Flavoured tea, mini bottles, upcoming baking books
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 11:15AM 
perfect tea Christmas gift
Bits and Bobs
small, remnant articles and things- the same as 'odds and ends'.
Today's post is bits and bobs, items that didn't "fit" with other posts.
My step son Dan gave these to me for Christmas
Flavoured tea or coffee
Starting with a seriously gorgeous box of assorted tea bags from T2. Flavoured teas and coffees are brilliant for flavouring your cupcakes, cookies and frostings. Take for example 'Gushing Geisha' from T2; green tea with freeze dried strawberry pieces... now that definitely has the makings of a great cupcake or butter cookie. How about 'French Earl Grey' with hibiscus flowers, sunflowers, rose petals & mallow flowers for your next batch of macarons? Coffee drinkers, buy that extra cup of caramel vanilla creme latte to take home and you'll be flavouring up a cupcake batter or silky frosting in no time and don't forget those bottles of coffee flavouring syrups in your pantry double as flavouring for all your sweet baking.
Mini liqueur bottles
Sometimes you do want to make that dozen cupcakes for a thank you gift, know that the recipient loves a certain liqueur but don't won't the expense of buying a whole bottle or perhaps you're delveloping a recipe and wondering if "Midori" would work? Consider liqueur miniatures, they contain just enough liqueur to flavour a cupcake batter and frosting for a fraction of the cost and you won't have that left over liqueur bottle gathering dust in your cabinet.
Watch out for
There are two highlights in the upcoming baking book releases so far this year...
Firstly, Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites[Paperback] You know I love "Martha" so I've pre-ordered this title already!! From the cover pic it's another Martha book in the series that includes the excellent 'Martha Stewart's Cupcakes' and 'Martha Stewart Cookies'. Release date March 22nd, 2011.
Secondly, one from the beautiful and talented Australian food blogger Lorraine Elliot of 'Not Quiet Nigella'
Expect a 'Julie & Julia' type memoir with all new recipes too. I'm so looking forward to reading the account of Ms. Elliot's life so far, her adventures in blogging and trying out the recipes! Release date mid 2011.
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