A different location but many of the same topics trying to record everyday life.
1. my hotel room – nice big bed
2. walking beside the lake near my hotel
3. mad traffic on the way to work
4. my desk
5. lunch at the office canteen – rice, dahl and pakora
6. the local money – taka
7. the Parliament building is surrounded by water
My first impressions, from a week in Dhaka. It is a big city with a huge population so there is always bustle. Traffic jams are frequent and most drivers rely on their horn rather than traffic rules. As well as packed buses there are engine and cycle rickshaws – all competing for road space. There are lots of building under construction, although many seem to have people camped out in the partly completed buildings. There are also lots of trees and the place is very green and lush.
I’m enjoying the food – mostly what I would think of as Indian such as samosa, pakura, curries and lots of rice. And constant tea drinking. Bananas are also abundant as they are grown locally, most other fruit is imported – I was offered a choice of French or Australian apples. Many things are sold on the roadside – food, water, tea, roasted nuts, popcorn – I even saw candyfloss (cotton candy).
I started off playing with layering textures using different effects, using a photo I took at the beach near home last week. I liked the kind of vintage, worn, old look so stopped playing.
Then I wondered if I could carve a word into the wood and played with those effects.
Then I remembered that the prompt from Inspiration Avenue this week was to use some words which included hope,wish, dream and to have a vintage feel. So that is where I went. I like the result, not a wow, but a good feel, so I’m pleased especially as I just started out playing.
If you have come here from the fabulous and creative Rinda at Gallo Organico, welcome to the hop, if you don’t know 
I think the first recipe that I knew from memory was for a basic ‘weight of an egg sponge’. For each egg use 2oz (56g) each of self-rising flour, sugar and butter. We put them all in a bowl and then mixed with the handheld beater until all mixed.
When I was a kid, I remember helping to make cake at the weekend. We made a big batch of the basic mixture and then divided into three bowls. Some would be made in a round tin and some would become cupcakes. I was allowed to choose the flavour, topping and shape for one of the batches. Some of the favourites that I remember are:
* adding drinking chocolate or cocoa, sometimes with some coffee too with melted chocolate on top
* adding ginger in syrup to either the cake or the butter icing
* mixing in desiccated coconut then putting red jam and coconut on top
* mixing in raisins and some spice
* adding some lemon or orange juice and zest and then making icing with the same juice
The cakes were baked at 180C (350F/Gas 4). Check at 20 minutes or earlier if you smell burning. It is ready when the cake has moved away from the side and when you gently press the top it bounces back instead of retaining a dimple. Put the tin on a wire cooling rack and wait until it is cold before removing from the tin and icing.
Butter icing uses 2oz (56g) soft butter, 4 oz (120g) icing sugar (approx) and 1 tablespoons of a liquid flavour such as coffee or orange juice. Add the icing sugar in batches, stirring well until it tastes nice and will hold its shape. Spread over the cake.
Hope you enjoyed my memories of baking as a child, I certainly did. Now hop over to Elizabeth at emhowl.
[cake graphic from Scrapsisters – with some tweaking]
