Thrifty But Glam

It's not exactly a secret that I love baking.  I love to make pastry and biscuits, but I've always struggled with gauging the depth when rolling out dough, or getting an even thickness. My wonderful husband took me to Lakeland to choose my Christmas presents last year, and this nifty rolling pin really caught my eye. The rolling pin is by Joseph Joseph and features different widths of plastic rings that ensure you can roll your pastry to not only the correct depth, but also that you have an even finish.  Initially the price put me off big time.  At £22 (price correct for December 2014) for a simple wooden rolling pin with coloured plastic ends, it seemed really over priced.  I didn't even put it on my Christmas wish list as figured I could find a cheaper alternative on Amazon. Well I did scour both eBay and Amazon and there were a lot of alternatives, but they either had terrible reviews, or looked so cheap I knew they would break after a few uses.  Plus, the qui

We all know that cakes are bad for us, but have you ever actually read the ingredients list on shop bought cakes?  Believe me when I tell you that there all kinds of nasty chemicals, unnatural additives and a ton of 'ingredients' that in my opinion shouldn't be there. Mr Kipling Mini Bakewell Tart Even the packaging that touts 'natures' own will have some not so natural additions, and if the cake is organic, I can guarantee that to act as a preserver they've used a ton more sugar than you should consume. So, should you give up cakes?  God, no!  To me the thought of not having a sweet treat in the house sends me into palpitations, a dinner is not a meal without an indulgent pud to finish it off.  So what can you do?  Simple, make your own. I'm not going to lie, it will be more time consuming, (slightly) more expensive and even stressful at times, but you will have the benefit of knowing exactly what has gone into your cakes and bakes.  I promise th