White Chocolate Cookies......

Hello and Happy Friday!! Friday's now have that special 'Friday' feel to them again don't they?...now that school is back and reality has kicked back in.
So today we are back in the kitchen for a little weekend baking. On a Friday. Always good to be early I believe.

                                                                                 

Today's recipe is for White Chocolate Cookies. Which basically means one day I went to bake good old regular choc-chip cookies, realised we had no dark choc chips so I bashed out a white chocolate milky bar, threw that in instead and hey....we had delicious white choc biscuits to dunk in our tea. Coffee. Milo. Milk.....

                                                                                 

A few people have asked for the recipe so.....here we go.....

                                                                                 

                                                                                   

                                                 White Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

115 grams butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspn vanilla
1 3/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted
1/4 cup milk
white chocolate - either the buttons or chips you can grab in the baking section of your sup or just cut up a white chocolate bar. For these I used 1/2 a 180gm block.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees

2. Beat together the soft butter and sugar. Once that is pale throw in your egg and vanilla and beat some more.

3. Now sift in the flour and stir through. Add your milk and lastly toss in whatever chocolate you haven't already eaten off the chopping board.

4. Scoop spoonfuls (I use a teaspoon) onto a greased or lined baking tray then throw in the oven for approx 12 minutes.

5. Allow to cool a little on their trays before shifting them to their cooling rack.

6. Try one whilst it's still warm and tell me they are not delicious!??!!

                                                                                     
                                                                                     

I have to admit I'm not really the biggest fan of white chocolate but these really do work!! Plus they have a kind of half-cake-half-biscuit texture which is always a good thing surely!!

                                                                                 

I'm now off to clean up the house before it's time to pick up the kids and they come home to mess it up again. Apparently that's how we roll......

                                                                                   

Happy Weekend and Happy Baking!!!



                                                     Janelle xx                                                                                  

All Is Quiet......

Goodness...it's all rather quiet around here today...

                                                                                 

Three shouty children back at school which just leaves me, the kitten and a few chooks at home.....

                                                                                 

I feel slightly stunned...with a few hundred jobs to do about the house which I've been putting off until school resumed back I am now confused as to where to start!!?!

                                                                                 

Probs best to boil the kettle and have a little think......

Enjoy your day!!


                                                                                         Janelle  xx                                                                                

Sausage and Potatoe Salad

Hello there!!

                                                                                     

I'm a little slow off the mark this week, today being Wednesday and this being my first post of the week...must have something to do with it being the last few days of the school holidays and trying to get 3 children half-way organised and geared up for the year ahead. I think we may be ready...

We are also back to dealing with a fair bit of heat, as in h.o.t weather. I don't know about you but I find it hard to even contemplate dinner at the best of times when it is still so hot and stuffy when it's time for dinner? So with that little thought in mind I thought I'd share a "what we had for dinner" as this one was a winner...certainly nothing flash or fancy but it was quick, simple and, most importantly, eaten!!

                                                                                                                               

                                                                               

I'm not even sure what to call this, it's pretty much made up as I go, but it's basically a potatoe salad with sausage thrown in so let's go with Sausage Potatoe Salad??!? Yep...sounds good to me.....

I give you.....

                                                                                               

                                                                               

                                                                                   

                                                     Sausage Potatoe Salad    

Ingredients

Potatoes

1 packet beef sausages - or whatever takes your fancy

bacon - 1 or 2 rashers?

chives 

peas - frozen 

corn kernels - frozen

Dressing

Method

Right, boil up your potatoes...I use baby potatoes, I never count them, maybe 9 or 10?? Whilst they are bubbling away dice up your bacon into small pieces and fry off. My husb actually tossed ours in the microwave the other night and they came out fine. Now you also need to get your sausages frying, I cook ours first and then chop them into bite-size pieces once they're done. In amongst all this chopping and frying, or if that's too much hassle wait until the end, heat up the peas and corn. I usually throw mine together in a mug and heat in the microwave for a couple of minutes...maybe 1/3 of the mug for each.
Once your spuds are cooked drain them, cool a tad, and throw into a large-ish bowl. Add the peas and corn, bacon and your cooked/chopped sausages. Snip your chives over the top, add a sprinkle of salt and pepper then toss through your dressing. I usually use a store bought dressing but would love to try with home made. You can use potatoe salad dressing, regular mayo and I've even used coleslaw dressing which worked fine.

                                                                                     

                                                                       

And there you have it...a slap dash recipe for a slap dash meal...but one that works well for us! Let me know if you give it a go!


                                                                             

Have a Happy Wednesday...

And stay cool....


                                                    Janelle  xx

                                                                                    

Chocolate Cake....again.....

Good Afternoon all!! Come on in....you are just in time for arvo tea....

                                                                                   

Which today is....ta da....chocolate cake.....

                                                                                   

Always a winner around these parts.....

                                                                                 

My son and I cooked this up yesterday and I must say...it is rather delicious!! I'm still tweaking a few things in the recipe (although I think I may tweak every recipe every time I bake really?!) before I share but!!...do not go into a cake-less frenzy....in the meantime just click yourself over to here and you will find one of my very all time favourite chocolate cake recipes....easy-as to whip up too......

                                                                               

Ok...there is cake to be eaten and three apparently "staaaaaarrrrrrvvving" children so if I want any chance at all of enjoying at least a few morsels of this I need to scoot n.o.w.....

                                                                                     

                                                                                 

Happy Baking and Happy Weekend guys......

Enjoy......



                                                         Janelle  xx                                                                                    

A Sheepish Project??....

Hey there...I have a quick little project to share this evening. Possibly one of the easiest yet effective things I've done for awhile...with a little help from the handyman husb...must admit that one I suppose....

                                                                               

So this all began back in November when one of my favourite friends (yep, apparently I have favourites) gave me this very cute tea towel for a birthday gift. Which my youngest totally-obsessed-and-I-do-mean-totally-obsessed-with-sheep daughter saw and promptly stole from me. Can't say I blame her really...it is pretty damn cute...

                                                                                 

Well this tea towel was played and played with, usually to wrap her baby sheep up in, and I was forever picking it up from all about the house. And then along came a little pic on instagram from a gorgeous mum who had hung up a few tea towels in her sons' rooms and "hello!!"...perfect solution and more than perfect wall hanging for this little sheep-girl.....

                                                                               

Simply fold over and sew the bottom and top edges...ask your husband in a nice polite voice possibly the trickiest bit to this whole project to cut you two pieces of dowel for you, slide them through the towel ends, grab whatever twine you can find in your junk drawer, tie to the pieces of dowel (am I spelling this correctly?? Don't believe I've ever had to write the word before....) and hang up on your obsessed child's wall.

                                                                                 

And Woo Hoo!! This does have to be moved up higher on the wall, we just used the hook that was there for now to at least get the thing up but I must say...I am loving it!!

Look out for the paper chain tutorial next week....:).....

Happy projecting folks!!



                                                     Janelle  xx                                                                          

Hello.......

And it's Hello to another new week.....

                                                                                   

Here's hoping it's an extra good one....

                                                                                 

Stay happy people.....

                                                                                   

................


                                                 Janelle  xx                                                                          

Quick One.......

Morning!!!

                                                                                   

Keeping it cool here today on this h.o.t. Friday.....

                                                                                 

Have a fab day all......

                                                                                 

And enjoy......


                                         Janelle  xx                                                                              

Keeping Cool......

And it's Good Evening from a rather hot and sweaty farm tonight...43 degrees and counting this past week but hey...that's just Summer for us isn't it?!! So we have basically been in lock down this whole week...air con on, blinds shut, living in our own little world of darkness. Well, apart from the odd trip out to the pool for the kids, me...I've stayed pretty close to that air con contraption.
And whilst hovering around that contraption I've kept busy with.....ta da....

                                                                                 

First up...a little sewing. My daughter has a blanket/quilt thingy that she uses in the cooler months but it has been needing some type of cover, which I have been meaning to whip up for a looong time now. Inspiration finally struck, fabrics were cut into squares and the sewing machine was put to work. I am very close to the finish line with this, with only the back to sew on...amazing what one can accomplish when hidden away in darkness from the world for a few days.

                                                                                 

And yes...I have continued on with my crochet obsessed phase...funny how every Summer I really enjoy propping up in front of the aforementioned life-saving air conditioner and clicking away with my knitting needles...or as is the case this year...my trusty crochet hook. I am still amazed at how quickly your work can grow with crochet...I think I may even have a cosy sofa rug ready for Autumn. I know!!?!!!

                                                                               

Of course we can't let a little sweltering heatwave keep us out of the kitchen now can we??! So we are opting for slightly cooler baking...as in the no-bake kind of baking....I tell you, rumballs are your bestfriend in this weather. Or really....who am I kidding...they're our best friends rain, hail or shine...

                                                                                 

And what would a hot Aussie Summer be without a spot of Aussie Open tennis...yep...it's been a stinking hot good week....

Hope your's has been too...

Stay cool folks.......


                                           Janelle xx                                                                        

Chocolate Ripple Birthday Cake.......mmmmmmmm.......

Hello there!! So, I thought I'd start the week out by sharing cake...doesn't get much better than that now does it??!? We celebrated another birthday on the weekend...nothing fancy or huge, just a quiet family do but of course there had to be cake. Chocolate Ripple cake to be exact. Mmmmmm. Now I do realise there is no wheel reinventing going on here but I figured I'd share how I slapped it together because....well....that's what a blogger does, don't they??!

                                                                                   

Ok....go and buy yourself a couple of packets of chocolate ripple biscuits and a large tub of thickened cream, which you will then whip with a few spoonfuls of sugar and a splosh of vanilla. Now you can start assembling your cake...in whatever shape you like.....

                                                                                 

Once you have all the biscuits 'glued' together with cream start covering it all with the remaining cream....

                                                                               

I tend to be a little on the stingy side with the cream until I have the whole lot covered just to make sure there is enough cream, which there always is,  and then slap on the rest to fill any gaps and smooth it all out a bit......

                                                                                   

For the top I usually do the traditional thing and grate some peppermint crisp or chocolate over it but for this one smarties just seemed the logical choice. I did all this the night before the big day so the biscuits would be really lovely and soft but next time I would pop the smarties on the day of the party to prevent the colour running...although I didn't hear any complaints from anyone!?!!


                                                                                 

And there we have it...one of the easiest, and possibly tastiest birthday cakes I've made in a long time!!

                                                                                   

Now where are those left-overs.........

Have a fab day guys........



                                                            Janelle  xx                                                                              

Saturday Stop-over......

Hello there! Or rather Good Evening by the this stage of the day.....

                                                                               

                                                                               
I picked these lovely ladies this morning and felt the need to share...I love the colour of these......

                                                                                 

 Perfect.......  

                                                                               

So how's the weekend treating you so far?? We have another birthday here on the farm...bit of a low key affair but a party is still in order...with cake. Of course. I'm still in a complete crochet frenzy and am loving how quickly it all grows!! Cannot wait to finish my rug. Will share some pics next week. I've also been painting a couple of outside benchseats...which I purchased about a year or two ago. Can't rush these things though can we?!? They were a lovely shade of mission brown but are now wearing a few shades of white undercoat...they will hopefully be getting their topcoats on sometime in the next couple of days...

                                                                                   

And that is my Saturday round-up.....

I think an ice cold drink may be calling my name.....

See you next week folks.....


                                                         Janelle  xx                                                                                

Lemon and Poppyseed Cake.......

Hey there!! Well it is cake time around these parts today. Although let's be honest here...there is always time for cake. Always.

                                                                                   

Ok, so today we are whipping up a Lemon and Poppyseed cake. I may have even shared this already?!?...it's really just a variation of my easy-as orange cake, but this time I made it using lemon instead of an orange and, being in full-on  lazy holiday mode, made it even more simple. Always a good thing I believe.....

                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                    Ready for action??......

                                                                               

                                             Lemon and Poppyseed Cake

Ingredients  

1 cup self raising flour - sifted
1/2 cup sugar (I use raw, just use whatever you have or prefer)
Rind of 1/2 a lemon - finely grated
pinch of salt
80 grams butter - melted
2 eggs
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Milk
1 teaspn poppyseeds

Method

1. Heat your oven to 160 degrees

2. In a bowl throw in your sifted flour, sugar, lemon rind poppyseeds and salt.

3. Now in a jug throw in your melted butter, 2 eggs, lemon juice and then fill up to 1 cup with milk. You won't need much milk at all. Give all this the laziest of whisks then dump it all in with your dry ingredients.
(if this all seems like way too much slaving in the kitchen for you I suggest you just throw all your ingredients in the bowl and skip to number 4. You will probs need about 2 tablespoons of milk)

4. Ok, beat all this together then pour mixture into a greased and lined baking tray. I often use a loaf tin for this but this time I used this ring tin and it turned out fine. I think I may have cooked it for about 5 minutes less.

5. Bang this in the oven for approx 30 minutes.

6. Once cooked and out of the oven let it cool in it's tin for about 5 minutes then tip out onto a cooling rack.

7. Now you could just leave as is, sprinkle a little icing sugar over the top or do what we did and pour a generous amount of vanilla icing over the top then sprinkle with coconut.

                                                                                 

                                                                                 

8. You must, m.u.s.t., lick any excess icing from the table. For cleaning purposes of course...

                                                                                 

Right then...I believe a kettle needs to be boiled, cups need to be poured and cake needs to be sliced and scoffed...

                                                                                   

Happy baking people!!!


                                                 Janelle xx

A Crochet Tale.......

Ok...let's get this 2014 party started shall we?? Hows a little crazy crochet madness sound?? Oh yes...it is so happening around here!?!!

                                                                                   

Actually to tell the truth I am absolutely loving this at the moment and highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't yet discovered the highly rewarding and rather therapeutic hobby of crochet. Oh and if you are a clever someone who has been doing this for awhile you may want to look away now....I am still in the midst of finding my hooky wings and don't want to offend anyone with my bumbling amateur attempts....but it is SO much fun I just had to share!!

                                                                               

I have always been able to knit, for as long as I can remember, but only just started to teach myself to crochet about this time last year. I started with instructions from a children's craft book (yes. I like to keep things simple...) then purchased this gorgeous Erika Knight book. I l.o.v.e this book. First and foremost it has the most beautifully styled pictures and as an added bonus it really helps one to learn to crochet!!?!

                                                                               

So after learning the basics and fiddling about a bit I kind of tossed the crochet aside for a few months and took up the knitting needles again. I then managed to finish off a very simple straight forward blanket last month and decided it was time to master the....ta da.....Granny Square!!

                                                                                 

It took me a few evenings of practicing and a lot of starting, pulling apart, and starting again but then it all kind of clicked and away I went....totally obsessed. I have now started a throw rug for the sofa using these two granny square patterns....I think they should look lovely together....fingers crossed anyway!!!

                                                                                 

And there ends the tale of my latest little obsession...I think I will always be a knitter at heart but this crochet business has me hooked!!

I'm sorry...had to be said at some point, right??!

                                                                                 

Have a fab day......


                                           Janelle  xx