Soup-y!

Soup! Is there anything nicer on a cold day...?
Its the most perfect simple meal that fills that hungry spot.  Packed with goodness.
I made two different types of soups on the weekend 'Roasted Vegetable' and 'French Onion'.

I don't always get the chance to cook ahead but I spent Sunday afternoon cooking since it was freezing outside -  its so great not to have to scramble in the kitchen after a tiring day at work during the week.
I'm always happy having a bowl of soup to eat!

French Onion soup
(my easy version)
a small knob of butter
3-4 onions, thinly sliced
dollop of olive oil
Add all to heavy saucepan and caramelise, over low heat stirring often for about 15-20mins until soft and fragrant.
Add 1 litre Vegie (or Beef) stock
Add a bay leaf or two and gently bring to the boil.
Remove Bay leaf and
season with Salt & Pepper.

Grate some Parmesan cheese (or other strong cheese) and sprinkle over the soup of the hot soup.
Serve straight away!



More yummy Soups (click away...)

*Lemon, Chicken and Ozro soup

*Mick's easy Pumpkin soup

*Tuscan white bean soup - 2 ways

*Restorative Vegetable broth

*no bake* Power balls

I've made these delicious Power balls a few times, they were handy during the 'low sugar' wellness program and you will always find them in my fridge now for those 'craving something sweet'
moments (hello afternoon!)
....there is no refined sugar or flour in the ingredients so wont upset my tummy, actually there is
no baking required! Too easy.
They are dense and full of goodness - a satisfying little snack and moorish in taste!
yum!

Ingredients
3 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup flax seeds (or almond meal)
2 Tablespoons cocoa (or cacao) powder
1/2 cup dried cranberries (or raisins)
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 cup peanut or almond butter
1/2 cup raw honey or rice malt syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted.

Mix all ingredients until combined.
(if it feels sticky add some more dry ingredients - if it feels a little dry add a little more melted coconut oil.)
Roll into balls and roll coat the balls in some shredded coconut - store in the fridge and have one or two a day!

Cook and Craft

The weather has cooled right down -  its been a wet and soggy week and I must say its been so hard to drag myself out of the house and off to work.  I had the day off today and I didn't get much done...it was wonderful to zone out a little...oh I did a back log of laundry so at least that's out of the way until the weekend.
I'm feeling that change in the air.  Slowing down.
We pulled out the blankets already, the nights have been chilly and that extra 5 minutes morning sleep in a warm bed feels so indulgent.
I can definitley predict a lot more 'home time' coming on in the next few weeks!
I love Autumn for that nesting, cozy-up mood.
TV, home cooking, reading, crafting...bring it on I say!  I love those chilly evenings stuck indoors!

A little inspiration today over at
'A Beautiful Mess'
You can always find something fantastic to cook or make or learn.
I sometimes wonder if Elsie and Emma and their lovely team ever run out of ideas?
I've been a reader of their blog for such a long time and they still inspire me!
Every single time!

Cook and Craft - April
Pumpkin pie (in Jars!)
Suede catchall 


* images 
from my Pinterest via 
A Beautiful Mess 

Anzac Fruit pie

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a beautiful weekend! I sure did.
Yesterday we celebrated my brother inlaws birthday with a delicious family lunch.


I made this Anzac pie, a take on fruit crumble, one of my favourite Autumn desserts.
I had bookmarked the recipe in the April issue of Gourmet Traveller  so it was great to get the chance to bake something warm and delicious for a group of people....my people!

The recipe used Granny Smith apples - I used a mix of apple and pear, I stewed them up and then made the gooey topping, baked it until warm and bubbly...
To see the recipe head on over to the
Gourmet Traveller 
website - give it a go!

You'll be pleased!

Frangipane Galette

What day is it?
It feels like Friday ( I know its not...)
What a week!
I haven't blogged in days, the boys are on Easter break, work has been super busy and today the hubs and I spent the whole day devoted to looking into a new build.
We are so close now!

I've been meaning to post this delicious sweet treat...Figs are totally out of season now but this is a recipe worth bookmarking to try in the warmer months.
Two weeks ago I had a girly lunch at my house.
It was fun hosting and planning a lunch gathering for three close friends, girls I worked with at the 'Sydney Olympic Games' organising committee over 15years ago...(feels like a life time...) We try to catch up at least two to three times a year (and lots of emails in between).
Only two made it to my place for lunch and for afternoon dessert I made
Frangipane Galette with Fresh Figs, Thyme and Marscapone - it was enjoyed by all!
I actually had Pear & almond tartlets planned for dessert but my fruit grocer had beautiful fresh figs available so I had a quick change of plans.
They do say we should plan our meals at the market and not in the kitchen.

Frangipane
60g soft butter
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup almond meal
Beat butter, zest and sugar in a small bowl until creamy.  Add egg yolk and almond meal - set bowl aside.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Use 1 & 1/2 squares ready rolled shortcrust pastry and press pieces together to form a rectangle.
Slide onto baking paper and onto large oven tray.
Spread Frangipane over pastry leaving a 5cm border.  Fold edges over frangipane.
Brush pastry with beaten egg white and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Let it cool.
Topping
5 large figs cut into wedges
250g marscapone
1 Tablespoon icing sugar
1 teaspoon lemon thyme leaves
Honey to drizzle
In a bowl beat marscapone and sugar until smooth. Spread over baked frangipane.  Arrange figs on top.  Sprinkle with thyme and drizzle with honey.
Serve with coffee or tea.
* Recipe from Home Beautiful magazine

Salted Caramel

I’ve been meaning to post this but time has gotten the better of me (as usual...)
Salted Caramel.  Could there be anything more delicious? comforting like a warm hug ...Caramel sauce is perfect but by adding salt, it takes it to a whole new level. yum!
.. recently,  I was lucky to get the chance to try some butter from 'Lewis road Creamery'  which is located in New Zealand.  Thanks to Lorraine from 'Not Nigella' blog and Liquid Ideas for the opportunity! Firstly, let me just tell you how much I love butter!
Love it!
I know it can get a bad rap but it’s a healthy fat, its fresh and real, tastes amazing and is
satisfying,  so a little goes a long way.
So when this gorgeous butter arrived, I knew I would have to make a few things…I asked the kids for ideas and of course they both wanted chocolate cake so I made a traditional ‘ chocolate’ cake with frosting, …
I then decided to make ta-da!!!
Salted Caramel!
which I served with plain vanilla ice-cream…
Caramel sauce is hands down my favourite sweet sauce and goes well with apples, pears, served on pancakes or crepes or just eaten by the spoonful...(yes, done that)

I followed Donna Hay's Salted Caramel recipe because Donna knows her stuff!

so good!

Fresh and Invigorating: Super easy marinade

Oh my goodness - I love love this easy chicken marinade!
its so refreshing, zesty, smells and tastes amazing...If you need a simple dinner idea, then this is it!



All you need is
a bunch of corriander (stems & leaves),
2 cloves garlic, juice of a lime or lemon and a handful of baby spinach and a glug of Olive oil.
Blitz it all up in a blender and smother over your chicken fillets (or chicken breast).  Wrap your bowl in plastic and refrigerate for a minimum of 2hrs.

Bake or pan fry the chicken and serve with a garden salad.
Delicious!
and healthy!

Weekend Baking - Blondies

The boys pleaded I make something chocolatey this weekend.
They wanted Brownies which is definetely a family favourite but since I had lots of white chocolate in the pantry I thought I'd give 'Blondies' a go...
When it was time to cut them, I thought it looked like a vanilla cake but suprisingly it was very moist,  although the center was not as gooey as the recipe promised - still very yummy though!

Blondies
150g white chocolate
225g butter
2 cups Self Raising Flour
1/2 cup caster sugar
4 eggs beaten
75g chopped walnuts
( or pistachio nuts)
100g dark chocolate chopped

Melt the chocolate and butter  in a heatproof bowl over saucepan of simmering water.  Leave to cool slightly.  Sift the flour in a mixing bowl and add caster sugar.  Stir in the beaten eggs and then the melted chocolate mixture, beat well.  Stir in the nuts and chopped chocolate.  Pour into your pan.  Bake in preheated oven 180 degrees celsius for 30-35 minutes.  Leave to cool and then cut into large squares.

Coconut Buttermilk Cake

I've been a little obsessed with coconut lately - If you open my pantry you'll find coconut oil, coconut water, coconut milk...coconut flakes (in the fridge)...and shredded coconut - Yum!

My mum always make a super sweet, drenched-in-syrup, coconut cake.  Its one of my dad's favourite cakes so she makes it often but these days I prefer a coconut cake that is dense but still moist...almost like a sweet bread.
I found this recipe by Martha Stewart and it turned amazing - toasting the shredded coconut first that takes it to another (delicious) level!

1.5 cups shredded coconut toasted (slowly so it wont burn)
2 cups SR flour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder pinch salt
125g butter
1 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 cup butter milk
Cream the butter, sugar and then add the vanilla extract.  Add your eggs one at a time and beat well.   Fold in the sifted flour, salt and baking powder alternating with the buttermilk.
Lastly, fold in the shredded coconut.
Bake until golden in a preheated Moderate oven for about an hour.  Cool in the cake pan.
Serve warm and Enjoy!

Pineapple crunch cake

I love to bake!  I dont need a reason.
'...just because'...is good enough for me but it' enjoyable to make something for someone.
Last Sunday we were invited to friends for a BBQ and I made this Pineapple crunch cake to take along - I posted this image on instagram and - Kylie asked if I was going to blog the recipe and I thought its highly unfair to post and run (and tempt) without sharing
so Kylie this is for you!

Pineapple Crunch cake
1 cup self raising flour
1/4 cup cornflour
440g can pineapple pieces - drained - reserve 1/3 cup of the juice
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 large egg (or 2 small eggs)
60g butter melted
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts chopped

Preheat Oven to 180degrees (or 160 for fanforced oven)
Sift flour and cornflour - add pienapple, reserved huice, sugar, egg and butter
spoon into prepared greased 20cm cake pan.
Sprinkle sugar and walnuts evenly over the batter.
Bake for 35mins until golden.
Cool in the pan for 10mins and turn out.
Enjoy!

* recipe from Recipes+ magazine*

Americana: Mac 'n' Cheese

Do you have a go-to comfort dish?  I have a few but one of them is the simple combination of Macaroni and creamy cheese sauce. Oh yum!
I don't make it often (calories!!...) but when I do, we all enjoy it so much, the boys always ask for seconds so I make sure to bake it in my large baking dish.
It's also a perfect side dish when entertaining for a large crowd. A real crowd pleaser!
I spotted this Mac'n' Cheese recipe by LA chef & restaurant owner, Wolfgang Puck,
via 'Hollywood Housewife' blog.
Andrew and I enjoyed dinner at one of Wolfgang Puck's restaurants whilst on Honeymoon in LA many moons ago.
The recipe below seemed easy enough...and it turned out perfectly - the added crunch of bread crumbs on top make it so good, promise!

Ingrediants

85g  unsalted butter, plus more for greasing  

·    6 Tbs. all-purpose flour 

·    1 bay leaf 

·    4 cups milk 

·    1 1/4 cups crème fraîche 

·    1 1/2 tsp. fleur de sel 

·    3 3/4 cups shredded mozzarella 

·    1 3/4 cups shredded aged cheddar cheese 

·    Freshly ground white pepper, to taste 

·    450g  cavatappi, ( or small penne) cooked al dente

·      3/4 cup fresh brioche bread crumbs 

        Method Preheat an oven to 180°C. Butter your baking dish.    

        In a  saucepan over medium heat, melt the 6 Tbs. butter. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, until blended, about 1 minute. Add the bay leaf and slowly whisk in the milk until smooth. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until the mixture is thickened, 14 to 16 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Whisk in the crème fraîche and the 1 1/2 tsp. fleur de sel and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 1/4 cups each of the mozzarella and cheddar. Season with fleur de sel and white pepper. 

In a large bowl, combine the pasta and cheese sauce and stir in 2 cups of the mozzarella. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and cheddar and then with the bread crumbs. Bake until the bread crumbs are golden and the cheese is bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 8 to 10. 

Recipe via Williams-Sonoma recipes  

Halloumi cheese cake

I'm a little bit proud that the humble Halloumi cheese is quickly becoming a popular favorite ...they even sell it in Coles these days, although I prefer to buy mine from the local Deli (in a big bucket!) .
Just about every cafe has Halloumi on its menu and why not? Its delicious...
This is my childhood cheese, I've been eating it ALL my life...grated and sprinkled on pasta, in pies, served with watermelon on a Summers day,  hot, soft and straight off the barbeque..
This here is my Mother's recipe for Halloumi Cake
-  its delicious served warm and out of the oven and still perfect the next day.
It has a sweet and salty taste which is truly satisfying.

Ingredients
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups Self Raising Flour (sift)
3 1/2 cups grated Halloumi
1 cup milk
2 teaspoon Baking powder
1 teaspoon dried mint
1/2 cup sultanas

Method
Preheat oven to 180 deg.celsius
In a mixing bowl add all the ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon until incorporated.
Spoon into prepared cake tin and bake for 40 minutes until golden.
Test by using a skewer or knife and make sure it comes out clean after inserting into cake.
Let is cool for 5 minutes then turn out onto a serving platter.
Serve warm or at
room temperature with some tea or coffee - heaven!!

Sweet Almonds - two ways

I've been a busy bee in the kitchen making and baking for Christmas.
I thought Id share these simple sweet almond treats...just in case you might need a last minute gift idea. They are so easy to make and they taste great too!

Sweet Cinnamon Almonds.
2 cups raw almonds - rinse them well under running water and drain in a colander.
In a bowl add 3/4 cup icing sugar with a heaped teaspoon of Cinnamon.
Add the wet almonds into the bowl and mix well.
Spread onto a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper and bake in a pre-heated oven (180deg. celsius) for 20minutes.
Leave to cool and break up if they are in clusters.  Can be stored in an air-tight container for upto a month.

Chocolate coated Almonds
I made these with White chocolate last week and today I made another batch with Dark chocolate so take your pick - white, dark or milk chocolate.
2 cups raw almonds - bake in slow oven until roasted, crunchy and fragrant.
Melt 200gr chocolate and then add the roasted almonds into the chocolate.
Ensure all the almonds are covered - spread onto a baking tray that has been lined with baking paper.
I sprinkled with edible glitter (optional)
Refrigerate until firm.

pretty parcels - edible gifts...

We’ve had no internet connection at home for almost two days now and it felt like we were forced on an isolated island with no idea what is happening around us!
The drama!
I'm more worried about how much we rely on the internet in our everyday life…good or bad? I don’t know…I do know however, that I got lots done around the house without the distraction but it still felt like something was missing.

so...10 days until Christmas dear friends! are you at that crazy frenzy stage?
I am! I'm still writing out the Christmas cards to be mailed out tomorrow - so late this year! I feel like time is running out and I still have so much to do!
Crazy days!
It's going to be a busy week ahead with last minute gift shopping plus I plan to do some Christmas baking this week before we start visiting friends and family for the festive season...

I loved the look of this parcel styled up by Tara  - she always has great creative ideas - love her tutorial for DIY Holiday gift cards

these sweet Christmas treats would make beautiful edible gifts!
* Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cranberry Clusters 
*Honey dipped Greek Christmas cookies (melomakarouna)
*Nougat Blanc with Almonds and Pistachio

Snowed In Magazine

The 2013 'Snowed In' magazine is now here!

Ashley the talented blogger behind
*She Makes a Home* has once again created and published her yearly Christmas themed online magazine,
'Snowed In' .
Its full of craft ideas, Holiday recipes and DIY gift projects.

This year I was also contributor to her gorgeous magazine!

Inside I have shared two of my favourite Christmas recipes.
I had such a fun time baking and getting messy in my kitchen and then enjoyed setting up a little Christmas styling scene for photo time!

you can see the magazine HERE

Im a winner!

I was super lucky to win a gorgeous cookbook ‘Bill’s Italian Food’ by Bill Granger,
from a giveaway over on Catherine’s lovely blog ‘Farmhouse home’ –  Thanks sweet Catherine! it’s always wonderful to come home to a parcel at your door step.
Happy Mail!

 I love cookbooks and this one is a beauty - I'm thrilled to be able to add it to my cookbook collection – stunning images, delicious moth-watering photos along with beautiful Italian scenary that makes you want to jump on the next plane and enjoy a foodie holiday …gelato anyone?
it’s chock full of recipes I want to try out!
Ive already made the spicy beef ribs – so good!

It was lovely to see Bill Granger has been busy with a relocation to London, a new cooking show and opening new restaurants & eateries in London, Japan and Hawaii – an Australian success story!!
Good for him!
Passion and hard work pays off and in Sydney we still have ‘Bill’s’ in Darlinghurst,  which he opened at the young age of 22 (so ambitious!) it still gets great reviews after all these years and the breakfast/brunch at Bill’s is always a treat!