Jaffa Pudding

(this image is from the Donna Hay website. Our chocolate pudding was eaten to quickly to take any pictures!)

On Saturday night Poppy and Tiya Ning stayed over at our place and I cooked this delicious chocolate pudding from Bills "Holiday Cookbook." We all had second helpings, including the kids. But, oh, how I wish there had been leftovers. I just can't thinking about it.

Here is the recipe, we call Jaffa Pudding.

Jaffa Pudding
a.k.a Chocolate Orange Self Saucing Pudding

serves 4-6

• 1 cup plain flour
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 3 teas. baking powder
• 4 tables. cocoa powder
• 1 cup milk
• finely grated zest of 1 orange
• 85 grams unsalted butter (melted)
• 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
• 1 tables. orange liqueur

for the topping:
• 1 cup soft brown sugar
• 2 tables. cocoa powder
• 1 tables. orange liqueur

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease a 1.5-litre ovenproof baking dish. Sift the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and cocoa powder into a bowl. Add the milk, orange zest, butter, egg and liqueur, and beat together well. Pour into the baking dish. To make the topping, stir the brown sugar and cocoa powder together and then spread over the pudding batter. Mix the liqueur with 1 cup of boiling water and pour carefully over the pudding. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top of the pudding is firm.
Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Book wish list

The problem with having such a great local library is that I end up with:

1) Overdue books. All of the time - Sorry!
2) A very big wish list of books I don't really need, but........want.

Lets add these to the list.



Some lovely japanese projects, that I think I could actually make. I ask you, shouldn't everybody's autumn teapot be covered with this gorgeous squirrel tea cosy?



More japanese crafty goodness. You can never have too much!


Just beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.


Another fantastic Greek cookbook that makes you wish that you were Greek. Or at least married one, like Pam did.

All of these books are available here, or your favourite good bookstore.

Pancakes on a Monday

Hmmm! A long weekend here, means pancakes on a Monday. Yummo!

Thanks Mr Moo for making chocolate chip pancakes while I had a sleep in.

Thanks Spunky Monkey for picking these beautiful pink camellias from our garden for the breakfast table.

Don't forget the biscuits

I thought I would share my anzac biscuit recipe. They have been a huge hit around here this weekend.

Anzac Biscuits
makes 24

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
• 125 grams unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons golden syrup
• 1 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoons bicarbonate soda

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Prepare baking trays. In a bowl mix the oats, flour, sugar and coconut. Combine the butter, syrup and water in a small saucepan and stir over a medium heat until the butter is melted. Mix the bicarbonate soda into the syrup mixture and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix well. Place heaped teaspoons of the mixture onto a baking tray, 5 cm apart. Bake for 20 minutes or until the biscuits feel slightly firm. Leave on the tray to cool.

ANZAC Day

(My grandfather, second on the left, taken during the war in Malaya 1941. He was later captured and spent two years as a prisoner of war at Changi in Singapore)

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Lest we forget.

It was a day for remembrance. We woke early and went to the dawn service. Then back home for a big, aussie, bbq breakfast: bacon, eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions. At 10am, it was off to the local ANZAC Day Parade. Spunky Monkey marched with his school. A moving service was held. Pride and tears. Next, Mums for lunch and the afternoon at the beach.

Lots of talk with the kids about wars and freedom, with questions still coming from their bedrooms as I closed their doors tonight.

Cross Country

Spunky Monkey ran his first ever School Cross Country today. Look at them go - too cute!



It doesn't matter if you win or lose, just as long as you get a 'trophie' ice-block.

Happy Earth Day

"Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" - A Kenyan Proverb

These are a few things we did today to help look after our earth:

• put recycling stickers on the bins to help the kids with their recycling
• I used only one cup for all my cups of tea today, instead of getting a clean one every time
• didn't use the car (expect where necessary - Miss Moo Moo's daycare is a 2o minute drive away!)
• borrowed books from the library
• boxed up some old kids clothes and shoes to pass on to our younger cousins
• turned off the lights when not in the room
• took the scraps out to the compost bin, even though it was raining
• made a bag of out vintage fabric found at the op shop (well, I started it)
• went for a rainforest walk
• talked about wasting water
• had dinner by candlelight

We usually leave the light on in the hallway until Spunky Monkey has fallen asleep. Miss Moo Moo came out of bed tonight and told me to turn it off.

I said No, Spunky Monkey is not asleep yet.

Miss Moo Moo said "Mum, we will run out of electricity, so turn it off!"

Craft Night

Today I finished making these lunchtime place mats, that I had started at craft night a few weeks ago.



Our little craft group started just under a year ago now, with 5 crafty mums and and a very crafty dentist. And it's been a pleasure to invite a few extras to our group since then. We try to meet monthly, either working on similar projects (coasters, bags, etc.) or to just do our own thing. It's pretty cruisey and loads of fun. Here are a few other things I've made at craft night.



Paper art. A silhouette of Mr Moo's 1965 Volvo cut from a vintage atlas.



Transfer paper dolls. This was very fun night, these are just two that I made of the kids, but I've made about eleven others. I love this product.





Brooches. Made of felt, fabric and old buttons. Unbelievably, I finished both of these on the night and still had time for tea, cake and japanese pattern books!



A fabric bucket. Made from coloured hessian. Now filled with lego blocks in the playroom.

Another craft night tomorrow night.
Now..... what to make???

In the country

(this picture is from Emersonmade, I just can't get enough of their website at the moment - I dream daily of their beautiful fabric flowers. Dream, dream dream!)

I spent a lovely weekend on my cousin's farm with her and her beautiful family. Lush and green, autumn breezes, chickens free-ranging, cosy flannelette sheets, wild ducks, children giggling, roosters crowing, fresh farm mornings, real eggs.

It was so relaxing. I had lots of cuddles with the new little Miss M (5 months old) and was spoilt with an amazing dinner.

Jamie Oliver Chicken Caesar Salad and the best ever Potato Bake, all followed, much later, by Pear, Chocolate and Sticky Date Pudding. Delicious!

On Sunday morning we (just the Mum's) went into Ikea for breakfast and a bit of a shop. Needless to say that I went crazy in the fabric section. Fun, Fun, Fun.

Magic eyes

'Imagination is more important than knowledge' (Albert Einstein)


(these pictures are from the book "Fish is Fish", I got this book from Santa when I was at Pre-school. It's always been a favourite of mine and now is much loved by my children too.)

Yesterday morning Spunky Monkey asked me, if his Dad could cut a pine cone in half so that he could see what it looked like inside. But then...

"No Mum, it's OK, I already know what it looks like."

"How? have you see one cut in half before?"

"No Mum, I have magic eyes, I can close my eyes and I can see it now, what the pine cone looks like inside. You know, Mum that's called imagination, it usually happens at night but it can happen in the day. Like now, I can see a fish jumping up out of the water. I can see him talking to me."

Then last night, he was explaining imagination to Mr Moo. They were on the couch watching TV.

"You see Dad, now we are watching TV, and now the TV is not there!"

I am in love with imagination :)

Making friends

I feel like the dumb girl in the class at the moment.

Yesterday I added the Followers link/gadget/thingy to my blog (it seems everybody's doing it) And then went out and about the web to become a follower myself. I mean how hard can it be to make friends with Google Friend Connect?

Well I tell you... first I was a follower of The Lark and then I wasn't, and then I was again. Sorry Allison. To finally become a follower of The Lark, with my picture and my own blog details on my profile, took me more than a hour. Then, much later in the day I tried again to become a follower of Lobster and Swan. This took just under an hour and unfortunately, I can't seem to change the picture on my profile. My head is chopped off and you can kind of see up my dress! But, it is what it is. I think I have worked it all out now...maybe?

So be kind and bare with me, as I try to make friends with some of my favourite bloggers.

Hmmm. The old days seems so much easier, when you just asked someone over for a cup of tea, a piece of cake and had a good old gossip.

By the way, welcome to my very first, very own 'follower'.
I love you, Mum!

You've got mail

Look what goodies were hand delivered to me by the postie yesterday afternoon.

Amanda's inspiring book. My own copy at last! I've had the library's for quiet some time now, it was definitely time to give it back.


(this image is from mikodesign's esty shop, there's more for sale, but be quick!)

Fabric Doll Kit. I can't wait to whip up this little doll. It was supposed to be put away for Miss Moo Moo birthday. But seriously, who could wait until September, I might even make it today if I get the chance.

You must check out Erika's blog, mikodesign and shop. She is so creative. A friend first told me about her blog when she was building the ultimate gyspy caravan cubie house or La Roulotte for her girls. Talk about every little girls (and big girls) dream house! And as for those birthday parties. Wow! See for yourself, such beauty in every detail.

It's here!

(this beautiful illustration has been taken from here. I looove it.)

I was woken this morning by the soft tinkling of steady rain on the roof. Seconds later, without a word, Miss Moo Moo climbed into bed for a snuggle. Hmmm! So cosy. Once out of bed (much later) we discovered a darkened day and and chill in the air. Perfect, Autumn has arrived!

I longed for a steaming bowl of rich tomato soup for lunch, but unfortunately arrived home too late for soup making. So, I am making up for it now, with a huge pot of goulash bubbling away on the stovetop. I can't wait for dinner and that warm feeling that only, good for the soul, heartwarming food can bring.

Holiday mode

It's been a very slow, lazy week around here for the school holiday break. We have been:

sleeping in (me)
still eating hot cross buns
listening to gypsy music and The Waifs
shopping and lunching with Nanny
having easy dinners (things like pizza and eggs on toast)
not doing the housework
park play
beach play
having breakfast out
still eating easter eggs
meeting friends at the local pool
having sleepovers at Grandma's (the kids)
getting haircuts
drawing and painting

Taking it pretty easy really.

But I have to say the highlight was cuddling and bathing this new baby.



Welcome to the world little Daisy (4 days old). Tooooo cute!

Autumn mornings

I often wish that I lived in a rustic stone cottage in France. Dining under giant oak trees on summer evenings or having breakfast and lunch under the tangle of ancient vines on the terrace.

Doesn't everyone have this dream?



But this morning, when I pulled back the curtains and stepped out onto our back deck. I was very happy to be right where I was. It was the most beautiful morning, with the sun already shining bright and warming the day. I spotted the very first flower on our Little Gem Magnolia tree and sat down to new table linen, a healthy breakfast and the Toast catalogue.







It made for a lovely start to the day.

I'm not scared

As we were driving along today, I was asked:

Spunky Monkey: Hey Mum! Can we ask Dad if we can jump off the roof onto the trampoline?

Mum: Absolutely not! No one will be jumping off of the roof.

Spunky Monkey: It's OK, I'm not scared.

Where on earth do these things come from?

A new arrival

Congratulations to my cousin Troy and his partner Amanda, who gave birth to their second child, a little girl on Easter Sunday morning.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all.

We had an open house with family and friends stopping in for a hot cross buns and chocolate cake all day long. Too much coffee and tea! I haven't had any chocolate eggs yet, but there are plenty about.

I hope you had a lovely day with your loved ones chatting, laughing and eating way too much chocolate.

Hippity Hop

Before:

Late on Easter Saturday night we laid out our Easter baskets and the usual treats for the Easter Bunny. Carrot and milk went onto the table. "And lettuce", said Spunky Monkey."And coffee" said Miss Moo Moo. Okay, so the coffee was new, but a good suggestion, I thought. The Easter Bunny would probably be desperate for a coffee after all that stressful hopping about!



After:

Well, he came, he ate, and he left lots of chocolate!

Craft fair

(this image is taken from Meggy Green's esty store)

This afternoon I popped into the Fibre Collective market and was pleasantly surprised. Housed in a great new building it was jammed packed with some very talented locals peddling their wares. Below are some of the clever people I took cards from (craft is not in my budget this week), but there were many, many more.



The Wonky Tree

Bree's stall looked amazing with piles of softies made from fantastic vintage and retro fabrics. I really loved her brooches.





Meggy Green

Megan had another one of my favourite stalls, Some really cute paper art, cards, gift tags and notebooks like this one. Looove this! Check out her Etsy store on the link above.



Electric Boy

Some really funky t-shirts, perfect for the boys, who I sometimes seem to miss out when it come to all this great crafty stuff.

And I must not forget, my crafty Craft Night friend Leanne, who was there selling her clothing line "Little Laundry". She told me today that her website will be up and running shortly, so I will keep you posted (literally). But until then you can find her clothes at the Peregain Beach Markets and Sinc Gallery.

(All images have been taken from the linked websites)

More books

Yes well, I found myself another church jumble sale this morning. Heaven!



So, more books for under $5:00 and a set of cute japanese coffee cups. Lovin' these jumble sales.

A good Good Friday

By now you may have realised that my favourite days are spent lazing around with family and friends and eating heaps of yummy food.
Well, Good Friday was no exception.

Mum came over for a leisurely breakfast. I made this 'puffed apple pancake' recipe from Bills "Holiday" cookbook. It set the pace a lovely lazy day.

Mr Moo went fishing (and actually caught some fish!)

My Dad and Tiya Ning arrived from the country mid morning. Dad took Spunky Monkey and Miss Moo Moo for a bushwalk while Tiya Ning and I relaxed, prepping lunch and chatting.



Lunch was an Italian-style seafood stew, a large salad and crusty sourdough bread. Some yummy New Zealand wine and chocolate tart to finish off. Devine! Needless to say we did more relaxing and chatting after lunch.

A good Good Friday.