Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the softened butter, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a big glass bowl, gently folding the ingredients together. Step 2: Melt the milk chocolate chunks, slowly stirring it over a medium flame in a nonstick saucepan. Take the melted chocolate off the heat, and commingle the saucepan's ingredients with the glass bowl's buttery mix. Step 3: Add the flour, sugar, and cocoa next. Using a spatula, slowly blend the ingredients or use an electric mixer to do the job for you. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla essence to the mix, beating it for approximately 2 minutes. Add the lukewarm water last, pouring it gently into the bowl. Step 4: Grease a baking tray with cooking spray (or use a brush coated with vegetable oil) before pouring the batter into it. Step 5: Place the tray in the oven timed for 30 or 35 minutes. Use a toothpick / fork to determine whether the cake is cooked from within; it should come out clean when inserted into the cake's side. Glaze Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons of nonfat cream
• 1 teaspoon of unsalted butter
• 3 pitted dates (or 2 tablespoons of liquid / leafy stevia)
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted roast peanuts
• ½ cup of shaved almonds
• 2 teaspoons of grated orange zest

Preparation Steps: Step 1: Drop the cream, butter, dates, and peanuts into a blender and give it a good blitz until thick and smooth. Keep this mixture aside in a glass bowl. Step 2: After the cake cools down, slice it horizontally into two equally-sized sections; you should have three tiers left in total. Step 3: On each tier's surface, spread a generous helping of the glaze topped with a sprinkling of almond shavings and orange zest. Place the next tier carefully above this, repeating this step. Step 4: Place the topmost tier above the second one, pouring the last of the glaze over it, and finishing it off with the remaining toppings of orange zest and almond shavings. Step 5: Slice the cake and serve with a dollop of nonfat whipped cream (optional). Try these out too:

• Fudge Recipes
• Cake Recipes
• Ice Cream Recipes

For the Love of Baskets Who said that gifts had to be given only on occasions? And they needn't always be bought, when they can be made at home. You can add your own personal touch to homemade gifts; that personal touch is exactly what money can't buy. Surprise your loved ones or friends with an unexpected homemade creation, whenever you want to remind them of how much you care. So without waiting for a so-called suitable occasion, let's take a look at one such experiment. Things You'll Need:

• 1 wicker basket (or any other sort)
• 1 bow
• 1 toothpick
• 2 ribbon spools (one thick, one thin)
• Stapler
• 1 plain white card
• Puncher
• Scissors

What to do: There are so many ways to turn an ordinary gift basket into an artful piece. Take any kind of basket with a handle that is big enough to hold your gift. Choose between a ready-made bow, a ribboned bow, or a greeting card with an affixed ribbon as your decorative additions. For the ready-made bow, just attach it to one side of the basket's handle, and then intersect bright ribbon through the handle's binding. Use the toothpick to push the thin ribbon through its tight weave, pulling it from the other side before repeating this for the entire handle. Tie a final knot once you reach the end. Make a bow using the fat spool of ribbon, stapling the middle to hold it in place. Attach this to the basket's handle in place of the bow, in case you don't find a ready-made one. Make a cutout of a palm-sized white greeting card using craft paper, punch a hole on one side and insert ribbon into it. Tie a neat knot and then place this on the handle of the basket, combining it with other fun elements that you can think of. Try these out too:

• Making Gift Baskets
• Making Food Gifts
• Holiday Gifts to Make

Cool Bunny Eggs This is a cool thing to make before Easter comes around, or even just to keep decorative eggs sitting in your refrigerator's egg tray. If you want to keep your works of art on display, gently puncture the bottom of the eggs and let its insides drain. Pour some water into the hole of the eggshell, swish it around and empty it out again. Leave it in the sun to dry before decorating them. Option 1: Fill little containers with food coloring or synthetic dyes, mixed with water. Submerge the eggs into individual containers, leaving them in for about 3 minutes. Keep them in the sun to dry before using a paint brush to add creative detailing. Option 2: If you don't want to dunk the eggs in colored water, you can directly paint them using water colors / acrylic paint. Place them in the sun to dry in an upright position in the egg trays, to avoid smudging your handiwork. Handcrafted Pots The best artwork is made using neglected things that you can find lying around at home, especially in your closet, basement, or attic. That way, you recycle what is old by turning it into something worth using. Like clay pots or old vases for instance. You can use acrylic paint to create designs of your choice, using a stencil of an image or pattern. If you want vivid work, paint the entire thing in a solid white color, before using it as a canvas for your artwork. Spray paint can also be put to use, using a sticky stencil as a guide (the images are examples of this technique). Experiment with varied hues, techniques, and textures (like gluing lace on glass vases), to create a unique piece. Put fresh flowers in the vase or grow a plant in the clay pot once you're done, and it'll be the perfect art piece. Try these out too:

• Christmas Gifts to Make
• Making Graduation Gifts
• Homemade Wedding Favors

DIY Lip Scrub Harsh weather conditions call for extra love and attention, especially to those with sensitive skin types. Whether it's winter or summer, the following lip scrub recipe will provide the perfect balance of moisture and grit, to rid your lips of dead skin while giving it the healthy suppleness it needs. What You'll Need:

• 2 tablespoons of coarse sugar
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• 1 tablespoon of food coloring (of your choice)

What to do: Mix the ingredients together using the back of a spoon, and store it in an old jar that you don't need anymore. Even an old beauty product container can be used after being thoroughly washed and dried. For a delicious mix of ingredients, replace olive oil with lavender oil, and use eucalyptus-scented Epsom salts (like Morton's Salt) instead of sugar. Using all-natural ingredients is the key. Try these out too:

• Making Facial Masks
• Making Soap
• Manicure at Home

How to Use: Gently scrub your lips in a circular motion using your index finger or a spare toothbrush. Use a cold, moist soft-cloth to wipe away dead skin. Finally, apply a thin layer of regular lip balm after you're done. You can make this scrub for a family member or friend as a gift. A bigger batch of the same mix can be used as a facial or body scrub! These cool things to make at home will surely while away time, turning a boring day into an eventful one. There's so much that can be done now, especially in your spare time when there's nothing else to do. With time, you'll be creating an amazing range of homemade goodies that you'll be proud of making all by yourself. So cool that is!