Bake Me a Cake

This week on my blog, we're getting crafty in the kitchen.

Whether you're giving a gift to a neighbor who just

moved in or a token to some friends who invited you

over for a barbecue, something homemade isn't

really expected but is always appreciated.

Especially if you're savvy in the cooking or

baking department.

I made this German Apple Cake for a party over the

weekend. Apples are always available in the market

and the recipe was simple to put together.

Similar to yesterday's post, here's how I packaged it:

I left the cake in the baking pan, wrapped it up in an

extra-large cloth napkin and knotted the ends.

Then I added a vintage cake server.

{My friend loved it!}

When the hostess decides to add this cake to the

dessert buffet, she can easily warm it up in the

oven before serving it on a platter.

TADA! She gets to use the cake server, too.

{And I foresee that this will come in handy

in her future parties.}

You'll have to decide beforehand if you want to

give her the baking pan as part of the package

or whisper to her that you'll collect it

before you leave.

No blah foil. No blah plastic.

Just everyday TADA! objects that can be used

over and over again.

Not to mention TADA!-tasting cake, too.

Warm Weather Parties

Lately we've been invited to several parties, my husband & I.

As soon as we RSVP, we think about what we could bring,

either as a hostess gift or something yummy to add to the table.

When we're up to it and we have time to spare,

we whip something up from our kitchen.

Quick breads, like this banana loaf, are easy to prepare.

It goes well with a hot cup of morning coffee or

warm afternoon tea.

I'm a big fan of banana bread {sometimes I

buy bananas just for this reason} and use

different recipes like the one from this cookbook.

When it's out of the oven and cooled, it's ready to be

wrapped up for the party. Foil or plastic wrap are

the easy solutions. But what if I use something that's

environment-friendly and pretty at the same time?

With the bread still in the cake pan, I swaddle it using a

clean cloth napkin.

Then I tie kitchen twine around it to keep the napkin in place.

And remember the mismatched utensils I featured last week?

I thought they were perfect gift toppers which the hostess

can use later on.

You can give the cake pan to the party host

{e-mail her the recipe so she can make it too}

or if she decides to transfer the banana bread

to a platter and serve it, you can easily

take home your beloved pan.

TADA!

By the way, Clara over at Bloomize interviewed

me on my travel essentials. Thanks Clara!

Hang in There

Thanks for coming over today!

All this week, I've been finding inspiration

to turn these forks & spoons:

From blah to TADA!

Here's another one I found on Etsy:

It's the handiwork of JJEvensen,

who turns old spoons/forks into useful

stuff for the home like this coat rack.

I like that each spoon has the name

of a family member stamped on it.

This would fit well in the foyer or

mud room where most of us would

hang our jackets & bags.

This one's made of funky forks.

Indeed, there are many creative things

you can do with old silverware.

Have a superb weekend!

Carved in Silver

Reusing silverware is the name of the game.

And so far, I've found some winners already.

If you have some of these utensils

that have seen better days,

turn them from blah to TADA!

Here's what Jessica at Etsy did to hers:

She flattened the utensils, hand stamped them

with common vegetable names

and TADA!, instant garden markers.

Here's a version with power words.

And one that's wonderful to give

as a wedding present!

SilverWEAR

These are some things I'll always find

at thrift stores or flea markets:

Mismatched silverware.

There have been several occasions

when I rescued them & took them home.

I know I'm not alone in doing this.

I found this shop on Etsy and she creates such

unique pieces of jewelry out of old utensils:

A spoon fashioned into a bangle!

It can be personalized with a monogram.

It can also include a very important date

like a birthday or wedding anniversary.

Spoon heads linked together, each one

with a name & birthday. Perfect for moms,

sisters and best friends.

This one uses spoon ends chosen for the

decorative detail. Also engraved with

names of very special people.

Super cool, right?

Sweet Surprise

One of the things I like to collect are gadgets

for the kitchen. I usually pick up stuff that are

brand new but my drawers never turn away

pre-owned items like vintage utensils.

Take for example these teaspoons.

Same shape, same size, all silver,

except for the ends.

If you belong to the school of matchy-matchy,

you might consider these blah.

But for every blah is a TADA!

These are personalized hot chocolate

silverplate spoons sold by Ticket Kitchen,

a shop in San Francisco specializing

in hot chocolate.

I particularly like the product pictured

above. They dip a spoon into a block

of chocolate. All one needs to do is add

this to a cup of hot milk. The chocolate

will melt and TADA!, you have yourself a

some delicious hot chocolate!

But here's the surprise.

When the chocolate melts, the spoon

will reveal a message, one that's engraved

right onto the spoon! You can even

personalize it -- "Marry Me", "No.1 Dad",

"Best Friend Forever" or whatever you like.

Isn't that TADA!?

Spoons & Forks

How was your weekend everyone?

I hope you had loads of fun!

Blogger had a little hiccup at the end of last week.

Sorry 'bout that. I hope you were able to read my

posts about miniature forests & nature in a jar.

Anyways, in the back of my cupboard is

this jar filled with flea market finds:

Mismatched spoons & forks.

They're glorious for food styling projects,

but I've been thinking of other uses for them.

Here's one idea. It's a light fixture

decorated with spoons & forks!

I saw it in an Italian restaurant

in Hong Kong. Cute eh?

Here's a similar chandelier,

made of vintage egg beaters.

I spotted it at Fishs Eddy

in New York City.

More neat & nifty TADAs tomorrow!