I haven’t really managed a lot of baking recently. There’s been rather lot going on… We had to get a new kitchen (long story) and we’ve also been having a baby! So a baking break was inevitable. This may be the longest I’ve ever gone without baking anything and needless to say I was getting a bit twitchy.

We were without a kitchen for almost 2 months before Christmas. There’s only so much shop bought cake and bread you can manage before craving something wholesome and home made.

Floods and leaks seem to follow us round. We discovered a leak in the kitchen which had penetrated the walls so the kitchen had to be gutted, plaster stripped and walls dried.  Luckily we had spontaneously booked our official honeymoon to New York prior to this discovery so we escaped whilst our builder friend got on with the work. It also meant that I could start to construct my kitchen the way that I wanted it, complete with a porcelain Butler Sink and revamp my old kitchen dresser.

There’s a million things that I’d love to put into my dream kitchen but right now I’m very happy with my oven that works, my Candy Apple KitchenAid and subway tiles.

Before we packed up the kitchen into the living room and flew off, I managed to squeeze in baking our Christmas Cake at 5 am. I left it to rest quietly at my mams away from all the dust and debris.

New York was amazing.  A real foodie adventure.  I had a list of bakeries and delis that I wanted to sample and frankly stuffed myself silly with all sorts of cakes, sweets, meats and delicious eats.

Red pizza pie was my absolute favourite and could have gorged on this for days.

I almost considered becoming a vegetarian for a while after our trip as we were served gargantuan amounts of meat and beautiful pickles at Carnegie Deli. I managed half of my sandwich before being defeated by the meat. In man vs. food. Food most definitely won.

I took the  ‘healthy’ option at Katz Deli opting for a real life Knish which I’ve always wanted to try (after I attempted to make them myself) and it was so so good.  Deep fried with a crispy coating and stuffed with mashed potato.  So comforting in the cold November chill.  Accompanied by Matzoh Ball Soup which technically was more ball than soup. The clear chicken broth was the panacea I needed to counteract all the meat.  I must learn how to make that!

We traveled up to Ithaca to visit friends taking in the glorious autumnal colours and waterfalls everywhere you turn.  Deer frolicking (and causing havoc) outside the window. It was like being in a Disney film. Punctuated by BBQ’d meat, beans, slaw,  Mac n cheese, ice cream, chocolate cake, red thai prawn curry, fusion foods, hot apple cider and hot chocolate. We took a much needed step back from the hustle and bustle of busy New York.  We were sad to leave but the Big Apple was calling and we had to head back.

I’m attempting to finish my final few around the world in 80 bakes when I get a moment with my hands free, so it may take some time yet so please bear with me.

But I did manage to bake and ice a cake one handed whilst carrying the little one last week so we’re getting our cake fix and starting him in the kitchen early. 🙂 I’ll also be sharing some of my own quick bakes along the way too.