Cake Pops. What ARE they exactly?

I think they're an American-ish sort of a thing.  We have cupcakes here, and mini muffins, but I'm hearing more and more people talking about making cake pops.

What are they?

I like to bake, these things can't be that hard to make, surely?

I did a search.  This site has a crafty Mum who loves to make all things miniature cakey: http://craftsmumship.com/tag/cake-pops/

She made these:-

Isn't Lorelei clever!!

Apparently there are cake pop makers, just like donut or cupcake makers.  I have a mini donut maker, but I consider my oven and muffin moulds to be my cupcake maker.  I can't imagine using one of these things to make cake pops though?

Cake pop maker

So it looks to me like there are two different ways of making these:-

1. Make up a cake batter and use the cake pop maker to bake the cakes into a mini circle.  They're 'stickable' once they have cooled (insert stick), then dip into coating.

2. You have a pre-made cake, cool it, crumble it up and mix a little liquid or icing, then form into balls, stick with a skewer, cool again and dip or cover with whatever you like.

I've made mini Christmas puddings complete with icing.  These may frustrate me more.  At least the puddings don't have to balance on a stick!

However I do have a son obsessed with Lego.  I think these may be just the thing to cheer him up on his next birthday ;D

More detailed instructions here: http://www.livinglocurto.com/2010/06/lego-cake-pops/

Bunny Hutch Re-arranging

I love my bunnies, really I do, but they can be a great bit hassle.  Especially when it comes to little rodents trying to share their food.

I have had pet mice before, and I didn't like them much.  I really don't like wild mice either.  Not because I am scared of them, but they're a nuisance, they're really fast so you can't whack them with a broom (yes, I tried), and they're smelly.

I found the perfect spot for my two most unsociable bunnies (they like each other, not people!), or so I thought.  They were getting a little morning sun, were on a patch of dirt that had next to no nutrients in it  and are a little messy. I thought putting these two bunnies on top of this horrible 'dirt' would be able to improve the soil in the long term.

It didn't take long for mouse tracks to be visible, then some great big burrows.  Eek!

I had to move these bunnies today as high as they could go.  On top of Storm's hutch.

He isn't very pleased.  He can smell them, and he doesn't like them one bit.

Storm (down the bottom) was wondering what I was doing, and why, if I was outside, wasn't I patting him!

The girl bunnies on the other hand, don't mind having more boys next to them.  They don't like mice either, and are forever stuffing newspaper in all the nooks and crannies to keep the mice out.

I have put mouse baits out everywhere now, so there is going to be a bad 'dead' smell happening in about a week or so.  Gross!

Orange/Citrus Cleaner Review

A funnel and a strainer to get every last drop!

I am using my orange peel cleaner, and it is just as great as the stuff you purchase, so I won't be purchasing any more!  I could buy three bottles of vinegar for one bottle of commercial citrus cleaner, and I'm sure it isn't good for my lungs to be breathing in those chemicals.

In fact, my lungs have been much happier with the vinegar/orange peel cleaner, so it's staying.

It doesn't leave a residue.

If you spray it on white tiles in the bathroom and forget to clean it off again, it won't stain the tiles, but it will look like a naughty boy has urinated all over your nice white tiles.  Oops!

The only person not happy with my new cleaner is my son.  He doesn't like the smell of it.

I haven't known him to ever wipe down benches anyway, so tough luck kiddo!

My orange cleaner concentrate back in the vinegar bottle. Two more jars of peels 'marinating'.  The green spray bottle is my diluted half water/half citrus cleaner concentrate ready to go.

I found three weeks was better to leave the citrus peels 'marinating' in the vinegar.  Two weeks doesn't quite develop them enough.  It smells better after three weeks as well.