Handmade Card Swap Part 3

Well, we have now received all 10 of our handmade card swaps and they are all lovely.  It is soooo nice to have a mantelpiece full of homemade cards.  In fact, this year we haven't even put up any non-homemade cards cos they spoil the effect ;-).  It was good to read about other families and their Christmas traditions, including those in the States, Australia, Canada, South Africa and some Scots living in France.  We will also steal some ideas for next year's cards of course![gallery columns="4"]

Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cake

Lots of people have asked me for this recipe so here it is:



Ingredients

390g gluten free plain flour

440g brown sugar

6 tbsp cocoa powder

2tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

500ml sweetened soya milk

185ml sunflower oil

2 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1.  Grease 23cm round deep cake tin, line base.  Preheat oven to 180C/ 350F/Gas Mk 4

2. Mix together all the dry ingredients.  When well mixed, mix in the wet ingredients and beat until there are no lumps

3.  Cook for about 40 mins until a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean.

4.  When it's cool, make whatever fancy icing you want for the top or cheat, like I do, and use dairy free chocolate spread!

ENJOY!

Let me know if you make it and you like it, and feel free to share any fancy icing recipes that you make to go on the top :-)

Ancient Egypt Project

The last month or two, we have been "doing" Ancient Egypt.  We have:

• made a potato mummy - we cut a vaguely human shape out of a slice of potato, covered it with a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and salt and left for two weeks in a sealed container.  The potato shrinks and blackens and goes a bit yucky.  You can then wrap it in bandages and voila you have your mummy.  If you were really brave you might try this with a chicken :-).  My recommendation would be to use a pretty big potato cos it is surprising how much it shrinks!
  
  [caption id="attachment_126" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Potato Mummy - Before"][/caption]
  
  [caption id="attachment_127" align="aligncenter" width="150" caption="Potato Mummy - After"][/caption]
  
  
  

• made reed boats from bendy straws

• made and played a game of Senet, making a board from rigid cardboard and counters out of air drying clay

• learned how the Egyptians prepared bodies for mummifcation by playing this game on the BBC History site


• played lots of games of Tutan Loot 'Em (a fabulous board game made by Orchard Toys)


• made Pharoah's crowns

• coloured in lots of Egyptian pictures


• painted a life sized (well, Waif sized!) Ancient Egyptian man

•