I LOVE Australia.

Happy Australia Day long weekend everyone! Yes, I do realise it is now Wednesday but I have been reflecting on how lucky we are to live in this amazing country. I am so grateful to live in a place that is peaceful, not ravaged by wars and that allows myself and my family to live with freedom and have the life we desire. We also live in a land of extreme weather conditions ... floods and bushfires .... and my heart goes out to those many families that have been affected by these disasters in recent months.

For us, Australia Day is a time to relax and celebrate our good fortune to live in this wonderful place with friends and family. We are lucky enough to have some friends who love to theme occasions as much as I do and we have such a ball together. We have a BBQ lunch by a little creek where the kids can all clamber over the rocks and splash in the water. As you know, I love to colour coordinate everything and this year saw our family in traditional green and gold.

Events like this also give me the opportunity to indulge my creative side in the kitchen. I made koala cupcakes this year. Very cute and easy to boot! First make chocolate cupcakes and ice them with chocolate icing. Then cut a pink marshmallow in half and ice the outside edge with icing before rolling in dessicated coconut. After positioning the marshmallow ears at the top of the cake, add a black jellybean nose and 2 brown M&Ms for eyes. Cover the rest of the cake with coconut and voilá! Koala. (One of our non-dangerous wildlife specimens.  We boast many of the most dangerous creatures on the planet; a fact that Australian's are secretly quite proud of!) Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi Oi Oi!

Sponge Cake with Sprinkles

This is a family favourite. My mum made this for my sister and I when we were growing up. My girls (and David) love it too. Quick to make and delicious, my recommendation is that you double the mix and make a large cake (use a lamington tray) because you will find that it disappears very quickly. (This one went so fast that I didn't get a chance to snap a picture before they started eating it!)

SPONGE CAKE WITH SPRINKLES
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
vanilla essence
1/2 cup milk
4oz margarine

Melt butter. Mix all ingredients and then add melted butter. Cook at 180'C for about 40 minutes.

To make icing: melt 1 tablespoon of butter (or margarine) in 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Add to 1 cup of icing sugar. Then add sprinkles.

Rebecca proclaimed "I'm in cake heaven" as she was enjoying her cake when I made it just a few days ago. I hope your family likes it just as much.

M & Ms Cookies

OK, after several requests, here is my recipe for M & Ms Cookies. It's another quick and easy one (my favourites these days) and it makes 4 dozen cookies. Enjoy!

1 1/4 cups brown sugar
185gm butter
1 tspn vanilla essence
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups plain flour
180gm M & Ms
1 tspn baking soda

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease baking trays. Cream together butter and sugar until well combined. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in sifted flour and soda. Add M & Ms. Roll into balls by teaspoon mixture. Bake until light brown (approx 10 - 12 minutes).

Note: I'm a big fan of cooking in bulk and cookies are no exception. Most cookie doughs freeze really well, so make one batch and freeze a second, ready for easy cookies another day (great for mornings when you realise you have nothing to put in the kids lunchboxes!)

Fudgy Chocolate Slice

I just have to share this recipe with you. It was a new one I tried for my various weekend events and it was a huge hit. Not only was it delicious but it was also quick and simple - 2 words I love to see associated with recipes.

FUDGY CHOCOLATE SLICE

2 packets of buttersnap biscuits (200gm each)
90gm butter
200gm dark chocolate + extra 100gm for topping (I used milk chocolate for the topping)
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Note: The original recipe says this will fit in a lamington tray. I doubled the recipe and then spread it across 3 slice trays.

Spray baking tray with oil and line with baking paper (this will make it easier to lift the slice out when it is finished). Place the biscuits in a food processor and process until evenly crushed. Melt butter and add to biscuits. Melt chocolate in the microwave - it will take about a minute but I do it in 20 second bursts so as not to burn it. Stir chocolate until smooth. Add condensed milk to chocolate and stir then add to biscuit mix. Stir until well combined. Spread into baking tray. Melt the second lot of chocolate and pour over base. Refridgerate until firm.

Note: Allow the slice to return to room temp before you attempt to cut it up or the top layer of chocolate is likely to shatter. You can cut it into squares but as it is quite rich, I cut my squares in half.

Enjoy!

PS. I plan to be back with another post later today but for now must go and hang some washing and make the most of this glorious weather.

Comfort food

Sorry I have been AWOL for the past two weeks. Some weeks are just like that - life gets busy and all the non-essentials just get pushed to the side for a bit. And as a result of too many late nights and trying to cram too much into our days, both David and I have managed to be struck down by the dreaded cold. We are both feeling miserable - sore throats, stuffy heads, a cough for him and a headache for me. The only good thing is that we haven't managed to share it with the girls ... yet. Fingers crossed we can keep it that way.

So these items have become my best friends. Nothing like a hot honey and lemon drink when you are feeling yucky. And comfort food ... think soups; easy to swallow, warm and you can fill them with lots of vegies. Last night, I made a HUGE pot of Minestrone Soup. It is actually the recipe from my Year 8 Food and Nutrition class at school. Easy to make and delicious.

MINESTRONE SOUP

2 onions - roughly chopped

300gm bacon - diced

garlic

2 large potatoes - cubed

1 tin diced tomatoes

8 cups water

4 teaspoons of beef stock

4 medium carrots - diced

3 celery sticks - diced

1 large zucchini - diced

1 cup of pasta

Fry onion, bacon & garlic. Add water and other ingredients (except pasta). Bring to boil and then simmer for 1/2 hour. Add pasta and continue to simmer until pasta is cooked through. Serve with crusty bread and parmesan cheese.

The great thing about this soup is that with the potatoes and pasta it is really filling. Add the bread and it is a meal in itself.

What comfort food do you like in your family? I would love you to share your favourite recipes.

Mmmm Cookies

With the 3 big girls off at school I am relishing the extra time I seem to have everyday. I feel like I am finally getting on top of some of my organising projects (though there are many, many more to go) and happily, I have so much more time to get into the kitchen. I am really enjoying rediscovering some of the recipes I have not cooked in some time, especially many that my mum used to make for my sister and I when we were at school.

Aren't we cute? We were about 9 and 6 at the time. And check out that wallpaper and carpet. My Dad loved to wallpaper; we had it in every room in the house.

So, without further ado, my Mum's recipe for Coconut Cookies.....

120gm butter (use butter not margarine)

1 1/4 cup self raising flour

1 cup sugar

1 egg

desicated coconut

Melt butter. Mix flour, sugar, egg and melted butter together. Roll into small balls and then roll in coconut. Bake in preheated 180C oven for about 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Recipes makes 3 dozen cookies. (And they are delicious!) Note: There are actually 6 dozen cookies here - with 6 of us, one batch never seems to last very long.

Oh and just so you can really imagine me as a school age child, I found this photo of myself from Grade 1. (circa 1981)

Favourite Recipe : Banana Bread

I've been back in the kitchen again today cooking one of my favourites: banana bread. This is such an easy recipe and the girls love it. I always make several loaves as one in our house lasts only a matter of minutes! It is also a great one for school lunchboxes as it freezes really well. I slice it before freezing and then it is just as simple as popping a slice in the toaster to defrost and warm or turn it up a little for crispy bread.

BANANA BREAD
2 bananas
1 1/4 cups self-raising flour
1 tspn cinnamon
20gm butter (or margarine)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk

Mash bananas. Sift flour. Add other ingredients and mix. Do not overmix - batter should be lumpy. Cook in a loaf tin in a hot oven 200C for approx 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Back to school cooking

Well the girls have returned to school and Miss 5 has navigated her first day of Prep successfully. Now to get myself organised for school lunches ...

This is one of my (and the girls) favourite slice recipes. The basic recipe is the same but with a few ingredient changes, you have 2 different slices. It is great for school lunch boxes and you can freeze it (although mine never makes it to the freezer). The girls also like that they can make it almost on their own (I just supervise the melting).

WEETBIX SLICE
150gm butter
4 crushed weetbix (1 cup of weetbix)
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup coconut
2 tablespoons orange juice

Mix dry ingredients well. Melt butter and add orange juice. Add to dry ingredients. Press into greased 28cm x 19cm tin. Bake at 180C for approx 20 minutes. Ice with orange or lemon icing while still warm. Cut into squares.

CHOCOLATE WEETBIX SLICE
185gm butter
4 crushed weetbix
1 cup self raising flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
1 1/2 dessertspoons cocoa

Make as above. Ice with chocolate icing.

I would love to know what great recipes you use for school lunches and snacks. I will post a couple more of my favourites over the next few days. Enjoy .....

Thought I would sneak in a photo of the girls on their first day together.  Happy days.