More baking...

Miss 14 made some yummy orange melting moment biscuits...

Blondie and a friend made double gingerbread biscuits - tinkering with the recipe as they went, because as they said, "How can you have gingerbread cookies with no ginger in the recipe?"

And this is the remains of a batch of triple cheese scones (tasty, Parmesan and fetta) that I made to go with cup of soups for dinner.  The rest have gone in the freezer for school lunches.

And I cleaned, decluttered and did a stock-take of my pantry as well - just in time!  It turned out I was very short of everything, but couldn't see it for the the half used packets that had not been put in their boxes.

Now I know what to stock up on when it comes on sale, and I have the room to put it!

A very late birthday cake!

Back in October, my big girl turned 14.  Her birthday is very awkwardly situated in the first week back of Term 4 of the school year.  For two years running we have not managed to organise a birthday cake in her birthday week. In 2011 we did manage a cake in the actual year, but not in 2012.

Both my girls have developed a love of baking - and not through being encouraged by me, I might add!!  I'm a very slack mother who prefers to just get things done in the kitchen.  However they now just ignore me and go and do it anyway - and are getting very good at it.  Just need to work on the cleaning up side of things.

Miss 14 decided yesterday that it was high time she had a birthday cake and she had a lovely recipe she wanted to try out.  And here is the result...

Chocolate-garnished hazelnut meringue torte.

As yummy as it sounds.  The meringue was very soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.  We've frozen the rest to eat as an almost ice-creamy treat.

Bit harsh having to make your own birthday cake though!!!