Some More Trivia, --How Would You Like to Have a Bath in Chocolates

Chocolate Heaven !

This window decoration was for a new Lolly Shop ( mainly chocolates ) that had recently opened in Healesville, ( Victoria, Australia )

They also had great cappuccinos  and gelati  ice - cream.  I gave it 10 out of 10. - YUMMY

Dr Harrys Canine Cookies - and doggie coats

Doggie Biscuits -  There yummy !

First of all - do you like the doggie coats ?

Its very cold and the little dogs are feeling it too.

This is Rocky in his bright blue outfit

 

Then we have Tommy, he's only little and looks so cute !

Red really suits him

Montana is the oldest doggie, yes he's getting old.

So his outfit looks quite dapper, the " Henry Higgens " look.

Where's  Cleo?, she must be hiding under the couch

Her outfit is so trendy too, - pink checks

Rocky is my grandsons dog, Cleo my granddaughters, and Tommy and Montanna, my daughters

 

now for the ---" DOG BISCUITS "

Making dog biscuits is fun and super easy.

They're great presents for friends,and healthy

Packed with parsley to make your dogs breathe smell great,

they boast a stack of vitamin C and iron as well.

Preparation time : 20 mins

Cooking time : 30 mins

Makes about 36 biscuits

Ingredients------

2-3 cups finely, chopped / minced fresh parsley

1/4 cup finely chopped carrot

1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese

2 Tbsp.vegetable oil ( preferably olive )

2 3/4 cups wholemeal flour

2 Tblp unprocessed bran flakes

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 - 1 cup of water

STEP 1 - Preheat oven to 180%C

Lightly grease 2 baking trays or line with baking paper

In a small bowl mix the parsley,carrot, cheese and oil.

In another bowl, stir together  the flour, bran, and baking powder

Add the parsley mixture and stir well

Gradually add 1/2 cup water.

Mix well, adding more water if needed to make the dough moist

Knead for 1 minute on a floured surface

STEP 2 - Roll the dough until 1cm thick

Use  small dog-boned- shaped cookie cutter, or a glass, to cut as many bikkies as you can , re-rolling scraps

Put the biscuits on baking trays, and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until biscuits are brown

Allow to cool on racks

The bikkies will harden as they cool

Store in an airtight, dog-proof container for up to2 months

I have tried these dog biscuits, and they are tasty ?

I found this recipe in the " Better Homes and Gardens " magazine

 

A Latte Coffee with a Difference -

I love my cappuccinos,  and latte  coffees

I think I know all the small, and large coffee places around the District. Some of my favourites I go back to again and again,

especially quaint little out of the way ones.

Its terrific to go with family and friends ,but also lovely to go on my own for a little peace and quite.

But, with a Coffee Latte I find it hot to handle sometimes ( I like my Coffees hot ) even with a paper napkins wrapped around it.

Then on Sunday, asking for a Latte Coffee, this is what  I was given

What a great invention

 We were at the Park Lake Restaurant ( in Shepparton )   overlooking the lovely Lake where my  great, heat free, Latte Coffee was bought out

I was so excited anyone would have thought I had won the Lottery or something

MARSHMALLOWS

ITS  WINTER IN 2 DAYS TIME 

What do think of at Winter Time, or better still what do children think of ?

Hot Chocolate, or Milo with delicious Marshmallows melting

Floyd didn't even wait to take his cap or helmet off

Is that a look of happiness on his face ?

Floyd thinks it looks like noughts, and crosses, o/+

Sarah's birthday cake looks delicious too .Her Mummy made it for her 5th Birthday

13 little girls, and boys, gobbled up those marshmallows.

HAVE YOU EVER MADE MARSHMALLOWS ?
I shall have to find the recipe !

EASTER HUMPTY DUMPTY LAMINGTON CAKE AUSSIE RECIPE

As promised in my last blog, I would give you the recipe for

The lamington cakes that form Humptys brick wall

As you can see this is the book the recipe was in, but I found it in the

"Womens Weekly Magazine "

The ideas with the chocolate eggs,snake lollies, chocolate beetles, etc. are easy to copy

But I make my own Lamington Recipe

They are an Australian, so I always make them for Australia Day or any time of the year.

My menfolk are not partial to cakes much but they just LOVE LAMINGTONS.

To find this recipe, just press the picture on the right hand side that says FOOD ( the 10th picture down )
All my recipes are there, I think its the 3rd story
Happy Baking !

ART WITH A DIFFERANCE- "-FOOD ART" by CHRISTOPHER BOFFOLI

Christopher Boffoli, from Seattle, in America  is certainly an artist with a difference. His humorous  creations bring food to life, with tiny model miniature figures, representations of everyday scenes.

"Coming up with an interesting image is only half the battle, ( says Christopher ) - a caption that will make people smile is also a big part of my work "

These scenes require careful planning before being assembled in his home studio.

I wonder what he named his food sculpture above ?

OUR AUSSIE LAMINGTON RECIPE

"LAMINGTONS" -------- RECIPE

Us Australians love them, not just for Australia Day, but anytime of the year.

They are basically an ordinary plain cake recipe,cut into squares, coated on 4 sides with syrupy, chocolate icing, and dipped in coconut.

The recipe below is a double mixture as we don't have a small family
But they FREEZE well

INGREDIENTS 

5 cups of self raising flour,

5 large eggs,

250 grams butter,

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla,

pinch of salt,

2 cups of sugar,

milk to make a good consistency, ( over 2 cups )

Cream together the sugar and soft ( or melted, cooled ) butter

Add eggs and vanilla.

Alternately mix in the flour and the milk, then beat all with hand beater, until creamy.

Pour into 3  7 1/2 (19 centimetres ) square greased tins,-- or into 1 large baking dish

Cook in oven at 180 % until cake is cooked

When cool cut into squares.

TO MAKE ICING

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter, together with 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla.

Add icing sugar, cocoa and water and mix together until syrupy
Quickly dip the 4 sides of the cake in the chocolate icing, and
then cover the 4 sides in coconut.
Cut in half and put whipped cream in the middle.

Lamingtons are finished,-- easy to make, but time consuming.
They are worth it, if you have unexpected visitors, just whip them out of 
the freezer, they don't take long to defrost.

LEATHER SHOES - HIKING ?

Did you know ?

A pair of leather shoes can supply enough nourishment for a person 

for about one week.

So all you hikers, especially inexperienced hikers do you wear leather shoes.

Our Australian bush can be very dangerous and many people are lost every year.

l wonder if adventurer" Bear Grylls" wears leather shoes..

 

YABBIES

l was reading a magazine and noticed an add for a yabby restaurant.

l remember back  to when my 3 grandchildren were small, and as they were growing up they would spend every 2nd or 3rd Sunday with us.

We loved those days with Ashley, Caitlyn and Cody. They are now in their late teens and 20's so they are very busy with their own lives so we don't see them very often.

The photo above was when they were very small and loved to play with yabbies.

We had a pond in our garden with hundreds of yabbies dwelling there and we would net some out and have some great yabby races.

The children were never frightened of them and knew how to pick them up properly. 

The biggest yabbies hardly ever won a race. l remember the 3 kids would squeal with excitement. We never cooked our yabbies as l couldn't stand the thought of dropping them into boiling water.

They are considered  a delicacy.
The yabby is a small freshwater crayfish native to Australia. This small crustacean is so tasty  to eat so of course yabby farming is very popular. l have tasted one and they do taste like a mini crayfish.

CHEF TRIVIA!

My grandson is a chef.

My daughter is so, so lucky with a live in chef who still loves to cook the evening meal after a busy day.

We love to visit them sampling different menu's, so artistically arranged l don't like to mess it up.

l always said if  l won the lottery l would hire a cook. With house keeping and gardening you can see where you have been, but cooking, what a mess l make.----------- but back to the chef trivia. 

Did you ever wonder why their hats were so tall and balloony? 

Their unique shape is to counteract the intense heat in the kitchen, and allows air to circulate around the scalp, keeping the head cool. 

So next time you see a chef with his tall hat on, lets hope he has a nice cool head.

FRUITCAKE (PINEAPPLE)

So many people have asked me for my pineapple fruitcake recipe.

l think it's because there's a 450g tin of pineapple in it.

The pineapple makes it so moist, especially if you leave it for a week or so wrapped in cling wrap after cooking.

 l always make 2 at a time. You can freeze one plus it is cheaper to make if you buy a l kilo pack of mixed fruit compared to a 500 ml. pack. You can then cook them together and save 1 hour of electricity.

 At Christmas time l cook 4 at once and give them as gifts. Men all seem to like fruitcake.

If you would like to make one yourself, then here is my Pineapple Fruit Cake recipe.

 Pineapple Fruit Cake

500 grams of mixed fruit
1 cup of sugar
250 ounces of butter
450 grams of crushed pineapple (or cubed),
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
1 tea spoon of mixed spice

Place above ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar and butter dissolves. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

When cool add-

2 eggs
1 cup of S. R. Flour
1 cup of Plain Flour,
Place in a cake tin greased with butter and lined with paper on the base.

Cook for 60 minutes to 75 minutes @ 160 degrees (or longer if necessary).
To add that extra festive flavour add 1/4 cup of brandy or sherry or marsala or whatever you fancy.

THE CHURCH PEW

To-day was such  an unusual day. l was asked by a friend (who works with the funeral directors) if l would like to cater for a small funeral of approx. 50 people.

Just mixed sandwiches and scones and jam and cream, set on paper doily plates. l also had to deliver them.

Well not having made this many sandwiches before (only for charity functions with friends ) l set to work. 

After having delivered them l sat in the little chapel on a lovely wooden church pew waiting for my payment cheque. The sun was shining through the delicate old leadlighting windows. 

Graeme came in and gave me a cheque for $150 which l thought was great. The ingredients cost me $65 and it was about 5 hours work (including delivery).

l remarked on the beautiful wooden pews and he said they where for sale for $200 each. l love preservimg history and they were around 100 years old.  l gave the cheque back to him and we made a deal. 

l now own a church pew!

He then asked me if l would be prepared to cater again for them and l said l would. 

The only problem being that the other church pew is still there for sale!!

YELLOW

Yellow is such a happy sunny colour.

When my children were small they always loved to draw the sun.

Did you know the sun is a star?

I ripped out this page from a magazine years ago as l think the yellow seat in this garden picture makes you just want to sit on it and relax in the sun. 

Part of my garden has the "European" look as l like to call it. Bright yellows, reds, orange and blue with terracotta pots etc and I think this yellow seat would fit right in.

As I am writing this l look down onto my white kitchen table where l have placed my bowl of yellow pears. No matter how you arrange pears they always appear to look arty!     

   

BREAST MILK DESSERT

ICE  CREAM  made with BREAST MILK  has proved a big hit in a London restaurant, with the first the first batch sold out within days.

The ice-cream called Baby GAGA, is made with milk expressed by 15 women who replied to an advertisement on an online forum. Each serving at lcecreamists cafe in Convent Garden costs $22-.

The milk is pasteurized before lemon zest and vanilla pods are added during churning. One donor Victoria Hiley, 35, told the B.B.C: "What"s the harm in using my assets for a bit of extra cash?" 

Icecreamists founder Matt O'Connor said he could not understand people being squeamish about the product. "lt's pure organic, free-range and totally natural" he said.

 ( l read this article in the Australian Herald Sun, February 28, 2011.)

Couldn't we start a new trend in Australia. l would love to try it.

 My daughter breastfeeding on the morning of my art exhibition

ORANGES AND LEMONS

My daughter-in-law gave me some lemon lotion from the "Body Shop". l love the natural, sharp fresh smell of lemons.

My lemon tree has gone to heaven. l think it died because l shifted it out of a large pot to plant in the garden.

The New ldea used to be great magazine with interesting story's to read and featured a 2 page spread of rare and interesting photograph's from all over the world. (lt is now mainly a gossip magazine about the glamorous stars etc.)

l have saved many of these interesting photo's.

One of them is this house made of orange's of lemons (built during a citrus festival )

There are lemon festival held in the UK, France and California every year.

Look at the wonderful things they make!

I often make marmalade jam and my favorite sweet is Lemon Delicious Pudding. 

l'm going out to buy a new lemon tree today!

SCONE RECIPE

 SCONE RECIPE

4  cups of self raising flour
2  tablespoons of sugar
300  ml. of cream
300  ml. of milk   ( l just use the cream bottle to measure the milk)
Recipe makes 20 - 25 scones

Mix and knead all items in a bowl lightly, roll out onto a bench top.

If the mixture is a little dry when mixing add a milk.
lf the mixture is a little wet add more flour.

Cut into circles or squares.
Brush the top of the scones with a smear of milk (or just dip your finger in the milk and rub it on the top of the scone as I do) This browns the top of the scone when cooked.

Cook in a very hot oven (200 degrees Celsius)  for 10-15 minutes.

(Optional) You can also add dates, currants, or dried mixed fruit for variety, delicious smothered in butter when hot.

MY OLD MAGIC NEON COFFEE SIGN

I found this vintage coffee advertising sign in our local antique shop.

We plugged it in and voila- it worked.

 How old is it I wonder? I love my cappuccino's and finding different eating places - quaint or new, with friends or family. 

Coffee time in our home or garden can turn into hours with our volatile friends or quiet friends.Our relations also fit into this category.

At night is when the magic happens. Sitting outside with my old neon coffee sign lighting up the evening amongst flickering candles is when our coffee tastes the best.