Nappy cake

Ok - this isn't strictly cooking but I do promise that it is calorie free!!


Portlaoise has been crowned baby boom capital of Ireland, I think Dublin must be coming a close second - it is certainly leading the way in wishing new mums well as they prepare for motherhood with BABY SHOWERS.  The baby shower has become the social highlight of many a thirysomethings social calendar and apparently a ‘nappy cake’ is a must.

What you need:

Nappies           I used about 80 to make a 3 tiercake.  I was told to only buy Pampers or Huggies and that size 3 was the most useful as not all new born babes fit into the smaller sizes.

Elastic Bands  You need one small one for each nappy,about 80 and about 10 larger ones for arranging the tiers

Ribbon            Colour of your choice, I chose a neutral-ish purple.  If you know you are celebrating a boy or a girl – it should make the choice fairly obvious ;-)

Other items that the new mum will need can be added as well, I included baby shampoo and lotion, Sudocrem, cotton buds, mits, a hat and a toy.  You could also include bottles, bottle brushes and soothers.

Start by rolling up each nappy and holding it with one of the small elastic bands.


What to do:

Once you have all the nappies rolled you need to start arranging into tiers.

For the top tier, use one rolled nappy as the centre point and then arrange about 6 nappies around this nappy in a circle and secure with an elastic band.  This should be big enough for the top tier. 

As the lower tiers need to be larger than the top tier, follow the instructions for the top tier but add another row or ring of nappies and secure with a large elastic band.  

Depending on how big you want each of the lower tiers to be, continue to add rows or rings of nappies – securing each set with a large elastic band.

Once you have all 3 tiers made you need to stack them on top of one another – now you have the basic structure of the cake.

Decorating the cake:

Cut the ribbon into 3 and tie it around each tier ensuring you cover any visible elastic band.

If you are adding other items – you can remove some of the nappies from the edge of the tiers and replace with some suitably shaped items –bottles of shampoo or baby lotion, feeding bottles or Sudocrem.

You could also replace the centre nappy with some of the other items – bottles either empty or containing baby products are probably the best shape.

You can tuck things like the hat and mits around the edges and place the toy on top!

Bruschetta on a Summer's Day

Now I know we haven't had much sunshine yet but on one of the few sunny days we had in May I was inspired to make bruschetta. I am not much of a salad person but I love this dish and I always feel healthy after eating it! My Dad was the first person in our family to make this dish. My mother subsequently stole the recipe from Dad and claimed it as her own. Now I'm stealing it and claiming it as my recipe. It's an easy one to make and you can add other ingredients to it such as chilli or cucumber or whatever you fancy. Equally you can add more or less of the garlic and onions to suit your taste. Dad reckons the secret is in the bread so choose carefully! 

Maybe if everyone makes bruschetta the sun will come out for us, here's hoping!!

Ingredients (serves 3-4)

12 medium sized ripe tomatoes(plum, cherry, any sweet tomato works well)

1/2 red onion

1/2 yellow pepper

2 cloves of garlic

2 stalks of basil

2 thickly cut rounds of tiger bread(or any fresh crusty white loaf)

Good olive oil

I served this with rocket leaves and balsamic dressing.

Collect all your ingredients

                                                     

Chop tomatoes roughly into half, then quarters and then chop once more across the middle. If using cherry tomatoes you can just chop them in half.

 Place in a bowl.

 Chop the pepper and onion finely and add to the tomatoes.

 Crush the garlic into the mixture and mix well.

Shred the leaves of basil and add into the mix. Add enough olive oil to coat the mixture.

Place the mixture in the fridge to chill.

  The bread can now be toasted in the oven

 To assemble drizzle a small amount of oil onto the oven-toasted bread. Spoon the tomato mixture onto the bread. 

 

 Serve with salad and sunshine!