A Collection of Thoughts

ANTM Week 11

So we had tears and disaster in our house with the finale - Talia wanted Alex to win and Sofia wanted Demelza to win - we did lots of talking around that all week knowing that there could be only one winner...

and the quote of the night came from a sobbing Miss Talia -  But Mumma its not fair she looked so good in Alex Perry- at this point Richard just rolled his eyes and left me to it . Sofia on the other hand was chanting I knew it I knew it I knew it... which didn't help.

She did perk up at the ads for Americas Net Top Model - don't know if i can go straight into another season - may not have a choice though.

on the menu

 
ZERT
This one comes from www.taste.com.au  - It  as highlighted in their email and caught my eye - so I gave it a try - and its yum really yum

Caramel Apple Pudding
Ingredients (serves 6)

    * 5 large golden delicious or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1cm thick
    * 1 2/3 cups (250g) plain flour
    * 2 tsp baking powder
    * 250g caster sugar
    * 200ml milk
    * 150g unsalted butter, melted
    * 2 eggs, beaten
    * 1 cup (200g) light muscovado sugar or light brown sugar
    * 1/2 cup (125ml) golden syrup
    * Icing sugar and thick cream, to serve

Method

   1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly butter a 2.5-litre baking dish.
2. Place apples in the prepared dish. Sift flour and baking powder into the bowl of an electric mixer, add caster sugar, milk, butter and egg, then beat until pale. Spread mixture over the apples.
   3. Place muscovado or brown sugar, golden syrup and 300ml water in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil without stirring.
   4. Pour over the pudding batter, then bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden.
   5. Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream.

No pictures sorry - I'm only had time to throw it in the oven

ANTM Week 9

with four girls left the competition is getting fierce
Demelza is the family favorite with the girls at the moment- I am staying right out of it . I liked Jamie - she is long gone.

ZERT
Strawberries are back in the supermarket - still a bit pricey but I so love them - Richard bought a punnet the other day and I didn't get one! So I have some for tonight.

Strawberry Scones

This is kinda cheats version of strawberry shortcake ( or a mid week version)

I use Lemonade Scones as my base

4 cups self raising flour
300ml cream
Lemonade  about 3/4 of a can
whipped  cream ( extra )
punnet of strawberries

Mix it all together - turn out onto a floured board and lightly knead ( not long )

Then cut into largish size scone shapes - I use a wide mouthed cup for  mine - If I  am making normal scones then I use a glass- place in a hot oven - 10 - 12 minutes

If I am making normal scones then I use a glass-  butt  them up together which helps them rise  -place in a hot oven - 10 - 12 minutes

turn out - cut on half fill with whipped cream and heaped strawberries and if you want to be fancy some curls of dark chocolate and dusted with icing sugar - but tonight we were just eat them kinda girls. Hot and slightly lemony from the lemonade - (actually they'd be yummy with some lemon rind added - I'll try that next time) - so delicious!

Now just so that you dont think that this was simple quick whip up tonight - as I planned it to be - Mumma can we help  call... what do you say ? couldn't really say no.. so here are the behind the scenes action shots blurry and filled with 2 happy girls. (and a slightly less than impressed dadda in the blue shirt in the background LOL)

I recommend this recipe - awesome mid week really- just much faster without helpers!

ANTM Week 8

with only 5 left on the comp ( well 4 now !) the excitement levels at our house are gaining momentum each week. Here we have the "in the ad breaks quick quick  do some poses Mumma take a photo" - Sofia and Talia

Dinner tonight was on the run throw together but a good one worth sharing

Woolies rissoles - beef and honey - I bake them in the oven - easier they don't burn you don't have to remember to turn them - about 30 minutes

Mashed potatoes - I  make the girls mash them - they take turns when they get tired and it leaves me free to serve up

Peas - and honey carrots - carrots steamed with a tablespoon of honey - usually I add sesame seeds and a teaspoon of butter but that was too much effort tonight

and our favourite Apple and Balsamic sauce

ZERT - Waffles Bananas Ice Cream and HOME MADE Caramel sauce - this is my grandmas secret recipe ( not so secret any more hey ? ) filled with butter nad cream and is definitely not good for you in any way but it tastes fabulous - I also use this on  our pancakes as a real treat  - the left over sauce keeps in the fridge - just reheat - who am I kidding there is never left over. Takes less than 10 minutes to make so worth it.

150 gms  Butter  3/4 cup brown sugar  1/2 cup pouring cream 1 cup BOILING hot water

Melt the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan

You don't need to stir much - let it go brown and caramel- takes about 3 minutes - boil the kettle in the meantime then pour a cup of hot water straight in

It will fizz right up like this - don't be alarmed - let it do that  give it a stir  ( with a wooden spoon)

as sson as you remove it from the heat - it will settle to this very quickly. Now stir in your  cream

Pour it into a jug

Heat your waffles - add banana and ice cream and a generous helping of caramel sauce. YUM

Dinner Party at a Dash

Tonight we had Trina and her family over to dinner to say goodbye before they headed home. work kids and life meant I really only had an hr to do it -and half an hour to tidy up and set the table and light candles so they couldn't see where  I haven't dusted or vacuumed :) ..

We had  a different menu for the children. They had pasta and garlic bread and icecream sundaes that they made themselves - simple but made them happy )- we watched them eat while we had our starter platter then the DVD and craft came out so we could sit and enjoy our meal.

so here you have it  at dinner party for 4 in an hour...  have some how to photos but mostly not  -so you'll have to use your imagination... there is not much cooking involved - its all in the shopping and the prep.

Menu

Starters - Dips and Breads
Main Chicken and Prosciutto with Apple Balsamic jus, Steamed Potatoes with sour cream , Rocket Brie & Pear Salad, Garlic and Rosemary Mini roma tomatoes Linseed rolls 
Dessert  Dark Chocolate Tobelerone Mousse with Raspberries
Coffee and Chocolates

Preparation  and Timing

Start with dessert

Whip  600 mls cream

I used 200ml of Whittaker's dark chocolate and a 200gm block of toblerone

Melt in a double burner ( put a bowl inside a bowl with water )  broken up chocolate

while the chocolate is melting prepare the chicken and tomatoes

Wrap each chicken breast in a slice of  prosciutto and drizzle with balsamic vinegar

Cut each roma tomato in half  use a heavy hand of crushed garlic and some sprigs of rosemary and a drizzle balsamic vinegar on top

Put the chicken in the oven - takes about 45 minutes

Allow the chocolate to slightly cool ( not long though!) and then fold in the whipped cream - You need to add the cream to the chocolate not the chocolate to the cream!

Put into fancy glasses and place in the fridge to set ( takes ' an hr  it'll be ready by  the time you want dessert)

5 minutes before the guest are due prepare the nibbly platter
- Tonight I used   Double cream brie cheese , beetroot and cashew dip, Basil Pesto, Lime Aioli, EVOO and Balsamic, Sun dried tomatoes   Rosemary and sea salt  bread sticks and a par bake Turkish bread which I cut into chunk and served warm

With 20 minutes to go before serving the main- zap some potatoes in the microwave for 10 minutes and prepare the salad. Put the potatoes in alfoil and place them in the oven to keep warm.

In a large bowl put rocket snow peas macadamia nuts  sliced brie and sliced Bosc pears and mix

5 Minutes to go put the par bake linseed rolls in the oven and zap the apple and balsamic jus and pur into a jug.

Serve and enjoy!

For dessert - place a heaped spoon of thawed raspberries on top of your mousse and sprinkle with icing sugar- serve with coffee and chocolates - I had Raffaelos - my all time favourite.

I've added a pdf file of the ingredients  for you Download shopping_list.pdf - so all you need to do is print and cross off what you have in your cupboard and go shopping - ( Please note I shopped at woolies some brands are particular to woolies ( like the Jus)

 

Enjoy

ANTM Week 6

DINNER tonight -  Salmon Slice and  Vege coconut rice

A great food food dinner for in front of the TV

Batteries on my camera are dodgy tonight so not so many photos but you'll get the idea no doubt.

We have a rice cooker - cause we eat so much rice and when I first met Richard and his mother found out I was cooking rice on the stove top she had a fit and rushed out and bought us a rice cooker -  Its the same one 15 years on - even longer than that 16? anyhow - It gets used at least once a week more often than not twice..

so for coconut rice -

put  3 cups of rice a tin of light and tasty coconut  evaporated milk and add the rest in water ( up to the line I mean - I also throw in half packet of diced veges - more on that in a minute..

If you don't have a rice cooker - same deal all in a casserole dish in the oven with a lid - stir every 10 minutes or so and it takes about half an hour.

The result is a tasty but not over the top coconut rice -its a good alternative to plain rice and a nice side accompaniment if you can't be bothered doing veges salad potatoes etc etc..

and for the main dish...

Ingredients

Tin of red salmon
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
tablespoon heaped of pesto or pesto dip - I used rocket
red onion diced
packet of diced veges

I get these from woolies always have them in the fridge they are good for a quick throw in soups casseroles  crockpot risottos - you name it - if you don't have a woolies - its carrots leeks celery turnip parsnip broccoli stem cauliflower stem and parsley I used half a packet in the salmon slice half in the rice

saute the veges red onion in a pot

Mix the eggs an pesto together - add in the milk

Put veges and broken up red salmon into a casserole dish - pour egg mixture on top- season

Bake for 30 minutes in the oven

ZERT tonight is one of my favourite recipes from  www.taste.com.au I have it in my cookbook - and one of the office ladies at  work makes it regularly for us to share at morning tea. I don't make it often but I sure like to eat it! and with the apples I pretend its almost healthy.

The recipe from the taste website

Apple and Cinnamon Slice

Cooking Time

35 minutes

Ingredients (serves 8)   

• 340g pkt golden buttercake mix
• 1 cup (90g) desiccated coconut
• 125g butter, melted
• 400g can apple pieces
• 300g sour cream
• 1 tsp cinnamon sugar   

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 20cm square cake pan. Line base and the two opposite sides with baking paper, extending the paper 5cm over edge of pan.
2. Combine cake mix, coconut and butter in a medium bowl. Press mixture evenly over base of prepared pan. Cook for 15 mins, or until lightly browned. Cool slightly.
3. Spread apple evenly over base, then spread sour cream evenly over apple and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Cook for further 20 mins, or until sour cream has set.
4. Cool in pan. Cut the slice into fingers to serve.

My parting words to the girls as they left this morning were  - apple slice for zert - and I hadn't checked the cupboard - that can be a last minute dash to the shops- and seriously cant be bothered been at a Japanese Professional Development day today - the power was out so we had to make do with very little light my head does not like me and  then I got a flat tyre   - sooo not bothered -however Its not worth my Mumma status if i don't produce the apple slice

..so no cake mix do this instead...

in a mixer put 2 cups of plain flour
1/2 cup oil
1 cup od sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons of baking power
Mix it around



works exactly the same as a cake mix..
disaster averted...

and the final result... is just as good - except its almost double the recipe - I ended up using nearly a 800gm apple tin and two tubs of sour cream ( 500gms )

YUM - its really good still warm too!


Demelza is the name I  have heard  all week - Im not sure if they like her or if they think her name is cool - anyhow  we will see what happens tonight.
Not long to go - Girls are in he bath  and I have time to press publish and get a glass of wine :)
Enjoy your night
Tamar

Picture Overload

but you know what they say - a picture tells a thousand words...
The girls were heading to a 60th B'day this morning and wanted to make slice - but they wanted to do it all by  themselves - no help Mumma - So I gritted my teeth and perched up on the kitchen stools camera  in hand and gave the instructions - they made such a mess but holy doly did they make a great slice and they things they said were just priceless..so our morning in pictures and according to Tali and Sof - unedited as they are

Mumma when you call out the ingredients we have to say check- check means we have it - cross means we don't and then we have to find it - ok?

Tals that might be one of the things Mumma has to help with -it looks very tricky

Hang  I might try it -this is the yummy porridge sugar

I'll hold the cup and you put it in because thats the important part

Hey it's a double yolker- It's a special egg cause its Kenny's Birthday

If we both stir together that will make it double yummy

The more you press down the more the bumps go away

Mumma you aren't cross are you? We might be spilling it a bit.

I'm cleaning up God's earth he doesn't like litter it makes him sad

It would be good to put our fingers in cause it would taste nice but that would be ouchie

Mumma I'm just having  a rest and watching some TV and I might have to have the other beater too if Sof doesn't want it.

Oh it tastes just like an adult made it - Daddy is going to be so impressed with us - he might even give us a cuddle.

And for the record - I had to help with the brown sugar lid. To the best of my knowledge God wasn't sad about the messy kitchen.  Tali did get to lick both beaters. They both got cuddles from Richard who had to try two pieces and the party goers were very impressed!

The recipe is this one from Mel - and its really good! The recipe doubles well.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup coconut

1 1/2 cups SR flour

teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

125 grams melted butter

Mix together  press into a tin bake 20 minutes - Ice when cool with chocolate icing and coconut. Cut into squares.

   A new  digi lo

Credits -    Elements - Emily Powers Photo a Day kit, Michelle Coleman Wild Sorbet Kit, Paper Michelle Coleman Wild Sorbet Kit  Alpha Emily Powers Photo a Day kit

Hope your Sunday has been relaxing

Tamar

Friday Night Goodness

Richard has been at a golf day for work so it been the girls and I for most of the night - we made a batch of pancakes and smothered them with syrup and cream...

made them way too fast and then ate them to take pictures but did snap just this one

This is the recipe that I use - its a never fail one and the only trick is to remember to buy some buttermilk.

2 cups Sr flour  600 mls Buttermilk  150 mls milk 1 tablespoon sugar 2 eggs
put it into the blender and blend

Makes enough to feed all four of us for a huge dessert or for a substitute dinner for the girls and I.

Spent some time looking through etsy tonight and found this - at The Black Apple

I'm so tempted to put it in my cart

(image from http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=11986552)

Also stumbled on this blog some time back and added it to my blog lines - beautiful floral art - this one is my favourite - and I can absolutely see myself copying that idea for a dinner party very soon- My favourite colour combination ever I think.

( image from  http://www.freshfloralart.typepad.com/fresh_floral_art/)

I forget where i found out about this site
http://www.songbirdavenue.com/ Its a non profit  organisation and each month a group of talented digital designers get together and create a kit - all funds from the sale of the kit go to a different charity.

This one is for may  - a new kit will be up in a few more days but this one is particularly gorgeous and once the month rolls over the kits are gone. They also have a gallery of ideas so if you are like me with no idea you can just  scraplift!

Ive been working on a limited edition  collection  with some lovely products from  Darkroom Door...

Here is a little sneak peek

I'm off to convince Richard to go to the DVD store or at the very least buy me a DVD through austar.

Enjoy your night.

Tamar

ANTM Week 5

Time is zooming - lets hope last weeks lecture will settle the model house down. We have a list of favorites - there were tears when Belinda got voted off last week so we had a chat about who everyone cant win as long as they participate ...

On the menu - you may want to stop if you want gourmet or low fat  - it is top model night after all

Macaroni Cheese

Bostock  Style ( read here the easy version)- One of the girls favorites!

Macaroni Pasta
Carbonara Pasta Sauce
2 carrots grated
Diced bacon - 250gms
Tasty cheese
Dijon Mustard - 2 teaspoons
Tin of corn
Onions ( diced- optional)

Cook the pasta in boiling water - heat the oven - fry the diced bacon up- you can add onions here too if you like

Mix the mustard in with the carbonara sauce

Pour the cooked pasta corn grated carrot bacon/onion into a big casserole dish and mix

Pour the pasta sauce over the top  and mix through

Sprinkle a generous amount of grated cheese on top

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

Then for zert.....

Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding

A family favorite - well mine anyhow and really simple - don't be scared give it a go -It works really .

Ingredients
 

Pudding      
1 1/2 cups Self Raising Flour   
1 heaped tablespoon Cocoa   
1 egg   
2 tablespoons butter   
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup milk
Sauce   
2 tablespoons Cocoa   
1/2 cup sugar Sugar
1 1/4 cups boiling water

Sifting etc is a time thief as far as I am concerned but this works better if  you do so get the sifter out!

Sift flour and cocoa together and mix in sugar. Then add the  egg,  butter and milk to dry ingredients. I put mine in the mixer and give it a good mix

Pour into a casserole dish.

To make the sauce  - mix the sauce ingredients until sugar is dissolved.

Pour carefully  over pudding mix

Bake for 40 minutes or until a metal skewer comes out clean. Serve hot with ice cream and cream

Id show you a finished photo but Its still cooking and when its finished Ill be eating it :)

Enjoy your night

Tamar xo

10 Minute Pasta

So here is my go to recipe when all else fails - like I haven't shopped or I'm too tired to cook or think

The girls eat it minus the olives..

wholemeal pasta - cooked ( penne)
a tub of cherry tomatoes halved
tin of tuna - WITH oil not the springwater sort
a block of feta cheese
black olives
a good squeeze of a lemon
a splash of balsamic vinegar
cracked black pepper

Mix it all into a bowl and serve with salad and crusty bread or a herb bread-  or just have the pasta
really good for leftovers the  next day too for lunch.

Talk time went fine - apparently my daughters can talk underwater LOL
and Drs not so fine but more tests coming - I think we will well and truly hit our Medicare threshold this year.

Project Runway tonight  - YAY

Enjoy your evening
PS try the pasta  - its good :)

Tamar

Friday Night Crafting

So I have to say I'm thankful for the end of the week it has been a bit trying I'm so keen to get back to routine but my head is saying its not ready.

Anyhow  orders are up to date and gone DT boxes are winging their way to the designers over the weekend and the house has returned to its normal status quo with May having left.

So tonight I am crafting and DVD watching - I have - Elizabeth, Cheating Fate and Atonement

The girls have informed me they are having a sleepover complete with sleeping bags marshmallows their little DVDS, (portable DVD screens) One dolly and two teddies - Suits me fine all I have to do is get the marshmallows (which I did!) and help them decide which room they want the sleepover in - this is one good thing about twins!

I have this bubbling in the crockpot... ( this is at 3 hrs to go stage)

I saw this on Jennifer Stewart's blog the other day and thought thats what I haven't done in ages - is a roast AND veges in the crockpot - I tend to do lamb and chicken alot and only occasionally throw the veges in too- when I first did it I thought no way cant work but it does and its yum. So this will be a nice change. Smells divine.

You should really go read her recipe she does it way better than me but for what its worth here is my version

Crock Pot Roast and Vegetables

1 Beef roast
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
1 onion, diced
1 bay leaf
Worcestershire sauce
3 stalks celery chopped
Red wine
1 can cream of mushroom (campbells)
½ can water

Throw it all in the crockpot put everything down the bottom and mix it around a bit - then add the meat on top -

and with 3 hrs before we want to eat I also put in  small potatoes  pumpkin and carrots- they fit around the edges

And on the stove top I do green beans. The girls love them - not - but I still do them.

and I also have this rice and apple pudding in the oven

Now to find the top of my desk and I am all set.

Enjoy your night

Tamar