Jan
30
2009
I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth, I have just been busy lazy preoccupied with another project. I have been working hard on getting The Twilight Fansite up and running with everything looking and working the way I want it too. But anyone who knows anything about blogging will know that once you have accomplished one task another 2 or 3 to-do’s present themselves! It has been a fun process though and I am thoroughly enjoying it. It helps that I am totally obsessed with Twilight at the moment 
The kids went back to school half way through this week, which has been lovely! I think they were all pretty sick and tired of being at home and itching to get back to their friends again. Getting back into the school/preschool routine wasn’t as hard as I expected it to be and I am loving having some peaceful days with just one or two kids at home.
It has been really hot here in Sydney, high 30’s to 40’s, so it’s hard to feel motivated to get out and about, but from what I have heard our heat is nothing compared to the temperature in Victoria and South Australia at the moment. The poor things are suffering through a heat wave! Hopefully it will end soon and you’ll all get some relief.
Jan
18
2009
I heard about the hype that Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Series was getting in the US quite a few months ago and I remember thinking at the time that I couldn’t see what was so interesting about a vampire book for teens. Well I am eating my own words now, because my parents gave me all four novels in the series for Christmas. Eleven days later I had finished all four books and was totally addicted. I have even read Midnight Sun which was Stephenie’s fifth book in the series. Unfortunately a draft copy of the book was leaked on the internet so Stephenie decided to make it available to the public on her website.
I have seen the movie and even though I didn’t think it was nearly as good as the book, I still really enjoyed it and can’t wait til the DVD comes out. (The DVD will be released in the US on March 21st, but there is yet to be a release date here in Australia).
Because of my new found obsession I have created a new blog The Twilight Fansite and have created a Twilight Amazon Store. If you have read the books or seen the movie come over to the blog and leave me a comment 
Jan
08
2009
Ingredients
500g ground beef
1/4 cup onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
500g pasta shells, cooked
6 cups mozzarella cheese
700g cottage cheese
2 eggs
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons parsley
800g jar of spaghetti sauce
Directions
In a skillet, cook beef and onion until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender; drain. Sprinkle with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; set aside.
In a large bowl, combine pasta, 3 cups of mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley and remaining pepper; stir gently. Pour into a greased 13×9x2-inch baking dish.
Top with beef mixture and spaghetti sauce (dish will be VERY full).
Freeze. Cover tightly with foil. Seal additional cheese in package attached to pans.
To serve:.
Thaw all day in refrigerator.
Baking Instructions:.
Cover with new layer of foil and bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted ad bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Serves 6 to 8
Dec
24
2008
- Tidy the house - Check
- Wash the clothes - Check
- Wrap up last minute gifts - Check
- Bake Christmas Cookies with the kids - Check
- Listen to Christmas Carols - Check
- Watch the Santa Claus 3 with the kids - Check
- Decorate the Christmas cookies - Check
All that is left to do today is to make dinner and then snuggle up with the kids to watch Shrek the Halls and Carols by Candlelight on the TV.
I’d like to wish all my lovely bloggy friends a very Merry Christmas, I hope you all have a wonderful day!
Dec
18
2008
It has always concerned me that my kids were not eating enough vegetables. I have never had a problem getting them to eat fruit but when it comes to vegetables that’s another story!
Until……
I discovered The Sneaky Chef!
I first heard about Missy Chase Lapine (aka The Sneaky Chef) while listening to Vicky and Jen’s What Really Matters Podcast. It sounded interesting so I ordered her book from Amazon. As soon as I got it, I rushed out the supermarket to buy some supplies and made up some of the puree’s in her book.
I have made a couple of her recipes up now and have been very impressed. The Chocolate Brownies were delicious and devoured by all the family and the best thing was that hidden inside were blueberries and spinach….. non of the kids had a clue!
Some other recipes that we have tried were the meatballs that hid spinach, broccolli and peas , the burgers that had blueberries and spinach in them, and the chicken tenders with sweet potato and carrots in the coating mix.
My kids have gobbled up these meals and even Rob and I have enjoyed them and it’s good to know that the meals that I am preparing are really healthy for us.
You can find out more about the Sneaky Chef by visiting her website, she even has some free recipes there.
Dec
03
2008
No where really exciting to be honest! Sorry, did you think this post was going to be exciting???? hehehehe!
I can’t believe that I have neglected my poor little blog and my beloved readers for so long, I’m sorry! The truth is that I have been busy, busy preparing for Christmas, busy trying to stay on top of all the household things and busy planning meals and making things from scratch to save us some money.
I can’t believe that Christmas is almost here. I know I say it every year, but I’m sure the year is getting shorter and shorter. I really wanted to have all my presents bought and wrapped by the 1st of December but it didn’t happen. I do have most of them, and the ones I have are wrapped, but I’m not finished just yet. I’m hoping to have everything bought by this Friday though.
I have also been making some things which I will be giving to some members of my family. I can’t really talk about it yet though because many of them read my blog.
Each year my Mum’s side of the family get together just before Christmas to have our Christmas celebration and last year I started the tradition of getting everyone to dress up as something festive. We had a Plum Pudding, candy cane, a santa sack, angels, elves and Christmas Fairies, so the pressure is on this year to come up with something new. I know what Rob and I and each of the kids are going to dress as, but now I just have to get and make the costumes. Thankfully Rob has agreed to help me and has even offered to sew some costumes. Apparently he is able to use a sewing machine, this is something that in the 12 years we have been together I have never found out about. I will be sure to add some photos to my blog after the big event for you all to see, sorry I have to be secretive but those nosey family members may read this and copy my ideas……. ahahahahahahaa
Before I go, I want to give a shout out to Jill (Hi Jill who sent me an email a little while ago, telling me that she had been reading my blog for a while and discovered that her daughter goes to preschool with Riley when her daughter recognised him in one of my photo’s. (It’s such a small world!) Anyway, I finally got to say hello to her today face to face. I’m looking forward to chatting to you more at the Preschool functions
Nov
20
2008
It’s been over a week (10 days to be exact) since I last posted. To be quite honest with you I just haven’t had the motivation to think about posts lately. But I thought today I might send you all an update and let you know what I have been up to.
I had hoped to have all my Christmas shopping over and done with by the 1st December. I’m not sure how I am going to go with that. So far I only have a few present for the kids. Unless I really pull my finger out and get a heap done next week I don’t like my chances of having it all done by Dec 1st. I do however have wrapping paper, so I can at least get it wrapped as I buy it, instead of saving it all up and having a mammoth gift wrapping session on Christmas Eve (I hate that!).
We have settled into the new house and it now feels like we have been here for years. I am excited to spend Christmas here. We have promised the kids that we will put up the Christmas tree and lights on the outside of the house this weekend, so that should get us all in the Christmas spirit.
Rob is still looking for a job, he is getting quite worried that he won’t have a job before Christmas. I don’t mind if he doesn’t though, I’d like him to be able to come to the kids end of year presentation days and things for a change.
With Rob out of work I have been trying to save money. I’ve been doing little things that have helped to save us money over the last month. I’ve stopped buying biscuits and have been baking cakes and biscuits for the kids to take to school. I’ve been making my own yoghurt and I’ve been watching the shops specials and stocking up when I see a good bargain. I know that there is much more that I could be doing but it’s a start
Oct
30
2008
The move went well and we are all settling in. Our broadband is still not connected, so Rob went and got a prepaid dial up plan so that we can check our emails, do banking and I can keep up with my eBay auctions. But we can’t do much more than that. So this is just a quick update to thank you all for your comments and to let you know that I am still around and will be back to my regular blogging soon.
Oct
12
2008
Ingredients (serves 10)
- Melted butter (optional), for greasing
- 250g unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
- 220g (1 cup) caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 4 large (59g each) eggs, at room temperature
- 250g (1 2/3 cups) plain flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- Icing sugar (optional), to serve
Method
- Preheat oven to 170°C. Measure all your ingredients. I like to use cultured unsalted butter, which is simply unsalted butter with a culture added. The culture imparts a subtle, tangy flavour that lifts the flavour of the cake without the addition of salt. It is important to have both the butter and eggs at room temperature before you begin making the cake. The room temperature butter will transform to a light, creamy texture more readily when beaten with the sugar, and the eggs will incorporate more air and give a lighter texture. If these ingredients are chilled, the mixture will curdle when the eggs are added and can give the cake a heavy, coarse and uneven texture. Have all the required utensils close at hand. You will need a large (13.5 x 23.5cm, top measurement) loaf pan. If not using a non-stick pan, brush the pan with the melted butter to grease and then line the base with non-stick baking paper.
- Beat the butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer or hand beaters on high until smooth. Add the caster sugar and vanilla essence and beat until very pale (almost white) and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to make sure the ingredients are evenly combined. The final texture of the cake will be affected by the type of beater/s you use. It is best to use a regular beater/s as opposed to a whisk attachment. The idea of beating the butter and sugar is not only to combine the two but also to incorporate air. A whisk attachment can be used but you will find that it won’t beat the butter as vigorously and the resulting texture of the cake will be more coarse and less even. Beating butter and sugar until almost white in colour also softens the butter enough to incorporate the eggs without the mixture curdling.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well, on high, after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently. If the eggs are added too quickly or, as mentioned in step 1, if they are too cold, the mixture will curdle and in turn will affect the texture of the cake. Make sure you beat the mixture very well after each egg is added. If the mixture starts to curdle, stand the bowl in a sink of warm water, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon so the butter doesn’t melt, for 15-30 seconds to warm the mixture and then continue beating.
- Sift together the flour and baking powder. Gently fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture with a spatula or large metal spoon until combined. Be careful not to over-mix or the cake will develop a tough texture.
- Spoon the cake mixture into the loaf pan and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Smoothing the surface will help the cake rise more evenly.
- Bake in preheated oven for 50-55 minutes or until cooked through. When ready, the cake will start pulling away from the sides of the pan and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake will come out clean. Stand the cake in the pan for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack. Turn the cake the right way up and cool to room temperature. Cooling the cake on a wire rack will prevent it from steaming in its own heat trapped by the pan and will encourage a crisp crust to form. Sprinkle with icing sugar, if desired, and cut into slices to serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Notes & tips
- Variations:
- Almond pound cake: Reduce butter to 200g and add 100g almond meal with the flour and baking powder. Continue as in the basic recipe.
- Chocolate pound cake: Omit the vanilla. Gradually mix 125mls (1/2 cup) hot water into 50g (1/2 cup) sifted cocoa powder until smooth. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the butter mixture after adding the eggs and continue as in the basic recipe.
- Strawberry pound cake: Roughly chop 250g (1 punnet) of washed, hulled strawberries and toss in a little of the flour before folding into the butter and egg mixture. Continue as in the basic recipe.
- Madeira cake: Omit the vanilla. Add the finely grated rind of 3 oranges to the butter and sugar mixture before beating in the eggs. Continue as in the basic recipe.
- Lemon poppyseed pound cake: Omit the vanilla. Add the finely grated rind of 3 lemons to the butter and sugar mixture before beating in the eggs. Fold in 1/2 the flour mixture. Then fold in 80mls (1/3 cup) fresh lemon juice and 2 tbs poppyseeds followed by the remaining flour mixture. Continue as in the basic recipe.
- Tip: Toast slices of stale pound cake, drizzle with golden syrup or honey, and serve with poached fruit and whipped cream, thick cream or ice-cream.
Recipe Source: Taste.com.au
Photo Source: stu_spivack
Sep
22
2008
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 red capsicum, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 500g beef mince
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 420g can Mexican chilli beans
- 4 x 20cm flour tortillas
- 2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
- sour cream and guacamole, to serve
Method
- Heat oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, capsicum and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Increase heat to medium-high. Add mince. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until browned.
- Add tomato paste, 1/4 cup cold water and beans. Stir to combine. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture has thickened slightly.
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a 6cm-deep, 20cm (base) springform pan. Place pan on a baking tray. Place 1 tortilla in base of pan. Spoon one-third of the mince mixture over tortilla. Repeat layers twice with remaining tortillas and mince mixture, finishing with a tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until top is golden. Cut into wedges. Serve with sour cream and guacamole.
Recipe and Image Source: Taste.com.au
