We loved the beach. Didn't want to come home.
Gee that iPhone is good fun. Fun for the whole family.
One day he won't take his hand when crossing the road.
Santa's bubble wand went down a treat.
We were very impressed that he found us.
Christmas Day on the beach.
It was glorious.
We said 'Happy Christmas' to everyone who walked past.... even the grumpy ones.
Little one remarked that they became 'less grumpy' when we spoke to them.
We got dressed up and went out for Christmas lunch.....
......with Dr Who's 'Sonic Screwdriver' to protect us.
Best date and walnut pudding I have ever had.
Big statement but true.
Brian and Nigella were so pleased to see us when we got home.
Uncle Paul was in charge of 'Operation Brigella' while we were away.
Thx Uncle Paul.
Our new toys have kept us amused for hours...
....along with visits from our gorgeous cousins.
We still sort of want to be at the beach though.
House full of kids today.....compensatory play dates..... as we need to stay put while I search for somewhere for us to live. Actually it's a week full of play dates. I have to bake something so they don't all starve. My jam drops yesterday were tasty but almost became 'the jam drop' once in the oven.... as the mixture was too runny. Oh to be able to bake. Quick, what can I cook? What's easy?... and idiot proof?
37 comments:
Combine 1 packet of butter cake mix (any old home brand will do) with 120g of melted butter and 1 cup desiccated or shredded coconut. Press this into a well greased slice tin and bake at 180c for ten minutes. Remove from oven and dump a large tin of pie apple on top. Spread it around. Combine 400ml of sour cream with 1 egg (this is optional, I have made it without the egg) then spread this over the apple. Mix some sugar with some cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool, chill in fridge. Delicious and simple Apple Sour Cream Slice.
Brownies
200g dark chocolate,roughly chopped
175g unsalted butter
325g caster sugar
130g plain flour
3 eggs
Oven to 170c. Melt butter and chocolate in a bowl over simmering water (make sure bottom of bowl does not touch water). Remove from heat. Add sugar and stir well until incorporated. Add flour and stir well. Finally, stir in eggs and mix until thick and smooth. Spoon into slice tray lined with baking paper and bake for 30-35 mins. Be careful not to overcook or edges become hard and crunchy. Dust with icing sugar to decorate (I never do this because my kids can't wait!!)
This from the blog Green Bean Food is my all time fave standby morning tea treat for kids. Not as sweet as it sounds if you reduce the amount of sugar in the mixture. Always a hit!
http://greenbeenfood.blogspot.com/2011/05/cinnamon-honey-tea-cake-friday-fizz.html
Digella
Brownie Slice - one for the kids to make themselves
1 cup SR Flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
2 tblspns cocoa
400g tin condensed milk
125 butter, melted
1 x 200g block chocolate, broken into squares
Combine flour, sugar, coconut, cocoa, condensed milk and butter. Let everyone have a turn at stirring! Pour into a greased slice tin that has been lined with baking paper. Here comes the good part....press chocolate squares into the mixture about 5cm apart (you want each brownie to have melty chocolate in the middle). Bake at 180c for 30 mins. We have tried lots of different flavours of chocolate. Plain is great but turkish delight was awesome!
Hi AM
Here is an extremely easy but great chocolate cake recipe.
http://lilyfieldlife.blogspot.com/2011/04/easiest-yummiest-chocolate-cake-recipe.html
Your beach holiday looks great but the surf is huge! We've just booked a last minute holiday to Adelaide as Phil got sick of crappy Sydney weather and it's hot over in Adelaide. A week on the beach will be great.
All the best for your house search.
Cheers Fiona
Love these pics, looks like a fab time! Happy new year! :-)
Chocolate Cookies:
250g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup plain flour
1 cup s/r flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup coconut
Preheat oven to 160.
Beat butter, vanilla & sugar with electric beater until creamy.
Beat in eggs, then stir through flours, cocoa & coconut.
Place large teaspoonsful of mixture on trays lined with baking paper & bake for approximately 12 mins.
Very easy, very wicked, but VERY yummy!
(PS. re your disappearing teenage son from Jan1, difficult sometimes, but be patient - he doesn't know who he is at the moment either.)
Mars bar slice is always a winner and very easy!
3 cups rice bubbles (home brand tastes good too)
4 mars bars
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp golden syrup
200g chocolate (milk or white)
Cut up 3 bars and melt along with butter and golden syrup on low heat in stove
Cut up other bar and sprinkle it into biiiig bowl with rice bubbles
Pour melted mixture onto rice bubbles
Store quickly so it's all combines
Press into a slice tray
Break up extras chocolate and melt in microwave in 30 sec bursts. Use a metal spoon to store
Pour in a drizzly type patter onto slice the refridgerate for at least an hour.
Eat up butter cup!
Pinwheels are the easiest. A sheet of puff pastry then sprinkle a layer of Demerara sugar and cinnamon on the top. Roll the whole thing up into a long tube and then cut into 1cm sections, so you end up with little round pinwheels. Place them face down on lined tray and bake them. Really easy and you can change the flavor inside by spreading a layer of strawberry jam, or vegemite or sprinkling parmesan cheese. They also freeze really well.
Happy Baking
Rachael.
A-M I love idiot proof recipe. This is one of them.
http://rireetdevivrelamour.blogspot.com/2011/09/strawberry-cake-from-stacey-snacks-via.html
I've made it a lot and it's interchangeable.
You can use any berries you like and you only need a pie dish if you don't have cake pans.
It really is easy
Hope that's a help
Lesley
Pikelets!!
Easy to whip up and with a dash of jam and a dollop of cream (optional) and the troops are happy. This was my fail safe stand by for my kidlets and their friends. Plus if they hoover the batch down it's dead easy to whip up more.
xx
Try Melting Moments. They are easy, not too many ingredients and Oscar and his friends and Mums love them too. You can ice them or leave them uniced and they are still yummy. LOve Nataliexx
Good luck with the house hunting. I was at the West End markets on Saturday and thinking of your blog and the wonderful stories and pictures you have shared with us from this area. I know that whatever you find you will make it into a wonderful home for you and the boys.
I second the pikelets or anything involving puff pastry. But A-M how about lots of fruit? A whole watermelon will last for a few morning teas and if you're worried about the mess than grapes are the big winner. Here we do seaweed rice crackers, cheese and fruit platters. Less stress for you too! Happy New Year! I love reading your blog each day. It is my favourite simply because of your warmth. I love the 5th picture down too! I can't wait until my four kids are old enough to do this! Roz
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/13364/peanut+butter+chocolate+chip+cookies
idiot proof peanut butter and choc chip cookies and only 5 ingredients! I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to biscuits and cookies but I always get compliments on these.
Google Best Recipes. LOTS of easy slice/biscuit/cake recipes. Try the apple crumble.
The beach looks amazing, wow!! Great photos!
Happy New Year!!
Hi A-M. I finde pikelets are always a hit with kids and adults - especially when served warm. This is my recipe from one of my mum's old cookbooks:
1 cup SR flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and then cook tablespoons full in a non-stick frypan. Serve with jam/honey/lemon & sugar or whatever the masses desire!!! Depending on how many people you have you may like to double the recipe.
Happy baking! Ange
It's a bit difficult to come home, isn't it? And I spied another shadow in those pics...
An easy recipe is muffins - you mix the dry, mix the wet and then barely combine them together.
This is my fave:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 large ripe bananas (i always chuck them in freezer when too ripe to eat)
3/4 cup raw sugar
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup melted butter
Frozen blueberries or raspberries (again always in freezer)
Mix the dry. Mix the wet (cept the frozen berries). Mix together, until just combined (don't over mix - they'll be tough and yuck). Fill tins 3/4 full, chuck a few berries in each one. Bake @180 for 20 mins.
What great fun you had A M ooh another Dr Who fan we love it Joshua has a sonic screw driver :) tonight I think Dr who is doing a re run each night from David ecleson & billy piper!!
recipe cheese straws
ready made pastry put heaps of cheese on it pop another layer on top & roll it together with rolling pin on top another layer of cheese press it all in then lightly roll cut length ways into thin strips twist them and place on baking tray with baking paper.
Oven should be 180 for about 15 to 20 mins they are yummy kids have them for school pack up too keep in container in cupboard as fridge makes them go soft.
Hope you enjoy :)))
Easy AND delicious!
http://www.baby-mac.com/2011/09/just-call-me-bev-episode-10-old.html
http://www.baby-mac.com/2011/08/just-call-me-bev-episode-8-lemon.html
Enjoy!
I love all of the photos A-M, you captured the real joy of Christmas! My suggestion...run to the store and pick something up. It's the best way to relieve stress! ;-)
Happy New Year!
Kat :)
Great action Photos A-M, please tell the boys I am impressed with their jumping abilities.
I have the abeachcottage banana bread in the oven at the moment. Smells delicious. Rather than put the recipe up, it is much nicer to go to her blog and see the pretty pics as well.
http://www.abeachcottage.com/2011/11/beach-cottage-too-easy-banana-bread-recipe.html
Deb
Oh what a gorgeous beach and happy boys. We got the same magnet thingy....just keep it away from the iPhone!
Forget baking - make Rocky Road. Melt chocolate in the microwave, then mix in a bowl with mini marshmallows, some broken up Granita biscuits, chopped nuts and glace cherries. Pour into a shallow tray and set in the fridge.
Kids love it.
yes! who is the second shadow?? I wasnt going to say anything until I saw The Distressed Mother above commented. LOL. something to share?? (or is it your sibling-parent to the cousins?)
Ha, you are hilarious! My friend! A-M xx
My house is constantly filled wih neighborhood kids A-M & I find watermelon slices, pikelets, brownie or party pies are always a hit!!
happy New year to you & your handsome men
xx
I'm using your comment suggestions for my play-date menu planning too. Pinwheels are winning. And the shadow speculation is a crack up. So funny... I didn't even see that shadow until TDM's comment. xx
Lovely photos - your little boy is still in there. He's just trying out the man stuff, my youngest the same age and i remember asking the same question when eldest boy (now 20) the same age. Love "choose your battles " and "dont stress the small stuff" you are a great mum and role model.
Lovely photos - your little boy is still in there. He's just trying out the man stuff, my youngest the same age and i remember asking the same question when eldest boy (now 20) the same age. Love "choose your battles " and "dont stress the small stuff" you are a great mum and role model.
One day he won't take his hand...I almost cried at that one because I had a moment like that recently with my son... One day he won't need me! I know, independence is a good thing.
My gosh those photos are gorgeous A-M. You so accurately capture your boys joie de vivre! No wonder you didn't want to leave the beach, I wouldn't either. All the best to you and the boys in the new year!
XO,
Andrea
GOrgeous Gorgeous photos A-M. HOw do those boys jump so high ? Wonderful memories.
x
Beautiful photos. Your boys are really amazing. I loved! I hope that you have a wonderful year, God bless you and the boys!
Kisses from Brasil
Nadia
A friend made these for a kids party. I couldn't believe how easy the recipe was as she reeled off how she'd made them! So simple and so delicious. A superquick favourite around here. You can add thinly sliced ham, thinly spread tomato paste, cheese - whatever takes your fancy really.
Cheese and Vegemite Scrolls
http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/9159/cheese+and+vegemite+scrolls
PS: Love you blog. First time commenting! Many many times lurking. Thank you for sharing a beautiful space!
Photo 5 - (not to sound too artsy fartsy here but) *fantastic* body shapes. What a wonderful photo! :)
Photo 7: 'One day he won't take his hand when crossing the road.' Yeah, but you may well catch a similar scene where he has his arm over his brother's shoulder ... or vice versa... They obviously love each other
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