Our favourite cookies

Hey guys! Its been nearly a year since I last posted something on here! I've missed this space so much but kinda lost my blogging mojo. I found it again today, not sure if it will last or not but in the meantime here is a super yum chocolate and almond cookie recipe I came up with to use my favourite chocolate. 

Pretty much the perfect combo. 

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

2T hot water

2t vanilla

1 cups rolled oats

3 cups flour

1t salt

1t baking soda

3/4 block of whittaker's dark almond chocolate (roughly chopped).

Cream the butter and sugars in the food processor, add eggs, vanilla and hot water. Scrape down the bowl and throw in the rolled oats, flour, salt and baking soda. Empty the mixture into a big mixing bowl and add the chocolate.

Roll into balls and place onto a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 mins until lightly browned.

You're welcome

x

~Utterly Divine Passionfruit and Coconut Cake~

If you are looking for a super easy and totally divine cake for dessert or afternoon tea today then this is the one for you!

•   
• 1 cup self raising flour, sifted
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 125 g butter, melted
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 passionfruit pulp
• 2 tbsp lime/lemon zest, finely granted
• thickened cream, to serve
• 
  
• Syrup
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 4 passionfruit pulp
• 1/3 cup lime/lemon juice (I used lemon instead of lime throughout and it was delish)
• 1 tbsp finely grated lime/lemon zest
• 
  
• Preheat oven to moderate, 180°C. Lightly grease a ring cake tin
• In a large bowl, combine flour, coconut and sugar. Add butter, milk, eggs, passionfruit pulp and zest. Mix lightly until combined.
• Pour into prepared  tin. Bake for 30-35 mins or until golden and cooked when tested with a skewer. Transfer to a wire rack, top-side up.
• 
  
• Lime & Passionfruit Syrup: Meanwhile, combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir over a low heat without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil on high. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5-10 mins, until thickened slightly.
• Serve cakes drizzled with syrup and accompany with cream.
• 
  
• To.Die.For
• 
  
• Note: Just in case you are interested... I realized as I started this cake that I had no baking powder... eeek! With a baby soundly sleeping I didnt want to run to the shop and I needed to get this in the oven.... a quick search on the ole' interweb and I discovered that I could mix 1tsp of cream of tartar and 1/2tsp of baking soda and Voila... you have baking powder! Whoop whoop.. it worked a treat!!
• 
  

~ Tomato Kasandi ~

 I said I would give you this recipe....

so.... here it is!  It is pretty much the yummiest chutney/relish EVER!

a must try

You will need...

1 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup mustard seeds

1/4 cup cumin seeds

200g minced ginger

100g crushed garlic

2.5kg tomatoes - chopped

450g sugar

2T tumeric

4T chilli powder 

(I used a couple of fresh ones)

500ml malt vinegar

2T ground coriander

3T salt

Heat the oil in a large pot and cook the mustard and cumin seeds.

Reduce the heat and add the rest of the ingredients and then simmer on a low heat for 1 1/2 hours.

Once cooked then blend together to get rid of any lumps of tomato etc and bottle into jars.

(If you have enough self control) then leave for at least 2 weeks before eating to allow the flavours to develop.

enjoy

xx

Stills - An Instagram Collection

         

           1. Beautiful Sunday picnic at the beach

           2. A 'Selfie' by Mollie

           3. Milky Kisses

           4. The Boys

           5. Best 'Thank You' card EVER!! - by the beautiful Dee and her tribe of five

           6. Mmmmm... divine Bay Espresso Coffee 

           7. Tomato Kasandi.  Oh baby... this is the best relish in the world! (Recipe to follow)

Joining in with Em from the BeetleShack

xx

Stills - a weekly collection

 

      

                                              1. Theodore

                                              2. Making: Stylie Dribble Bibs

                                              3. Vintage wooden tray, picked up on a recent trip to Melbourne

                                              4. Making: Infinity scarf out of gorgeous fabric

                                              5. Pebbles

                                              6. Making: Harvest pasta sauce

                                              7. Teddy boy with his doting sister (and other mother) 

Joining in with the lovely Em over at the BeetleShack 

Weekly Stills

1.  Anemones. Enjoying jars full of my favourite flower all through the house as they have their brief but glorious moment in our garden.
2. Waterfall. We had the most wonderful Easter weekend with dear friends... a highlight was walking a beautiful bush walk that ended in....
3... another bigger gorgeous waterfall which our eldest son proceeded to jump off!! Lucky for him he had asked his dad and not me for permission!
4. Finn taking some much needed time out for a quiet read in everyone's favourite sunny reading spot.
5. Chocolate chip oatie cookies... Mmmmmm!

Hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend... so nice to still have such summery weather to make it extra enjoyable!

Joining in for the first time with the lovely Emma from the Beetle Shack

xx

Homemade Pasta

My charlie boy LOVES lasange... he would eat the entire dish all by himself if he was allowed to!! For his birthday dinner last week it was a no-brainer as to what we would have!! To make it extra special I made the pasta and then wondered why I don't make it more often!! So easy and so cheap and sooooo much tastier!

Here is my super simple recipe courtesy of this lovely lady.

Note - I used my pasta maker (which was a super cheap bargain from Kmart!) but this can also easily be done without one - its a great work out for those arms ladies!!

For enough pasta for a family sized lasange or fettucine for 2-3 adults.

2 cups plain flour
2 eggs
1 tsp salt

Pile the flour onto the bench and make a well in the centre into which you drop the eggs and salt. Fork the flour into the eggs until the mixture is a pliable dough. (Try to keep a wall of flour all the way around the eggs or they will shoot all over the bench!!)  You may not need all the flour as different flours have different abilities to absorb liquid so maybe use half a cup less to begin with and add more as needed.

When you have a soft dough knead it thoroughly for 5-10 mins or run it through the roller of a pasta machine 5 or 6 times. The dough should make a snapping sound when you cut through it.
If you have time leave it in the fridge for half an hour (but not overnight as it goes a very funny colour!)

Roll the dough out on the bench. It is an elastic mixture so stretch it as you roll and be assertive with it. When you have it as thin as it manageable trim the edges and dust with flour.

For lasagne: Use in flat sheets
For fettucine: Roll loosely and slice across the roll into ribbons.
For Ravioli: Cut circles or squares of pasta and brush the edges with water. Place little mounds of tasty filling in the midde. Lay another layer of pasta over the top and press down very firmly.

Muesli to die for!!

I am in love with my mamas  muesli at the moment.. I made some for myself the other day and its SOOOOO good!! I thought I would share it  so you can enjoy it too!! 

6 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup natural almonds
(chopped)
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup honey ( I used a mixture of honey and molasses)
3/4 cup canola oil

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C. Place the oats, seeds, almonds and cinnamon in a large bowl and mix to combine. Stir the honey and oil in a saucepan over low heat for 2 mins or until melted and combined. Add the honey mixture to the dry ingredients and mix to combine.

Divide the muesli between two baking trays lined with baking paper and spread evenly. Bake for 20-25 mins, stirring occasionally or until golden. 
Makes 8 cups.

Tips

Allow to cool completely before storing.
When cool it will be a solid mass. Break it up into small clusters to store.
Add dried fruit once it has been cooled and broken up
Try replacing 1 cup of rolled oats with 1 cup of coconut

Enjoy!
xx