Marzipan and clementine cake…a Christmas cake for those who only like the marzipan bit…and it’s wheat-free

Life continues as crazy as ever.

Perhaps it’s a test, to build my adaptability and capacity to handle uncertainty.

Currently, I have absolutely no idea where I’m headed next. I’m still stuck in limbo land. I want to follow that part of me that lights up at the thought of a food related career. But I just can’t quite figure out how to make that a reality.

Which food-related route do I attempt to go down? Chef school? A commis chef job? Take a journalism course that may, or may not, lead me towards a career in food writing?

Mince pies at last!

If Christmas had a taste, it would have to be mince pie flavour. To me, nothing says Christmas more.

Until this week I really hadn’t caught the ‘it’s nearly Christmas’ feeling. There’s been far too many other things going on for my brain to even manage Christmas thoughts… things like getting a new job and relocating back to Cardiff at two days notice…which has been stressful and exciting in equal measure. Fortunately for me I have the most amazing cousins, who conveniently happened to be making numerous drives between Cardiff and my home town last week, meaning I could grab a lift up to Cardiff with my stuff…I’ve no idea how I’d have done it without them. Also rather conveniently, they have now gone on a four month ski season in France -envious much- leaving a house in Cardiff in need of house sitting…ideal! The house also happens to be next door to my boyfriend’s…Now things can’t really get any more convenient, or freakishly coincidental, or brilliant than that.

Caramel shortbread on a whole new level…(and it’s wheat free)

These caramel shortbread should come with a health warning.

They’re just plain dangerous! I mean, look at them.

Unless you have the world’s best self-restraint, these are exactly the type of thing you will find yourself over-consuming right up to the point at which you start to feel unwell… and possibly even past that.

Date and marmalade flapjack crumble bars

Snowed under with essays and a dissertation back in May, I couldn’t think of anything better than time like this. Free, empty time with no deadlines and very little that I ‘had’ to do. I imagined it would be fantastic; time to do whatever I wanted. I could spend entire days reading, writing, creating recipes and working on blog posts.

But somehow it just isn’t quite working out like that.

I’m currently experiencing a classic case of tasks expanding to fill the time available. Somehow largely fruitless job searches on-line, the occasional job application when I do finally come across something and editing a book for a family friend, seems to be taking up my entire time.

I have also fallen into a bad habit of losing vast stretches of time to the internet, reading blogs, looking for recipe inspiration, researching wheat-free baking. It’s just far too easy to get lost out here!

Mini chocolate-courgette cakes

Nine times out of ten – no, maybe make that nine point five times out of ten – whenever I bake something, out pops the perfectionist in me trying to fish out the flaws in whatever I’ve made. Was it, perhaps, a touch too dry, too sweet, a bit dense, not flavoursome enough or the spice too overpowering? What does it need to step it up from really good, to amazing?

But when I took my first bite of one of these little chocolate and courgette cakes, the perfectionist was well and truly silenced. All I could think was amazing… perfect, even.