Cinnamon swirl cupcakes

Cinnamon swirl cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting

As an co-organiser for Cake Eaters Anonymous the pressure's always on to create something yummy to take along to our monthly meetings. I try and rotate my bakes so it's cupcakes one month, cookies another etc. This month was our Halloween themed event and I was really excited to see the cakes and bakes as everyone had such fun with the theme last year.

Game City 7 hits Nottingham!

Gamecity 7 is definitely this!

It's that time of the year again where Mum's lose their sons and wives lose their husbands all thanks to...Game City. No really, thank you Game City! Now pass that white wine and Pride & Prejudice DVD...

This videogame festival showcases games and game culture and we're lucky enough to have it happen right on our doorstep in Nottingham. Over the years I've done a few cakey things for Game City and I get so excited as the October half term approaches as my husband is a real retro games enthusiast and my 8yr old is slowly becoming attached to any games console he can find...

Sunday brunch pancakes

Pancakes are, hands down, my favourite brunch food. I love 'em. Preferably served with lashings of real butter and maple syrup (Aunt Jemima syrup optional).

The kids love them dotted with chocolate chips and whilst I can still appreciate the more traditional English pancakes with lemon and sugar, these fluffy delights will always have a special place in my heart.

Quick and easy marshmallow pops

My eldest boy (8 going on 18...) had a friend over for tea recently and it seems my dear son has been spreading knowledge of my love for baking far and wide as his little friend turned to me and in between eating mouthfuls of dinner and excitedly said "I can't wait to see what cake you made for pudding!" Uh oh...

Dear readers, I hadn't even made tea (they had a fish and chip supper) so the idea of preparing a freshly baked anything was not even remotely possible.

Oreo cookies meet chocolate chip!

Cookies with crushed oreo mixed in - delicious!

Yesterday I celebrated 25yrs of living in the UK. I moved here from the USA when I was 8 and though I no longer have a trace of an accent (indeed most people are shocked when they learn I'm not a fully fledged Brit!) I still miss home and I console myself by baking and eating the food from my homeland.

What could be more American than a chocolate chip cookie? I've mentioned before that I've found a cookie recipe I really like and it adapts well to any sort of mix-in whether it be chocolate chips, cookies, raisins, nuts etc. The key to making these cookies is to chill the dough or else your cookies will spread too much whilst baking and the cookie will become too thin and crisp.

Review Douwe Egberts flavoured coffees

New flavoured coffees at Tesco

There's a revolution happening in our supermarkets. With every aisle comes the introduction of a new product that seems to have a hint of 'America' about it. As a US expat, this thrills me to bits! I mean, it's easy enough to get hold of real American products nowadays but the price tag is usually high and I normally reserve my orders for special occasions.

One of my biggest cravings is for flavoured coffees. Anyone that knows me knows I'm not a big fan of hot drinks, indeed I love my cold coffee! But NOTHING beats a good Dunkin Donuts vanilla or hazelnut coffee - this is the drink of my people (by people read 'family'...)

Dough! It's time to try my hand at bread

My baking portfolio falls short. There is one aspect of baking that I have never been able to turn my hand to...making bread. Dear blog reader, please believe me when I say I HAVE tried; but it seems I am seriously lacking the patience that it requires to make a decent loaf.

But, I'm not one to walk away from a challenge. I came across a great artisan cooking school which is tantalisingly close to me in Nottinghamshire and all of their courses look soooo good so I hope to save some funds and attend a course next year (it'll take me that long to save up AND choose a course!).

Dinner time cowboy style

Oh yes, I made this picture big to taunt you with their deliciousness!!

I love the internet. Seriously, if you ever need a recipe you can guarantee you'll find something within minutes of Googling it. I mean, nothing beats sitting with a stack of cake books and pouring over the pages for the 'perfect' vanilla cupcake recipe but when it comes to dinner - I offer myself to the internet dinner gods.