We still have to wait a bit longer before I announce our winner for the 2022 Great Bloggers Bake-Off, but in the meantime, I will share an interview from one of our past winners. Robbie is a fabulous cake baker. She is so innovative and creative. I just love it. Her cakes are truly works of art. hey are ALMOST too pretty to eat. Almost. 🙂

CATCHING UP WITH ROBBIE

OCT 14, 2022 CARAMEL 48 COMMENTS

One of the most exciting parts of THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF is when our special BAKE OFF Judge Jeanne designates the STAR BAKER accolade. It seems the perfect way to pre-empt the BAKE OFF this weekend by catching up with one of our fabulous STAR BAKERS.

Two years ago, one of our special STAR BAKERS was the astoundingly talented Robbie Cheadle, creator of Robbie’s Inspiration and Robert Writes and also Robbie Cheadle, was awarded a STAR BAKER accolade for a stunning drumkit cake. Do you remember this showpiece?

Robbie has made a huge contribution to both THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF and also to WordPress. She has a true creative flare, which she expresses in her writing and in her baking.

We were thrilled that Robbie agreed to be interviewed for our special STAR BAKER feature this year. I suggest you make a cup of tea and sit down to enjoy our catch-up with the phenomenal Robbie Cheadle!

WHAT DO YOU FIND THE MOST JOYFUL PART OF BAKING?
I usually bake or cook for family events like birthdays, Christmas, or other religious holidays. I am the oldest of four girls and we all live in Johannesburg, South Africa, so we usually gather for events. My parents live in a separate cottage on the same property as my family, so these gatherings are usually hosted by me.
The best part of creating these cakes is sharing them with my family, in particular my sons, nieces, and nephews, and enjoying them together. It always amuses me that the small children eat the fondant icing. I find it too sweet personally. The actual creation of a cake is also satisfying, and it is nice to see a cake art idea taking form.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE RECIPE BOOK? OR A FAVOURITE BAKING SHOW?
I have four or five recipes for cakes that I have developed myself that I use for most of my cake artwork. My cake recipes are included in my book Silly Willy goes to Cape Town and in my Sir Chocolate series of books. You can purchase my books here:

https://tslbooks.uk/product-tag/robbie-cheadle/

Depending on the design of the cake, I usually use either my chocolate or vanilla sponge cake recipes for large platform bases or for carving. Sponge cake doesn’t collapse or break easily, and it also is much less crumbly that richer cake mixtures. For smaller cakes that are at the top of a stacked design or other tiering method, I use my rich chocolate or red velvet cake recipes.
I have also been known to make cakes in a variety of different flavours for stacked cakes. For my mom’s 80th birthday I made an enormous 5-tiered cake. I used my fruit cake recipe for the bottom tier that carried the most weight, my chocolate and vanilla sponge cake recipe for the second tier with a marbled effect, the third layer was my hummingbird cake recipe, the fourth, a rich chocolate cake, and the final tier was a small red velvet cake.

ROBBIE, YOU ARE AN INCREDIBLE WORDPRESS TALENT. YOU FEATURE FICTION AND FOODIE POSTS AMONGST MANY OTHER FASCINATING SUBJECTS ON YOUR BLOG. WHAT TIPS WOULD YOU SHARE WITH OTHER WORDPRESS USERS TO HELP THEM GAIN JOY FROM BLOGGING ON WORDPRESS?

My first comment about blogging is that you need to keep it joyful. It shouldn’t become a stressful exercise or an obligation. It is important to fit your blogging around your life and if you have periods where life runs away from you, it is okay to slow down with posting and visiting blogging friends for a while and come back to it when your life normalises again.
I like blogging because I have a large group of blogging friends who all share similar interests with me. My blogging friends are mainly other writers and authors, poets, bakers, people who like to cook, and photographers. These are all areas I have an interest in, so I read and enjoy their posts and they reciprocate which creates blogging friendships.

IN MANY LANDS, THE COST OF LIVING HAS BEEN INCREASING ANXIETY THIS YEAR – DO YOU HAVE ANY PRACTICAL TIPS FOR MANAGING ANXIETY OVER MONEY?

Managing anxiety over money obviously requires an element of sacrifice and self-control. When the cost of living goes up, you must make adjustments to accommodate for it, but you also need to keep the joy in life. A few tips I have are as follows:

1. Work from home three times a week, if possible, to save on transport costs. You can also walk or cycle more it that is practical.
2. Take local holidays and support local business which improves the local economy and is generally a lot cheaper than holidays abroad.
3. Make changes to your cooking habits without losing taste. A few ideas are as follows:
   a. Replace butter with a good quality oil or margarine. My cake recipes
   mentioned above use cooking oil rather than butter which has become very expensive;
   b. Add more pulse-based foods to meat dishes like stews and mince. I add
   lentils to my mince and various beans to my stews to make them go further and also because pulses are very good for you;
   c. I used a lot of canned tomatoes in dishes which I purchase in bulk when they are on special;
   d. Lastly, I buy smaller quantities of fruit, yogurt, and vegetables. It is more expensive than the bulk purchases but lessens the amount of waste when produce isn’t used timeously and ends up being thrown away. It ends up being cheaper.

IF YOU HAD AN UNLIMITED BUDGET AND UNLIMITED TIME IS THERE A FANTASY BAKE YOU ENJOY MAKING?
I am fortunate, Mel, in that I am not on a very limited budget, so I am able to make the cakes and cake art I want to for special occasions.
My favourite artworks are the ones I made as Covid-19 memories, specially the twisted Old Woman who lived in a shoe themed cake. This cake featured a young mother and foster mother who has no home help and is managing everything in the home on her own during the lockdown. She is also supervising the home schooling of her children and foster children who are attending on-line classes.

WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY FROM THIS BEAUTIFUL PLANET WE CALL OUR HOME?
Gosh, that is a wide question, Mel. So many things bring me joy. I love the birds and flowers in my garden and in our local park. I enjoy looking at different fungi and all sorts of insects, especially spiders which fascinate me.
I love going to game parks and nature reserves where I can see wild animals in their natural habitat. These are just wonderful experiences.

I get a lot of joy from my family and my two sons. They have both suffered chronic illnesses and I am lucky to have them. When we go through periods of bad health with Michael, I always remember that I am lucky he is alive, and I am thankful for the wonderful doctors who tend to him and help us through the difficult patches.
I also get joy from people; I enjoy reading or hearing about their daily lives and joys. I am endlessly fascinated by how other people live and what makes them happy and unhappy.

IF SOMEONE SPECIAL WERE TO BAKE SOMETHING FOR YOU – WHAT WOULD BRING YOU THE MOST JOY?
Michael likes to cook and sometimes he makes pancakes for the family. Those are always very happy occasions.

Thank you, Mel, for this opportunity to chat about my love of baking and thank you also for The Great Bloggers Bake-Off, which is so much fun.

THANK YOU ROBBIE!!!

We have so much more in store for you from Robbie this weekend. So look out for her spectacular baking creations!

WARNING – This is going to be a rough one. These are actual photos and history that were recorded. They are extremely graphic. I will NOT show everything. I am presenting the ones that are the “tamest”.

After leaving Arlington National Cemetery, A Somber Day – Part 1 – Arlington Cemetery we headed back into D.C. We were touring the Holocaust Museum, for yet another somber and sobering historic tour. Some might think it was too heavy to do both in one day, and they would not be wrong. However, Larry and I thought it was better to do them both together, and we had made our reservations weeks before our trip.

The presentation was very well done. We started the tour on the fourth floor, with the rise of Hitler to power, and then worked our way down, through each era of the Holocaust itself. I didn’t realize it at first, but the design of the museum was designed to resemble one of the many Jewish Ghettos scattered all throughout Europe.

There is no precise figure for the number of Jews killed in the Holocaust. The figure commonly used is the six million quoted by Adolf Eichmann, a senior SS official. All the serious research confirms that the number of victims was between five and six million. The main sources for these statistics are comparisons of prewar censuses with postwar censuses and population estimates. Nazi documentation containing partial data on various deportations and murders is also used. 

Sadly, Hitler and his beasts did not stop with killing only the Jews. There were many other millions of people, from all walks of life, from many countries and backgrounds, who were also persecuted and killed because they did not align with Hitler’s view of the perfect Aryan Society. Numerous people fell victim to the Nazi regime for political, social, or racial reasons. Germans were among the first victims persecuted because of their political activities. Many died in concentration camps, but most were released after their spirit was broken. Germans who suffered from mental or physical handicaps were killed under a “euthanasia” program. Other Germans were incarcerated for being homosexuals, criminals, or nonconformists; these people, although treated brutally, were never slated for utter annihilation as were the Jews. This era was truly one of the worst the world has ever known.

My dad, a WWII veteran himself, raised me as a WWII buff, and I have since read many 100’s, if not 1000’s books on the WWII era and have seen many documentaries. Many years ago, when visiting Germany, I toured Dachau, one of the many concentration camps, so I knew what to expect. But no matter how much you prepare yourself, it is always a shock. The pictures and the stories are just heart wrenching.

The Professor who wrote this survived Auschwitz, and emigrated to the United States. He was a professor at Boston University at the time Larry was a student there.

Once again, an eternal flame for remberance.

Sadly, there are still far too many deniers, who say this horrible atrocity never happened. Unfortunately, it did. It is a very real and an abominable part of our history. I believe things like this NEED to be seen and remembered, to prevent them from EVER HAPPENING AGAIN! History, both good and bad, is part of what makes us human, and tells the stories of both our triumphs and our disasters. We cannot change or erase our history. We can only learn from it.

On day 2 of of Washington D.C. adventures, we started off by going to Arlington National Cemetery. Our first hotel was very close by and it was something we really wanted to see. It is a beautifully maintained place of honor for all the brave men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifices while protecting our country and our freedoms. Today, approximately 400,000 veterans and their eligible dependents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Service members from every one of America’s major wars, from the Revolutionary War to today’s conflicts, are interred at ANC.

Arlington National Cemetery rests on the property that was once General Lee’s personal family estate (though he never lived there). The land was confiscated by the government due to failure to pay property taxes. On June 15, 1864, the Arlington House property and 200 acres of surrounding land were designated as a military cemetery as Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs wanted to ensure that Lee could not return to the site.  The first burial at Arlington National Cemetery was that of Private William Henry Christman of Pennsylvania, who lies in Section 27, Lot 19.  In 1882, what was once General Lee’s estate, became Federal property, that is now hallowed ground for all fallen U.S. military, from all divisions and their loved ones (if eligible). Eligibility for in-ground burial at Arlington National Cemetery is the most stringent of all U.S. national cemeteries. However, most veterans who have at least one day of active service (other than for training) and an honorable discharge are eligible for above-ground inurnment.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been guarded, every minute of every day since 1937. For 100 years, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has served as the heart of Arlington National Cemetery. As a sacred memorial site and the grave of three unknown American service members, the Tomb connects visitors with the legacy of the United States armed forces throughout the nation’s history. It stands as a people’s memorial that inspires reflection on service, valor, sacrifice and mourning.

Since November 11, 1921, the Tomb has provided a final resting place for one of America’s unidentified World War I service members, and Unknowns from later wars were added in 1958 and 1984. Tomb Guards are volunteers – part of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, also known as “The Old Guard.” It is the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army, serving the US since 1784. The Tomb Guard marches exactly 21 steps down the black mat behind the Tomb, turns, faces east for 21 seconds, turns and faces north for 21 seconds, then takes 21 steps down the mat and repeats the process. (The number 21 symbolizes the highest military honor that can be bestowed, the 21-gun salute.)

President John F. Kennedy is one of two Presidents buried at Arlington National Cemetery. His gravesite, as well as his wife Jackie’s, are guarded with the eternal flame. Because JFK was a World War II veteran, he qualified for a plot at Arlington National Cemetery, but he also deserved a special site befitting his presidential status. A flame is widely accepted as a symbol of eternal life. An eternal flame at a war memorial symbolizes a nation’s perpetual gratitude towards, and remembrance of, its war dead.

This is the Iwo Jima statue, NOT at Arlington, but these brave men were dedicated to preserving our freedoms all the same.

Thank you yo all the brave men and women who served, fought and sacrificed so others may be free. I am eternally grateful for all that you have done and continue to do.

Here are some more baking poetics to get you ready for the big awards “ceremony” coming your way soon. These poems and baking treats are lovingly brought to you by Ingrid, from Experiments in Fiction. https://experimentsinfiction.com/ Thank you Ingrid for these beautiful treats.

SPECIAL GUEST POET – INGRID

OCT 16, 2022 CARAMEL 7 COMMENTS

This very joyful weekend has been a jam-packed celebration of the warmth and flavour and joy of WordPress – international flavours, fun and friendliness and creative talent. Our Special Guest Poets have given us the opportunity to celebrate a massive part of WordPress – poetry!!!

Our next Special Guest Poet has delighted us with two poems…and I believe we have two bakes to accompany them. First of let me tell you a little about Ingrid, the Creator of EXPERIMENTS IN FICTION. Ingrid is a writer, a poet, an independent publisher who has shared some gorgeous photographs of nature and of course baking!!!

Many of you will remember one of 2020 STAR BAKERS Benji, the creator of BENJI’S VERY BIG BLOG and his perfect shortbread. It is clear to see the baking talent runs in the family.

Ingrid has busily preparing for a book launch, so we are very grateful for her lovely poems and baking photos which capture all the fun and warmth we love about BAKE OFF. Here is Ingrid’s “Lemon Drizzle”, both her cake and poem below:

Lemon Drizzle

Lemon drizzle

It’s the shizzle

Tingles the tongue

Makes tastebuds twizzle

If you’re looking for a slice

Of happiness then this’ll

Take you to a happy place

A culinary paradise

To wet your whistle

Some of you may remember the 2019 GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF – our first ever BAKE OFF – invited participants to bake a Sandwich Cake. We were amazed that we ended up with a huge variety of different cakes – all different flavours – which is astonishing. We have loved the wide array of bakes and styles and ingredients that have made up these joyful BAKES OFFS – but there is one bake that represents classic yummy baking so very well! This is Ingrid’s (not Victoria’s) Sandwich Cake and a brilliant poem too!

Victoria Sponge

Victorious Sponge, perfectly risen:

Measured and moulded and baked

with precision;

jam-sandwiched and sprinkled

with sugar so fine

you are not Victoria’s Sponge:

you are mine!

All the entries are now in. I will be making my selections soon. You will just have to wait a bit longer. We had so many participants and entries this year for our 2022 Great Bloggers Bake-Off, which is amazing. Thank you ALL!! None of this could have been possible without all of you and your support and enthusiasm. While you wait, here is another poem to enjoy, by Punam. You can check out Punam’s blogs at Whisk Affairs, https://paeansunpluggedblog.wordpress.com/

Whisk Affair

When my mind is in a whirl
unable to stay in line
I then give my whisk a twirl
shifting focus works each time

shaky hands calmly measure
exactness begs attention
deftly effecting erasure
of the nerve-racking tension

as vanilla marries nutmeg
and butter embraces flour
I beat blues as I beat eggs
sugar counters my mood sour

My worries scatter and dart
as I wield my trusty whisk
mellowness cradles my heart
the sweet, warm smell a balmy mix

satiated sighs, leftover crumbs
are my craven heart’s refuge
when depredation makes me numb
baking, antidote to news deluge.

Written for Mel.

We were on a very tight schedule on our first day in D.C. There was hardly anytime to take a break. So lunch was from one of the many food trucks lined up on the street.

I wasn’t particularly hungry, but Larry was, so we split a gyro and some fries. But we made plenty of friends who were more than happy to help us with our lunch.

We made friends with some squirrels, one in particular;

starlings and pigeons. The starlings kept growing in number. First there was one, then two, then three, and then I lost count.

We couldn’t feed them all, but there were plenty of other people around to help out. 🙂

Larry and I were both very excited about the opportunity to take the Capitol tour while in D.C. We both liked it a lot more than The White House Tour, though don’t get me wrong, that is very good too. Touring Washington D.C. – Part 1. Larry and I both love history and thought this tour was fascinating. We learned so much. We did not get to meet any of the Congress men or women or any of the Senators either, but it was still a great tour. I wish we could have met some of the representatives. That would have made it a lot more special indeed.

The tour started with a short little video about both Congress and the Senate. Once the video ended, we took a guided tour

This lovely lady represents FREEDOM.

Our very knowledgeable guide.

This star is located in the center of Washington D.C.

Everything was so beautiful and ornate. This is the beautiful and intricate flooring of the Capitol building.

This chandelier is just exquisite. I think there are over 350 crystals used and it takes about 3 days to fully clean.

The Dome

Each state is allowed to send two statues to the Capitol, and they must be there for a minimum of 10 years. They can choose anyone they want o represent their state.

This statue represents Lady Liberty. An American eagle stands to Liberty’s right, and the scroll in her right hand is the Constitution of the United States. To her left, a serpent, the symbol of wisdom, is entwined around a section of a column.

This is the old Senate chamber. This was used until until 1859, when the Senate outgrew this chamber and moved into the new chamber that is still in use today. Because this chamber is no longer is use, other than for historical tours, we were allowed to take pictures. However, we are not allowed to take any pictures at all of the current chamber.

This is a stock photo of the current chamber, the only kind we are allowed to use.

Once again, it was a very informative and interesting tour. We are both so glad we were able to do this tour. I think it is beneficial for as many people as possible to take this tour, and to get a better understanding of our country and how it works.

WOW! Time just flies. As you all know, we just returned home last week, and I hit the ground running at full speed ahead. We haven’t really stopped since we got home, which has put me behind schedule too.

I just finished editing ALL my bazillions of pictures from our trip, and I will be sharing quite a few of them with you. I will NOT inundate you with ALL of them though. 🙂 We have also been keeping our social calendar very busy and very packed, had a funeral to go to, and I am going through all your fabulous submissions for our Great-Bloggers Bake-Off too. A big giant thank you to everyone who participated. I will be sharing those with you in good time. 🙂 Bottom line, I have been very busy since our return home.

But now, back to Washington D.C. We had two very full, jam-packed days in D.C. and saw a ton of things before heading to Richmond, VA for our niece’s wedding. The first day, we literally walked about 15-20 miles and covered a lot of the big to-do things of our nation’s Capital. We have been to Washington D.C. a few times, so many of these things we had seen before. There is just so much to see, it is impossible to see it all in one trip.

The Washington Memorial

We even saw Marine One fly in to pick up the President, though we never saw him. I was told by some of his security that this is a pretty rare sighting to see on a tour day.

The Lincoln Memorial

The WWII Memorial

The Vietnam Memorial

The Red Cross

The Park

The Botanic Gardens

And there is oh so much more that we saw as well. We took in all the sights and I took a ton of pictures along the way. But we were in a hurry and on a mission since we had timed appointments for touring both The White House and The House of Representatives.

I am glad I took the White House tour. It was beautiful and historic, and I can actually say I have been to the White House now, but once is enough. Larry ended up not taking The White House tour though, since neither of us knew we were not allowed to carry bags of any kind in and I had both my purse and my camera bag with me. Larry had already been on the tour, so he kindly sat it out and returned my purse and camera bag back to the car. I met up with him again after the tour had finished, so we could continue our D.C. journey and explorations.

E Pluribus Unum – Out of many, one

I am going to end this portion here and will continue on with another “episode” with many more good things to come. Stay tuned. 🙂

Thank you Dave, aka Gentleman Dave, for this beautiful poem about Mother Earth.

SPECIAL GUEST POET – GENTLEMAN DAVE

OCT 16, 2022 CARAMEL LEAVE A COMMENT

A very joyful part of THE GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF is the privilege we have of sharing with you some of the phenomenal poets who publish their work on WordPress. Creative writers and poets are a huge part of the WordPress community and it’s a delight to feature them during BAKE OFF weekend.

During recent years, we have seen some powerful creative work expressing the concerns many of us have about damage being done to our natural habitats and climate.

The Wishing Well

Oh wish us well, Wishing Well

When life is bad or life is swell

Was my briefest message to tell

As I sat there by the well

On its old stone wall in the cool of the day

To lament the state of my garden by the way

For though I missed the butterfly and blue jay

And all such things that cause the child to play

The barren earth and withered trees and broken pathway

Were in my heart a cause of great dismay

Then spoke the well to me so wise

Dearest soul, come now, dry your eyes

Though today you see no sunny skies

As surely as after the night comes the sunrise

The earth of beauty will once again arise

Take my pale and lower your sorrow

I will fill it with water and love, today not tomorrow

Pour it out upon the thirsty ground

Though for now, no life there can be found

Again and again you must pour it out

Upon the barren earth and on the drought

No need to cry or ask why

I have an unlimited supply

Then wait and wait and wait some more

Just as the oven yields the cake or pie

In due time these trees will be sky high

A world of green again, imagine it

Wallflowers and weeping hearts will have a home

Children at play will once again roam

Among daisies, lilies, wild violets, and wishbones

Running among wild deer and rabbits, ducks and geese

Laughing and giggling with the joyful sounds of peace

As I poured out the well water over the thirsty soil

I smiled to see it all, all that was worth my toil

My heart was alive, this glowing news to foretell

I was happy I had come down to the wishing well

Oh wish us well, Wishing Well

Whether life is bad or life is swell

For love, peace, and joy running over

Is the water from your well

Author’s Note: I’d like to thank the hosts of the 2022 GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE-OFF for inviting me to write a poem for this year’s event. Wishing everyone who participates joyful baking and goodness and happiness for your whole family!

This is a beautiful poem written by Christine Bolton, from Food For Thought. Christine totally captures the love of baking, and why baking is from the heart. it is not so much what you bake, but why you bake and the memories it evokes and the love that is shared in the process of both the baking and the sharing of foods with those we love. Thank you Christine for this beautiful contribution for this year’s 2022 Great Bloggers Bake-Off.

Food for Thought

by Christine Bolton • October 10, 2022 • 10 Comments

Our friend Mel from the blog Caramel features an annual event on site called THE 2022 GREAT BLOGGERS’ BAKE OFF. the theme is The Joy of Baking. It is scheduled for this weekend and you can check out what to expect by clicking on the link.

Mel has invited me to write a food-related poem to share for this special event. As I absolutely love baking I am thrilled to contribute. I wrote this poem at the beginning of the year right after the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays. These two holidays are times of sharing and giving thanks with family and friends. There are certain recipes I go to each and every time because they bring back loving and warm memories.l

Wishing Mel and the co hosts of the Great Blogger’ Bake Off a successful day of sharing recipes and writes from around the world. Here is my contribution for the Bake Off.

Made With Love

I pull the faded recipe card
From the tin stored in
its usual place in the pantry 
It is old now and dog-eared
The handwritten words
Faded over time 
No need to read it
Having made this twice a year
Every year since forever

Over time adjustments made
A little more of this
And maybe a little less of that
Sensing the amounts
without measure needed
Layers of love
and the essence of you
folded in and stirred

The smell of it cooking
and the taste evoking
precious memories
of years gone by
Lovingly made for you
This became your favorite dish
From a little boy to a grown man

Even when you moved away
with your family for seven years
you would ask me
to make it and bring it to you
for the holidays
It is food comforting the both of us