Penny Top Ten Tips #1 Graduation Week Tips

Welcome to week 1 of Penny's Top Ten Tips. What to focus on this week? As it's graduation season, I thought I would put up some advice from someone who has got through the university process. Its also a kind of wrap up of the last 4 years of balancing work, socialising and studying. The only way to describe it is like finishing a chapter of a book and moving onto the next one.

So that was uni. Also just like to point out I graduated with a 2:1, I know-I'm just so amazing (ha! Don't lie Penny).

So follow these tips on how to deal with leaving university and your graduation.

1. Attend your graduation-

My class had a lot of international students. From Hong Kong to Romania, they all made the effort to come together and celebrate as a class. I really recommend going as its a good opportunity to celebrate with family, friends and classmates. Also you get to dress up like a super hero and wear a cheeseboard on your head... very pretty.

2. Attend your graduation ball (or another night out with classmates)-
I can't describe how much fun my graduation ball was. I got my arms done all with snowflakes, I got to see a snake, I saw a lion dance- and had a little too much to drink. Wild night. It was such an enjoyable night. If in the unlikely event that your university doesn't do a grad ball then organise a night out for you and your classmates yourself!

3. Stay calm-
Its very easy to get stressed out with graduation ball and your graduation. Make sure that your super organised and that everyone knows what they are doing. I had to organise 4 people who were arriving at different times to get to one venue. Its not easy but it can be done especially if everyone knows what the plan is. Also, don't get upset when one of your party forgets the plans. No matter how many times you explain the plan, you will have to explain it one more time.

4.Get emotional-
University is a massive part of a students life. It eats up 3 to 4 years of your life and all of a sudden its not there anymore. Its completely normal to cry or go a bit crazy with excitement because, (unless you're doing a post graduate degree), you only get to do graduate once.

5 Enjoy your moment-
Your graduation should be a selfish moment. You've worked so hard, so yes, you deserve it.

6 Don't lose touch-

Keep in contact with classmates, friends, tutors, and even the university. Most universities have a alumni, which is when you finish you will always be part of the university and can still offer career services. Send the odd email or even better send a letter. People love getting post :)

7 Enjoy that last student summer...-
This is the only summer you may get as a student, so really enjoy it. Go on holiday, see as many friends as you can and live in the moment. You get this opportunity to really enjoy yourself before the full-time job sets in.

8...But don't forget to look for a job-
While your enjoying your summer, put aside one hour dedicated to career-time. This can be updating your LinkedIn profile, organising your CV,general job searching and networking. It will save you the panic, when you're asked: "So have you got a job yet?"

9 Arrange a meet-up in a year-
Its sort of like a university reunion, send out a message hinting to meet up with everyone at a suitable location. (Maybe at the university students union?) It will be nice to see everyone in a year to see what you have all been up too!

10. It will be a mixture of a feelings...it totally normal-
You may feel overwhelmed, excited, or down because its all over. The journey you did a few years ago has finished. Its the end of an era. Its been such a big part of your life that its hard to let go of it. You may find yourself walking away from the graduation and thinking: "Was that it? Its over?" Its sad but there is so much to look forward to. Holidays, a new career, moving out of your parents house, and well, moving out into the big wide world!

Congratulations and thank-you to all of my classmates, tutors and friends for making my years at university and graduation special. Do you have any tips for planning a graduation?

How to Win Work Colleagues (with Blondie recipe)

In my last post I was ranting and raving about motivation and inspiration and jobs and bits.

Well another good announcement about the job which I didn't really want. After a ridiculously busy shift I thought: 
My heart isn't in this job. I'm done with it.
So, I quit. Thats right. Done. Finished. You only live once so why be unhappy about it? 

After a week later, after CV-ing all over the place, I found another job and here I am. 

But with a new job comes new work colleagues. Brand new scary people that you have to work with who already know each others names, and have their own in jokes. It can be pretty daunting. 
So, I could do two things that would make me feel much better about a situation: Stuff my face with Nandos/chocolate/endless episodes of Supernatural or I BAKE!

I decided to make an impression with my baking skills. Nothing wins a group of females co-workers like chocolate cake. Especially if its a Chocolate Cola Cake. Now I've opened the door to getting to know my colleagues better. All done with cake, of course.

However, before I rejoice in my new job, there is a something I would like to say to my former office work colleagues:

•  Chris- You taught me to be firm with really annoying customers and to be experimental with the most strangest food. More importantly, Chris, I wish you all the best with your new husband! Your going to make a fab wife and an awesome mummy one day!
• Hannah- You are just adorable and I loved our little chats and you were seriously missed when you left!
• Lucy H- Lu-lu you are a wonderful cousin and you don't know it because I'm kinda shy about saying it (I don't do chick flick crap) but I have always looked up to you and you constantly inspire me. 
• Ben- What can say? Our 'witty' (used loosely) banter back and forth about 'Bakery Story' or general zombie related stuff. We are officially the most prepared people for a zombie apocalypse. 
• Lucy Madz- Our sneaky shopping trips and 'Fat Fridays' and the general chats about life in general. Its hard to find another kindred (crazy) spirit. Luc, your the sister I wish I had because you are just generally awesome and beautiful. For goodness sake don't change! 

I didn't really get to say a proper good-bye and thank-you for all the good times we shared. Thank-you Ladies! (and Ben)

So as promised I did some baking before I left my previous workplace I made some farewell Blondies and dished them out to my lovely work colleagues. 

Blondies are basicaly the 'anti Brownie' meaning that they are made with white chocolate rather milk or dark chocolate. 

 

Here's that recipe:

Recipe: Makes 18 squares (recipe adapted from Cookies Galore by Jacqueline Bellafontaine)

·       500g white chocolate

·       75g butter, at room temperature

·       3 eggs

·       180g caster sugar

·       180g self-raising flour

·       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·       (180g macadamia nuts roughly chopped, optional)

Equipment:

·       Baking pan lined with silicone paper

·       Chopping board

·       Sharp knife

·       Heat proof bowl

·       Saucepan

·       Mixing bowl

1.    Preheat oven to Gas Mark 5/ 190c/375f. Grease and base line a baking pan.

2.    Roughly chop 400g of the chocolate and put aside.
I ran out of chocolate and had to use an easter egg that I received but never got around to eating. It was of a pretty 'Hello Kitty' which got smashed to pieces! 

Before

After-Oh the chocolate humanity! 

3.    Melt the remaining chocolate and butter in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Cool slightly.

4.    Beat the eggs and sugar together in a bowl and gradually beat in the melted chocolate.

5.    Sift the flour over the mixture and fold together with the reserved chocolate, vanilla extract and nuts if using.

6.    Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30-35 minutes until the centre is only just only just firm to touch. Cool in the tin. Cut into squares when cold.

Happy Saturday and Have a Good Weekend

The After Christmas Shock and January Blues

Happy 2013 Everyone! I hope you all had a fab New Year! 2012 was a truly exceptional year for me (and the rest of Great Britain. See the Olympics last year? That was us. *Cool shades on* Just saying.)
Sadly its that time of year again. The hype after Christmas is going down. Resolution's are getting us down. Going back to work is getting us down.

BUT NOT ME! I'VE GOT A NEW JOB! WOO! 
So January, do your worst!

What I'm hearing lately is all about diets.  
In my opinion. Diets are bad. You'd only get me on a diet if it was a dessert diet.
But if that's what you want to achieve then by all means go for it and I wish you the best of luck.
In fact, your'e more likely to lose weight if you start your diet during Spring months like March. As during the colder months like January, you still crave warm comforting food rather then diet food. Remember though no matter what shape you are, everyone is beautiful. 
I'm sick of hearing about stupid bloody diets. So enough of diets and onto some yummy foods.

My first pastry class of 2013 was based on my second assessment which will be next week which is so scary. But it has to be done and so I thought that I would put these recipes up. There ridiculously easy and simply tasty. 

These biscuits come up so lovely and soft. There easy to make and the flavour isn't overpowering. 

From the top, hazelnut biscuits, plain cupcakes and Jammie Dodgers made by me in pastry class

Recipe: Hazelnut Biscuits

•       115g butter, room temperature
•        75g icing sugar, sieved (plus extra for dusting)
•        115g Plain flour, sieved
•        75g Ground hazelnuts
•        1 egg yolk
•        Hazelnuts to decorate

Equipment:

•        Sieve
•        Scraper
•        Bowlx2
•        Mixer
•        Baking sheet lined with silicone paper
•        Knife

    1. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

    2. Beat in the flour, ground hazelnuts and egg yolk until evenly mixed.

    3. Roll into a sausage shape. Cut the sausage in half and then quarters. Then cut the quarters into 3 shapes.

    4. Place on tray. Bake for 10 minutes, 180c/350f/ Gas Mark 4

Sable (sab-lay) is French for sand. Not really for the texture but for the colour of the raw dough. Once again this recipe is easy and may look familiar. They bare a resemblance to Jammie Dodgers, which are sweet jam filled biscuits. But I always say, home-made is way better.

Jammie Dodgers packet from
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jammie_Dodgers

From the bottom: Jammie Dodgers aka Sable biscuits, Plain cupcakes and Hazel biscuits

Recipe: Sable Biscuits aka Home-made Jammie Dodgers. 

•        250g plain flour, sieved
•        200g butter, room temperature cut into cubes
•        100g icing sugar
•        Pinch of salt
•        2 egg yolks
•        Raspberry jam

Equipment:

•        Bowl
•        Baking tray lined with silicone paper
•        Various cutters
•        Rolling pin
•        Knife

    1. Place dry ingredients into bowl. Using fingertips, rub the ingredients together until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

    2. Make a well in the centre and mix until the dough forms. Turn out onto a light floured work surface and roll out to a thickness of about 0.5cm.

    3. Cut with various cutters so that you have a base and a top like a sandwich, and place on a baking tray.

    4. Bake for 10 minutes or until light golden brown, 180c/350f/ Gas Mark 4.

    5. Place on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled spread jam on bases with a knife and place another biscuit on top. 

   

   If you'd like the basic cupcake recipe go to here.

   Bake on! and Happy New Year

   Penny 

Good Luck Naomi Cupcakes

No words can describe how much I'm going to miss one of my nearest and dearest friend. In fact I really wish that she wasn't going away for the year and just abandoning me in London! 
How dare you just leave me here Naomi! With all these normals?! 
I'm joking of course.
No one is normal in London.
Anyways, Naomi I do hope you enjoyed the cupcakes I whipped up for you. I'm sorry that I couldn't make a cupcake to describe how wonderful you are and how much your friendship means to me (and how mad you really are). Just so you know that your'e going on an amazing adventure and you'll be older, wiser and maybe a little jetlagged afterwards. 
In short, Naomi I wish you the best of luck in your new job, which you are going to be amazing at. I am dearly going to miss you and you must promise me that you will send me a postcard from all the places you fly too. 

Recipe:

• 110g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 225g golden caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 150g self raising flour, sifted
• 125g plain flour, sifted
• 120ml semi-skimmed milk at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.    Pre-heat the oven to 160c fan/180c/350f/Gas Mark 4 and line a cupcake trays with cupcake cases.

2.    In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until pale and smooth, which should 3-5 minutes using an electric hand mixer.

3.    Combine the two flours in a separate bowl and combine the milk, and vanilla extract in a jug. Add one-third of the flours to the creamed mixture and beat well.

4.    Pour in one-third of the milk mixture and beat again. Repeat these steps until all the flour and milk has been added.

5.    Carefully spoon the mixture into the cupcake cases, filling them to about two-thirds full. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until slightly raised and golden brown. To check they are cooked, insert a skewer in the centre of one of the cakes-it should come out clean.

6.    Remove from the oven and leave the cakes in their tins for about 10 minutes before carefully placing on a wire rack to cool. Once they are completely cool, you can ice the cupcakes.

Buttercream

·       110g unsalted butter, at room temperate

·       60 ml semi-skimmed milk, at room temperature

·       1 teaspoon good quality vanilla extract

·       500g icing sugar, sifted

·       Food colouring-Purple and Pink

Recipe:

1.    In a large mixing bowl  beat the butter, milk, vanilla extract and half the icing sugar until smooth. This can take several minutes with an electric hand mixer. Gradually add the remainder of the icing sugar and beat again until the buttercream is smooth and creamy.

2.    If you want to colour your buttercream, always start with one drop of colouring and beat thoroughly. This will be all you need to achieve a very pale hue. To achieve the effects in the pictures put the two colours in a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. 

Bake on!

Penny