Moving, Moving, Moving

It seems that moving is the order of the day here at Gracies Bakes.
We are moving house, and town and now we have moved location.

All your favourite recipes and sweets can now be found here.

Come and visit soon.

xx

Gadget of the Month

I am a terrible shopper.

Let me clarify that...

I forget to write a list, dash round the store picking up things that I think I need and then I get distracted by something shiny and new, buy it and get home and realise that I have forgotten something vital, like the lemons for a lemon cake, or the chocolate for a chocolate mousse.

I have been trying to curb my spending recently as I am "saving" money for the house and the nice things that are necessities. Like carpets and floors!

MIU Silicone Bowl Scraper, Blue">

THIS is the latest shiny and new wonder that I have found. A silicone scraper.

While I survived just fine when I didn't have one, I now wonder what I did without it. No more will you go at the bottom of a mixing bowl with a small spatula trying to get all the little last bits out of it and into the cake tin. Two, possibly three scrapes, will have all the batter in the tin with no waste. Lets face it in these recessionary times, none of us like to see anything go to waste.

However, if you like to lick the bowl, you could always leave a little in the bottom of the bowl. Just to taste of course!

Costing in the region of €8 they are quite cheap and very handy to have. And lets face it, they won't break the bank!

Mine is a lovely baby pink colour, and matches the lovely large mixing bowls and knives that I have.

Enjoy!

Orls

I *HEART* Sunshine

It makes things seem very happy and bright.

Sunshine puts everyone in good form and it has certainly made the trauma of moving house a little more bearable! Rests from packing and moving are taken in the garden with a nice cool glass of lemonade and some fresh chilled strawberries. 

However, the ongoing moving means that my lovely baking things are all packed away as I have moved back in with my parents until my house is actually finished! This means that baking is taking a bit of a back seat and I am concentrating on getting house fitted out and buying things like carpets, furniture, and ovens! 

I am very excited about the kitchen that is going in soon, (next week with some luck!) 

In this kitchen will sit my new pride and joy, a Fisher and Paykel double range oven. At 4ft wide,it is like a mothership, and its size has meant that the general layout of the kitchen has needed some tweaking. Some of the units are smaller than the show house, but I was in with the designer last week, and I have signed off on the final plans.

Here is a little pic of the mothership.

DDWGX1 - Fisher & Paykel Freestanding Cookers Exterior view">

Check out the specs here. 

A quick note on the price of the oven.... If you are near to the border, or even a few hours from it, the drive is really worth it given that the savings are immense versus the Euro Price. Suffice to say that Mr. Cowen and his chums are ruining Irish retailers with their increase in VAT rates. Most of the retailers that I have spoken to in Northern Ireland will deliver for free or for a minimal cost as they are delighted with all the business they are getting.

And here's the stinger...

The appliances come through the port in Dublin! Go Figure. 

On that note, I am off to spend some hard earned cash on an oven that I could probably live in if I wanted! 

More posts to follow shortly. We at Gracie's have some exciting news coming soon. Can't say much but will fill you all in as soon as we can. 

Enjoy the weather. It probably won't last! 

Orls xxx