Our little busy bee is 1.

First birthday.  Really?!  I'm still pinching myself that it's come around this quickly.  Didn't I just bring her home from hospital?  I think I'm feeling the sadness of babyhood passing more this time round.

Last weekend we had a little bee-themed family celebration for our Miss Violet, she had a ball and so did we.  After one failed attempt at cooking in a dolly varden tin,  I finally scraped in with the goods on the birthday cake.  Phew!  With 30 minutes to spare I was so glad to have it finished!

Despite my difficulties with cooking the cake, icing it really wasn't too hard.  It was literally rolling and laying pieces of tinted pre-made white icing onto the cake.  I didn't have time to make every roll absolutely perfect, but if you did have the time to fiddle with it you could get an even better result.  Overall it's a really forgiving cake, and the slight wonkiness of the layers just adds to the appeal I think.  Bees were made of more darkly tinted icing, black cake writing gel and milo duos for wings.

The instructions for this cake are found in this book (fantastic resource if you can get your hands on it).

The rest of the party decorations were kept pretty simple.  I made a few doily hangings and we had balloons and yellow/black/white nibbles.  We covered some drinks in brown paper & string and then served them with some yellow paper strawers.  

The birthday girl herself had a blast and her birthday top with it's honeycomb collar fit perfectly.  She approved of her cake as you can see.  My four year old has been asking for more cake with "yellow icing" all week, so it was a hit with the big kids too.

I'm still trying to come to grips with my newborn suddenly turning into a little girl overnight.  It's been a big week - first birthday, first steps and next week first day in childcare as I prepare for returning to work part time (not looking forward to that bit).   I have a feeling the next 17 years are going to fly.

Recipe: Easy yummy oatbran muffins

I'm in a cooking mood today.  Already we've made these delicious bran muffins and a batch of meringues (meringues thanks to a little pair of "helping" hands dropping and cracking a carton of eggs!).  Still to go are Bill's meatballs for dinner and some strawberry "ice cream".

The recipe for these came from my Mum, who I think got it from my Nanna, so it's a good one, tested many many times.  One of my favourites because they're pretty healthy, not too much sugar, are a hit with the kids and have a nice chewy outside.

Eat them warm, whole, halved with some butter or cut a hole in the top and fill with golden syrup!   Delish.

Here's the recipe if you want to try them too!

Oatbran Muffins

1 cup SR flour

3/4 cup oatbran

1/2 cup raw sugar (or white sugar if you don't have raw)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup milk

1 egg (lightly beaten into the milk)

2 tablespoons melted margarine or butter

1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl

2. Add wet ingredients into the dry until just combined

3. Pour batter into a greased, 12 hole muffin pan

4. Bake at 190 degrees C for 25 mins

Enjoy! x

Leftovers.

Mmm.  Shortbread leftovers from our strawberry shortcakes.  Always a winner.

Fresh.

One of my all time favourite things is a fresh bunch of green produce spilling out the top of a grocery bag (in this case baby Pak Choy).

A few nights back I loaded up the fridge with lovely freshness, ready for a few dinner guests.  We made this for main and this for dessert.  Both tried and tested favourites at our place, they are easy peasy, very delicious and therefore perfect for weeknight entertaining.

Most of it I did on my own, but I had a little "help" with the photo shoot as you can see. 

Grandma's Ginger Biscuits

I've been baking, sewing and glueing up a storm today for a certain baby shower I'm helping put together for tomorrow.  

While I can't reveal my sewing adventures, I can tell you that these are seriously the best biscuits EVER.

Grandma's ginger biscuits.  Part of the anzacs/shortbread/ginger biscuits trio (family you know what this means). I've no idea where her recipe came from, but they are AWESOME.  Dunk these babies in a cup of tea and see what I'm talking about.

 And since it's Friday, I'll share the recipe with you...written exactly as she wrote it out for me.

GRANDMA'S GINGER BISCUITS:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plain flour
• 5 teaspns ground ginger
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 125g melted butter or margarine
• 2/3 cup honey

Method:

1. Place dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine
2. Melt honey and butter/marg in a small saucepan until bubbling
3. Add to dy ingredients and mix well
4. Place teaspoon sized amounts onto a greased tray
5. Place in oven set to 200 degrees c
6. Bake for 10 mins then change trays on shelves
7. Bake for another 5 - 10 mins

Note from Grandma - if cooked too long they go very hard.  Be careful on your teeth.

Note from me - bear in mind this recipe needs a little alteration for fan forced or hot ovens like mine.

Yum.  Enjoy!

I'm one very lucky girl.

I'm in love. A birthday gift from all of my family and husband. Little did I know that yesterday my Mr picked her up, carried her home on the train and walked 20 minutes home in the rain last night. Do you know how heavy these are?

 He's a keeper that one, and I think some gratitude baking is in order. Yes, most definitely.

Good one.

Image used with permission. Courtesy and copyright of Helene Dujardin 

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Faiselle Ice Cream and Raspberry Popsicles. Made in tiny glasses.  Wow.  What a fantastic recipe from Helen at Tartelette.  Good one!

Free Stuff I love.....Cupcake recipes!

OK.  I have to give my little brother credit for finding this one.  How good do these cupcakes look?   Yep, incredible.  AND the recipes are right here at Ming Makes Cupcakes, so why not give 'em a go?  And while you're at it, try the cookies and the savouries too.........Yum,  I'm such a sucker for lemon meringue.

Free Stuff I love: Donna Hay

Most of us here in Australia with any sort of interest in cooking and baking have a Donna Hay book on the shelf .    But I'm not sure everyone would have you been to her website.  Have you?

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If not, then click here.  I highly recommend it if you're wondering what to have for dinner.  I made chilli chicken cashew noodles the other evening and it was YUM!!

Good one.

This looks so easy peasy.  I think maybe I need to do it today.

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Good one Bakerella.

Book of the week: Mix and Bake

I found this book on my shelf this morning and thought I'd post it. It's Mix and Bake by Belinda Jeffrey. I received it as a gift about 12 months ago, but unfortunately I haven't made a single recipe from it. I can't tell you why, I just haven't. But flicking through this book made me want to bake, even though I am feeling very under the weather today! From looking through, it's full of baking, and old fashioned comfort baking too. Just what I feel like right now.

Here is this week's peek:

Apple and Pecan Crumble Cake

Egg, leek and bacon pie

Scrumptious Apple and Plumb Cobbler

Strawberry Jam snails

A pretty picture that I liked!

Have a lovely week everyone. I'm off to rest.

Book of the Week: Bake

Bake by the Australian Women's Weekly.  If you don't have this book and you like to bake, then seriously consider buying it or getting someone nice to buy it for you.  It will be worth it.  I have been in love with this book ever since I received it.  The good old Australian Women's Weekly does it again.  A book absolutely full of the most delightful baking recipes.  And better yet, all these recipes are beautifully categorised into:  

Chocolate Cakes

Butter Cakes

Sponge Cakes

Fruit Cakes

Syrup Cakes

Loaf Cakes

Rich Dessert Cakes

Cupcakes

Kid's Birthday Cakes

Allergy-free baking

Biscuits

Slices

Muffins

Scones

Friands

Tarts and Pastries

Sweet Pies

Breads and Buns

Cheesecakes

Desserts

Christmas Baking

Savoury Pies and Tarts

On top of all that, there are lots of special features, including chocolate tricks and techniques, decorations, the basics to things like scones, muffins and gift wrapping, as well as step by step instructions on pastry making, special equipment and more!  Such a good one to have on the shelf.  I am not disappointed with this gift.  Not at all.

You can be tempted by this book here.   x o

(ps.  I thought Georgie was a pretty match, so she made an encore appearance)

Red Velvet Cake

Only this year I discovered Red Velvet Cake, thanks to browsing around some US baking blogs. For Shayne's birthday this year, I decided to make it, since it looked so delicious. I used the Red Velvet Cake recipe from Pinch my Salt since the photography over there was just SO impressive, and made me want to eat every picture! I even made the cream cheese frosting (divine!) and the multi-layer version of the cake. Yes, it took a while, but was not too difficult.  Mine did not turn out exactly like the picture, but yummy nonetheless!

We celebrated with the cake a few days earlier, seeing as Shayne's folks were down from Brisbane for the weekend. I don't know if you can see from these pictures, but the cake was VERY red inside. I cannot believe I actually put in MORE THAN an entire bottle of red food colouring! Oh, but it tasted good!

Probably, looking back the change I would made for next time would be to only just cook this cake. It is a double layer, and mine seemed a little dry (although that could also be my frustratingly hot oven).

Book of the week: Fast, fresh and fabulous

Today's book of the week is Fast, Fresh and Fabulous by Janelle Bloom.  I am such a fan of her cooking, because she seems to understand how the average person thinks, and her recipes are so accessible.  She one GREAT cook who doesn't think techniques like using a microwave are beneath her, and incorporates it into so many dishes.  I  still to this day make a great microwave dessert that I saw her make on 'Ready, Steady Cook'.  It is so easy and simple.  All the recipes in her book are simple and delicious, using everyday ingredients (and if they don't she gives great substitutions).  I have never seen a biscuit recipe so simple as her Peanut Butter Cookies - wow(....and a little secret freebie - you can get this recipe on her website here).

This is a book I highly recommend.  Below are a few sneak peeks of the yummy things inside (great photography by Steve Brown too!).

Feta and Spinach Gozleme

Corn and Zucchini Fritter

Banana Walnut Bread (Yum)

Various Fruit Jams (made in the microwave!)

You can get a copy here, here or here plus many other places!

Friday

Today is a nice day. It is bright and Sunny in Sydney, with crisp,  cool air and a gentle breeze. The birds are chirping and it's Friday.

Ellie, Shayne and I all have colds (poor little one woke every couple of hours last night). But despite this I am feeling good because my kitchen smells like freshly baked home-made Anzac biscuits, and I have a good friend coming over to bring me a nice coffee. I made Anzacs last weekend for Anzac Day and forgot how much I liked them. Whoever made these up was a pure genius. Chewy and Sweet.  SOOOO good with a cup of tea and wonderful comfort food for anyone.

Someone Buy Me: Feed Me Now!

Oh, goody. Look what I just discovered on my wanderings through the bookshop yesterday....Bills new book is out! I really hope I can get my hands on a copy soon...

This book will be pretty much everywhere. Amazon, local bookstores, online shops. Booktopia is doing a special for Mothers Day, selling discounted, signed copies together with a copy of Susan Loomis' book On Rue Tatin for less than RRP.  Bargain. 

Book of the Week: Bills Open Kitchen

I love books. I love cookbooks and craft books especially. And my collection of these things is rather large, particularly on the cookery side. So, I thought I would share some of my favourites with you on Mondays.

Lets kick things off with one of the best ever in my opinion. Our first 'Book of the Week' is Bills Open Kitchen by Bill Granger. Bill is one of my absolute favourites, and you are bound to see a few more, if not all of them on this blog over the coming weeks. Bills Open Kitchen has some of the easiest and yummiest foods that are just fantastic for anytime. Great for entertaining. Some of my favourite tried and tested pages are below (you might even be able to see the dirty marks on the pages where I've used it over and over!)

Caramel Chicken (yum)

(Soft Centred Chocolate Puddings...so good.)

(Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls with dipping sauce - great for entertaining)

(Chocolate Tarts - Easy and Double Yummy!!)

If you like the look of this, you can get it here.

Mid week baking

This morning is Mum's Group and I've just made this yummy Cinnamon Teacake to take along. The smell of the warm cake, cinnamon and vanilla is to die for and it's hard not to test it just a little to make sure it's right! (Aside from the desire to eat it, I am honestly paranoid about these things). It is a really nice recipe from the good old Australian Women's Weekly. I got mine from a book, but this one is also available for free online, along with lots of other yummy AWW recipes.

If you'd like the recipe, you can get it here

A few notes:

1. My book called for 2/3 cup of sugar, but the online version only has 1/2 cup. Your choice I guess!

2. I used Anchor brand 'Cake, Biscuit & Pastry SR Flour' - highly recommended when you need a really light cake

3. I thought it would be OK to use a slightly larger cake tin. Not advised. Stick to a 20cm pan and then this will assure a nice high cake. Mine is a little thin.

Enjoy your Wednesday all. See you again soon xx