Fail

 

It was the Queens Birthday long weekend and we have had the British weather to help celebrate it.

Very cold and miserable all weekend except for Saturday morning.  We headed up the coast on Sunday to visit family and spent Monday indoors hibernating.

So I tried to make this yummy Eclair Slice that I found on Pinterest.  It belongs to The girl who ate Everything!

Well I’m really sorry to this lovely lady who made this as I FAILED.  First the pastry didn’t turn out right.  I don’t think I got the butter right for the mixture.

Then when I made the filling the mixer decided to go faster then I had intended and I had vanilla pudding all over the bench lol.

If it wasn’t for the whip cream that I managed to get right or the pouring chocolate, store bought, I think it would be horrible.

Ah well I will just have to give it a go again.  Have you had an epic fail when making something yummy?

Link Party Likes #24

 

Lots of goodies to be found amongst the Link parties last week.  Here are a just a few of the ones that I liked:

1. I have a few more cushions to make around the house so couldn’t resist this blog post by Southern Lovely. I love it when someone thinks outside the box and there are some beautiful place mats out there, you know the one’s you don’t want to by cos you don’t want to make it dirty.
2. Where can I get me some of this Washi Tape.  I have noticed a few posts around using this stuff but I have never seen it in the craft shops.  Ginger Snap Crafts has a great tutorial on how to use washi tape to make this checkboard clipboard.
3. And if I can’t find the washi tape in the shops I can always head on over to Nifty Thrifty Things to make my own.
4. Miss G has decided that she is no longer a dress kind of girl and needs to wear a skirt everyday so I think I might have to make this lovely skirt over at The Life of Jennifer Dawn.
5. Themed birthday parties are a very big thing with the kids so what do you do with the table cloth that you bought especially for the party after it’s finished.  Well why not make an art smock out of it.  You can find the tutorial over at Vixen Made.
6. When picking up some library books the other week the Librarian mentioned that she does Quilling and was thinking of holding some classes in the library at the end of the year.  I have dabbled in paper toll before but never quilling and thought it was a great idea.  So it was lovely to see this butterfly picture over at Wesens-Art after just having this conversation.
7. Homespun with Love has a great post on how you can have a herb garden in your own home. I’m thinking about putting some herbs in hanging pots, especially the ones that don’t like a lot of sunlight.
8. And Just 2 Birds has got me in the mood for the weekend.  It’s our 8th wedding anniversary next week and we are heading out for dinner at our favourite restaurant Cactus Jacks and catching a movie.  Can’t wait!!

So there you have it, some more great posts and blogs that you can head on over and checkout.

Happy Surfing.

What’s on the Menu

 

Standing in the checkout line the other week I picked up the latest copy of New Idea.  I don’t normally buy these kind of magazines anymore but when I flicked through and came across the tagine recipes I just had to buy it.

I just love cooking in my tagine and the Lamb & Date recipe sounded real good.  And so I had to make it.

It was very yummy.  If you don’t have a tagine this recipe can be cooked in your slow cooker or in the oven for a couple of hours.

Want to make it, well here is the recipe.

Lamb & Date Tagine

(Serves 6)

• 1 deboned lamb shoulder (1.25kg) well trimmed and cut into 3cm pieces
• 2 tsps ground ginger
• 2 tsps ground cumin
• 2 tsps ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 cinnamon quill
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 small vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup pitted dates, halved
• 1/2 cup Turkish apricots, halved
• 1 tblsp honey
• 1/2 tsp saffron threads
• Pistachios, to garnish
• Cooked couscous, to serve

(now I didn’t have apricots so I just added a little more dates.  I also did not have a cinnamon quill or any saffron threads.  I used ground cinnamon and powder version of saffron.  And I didn’t use lamb shoulder, I used the Lamb forequarter pieces).

1. combined lamb, ginger, cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper in the a large bowl, season and marinate in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight. (I marinated for an hour)
2. Heat 2 tbsps of the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.  Add lamb in two batches.  Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until browned.  Transfer to a 3.5 litre capacity tagine.  (did this in the base of the tagine as)
3. Heat remaining oil in same pan.  Add the onion, garlic, cinnamon and cook until soft.  Now add your stock and bring to the boil. Transfer to the tagine with the tomatoes. Place tagine lid on and simmer on very low for 1 hour ( now I found that the tomatoes ended up way to soft for my liking so next time I would add them after an hour).
4. Add dates, apricots, honey and saffron, cook for a another hour or until your lamb is tender and the sauce has thickened.
5. Garnish with pistachios and serve with couscous. 

And there you have it.  Enjoy!!!!!

What’s for dinner

 

I love a quick and easy dinner especially when it is one that you through together and hope everyone likes it.

Now that I know how to cook risotto in the pressure cooker anything is possible. 

I was going to make Tuna Mornay but thought we hadn’t had risotto for awhile so I through some garlic and onions in the bottom of the pot with some olive oil, then when the onion was clear I put in 1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice in and stirred to clear, then added 3 cups of Chicken stock (you could also use vegetable).

Now to put the lid on and when the pressure has built which only takes a minute or so I turned it down and set the timer for 7 mins.

When 7 mins is up and the pressure is all out I just open the lid and through in a cup of tasty cheese, can of tuna in spring water (drained of course) and some blanched or steamed broccoli.

And here you have it, a quick and easy yummy dinner that all the family likes, even the kids!

What’s for dinner at your house?

Linkup Party Likes #22

 

Hello everyone, how are we all today.  It was Mother’s Day in Australia yesterday and the weather was perfect for me to spend the day outside fixing up the veggie garden.

Poor thing has been neglected by myself and needed alot of TLC.  It was perfect weather for it too.

                

Scrambled eggs on toast for all us for breakfast, yummy Subway Seafood Sensation for Daddy and I for lunch and meatball for the girls, then it was Piri Piri Chicken cooked by Daddy for dinner.  Spoilt!!!!

 

 

With the cold weather coming in I thought I would have a look through all the linkup parties and see if there are any tutes for Winter.  And here is what I found:

1. Projects around the world shares a great little pattern for a Newborn Beanie.
2. And you know how much I love something that has been upcycled, like this Pumpkin Spice Cardigan DIY over at Scout’s Stitches
3. Quilting is something I have still yet to try and its great to see one that has been made for a boy, like this one over at Oxford Impressions
4. This pepperoni roll looks very yummy and perfect for those cold winter lunch times.  You can find the recipe over at Talking Dollars and Cents.
5. I love these sleepy sacks and I used them on all of my kiddies through the winter months.  Here is a great tutorial to make your own over at The pursuit of happiness.
6. Another yummy dish and I so now want a clay pot.  This chicken dish is great for a cold winters Sunday dinner. Thanks for sharing My Turn (for us).
7. I love this fabric and I have this giraffe material in the mustard colour in my fabric stash.  Head on over to Sew easy being green to find out how to make them.
8. And finally, here is a great tutorial for a casserole carrier I found at Love Bugs Lane.

I think it is time for me to go and sit outside in the warm autumn sun and finish a crochet order I have.

Have a great day!!!!

What’s on the menu

 

I was watching Australia’s My Kitchen Rules the other week and the Melbourne contestants managed to make a very bland Kofta. 

(photo from MKR website)

How is this possible, it’s not that hard to make and you only have to let them marinate for an hour or so, so that the herbs and spices blend in with the mince.

I try to let it sit in the fridge all day and then I cook it in the sauce for about an hour and a half on low. So yummy.

So after watching this episode I had to make it for myself in my tagine. Doesn’t it look yummy. I like to serve it with couscous so you can soak up all the yummy juices.

I use the ingredient's from one recipe for the Kofta and the sauce from another.  I like to roll the mince into large meatballs and then brown them in the base of the tagine.

Once I have done that I then remove the Kofta and add a little butter and throw in the onions. 

Now to add the spices and the tomato paste (tomato paste is not in the recipe but I like to add a tablespoon or 2).

Time to add the tin of dice tomatoes and let it simmer for about 10 mins.

Add the Kofta, pop on the lid and then let it simmer on low for around 1 hour or so.

 

Now just to serve with couscous and bon appetite!! I’m drooling just looking at the picture lol.  Wash down with a lovely red.  I like a good Merlot.

Here is the recipe:

Lamb Kofta

• 1kg lamb mince
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped corinader
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika

And for the Sauce

• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 1 onion sliced
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 tbsp parsley finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground paprika
• 1 tsp basil finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy!!!!!

Linkup Party Likes #19

 

Hello all, how was your weekend?  Did anyone grab a bargain in the Black Friday and Cyber Sales? Hope all in the USA had a lovely Thanks Giving too!!!

We went camping over the weekend and it was Ethan’s first time.  We only went for 2 nights and it rain most of the Saturday but all in all it was a lovely weekend catching up with friends and family.  Oh and the boy’s had fun 4wd.

Before we left I managed to whip up another nappy wallet that is to be part of a great charity auction over at Lace & Dryde for the pretty and the punk facebook page.

I also finished a new trolley cover too.  I am hoping to have a few more done over the next week to upload to my Made It store.  Think I might have to have a sale first before uploading new stock, so stay tuned.

Now for the linkup parties.  A lot of people are getting in the Christmas spirit and coming up with some wonderful ideas.

I love the fabric La La Bliss has used to make this great little apron:

And who doesn’t  love to bake a few yummy treats for the Christmas table.  Echoes of Laughter has shared a great Sugar Cookie recipe:

Echoes of Laughter also have this great Peppermint Foot Soak gift idea as well.  I just love this and will be making some for myself lol:

 

How about something for the man of the house.  Here is a Manly Hand Scrub you can make yourself over at Paper Turtle:

Don’t have a wreath for you door this.  Well why not make one yourself.  The Kurtz Corner has used tulle for this lovely wreath:

And here’s another great wreath over at Saved by Love Creations using a couple of t-shirts, awesome:

Need some gift tags for your Christmas presents, well Persona Designs have some great Be Merry holiday gift tags for you to download:

And finally here is one you could make for Christmas but I am going to bake this one for morning tea in our camp oven when we go camping next.  You can find the recipe for these yummy cinnamon rolls over at June Cleaver Nirvana:

So hungry now, must be lunchtime.  Have a great day!!!!

What's on the Menu

 

With all this lovely warm weather we are having and the fact that it doesn’t get dark till 7pm, Hubby and I decided we wanted to try and have more bbq dinners.
One of my favourite things as a kid and still now is a good old skewer with lots of meat and veggies on it.

You can put anything on a skewer, mushrooms, onion, capsicum, pineapple, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, haloumi cheese, eggplant, chicken, beef, pork or lamb.
And don’t for get to add some yummy marinade. What do you like to put on your bbq skewers?

What’s on the Menu

 

A couple of months ago at a taste testing booth at our local Woolworths, I tried this curry sauce called S&R Golden Curry that is found in the Asian section.

I have seen this on the self at the supermarket over the years and although I love a good curry was never game enough to buy and try it. 

Well am I glad they finally sampled it because it is super delicious and we have it nearly once a week. 

It is actually a hard block of curry sauce. So you can break off and add as little or all of it to make the meal.

The lady had actually made a simple noodle and vegetable curry as she was also promoting the noodles and I can tell you its that tasty that I didn’t even realise it didn’t have any meat in it. 

I have cooked it with both chicken and beef though and it comes in mild, medium and hot flavour.  We have tried all 3 flavours with hot being our favourite.

So how do I cook with it, well I do it in my pressure cooker and serve it with rice.
To cook it in the pressure cooker, fry some onions in olive oil in the bottom of the pot, then when they are clear, remove onions and place a trivet in the bottom. 

Then I place the beef, onions and peeled potatoes on top of the trivet and poor in enough water so that it just covers the beef.  Now cook it for around 30 mins.

I have been using good old casserole beef and it turns out so lovely and tender.  After 30 mins I take out the trivet, drain the water, leaving enough to make the sauce and throw everything back in. I also like to have peas in my curry and on an odd occasion I will replace the potatoes with cauliflower.

Now to just add the blocks of the curry sauce and keep a low heat under it for another 10 minutes for it to thicken.  Mmm yummy!

Now I serve my curry with rice of course but after having this curry sauce with noodles I have told hubby that he is going to have to give it a try.

For the rice, I use to be hopeless at cooking rice. It always seem to come out gluggy or dry but after my mum mentioned she cooked her rice in the microwave I gave it a go and haven’t looked back.

I have a 800 watt microwave and to cook rice I just add one cup of boiling water for every cup of rice plus one extra cup of boiling water (1 cup rice, 2 cups water or 2 cups rice, 3 cups of water and so on). 

Just cook it for 15 mins and when it is finished fluff it up with a fork.

Now serve and eat, its yummy. And if you are lucky to have any leftovers it’s also great as a toasted sandwich.

I’m hungry now.  What are you cooking for dinner?
Happy Cooking !!!!

Link Party Like #13

 

Well what a week, my baby girl turned 4 yesterday (how did that happen lol and where did the years go) and we had Father’s day on Sunday.  Have so much that I want to do but seem to be getting no where.

Finally finished the last 2 dresses for ‘Dress a girl around the world’ thank goodness and am now working on making some IV Shirts to give to a lady to donate to a hospital for bubs.

So after a much needed cuppa I had a look at what you all have been up to in the last week:

This felt owl is just adorable, you can find the tutorial over at The Orchard in Bloom:

 

 

Sara vs Sarah have put a personal touch to these lovely pillowcases they have made with a crochet edge:

 

 

One of my favourite blogs Sumo Sweet Stuff has made this lovely lanyard.  I must make one of these for my girls to attach to there library card:

 

 

Sandy Sewz has made this lovely blanket as a gift, which reminds me I have a baby shower to attend on Sunday for one of my closest friends so I better get my thinking cap on:

 

 

My girl’s have grown out of there old jeans so this is a great way to repurpose them.  Thanks for sharing Artfully Caroline:

 

 

And isn’t this dress gorgeous, it’s over at Kristina J:

 

 

Minimoz has come up with this great idea for storing your ribbons:

 

 

How great have these skirts turned out using dad’s old work shirts.  You’ll find the tutorial over at lil pink pocket:

 

 

Hannah Handmade has come up with a great idea for using up your scrap material with this little clip:

 

 

Thank you everyone for sharing your great ideas in last weeks link up parties.  I don’t know about everyone else but I’m dying to get back to the sewing machine now lol.

Happy Sewing!!!