) and m
A few weeks ago I made a very special friend through Instagram (a photo sharing app). When I went to go and check out her blog, Carla’s Confections, (sweet and savoury by the way! She has Shane and I addicted to BBQ Chicken Pizza!), I saw that she had posted a couple of different cake pops. I totally LOVE, LOVE, LOVE cake pops! So when we got chatting, I asked her if she would share some cake pops
I am sharing these over at Carla's Confections today! Carla makes the most divine sweet and savoury goodies, her blog is really worth a squizz! She has the recipe up as well as a printable recipe, so go and check it out! Thanks for stopping by!
My sweet little niece recently celebrated her 7th birthday. Her name is Caity, and she is one of the most creative thinking kids I know. I had offered to make a cake for her birthday and her mom snapped up the offer, its always so much easier to organise a party without worrying about the cake! Caity ordered a mermaid cake - rainbow style! Phew, tall order! So I decided to go all 'out of the box'
When I posted the Double Chocolate Oreo Cake I mentioned that I made cupcakes too. Since I wanted to save on dishes, I just made a double batch of I am Baker's Best Chocolate Cake, added some oreos and chunks of milk chocolate. Some cake mixtures, like this one, make awesome cupcakes because they don't seem to 'dome' as much, which I like. It just makes them easier to ice! I love to use
Tomorrow my mom-in-law is celebrating her birthday. She is probably the very best mil in the world and I am so lucky to have her! I needed to make a very special cake for the occasion, one that would be elegant but fun, because that's just what she's like, a real lady who is full of fun, especially when it comes to her grandchildren! In deciding what to make I also had to consider the fact tha
I often get asked where I find the time to bake. I work a full time job from 7.30 to 5.00, am as involved in my Church Fellowship as possible and still have to find time to clean my house and cook healthy meals - BUT I still manage to squeeze in time to bake! You can always find the time for the things you love! :) I love baking from scratch (I think it ALWAYS tastes better!) but having said tha
A dark, chocolaty, indulgent treat for Valentines day that will win the love of any chocolate lover! Worked on my husband! :) So, how would you go about making these tasty little morsels? Well - simple and easy! First prepare two 12 hole muffin pans with cupcake holders and set aside. Then mix up some flour, bi carb, salt and cocoa. Next, mix with an electric beater, eggs and sugar
I love cheese cake. Every year when my birthday rolled around, I would ask for a cheese cake. There is just something so indulgent about the creamy tang that totally appealed to me. Still does! I have found in my years of devouring cheese cake that there are two definate types of cheese cake lovers...the "Baked Cheese Cake"lover and the "Fridge Cheese Cake" lover. I am the latter. I will enjoy a p
