Lobster Thermidor..at last!

How many months ago now did I say that I had the urge to not only eat, but also make a miniature version of a lobster thermidor..too many to remember!
As I've just taken on a commission to make loads of the dreaded cupcakes along with donuts, I needed to make something savoury before I started...you know how I just LOVE cupcakes, real or mini!! So here it is at last! A lobster thermidor with lettuce & quarterd tomato!



Now I'm hoping that I might get to eat the "real" thing tomorrow as it's my 30something wedding anniversary...I gave up counting on the 25th anniversary...just think I could have murdered my good old hubby & been "out" by now! :-)). Sadly though, I think the only lobster I'll be seeing is the polymer clay one as there's very little chance of the hubby remembering never mind taking me anywhere to celebrate!! Oh well!

Beetroot!

Things are so very quiet round here now that my youngest, Kim & her boyfriend Dr Tom, have left to travel back to the UAE so I've been keeping myself occupied in my veggie garden. After the disastrous summer (or rather, lack of summer!) last year when absolutely everything, except the broad beans, drowned, this year everything is looking so good that I can't wait for the time to pick all the goodies!
I'm so desperate for the beetroot to be ready that I disappeared into my mini sweatshop last night & to make up for lack of the "real" thing I made myself a bunch of beetroot......



....& then decided to make a representation of my all time favourite way of eating beetroot...pickled in deliciously aromatic pickling spices!!...Roll on harvest time!

Happy Independence Day USA!

Here's to all my friends across "The Pond"...have a wonderful celebration today!
Thought you might like to share some little nibbles I made for last year's July 4th! Things have been just so hectic this year that I haven't actually made anything for the celebration. But...I haven't forgotten about you all...Have a GREAT day!
An "Uncle Sam" hat cake!


....& some patriotic cookies!




My work rate will be severely stretched this week as my youngest & her boyfriend have braved a visit back to good old Durham for a week...even though we are having the hottest weather we've seen for 3 years (thank goodness..I LOVE it!)...they are COLD! I suppose when you think they've left 49-55 degrees C & have come to 25 degrees C it's understandable! :-))

I've been baking!

I've been baking again..not in the real kitchen, but in my mini kitchen...it's the only place where any baking gets done these days! I wish I could work up the enthusiasm to make the edible version, but somehow that just never seems to happen!

Even getting these made has proved a challenge as, now that the better weather is here, all the hedges & grass in my garden have the cheek to just keep growing. As fast as I get everything cut & looking tidy it seems that the next time I turn around it all needs doing again!

You can see that I'm already thinking about Autumn(perhaps subconsciously I'm praying not to have to keep cutting the grass!)making this little blackberry & apple pie!


Once in "pie mode" I just had to make a gooseberry pie as my bushes are laden again this year & I have a freezer full....all waiting for me to make a REAL pie! Mmmmm, now what do you think are the chances of that happening?! :-))

Light Award..Thank you Rosanna!

Thank you Rosanna!
Rosanna...http://lastanzadigiuggiola.blogspot.com/ has given me this lovely award!
The rules of this award are:

1.-To complete the following phrase: I AM A LIGHT AND WANT TO ILLUMINATE...

2. - Link the blog from where the award came from and leave a message informing that person it has been received.

3.- Link and pass the award to five blogs that, in your opinion, are blogs of light.

Well, I've done no:-2
No's 1 & 3 are so difficult...but here I go!

The 5 blogs (& my apologies if you already have this award!) are:-
1. Linda Carswell at Petite Folie.....http://une-petite-folie.blogspot.com/
2. Julie at Bellabelle dolls....http://bellabelledolls.blogspot.com/
3. Jean Day at jdayminis....http://jdayminis.blogspot.com/2009/06/my-milk-toof-by-inhae.html
4. Sumaiya Mehreen at Fantasy Forest....http://thefantasyforest.blogspot.com/
5. Kim Saulter at...http://kimsminiatures.blogspot.com/

These blogs are all "blogs of light" to me!!
I'm so sorry if the links don't work..but for some reason I just can't get them to work properly & quite frankly, have given up trying!!

I AM A LIGHT AND WANT TO ILLUMINATE....oh dear..just what do I want to illuminate??
Ah...got it!
I AM A LIGHT AND WANT TO ILLUMINATE the world of miniature madness in which there are some simply wonderful people who brighten up my world!

2 Pyramids!

I'm ashamed to say that not too much has been going on in my particular mini workshop recently.
My excuse is that it's beginning to feel like summer at last here & the call of the pruning, veg gardening, grass cutting & generally enjoying the sun (as you know, I'm a dedicated sun worshipper, believing the vitamin D I get from being out in it far outweighs any PC worries over skin cancer!!)has kept me outside instead.
Apart from completing several run of the mill orders, I did manage to put together this little poached pear pyramid. One of the commissions involved some skinned pears so, as usual, while working on the pears, I went off at a tangent & decided I fancied eating one of these...it would probably have been much quicker to have made the "real" thing

Poached Pear & Chocolate Pyramid


Then there were the mussels, sitting hour after hour making these little beasts & I definitely needed a little escape into creativity!

A Pyramid Of Fresh Mussels On Ice.




I hope I can force muyself back into the mini-making mode very soon as I have a huge workbench of UFO's sitting looking at me every time I put my nose in there!

Hallowe'en comes early! (In May?)

3 weeks since I returned from Al Ain & survived the woman eating escalator in London & aside from the backlog of commission work that had built up while I was away, I had clean forgotten that half term was looming & having had the 3 grandkids + Mum & Dad for the last week, you can imagine that mini-making time (or in,fact, any time for anything other than cooking, washing, ironing & spoiling the grandkids before handing them back to their parents!!!) has been very limited!
I'm still working my way through commission orders...slowly, but now that the sun has vanished, I might get on a little faster!

I was asked quite a few weeks ago if I would be creating any new pieces for Hallowe'en...yes, I DID say Hallowe'en, talk about wishing your life away!! So, as I needed a break from making what I HAD to, rather than what "I fancied" I decided that I was feeling Hallowe'eny & as I'm having a love affair with mini meringues right now I came up with this orange & licorice meringue tower complete with sparkly spider's web.......



Even more fun was to create this "scary" ( I think he's quite benign really!) Vampire Bat Cake! He is actually a repeat of a cake I made lst Hallowe'en but was such fun to make that I decided to create another for this commission!



Now, sadly, it's back to the commission work... the sun has vanished, kids have gone home, beds all changed & ironing done.... no more excuses!! :-((