Sifa's finished Tivaevae

My mother in law is very handy with a needle and embroidery thread.  The ladies at her church cut out the design, the backing sheet/s (depending on the size of the design) and get the matching thread.  

 

Too much fun going on here

Al always seems to go the best places while I'm at work

Double Duty

You know when you get to the end of the week and their a heaps of leftovers in the fridge and you think farg! what to do?! as there's never quite enough of anything to make anything.  I had one such week and then that familiar light bulb went off in my head - Quiche, and of course you have to have something to go with it - Apple Pie....muahahahahaha

I had some pastry sheets left over and decided to use them up - worked well on the quiche but not so much on the apple pie.  Note to self - don't take shortcuts when dealing with pastry

Little Miss and her cupcakes

Little Miss A wanted to bake some  cupcakes for her Nana but after they were done she didn't want to share them after all....lol.  She is become quite the baker and she already doing what the judges say on Master Chef - taste, taste, taste; no mixing spoon or whisk or beater prongs is left unlicked when she's around.

Alan's Birthday in May

Its a long standing tradition in our family that everyone gets a cake on their birthday, this year I thought Al deserved a very large cupcake for his. Little Miss A thought it was her birthday too - hmmmmm, lol.

It was made using a silicon mold purchased through Avon last year and this was only the second time I had used it. 

Mothers Day Lunch at PIC Henderson

It was really nice to be a part of this Mothers Day celebrating that, there was so much food we could have stayed there for a few days and still had leftovers.  There are some awesome cooks amongst the church ladies and my little offering didn't even compare to huge variety of foods on offer.

I made banana cupcakes with buttercream icing and marshmallow fondant hearts on the top 

Absent Blogger

A friend asked me recently why I hadn't updated my blog and I really didn't have a good enough answer

Muffin tin Bacon and Egg pies

All winter long I've been thinking about making my own pies. Now back in the day I would have used my pie maker but it only makes two at a time and you know me I bake in bulk.

Ingredients:
Puff pastry
Bacon pieces or rashers (cut into small pieces) - I didn't fry my bacon pieces beforehand
Eggs
Mixed Vegetables - I boiled them first as I wasn't sure they would cook properly from frozen
Seasoning - salt, pepper etc
Large muffin tins

Method:
Cut each sheet into quarters - each sheet will yield 2pies (base and top)
Grease or spray your muffin tins
Press 1/4 of pastry sheet into the muffin tins and mould it so it covers most if not all of the base and sides.
Add egg and break the yolk, then bacon, then vege's and seasoning
Place a pastry on the top and pinch base and top together to create a seal.
Drizzle milk over the top to help the pastry brown while in the oven

Bake for about 25-30mins depending on your oven

Bacon Bread / Loaf

An apt desciption would be: Bacon and Cheese bread made with Buttermilk biscuit dough

I saw this recipe on youtube - thanks yoyomax12, she uses prepackages buttermilk biscuit dough in a pressurised can. Unfortunately on the otherside of the world in Nz we don't have that so here's what I did.

Ingredients:
Buttermilk biscuit dough - heaps of recipes on the internet
Bacon bits, cheese AND wait for it...... Italian salad dressing, yep you heard right, this is what gives your bread/loaf it's herbie flavour.

Method:
Once you've made you dough, simply use a layering technique eg..dough, then bacon and cheese and a sprinkling of Italian salad dressing and repeat.
Bake in the oven for 25-30mins depending on your oven

Can be served warm or cold
Enjoy

Lemon Meringue Pie

I hadn't made one of these in such a long, long, long time. It was one of the very first things I baked as a pre-teen and it started my love affair with baking. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my former Cooking Teacher Mrs. Webb from Rangeview Intermediate in West Auckland.

I followed the Nz Woman's Weekly recipe. It's easy to follow and most ingredients can be found in your pantry

Strawberry Jam

Yes I'm at it again.....making jam

I love the fact that because I make my own I don't have to buy it from the supermarket. I'm able to reuse the same jars over and over again . I'm not using any artificial preservatives or additives. AND I'm saving money - what could be better than that.

I'm lucky enough that the guy down the road every season sells strawberries for as little as 4 punnets for $5.00, they are locally grown and they are of a very good quality.

Recipe:
Ingredients
900grams of Strawberries - stems removed, cut into quarters depending on size
4 C of sugar
1/4 C of Lemon Juice

Method:
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, mix together the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice.
** as the fruit begins to soften you can either a masher or a stick mixer to break up the fruit.
Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved - dissolved completely
Increase heat to high, and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil for 15-20mins and then see if it has reach it's setting point.
* Remove and scum that forms on the top before putting into clean jars.

Sterlising jars and other tips:
Now i'm not huge on following the rules exactly and I've read on different websites that as long as the jars have been cleaned thoroughly beforehand then you don't have to sterilise them just before use, as the hot jam will do that job.
Another trick someone showed me is to turn the jars upside down not to only to check for leaks but to also again to sterlised the lid. According to some sites it also means you don't have to put the jam through a hot water bath.
If you don't get that sealed dip on your lid it doesn't necessarily mean it's not sealed properly as any leaks would have become visual when you turn the jars upside down. I have found no problems with mould etc even after the jam has been in storage for over a year

Beer Bread

I've seen it being made on youtube and on different websites but it really didn't appeal. But with the cost of bread going up and up I thought what the heck, nothing to lose and everything to gain. I think in this loaf I may have left in a bit longer than I should have but I'm happy with the results.

Recipe
Ingredients:
3 Cups of Flour *
3 Tbsp Baking Powder
3 Tbsp Sugar
1 330ml can of Beer (any flavour)
*Some recipes say to use Self Raising Flour only - but if plain flour is all you have available just use it.

Method:
Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl
Add in beer, allow to sit for a bit and the fold all ingredients together. Careful not to overmix

Pop into a well greased loaf tin
Bake for 50-60mins and use the spring back test or if your loaf moves freely in the tin after some gentle shaking - it's done.

You can add extra ingredients eg..cheese, olives etc...
Some youtubers add melted butter over the top before putting the bread in the oven, others wait until 5-10mins before the end.

Epic Fail

like the emails you get with the pictures and the subject line says "Fail". I have no-one to blame but myself and over summer I've put back on what I've lost BUT over the last couple of weeks I've lost a couple of kilos, with all the running around, late night shopping and working longer hours at work. So maybe half a "Fail"..lol

I really can see the funny side of things but at the end of the day I can't keep going down this road, I always say this time will be different but it will only ever be different if I'm different.

Week Two

Well, the wheels fell off and couldn't be put back on. I figured out a few more triggers to my eating habits

Stress - I don't eat when i'm stressed and then pig out, not good.

I don't plan my meals so I eat what I can easily get my hands on.

I sometimes forget to eat because I'm in that "nearly finished" mode so won't eat until I have finished, which is way later than it needs to be.

I tend to pick during the day instead of having set meal times so I feel full pretty much all the time instead of giving my body a chance to digest what I've just eaten

Still filling out my junk journal - unbelievable I know

Week One

Week one has come and gone. I must say I'm feeling a whole heap better, I'm not constantly feeling bloated or like I wanna throw up because I stuffed myself silly.

I still have my cravings - chocolate and chips and pretty much anything salty, which goes into overdrive when it's that time of the month....grr!!!

I tend to eat rubbish when I'm tired - another trigger.

I noticed when I don't take my water bottle, I will buy a fizzy drink instead - which is a complete waste of money. I drink more water then I drink coke zero these days

I eat breakfast, skip lunch which isn't good and then dinner which I try and eat early in the day and of late I haven't had the last cuppa and bikkie just before going to bed. I know doing this is bad but it became a very bad habit and one I'm still working on quiting.

I don't particularly like exercising these days mainly because of the way I feel after but I understand it's a necessary. So instead I try and get out and do things in the garden, weeding, making improvements building up a bit of a sweat. But with the weather improving you just never know - I may and it's not a promise go for a walk...lol.

I've managed to keep writing in my smash book about what's happening foodwise - woop, woop. I was so sure I would have given up by now.

Week two here I come - what you got in store for me

My Junk Journal

I created this journal because I'm sick of being FAT. I try and laugh it off but i'm really not happy, I don't know too many FAT people who are completely happy physically. You just can't do stuff, some things just seem to take sooo much more effort - grrrr!!!

I want to be able to put on a pair of shorts and not have to readjust them a thousand times while out. I don't want to have to go to the next size up and the fact that I can go out and buy the next size up is no incentive AT ALL!! I want to be able to buy a top that falls over my bum and not sit on it so I have to keep pulling it down ....can I hear an AMEN!!

I don't want to have to suck my guts in when sitting at Fast food places with fixed seating - ya'll know what I mean...lol. I pretty much put back on what I had taken so long to take off...grrr!!!

Now back to the why I created my junk journal. As you've probably guessed its about my journey to a better healthier me. I didn't want to make it a year long thing which I would probably lose interest in by the second day. I wanted to do it over a couple of months, taking it day by day, adding snippets of what is going on in my head and maybe getting some insight on the why I eat what I eat and when I eat.

Hope you stick around for a few laughs and a lot of tears.

Little Miss Cupcake

I had some spare cupcakes over from an order I had just finished for a friend at work and Little Miss Cupcake had been pestering most of the afternoon and night to help out. So as a reward for her patience I let her pipe her one with buttercream icing and sprinkles.

Little Miss Gardener

While I was outside re-potting some store bought lettuce Little Miss A came outside and wanted to help. She had spied a pink pot and HAD to use it. So I helped her pour some potting mix into it with a small spade, use her finger to poke holes, drop the seeds in the holes and cover them. I gave her a little drink bottle to water them and no surprise - one swig for the pot and one swig for her...lol. She was so attentive and helpful, can't wait to see her face when they start growing.


After planting her Sweetcorn and Bean seeds we went inside to make labels for her pots. I have some super sized ice block sticks and I helped her write the words and then she drew a picture of each at the bottom.

Next step was to go outside and label each pot. The pink pot is for Beans and the green pot is for Sweetcorn.


Here she is holding her Beans pot

Here she is holding her Sweetcorn pot

Baking Challenge - #1

Apple Cake with Lemon Icing I got this recipe of a blog but can't remember which one now. Using simple ingredients that can be easily found in your pantry.

Ingredients:
4 Eggs
2 C of Sugar
3 tsp of Vanilla Essence
1 C of Oil (any kind)
2 C of Flour
4 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
2 C freshly chopped apples - sprinkled with sugar
Pecan nuts - recipe doesn't specify how many

Method
Combing eggs, sugar, vanilla and oil
Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger
Fold in apples and nuts (I used walnut pieces)
Pour into greased or lined tin and bake aprox 1hour or until done

Ice or not to ice up to you - I used lemon icing and then sprinkled shredded coconut over the top

Feedback:
Texture nice and moist but I think next time I'll add a bit more cinnamon to boost up the flavour.

Baking challenge revival.

I'm going to revive my baking challenge again. I'm doing the odd bit of catering here and there so its a good time to start challenging myself again. So I hope you pop in from time to time to see what I've been up to and I'll also be adding the odd picture to facebook.