xmas baking

It's my old faithful....ginger biscuits. I know I know... I should be more imaginative and try something new but time just didn't permit. The Kindy Xmas Party is on tonight and based on last years results the gingerbread is a winner. Having said that, last years biscuits looked so pretty compared to these. Hopefully the 4 year olds won't judge them on the aesthetic appearance!

impatient harvesting

We've been watching our little produce garden grow now for a couple of months. Anyone would think we were green thumbs, but alas, I put it down to beginners luck. We've even been in a position to share the love and make up a few bundles of parsley & herbs for friends and family.... I know.... who would have thunk it???

All this excitement lead Ruby and I to the assumption that our baby carrots must be flourishing like our herbs...  so we took to the little patch with much enthusiasm and pulled those babies.

It was ever so exciting to see them come out of the ground, even better to see my five year old pulling them given she planted in the first place. 

Sadly, after washing and cooking we discovered that they were a little too premature and not quite sweet enough for our palette. Fortunately we have another 2 bunches which we'll patiently leave alone for a while longer. The back yard is starting to look like a blank canvas (this is good, as it means the weeds and junk are going) so we are getting closer to creating our dream veggie garden with fruit trees and a few chooks. First project will be to plant potatoes in the old tyres. Isn't Spring just the best season for getting motivated and productive!

a tea party minus the mad hatter

Ruby is not a lover of milk chocolate (something my mind can't figure, being the chocoholic that I am) however she will settle for white chocolate rather than miss out. Easter Bunny met these requirements and satisfied her desires with white chocolate & marshmallow. Having said this, the fridge is currently filled with a lot of white chocolate & marshmallow. She is also not so keen on any type of cake so it is always a challenge to find a recipe that might tempt her taste buds.

Yesterday I had SUCCESS.... Raspberry & White Chocolate Muffins

The tea party is so much better when there is something yummy to eat for all partakers.

We've been watching Alice in Wonderland (the 1999 Gene Wilder version) in the school holidays and feeling the tea party influence.

I used this recipe minus a few selective ingredients, however I'm sure they'd probably taste even better with the lot.

1/2 cup (95g) white chocolate (we used broken easter eggs)

3/4 cup (155g) caster sugar

2 cups (300g) self-raising flour

1/2 cup (80g) coarsely chopped macadamias (we skipped - not popular with little people)

1 cup (125g) frozen raspberries

1 egg, lightly whisked

1/2 cup (125ml) macadamia oil (we used vegetable oil)

3/4 cup (185ml) buttermilk (we used cow's milk)

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line six muffin pans with paper cases. Combine the white chocolate, sugar, flour and macadamias in a large bowl. Coarsely chop half the raspberries. Add all the raspberries to the mixture. Stir to combine. Make a well in the centre.Whisk the egg, oil and buttermilk in a jug. Pour into the flour mixture. Gently stir until just combined. Spoon evenly among the pans. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Remove from oven, set aside for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

the kitchen is finally finished

Yay! Only 18 months after it started!!!

We love it. We spend so much time in our kitchen - cooking, eating, chatting, crafting, cleaning, drinking, entertaining, colouring, planning......... It truly is a multi-tasking space where we congregate.

Here's a pictorial journey from start to finish.

After sitting in the sunny diner one morning for a coffee I immediately decided it just had to stay. See here for the kitchen floor plan & design ideas.

we boxed around the original diner seats with new joinery

it may not be conventional, but it did the trick!

the splashback appeared 1 year later....

and the diner table was finally fitted last week - it's a hit with the whole family!!

pancakes anyone?

We're trying to make a habit of having family pancakes for breakfast on Saturdays. It's a great way to start the weekend together, have a laugh (and the occasional tickle session) and talk about what we're going to get up to.

We've tried different cooked egg breakfasts but find pancakes to be the most popular with the little people and easier and faster to prepare in the morning when tummies are hungry and need to be fed NOW!

I'm still experimenting to find the perfect recipe. Last weekend I tried these pikelets which were super easy and super yummy.

Hope you're all having a great weekend too.

gingerbread biscuits

Ok so here's one of the recipes I promised. It was handed down from my Mum. If you have the time and the patience the fun is in the icing. We created our own piping bags by cutting a hole in the corner of plastic zip-lock bags.


Eating these biscuits takes me back to the days of the Pizza Palace in the 1970's (Adelaide readers may remember this on Anzac Highway at Klemzig - it was taken over by Pizza Hut in 1978) where by the cash register they sold gingerbread biscuits coated in white icing sugar and sprinkles - it was such a special treat to take one home at the end of the night :)

Be warned! These biscuits are so good you will find yourself sneaking them when the little people are not looking. Our most recent batch didn't even make it to the icing stage!

125g butter

1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)

1 egg yolk

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

3 tsps ground ginger

2 1/2 tbsps golden syrup

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, add egg yolk and beat well. Gradually add sifted dry ingredients and syrup, mix well, knead lightly. Divide dough into six portions. Roll each portion between 2 sheets of greaseproof paper to 3mm thickness (I find the thinner the dough the crisper the biscuits).

Gently remove greaseproof paper from the top. Cutout gingerbread figures with biscuits shapes or cut around cardboard shapes (be creative) with a sharp knife. I cleaned and used the kids playdough tools. Remove any excess mixture around the cutout figures and roll again.

Lift gingerbread figure by the bottom sheet of greaseproof paper then turn onto greaseproof oven trays. Peel greaseproof paper away and cook in moderate oven for 10 minutes (about 180C). Cool on trays. Prepare icing and pipe on features/clothes.


Royal Icing

1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar

1 egg white

4 drops lemon juice

food colouring

Sift icing sugar. Beat egg white lightly in a small bowl, using a wooden spoon. Add icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. When icing reaches piping consistency (firm) beat in lemon juice and desired food colouring. Spoon royal icing into small plastic bag, snip off one corner to make a piping bag.

it's raining it's pouring

It's always hard to come back when it's been so long. Where do I start? Which bits should I share? I could start by saying my life is finally back to an enjoyable pace. After the crazy whirlwind of the past year it's time to smell the roses again.

Winter in Adelaide has been wonderfully wet wet wet. It's the most rain we've had in 20 or so years. Nothing beats being at home in a warm house with the rain beating on the tin roof. Plenty of time for cooking, baking, drawing, pasting, sewing, re-arranging, un-packing, sorting, organizing, puzzling and playing, all of which we have done plenty.

Oops, just looked at the clock and must dash for the pre-school pick-up.

I'll drop back in later to post the recipes for the gingerbread biscuits and marmalade.

Sorry about the poor quality of the photos - I think I've uploaded them strangely.... how quickly one forgets!!