Tasty Tuesday

Some more recipes from my culled cookbooks. I've been surprised at how easy they were. A lot of the recipes I pin are quite complicated and have a tonne of ingredients, but these are simple and mostly use the things I already have in my cupboard or fridge.

I thought I'd do a couple of sweets to start off...

Hazelnut Caramel Slice
200g butter, chopped
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1t vanilla extract
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 1/2 cups plain flour
200g dark eating chocolate, melted, cooled

Caramel Filling
180g butter, chopped
1/2 cup caster sugar
2T golden syrup
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 1/4 cups whole hazelnuts, roasted

Preheat oven to moderately slow. Grease 20x30cm pan, line base with two long sides.

Combine butter and cocoa powder in medium saucepan; stir over a low heat until smooth. Add sugar; stir until dissolved. Remove from heat; add vanilla, egg and sifted flour, mix well. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, cool.

Quickly spread caramel filling (see below) evenly over base; refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until firm. Combine chocolate and oil in small bowl, spread over caramel filling; refrigerate until set.

Caramel Filling
Combine butter, sugar, syrup and condensed milk in medium saucepan; stir over low heat until butter is melted. Increase heat to medium and simmer, stirring about 10 minutes or until mixture is a dark caramel colour. Remove from heat and stir in hazelnuts.

I whacked this next yummy slice together in a morning with two whingy girls hanging off me and it was still yummy. Gotta love anything lemon.

Tangy Lemon Squares
125g butter
1/4 cup icing sugar mixture
1 1/4 cups plain flour
3 eggs
1 cup caster sugar
2t grated lemon rind
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat oven to moderate. Grease a 23cm square pan, line base and two opposite sides of pan with baking paper.

Beat butter and icing sugar in a small bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Stir in 1 cup of flour. Press mixture over base of prepared pan. Bake in moderate oven about 15 minutes or until browned lightly.

Place eggs, caster sugar, remaining flour, rind and juice in medium bowl, whisk until combined. Pour egg mixture over hot base. Bake in moderate oven about 20 minutes or until firm. Cool in pan.

Lift slice from pan and cut into pieces. Dust with sifted icing sugar.

Grilled chicken, brie and avocado on ciabatta
2 chicken breast fillets
4 thick slices ciabatta
1/3 cup sweet chilli sauce
50g baby rocket leavevs
100g brie, cut into 4 slices
1 small avocado, sliced thinly

Halve chicken pieces diagonally and slice through each piece horizontally (to make 8 pieces). Cook in heated, oiled grill pan until chicken is browned both sides and cooked through.

Toast bread, both sides in the same grill pan.

Spread half the sauce over toast slices; top with rocket, chicken, cheese then avocado. Drizzle with remaining sauce.

Grilled pork chops with apple and onion plum sauce
2 medium apples
1T olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges
4 pork loin chops
1/2 cup plum sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock

Cut each unpeeled, uncored apple horizontally into four slices. Heat oil in grill pan; cook apple and onion, turning until softened.

Cook chops in heated oiled grill pan until cooked.
Stir sauce, juice and stock into apple mixture, simmer 1 minute.
Serve Pork chops with sauce.

Weekly 10 has been somewhat of a disappointment of late. Don't worry, I'm super busy doing stuff... just not the stuff on my list. Lol, this last time in particular, which is why I've been skulking away and not doing the next list. Oh alright let's look at it...

Productivity:
1.  Christmas shopping list.
2.  Make a budget that makes saving a priority.
3. Get baby books up to date - shutterfly ones and physical ones.

For the family:
4. Day out to the movies and mini golf with Dadda and Leah.
5.  Enjoy spending time with our cousins at Savannah's 1st birthday

Work and stuff...:
6. Make maths games resource bundle.
7. Go to secret squirrel interview.

Just for me:
8. Conquer at least 20000 steps EVERY day.
9. Practise making curls using the hot iron
10. Read!

I don't know what I was so scared of. It's actually not that bad. One of the ones I haven't done I will add to this week as I'm halfway there. The one about the budget I'm going to defer until birthday season finishes in our house and although I haven't quite done 20000 steps a day, I have won my challenges on the fitbit. So I'll take that.

Onward!

Productivity:
1.  Laminate and cut out things for Willow's birthday.
2.  Get cook books ready to sell.
3. Get baby books up to date - shutterfly ones and physical ones.

For the family:
4. Get through the week without dadda!
5.  Take Leah to choose and buy her 4th birthday bracelet charm.

Work and stuff...:
6. Finish making Gloss aligned maths resource.
7. Write plays blog post... when the videos hurry up and upload to drop box!

Just for me:
8. Be kind to myself this week - it's a busy one and we're one man down at home!
9. Track eating on 'My fitness pal'.
10. Finish reading cross stitch.

Grateful Fridays

I've read a few times that being grateful for the little things in life can help you become more mindful of you're surroundings and helps to ground yourself and make you more happy. I definitely like that last one, so thought I'd give it a nudge on the blog.

I'm grateful for people with minds that make things like this. Clever cookies.

I'm grateful for a plethora of people who messaged me and sent kind words after sharing this post earlier in the week.

Biggest grateful smiles for the dog that always wiggles his bum in happy appreciation when I come home, day after day after day. Love you Jake <3

And just looking at that photo super, super grateful for selfies. What a good lookin' pair we are.

As always, I'm grateful as all hell for a husband that makes me toasted sandwiches on Thursdays (a weird day on which I never feel like cooking), a big girl that wants a cuddle mid-dinner and a little girl who's so cheeky and naughty it's hard not to laugh at her on a constant basis. I'm a lucky lady.

What are you grateful for this week?

xx

Tasty Tuesday

 It's been a long time coming, but not for lack of recipes to share. I've been going through my plethora of cookbooks and culling some, but not before I try out any recipes I like from them.

I've been trying to take photos of what I've made here and there, but I've either gobbled most of the meals up too quickly, they don't look great (but taste yummy), or have gone south with my dead phone (must learn to back up devices periodically).

So I apologise for the lack of photos of most of these recipes. I really urge you to try them. Both husband and I have enjoyed all the meals, and very much the variety.

Pork chops with baked potatoes
750g potatoes peeled
2T  olive oil
4 large pork chops
125g smoked bacon diced
1 large onion sliced
2 garlic cloves chopped
2t dried oregano
Grated rind and juice of one lemon
250ml chicken stock
salt and pepper

Cut the potatoes into 2.5cm cubes. Heat the oil in an ovenproof frying pan, add the pork chops and cook over a high heat for 1-2 minutes on each side until browned. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the bacon and onion and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until golden. Add the potatoes, garlic, oregano and lemon ring and stir well. Pour in the stock and lemon juice and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a preheated oven, 180 degrees celcius, and bake, uncovered for 20 mins. Arrange the chops on top and bake for a further 20 minutes until the potatoes and pork are cooked through.

Chicken, asparagus and potatoes in garlic cream sauce
500g potatoes, halved lengthways
1t cracked black pepper
1T olive oil
4 single chicken breast fillets
400g asparagus trimmed
6 slices prosciutto, chopped coarsely
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup dry white wine
300ml cream
2T wholegrain mustard
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh chives

Preheat over to hot.

Combine potato, pepper and oil in a large bowl, mix well. Place potato, in single layer, on oiled oven try, roast, uncovered in hot over about 20 minutes or until browned.

Meanwhile heat large lightly oiled fry pan; cook chicken, in batches, until browned both sides. Place chicken, in single layer, on oven tray. Roast, uncovered, in hot oven with potatoes about 10 minutes or until cooked through.

Remove chicken and potato from oven, cover and stand 5 minutes, slice chicken thickly.

Meanwhile, boil, steam or microwave asparagus until just tender, drain. Cover to keep warm.

Cook proscuitto in same frying pan, stirring , until just crisp. Remove from pan and cover to keep warm. Add garlic to pan, cook, stirring over a low heat, until fragrant. Add wine, bring to the boil. Boil, stirring until reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Add mustard and cream, bring to a boil. Boil, stirring until mixture thicken slightly. Stir in chives.

Divide asparagus among plates. top with potato, half of the proscuitto, chicken, sauce, then remaining proscuitto.

Rosemary, brie and sun-dried tomato chicken
30g sun-dried tomatoes
 1T finely chopped fresh rosemary
4 single chicken breasts
60g brie, quartered

Combine tomato and rosemary in a small bowl.

Slit a pocket in one side of each chicken breast. Divide tomato mixture and brie among pockets, secure openings with toothpicks.

Cook on a heated, oiled grill plate until browned both sides and cooked through, cover to keep warm.

Choc-caramel slice
2 cups plain flour
2/3 cup caster sugar
185g butter, melted
1 cup of chopped roasted hazelnuts
200g dark chocolate, chopped
395g can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. Grease a 20x30cm pan and line base with baking paper with two long sides.

Combine flour, sugar and butter in a large bowl, mix well. Press mixture over base of prepared pan.
Bake slice about 25 mins or until golden brown and firm.

Sprinkle nuts and chocolate over the base. Top evenly with the condensed milk.
Return to the oven and bake for a further 25 mins.

Cool slice in pan, cut into triangles. You can serve with fresh strawberries (if you have em!)

30 before 30 progress report

I have wanted to do a progress report for some time, and now I've gotten around to doing it, a lot of the photos I wanted to use are potentially lost with a broken phone... hrmph.

In the meantime I will update what I can.

My sleeve got underway about a month ago and I'm SO happy with the start. I love it. Will be booking in time during the October holidays for installment #2 - a dream catcher.

 Of all my goals, the restaurant one has been the most pleasant I think. Lol. Albeit in competition with my goal to lose weight! I've lost many a photo of a few meals but have found these of my trip to Longroom in Ponsonby. What a yummy lunch!

We ordered a few plates to share - pork belly in miso sauce, hot wings, sliders and we also go salt and pepper squid (which I didn't get a photo of). The pork belly was to die for and even though I live about an hour out of Ponsonby, I would travel there happily for that dish alone. A very cool little place with very yummy food. Would highly recommend it to any and everyone.

I've also visited Red Earth. I do like the tapa style of eating, but felt like this place was over priced, especially considering where it is. In comparison to restaurants in town where I've had tapas in particular. The food was OK, I would have felt a lot better about it if it wasn't so over priced. I did like how the waitress looked after my little wriggler by offering a complimentary fluffy. She loved the chocolate fish! A very average meal though.

"Stars can't shine without darkness".

I've been mulling over whether or not to write this post for a week or so now, but I decided to because I've heard that not enough people talk about it... as hard as that may be.

For an undefined period of time now, I've been dealing with overwhelming feelings of sadness, inadequacy and a whole heaps of anxiety. I remember going to visit my doctor about it about 3 years ago, to which he told me I 'just needed to talk to someone, and here's the number of a councilor that will cost $110 per hour'. Ahh, thanks you unhelpful git. Fast forward 3 years or so and here I am, diagnosed this week as moderately depressed.

The brain can be a hideous little organ sometimes. Logically I know I should have no worries - I'm healthy, I have a hugely supportive husband and two wonderful little girls, I have a gorgeous house and we're at a great stage in our lives. Unfortunately logic doesn't matter here. I don't ever feel like I'm doing a good enough job, at anything. At being a mum, a wife, my job, a friend. Second guessing decisions and negative talk about myself to myself all the time. The brain is the bully that never sleeps, or at least, when it does it's giving you dreams about how shit you are! Asshole.

The way I described how I'm feeling to Damien is that I will be in a moment where my brain is telling me I should be feeling happy - playing with the girls, throwing the ball for Jake, having a fun night out - but I just don't. I feel numb. And that's scary. Some days are better than others, and the positivity that I hold onto so strong is still there, or at least I'm trying for it to be - all.the.time.

So I'm looking at this as another opportunity for improvement and trying very, very hard not to feel like admitting this defeat (for lack of a batter word) is a weakness.

Weekly 10

Let's see how I went with my last list...
Productivity:
1.  Have a movie day next week when the weather is yuck (yes this is productive!)
2.  Sell the culled bits and pieces in the garage
3. Post it note some more of my cookbooks
4. Make two of the dishes for the 5 course gourmet meal

For the family:
5. Book in an area with Cornwall park for Leah's birthday
6. Take Leah to the movies to see inside out
Planned for this Friday!


Work and stuff...:
7. Make trial run of cupcakes for Nicola's 30th and take them to work for awesome homework kids.

Just for me:
8. Practise making curls using the hot iron
9. Have a great time and take lots of photos on our little trip to Rotorua - without the girls :D
10. Read!

Can't complain really. I need to get my A into G with this hair stuff of mine. Hmmmm. This week!

Productivity:
1.  Christmas shopping list.
2.  Make a budget that makes saving a priority.
3. Get baby books up to date - shutterfly ones and physical ones.

For the family:
4. Day out to the movies and mini golf with Dadda and Leah.
5.  Enjoy spending time with our cousins at Savannah's 1st birthday

Work and stuff...:
6. Make maths games resource bundle.
7. Go to secret squirrel interview.

Just for me:
8. Conquer at least 20000 steps EVERY day.
9. Practise making curls using the hot iron
10. Read!