Baking at the Cottage

My thanks goes out to the doughboy

Lately I have craved cake, like, after every meal. Actually, I crave sweets all the time. It's beautiful how boxed cake mix is on sale at the Commissary almost every time we go... not to mention how easily it just sits in your pantry until go time. It just makes all my cakey dreams come true.

Pinterest has definitely given me a few ideas in the desserts department. Most everything I "repin" is some sort of food or meal that looks fun or downright delicious.

For St. Patrick's Day I dyed white cake batter orange and green and made an Irish trifecta cupcake display. This Pin gave me the idea. Bryant even picked all the orange and green sprinkles out of the container so we could have an appropriate representation on top as well as inside the cupcake. Everyone kept questioning the choice of including orange into the color scheme. I really didn't know that Ireland actually had somewhat of an orange vs green rivalry going on until after the cupcakes were eaten. Besides, they were topped with icing infused with Bailey's Irish Cream. Can't we all get along over a bit of Bailey's??

See the fun things we find in eggs? Twins!

The remainder of my baking has been an attempt to eat up what we half already sitting in the fridge or fruit that is about to go bad. We had loads of leftover Bailey's frosting and I had a half dozen bananas on the counter (I wouldn't actually let Bryant eat those even though he wanted to). I really actually planned ahead on the banana bread and watched those yellow guys turn brown for like, two weeks. It's amazing how long the banana bread craving has to wait before being quenched.

I find that mixing all the ingredients together and popping them into the oven is almost therapeutic for me. Not that I need more outlets because "omg, my life is so crazy" because I'll be the first to admit that Bryant and I are pretty much living the dream.  I just really enjoy decorating cupcakes and wrapping up our little breads to give to friends. It feels good to be proud of what you just created and to give away for others to enjoy, even if it is mostly made by a factory in Pennsylvania or wherever. That cake could not have been made if it wasn't for those eggs that I cracked and the 1/2 cup of oil I poured in that bowl!

Birdy helpers for that much-loved parchment paper!

The banana breads (or banana cake as they call it here) I baked the other day were 100% from scratch and I was pretty proud of my ingenuity of making it a fun and hassle-free process. Mom gave me these adorable birdy clothes pins for Christmas I have no idea why because she knows I am a bird lover and they come in handy! I decided that I was going to make mini loaves and used parchment paper to ensure their cuteness to the very end. My birds made the paper stay put while I poured the batter and the paper just stays there after I remove the clips! I hoisted those loaves right out of their hot pan with zero trouble after they were done baking. I didn't have to tip the loaf pans over and hope that more than half of the loaf would plop out.

We like ours warm with a bit of butter. 

How do you eat your banana cake?

So, with four perfectly shaped banana breads and my inability to eat them all, I wrapped up two of them in brown paper (Jo March style) and gave them to our mates from church. The other two were enjoyed by B & me.









In other news... This stuff is amazing. Cream Cheese and Chocolate?? Wow. My mom says they have something like it in the US. Go get a bag of pretzels and a tub of this magic and you'll have a tasty treat:

PS--You're going to want to click that Parchment Paper link because there is a coupon for $1.00 off a package of Reynolds' Brand Parchment Paper! :)

National Trust & Pemberley

Do you ever watch period dramas that show off grand estates and gigantic mansions and think, "Do those places even exist? Who owns them, anyway?" I don't think I ever thought that because, duh, the Darcy family owns Pemberley in Derbyshire and Emma Woodhouse is from Surrey and lives in a house called Hartfield.

Ok, I knew those weren't real places. Or ARE THEY???

Those are real counties, actually, and when I fell in love with the famous Jane Austen novels and their film adaptations I had no idea that I would ever be able to visit such a place.

Well, since moving to England I must admit that my first desire regarding travel involved a little book and a National Trust Membership. These days, large estates still pass down through the family line, but keeping up with property tax is probably a bit rough. Many of them are given to The National Trust and if you become a member you can visit any or all of them for free free FREE!!!

"No, no. The green one. Yes, that'll do."

Last week, we went to a house called Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire. It was just over 1.5 hours from our house, not far from what is called the Peak District. This place was of particular interest to me because according to that neat book I bought in Bath some scenes from Pride & Prejudice were filmed here! ...Some of the best scenes in the whole movie, actually.

The Queen's Bedroom was also Mr. Darcy's bedroom  

Ok, so I am a movie junkie and the romantic ones are definitely the favorites, especially the Jane Austen novel-based films. If you aren't into that sort of thing, that's ok, because the history and grandeur of the house is amazing just by itself!

We learned that they filmed the interior shots of Pemberley (Mr. Darcy's home) at Sudbury Hall and the exterior shots at a different house called Lyme Park (we plan on going there soon). Sudbury was built in the 17th century by Lord Vernon and you can learn more about it here.

The Hall was converted into a Museum of Childhood on one wing and preserved in its original ornate beauty on the other end.

Enjoy these highlights and their respective Pemberley scenes!

The Grand Staircase 

"I have heard much of your master's fine person," said Mrs. Gardiner, looking at the picture; "it is a handsome face. But, Lizzy, you can tell us whether it is like or not."

The Long Gallery

Homeward Bound (for a week)

Well, folks, we have wrapped up our House Hunters International filming in Minnesota. It was so great that we got a flight home and were able to see family out of this deal! Thank you SO MUCH Jared & Skyler for taking care of us while we were in MN. I am not sure what we would have done without you.

We also got to go to the Mall of America while we were there. I picked up a new favorite sweatshirt at J. Crew with a Christmas gift card. Thank you Terin! I am wearing it right now (it was perfect for our afternoon stroll).

Getting some Saint Paul shots on Harriett Island

Bryant is a great interviewee

While we were in the US we got to visit Rachel, Grant, Katherine and Eleanor Walker in Washington on Whidby Island! Rachel is my sister and you may remember she and her hubby had twins the weekend we left for England.

Our favorite little Star Wars fans! They are getting big!!

We had so much fun with Katherine and Eleanor. Five months is such a good age for big smiles and sweet, sleepy cuddles. Rachel and Grant are such good parents!

smiley girl! 

Katherine's first taste of Rice Cereal! 

Eleanor wasn't so sure about the cereal.

While we were in Washington we got to take a day trip to Seattle and hang out at Pike's Place Market for a bit. It was such a treat! :)

The fish throwers!

This Alley was intriguing. We did not add our own gum to the wall. it was gross!! 

The coffee fanatic had to go to the First Starbucks ever! :) 

Believe it or not, we actually planned the travel and our sleep schedules PERFECTLY. We barely suffered from jet lag at all. Because I had to work the day after we arrived back to the UK I was very thankful for that.

We promise to let you know when our episode will air! We can't wait!