on the weekend...

making the most of the few warm days we have left... homemade ice cream. 

baking for her dadda

i think it is really important to include her in most of my daily activities. it allows her play to have meaning, she often surprises me with what she already knows in these situations, just from her own observations. here, we are making papas breakfast muffins. she was so excited to give them to him when he got home. "dada", "dadda" "hot" "cake". And the best parts... The mess. The licking of the wooden spoon. And the washing up...

peppermint bark

make this. trust me, you won't regret it. this was the star ingredient in all our Christmas get togethers. originally i made it intending to put in pretty jars and give it as gifts, but after tasting it, i was told i was not allowed to give it away. so little bits came out here and there, compliment after compliment received.

and so. a new little Christmas tradition begins: peppermint bark.

foodie gift

happy birthday dear sister.

a foodie gift for you this year... homemade chicken pie and chocolate dipped strawberries.

leftover chocolate: decoration above. 'happy bday' - because the 'irth' broke as i was trying to assemble it! xxx

...

The little girls first ever cake.

Banana, lovingly made by her Mama, recipe handed down by 'Old Nan'. She ate it, kind of, threw it on the floor, mushed it into the table and made a show for the friends and family watching. She's certainly not shy, this little girl of ours.

Til next year.

...

Bake these. You wont regret it.


These are THE biscuits in our home.


Cranberry and White Chocolate Biscuits

3/4 cup (110g) plain flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (75g) firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
3/4 cup (65g) rolled oats
100g dried cranberries
130g white chocolate chips
125g butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix the melted butter, egg and vanilla extract together in a small bowl and add to dry ingredients. Mix to combine. Shape into small balls and bake in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes.

...

These aren't your average gingerbread cookies. They may look like it, kind of, but they have ingredients like garlic and chicken stock. They were made for a special little family member with big ears for his birthday on the weekend.

This isn't a regular occurrence, I don't tend to hand make my dog his food for the week or anything like that- but I thought he is a member of our family, and a loved one at that! So, for his 2nd birthday, or 14th birthday in human years, our mate Huey deserved some Mama made biscuits for his special day.

The recipe was adapted from this book, 1001 Natural Remedies, found here.

Here's my version - based on what I had on the pantry.

Huey's Garlic Dog Biscuits
300g Wholemeal plain flour
100g cornflour
100g sesame seeds
3 eggs
50ml milk
125ml chicken stock
2tbspn olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic

Mix all dry ingredients together, mix 2 eggs, and remaining wet ingredients and add to dry ingredients, mix well, making sure you have a firm dough (I added more flour at this point). Leave to stand for 15 minutes. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll to a thickness of about 2cm. Cut into shapes, and brush the biscuits with the remaining egg. Place biscuits on baking paper and bake them at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 30 minutes, or until they turn golden. Remove from oven and leave to cool.

It was well worth the effort, even they were so easy, because Huey LOVED them!

he didn't have a pie dish, but it tasted just as good square as it would have tasted round.

My first gingerbread house...

And boy am I so proud of myself.

My friend B and I were kind of unprepared for the feat of making a gingerbread house from scratch. Little did we know how long it would take us. A long time. 10 hours. Or so.

Time aside, it was so much fun and very worthwhile. I can't wait to do it again next year. At lease we will be somewhat prepared. It may just have to become tradition. Yay! I love traditions. Especially Christmas ones.

We made the gingerbread. Kneaded and cooled. And cooled. And then baked. Something we hadn't planned on taking soooo long...

So we went for a stroll along the beach...

Assembled the lollies.

Made pretty decorations...

And me being me, couldn't wait to assemble my house. Like the recipe told me to. So I decorated that too.

And voila!

1am.

Finished.

'Till next year...