A word to the wise . . . .

When baking, if a recipe calls for stiffly beaten egg whites to help make to make it light and fluffy:

• Do not cheat! 
• Do not experiment with a recipe that you know works, when you are time poor and have a 40+ cupcakes to bake for a birthday!
• Do not think that you know bwtter than Martha Stewart and her esteemed guests.
• Do not, I repeat, do not expect this to work as a substitute for fresh egg whites.

Now I'm sure it makes a perfectly lovely pavlova. The mixture was thick and glossy, but it certainly didn't work in this capacity . . . for me anyway. Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's the humid weather. I don't know, but this is how they turned out:

I know what you're thinking . . . "Just fill that ridiculously huge sink-hole with frosting and no one will ever know!" right? Believe me folks, there ain't enough frosting in the world to fill these craters :(

So methinks it is off to Woolies for a pack of these for the birthday boy to take to class on Thursday.

What's Your Laundry Ritual?

For most of us it's not our favourite household duty but all we aspiring domestic goddesses have our own way of doing laundry. Our own systems (or lack thereof) that vary depending on the size of the family and the time at hand. What's your ritual? I don't find the ritual of the laundry particularly rewarding. Its NEVERENDING! I'm either washing it, hanging it, bring it in, folding, sorting, hanging, ironing or putting it away. And then it starts all over again. Now I realise that our grandmothers had it a lot tougher, and that really we shouldn't complain with our automatic washing machines and dryers. But . . . well . . . . No I got nothing! That said, I do have my favourite products and methods. For starters, I wash clothes on the weekends, with a couple of incidental loads of towels and stuff during the week. I just find this fits in with life at the moment. Spray, spray, spray with Preen Oxyaction Max. I love this stuff! I probably go through one refill a week. Fantastic for all those greasy mystery stains. You know the ones that are still there after you've washed, dried, sorted and folded. Everybody's whites are separated and soaked together overnight in Napisan Oxyaction. This is great for avoiding that greying that can happen when whites are washed with the rest of the load. PS I have tried other varieties of soakers, but this is the best. I can't explain why, but it just is :) I also pop a capful in the machine with each load (colours too)  What I'm washing with at the moment is Nutrimetics Nutriclean Laundry Liquid. I really like this stuff. It is a much thinner, clear blue detergent than you might get at the supermarket. It's very concentrated so you don't need a lot. And it has this lovely light fragrance which oddly doesn't stay in the fabric after washing. The laundry smells clean, but not fragrant. Which to my mind mean that it has completely rinsed outo f the fabric. That has to be a good thing, right? And best of all, none of that crusty detergent residue left on the clean items that then either have to be hand sponged or re-washed.   And then there's this From Life I know you are going to think I am insane, but this actually make ironing bearable, no enjoyable. Yes I said it! But here's why. I actually get a result that looks like the garment has been ironed. And ironing time becomes "me" time. I get a few of my fave TV shows on the planner and just zone out. It's actually kinda fun for me. And then there's the sense of achievement when (for a split second before they get worn anyhow) you stand back and admire a closet full of lovely pressed clothes. So, I know it's only laundry, but anything that makes it easier or more enjoyable has got to be good . . . right?