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Mother’s Day Cakes

If you are going to be seeing your mother or mother-in-law on or around Mother's Day (31 March in 2019), you might like to get baking and take her a homemade cake for that personal touch.

The tutorial below is short and sweet as the video only lasts just over a minute (speeded up action).  The cake used is a standard sponge cake recipe, baked as a sheet cake of 12" square, which is then cut out to form the letters "M" "U" "M".  The decorations are pretty straightforward consisting of mainly piped buttercream with added flowers and garnishes.  You can make this your own by choosing a favourite colour scheme and adding plenty of bling with sprinkles as desired.

Don't forget to make sure that if you use fresh flowers that they are non-toxic - after all that effort, you don't want a poorly mum!

Another lovely idea is this "bunch" of cupcakes for mum. These are standard cupcakes (find a simple recipe here) but decorated and arranged in such a manner as to resemble a bunch of flowers. Cake and flowers in one gift - we reckon this would be an instant hit! For a great selection of cupcake cases, why not take a look at the Craft Company's brilliant range - we particularly love these pink leopard print ones!

This Mother's day bunch of cupcakes how to guide is so easy to do yet so effective. Perfect for surprising your mum on Mother's day!

Cover drum board with your chosen coloured sugarpaste. Cover cupcakes with circles of thin white sugarpaste, then using the food colourings colour the rest of the white sugarpaste and cut out flowers using 5 petal cutter, to fit over the top. Make small balls of paste and flatten to create a centre for each flower.

Position cupcakes on board. Make long ‘sausages’ of paste in Green sugarpaste for flower stems (use a smoother if you have one to ensure even stems). Add butterfly decoration to some of the cupcakes if wished.

Tie a length of ribbon around stems and make a large bow. Optional – Add an inscription on the board. Via craftcompany.co.uk

While this Lemon & Blueberry Cake is not specifically a Mother's Day cake, it looks so pretty with its drizzled icing and some scattered flowers, what mum could fail to be impressed? And being a loaf style cake, it will cut up beautifully into slices to share with the family.

Our impressive lemon and blueberry cake is perfect for sharing. This loaf cake brings two tangy flavours; the citrus lemon and tart blueberries together to make one mouth-watering bake.

Make this lemon and blueberry cake at the weekend for a sweet treat or save for a special occasion. The icing is made from blueberry conserve, which is why it has a lovely, pastel colour. This blueberry and lemon cake also freezes well, so you could make a couple of loaves at once, by doubling the ingredients, and pop one away for a rainy day! Simply defrost on the side over night and you’ll have a freshly baked treat in next to no time – perfect with a cuppa. Via goodtoknow.co.uk

Our next suggestion is this gorgeous Cherry Blossom cake. The cake itself is a basic sponge and is "naked" ie it isn't covered in buttercream or other frosting and so has the layers showing through. Although you could choose to cover with frosting if desired. The decoration consists of cherry blossoms - all individually piped in white and pink swiss buttercream. The result is seriously pretty and would delight any mum on her special day.

Hopefully we've given you some ideas to get started with baking a Mother's Day cake that will be appreciated not only for it's yumminess but also as a token of love and appreciation.

Reprinted from Mother’s Day Cakes. Find out more by visiting craftybug.co.uk

[thecraftybug]

Homemade Gifts for Mother’s Day

Mothering Sunday or Mother's Day is on Sunday 31 March in 2019.  So it's time to start thinking of gifts for you mum that have that personal touch to them rather than buying something you simply pop into your basket at the supermarket checkout.

To help you find that gift you can make and present from the heart, we have brought together some ideas to give you inspiration to get crafting for your mother.  Sometimes it really is about the personal touch and the time invested.

We think you should take a look at this video below which showcases some 20 ideas for making mother's day gifts.  These are pretty awesome and take little time and materials.  Several of the ideas involve drawing round a hand - what better way for mum to receive a really personal present from her children?  We particularly love the paper hyacinth idea and think a vase full of these creations looks pretty stunning.  What mother could fail to be impressed with these? Particularly as they don't need watering and won't die

Many of the ideas in this video are for papercrafted flowers which will last so much longer than the real thing - and have been made with love! Other, non-papercrafting ideas are included too and they all produce really stunning end results.

This next video is pretty short, running at around 4 minutes, so is definitely worth viewing. In it, you are shown how to make 3 different spa type products as a gift for your mother or other special person in your life. I have to confess, I've never tried making anything like this before but they all seem pretty straightforward and use ingredients you are likely to have in your kitchen anyway. Except, perhaps, the Epsom salts! The body scrub using coffee grounds would be brilliant for a coffee lover and something really revitalising to use in the morning.

Keeping with the theme of homemade bath and body products, in this next video, Brittany demonstrates how to make a bubble bath and a brown sugar scrub bar amongst other things. She also has a great idea for two homemade tea infusions and these would be ideal for someone who loves to try different teas. We're starting the video at 1 minute 20 seconds as that's where the really interesting stuff begins.

If you fancy having a go at making the brown sugar body scrub bar, you will need these basic soap making items:

A soap making base is the main component

Soap making moulds in which to form and set your bar

We hope you have fun making that personal gift for your mother or mother in law to let her know what a special person she is and how much she means to you.

Reprinted from Homemade Gifts for Mother’s Day. Read more by visiting http://craftybug.co.uk

[thecraftybug]

Easy Easter Cards

With Easter on its way, it's good to think about what cards you are going to craft and send to friends and family.  Today's selection of Easter card ideas are from the easier end of the crafting spectrum and so are ideal for papercrafting novices or experienced crafters looking for more straightforward projects alike.  They would also make fun projects to do with children.

This first,short video demonstrates how to make a simple yet effective Easter card decorated with Easter eggs. What I like about this make, is that the decoration for the eggs is drawn onto a larger piece of card, with the egg shapes then being cut out.  This means that the line and dot decorations go all the way to the edge (and beyond) of the eggs which is less likely to be the case if the shapes were cut out first.  Why not let the kids paint the card?  I have a feeling this would lead to some pretty colourful eggs.

The card made in this next video is a great example of how easy it can be to make a cute yet effective card. It involves the use of glitter which brings out the child in all of us! In fact, this would make a great project to do with your children / grandchildren as I'm sure they would love to do the glitter part for you. And I'm sure they'd really get stuck into gluing the card! For me, I would probably prepare the card front fully before fixing to the card blank - that way if anything goes awry and I need to start again, I haven't wasted my card blank. But may be I'm just ultra cautious! 

We recommend this simple papercraft punch to produce your own bunnies as and when you want them. Rabbits are not only for Easter and can be used in making all sorts of greeting cards and papercrafting projects. Great for table confetti for a rabbit loving friend.

This next Easter card project is for a cute chick card. This is unlikely to be one for much younger children to help with but there's no reason why older children who can be let loose with scissors and glue couldn't have fun with this one. What's unusual in this case, is that, being a pop up card, all the work and interest goes into the inside of the card, rather than on the front. The demonstrator uses a small chick decoration on the front of the card so it doesn't look blank when you receive it but for ease, you could always simply stamp a "Happy Easter" greeting on the front. As this design uses just a card blank, coloured paper and glue, it doesn't even use up your stash of cardstock!

In order to make this next super easy card, all you need is some coloured paper, scissors and glue. Oh and some stick on googly eyes! This card is a really quick make and would be ideal to do with the children as a simple Easter holiday project. The video only takes just under 2 minutes to watch too.

Hopefully this selection of easy make Easter cards will give you not only food for thought but also some fun projects to do with your family.

Originally seen on Easy Easter Cards. Read more at Crafty Bug's Website

[thecraftybug]

St Patrick’s Day Cakes

With St Patrick's Day just around the corner, it's time to think of all things green! When this comes to baking theme based cakes, the Paddy's Day provides that inspiration to go wild with the green food colouring.

If you want to add that "surprise" element by revealing a shamrock shape when you cut your cake, then this tutorial below is the one for you. It's pretty straightforward and you have the satisfaction of cutting what looks like an ordinary cake to reveal the design inside. The demonstrator in this video uses packet cake mix which is fine for speed and for less experienced bakers, but you might want to use your own favourite recipe to add that personal touch.

And on the theme of Irish Shamrocks, you might like to see our earlier post with a recipe for Shamrock Shake Cupcakes.

Alternatively, if you would like some element of "bling" to feature in your decoration, then you might like to take a look at this tutorial below. This is for a "green velvet" cake and the baked result is most definitely green!

The cake recipe used is for a standard red velvet cake but, of course, the red food colouring is omitted and green colouring used in its place. Halving the cocoa element helps to stop the mixture from being too dark. If you don't have any green edible glitter then any green cake decorating sprinkles will work. And of course, don't forget the chocolate money on top!

If you want to make cakes to share with friends and family this St Patrick's Day, then these Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes will fit the bill nicely. These are fairly simply decorated but include Baileys in the buttercream recipe for that extra Irish richness! And there's no reason why you couldn't use the green food colouring in the buttercream in keeping with the theme.

For more St Patrick's Day baking ideas, why not take a look at our post here?

The post St Patrick’s Day Cakes was first seen on craftybug.co.uk

[thecraftybug]

British Pie Week 2019

British Pie Week takes place during the first full week in March each year making the dates for 2019 4 March to 10 March.

With the pie being somewhat of a British institution, British Pie Week was originally started by Jus-Rol in 2007 and has been going strong ever since.  After all, who doesn't love a pie in its myriad forms?

The beautiful thing about a pie is that it can be so versatile: it can be made brim full of meat, it can be vegetarian or vegan, it can be sweet or savoury.  Pies can be served cold such as a Pork Pie or hot such as a traditional steak and kidney.  For many people, the pies served in many pubs and some restaurants consisting of a filling in a dish with the only pastry being just a topping, just doesn't cut the mustard as a pie.  We at Crafty Bug do tend to sit on this side of the argument I'm afraid - a pie should have pastry all around!

Although, for many, the word "pie" will conjure up a meat based pie such as steak and kidney or chicken and leek, there are many really tasty vegetarian or vegan pies.  This melty cheese and potato pie should be pretty yummy and warming as well.  The recipe comes from BBC Good Food and has 5 star review ratings.  Do note though, that there appears to be a mistake in the recipe instructions as we think it should say to cook the potatoes for 20 rather than 2 minutes otherwise they are likely to be undercooked at the end.  One particular challenge here, is to make sure the pastry is well sealed otherwise the melted cheese will escape, not only making a mess, but reducing the taste and texture of the pie filling.

Drawing from the apres-ski classic tartiflette, this indulgent pie transforms into a cheesy fondue with creamy sliced potatoes and crisp puff pastry ...

Roll the remaining pastry out to a circle about 30cm wide, dusting with more flour if needed. Brush the edges of the pastry on the tray with egg, then drape over the larger circle and seal the sides well, crimping as you go round. A tight seal is important to stop the cheese escaping. Via bbcgoodfood.com

Probably one of the best know British pies is the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie. The following video is a clip from the Great British Bake Off in which Sue Perkins heads to Melton Mowbray to find out its history.

If you are now inspired to make your own pork pie, then this next video will help you on your way. It is from Good Housekeeping and demonstrates clearly how to make a hot water crust for your pie - something which is critical to a good pork pie.

The Good Housekeeping video doesn't give you the recipe for the filling part of the pie so you might find this recipe useful:

500g (1lb) pork shoulder, cut into small (1cm) cubes or roughly blitzed in a food processor 120g (4oz) pork sausage meat (2 plump sausages) 180g (6oz) smoked bacon lardons or chopped streaky bacon 1/4 tsp ground mace or nutmeg 1/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage ½ tsp ground white pepper 1 egg, lightly beaten 150ml (1/4 pint) chicken stock 3 leaves gelatine Via realfood.tesco.com

Steak and Kidney Pie is about as traditional a British Pie as you could find on any menu. Next, we have Carl Smith from the Windmill showing you have to make his award winning version and very tasty it looks too! Sadly, it does commit the crime of not having a pastry bottom (probably because of the rich gravy I would guess) but that doesn't detract from a jolly good recipe which is well worth looking at.

  Stargazey Pie is a traditional Cornish pie, hailing from Mousehole, made with baked pilchards or sardines.  It looks somewhat strange with the fish heads and (sometimes) tails poking out of the pie top - and so would make a great talking point if served to guests.  This version below uses ready made pastry for added convenience

Find out how to make stargazey pie with this easy recipe – this traditional Cornish pie is made with herrings or pilchards and shortcrust pastry.

Step 1 Soak breadcrumbs in milk until moist, mix with lemon juice and rind, half the chopped onion plus most of the parsley and seasonings. Use to stuff fish, scattering any leftover over the base of a deep, round 23cm or similar pie dish. Shortcrust Stargazey Pie | Pastry Recipes | Jus-Rol

Whatever you choose to do to celebrate British Pie Week, I hope you have fun and enjoy making a tasty, warming pie!

Article Source: British Pie Week 2019. learn more by visiting www.craftybug.co.uk

[thecraftybug]

Valentine’s Day Cards

Pretty much anyone can pop out to the shops to buy a card for someone.  Never mind the specialist cards shops, all major supermarkets and even small village shops have a display of greetings card for every occasion.  But how much more personal can it get than to give someone you love a handmade card for Valentine's Day?  A gorgeous handcrafted card with your own special message inside has to rank as something special.

In order to help you and provide that nudge of inspiration, we have searched out some examples you may wish to make for yourself.  Or these can be used as a starting point from which to travel off in your own direction.

The video below shows you how to make a straightforward card. You will need very little in the way of materials so this an easy one to try out if you don't have "all the gear".  You can always find an inexpensive set of watercolour paints online such as this set of 24 basic colours. Not being a painter or user of watercolours, the presenter's explanation about why the paint doesn't bleed into the marked out heart area was new to me and an interesting discovery.

The next tutorial shows how to make a Tic Tac Toe or Noughts and Crosses inspired card. One of the good things about this design is that it's pretty flexible and can be made with whatever you have lurking in your craft stash. Although, you'll no doubt really want to use some red paper or cardstock as it's for Valentine's Day after all! I really like the way the presenter uses an old cereal box to provide both the template and the backing for the heart embellishments. These are pretty small so would only use a small amount of paper making it ideal for using up any scraps you may have kept in the hope they'll be useful one day. I hate throwing things away unless they clearly won't come in handy and thus have plenty of odds and ends kept just "in case".

This next idea is a pretty simply one you can execute with items you most likely have to hand.  And the idea of using birthday candles would, of course, work for birthday cards too.  If you find that sticking the candles on the card is challenging due to the rounded nature of the candle, you could always use a vegetable peeler or small knife to give them a slightly flattened side.

Making your own homemade Valentine’s Day cards to go with that perfect store-bought present doesn’t have to be all that intimidating. We’re making it easy for you by providing the ideas—silly puns (“you light up my life” paired with candles; “ … but will also show them just how much you care.

Turn a birthday party prop into a loved one's bright spot on February 14. All you'll need to make this homemade Valentine's Day card is a blank note card, glue, and a felt tip marker. If you don’t have any blank cards on hand, simply fold a piece of construction paper or cardstock, and then get started. Via realsimple.com

This next video shows you how to make a pop up card for your Valentine which requires a few different techniques including quilling.  There is no "voiceover" giving instructions on this particular video but all steps are very clearly demonstrated.  The whole thing takes around 11 and a half minutes to watch.

For our final offering today, we think this pinwheel card looks gorgeous and hope you do too. It's made using a die cutting technique and features other techniques such as embossing. You may like to have a go at this yourself, or perhaps use it as inspiration for your own project. The materials for this particular card are set out below the video.

Pinwheel Card die set – Simply Made Crafts

Rooted in Love 12″ x 12″ paper collection – Hot Off The Press

Creative Expressions Foundation Card in Raspberry

Creative Expressions Foundation Card in Brunswick Green

Cosmic Shimmer Glue – Creative Expressions

Wow! Embossing Ink Pad

Crafter’s Companion A6 Rubber Stamp Our Love Story Sentiments | Set of 15

Nuvo Embossing Powder – Glacier White

Heat tool

Bone folder

Crafter’s Companion Gemini Multi Media Die Cutting Machine

Whatever you choose to do this Valentine's Day, we hope you have a great day with your loved one and enjoy some special time together.

The post Valentine’s Day Cards was first published on Crafty Bug's Website

[thecraftybug]

Valentine’s Day Gifts and Decorations

It won't be long before we reach the day of the year on which romance rules!  We've had a look around the interweb to see what ideas are out there for the crafter interested in papercraft.  There are very many websites which are really rather annoying with many pop up ads so we've sorted the wheat from the chaff to bring you a better selection.  There are also many videos available aimed at, shall I say "the younger viewer" made by American teenagers and, while these definitely have their place, these have not been included in our offering today.

If you want to make some simple Valentine's Day decorations or gifts, here's a quick video (note: no sound) demonstrating how to make a heart shaped cut out decoration. Obviously, pink or red are traditional colours associated with this day but you could always pick either your own favourite colour or that of your beloved. It's a quick watch at only 1 min 34 sec and an easy make.  You could tuck these hearts away in a wallet or purse for a Valentine's surprise, in a lunchbox or a jacket pocket.  You could always add your own touch by adding a few words or a smiley face!  An effective way of letting someone know you love them.

This next offering is a great tutorial on how to make a paper rose. It has a couple of leaves attached but you could just stick at the rose itself - although I think adding the leaves does just finish it off. What I like about this particular demonstration is that it's (a) quite short at a hint over 3 minutes and (b) the demonstrator starts by showing you the tools / kit you will need all neatly laid out with the paper measurements written out. This makes it really easy to pause the video at that point and gather your equipment together before proceeding. This is a great idea for someone interested in crafts who wants to give their love roses but prefers the personal, handmade approach. It also has the added benefit of being cheaper than buying a bunch of roses which inexplicably seem to increase in price about a week before 14 February!

For something which is really personal and pretty easy to do, you might like to take a look at the following website.  How could your loved one resist a homemade, personalised coaster, something as a permanent reminder of you and your shared memories.  Make sure you pick out your photos of those really great times you've had together - perhaps mixed in with some cute photos of yourself looking gorgeous.  These blank coasters are designed specifically for you to add your own photos.

Get your favourite photos out and place them on some coasters to remind you of your memories together. Visit your local craft shop to get everything you need. Cover the coaster in glue, place the photo on top and plaster with more decoupage glue. Leave to dry and add antique crackle to add a vintage look. Via thebeachouse.com.au

The following idea is simple and completely personalised.  You also don't need to spend a lot of money as you may well have an old pack of playing cards lying around somewhere or if not, they are generally not very expensive (try these for example).  Be creative with the messages and your beloved will know that these all come from the heart!

I filled the deck of cards with 52 reasons why I love my wonderful husband. This is only a fraction of why I love that man. The list is eternally long. But for this project I narrowed it down to 52.

I tried to include things he does for me, how he makes me feel, funny stuff, spicy stuff, but I also wanted to make sure that I put things in there that I love about him…about his character. Because it’s not always about how he makes me feel; it’s about who he is. And I wanted to let him know that I love him for who he is. Via hannahbunker.com

This final offering is a little more ambitious and is ideal for someone who uses a die cutter. Even if you have never used such a machine, the video is worth a look to see how die cutting can boost your crafting. Here, Helen makes a Valentine's gift box and decorates it up with a ribbon and punched hearts. Once made, you could pop a loving message or a couple of yummy chocs inside.

If you fancy tackling this project, you will need the following equipment:

Simply Made Crafts Matchbox and Postbox Die set

Crafter’s Companion Sara Signature Collection Paper Pad 12in x 12in | Sew Lovel Creative Expressions Foundation Card in Raspberry

Cosmic Shimmer Glue – Creative Expressions

Love & Marriage stamp set – Card Making Magic

Pink ink pad

Circle nesting dies or circle punches

Bone folder

Silver ribbon

Sizzix Big Shot die cutting machine

You can also make this gift box as a favour for wedding tables or just a party gift.  Simply choose the colourway appropriate to the occasion.

Reprinted from Valentine’s Day Gifts and Decorations. learn more at Crafty Bug's Blog

[thecraftybug]

Learn How to Sew Part 1

As we begin a new year, it's the time to think about starting new hobbies, resurrecting old ones or learning new skills.

We have to put our hands up here at Crafty Bug HQ to say that sewing is not really in our skill set.  Sewing on buttons, OK and shortening the odd pair of trousers (being somewhat "vertically challenged" that's borne of necessity) are about as far as it goes.  So with this in mind, we thought this year would be a good time to start learning some of the basics by pulling together some of the easiest to understand and to follow tutorials available.  You never know, even more skilled sewers may find some new useful hints and tips to help them with their latest projects.

As you know, our aim here at Crafty Bug is to bring together great information and interesting content to save you from spending time looking at things which, quite frankly, aren't all that helpful and in some cases, quite badly written.  With this aim in mind I would like to introduce you to this brilliant online tutorial to get you started with learning how to sew.  It is not a quick view, running at 26 minutes but if, by the time you have watched it, you aren't itching to fish out your old sewing machine or dash out to buy one and get sewing, then you are probably not human!  One viewer has commented "Wow! The best beginner's sewing video I've ever seen. Your instructions and explanations are so easy to understand!".  The presentation style is clear and engaging - no monotones here!  What this tutorial does is:

introduce you to your sewing machine;

explain what everything on your sewing machine actually does;

remove the fear factor: as one viewer says: "there's not too many things in this life that scare me but that singer sewing machine is one thing I've avoided up to now it's been a fancy paper weight for years, but now thanks to you ... I think I may be ready to actually thread this machine";

explain what threads are best to use with your machine;

demonstrate extremely clearly how to thread up your machine; 

walk you through, step by step, how to make a simple napkin;

not only gives you confidence to have a go yourself but provides the inspiration to get you going;

beautifully filmed with multiple camera angles used including those all important close ups of detailed actions (such as threading the needle).

We love the way in which Gretchen has her pincushion handily strapped to her wrist for ease of access.  It's such a great idea - you're never without a pin or two to hand when undertaking a sewing project.  We recommend trying this wristband pincushion for the same effect. Who hasn't wondered where to put their pins down safely so that you can find them again easily and not do yourself a mischief in the process?

For anyone aspiring to take up sewing in some form, whether it be dressmaking, sewing accessories such as bags, toymaking or getting stuck into homewares such as cushions and throws, making friends with your sewing machine is essential and I hope the above video has helped allay any fears you might have had. If you are new to sewing, you will need a basic kit to get you started. As time goes on and you decide what sort of sewing projects you want to tackle, you will inevitably build up your own store of sewing accessories but you might like to take a look at the following video as a starting point.

This video by The English Tailor walks you through the equipment you will need for your sewing projects and runs to just over 17 minutes in total. While it covers the basics and each item is shown to the viewer with an explanation, I didn't find this as engaging as our first recommended video above. Nevertheless it is well worth a run through for the information given. One recommended accessory is a sleeve board, this being a mini ironing board to make ironing garment sleeves easier (my mother had one but this is not something I possess). If you aren't planning to make clothes (or clothes with sleeves), then this is something you are unlikely to need so I wouldn't recommend buying one at the beginner stage.  You can, of course, always add this and other items as you experiment with your sewing and decide what you really enjoy making.

I hope you have found these two videos interesting and feel inspired and all fired up to have a go at your own projects. In our next couple of posts, we will suggest some straightforward beginner projects which are easily achievable to get you started. If you have any great ideas for fun projects to inspire our readers, please get in touch by filling in the comments box below.

For a great range of fabrics and all your sewing accessories, we recommend Minerva Crafts. Minerva is a family run business which has been trading since 1998 "borne out of a love for fabric, sewing and knitting" and they have an excellent reputation. With a huge range of products and excellent customer service, why not take a look at their website?

Article Source: Learn How to Sew Part 1 from http://craftybug.co.uk/

[thecraftybug]

National Pie Day

Christmas and New Year are rapidly becoming a distant memory so what better way to cheer up a dull January than by embracing National Pie Day!  After all, it is that time of year, with the long dark evenings, when comfort food such as a jolly tasty pie has a serious attraction.  So needing no further excuse, we thought we would celebrate the pie.

This does, of course, beg the question of when and why do we have National Pie Day?  It takes place on 23 January each year and is an American invention:

National Pie Day, is an annual celebration of pies started in the mid-1970s by Boulder, Colorado nuclear engineer, brewer and teacher Charlie Papazian after he declared his own birthday, January 23, to be National Pie Day. Since 1986, National Pie Day is sponsored by the American Pie Council. Via en.wikipedia.org

Given that National Pie Day is more American than British (and we have our own British Pie Week 4-10 March for 2019), we thought we might focus on pies which are American in origin.   Which means they are of the sweet treat variety rather than a traditional British pastry based meat and potato type.  Something to cheer up January and make us hanker after summer.  However, come British Pie Week, I'm thinking gravy more than chocolate so watch this space!

So what is an American pie?  Well according to a really interesting history and categorisation of the American pie on Eater, it is as follows:

Today, most American pie is a round pastry with crust that envelopes a (usually sweet) filling, prepared in a pan with sloping sides and a small lip. Pies come in many shapes and sizes — there are hand pies and slab pies, fried pies and crumble-topped pies — but the most traditional American pie is a nine-inch round pie, a shape that originated in Medieval Europe.

The perfect pie is built from two things: 1) A well-made crust with a flaky texture and deep golden color; and 2) A fresh, well-set, flavorful filling. Pie's filling is how we will categorize these sweet American pie styles.

For the serious chocolate lover out there, what could be better than a Mississippi Mud Pie!  It is thought the name refers to the fact that the chocolate cake looks just like the muddy brown banks of the river Mississippi but, thankfully, it tastes so much better and is a rich, indulgent treat.  This recipe from Simon Rimmer is full of gooey yumminess.

From the bourbon biscuit base to the fudge topping. This recipe for Mississippi mud pie is a chocolate-lovers delight. Via bbc.com

Another pie always associated with the States, is a Key Lime Pie.  This pie is so called because of the type of limes used to make the dish:

The traditional Conch version uses the egg whites to make a meringue topping. The dish is named after the small Key limes (Citrus aurantifolia 'Swingle') that are naturalized throughout the Florida Keys. While their thorns make them less tractable, and their thin, yellow rinds more perishable, Key limes are more tart and more aromatic than the common Persian limes seen year-round at grocery stores in the United States. Key lime juice, unlike regular lime juice, is a pale yellow. The filling in a Key lime pie is also yellow, largely because of the egg yolks.

During mixing, a reaction between the proteins of the egg yolks and condensed milk with the acidic lime juice occurs that causes the filling to thicken on its own without requiring baking. Early recipes for Key lime pie did not require baking the pie, relying on this chemical reaction (called thickening) to produce the proper consistency of the filling. Today, because consuming raw eggs can be dangerous, pies of this nature are usually baked for a short time. The baking also thickens the texture more than the reaction alone. Via en.wikipedia.org

Another culinary pie delight brought to us courtesy of our American cousins, is the Shoofly Pie.  Now I have to confess I've never made or even tried one of these, but looking at the below recipe, I could easily be persuaded to give it a go!

This is the best shoofly pie I’ve eaten, and believe me, I’ve tried many. Some versions are dry and soft; others are quite gooey and moist. This one falls somewhere in between, and is thick and unabashedly pleasing. Shoofly is authentic American pie that comes to us from the Pennsylvania Amish and Mennonites and the Pennsylvania Dutch; we should be grateful to them forever.  Surprisingly, shoofly pie is not as popular in other Amish and Mennonite communities. It is found in Ohio; but in Indiana, if you ask for a piece of shoofly pie in a restaurant, the Amish girl who serves it will rather disparagingly tell you it’s made only for the tourists - a thousand pities. Via splendidtable.org

Pumpkin Pie is, of course, usually associated with Thanksgiving but there's no reason not to bake it at other times of the year, particularly when it brings such a feelgood factor with it. This pie contains spices associated with autumn into winter - such as cinnamon and ginger - but these would work equally well for a January warm up. This video tutorial on how to make a traditional pumpkin pie isn't too long at just under 4 minutes and has the ingredients and quantities needed printed on the screen. That way you can work alongside with no need to write down the recipe as you go. Being an American recipe, the pastry uses "shortening" which is essentially any fat which is solid at room temperature such as lard (animal or vegetable), margarine or butter (although butter has a lower melting point). It's an easy to watch video, with the pie making process well demonstrated so well worth a watch!

I hope you have found something of interest in our round up of the American Pie and will celebrate National Pie Day by, if not baking something yummy yourself, tucking into someone else's tasty treat! Why not let us know which are your favourite pies in this category?

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Baking for Veganuary

Well, the new year has started so Veganuary is here again! Veganuary is, of course, the renaming of January to encourage people to adopt a plant based diet for a month. With this in mind, we thought we would help introduce you to a vegan way of eating by pulling together some of the easiest vegan baking recipes. These are ideal for anyone wanting to give vegan eating a try or would be ideal for removing any panic factor should you be entertaining a vegan friend!

A good place to start would be to take a look at this post below.  You will find a brief guide to vegan baking, explaining how and what to substitute for the more usual baking ingredients such as butter and eggs.  It helps make it all sound very do-able for anyone who has never tried a vegan approach to their baking.

We all love a decadent dessert after dinner or a sweet breakfast treat on the weekends. But if you’re vegan — or thinking of going vegan — you might be hunting for ways to recreate your favorite baked goods without any animal ingredients. That means no eggs, butter, milk, meat, or any other animal byproduct. (What?! Brownies with no butter??). That’s what makes the idea of vegan baking intimidating. How am I going to make a cake without eggs or butter? But believe it or not, vegan baking is a lot easier than you may think. With a little innovation and creativity, you’ll be surprised at how simple and delicious vegan goodies can really be. Via healthline.com

Of course, vegan cookery is not just about baking cakes and desserts. In fact, this is most likely to be the most challenging area for most people unused to plant based eating. There are some excellent recipes to be found on BBC Good Food including this warming Mushroom and Ale Pie.  Proper comfort food and  ideal for keeping out the cold in the winter evenings:

A delightful wintry vegan pie with rich mushrooms and sweet shallots that will make your cold nights a lot warmer. Vegan comfort food at its best. Via bbc.com

For a great book on vegan cooking and eating, we really like Bosh by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby. This book has over 140 plant based eating recipes including delicious desserts and easy breakfasts. There's even a helpful "where do you get your protein" section. Virtually all recipes have photographs and 91% of Amazon reviewers rated it 4 or 5 stars.

For me, one of the most amazing vegan recipe ideas, is how to make meringues without using egg white! I have no idea who first thought of the idea of using water out of a can of chickpeas to make a vegan friendly meringue but I can only assume they were either a great chemist or a little bit of a mad experimenter! If this is something you'd like to try, then Ania's from Lazy Cat Kitchens are super easy to make and look absolutely gorgeous. And of course, I really love the idea of getting 2 dishes from one can of chickpeas as being both environmentally and economically attractive.

Most importantly, don’t be intimidated. These little guys are really easy to make. Three key things to remember are: 1) unlike with egg-whites, it is impossible to overwhip aquafaba 2) before you start adding sugar make sure the whipped aquafaba does not slide out of the bowl when turned upside down 3) add sugar very gradually! Via lazycatkitchen.com

Anyone not used to cooking on vegan principles should find the following video really useful.  In it, the two presenters go through a list of essential items you would need in your vegan store cupboard.  They cover the main essentials such as coconut milk, spices and noodles plus much more. 

Viewers of the video have suggested additional items they deem essential.  Oats are a great favourite for many and garlic is a definite too!

I hope you have found this round up of ideas a good introduction to veganuary and cooking and baking for a plant based diet.  If you have any great hints and tips for following a vegan diet, do please let us know in the comments below and we can then share them with our Crafty Bug readers.

We like this easy to use, fuss-free, all in one rice cooker which will cook your rice perfectly every time. As you use the microwave, there is no mess or danger of forgetting your pan on the stove. It can also be used to cook other grains such as buckwheat or pearl barley or used for pasta. Includes a rice paddle which ingeniously doubles up as a lock for the lid during cooking.

Article Source: Baking for Veganuary. Find out more at Crafty Bug's Blog

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