A Three Tier Cake and A Bucket...List

Yesterday while I was doing my most hated and detested chore.....sorting miscellaneous paper, somewhere in the chaos I found an old version of my bucket list.  I mean really old....like seventeen years ago.   Everything on it was familiar to me except one thing.  I wanted to bake a three tier professional wedding cake by myself and decorate it.  Say what now?....   For a novice like me, I might as well be building the Taj Mahal.   Wedding cakes are no joke.

Almost immediately I understood exactly why I had dropped it from my list.  I also understood exactly why I had to put it back.  I am not going to let a little old cake get the best of me.  And to show you how serious I am, I will post this cake in whatever state it comes out when am done with it.  I think my birthday on the first of July this year would be a great day for my cake's debut.  Ha ha, lord help me.   I do love to bake though so one thing I am not lacking is the passion to do this.  Whatever the outcome, it will be exciting, educational......and possibly hilarious. Either way, it's on like donkey kong!

So lovelies, as I venture into the world of butter cream and fondant, I would love to hear any feed back from you talented bakers out there. I want my cake to be beautiful and tasty.....non leaning and more than anything else, topple free.
Pretty please.

Here are a few inspiration cakes am in love with at the moment....lol, if I can do something similar to one of these, I would need to have my head deflated.  Seriously, I would be pretty proud of me. You would be too!

Cherio!
All pictures in this
post are courtesy of
www.marthastewart.com

Lamb and chick pea salad, my new fav!

I love salads so am always on the lookout for new recipes to try.  When I found this one on womansday.com I literally stopped in my tracks.  I mean look at this!  It is drool worthy. This salad is my new favorite, try it and let me know what you think!  

INGREDIENTS

2 zucchini, sliced
1 red capsicum, seeded, sliced
180g lamb fillet
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
420g cans chick peas, drained, rinsed
50g baby spinach leaves
¼ cup roughly chopped fat free semi-dried tomatoes
2 wholemeal pita bread, toasted
DRESSING:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons chopped tarragon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove, crushed

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to moderate, 180°C . Line 2 oven dishes with baking paper.
   
2. Arrange zucchini and capsicum in single layer in dish. Spray lightly with oil. Season to taste. Bake 30 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
   
3. Meanwhile, place lamb in second dish. Spray with oil and season to taste. Bake 15-20 minutes. Rest, covered with foil, for 5 minutes.
   
4. DRESSING: In a jug, whisk all ingredients together.
   
5. In a large bowl, combine vegetables, chickpeas, lamb, spinach and tomatoes. Drizzle over dressing. Toss lightly to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve torn pita bread.