Worm's World

I left uni after my MA with sizable amount of debt - about £13K from the MA and the cost of living in the glorious city that is Liverpool and £10-11K from the BSc. I have no issue with that, I wouldn't be where I am now without it, it's all good. The MA loan (a now non existent service called a Professional Studies Loan that evil HSBC provided) was a little bit more pressing since they kept phoning me and that was cleared in April 2012 - and now in August 2014 I've paid off my Student Loan from the SLC - Hoorah!! (in fact I've overpayed by £18 - so I'll be claiming that back and buying something exciting) So, I suppose that's not bad really - I scraped 3 C's & a D' at A-Level, I graduated from Staffs with the 2:2 BSc (Hons) in Interactive Entertainment Technology in 2004 an a Pass in MA in Digital Games from Liverpool John Moores in 2005 ( I'm a diligent and enthusiastic, if not an astounding student ) and it's only taken a decade or so ...

Part 1 Is here What is it with Americans and Corn Syrup - they put it in everything! It took me ages to find a simple icing recipes I thought would work on my biscuits. I plumped for -  http://www.cleverlysimple.com/how-to-make-the-best-and-easiest-sugar-cookie-icing-glaze / in the end, because it only had 2 ingredients, both of which I had in and understood. It was also a recipe that was easy to adjust the quantities of. I did go and buy some proper metal piping nozzles (Wilkos - who have a fantastic baking range these days) and some disposable icing bags (Sainsburys). This also gave me a chance to work out what I actually had in the way of cake decorating / colours etc Blank Slates I now know half a cup of icing sugar & 2 tsp of milk ices 3 unicorns, 3 moomins, a ninja belt and a bunny rabbit (not shown) A useful guide I think. And here's the 2nd batch of icing, with some blue gel in it, although I'm slightly disappointed at how light the colour is - but I was too scared ...

I'm not great at making things pretty - but it's an Afternoon Play picnic Today so I though I'd give icing sugar biscuits a go - Since I have loads of cookie cutters I never use. I also don't have fool proof go to recipes for icing and biscuits - I've always used the Nigella rainy-day cut out biscuit recipe in the past, but I didn't have any ground almonds and I've found they don't keep thier shape all that well. Anyway - This is What Pinterest was made for. Much hunting and looking at pins later and I came across :  http://www.inkatrinaskitchen.com/2011/12/best-sugar-cookie-recipe-and-kitchenaid_28.html (which didn't take 24hrs of pre planning or use weird american ingredients. It worked ok, although some of the more delicate shapes didn't take to it, but I'll keep with it until I find something better. It did take the punch out Dr. Who impression cookies well, and the Moomins look like moomins which is nice.  The Ninjas however had a tende...

I'm trying to perfect sugar biscuits with pretty icing, I now can't decide what shaped biscuits to make...

Somehow we've become come the kind of people that collect birdhouses - it's not been a conscious thing, or agreed upon, but we now own 3 - no birds to speak of in them, but there's the recycled metal one, the white weatherboard one and this one: Which is due for a paint job before it joins the others outside to look like this: To celebrate quite frankly one of the oddest attractions we've ever visited.

Yeah for baking - I'm not live blogging it all this year - but when I can I'll be busy on for good 'ol #gbbo hashtag - along with the rest of the UK judging by how quickly it was trending last night. The Showstopper (Make 36 miniature british cakes) did cause me to ask: Trying to work out what constitutes a 'proper British cake' #GBBO — Nia Wearn (@Wormella) August 6, 2014 Which led to two brilliant answers: @Wormella a "proper English cake" is made of pie, gravy, rain, stiff upper lips & topped with a good helping of disgruntle #GBBO — Jennie Bailey (@WildWrites) August 6, 2014 & @Wormella shop bought passed off as homemade in a tupperware box — Richard Edwards (@RichEdwards1) August 6, 2014 The contestants did things like 4 tired Victorian sponges  and Lemon Drizzle cakes with pipettes of lemon stuff - as you do. I did however manage to work out who was being booted off after the first week, thats 4 series of GBBO watching skills there!