Loving... Grateful....

My Monday night ritual to reset and start the week in a good place. Feel free to join me and tell me what you are grateful for in the comments. 

~ Loving

The last of the summer tomatoes being made into a nourishing soup as we head into winter.

Grateful.....

~ For new opportunities

~ for family coming to stay

~ for said family doing a heap of those jobs i never quite get round to

~ hand dyed wool

~ for finally getting the hang of knitting

~ baby snuggles

~ chatty toddlers.

Life is good.

Have a great week everyone.

xxx

This moment

Joining in with Soulemama

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Enjoy the last of the summer sun.

xxx

Weetbix slice - thanks Fatmumslim

Inspiration was lacking today, it's baking day but between the housework that needed doing and the sad news of Boston on my mind inspiration was sorely lacking. I'd decided it would be store bought biscuits for afternoon tea until i saw fatmumslims post for her childhood favourite - weetbix slice. Sold. I too have fond childhood memories of this slice, weetbix slice it is.

A lovely crunchy weet-bix base.

Topped with some soft chocolate icing. A bit of a treat for little tummies.

If you want to give this one a go you can find the recipe over here at FMS.

Happy baking everyone and hug your loved ones close.

xxx

Loving... Grateful...

My Monday night ritual to reset and start the week in a good place. Feel free to join me and tell me what you are grateful for in the comments. 

It's been a few months since i last did this, but it feels like it is more than due to start again

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. - Buddha

Loving ....

The last of the summer sun.

Grateful....

~ for time

~ for choice

~ for the love in my life

~ for hot cocoa on a cool night

~ for my little baby who is rapidly becoming a little boy

~ for yoga which stretches the body and releases the mind

~ for rest.

Breathe, be grateful.

xxx

Hot cross bunnies (fail)

Easter calls for freshly baked hot cross buns and this year i tried adding a little twist. It was semi successful.....

With visitors coming for easter and being unsure if they ate traditional hot cross buns i decided to split the batch and make half traditional and half chocolate hot x buns. Then for a little fun i thought i'd make a few of them bunny shaped like the many you see going around pinterest and facebook sometimes.

Ah aren't they cute! Unfortunately mine weren't all that successful and came out looking a little more hamster like. lol.

Hahaha that's even funnier in a picture! I won't be giving up my day job yet. On the up side they were super yum! With big chunks of chocolate and just a little spice.

On the other side of things the hot cross buns came out great. This is my go-to recipe if you feel like trying some this weekend.

Hot cross buns

Preparation time 3 hours

Cooking time 20-25 minutes

Ingredients

1½ teaspoons active dry yeast

1 cup warm milk

100 grams butter, softened

2 eggs

4 cups high grade flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon each ground allspice, mixed spice, cinnamon and nutmeg

¼ cup brown sugar

1 cup raisins

milk or egg wash to glaze

Method

Stir the yeast and milk together and set aside in a warm place for 15 minutes or until the mixture is frothy.

Beat softened butter and eggs into the frothy mixture.

Put the flour, salt, spices and brown sugar into a food processor and pulse to sift.

Pour the yeast mixture into the flour mixture mixing until it forms a soft dough. 

Process for 1 more minute.

Add the dried fruit and pulse to just mix.

Turn the dough into a greased bowl, turn over and cover with greased plastic wrap. 

Set aside in a warm place for about 1 hour until the dough has doubled in size

Divide into 12-14 pieces roll into a ball and place on a tray, put them about 1cm apart. I like to put them in a round tin.

Cover with a tea towel and set aside for 30 mins.

Preheat the oven to 190 ºC.

Brush the buns with milk or egg wash to glaze. Pipe thin crosses onto the buns with the cross paste.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

I don't usually bother with the crosses but if you want to add them

Cross paste

½ cup flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon butter

about ¼ cup milk

For chocolate buns - omit the spices and raisins from the above recipe and add in 1 t cinnamon, 1 T cocoa and 1/2 -1 C chocolate drops.

Sweet treats and busy weeks

The days seem to be flying by with not enough hours in the day. I have a sense of rushing through my days, my tasks and my food. It's only now i take a moment to breathe tonight that i realise how i'm letting the time pass by without taking time to really be in the moment. You miss so much that way.

But for me it's a natural state when i'm under stress, work faster and more to try and reduce the pressure. But it really doesn't work that way, i need to slow down breathe and get everything back into perspective. The world will not end if i don't finish a report on time! So after all that ranting, i'm going to take a deep breath, slow down and tell you about a few sweet things from the week past.

So on Sunday i attended a dessert making class. 

We made chocolate tarts, vanilla panna cotta

and tiramisu. 

It was great fun and i've developed a new love for panna cotta. A creamy italian dessert where the cream is cooked  with sugar and flavours and set almost like a cream jelly. Not a great description but very luscious.

With all the rushing around i have been doing there's been little time for craft lately, another sign i'm working too hard. So tomorrow i'm taking a break. Off to the pools with my little man in the morning and some crafting tomorrow night hopefully, and maybe a little Easter baking to share with you all.

Take care everyone. 

Rest, relax, breathe

 xxx

Lunchboxes - Broccoli and chickpea salad

I'm still feeling very time poor around here and struggling to get everything done in a week. I need to become one of those super organising people who can whip any week into shape and get everything done. I also need to get a unicorn. Not sure which one is more likely to happen.

For the meantime i will plod along trying to get enough done to keep my house from falling apart and my family happy. So here i am tonight to share with you a quick healthy lunch from my week.

Something a little different.

Broccoli and chickpea salad 

Half a head of broccoli

1 drained tin of chickpeas

1/2 C crumbled feta

1/4 C pine nuts

Note - You can add any salad veges you have like tomatoes, chopped spinach, red onion but my cupboards were otherwise bare that day and i love a simple salad some days.

Dressing

2 T balsamic vinegar

1 t wholegrain mustard

1 finely chopped clove of garlic

1/4 C olive oil

1 t honey

pinch salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and set aside

Cut the broccoli into small florets and blanch by throwing into a pot of boiling water for 1-2 mins (depending how crunchy you like it), strain and run under cold water to cool and stop the cooking process.

Chuck in a bowl with the chickpeas and feta.

 Stir through the dressing. 

Done.

I find this is better eaten on the day it's made as the broccoli goes a little soft the next day. It's still tasty though and a good healthy lunch for busy weeks.

Have a great weekend everyone

xxx