Have we really learnt?

On April 29th 2011 the Royal Family welcomed their latest edition Catherine, "Duchess of Cambridge" into their family.  I to was in awe of the fairytale romance of William and Kate, their union created hope, provided the belief in fairytales and united a world in happiness and peace. The Duchess of Cambridge's life had changed in a single moment.  Her Sister Pippa had been catapolted into International stardom and the Middleton Family had been scrutinised by the media and public as they had never known before.  The Fairtytale rise of a Princess had captured a nation and the world's heart.

Now let me take you back to the 6th of September 1997 when in the walls of Westminster Abbey, Lady Diana's funeral was held and we mourned her loss.  We witnessed an unprecedented universal blame for the death of the  'People's Princess" and it was directed at the papparazzi and media circles.  Millions of people boycotted magazines and the backlash was felt by Publication Houses across the world.  For a brief time after, the mood seemed to shift and consumers made their concerns felt and we saw a sense of respect from the paparazzi towards celebrities and their privacy.  Magazine Houses felt a sense of responsibility and the landscape seemed to reflect this - albeit for a brief moment. 

It was estimated by Mail Online that a Global Audience of 3 billion people watched the Royal Wedding of William and Kate.  What is more staggering are the Social Media statistics - there were 124 Facebook updates per second and over 768 thousand mentions of the wedding on UK Facebook Walls alone.  For diehard fashionistas, Kate's wedding dress was mentioned over 55,000 times in the UK alone and Google reported over 450 million viewers watched via YouTube's live stream.

Since the wedding global blogs have reported on their every move, magazines are rife with latest pictures of the couple and fashion critics of the world have taken once again to breakdown in detail every inch of the latest clothing item showcased by the Princess.  Stores websites crash when a new piece is worn, Kate is an instant hit for any Global Brand fortunate enough to have her wear one of their outfits.  Critics are commenting on her weight, betting agencies are taking bets on future heirs gender and papparazzi of the world are snapping their every move.  As much as William fights to protect his new Brides sense of Privacy and keep a sense of normality we see it beginning to drift away and the spotlight is very much on them.

When does it become normal and socially and morally acceptable for a newspaper to display a photoshopped image of what Lady Diana and Princess Catherine would look like together today? 

I do not begin to try and imagine for one minute the fish bowl they must live in.  We live in an unprecedented age of fascination with the lives of celebrities and the ease and speed of the internet has brought them even closer.  Prince William we are told continues to hold a 'normal' job and Kate enjoys doing weekly shopping and cooking for her new husband, every bit of their lives open for public comment and scrutiny. 

Yet I pray their sense of privacy remains and papparazzi realise their responsibility, I hope Royal insiders around Kate continue to educate and every now and again consumers remind Publication Houses across the world when enough is enough and we don't want to see anymore.

Have we really learnt from the death of Princess Diana?  Time will determine that one.....

Nanna Lush x

Just makes me smile - SUN!!!

If you are in Melbourne then you will know the stunning weather we were treated to over the weekend!  If you are like me then you will begin to feel alive again after a long winter.  As I have said already Spring for me is my favourite season of the year - new growth, flowers in bloom, sun is shining, birds are chirping and everyone just seems to be in happier places.

With this in mind here are my thoughts on Spring and what I am looking forward to:-



Enjoy Mother Natures gift of Sun!



Take your shoes off and walk on the sand



"Dream a little Dream" with the family in the park



Perhaps take a weekend road trip



Imagine and Reflect



Enjoy quality time with friends



Relax and rejuvenate



Live parts of life like a kid again

What are you looking forward to about Spring?  For me it just makes me smile.......

Enjoy

Nanna Lush x





Apples & Lemons

I am not sure about yourselves but for me this Winter has felt particulary long.  Much to my happy little self my favourite season of the year, Spring, is just around the corner!!  Yayyyy!!  The weather's warmer, the flowers are in bloom, the birds and singing and to my families relief I am a happier little Mama.

So with this in mind what is providing me with inspiration today?  Lemons and all things yellow. 

Needing to satisfy my craving for Lemons I was off to the kitchen today to whip up a delicious Lemon & Apple Cake.  You can substitute the Apples for any fruit you may have on hand, sometimes I will add Peaches, Pears or Berries.  I particulary love this recipe, it is easy and quick and always has me coming back for another piece.

Ingredients

175 grams butter, softened and chopped
3/4 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon rind (can add less if you wish)
3 eggs
1 cup plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of Cinnamon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence
1/4 cup natural yoghurt
Sliced Fruit of your choice (apple, pears, peaches, berries)
Icing Sugar to dust
Double Dollop cream to serve

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees C.   Lightly grease a 25cm round cake tin, line the bottom of the tin with baking paper
• Place the butter, sugar and lemon rind in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 6-8 mins or until light and creamy
• Once complete add the eggs one at a time, beating for one minute between each one
• Add the Vanilla and mix until combined
• Sift together into a seperate bowl the flour, baking powder and cinnamon sugar, then add to the butter mixture until just combined
• Remove the bowl from the beater and fold through the Natural Yoghurt
• Spoon the ingredients into the prepared pan and top with your sliced fruit of choice
• Bake for an hour or until a skewer comes out clean
• Remove from the oven once cooked and leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely
• Dust with icing sugar or cover with your frosting of choice and serve

Now if you will please excuse me I am off to finish my piece of cake.......

and dream I am laying here.........

on a beautiful Spring day!

Happy baking,

Nanna Lush x

Rise of the Super Mum!

This week saw our Australian media hail the return to our shores of the glamourous, Victoria Secrets, Yummy Mummy herself Miranda Kerr to strut her stuff down the Catwalk - oh bless her little white cotton David Jones socks!  My husband probably like most warm blooded Australian Males drooled when he saw her in that one piece swim number. He was so fascinated with the picture before him he had to grab the Foxtel remote & rewind so he could watch just one more time.  He then proceeded to ask 'Wow hasn't she had a baby not long ago?". 

The News broadcast was even kind enough to hold a segment to educate women across Australia on how we to could look just like Miranda.  Wow!! Enlightening!!!

Exhibit A

The next day as I was getting my daily fix of social media (as you do) I was greeted with the latest images of Sarah Jessica Parker's Vogue shoot with her family.  In this article SJP was telling women around the world how she tries hard to juggle children, charity work, acting, producing, school drops offs, being a mother, being a friend and a daughter and just trying to be a wife.  Ground breaking!!!



Exhibit B





Exhibit C - what ladies you don't look like this at School Pick Up?

 Today's media does an exceptional job at convincing us we are not good enough.  It is called "Emotional Marketing" with global and multi-national companies spending millions of marketing dollars appealing to our vulnerable sides.  Todays woman is contantly shown pictures of amazing model glamazons who are back on catwalks 6 weeks after giving birth, celebrities who are gracing magazines with there picture perfect children and McMansions.  Each image when combined together can often provide a confusing image of what society expects the perfect woman to be......perfect dinner parties where we cook like a Master Chef, knowing what wine selection to give at dinner to complement the seafood we are presenting, size 6 designer clothes that show amazing figures, perfectly mannered children with lots of rooms to hide them in when they become to noisy, showing the appearance that we can hold high flying careers all while raising a fully functional family and being a designer Stepford wife with a constant smile on our face from ear to ear.

Yet in my house and I am guessing like most others reality is quite different.  I have had 2 children & put on a combined weight of 23kg's for both pregnancies of which I have honestly only lost 8 kg's.  I remember when the girls were babies living in track pants for what felt like an eternity and only really brushing my hair when I had friends coming over.  My main sustenance was coffee as sleep was a thing of the past and dinner consisted of anything that didn't take longer than 20 minutes and I could make lots of so I didn't need to cook the next night.

I could blame my children at this point for my excess weight, lumps and bumps but in reality lots of sweets, cakes and chocolate have contributed over the years.  My budget does not stretch to designer clothes and they are definately not a size 6, Target is my store of choice unless Myer is having a great sale.  I love to cook but prepare meals that I know my family will eat and not whinge and whine there way through as I don't want to listen to this at the end of the day.  My bra selection is more about support these days than looking irristable for my husband, unless he finds cotton Bonds impossible to refuse.  My toilet & bathroom could probably be cleaned more than I do it and my furniture has stains from years of children climbing over it or spilling food on it.  I to try and cram to much into my day and often do my best work between the hours of 10pm and 2am when there are no distractions.

Most times my children won't listen to me until I am screaming at the top of my voice and turning purple.  Then ever so casually they will get up and do what I have asked them to do after repeating myself 5 times at a minimum, remembering to tell me on the way past I have Anger Management issues.  On an overly chatty day my 14 year old will string more than 6 sentances together that will not contain a grunt and if we are really lucky will thrown in a smile to remind us her mouth can still move that way.  As much as I have tried to convince her that pink for her room would be really nice she has covered her walls in band posters that would give me nightmares for a week if I slept in there. 

My life is in stark contrast to the glossy images that fill our magazines yet I feel I am real and a honest representation of who I am.  Would I love my own McMansion one day?  If I had a team of cleaners.  Would I love to wear the latest designer fashion from the Catwalks of Milan?  Sure if they are free and come in a size 14-16.  Would I love stain free immaculate furniture - perhaps? 

The world is filled with bigger better objects I would like or things I would just like more of.  My life is not perfect but I welcome the imperfections, my children are happy, healthy and adjusted, my friends make me laugh and let me drink to much wine with them, my husband makes me love and appreciate and ramble on when I have a need, my family makes me feel wanted and I am comfortable being me. 

So I will continue to look at the glossy images in these magazines as I drink my coffee and down way to many Tim Tams and learn to appreciate my life for what it is and know that at least I am living very much in reality.

Nanna Lush x

 

Just makes me smile!

There are certain things that when I look at them take me away to happy places.  Often it can be the simplest of things but for each unique reason they appeal to one of my senses.  We celebrated a friends daughter's birthday over the weekend & at the party were literally hundreds of balloons in every shade of pink you can imagine. 

I watched each child stand around and ask for a balloon and saw the look of happiness spread across their faces as they were handed one.  Such a simple object and yet a balloon provides the same feelings of happiness to children across the world - it is a universal pleasure.    As soon as I see them they just made me smile.........

Reflection Tre.............

From the wonderful movie 'Meet Joe Black".......

"Love is passion, obsession, someone you can't live without. I say, fall head over heels. Find someone you can love like crazy and who will love you the same way back. Cause the truth is, there is no sense living your life without this. To make the journey and not fall deeply in love, well, you haven't lived a life at all. But you have to try, cause if you haven't tried, you haven't lived"

William Parish

Chocolate Ruffles

There is something so pretty, girly and lush about ruffles!  Whether the ruffles be on some gorgeous linen or a bridal dress, I cannot seem to resist their frilliness and just adore them.  Old world, classic vintage charm comes to mind instantly.  Now team together gorgeous light pink fluffy ruffles, devine chocolate cake and Swiss Meringue Buttercream and well what can I say!!

I first saw this ruffling techinique whilst searching one day on You-Tube and thought I would love to give it a try.  After a few attempts (mind you my ruffles are still not perfect by any means and still require lots of practice) and scraping off the Buttecream from the cake quite a few times, I was pleased with my effort.

You will need:-

Buttercream Icing of your choice (I used Swiss Meringue)

Piping Bag

Piping Tip

I used a Wilton #103 piping tip (see below) to create the ruffles. 



Once I got the hang of the ruffling technique it seemed quite straight forward.  Once the cakes were cooled completely I applied a thin layer of buttercream so the ruffles had something to stick to.  Placing the cake onto a secure surface I filled my piping bag with buttercream and fitted with a large petal tip off I went on my little ruffling way.  I started at the bottom and just did a back and forth motion until I reached the top and then started all over again.  At this point I was going to add some step by step photos for you to follow, but thought it just as easy to attach the link to the You Tube video I also watched.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHYX0qXDVy0

Some of my ruffles are not the best and I to need much more practise.  But I think you will agree, they are a simple way to turn a plain cake into a great cake, and suitable for lots of occassions!!

Now for the all important - TO DIE FOR - chocolate cake recipe!!

This made for me 2 x 6" cake tins

Ingredients

170g unsalted butter (softened)

2 cups packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

3 large eggs

1 3/4 cups plain flour

3/4 cup Premium Dutch Cocoa (I used the Equagold Brand)

1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon iodonised sea salt flakes

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/4 cup mayonnaise (I used Thommy brand)

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.  Line your cake tins with baking paper.

In your mixer beat the brown sugar, butter and vanilla on medium high speed until slightly lighter in colour (roughly 5 mins) and slightly increased in volume.  Lower the speed of the mixer and add the eggs one at a time, mixing for one minute between each addition.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder into a bowl.  Add the salt to the flour mixture after sifting and lightly whisk all together. 

Alternate the flour mixture and buttermilk into the sugar mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Mix until just incorporated.

Take bowl from under the mixer and fold the mayonnaise into the cake mixture.  Give a light whisk to incorportate

Divide the mixture into your pans.  I used 2 x round 6" cake tins.  Double the recipe according to the pan you are using.

Turn your oven down to 160 degrees and place the tins in the oven.  It took 50 mins for my cakes to cook, you may need to vary based on your oven.  The cakes are cooked when a toothpick or skewer comes out clean.  I tend to underbake my cakes slightly and allow them to complete cooking in the pans once out of the oven.

Place onto a heat proof surface and leave to cool in the cake tins.  Cover with your frosting of choice, make a cup of tea and indulge!!

Happy baking                                                          

Nanna Lush x