Royal Wedding Day

So it is 4:00am and we are all ready to host 10 girlie ladies for a champagne breakfast.

We are so excited to see the dress, eat some scones and clotted cream and sip from fine china.

I will post some pictures from our Tiaras and Pajamas Wedding do.

Let's Go Fly a Kite

I spent the past Easter weekend bonding with my Mum. We watched movies, drank wine, indulged in chocolate, dined out, and one of our all time favourite things to do: go for a drive. All in all a very tame weekend. 

Now, during Easter, Barbados' sky is populated with kites. Homemade kites, colourful kites, triangular kites, and very very large kites. Kite flying is so popular that our local Light and Power company broadcasts adverts warning kite pilots about power lines. On our drive we came across "The Hulk" of all things Kite - it measures 26ft in diameter and according to the newspaper (yes in Barbados there are articles in the local newspaper about kites) it will take the strength of 10 men to keep it grounded during flight. Do not think I will be able to make the launch party today but just seeing "The Hulk" leaning up against its creator's house was jaw dropping... his two storey house. 

The Hulk

We continued along on our drive and came across many other kites. Some kite owners tied them off on a fence and that is how I was able to get this lovely photograph. You have to remember to find interesting perspectives when it comes to taking photos. I was quite pleased with how it came out.

To top off our lovely drive, we stopped at the popular Tapas Restaurant on the South Coast of the island to have an early dinner. Our meal consisted of tapas and a New Zealand Marlborough. The meal was topped off with a pot of tea and a leisurely stroll on the boardwalk.

It was the perfect way to end a four day weekend. Going for drives can be random, wonderful adventures.

Recipe: Hot Cross Buns

Happy Easter.


This Easter I attempted baking Hot Cross Buns. I most definitely succeeded (this conclusion drawn from the fact that all were gobbled up) but my timing was not as successful. I have learned that one needs to considering the resting time necessary for bread/yeast recipes to be served when you want.

I wanted to bake Hot Cross Buns and serve them with my father's vegetable scrambled eggs and sausages but unfortunately I did not consider the rest needed and they became a tea time treat. All in all it still worked out and they froze well and remained a morning staple for the week.


The recipe came from the lovely and trusty Martha Stewart (domestic queen): 

Yield: 24 buns

Ingredients

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for bowl and baking sheet
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons plus one pinch salt
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 5 1/2 cups all-purpose, flour plus more for dusting
• 1 1/3 cups currants
• 1 large egg white
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions

• Generously butter a large bowl. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, heat 1 cup milk until it is warm to the touch.
• Pour warm milk into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. With mixer on low, add yeast, granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons salt, melted butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and beaten eggs.
• With mixer on low, add flour, 1 cup at a time, until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms around the dough hook, about 3 minutes. Continue kneading, scraping down hook and sides of bowl as necessary until smooth, about 4 minutes longer. Add currants, and knead until combined, about 30 seconds.
• Turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface. Knead by hand to evenly distribute currants, about 1 minute.
• Shape dough into a ball, and place in the buttered bowl; turn ball to coat with butter, and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour 20 minutes. For a richer flavor, let dough rise in a refrigerator overnight.
• Generously butter an 11-by-17-inch baking sheet. Turn dough out onto work surface, and knead briefly to redistribute the yeast. Divide dough into 24 equal pieces, about 2 ounces each. Shape pieces into tight balls, and place on baking sheet, spaced 1/2 inch apart. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until touching and doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees, with rack positioned in center. To make egg wash, whisk together egg white, 1-tablespoon water, and pinch of salt in a small bowl; brush tops of buns with egg wash. Using very sharp scissors or a buttered slicing knife, slice a cross into the top of each bun. Transfer pan to oven, and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool.
• Make glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon milk, confectioners’ sugar, and lemon juice. Pipe or ladle glaze over buns, and serve.

Enjoy.

Introducing Myself.

Well hello there.

I am new to the blogging world (as my first post might already suggest) and this whole place is quite fascinating... really. I have stumbled upon some fantastic blogs, all of which were very inspirational, real, amusing, wholesome in their own way.

I have truly been inspired to now create my little blog, my little creation in the corner of the world wide web. Tell my story. Share my goals and voice my accomplishments. This first post has taken me a while to write. I have literally cleaned under my bed before I built up the "courage" (not sure if that is the right choice of words) to start. 

So here it goes, some things to know about me:

- family person

- live in Barbados

- a novice in photography

- single

- my next move in life... uncertain?

My hope is that this blog gets juicy and becomes a good read. We will have to see about that...

This is me with with my dad, brother, and mum. Not a bad bunch and basically the perfect photograph to launch my own bit of cyberspace.

Enjoy.