Merry Merry Christmas.......

Hey there!! Just popping in very quickly to wish you a very Merry Christmas.....

                                                                                   

We have been busy crafting, baking, stressing and getting our Christmas groove on.....

                                                                                 

Have a fab Xmas day with your family and friends.......

                                                                                   

                                                                                 
Hope the big fella finds you!! :)

                                                                                 

...........


                                                        Janelle  xx


                                                                                                                                                                          

Christmas Cookies.....

Hello!! And Happy Monday...Happy new week....Happy 9 sleeps 'til Christmas!!! Eeeekk!! Actually it's probably not really too eeekkish around here. Sure we are living in a complete mess slightly creative looking environment at the moment, we are winding up for the school year, and we are still attending school and Christmassy events but we are lord-I-hope-so-anyway fairly ready for Xmas. So...today I thought I'd share, or rather "re-share", a fave recipe with you because I do believe every house, especially for occasions like Christmas, need it. I came across the original recipe in an old Donna Hay kids mag and have been whipping them up a.l.o.t since......

                                                                                 

                                                                                   

It's super easy, the dough comes together nicely, it also rolls out without any dramas and most important of all.......

                                                                                   

They just taste delicious. Crunchy...vanilla-ry.....sweet.....you get the picture.....

                                                                                 

So the kids and I hit the kitchen on the weekend and baked up a batch of these. They loved cutting out the Xmas shapes...the transferring of the shapes onto the baking tray was taken over performed by me just so that there were no hysterical tears (from the children...NOT me!!) if the shapes got a little squished but apart from that they were pretty capable of doing most of the job themselves....

                                                                                   

Then came the 'fun' part.....decorating them!!! For this we simply whipped up a batch of vanilla icing, poured half into another bowl and coloured it green, then scooped both lots into their own plastic ziplock bag and snipped a little hole in a bottom corner....we now have piping bags! Now pipe away!!!

                                                                                   

I love these...fun, pretty (well, most of them anyway!?!) and made with love. And a fair amount of wet licked fingers.

                                                                               

So click away here and get yourself and the fam in the kitchen!!

Enjoy...and have a fab week.....


                                                                    Janelle  xx                                                                                 

Silly Season Syndrome??!.........

Good evening all!! I feel I've been such a lazy cant-quite-get-my-act-together blogger in recent weeks...must be something to do with the silly season, organising family activities, trying to get presents etc organised, trying to attend end of year events, attempting to attend Christmas events, trying to remain sane and cheery......

                                                                         

Surely I am not alone in this madness??!?

                                                                               

                                                                                 
But I must say...it's a good madness...a crazy, challenging, fun madness......

                                                                               

                                                                               

So...I hope you are enjoying every moment of your madness!!

See you soon....

Fingers crossed with a recipe.....


                                                         Janelle  xx                                                                                                                                                                      

Busy times.......

Hello there!! Lordy it's been a busy week or so around here...                                                                                  

Our little birthday party went off with a bang....

                                                                               

Lots of sweets, treats and pink!!!

                                                                                 

And, of course, CAKE!!!!!

                                                                               

Come Saturday and we had a fast transition from birthday to Christmas.....pink balloons are currently playing  it out with the big green tree.....

                                                                                   

                 

After a slight hiccup with the tree's lights (as in there weren't any...well, not enough anyway) we quickly got that sorted and the place looking rather festive.....

                                                                                   

I'm trying to keep the theme clean and white this year but I already seem to be losing the battle....my 8 yr old son told me in no uncertain terms "but Mum, red is the spirit of Christmas!!!!" ??????????......

                                                                                   

So with that little Christmassy thought I shall leave you.....

Have a fab week won't you.........


                                                                Janelle  xx


                                                                            

Party time.......

Hello there! It's time to get our party hats on!!!

                                                                                   

We have a very excited little girl on the farm this week counting down the sleeps 'til she turns....gulp....six...

                                                                                 

So to help keep me in a blissful state of self-denial that my baby is indeed growing up I have done what any self-respecting slightly unhinged loving mother would do.....

                                                                                 

Thrown myself head on into party planning, colour co-ordinating and attempting to get the house into some type of acceptable state in which to entertain an array of little people.....

                                                                                   

You may now wish me luck.......



                                                         Janelle  xx                                                                                

A Cabinet Complete!!!

Well Hello again and Happy Friday to you!! Please come through to the loo won't you......

                                                                                   

Look!! Look up on the wall!! No, not at the great big dirty cobwebs....the cabinet!! THE cabinet...the one that sat about taking ages to paint, then sat about some more waiting to be hung on the wall.....

                                                                               

But look at her...she is up and looking rather pretty I think.....

                                                                                 

The paint job is definitely not one of my best and that is saying something  but I love the colour and am so pleased I decided to leave the handle in all it's rusty glory....I also love how it seems to have made great friends with one of my fave mirrors......

                                                                                 

Watcha think?? I

                                                                               

 Wishing you a fun and fab weekend.......

Over and out from the bathroom........


                                                                 Janelle  xx                                                                        

Chocolate Christmas Puddings......

Hello! It's Thursday, which of course is let's-get-baking-day...surely....
So today I'm sharing the farm's version of Christmas pudding. Which isn't exactly Christmas pudding. At all. To be frank I loathe do not really care for Xmas pudding or any type of pudding, cake, food of any type with dried fruit in it. I have tried my whole life to like and accept the humble sultana, raisin, prune, you name it but the gag reflex in my mouth just will not come to the party on this. Soooo......an alternative was needed.
Enter.....                                                                          

                                                                                   
Yep...the good old chocolate cake. The perfect alternative to pretty much anything and everything!?!
These little lovelies are simply a chocolate cupcake smothered in vanilla icing with a few smashed up candy canes thrown on top. Easy as yes??

                                                                                     

So let's get down to business and get recipe writing......

                                                                                 

                                                         Chocolate Cupcakes   

Ingredients

115 gms butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar (I use raw but use whatever you have/prefer)
1 teaspn vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
2 heaped tablspns cocoa powder

Method    

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees

2. Beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla until it is lovely and pale

3. Add your eggs and beat well

4. Now sift in the flour and cocoa powder and mix through. Alternate with pouring your milk in, this will make it easier to stir in.

5. If this all seems like a bit too much hard work I have been known to throw everything in the bowl at once and beat it all for a few minutes. Seems to work just fine!

6. Ok, spoon your mixture into cupcake papers (I stick the papers in a muffin tray so they hold their shape nicely) and pop them in the oven for approx 12-15 minutes

7. Take out when cooked and allow to cool on a cooling tray

                                                                                   

Once your cakes are cooled right off strip off their little papers and whip up a batch of vanilla icing. Once again I do not have an exact recipe to share with you of how to make my icing as I have always just winged it. I basically toss some icing sugar in a smallish bowl, add a teaspoon or so of margarine then add enough hot water to soften this and mix through with the sugar. I then add vanilla extract. I just keep adding more icing sugar and water until I have the amount and consistency that I need.
Now spread that icing right onto those little brown cakes......

                                                                                 

Once you've done this go and grab your candy canes (if your children haven't sniffed out your stash and helped themselves to the whole packet in a pre-xmas frenzy) and get smashing.....

                                                                               

                                             

Little tip for you here.....it's a good idea to pop the canes into a plastic zip-lock bag before going forth with whacking your rolling pin about as this will prevent your kitchen floor, bench and any other nearby surface from being sprayed with sticky green and red pieces of sugar candy. Just saying.......

                                                                                   

Right....last thing to do is simply sprinkle your cakes/puddings with pretty pieces of lolly. If you are the precise type you may like to carefully place particular chosen pieces of green and red candy in strategic spots of your cake...or if you're anything like me you will simply stand back and throw. I like to call it my creative outlet.

                                                                                   

And there we have it...a simple yet effective alternative to the Christmas pud. You like??!?

                                                                                 

It will do our family this year anyway....if anyone is wanting the real-deal they may have to go and search the supermarket shelves!!!!

                                                                               

I'm now off to enjoy one of these with a cuppa, then mop my kitchen floor.....

                                                                               

Have a fab day won't you!

Happy Baking......

           
                                                                    Janelle  xx                                                                                  

                                                                                                                                             

Let the festive cooking begin!!!

Hey there!!

                                                                                 

We have broken out the Christmas cookie cutters and the festive baking has begun!!

                                                                                 

The house is currently smelling deeeelicious and all gingerbreadish.......

                                                                               

Recipes will follow shortly.....

                                                                                   

In the meantime....

                                                                                 

Enjoy your day!!!


                                                   Janelle  xx                                                                              

Chocolate Fudge.............

Hello! Happy Monday!! Now quick.....let's get ourselves in that kitchen...........

                                                                                 

                                                                                   

Actually you know what...this one is so ridiculously easy you could almost drag your microwave into the living room, stick your feet up on the sofa and just press a few buttons. A little mild stirring is really the only physical activity required....

                                                                             

This recipe I have stolen from my lovely niece. With her permission of course!! It has A.L.O.T of sugar in it which kind of makes my teeth ache and my mind start tallying up dentist's bills but really...I think a little of this does go a long way and would make a perfect Christmas present, a great just-because treat or even a self-indulgent late night snack. Whatever it's purpose it is definitely eeeeeaaasssyyyyy to make....

                                                                           

Okay.....here we go......

                                                                                 

 

                                         
                                                             Chocolate Fudge                                                          
Ingredients

3 cups brown sugar ( just look away and pour it in.....)
1 tin condensed milk
250g cooking chocolate (I used white. Please use whichever colour or shade you fancy)
140g margarine or butter

Method

1. Place all ingredients EXCEPT for the chocolate into a glass/china cooking bowl

2. Microwave on high for 3 minutes, give it a stir, then pop it back into the microwave to cook for another 3 minutes

3. Break up your chocolate into smallish pieces and throw in the bowl and then microwave for a further 2 minutes.

4. Stir it gently and pour the mixture into a lined shallow slice tin

5. Pop in the fridge for at least a few hours

6. Cut into pieces

7. Eat

                                                                             

I mean seriously....how easy????!!

                                                                                 

I'm so glad I now have this recipe in my recipe stash as I can see how handy it may be for last-minute parties, entertaining, satisfying a sweet craving that can occur unexpectedly at any given moment.......

                                                                                 

So off you pop....dust off those microwaves, stock up on the sweet stuff and let me know how you go!!!

Have a fab week folks.......


                                                       Janelle xx