A Collection of Thoughts

What's for Dinner?

I know the call of what's for dinner resounds through most houses most nights and  many dread it. I do even though I love to cook. I keep thinking I need to get a plan and have a menu list but its doesn't happen like that for me.

Honestly I'm blessed with Richard as he's not afraid to get in the kitchen - he doesn't cook 'fancy' as he says  but it's always nutritious and well warm and what more can I hope for?

I do however really enjoy the actual deciding on a meal and throwing it together - I save mostly the weekends for baking and anything that requires more than just a couple of steps.

My girls are good eaters too and like most things - or should I say will try most things. They are also ALWAYS keen to take up the can you cook dinner call but that does require a certain level of patience on my part still and through the week its not always there.

If I ask them what do they want for dinner through the week inevitably the requests will be for our favourite pasta,  spag bol, sausages,  chicken tortillas, roast chicken or lamb, quiche or fish and chips. We mostly save the roast for a Sunday night.

While that little list is our staple, I do try to make at least one different thing a week just for variety. I got into the the habit of it when the girls were quite young and fell out of it only to be lured back in with Australia's Next Top Model - when we would have a girls night each week watching and I'd make a special effort with dinner. You may remember some of those blog posts  if you are a long time reader.

In light of that and to get me back on track I'm introducing a new blog feature - What's for dinner? Where I'll share a weekly dinner recipe ( though sometimes it will be zert! )

 

 

I collect all the recipes that coles and woolies put out, taste.com is my go to recipe site when I'm looking for an idea and I am addicted to my digi version of SFI on my ipad.  I have many cookbooks but these are the places I go to for my regular everyday  cooking.

Much of what I share will be from those spots - I'll always credit where I get my recipe from though mostly I'm not good at following a recipe and I tend to do my own thing.

Finally a little note on my image - that's a stack of some of my dinner sets - I have 8 dinner sets - real sets I mean not everyday sets - and each one has a story with lots of meaning  It's one of those things that I have been meaning to document for some time. I must.

 Back tomorrow with my first what's for dinner post.

 

 

Madam Tojos

I know I'm going to get complaints about my lack of photos from today's adventures with Miss Mel.

But really we worked very hard until 2.00pm planning our next editions of teapot.  We ventured out to Typo at Harbourtown where Mel shopped up a storm and I found a really cute folder with teacups on it which I just had to have for more teapot planning of course.

I then took her to my favourite coffee shop at Chirn Park - Madam Tojos

Where I had  flourless chocolate cake which is just so good it's like a molten pot of chocolate.

And after my first coffee I had to have a tea.

We stayed until it was dark and we could no longer read our notebooks. Before heading home to my munchkins who made a yummy pastitio for dinner in honour of Mel's last night.

We are sad to see her go but so happy we had a few days playing. Mel has decided that Qlders have no clue of what winter is  and spent the evenings giggling at me snuggled under a blanket complaining that I'm cold. She has now un invited me to Tassie as she thinks I'd never cope - I fear she may be right.

 Very much looking forward to Melbourne in a month's time!

 

My Day in Photos

Today Mel - One Crafty Mumma arrived for a whirl wind visit. She had suggested that we blog our day in photos and despite her asking me since she's arrived have you taken your photo I still managed to skip a few. It did get kinda crazy with the dinner prep - My girls were the chefs but it required a heavy helping hand from me.

and now it's just before ten and we are on our fourth tea for the day and side by side blogging - which is kind of surreal. Pop over to Mel's blog to see her version of our day.

Tomorrow we will be back with more of our adventures.

Having a lovely time and already it's going way too fast.

 

 

In just on three hours I will be heading to the airport to pick up the gorgeous Miss Mel - aka One Crafty Mumma. To say I'm excited is an understatement  I haven't had any real crafty girlfriend time for as long as I can remember. My work colleagues were all rolling their eyes when  I kept going on about all the fun things we we are going get up to - they kind of don't get my creating obsession.

We'll be working on some upcoming issues of Teapot, dreaming up new plans and sipping copious amounts of tea.

via weheartit.com

Mel has decided that we should capture our day in photos, one every hour and I love that idea so I'll be back later tonight to share.

 Waiting not so patiently for the time to tick over.

 

Art Award

Yesterday Richard took the girls off to the Mudgeeraba Show to give me the chance to catch up on some much needed sleep. It's embarrassing to admit I slept most of the day -waking just in time to meet them for a coffee before I then settled back to watch a DVD. 

We haven't been before and it wasn't on our to do list but Talia's report on Friday came home with a note saying she had won a prize at  the show for her artwork and we were given a free pass.

He is umm the world's worst photo taker and can't even work a camera  - he can however work his phone and it was with much trepidation I checked it when he handed it over. Usually there is one photo and its dodgy as - I was pleasantly surprised to find four - two of which were usable  YAY

she was so proud.

as are we.

 

 

Pinterest Linkys {6}

I have not had much time lately to be surfing but as the school holidays are now upon us  I popped over to pinterest this evening and this pin by Kate Mason caught my eye.

It was easy to get sucked into the vortex that the world wide web can be, so a quick look showed this image came from here at the Illustration Cupboard.

We have a love of all things Lauren Child in our home and particularity at the moment as Talia has been working on her Tilly illustrated book in Lauren Child style - and carrying around her copy of Pippi Longstocking "trying  to look like an author Mumma " I couldn't help but look deeper. ( that story is shared over in our Issue Two of Teapot 

It made me realise there would have course have to be a dedicated Lauren Child site.

and yes there is and holy dooly it's totally gorgeous and in her style - of course.

I have just spent half an hour playing in there - and can't wait to share it with Talia in the morning.

Her section on books allows you to click a book - and see the cover - and a peek of what's inside.

The pages are animated too with wiggly eyes and a swimming fish

On this page she offers a look at each of her characters - click a badge or image to take you to each one

and you get an insight into how the characters were developed

This is totally fabulous - a film about Lauren herself - sadly it's not complete but it starts and is totally divine  with an opening  picture of her as a child - there once was girl who loved guinea pigs...

Another section shows all her exhibitions - you click the litle view finder to move on through - darling!

 

the FAQs so beautifully answered I know Talia will love reading these.

and finally  you can sub to a newsletter too. Thanks Kate for the original Pin :)

If you are new to my blog welcome - this is a series I write on interesting links I have found via pinterest. You can catch up on this series over here

Teapot Issue Two

Issue two of Teapot has been published this evening, so be sure to check your inbox! 

If you haven't had a chance to subscribe yet, that's okay - you can still read the full issue here. 

This issue Talia shares her latest  favourite read, there is more Tilly - Mel's dresden patchwork is completed and much more.  For bloggers and small business owners our readership has increased by 25% since our first issue. You can read about sponsor opportunities over here.

-Time to warm up your teapots :-)

 

How To Make Cake Pops

The girls have been keen to make cake pops ever since we received Bakarella's book for Christmas but I have to admit I was reluctant - seemed like way too much work.

For the communion party we had decided on a dessert bar using mostly white  dessert and the idea of cake pops came up again. I was non commital.

THEN the girls came home with a science project that included an oral and had to have a visual stimulus which could be edible art if they wanted.

So Talia then decided she really wanted to do  Cake pops -they would make cute planets. I had to agree.

We headed to Cake Bitz to get some colouring (Neptune is blue) and some general advice.

Chatting to the staff they asked me what was my plan for making the pops - I had read  frosting (in a tin and cake mix cake crumbled)   The lovely girl there said oh no you want to use my simple secret no fail recipe.

 Oh yes I do I replied LOL

She was totally right - these were so good and so fast you really need to give them a go - next time we are going to try something a little more tricky with the decorating.

So here it is

Oreo cookies and cream cheese   3 packets of cookies and  500 gm cream cheese is a good combo - makes 55 pops)

Crush the cookies

Check they are all crushed to crumbs

Add the cream cheese to the crushed cookies

Mix until it combines

Roll into balls - pop them in the fridge to firm up.

 Melt white chocolate -Colour with food colouring  - we used Wiltons for the first time and LOVED it - not cheap $6.95 a bottle but you use the smallest amount.

Dip in melted chocolate

Stick into spare styrofoam to let dry. Pop in the fridge

These last for ages - we made the cake balls three days ahead and the actual cake pops the day before and we had some left over and have slowly been eating them - sadly they are all gone now.

The  combination of oreo and cream cheese is fabulous.

For the communion party we  made white ones and dipped some in  sprinkles.

Talia did 99.9% of her planet ones- and added glitter too.

They were a huge hit at the party and also at school.

We will definitely make these again -next time choosing a different cookie to crush up just for variety.

 

Emails Blogging and Plans

I'm just popping in ever so briefly to say hello  :-) Waving at Teryl and Sarah I owe so many emails you two especially!

My plan this week was to share all the details of the girls communion and  catch up on emails.

Another project has consumed my time - a good one - One I'm super excited about but you know how things go .. never quite the way you plan and while I had allocated time from here and there to get it to happen other stuff happened.

 Tonight on my desk is this...

the left overs from a little project I just finished for my "other project ". I promise to share the second I can because I hate secrets LOL but I needed to explain why I had been so awol.

 

More soon.

Communion Photos

Hello  :-)

I am buckling down for a super cold night and next couple of days here - It's just gone 7.30pm and I'm feeling the need to break out my blankets. What's the go with that ?

Just popping past to say thank you for the lovely best wishes I received for our girls' communion weekend.

Everything went beautifully. I've spent time looking through photos and I'm sad I don't have any that really capture the day. I am still yet to learn how to balance the to do list on big occasions, chatting, organising, and capturing the moments. In some ways it should have been easier as we were not permitted to take photos during the ceremony

This week I have planned a couple of blog posts sharing the details.

Here is one of the few shots I managed to grab before we left for the church.

 

Wednesday our latest edition of Teapot will hit your inboxes and next Monday I will have a really fun series of posts from a special visitor but I will leave the who until a little later :)