Who thinks Valentines' day is a crock?

Don't get me wrong, I love my hubby dearly, and he would probably do valentines if it was important to me, but I just do.not.get.it.

When I was single I remember having an anti-valentines' day party - for all those who either didn't get it either.  There were a lot of people there (including my hubby!)

Whilst we were engaged, hubby bought me a card as a stir, it was more of a joke than anything else, then came the piss-take of finding the soppiest most revolting e-cards to send me too.  My hubby has a great sense of humour!

So those of you who observe, is it a validation thing?  Is it just a good excuse for some loving?
Those of you that don't - why not?  Here's some anti valentines day cards for you to circulate

If you are a hot cross bun purist - look away - better still, click here to see my post on the best traditional hot cross buns.  This recipe is for those of you who love chocolate hot cross buns but refuse as I do to pay $1 or more each for them.  Ludicrous.  In my humble opinion, these taste better and you can make them whenever you want!

Last year when I made the traditional hot cross buns, I made a few batches and put them in the freezer for Easter Sunday morning.  It's lovely to make your own and my hubby vowed they tasted better than the store bought ones anyways.

Sooo.  I've tweaked the traditional recipe to make it for chocolate lovers, and I will add - make them at your own risk - they are LOVELY.  Whilst they cook in the oven you may find yourself salivating at the oven door waiting for them to finish as they smell intoxicating and easter-y baking.

Ingredients: (makes 15)
600g plain flour

2 teaspoons dry yeast
60g brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoons mixed spice
1/4 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
250ml milk (luke warm)
2 tablespoons orange marmalade (chopped)
40gr unsalted butter (softened)
1/2 cup currants
1/2 cup small chocolate chips or chopped chocolate buttons
1 tb mixed peel (optional)


Method:
Mix together the flour, yeast, sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice, cocoa and salt.
 
In a separate bowl, add milk, eggs, and marmalade
 
Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet or if using a stand mixer with a dough-hook wet mixture to the dry.
 
When mixed through, knead in the softened butter, then the choc-chips and currants/mixed peel.  Knead for 5 more minutes.
 
Divide in two or if you have a large bowl, just use one, spray it with canola oil, put dough in, and cover in cling film.  Allow to prove until it doubles in size (mine took about 1 hour)
 
Reknead for 3 minutes and then divide into 15 rolls, place them on a greased baking tray about 2cm apart, re-cover with cling wrap and leave to prove a second time until they double in size.
 
Preheat oven to 190 degrees c.
 
Put the crosses on the buns by mixing some flour and water in a ziplock bag until it makes a runny-ish paste.  Cut the corner off the ziplock bag and pipe on the crosses.
 
Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes until they start to brown on top.
 
Whilst hot, make some glaze - boil 1/2 cup caster sugar and half a cup of water until the sugar has dissolved.
 
Brush on with a pastry brush.  This makes them look gorgeous, and leaves a sticky gloriously yummy crust on top.
 
 
Enjoy!

You know when they did the crochembuche challenge on masterchef last year - Julie had literally all her fingers in bandages from burning her fingers on toffee?  I've done that - not to that extreme but let me tell you - toffee/sugar burns KILL.  They REALLY hurt.

This past weekend it's a wonder I haven't killed myself.  Honestly, I got through periods where I don't injure myself at all - and then, at every turn I'm hurting myself.  I burnt my right middle finger tip on the oven, put it right on the oven shelf! Ouch.

Then I steamburned my forearm on my vegetable steamer not one hour later.

Thank goodness I have an aloe vera plant in my kitchen.

But my most unusual injury to date was when I dropped the enormous Stephanie Alexanders' Kitchen Garden Companion, on my foot.  Man, I had tears in my eyes and I couldn't speak.  It swelled up and it's now a lovely bruise and in the rain I'm wearing teva reef sandals because my regular shoes hurt! 

Shame I can't go on workers' compo!!

So my lovely readers, make me feel human and tell me what's your most frequent, painful or unusual cooking/domestic injury!?

My hubby is a devoted carnivore, but when we started dating, I was pescatarian - this meant essentially I was vegetarian apart from fish and seafood.  I ate this way for about 5 years and only started eating red and white meat when I was pregnant with my first child, Eloise.

If it were up to hubby we would eat red meat every day of the week - oh maybe 6, and have pork the other day because the man adores a pork roast.  But me, I still love my fish and so many meat dishes is just too heavy for me, let alone it's not really all that healthy!

So last week I went scouring for a way to use up some of the tomatoes, eggplant and silverbeet (spinach) we have going crazy in our vegetable garden, and I found a great recipe on taste.com.au - I tweaked it a little, but I knew it would appeal to the kids as it had pasta and tomatoes in it - it wasn't a predominantly spinach dish, so hubby would be happy and it was veggo, which makes me happy!

It was yummy.  In fact I think this one will be made again, and soon - good to freeze this one and will be a great way to use the produce I have in the garden when I need to make room for my autumn crops.

You can also use non/low fat options in this recipe to make it easy on the waistline too!  As all the veges are in season at present, it's affordable too - so put it on your mealplan for this week!

Serves 6

Ingredients:
3 cups pasta sauce (I used homemade from tomatoes,  carrots, red wine, onion, garlic, basil and oregano and a little tomato paste)
1 large eggplant, sliced
2 leeks, finely sliced
1 bunch silverbeet - stalks cut off and then cut into ribbons
1 large or 2 small clove/s garlic, finely diced or minced
2/3 cup evaporated milk
250g tub ricotta cheese
Fresh pasta sheets (Lasagne) or make your own fresh pasta (I used 2 cups Tipo 00 flour, 2 eggs, 2 tb olive oil and 2 tb warm water)
1/2 cup tasty or mozzarella cheese

Method:
Place eggplant on a baking tray sprayed with canola oil, and bake at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes, until it softens, take out of oven and set aside.

Place 2 tb of olive oil in a frying pan and add the garlic and leeks, fry until leeks become transparent and then add the spinach, if you have a lid for your frypan, put it on and turn the heat down until it wilts. If not, stir until wilts.  Turn heat off and set aside.


Place 1/2 of your pasta sauce in a medium sized baking tray.

Lay out a pasta sheet, or make your pasta into 10-15cm x 10cm lengths.  Cut your eggplant into long strips (I sliced mine in thirds) and lay out on the pasta sheet.  Top with about 3 tb of the leek/spinach mixture and then top again with more eggplant.


Dip a finger into some water and wet the edge of the pasta sheet furthest away from you, roll up the pasta sheet until it's a roll - the water at the end should glue it together.  Place the rolls into the baking tray in the pasta sauce. Continue until you run out of eggplant/spinach/pasta sheets.



Preheat oven to 200 degrees c

Pour over the rest of the pasta sauce.

WHY have I been wasting money at the pet shop and supermarket?  Why I ask?  Because I had no idea it would be so easy!

We had a great time this morning making these together and from whoah to go (first ingredient in the bowl until everything out of the oven) 40 minutes!  I'm sure I could improve on this, and I think next time I'll make a few variations/make bigger batches and freeze.

I give our Dougall a doggy treat each time we leave the house.  Let's call it mother-guilt OK?  These are so cheap I'm so impressed, turned out beautifully and seriously, the dog was waiting under the oven whilst they cooked.   I'm going to put my Mum onto these for her 'boys'.


Ingredients
2 cups wholemeal flour
2 tb canola oil
2/3 cup semolina (or cornmeal)
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1tb powdered beef stock
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

Flour extra, canola spray


Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees c
Mix all ingredients into mixing bowl - I let the girls do this, they take turns



Mix with a spoon until reaches a dough, add flour/semolina if needed to make into a pliable dough.

Roll out on a floured surface and cut into shapes with a knife or cookie cutter (I got this doggie one for $3.95 from Alfresco Emporium)





Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes - cool on bench/wire rack.
Store in airtight container for 1 week or in the freezer for 2 months
Makes 20 large bones, or I'd think 40 small ones

Gotta love a good dress up session right?

Introducing Jasmine (left) as the ballerina, Olivia (centre) as the princess and Laura (right) as the bride!  I was not pictured, however I was the Easter bunny, yes, I made dinner and hung out the washing complete with bunny ears.  Laura and Olivia had their first solo playdate yesterday - they loved it.

Ballerinas, princesses and brides - the epitome of girly pretend play. Despite reading Mia's post last week and feeling quite in agreement in regards to princesses and girls' self esteem  when I see my girls having so much fun with this it's a little conflicting.

Of course they know that the likelihood of them meeting a prince, let alone marrying one is slim to none.

I'm pleased to say however, as much as Barbie isn't a great rolemodel physically, and the over-use of multiples (!) some of her movies actually have some themes I felt quite impressed with.

- In Barbie and the three musketeers - although there is an established 'connection' between Corinne and the Prince, she as  girl, defies the odds and proves herself capable of doing what's considered a 'mans' job' and when approached to do the happily every after - she is interrupted by work.  More real I think!

- In Barbie and the Princess and the Pauper - Erika (the pauper) is asked for her hand in marriage - she declines as she needs to persue her career 'for herself'.  She does come back after a time and marry the prince.

Any other girls' movies that are good this way?  Would be good to list the movies with positive/semi-realistic outcomes?

Am I the only Mum around these parts that just cannot bear to put the same things in the lunchbox each day?  Eloise has such a ferocious appetite at the best of times (Amazon child she is) and she is used to variety at home (i.e. hot meals etc) for lunch, I want to give her the same at school - well not hot for now - but the variety she loves.

So I'm going to increase my repetoire -
Currently I have many in the snacks tag - albeit those containing nuts and sesame seeds (not permitted at our school) but I do want more!  So keep an eye out for some regular lunchbox fixes that I (and you) can make in bulk and freeze so getting lunches ready is simple whilst not boring.

Ingredients (makes 20 cup-cake sized muffins or 12 large muffins)
2 cups self raising flour
125 grams cold butter
1 cup pitted cherries
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup coconut milk (I actually used 1 sachet ayam coconut milk powder + 220ml cold water)
2 tb milk
1 egg


Method:
Preheat oven to 220 degrees c

In a food processor, blitz the flour and the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs (about 30-60 seconds)

1. Sushi, never made it, love to eat it.
Yum.  Still on the list - definitely want to make it soon as a lunch option for my 'lunchbox legends' series I'm planning..


2. Baklava - scared to bugger it up, but I'm going to give it a try
found a fabulous recipe - and I think I'm not far off making this one!

3. Brioche - an indulgence, but something I want to make for easter this year
I have the recipe I want to use.. bring on easter!

4. Pastry - want to make some pies and tarts this year - making pastry from scratch
I'm on the lookout for the pie tins I want (and pie weights too) am looking forward to this!

5. Preserve more. I want to preserve 6 things I never have before
OK, I've done some of this!
Preserving Pesto
Home-made spicy tomato sauce (ketchup)
Sweet Pickled Cherry Tomatoes
Easy and Versatile Plum Jam

6. Fondue - I used to make this on a regular basis but haven't for years - going to have a fondue party this year - I've got two fondue pots needing to be utilised.
I think this will be a winter dinner party - perhaps my birthday?

7. Pasta - I want to get the macaroni/pasta maker kitchenaid attachment and dry some pasta, I know it's cheap to buy the pre-made stuff but I'd like to have a go at least.
Money permitting!  I think in the latter half of the year

8. Try 3 Julia Child recipes this year
I think this will be winter endeavour also

9. Make sausages from scratch
Looking forward to this, must start scouting out some ingredients/recipes

10. Discover at least two more direct sources of produce - maybe a few roadtrips are in order. (Hey maybe Lorraine will do the easter chocolate tour!!??!! *blatant hint*)
WELLLL  I have plans - that's all I'm going to say!
 
 
Soo, what about you - have you got ONE food thing you can share you want to do in 2010?

I have recollections of trying to make one of these with my Mum some years ago (well at least 25) for my grandmothers' birthday.  It was I remember a very stressful experience as it was from the Australian Womens' Weekly Birthday Cake Cookbook was to stand up on its' end, be iced and look like a candle... Does anyone remember that?

This one I wasn't going to get to stand on its' end and this was anything but stressful.  In fact, I would make it again, with variations:

Chocolate cake with cherry jam
Ginger cake with a raspberry jam

Care to suggest some others?

I was inspired to use this recipe from Rachel Allen after seeing her show her cooking class on her show 'Bake'  The key really is follow all the instructions.  I tried to make a shortcut of using cooking spray instead of butter to line my baking tray - won't do that next time!

Ingredients
4 eggs
125gr caster sugar
2 tsp warm water
1 tsp vanilla essence
125gr plain flour

1/2 cup jam of choice
500ml cream, stiffly beaten

Method:
Preheat oven to 190 degrees c - non fan forced, and don't start until it is fully preheated.

With a swiss roll tin or large baking tray with at least 2cm lip at sides - grease by brushing with melted butter on bottom and all sides. Flour all sides and pat over sink to remove excess flour.


With an electric hand beater or stand mixer, beat the eggs and butter at high speed until they almost if not, double in size and becomes pale and fluffy (see bottom pic)



pour in water and vanilla, beat gently a few rounds to combine

take beaters off, and sift in 1/3 of flour at a time, folding through with a metal spoon each time.

Place in oven for 12-15 minutes until a little golden on top.



When cool (about 15-20 mins) spread jam over - covering as much as possible and then about 1cm thickness of cream - cream should be quite stiff to allow the cake to keep its' form.




Keep refrigerated before and after serving - I think the playgroup Mums will enjoy it  tomorrow- don't you?

today was MUCH better.  Got off to school with no dramas.   First sports day with luckily a sports school I happened to pick up at the uniform shop last year for $5.  Better than the $28 parents were paying for it this morning.  HOWEVER.  Generic polo sport shirt - $31!!!  For  size 6 cotton polo shirt?  Expensive much?  Luckily there was the option of a cotton t-shirt in your house colour for $10.  Brilliant - done.  Yellow though?  She's a grub - we'll see how long that lasts hehe.  Also got a second-hand generic shirt that just needs a good soak a hemming of 5cm at the bottom - for nicks!  Frugality rules today.

But the highlight of my day, my week is this - how CUTE is this?  Where you cut out the words and glue them under the sentence to make your own sentence.  Love the dress and flowers, oh and the hairdo! (and the back-to-front S - my little leftie!)

Oh my yesterday.

Yesterday was Eloise's second day of school, and without the fanfare it was time to give our new routine a run for the first time.

Started out well, everyone breakfasted, school lunch made and kids dressed by 8.15am
First load of washing on the line at 8.30 and other load put on to wash.
Shower for me at 8.30 and finally getting final preps to leave at 8.50 - when I go to pack the bag.

I had dutifully collated all the items on the class requirement list - textas, whiteboard markers, left-handed scissors (for my leftie) and glue stick.  All labelled in her new labelled pencil case.

Except the pencil case zipper teeth seem to be cut in several places and cannot be closed.  Panic as I try to find another pencil case.  Furious at the blatant disregard for (new) property I was trying not to blow a gasket!

OK, so that panic over, go to put on my wedding and engagement rings - can't find them - so ring hubby at work because quite frequently, he will put them away if I've put them on a shelf.  He has no idea and then Eloise starts to look sheepish.

Turns out she put them in her shorts pocket YESTERDAY.  The shorts that are going around in the front loading washing machine that I can't open until it's finished.  That won't be finished for at least another ten minutes, when school starts.

I head off with the kids to school in distress, and rush home to find only my wedding ring in the bottom of the washing machine.

Right then and there I was thanking goodness Eloise was at school - for her own protection mainly.

I search the house, I look under beds, in and around the washing machine and washing basket, the trampoline, the couches, under rugs - you name it,, I became increasingly frantic as the day went on.

Finally when hubby came home he covered the same ground I did and I could tell he was getting quite worked up.  He then went outside and found it - in the grass near our slippery dip.  I could not believe it.  I broke down in tears and hubby and I hugged each other with relief.

Then came the unpacking of the school bag - we've lost the school jacket she's had all of TWO days.  The jacket that was in her bag just in case it got cold - not likely in 28 degree heat.  But she left it at school assembly.  It is labelled, hopefully today at drop-off we can collect it from the office or lost property. 

Honestly, if this is day two of school... help me!  I thought her being at school was supposed to lessen my workload?

I haven't posted my meal plans recently, but I thought I'd reassure you I still do them!  Just been uber busy!

This weeks' menu is centred around our vegetable garden and the harvests we need to use in order to get our Autumn garden established:


Monday (today) - Sausage Eggplant Casserole
Tuesday - Chickens' in the bag
Wednesday - Spanakopita
Thursday - Beef Stroganoff
Friday - Pizza (and a beer or two!)
Saturday -  Salmon Macaroni Bake
Sunday - Spinach and Eggplant Canneloni

For our Australia Day BBQ last week, our guests (ahem, my FRIENDS) enjoyed making fun of me.  They joked that I made the plastic plates that we ate from, re-used the paper serviettes provided. 

This came after I had presented them with home-made dips and home made crispbread.  Seriously though, this was really yummy and super easy and makes a large quantity so easy to halve the recipe or use for a large gathering - or even freeze what you don't use.

The combination of fennel seeds and caraway seeds give it amazing taste - nice enough to eat on its' own or dip into your favourite dip (I served mine with pumpkin walnut dip and eggplant dip)

Ingredients:
500ml milk
1/2 tb honey
1/2 tb golden syrup
1 tsp salt
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp dried yeast
120g plain flour
730g wholemeal flour

Method:
In a saucepan, to the milk, add the honey, golden syrup, salt, caraway and fennel seeds, heat until tepid (about 38 degrees c)

In a large mixing bowl or your stand mixer if it has a dough attachment, pour the yeast in and gradually add the heated warm ingredients until all in. 

Gradually add the flours, and knead until forms and elastic-like dough.

 Leave to prove for one hour.  Preheat oven to 220 degrees c.


Turn out dough onto floured surface - roll it out as THINLY as possible. Cut out or even press out with cookie cutter if you want a specific shape (personally I like odd bits!) and lay out on greased trays.




 Bake for about 3-5 minutes on each side (i.e. you'll need to turn them over. Allow to cool on trays for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling trays. Store in airtight container for 4 days or freezer for 2 months.

Ingredients:

100 g currants
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
370g plain flour
3/4 tsp baking poder
3/4 tsp tsp ground cinnamon
200g unsalted butter, softened
100g caster sugar
500g soft brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg white, extra
white sugar (for rolling in)

Method
Put currants in a bowl, pour boiling water over to cover them, then leave for 5 minutes (they will become plump)  drain well and return to bowl, pour over the juice of one orange and put in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight if you wish.  When done, drain out the orange juice and set aside whilst making the dough.


Beat together butter, sugar and orange zest until pale.  Whilst still beating at low speed add the egg and combine well.

Whilst still beating, add flour gradually and then when all combined thoroughly for the last couple of beats, add the currants, be careful not to mix too fast and tear the currants.

Use the paper to roll the mixture into tight sausage shapes and wrap in the baking paper.  Put in the refrigerator for 1 hour, and whilst doing so preheat the oven to 170 degrees c.

After chilling set up your 'station'.  1 tray with white sugar, a cup with the egg white, a pastry brush, a chopping board, serrated knife and baking trays lined with kitchen paper.

Unwrap your cookie dough, and paint with egg white, roll white sugar, then slice into 7mm thick slices.
 Place on your trays and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Allow to cool on tray for about 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks.  Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

Plum jam is so versatile isn't it?  I'm a recent convert to plum jam - I've always used it on ribs and asian marinades but now having made this, it's a favourite on toast!  In fact, I caught hubby with a spoonful in his mouth!

I'll be on the lookout at next Farmgate Trail for another box - I used 2kg (without stones) and it netted me 2.5 litres of jam.  But given I do marinade and now use it for toast, I think I might want to make some more right?  Plums are in season at the moment so are a good price, I picked up a box for $4. All up I would say it cost me about $2.50 a litre. 

Ingredients
2kg of Plums, weighed after stones removed. (I used a combination of light and dark fleshed plums)
350ml water
1.7 kg white sugar

Method:
Place water and plums into large stockpot and bring to a simmer for 25 minutes



Pour into your sterilised jars (don't you love my jar funnel - I love it and it was only $8.95!) and process in boiling water (I did mine for 35 minutes - see this post for more info on processing)

I'm sure you're all sick of me banging on about this now, but today the day finally arrived.   She was up early, bouncing off the walls, impatient to get in her school uniform.

First of all we posed for pictures at home:

When I'm stressed - I cook
When I'm happy - I cook
When I'm emotional - I cook

So of course my first baby going off to school today meant what? Yes, I cooked - muesli bars for school lunches.  I resent paying 50c a muesli bar (or more) for what I have no idea what is in them.  These ones were inspired by Julie Goodwin, she had a recipe in this months' Australian Womens' Weekly - however a few ingredients I didn't have and some others I decided to substitute for taste (where indicated)  - The AWW is a worthy buy this month for back-to-school recipes - I'm sure I'll try a few more from a seasoned school mum like Julie!

Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups rice bubbles (puffed rice)
1/2 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1/2 cup currants (Julie uses 1 cup of sultanas instead of craisins/currants)
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (Julie uses linseeds)
150g butter, diced (the 200g Julie suggested is too much, it didn't set properly and I had to re-bake it so I'd just use 150g in future)
2/3 cup honey (as per the butter, I'd reduce this from the 3/4 cup Julie suggests)
1/3 cup caster sugar

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees c. If using fan-forced, 160 degrees c.
Grease a lamington pan or one of similar sizing and line with greaseproof/baking paper.  grease the paper once in place.
Mix the oats, rice bubbles, craisins, currants, coconut, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds in a large bowl.

Heat the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan, melt the butter and stir to combine all ingredients, simmer until mixture becomes more syrupy and honeycomb-ish colour.  Take off the heat.


Stir through gradually into the dry ingredients and when well combined,  pour into pan/tin.  Press down well..... put into the oven for 20 minutes, the mix will be golden brown on top when you take it out of the oven.  Cool in the tray.



It is delicious, and I will make it again, with the changes to the quantities of butter and honey.