Sticky Toffee Coffee - Bakemas Day 6

I’m feeling a little under the weather today which I’m hoping won’t last because I have too many things to get done. All I wanted to do today was curl up and watch Christmas films, although that’s what I want to do every day, but that didn’t happen, maybe I’ll be able to sneak one in before bed.

I got this idea while making sticky toffee pudding which I haven’t actually put a recipe up for but if you’ve never had it you need to. This coffee is basically a cosy hug of toffee coffee goodness for your insides with a sticky frothy toffee top of joy, that’s a mouthful! This is perfect for a lazy Sunday, if you have time for one of them, it only takes a few minutes to whip up and who wouldn’t want their coffee to taste like toffee.

Chocolate Mousse with Baileys Cream & Baileys Butterscotch Sauce - Bakemas Day 3

If you’re going to add alcohol to your food at any point in the year Christmas is the time to do it and baileys cream makes mousse 97.3% better, trust me! If you’re not a drinker don’t run away yet! I fit into that category, although you probably wouldn’t guess it from the way I make brandy cream, but I’m generally not interested in anything even containing alcohol but this is that flavour combination - taste sensation thing everyone brags about. This mousse is also amazing on its own anyway; we’ve been making this for years and its probably the best mouse I’ve ever had. It’s lovely and rich and incredibly easy and quick to make, which seems to be a theme this month. It only contains 3 ingredients, it's low fat and its dairy free, yes dairy free, obviously minus the cream. I will be overjoyed the day I can walk into any supermarket and buy dairy free whipping cream alas no luck, but the cream isn’t essential although it is definitely worth it, if you’re not intolerant do not skip it. I finally got the tree up, and let’s just say it was the magical experience it was supposed to be. So it may have been 3am, I took a shower, put on clean pyjamas, which included ridiculously soft men’s stretchy plaid pyjama bottoms, urgh I could live in them, I made hot chocolate in my new Christmas mug put the Santa clause on and started decorating. Opening the box of decorations is like Christmas morning to me, the festive feeling contained in a box. I love everything I put on my tree but I manage to forget what I actually have and that’s just grounds for getting excited all over again. So my room is pretty festive now with a Christmas duvet, my bed covered in Christmas cushions and my tree up, although there are a couple of other things I still want to put up and make if I find the time. Did all this Christmas talk make you want mousse?

Pumpkin Pancakes with Bacon, Pecans & Butterscotch Sauce

I just got my head screwed on straight and realised it's November in two days TWO DAYS! It’s like I blinked and October is over and now I'm having a mini meltdown because there are so many things to do and such little time to just enjoy the excitement of Christmas coming. Its school photography season so I’ve been what feels like ridiculously busy the past couple of weeks. It might be a little manic this year but I actually really enjoy school photography season although maybe that’s because I only have to deal with all the spreadsheets, order forms and photo packing for a couple weeks out of the year. Having to deal with all that on a daily basis sounds horrendous. I spent the beginning of my week editing and re-sizing hundreds of photos, is it inappropriate to mention I had to edit bogies that were dripping out of someone’s nose. So it might be Friday but better late than never right? Because this idea has been running round my head for over a month and only now have I got around to making it. This is pretty much the perfect autumn breakfast, although I will say I'm usually entirely too sleepy to make pancakes in the morning but at least I can fantasise about it.