Wholly Cow

On our way home from Hamilton after Cannon's Starjam performance. We stopped in a local Farmers market for a look-see. As we walked around Al couldn't resist this stand with its "Flinstone" sized meat products. After buying his T-bone steak he cheekily asked the owner if he could have a photo with him so he could remember this manly moment forever.

Flowers

The girls from my Better Scrapbooking group got together and brought me some flowers when my father passed away, it also came with a really nice tag which I've put away with other memorablia that I will some day make mini album with with. That's if I can stop crying long enough to make it.

Papa Ted

Ted had come from Raro for Dad's Funeral which also gave him a chance to do a little of grandpa and grand-daughter bonding unfortunately Aiko didn't warm up to him until the day he was leaving to go home.

Gingerbread Christmas trees

This idea I found in last weeks Lucky Break magazine. Except they use white icing and those edible silver balls that I forget the name of. I had found an easy gingerbread cookie recipe online and then coloured the trees using red and green icing. The major problem I had was battling the heat as the dough was too crumbly (added more butter and then popped them in the fridge) and then the icing wouldn't set and my trees keep falling over...lol. But I'm please with the final result. I never used to taste my baking but after watching soooo many cooking shows I understand how important this step really is.

Bucannon's class and teachers really liked them.

Chocolate Chip cookies

Got this recipe of youtube and it is delish and easy peasy to make. Child no.2 helped out and then proceeded to guard them like they were his babies - PLEASE.

Ingredients:
100g melted butter
1 C Brown Sugar (semi packed)
1 Egg
150g of chocolate chips (I used 1C)
3/4 C Chopped walnuts (put them in a bag and smash them a bit)
1 C Flour
1 1/2C Rolled Oats
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Method:
Melt butter
Beat egg and then add Brown Sugar (while butter is melting)
Add butter and mix
Add dry ingredients (Flour,Baking Powder and Baking Soda) and mix
Add Walnuts mix, then add Vanilla Essence
Add Rolled Oats and mix, add Choc chips and mix

Drop spoonfuls onto a baking tray and allow enough room for them to spread
Bake at 180C for about 10-20mins depending on your oven

21st present

Child no.1 had been invited to a school friends 21st, we were just going to do the usual $30 gift voucher from Westfield but with money being super tight, I had an idea; maybe I should just make some thing for them instead. He said she liked bracelets - well..say no more. One girly bracelet coming up, suprisingly it only took a couple of hours to put together which is a record for me.

Ginger Crunch

This is the Edmonds Cookbook Ginger Crunch

The icing:
The recipe calls for 3TB of Ginger I used 2TB's

When making the icing Don't I repeat DON'T walk away for even a second, because it can burn very quickly which is what I discovered today. I had to add a bit more golden syrup, butter and icing sugar so it didn't look so dark in colour. Child no.2 said it had a bitter after taste but I didn't notice.

The recipe also says to pour the topping over the base while still hot - I wait for it to cool a bit before adding the topping