Got a horrible cold (as I often do after a deadline in the winter). Not so hooray.
I also have to confess a new obsession. Edible glitter.
Near to where I live is a cake craft shop. Now, I am not one of those gifted individuals who can fashion impressive models out of fondant icing. I tried once. Never again. Just trying to get the icing flat over the cake almost had me in tears. From that day on my daughters were told that they'd have to put up with good old buttercream for their birthday cakes or it was a trip to Marks & Spencers. Anyway, I digress...
Where was I? Oh, yes - the cake craft shop. It has fabulous displays of wedding cakes and themed cupcakes, and I was particularly taken by a display last year where the cupcakes were all glittery. At Christmas I decided my raspberry pavlova needed a bit of a Christmas 'wow' factor, and ventured inside to buy a tiny pot of glitter. I chose 'holographic silver'. Oh, my goodness. It's so pretty (the picture doesn't really do it justice - doesn't capture the way it sparkled alluringly).
Tiny little bits of glitter that change from blue to pink to green to gold and back to silver. I decorated everything I could with it at Christmas and it made it all look as if it had been sprinkled with a combination of frost and fairy dust.
Recently my eldest became a teenager. Wanted a turquoise cake. Turquoise buttercream, of course. While I love my holographic silver glitter, I was overcome with a desire to purchase more glitter in a different colour. I decided pink would be marvellous. And then I bought some bigger pink sparkly flakes, just to add texture. The result was very pretty too, even with my complete lack of skill for icing anything neatly. But now I want more! There was purple and teal and blossom and gold...I think I may be in trouble. I keep thinking that my warming winter casseroles could do with a bit of a 'wow' factor.
I'm so thrilled! I discovered yesterday that Housekeeper's Happy-Ever-After is a Romantic Times Top Pick for April.
