Life & All That Stuff

A word to the wise . . . .

2011-03-22T20:15:00.000+08:00

When baking, if a recipe calls for stiffly beaten egg whites to help make to make it light and fluffy:

Do not cheat!
Do not experiment with a recipe that you know works, when you are time poor and have a 40+ cupcakes to bake for a birthday!
Do not think that you know bwtter than Martha Stewart and her esteemed guests.
Do not, I repeat, do not expect this to work as a substitute for fresh egg whites.

Now I'm sure it makes a perfectly lovely pavlova. The mixture was thick and glossy, but it certainly didn't work in this capacity . . . for me anyway. Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's the humid weather. I don't know, but this is how they turned out:

I know what you're thinking . . . "Just fill that ridiculously huge sink-hole with frosting and no one will ever know!" right? Believe me folks, there ain't enough frosting in the world to fill these craters :(

So methinks it is off to Woolies for a pack of these for the birthday boy to take to class on Thursday.

What's Your Laundry Ritual?

2011-03-20T18:35:00.000+08:00

For most of us it's not our favourite household duty but all we aspiring domestic goddesses have our own way of doing laundry. Our own systems (or lack thereof) that vary depending on the size of the family and the time at hand. What's your ritual?

I don't find the ritual of the laundry particularly rewarding. Its NEVERENDING! I'm either washing it, hanging it, bring it in, folding, sorting, hanging, ironing or putting it away. And then it starts all over again. Now I realise that our grandmothers had it a lot tougher, and that really we shouldn't complain with our automatic washing machines and dryers. But . . . well . . . . No I got nothing!

That said, I do have my favourite products and methods.

For starters, I wash clothes on the weekends, with a couple of incidental loads of towels and stuff during the week. I just find this fits in with life at the moment.

Spray, spray, spray with Preen Oxyaction Max. I love this stuff! I probably go through one refill a week. Fantastic for all those greasy mystery stains. You know the ones that are still there after you've washed, dried, sorted and folded.

Everybody's whites are separated and soaked together overnight in Napisan Oxyaction. This is great for avoiding that greying that can happen when whites are washed with the rest of the load.
PS I have tried other varieties of soakers, but this is the best. I can't explain why, but it just is :) I also pop a capful in the machine with each load (colours too)

What I'm washing with at the moment is Nutrimetics Nutriclean Laundry Liquid. I really like this stuff. It is a much thinner, clear blue detergent than you might get at the supermarket. It's very concentrated so you don't need a lot. And it has this lovely light fragrance which oddly doesn't stay in the fabric after washing. The laundry smells clean, but not fragrant. Which to my mind mean that it has completely rinsed outo f the fabric. That has to be a good thing, right? And best of all, none of that crusty detergent residue left on the clean items that then either have to be hand sponged or re-washed.

And then there's this

From Life

I know you are going to think I am insane, but this actually make ironing bearable, no enjoyable. Yes I said it! But here's why. I actually get a result that looks like the garment has been ironed. And ironing time becomes "me" time. I get a few of my fave TV shows on the planner and just zone out. It's actually kinda fun for me. And then there's the sense of achievement when (for a split second before they get worn anyhow) you stand back and admire a closet full of lovely pressed clothes.

So, I know it's only laundry, but anything that makes it easier or more enjoyable has got to be good . . . right?

Recipe Share - Creamy Chicken, Leek & Blue Cheese Pie

2011-02-20T11:37:00.000+08:00

No, not reallly seasonally appropriate I know. But a recent facebook discussion on favourite chicken thigh recipes has prompted me to share this one. You see I have trawlled allover cyberspace, and can't find a link for it anywhere, so I have created my own. You asked for it Yvette - you got it :)

Creamy Chicken, Leek & Blue Cheese Pie

From Food

A real winter warmer. Rich, creamy and delicious.

Ingredients:

2 sheets short crust pastry, thawed
1 tablespoon oil
500 g Chicken thigh fillets, cubed
60 g butter
2 leek, halved, washed, finely sliced
125 g mushrooms, sliced
1 thyme sprig, leaves removed and chopped
300 ml thickened cream
2 tablespoons plain (all-purpose) flour
45 g creamy bue cheese, crumbled
1 sheets puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten
mashed potato, peas or other vegetales to serve

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to hot (200℃). Place short crust pastry sheets next to each other on a lightly floured surface, with edges overlapping. Join together by rolling overlapped edges with a rolling pin. Gently ease pastry into a 6 cup capacity pie/baking dish, allowing to overhang. Chill for 20 minutes. Bake for 5 minutes
2. While chilling pastry, heat oil in a frying pan on high. Sauté chicken in batches seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, until browned. Transfer to a plate.
3. Melt butter in same pan on high. Sauté leek for 5-10 minutes until caramelised. Add the mushroom and thyme and sauté for 5-10 minutes until mushroom is tender.
4. In a jug, blend cream and flour together. Blend into leek mixture with cheese. Season to taste. Bring to the boil on high, stirring. Add chicken. Reduce heat to low and simmer for three minutes. Cool.
5. Pour mixture into pre-baked pastry case. Cover with puff pastry and press down edges firmly. Trim excess. Press a fork around edges to seal.
6. Brush pastry with egg. Make a small hole in centre of pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake for 25-30 minutes until pastry has risen and is golden brown. Serve with mashed potatoes and peas or other vegetables of choice.

(Serves 6)

If you like a stronger blue cheese taste, use the whole 90g packet of creamy blue cheese. Alternatively if blue cheese isn't your thing, try camembert, brie or any other soft and crumbly cheese.

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Recipe Share -Sunday Pancakes

2011-02-13T10:21:00.002+08:00

Alternative Post Title: Too good not to be shared :)

So both boys are out of the house this morning, so we girls decided we would have a pancake breakfast!

I don't know about you, but I love a good pancake. But for me it has to be light, fluffy, piping hot and melt in your mouth and at least a centimeter and a half high. Do you know how hard it is to get a GOOD pancake when out for breakfast? Most places I have been to they end up being rubbery, flat, cold and good for nothing but Frisbee frankly!

Well, no more! Put down that "Shake'n'Pour" because I have the mother of all pancake recipes. I found this probably eight or nine years ago and I can honestly say that I have never ordered pancakes form a breakfast menu again! (Except for twice from the Pancake Parlour while on holidays. And let's face it, if an establishment specialises in pancakes we can pretty much guarantee that they are going to be good.

The reason I have never again ordered pancakes from a breakfast menu or buffet? While I am perusing the menu I am thinking to myself "Don't do it, you know you're going to be disappointed, it doesn't matter how good they claim to be - you know yours are better!" and so I move on to Eggs Benedict or the pastry basket!

Yes this recipe really is that good!

Sunday Pancakes

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients

¾ cup plain (all-purpose) flour, (cake flour is excellent!)

¾ cup plain wholemeal flour

1 tablespoon sugar, heaped

1 tablespoon baking powder, heaped

pinch salt

Wet Ingredients

1¼ cups milk

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanlla extract

2 egg yolks, from separated eggs

2 egg whites, beaten stiff

unsalted butter and oil for frying

For Serving

Maple Syrup, best quality

cream

butter

icecream

cinnamon sugar

Directions:
Sift (or whisk) the dry ingredients into a bowl.
Combine the wet ingredients
Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.
Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
Place a large frying pan/skillet over a low heat. Heat until the pan is hot enough so that droplets of water "dance" for a second or two.
Add a teaspoon each of butter and oil to the pan and swirl around until meted
Pour in half ladle sized portions an when bubbles rise to the top, flip and cook for a further 30-60 seconds.
I like to keep a baking dish covered with foil in the oven on the "keep warm" setting. Pop the cooked pancakes in here to stay warm until all the batter has been cooked.
Serve in stacks with butter, maple syrup, fresh seasonal fruit, cream, icecream, jam or cinnamon sugar (or all of the above!). Makes 12-14 10cm diameter pancakes

(Serves 4-6)

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But don't take my word for it. The proof is in the eating as they say

Signature test

2011-02-12T14:36:00.000+08:00

Have you heard the news . . .. .

2010-07-13T09:34:00.000+08:00

it's pretty sad (from the Buzz and Bloom Blog)

Buzz and Bloom is Closing

Since it's beginnings in 2003, Buzz and Bloom has operated as a small part of a family-owned company. Over the years we've seen many 'versions' of the business. We've done many things... starting with albums, moving into unmounted rubber stamps, a retail webstore, introducing chipboard to our range, going wholesale only, taking our range to CHA and winning first prize in the Innovations Showcase for our denim and cord products and so much more...

It's time again for a change. Buzz and Bloom as we know it is currently closed. In the wake of the illness of one of our family members/directors of the company, we are focusing our resources into other areas of the company. So we're closing our manufacturing and wholesale business for now.

read more

For me this signifies a bit of a life change. I know that may sound slightly dramatic, but for a while now, the only scrapbooking projects I have been doing are the ones for B&B DT. I have loved every minute of creating with all of the inspirational products and really want to thank Div for the opportunity to serve on the DT with those amazingly talented ladies . But I feel the need to take a break from scrapping and follow some different creative pursuits.

I really want to learn how to sew (properly and not just on scrapbooking layouts!) I want to concentrate on some home decorating ideas I've had bubbling away for a while now. And cooking! I'm hoping this blog will become a little bit of a home cooking inspiration site (well, that's rather ambitious I'll admit - but hey, we all gotta have dreams).

They say that when a door closes, somewhere a window opens so I choose to look for the window and climb out into the light :)

Recipe Share - Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2010-07-11T09:50:00.000+08:00

This seems to be our family's stand by for using up over-ripe bananas. In fact I suspect that some bananas get left to go bad just so that I have to make this :) The original recipe for the cake comes from Donna Hay Modern Classics 2. The cream cheese frosting is my own addition, and a rework on an old classic. The inclusion of vanilla makes this extra special and irresistible.

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients:
For the Cake

125 g unsalted butter, softened

1 cup caster sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

3 eggs

2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ cup sour cream

1 cup roughly mashed banana

For the Frosting

60 g Cream cheese, softened

30 g unsalted butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup icing sugar

1-2 teaspoon lemon juice

lemon zest

Directions:
For the Cake
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the butter, caster sugar and brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Sift the flour and baking powder over the mixture. Add the cinnamon, sour cream and banana and stir to combine. Spoon the mixture into a greased 26cm (10 in) fluted ring tin. Bake for 40 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Cool on a wire rack.

For the Frosting
In a small bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and cream cheese until smooth and well combined. Add the vanilla. Gradually add the icing sugar, beating well between additions. Add enough lemon juice to bring the mixture to a smooth, but firm consistency.
Spread generously over the cooled cake, sprinkle with lemon zest and just try to resist!

(Serves 8)

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Recipe Share - Butter Tandoori Chicken with Wilted Garlic Baby Spinach

2010-07-10T13:37:00.000+08:00

Wow, that's a mouthful! But you better believe a delicious mouthful :)

I first tried this when Meg made it for our cooking club. So delicious I had to get the recipe. The original recipe comes from taste.com.au, I have added the baby spinach to introduce some greens for a more balanced meal.

Butter Tandoori Chicken with Wilted Garlic Baby Spinach
Ingredients:
For the Chicken

1 tablespoon Welly Boot Extra Virgin Olive Oil

500g chicken thigh, cubed

3 tablespoons Tandoori paste

1 tablespoon tomato paste

375ml can lite evaporated milk

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon cornflour

15g butter

For the Spinach

150g Baby Spinach, washed and drained

1 clove garlic

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

Directions:
Heat oil in a frying pan, add chicken and cook for 2 minutes.
Add Tandoori paste and tomato paste and stir until chicken is coated.
Combine the evaporated milk, sugar and cornflour and pour over chicken, mixing well.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add butter and stir until melted.
Garnish with flaked almonds. Serve with steamed basmati rice.

While the chicken is simmering, place the water and garlic in a large pot and bring to the boil. Add the spinach leaves, immediately cover the pot and turn off the heat. Leave for 3-5 minutes until just wilted. Squeeze lemon juice over wilted leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

(Serves 4)

The best tandoori paste I have found (and the one that Meg turned me on to) is "Maharaja's Choice" brand available from Coles.
This is pretty family friendly. But you can adjust the heat by adding more or less Tandoori paste. eg 1 tablespoon = mild, 2 tablespoons = medium, 3tablespoons = hot (for little kiddies anyway). Our kids like to mix in some plain yoghurt to turn the heat down if needed.

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Recipe Share - Quickie Cupcakes (thanks Ikea!)

2010-06-17T13:30:00.000+08:00

Quickie Cupcakes
Ingredients:

2 cups Self-raising Flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup caster sugar
125 grams unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
¾ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 200℃
Line cupcake trays with liners
Sift flour sugar and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer, add butter, eggs, milk and vanilla.
Beat slowly for 1 minute. Increase speed and beat for two minutes.
Spoon batter into pre-prepared liners.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
Top with your favourite icing.

(Serves 24)

Variations:
Add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder to dry ingredients
Fold in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or sultanas before spooning into liners

Download recipe.

I am going to admit to something somewhat embarrassing. I quite literally made these cupcakes tday just so I could try out these that I picked up from Ikea on the weekend:

From Life

Sad? Maybe. Obsessive? Definitely! And it turns out they were super fun! You can fill the liners basically to the top, and the little recesses in the man stop the batter from spreading out. That means it goes up and you get these sky-high little tops!

I also picked up these while I was there:

From Life

And the whole trip cost me less than $70! Loving Ikea!!!

Recipe Share - Slow Cooker Osso Bucco

2010-06-08T14:36:00.004+08:00

I know a lot of people prefer to just throw everything into the slow cooker with out "pre-browning". But the sight of anaemic, grey looking meat is a real turnoff for me. And it's not just the colour that is improved with this step, there is an added depth and richness of flavour that you just don't get without a little time in the frying pan first.

Osso Bucco is the meat from the shin of the animal (not the tail as many have been lead to believe). As the shin muscles are used a lot in a cow's lifetime, Osso Bucco MUST be slow cooked. But you do get great big marrow bone right smack in the centre of the cut. So what does this mean? Cooked slowly in a casserole the meat is oh so tender, and the marrow adds a velvety richness to the gravy. Yum :)

Photo from Entice Magazine

Slow Cooker Osso Bucco
Original Recipe Source: Entice Magazine
Ingredients:

2 kg osso bucco, (6-8 pieces)
t tablespoon Welly Boot Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
2 sticks celery, finely diced
1 tablespoon plain flour
2 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf (optional)
½ cup white wine
½ cup tomato puree

Lemon and parsley garnish

1 clove garlic, very finely grated
2 lemons, zest only
handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. Season the osso bucco with salt and pepper. Heat a large frypan over a medium-high heat, add a dash of oil. Brown the osso bucco in 2 or 3 batches, adding a little more oil as required. Remove each batch and place in slow cooker dish.

2. Reduce heat in the pan, add a little oil, and the diced onion, carrot and celery, and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Sprinkle in flour and stir until the vegetables are coated. Gradually pour in the combined wine, puree and stock. Stir until the mixture boils, add bay leaf and then pour over the osso bucco. Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8hours until the osso bucco is very tender. Sprinkle with the lemon and parsley garnish to serve.

To make lemon and parsley garnish: Combine all ingredients and season with freshly ground salt and pepper.

Cooktop method: Place the browned osso buco and other ingredients in a heavy based pot. Partially cover and keep heat low. Stir occasionally and add water if needed during the cooking time to keep ingredients well covered. Simmer until the meat is very tender.

(Serves 6)

Cooks Notes

Don’t rush the initial stage of browning the meat. This will make your casserole rich in colour and flavour. Brown the meat in small batches over a medium-high heat.

Simmer the casserole gently and taste it to see if it’s ready. Stir occasionally and adjust the heat as it cooks if needed. When it’s done the meat should be tender enough to fall apart easily with a fork.

Use the juices from the pot as a base for a rich gravy. Melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, add the same amount of plain flour and stir briskly with a wooden spoon until it becomes a paste. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups of the pot juices, little by little, stirring well after each addition to avoid lumps. bring to the boil, reduce heat then simmer until desired thickness has been reached. NB omit lemon and parsley garnish.

A casserole will keep for up to 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. Casseroles should be refrigerated immediately after the steam from cooking has evaporated. Place the hot casserole into a shallow container, and then into the fridge so it cools quickly. Do not leave it to cool completely on the bench. To serve bring it slowly to the boil over a medium heat, reduce heat and simmer for about 3 minutes, or until the meat and sauce are both thoroughly hot.

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Recipe Share - Fettuccine Carbonara with Homemade Pasta

2010-06-03T18:35:00.003+08:00

If you read this post you will know that I am the proud owner of a new pasta machine. However, my first attempt was rubbish! I have found a new recipe (on the back of the 00 flour box!) and picked up a few tips along the way. And now SUCCESS :) And you don't even need a pasta machine. As long as you have a rolling pin that will allow you to get the dough thin enough, you should be fine!

From Food

Why buy it when you can make it yourself and it tastes this good!

Homemade Pasta
Ingredients:

250 grams Pasta & Noodle Plain Flour (TIPO 00)
Pinch salt
1 tablespoon Welly Boot Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 egg
3 egg yolks

Directions:
1. Place the flour and salt on a chopping board, make a well in the centre. Beat the eggs and egg yolks, place with olive oil in the well. Gradually work the flour from the sides and knead to form a dough
2. Knead dough for one minute. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours (what!? see tip below)
3. Cut dough into four pieces and roll through a pasta machine OR roll out into thin sheets
4. Use pasta sheets for lasagne or cannelloni, or any other filled pasta OR cut into noodles
5. Cooked filled pasta or noodles in boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes until cooked through

(Serves 4)

COOKS TIPS
Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours!? I just chuck it in the freezer for as many minutes as I can spare. Usually while listening to the kids' reading, supervising homework or just getting on with preparing whatever sauce I want to accompany my pasta. That tends to be long enough.

Try lightly dusting the dough with a little flour as you go through the pasta machine process. Lay the noodles out in a single layer on your benchtop while you are working. This will stop them all sticking together, and as long as you are cooking them straight away, they shouldn't dry out too much.

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Fettuccine Carbonara
Ingredients:

400 grams Fettuccine
6 rashers bacon, cut into thin strips
3 green onions, sliced
10 button mushrooms, thickly sliced
4 egg yolks
½ cup cream
½ cup parmesan
sea salt and cracked pepper
2 tbl chopped flat leaf parsley

Directions:
Cook the pasta until al dente. Keep warm. Must be kept warm as the heat from the pasta will cook the egg in the sauce.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the bacon, mushrooms and green onions for 3-4 minutes until bacon is crisp and golden.

Place egg yolks, cream, parmesan, salt and pepper in bowl and whisk well to combine.

Toss the egg mixture through the hot pasta, coating well, then toss with bacon mixture and parsley and serve immediately.

(Serves 4)

COOKS TIPS
It pays to reserve a little pasta water, as this sauce can tend to be a bit thick. If needed, add just a couple of tablespoons at a time to the "sauced" pasta before adding the bacon mix until you get a consistency you like.

Great recipe from Donna Hay, though the mushrooms are our family's own addition.

Download Printable Version

Buzz and Bloom Projects to Share

2010-06-03T10:58:00.000+08:00

It has just dawned on me that I haven't revealed any of my Buzz and Bloom DT stuff on my own blog! I haven't even loaded up any sneak peeks of my latest work. What a slacker! So here are a few bits and pieces.

King of My Heart

Life & All That Stuff

A word to the wise . . . .

What's Your Laundry Ritual?

Recipe Share - Creamy Chicken, Leek & Blue Cheese Pie

Recipe Share -Sunday Pancakes

Signature test

Have you heard the news . . .. .

Buzz and Bloom is Closing

Recipe Share - Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe Share - Butter Tandoori Chicken with Wilted Garlic Baby Spinach

Recipe Share - Quickie Cupcakes (thanks Ikea!)

Recipe Share - Slow Cooker Osso Bucco

Recipe Share - Fettuccine Carbonara with Homemade Pasta

Buzz and Bloom Projects to Share

Recipe Share - Chicken Tenderloin Milanese

Kuler Challenge

kuler fun

Recipe Share - TUNA MORNAY

Is anybody out there . . . . ? or Pasta Disaster :)

The Dark Days Are Over

long time no post . . . .

Domestic Goddess? I think Not . . .

Inspiration . . . Thanks Kirstie!

I've Been Wrecked!

More sneaky peekies!

Two Become One

It's Times Like These . . .

More Colour Fun and a Sneak Peek

Playing along: "My Place & Yours - Kitchen Love"

Oh My . . . What a Find!

Sneaky Peeky . . . . (Updated)

Blogs Away!!!!

Off to the Show!

Fun With Colour

New Year's Mantra

Guess what, guess what, guess what???????

Woohooo!!!!

Don't Look @ Me . . . I'm Hideous!!!!

Are You Feeling Brave?????

My Homage to the Basic Grey 2010 Calendar Kit

Sit down, grab a cuppa, we're gonna be here for a while . . .

Challenge blog with a difference

Lost in Translation . . . .

Breakfast . . .

One Confused Cat!

The Cat's Out of The Bag!!!!!!!

You're Invited!

Lots and Lots and Lots To Share

B-E-A-Utiful Blogs

Sneaky Peeky . . . .

And the Winner Is . . . .

LO Share

Dinner Last Night - Recipe Share

Raw Chipboard RAK!!!

Weeding Fever

Did you guess???

Another LO to share

Announcement . . .

Confession

Spine Tingling Good!

Something Different and Something to Share

Inspired!

Two Birds . . . One Stone

UFO Completed - Finally

Stash and Treasure

Always read the instructions!