Homemade Muesli Bar Goodness

Yesterday afternoon I felt inspired to try out a recipe I have had for a while now.  I don't remember where it came from but have a feeling it was found on some sort of thrifty website.  My kids love muesli bars and as you can imagine it normally costs quite a bit to give them one each day in their lunch boxes.  Here in Australia the bulkiest box of muesli bars you can buy is normally 24.  I, however, being the cheapskate that I am when it comes to groceries lol, buy the Homebrand type which cost me approx $2.69 for a box of 12.  So for us, that box will only last 2 days and that just doesn't thrill me at all.

So yesterday I finally decided to take a chance and try this recipe.  I started throwing everything into the bowl....

OK oats, chocolate chips, coconut, all good so far.....I desperately wanted to add the specified dried fruit but Hubby and I had munched out on the last that we had in the house last night, oh well.

Then came the "wet" ingredients....peanut butter, check, honey, check....oh darn......I ran out of honey!!  Instead of the required 3/4 of a cup I only had about a 1/4.  So after raiding the cupboards, determined I was not going to have to do a dash to the shop just for honey, I came across my Golden Syrup which was nearing empty as well, oh well I measured it up and I had just enough.  Not quite the same taste but today it was going to have to do (both honey and golden syrup have now been added to the shopping list lol).

Now the fun part, mixing it altogether....I didn't take a photo of this bit because it was kinda messy lol.  It took quite a bit of mixing power to get this lot all mixed together believe me.  Peanut butter doesn't like to cooperate sometimes!!!! lol

Finally though it was all mixed and smoothed out into the baking tray....

Into the oven with it for 45 minutes.  My oven is far from trustworthy though so I was fully expecting it to take alot longer.....

And then, after the required 45 minutes I had a look and guess what, it looked like it was pretty much good to go.  I took  it out and sliced it in the tray and then left it to cool completely.  This is part of the result, I ended up with 2 containers after everyone had had a taste test.  Not bad for something that took only 10-15 minutes to mix up!!

The result was actually rather delicious.  Next time I will definitely use the honey rather than the golden syrup as you can really taste the golden syrup in them, but overall they have been a crowd pleaser and each of the kids has one in their lunchbox today instead of the shop bought ones.  (Well all except Mr14 who hates chocolate, will have to make another batch with some dried fruit instead)  Yayyy!!

Another recipe that will be staying around and getting made regularly, I love i t when that happens!!!  Next time I will leave them in the oven a little longer as these are quite soft but that is the only real fault I can find.  Here is the recipe if you would like to give it a go too!!

HOMEMADE MUESLI BARS

4 Cups instant rolled oats

3/4 Cup chocolate chips

3/4 Cup dessicated coconut

3/4 Cup chopped dried fruit 

3/4 Cup honey

3/4 Cup peanut butter

milk as needed

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, adding small amounts of milk until the dough begins to stick together.

Press the mixture into a well greased baking tray.

Bake at 160 degrees celcius (325F) for 45 minutes or until the edges just start to brown.

Cut into desired sizes while still hot but do not remove from pan until completely cool.

ANZAC SLICE,,,,,,,CRUNCHY OR SOFT IT DON'T MATTER, THIS IS AWESOME!!

This recipe is just fantastic for those days when you need to go shopping but just can't be bothered but you still want to make something sweet for the family.  It doesn't need eggs or milk, just perfect in my house where milk can disappear in the blink of an eye!

My kids for some reason prefer this to the more traditional Anzac Biscuits which I always used to make, and hey, I don't mind as a slice is so much faster and less fiddly than biscuits lol.

 ANZAC SLICE

1 Cup Self Raising Flour

1 Cup Sugar

1 Cup Oats

1 Cup Coconut

150grams butter, melted

2 Tablespoons Honey

Place all dry ingredients in a bowl

Melt the butter, add honey

Mix by hand and cook in a prepared lamington tin for 18-20 minutes at 180 degrees

This slice is very forgiving.  It tastes great as a softer type of slice but if you happen to leave it in the oven a little too long, it is still great.  This one was left in a little longer than I usually would due to me sorting out an argument between Mr10 and Mr8 but the end result was still given the thumbs up.  Instead of neat little slices we had more of a broken ragged look but it still disappeared in record time and the kids said it was just like biscuits lol.

 

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE - This is so YUMMMMY

Ok everyone, today I just have to share with you what could be the most yummy chocolate mousse I have had in,,,,geez I don't know how long.  I rarely eat Chocolate Mousse, mainly due to the fact that I am always trying to lose weight (lol trying new recipes sure don't help in that department!!)  Anyway here it is....its a crappy photo since I just took the pic of the bowlful lol but, oh you just have to try it!!!

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

2 Cups Chocolate Chips

2 Cups Thickened Cream

2 Eggs

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Whipped cream to decorate if you like

Place chocolate chips, egg and vanilla in a blender and chop.

Heat the cream until small bubbles appear at the edge.  Do not boil.

With machine running, pour in hot cream.  Blend until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Place in fridge until cool and then beat with electric mixer until thick.

I served mine in a large bowl as I don't have any cute little dessert glasses/cups.

The mousse is a nice thick one which tastes so divine it will have you wanting more.

Other than indulging in rather fattening desserts, life has been pretty busy lately.  I think I have moved into the times of  being the official taxi service mum.  I feel like I am spending more and more time in the car lately.  Wednesday nights are just horrible, I dread them every week, I feel like from the time I pick up the kids from school, we really don't stop until they are all in bed. 

Wednesdays normally goes something like this,,,,,,,,

2.45 - leave to pick up kids from school

3.20 - finally leave school after the kids decide to dawdle out making sure I have Mr14's mate as well

3.30 - arrive home, wait for kids to unpack lunchboxes, then pack recess/snacks into said lunchboxes for next day

3.45 - take Mr16 to his part time job and then drive to pick up chicken and bread from the On the Run

4.05 - arrive back home, bring in the washing from the line, stop kids from raiding fridge reminding them it is Wednesday and we will be having toasted sandwiches in half an hour

4.15ish - Hubby arrives home and we sneak in a quick chat and coffee

4.30 - get everyone's orders for their toasted sandwiches

4.35 - break up chicken so all kids can have "chicken on the side" with their toasted sandwich and begin the toasted sandwich making

5.00 - all kids fed and eating, hubby still debating if he wants a sandwich while picking at the left over chicken

5.10 - nag the 14 year olds to get ready for soccer and make sure they have drink bottles

5.15 - clean up dinner mess and supervise kids feeding the animals

5.30 - push 14 year olds and hubby out the door to head to soccer training.

5.35 - get Mr10 to get ready for karate and make sure he and Mr8 have their drink bottles ready

5.45 - leave to take Mr10 to karate, while arguing with Mr8 saying that he cannot stay home by himself

5.55 - arrive at Karate, pay the weekly fee and take a seat until it starts.

6.15 - Receive text message from Mr16 saying he is ready to be picked up from work.  Drag Mr8 back to car and drive to pick up Mr16.  Take him home and leave Mr8 with him.  Head back to Karate again.

6.45 - Arrive back at karate and watch the last 15 minutes.

7.00 - Karate ends and we head back home.

7.15 - Arrive back home to find Mr16 has made his toasted sandwich and remind him that it is his job to clean up the mess and do his homework

7.20 - Shuffle Mr10 into shower and nag Mr8 to get his homework out

7.30 - Help Mr8 with homework and listen to reading

7.45 - Help Mr10 with homework and listen to reading

8.10 - Mr14 and Hubby arrive home and it usually turns into a race as to who will make the shower first, Mr14 or me...I normally win lol

8.30 - Wrestle Mr8 and Mr10 into bed

8.45 - Watch a program with Mr16 and Mr14

9.30 - Bedtime for Mr16 and Mr14

REST TIME FOR ME AND HUBBY YAY WE MADE IT THROUGH ANOTHER WEDNESDAY NIGHT!!!!

CHOCOLATE ?CHIP? COOKIES - 10 YEAR OLD STYLE

Well this is a great example of what can happen when you leave a 10 year old in charge of baking!!

Said 10 year old does a great job gathering everything he needs and is feeling super confident that he can do this.  So mum leaves him to it.  From afar Mum watches, in between ironing.  Everything is going well so Mum just concentrates on her Mount Vesuvius of  ironing piles.  After a little while it goes very quiet in the kitchen.  Then I hear StepDad walk past and an "oh I see, no that doesn't look quite right".  For about 10 minutes the two of them umm and ahh and try to work out the problem.  When it finally gets to the better of them Mum gets called in to diagnose the Case of the Runny Mixture.  Mum simply walks over there, looks and says "how much flour did you put in the bowl", to which son responds..."3/4 of a cup, just like it says".  Mum then laughs and says "hmm, you might want to take another look at the recipe"....yep sure enough it actually said 3 3/4 cups!!!

The adjustment was then made and voila, we had biscuit mix!!!  The only problem was that the chocolate chips had melted due to the hot butter being poured over them without sufficient flour to protect them from the heat lol.  So due to not having any more chocolate chips to add, we have ended up with chocolate biscuits intead of chocolate chip ones.  Oh well, they are pretty yummy anyway!!

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

250 grams butter

1 Cup brown sugar

2 eggs

3 3/4 Cups Self Raising Flour

1 Cup Chocolate Chips

Melt the butter.  

Mix the melted butter with the sugar, then add the eggs one at a time, beating well.  

Add flour and chocolate chips.

Drop teaspoonfulls onto greased trays and cook for 10-15 minutes.  

Makes approximately 40 biscuits.

ALMOND CHICKEN BREASTS

ALMOND CHICKEN BREASTS

6 Chicken Breasts

1 cup Milk

½ teaspoon curry powder

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt, pepper

½ teaspoon dry English Mustard

pinch of dried mixed herbs

1 egg

2 teaspoon oil

8 tablespoons finely chopped almonds

Plain flour, seasoned

Breadcrumbs

2 extra tablespoons oil

30 grams butter

METHOD

Soak the chicken breasts in the milk mixed with curry powder, nutmeg, salt, pepper, mustard and mixed herbs, in fridge for 24 hours.  The next day drain.  Beat the egg and 2 teaspoons of oil together.  Mix breadcrumbs and almonds.  Dip the breasts in flour first, then egg, then breadcrumbs and almond mixture.  Heat together the oil and butter in a large pan and fry the chicken breasts until golden brown and tender.  Serve immediately.

This recipe was a brand new one that I have never made before. It appealed to me at the moment because we were following "The Flat Belly Diet" back in January and as this has almonds coating it, it is a great source of MUFAs, as recommended by the diet.

I was a little unsure as to whether the kids would like it, as I have never marinaded chicken breasts in milk before and I wasn't sure how it would turn out.  As you can see by the plate though, I made sure there was a generous helping of mashed potato on th ekids plates as that is something that will get eaten no matter what.  The motto for our house is that any new recipe should be served with either mashed potato or some type of pasta so at least the younger kids will be guaranteed to eat at least part of their meal lol.

In this case I shouldn't have worried.  This schnitzel was divine.  Marinading it in the milk made it so moist and juicy, it was just beautiful.  The kids all loved it.  Next time I make it I will probably add a few more almonds as naturally cutting the breasts in half gave me 12 schnitzels  rather than the six and due to a lack of time I wasn't able to slice up more almonds. 

This meal fed 8 of us for dinner and then the next day we all had a chicken schnitzel sandwich with salad for lunch......I love meals that leave enough for left overs!!

HUBBY'S SPECIALTY - MEATLOAF

My husband makes the best meatloaf, although I may be a little biased.  Before I met my Hubby, I was never a fan of Meatloaf at all.  Well he converted me and now it is a much asked for thing even by the kids.  We alwways make sure to make a double batch so that we have enough for weekend lunches.  The kids all love a warm meatloaf and sauce sandwich on the weekend.  If we don't have the meatloaf on the Friday night, we just wrap it in alfoil and freeze it and then just bring it out and reheat on the weekend as required.

The following recipe will make two large meatloaves.  We find one will easily feed 6-8 of us.  That allows two generous slices each.  And before anyone asks lol, no I didn't just plonk the meatloaf onto the kitchen bench, it is on a clear glass cutting board which is just a bit difficult to see in this piccie lol.

 MEATLOAF

2kg Beef Mince

1kg Sausage Mince

2 onions chopped

1t Oregano

1T Garlic Powder

Sprinkle of Bush Spices

Sprinkle of BBQ Sprinkle

1T Worcestershire Sauce

½ C BBQ Sauce

½ C American Mustard

1C Tomato Sauce

1 egg

½ C Breadcrumbs

Put all items into a mixing bowl and using your hands, mix in well.  The mixtures shouldn’t be too wet, but should hold form.  Form into 2 large logs and place into two baking trays which have been sprayed with oil.  Drizzle with more Mustard, BBQ sauce and Tomato Sauce.

Bake in moderate oven for approximately 1 hour.

Crumbed Sausages and Child Challenges

Following on from my last post where I shared my recipe for my famous (well in my home at least lol) chicken stirfry, the following night we had crumbed sausages.  My kids love crumbed sausages.  We find it a great meal to whip up when you are feeling a little brain dead in the "meal idea" area!!  As you can see, the kids can't resist having just a little more of the chicken stirfy that was left over either lol.  Normally we would just serve it with veggies and mash.

CRUMBED SAUSAGES

1kg sausage mince

Breadcrumbs

Garlic Powder

Bush Spices

Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, place sausage mince and sprinkle on garlic powder, bush spices and salt and pepper.  There are no real measurements, just go by sight and smell, adding more if necessary as you mix.

Using your hands, mix all thoroughly together.

Shape into small sausage shapes and roll in breadcrumbs, coating them well.

Deep fry until golden brown and then place into a 150 degree oven to keep warm and to continue cooking.

Serve with Mashed Potato and Vegetables.

You can use whatever herbs/spices you have on hand or like in your snags.  These are our favourites at the moment.

Other than cooking crumbed sausages life in our house hasn't been all that eventful.  It has been a tough couple of weeks emotionally for me with Mr10 deciding that going to school is not what he wants to do each morning.  I can get him there but getting him to go to his classroom is a massive struggle.  The last few days he has gone off to help Bob the handyman/gardener in the school to take his mind off the morning routine.  This seems to work, well it did until this morning when Bob's job he was doing with Rhiley finished a bit quicker than it should have and Rhiley came walking back to get his bag from the office and saw me.  That was it he refused to go to school.  I had to drag him into the office and leave him crying with Bob who said he could help him pack his gear up before heading to class.  I just don't understand my boy at all at the moment.  After school he is fine, says he had a good day etc etc.  He even gets up in the morning ok and goes to school ok it is just that separation time in the morning.  The school is suggesting that maybe I should get him in  to see a counsellor or something as they are just pulling different strategies out of thin air.  I tell you, my older two boys never had these problems and this is truly doing my head in.

Oh well, I guess life wasn't meant to be easy right???????

Stir Fried Chicken and Hokkien Noodles Recipe

This would have to be one of the kids favourite meals and I love it too because I always make enough to ensure leftovers for a couple of days worth of lunches too lol.

This recipe is simple and straight forward and although I don't use a recipe as such I thought I would share my "approximations" with you.  Everyone should cook this as even my "I hate vegetables" kids chow down on this without so much as a "eww" or "I don't like..." coming from their mouths!!

STIR FRIED CHICKEN AND HOKKIEN NOODLES

1.5kg of chicken breast, cut into cubes

1kg hokkien noodles (remove these from the bag and pour over boiling water to remove the excess oil and to break them up a little so they are easier to work with)

1/4 cabbage sliced thinly

1 onion, sliced

1 capsicum, sliced

1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup green beans

2 carrots, sliced julienne style

1 cup corn kernels

1 cup bean shoots

Other veggies as you wish (mine vary every time I make it)

Kepac Manis Sauce

Dark Soy Sauce

To make, simply add a little oil to your wok and cook the chicken until cooked through.  Place in a baking pan in the oven to keep warm.

Cook onion until transparent and then add the other vegetables (except the bean shoots).  Cook for a couple of minutes until veggies are just cooked.

Add in the hokkien noodles and stir through to combine.

Add in some Kepac Manis and Dark Soy Sauce until you get the desired colour/taste suitable for your family.  (The Kepac Manis sauce adds a lovely flavour and the dark soy sauce gives it its wonderful colour).

Toss in the bean shoots.

Serve and eat while hot.

I quite easily feed 2 adults and 6 children with this and still have plenty left over for lunches.  The above photo was taken AFTER we had all had a bowl, this was just the leftovers lol.  This recipe fills my wok to the brim!

CORIANDER, PARSLEY AND LEMON COUS COUS SALAD

All I seem to post about in the recipe section is sweets it seems (lol probably the reason why I am currently dieting!!!).

So today I decided to share a recipe I discovered at christmas time last year.  This salad is just divine and so simple to make.  I got this recipe from the Coles Christmas Magazine of 2010.  That free little magazine has so many recipes that I want to try!!

Coriander Parsley and Lemon Cous Cous Salad

COUS COUS

3 cups Chicken Stock

3 cups uncooked Cous Cous

zest of 1 lemon

2 lebanese cucumbers peeled seeded and diced finely (I used a continental cucumber and left the peel on)

1 cup sultanas

1 bunch of shallots

1 cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped

1 cup fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

4 spring onions, cut into 4mm pieces on an angle

VINAIGRETTE

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp Italian Red Wine Vinegar

3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

In a large saucepan, heat stock over medium heat and bring to simmer

Add cous cous and lemon zest, and stir.

Turn off heat, cover pan and let sit for 5 minutes.

Remove cous cous from the pot and fluff with a fork, then put on a baking tray to cool.

To make the vinaigrette:  Place lemon juice and vinegar in a mixing bowl and slowly add the oil while whisking.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a separate large mixing bowl combine cooled cous cous, cucumber, sultanas, shallots, herbs and half the spring onions and mix well.

Add enough vinaigrette to lightly coat salad, toss once more and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon salad into large bowl and garnish with remaining spring onions and serve.

This salad really is simple to make and sooooo yummy.  The best thing is it keeps for days in the fridge without losing its taste or look, unlike so many salads.  You can easily make this a day before a party knowing it will keep well.

CHOCOLATE CAKE FOR A CROWD!

Mr10 and I were feeling a little bored yesterday so we made his favourite chocolate cake.  This cake is fantastic for large families as it makes a huge, and I mean huge cake.  You can either cook it in 4 loaf tins or as I did yesterday in a baking tray.  My baking tray is a bay moree tray (that ain't the right spelling lol but right now I have a total brain malfunction and cannot for life of me remember how to spell it correctly lol,,,,I am referring to the trays they uses in the warmers at a smorgasbord/buffet lol).

I got the recipe for this one from my sister-in-law a few months ago and it has been a regular on my baking list since then.  Every time it has come out light, moist and fluffy.  In this picture we sprinkled it with caster sugar just to add a slight crispness to the top....my son was a little heavy handed lol, but once I cut it up to freeze some, the excess sugar came off.

 Here is the recipe.  Originally it was taken from a little newsletter or recipe book printed by the Renmark Marching Girls Club way back in 1985.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

4oz margarine

2 eggs

2-3 dessertspoons cocoa

1 cup milk

2 cups sugar

2 dessertspoons golden syrup

3 cups of SR Flour

Mix all ingredients together.  

Once thoroughly mixed add 1 cup of boiling water to which has been added 1 teaspoon of bicarb soda.

Bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes  (my oven takes more like an hour).

Makes 4 log tins or 1 large tin

How easy is that!!!  Very little effort for such a large cake which will feed the family for quite a while.

COCONUT CAKE......YUMMO!!

This cake is so easy and it is just so moist it will disappear very fast!!  I love nice simple recipes and this one really fits the bill!!!

COCONUT CAKE

Ingredients

1C Self Raising Flour
1C Dessicated Coconut
1C Sugar
1/2 C Milk
2 eggs
3T butter or margarine, melted
1t Vanilla Essence

Mix together the Flour, Coconut and Sugar.
Beat the eggs and Vanilla Essence into the Milk then add to the dry ingredients and mix.
Add the melted butter and beat well.
Pour into a greased and lined cake tin and bake in a moderate oven for approx 30-35 minutes until golden and cooked in the centre.
Ice with plain icing and top with sprinkles of coconut.

I'm sure it won't last long but gee it is so good while it lasts!!!!

WHEATGERM MUFFINS..........YUMMY!!!

My Mr8 and I were bored yesterday afternoon so I decided we would whip up a batch of muffins.  I didn't feel like cooking but Mr8 was eager so I dragged out one of my trusty old recipes that I haven't made in a few years and whipped them up.  The result.....Mr8 was happy as it was a nice simple recipe that he could do mostly himself and all the family enjoyed them even the ones that don't like sultanas since I only had a handful of sultanas left to add lol.

These muffins come in at approx 1974 calories for the entire batch.  We got 12 decent sized muffins out of the batch which makes them approx 162 calories each (this was calculated minues the sultanas as I didn't measure the amount I put in lol).

This was the result......

They are really soft and moist in the middle while having a delightful little crust on the outside.  These truly are foolproof.  I used to make them all the time when I worked and took them as part of my lunch every couple of days.  Going by the way they disappeared, it looks like they will become a regular feature on my baking list from now on!!

Here is the recipe:

WHEATGERM MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup Plain Flour

3 teaspoons Baking Powder

1/3 teaspoon Bicarb Soda

1 1/4 cups Wheatgerm

1/2 cup Raw Sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup Milk

1/4 cup oil

Dried Fruit (whatever you have on hand or like)

METHOD

Simply mix in order given

Bake in moderate oven for approx 15 minutes

ENJOY!!

Homemade Liquid Hand Soap - So easy and best of all its really cheap

After reading Cluttercut's blog the other day, I found her recipe for Liquid Soap and I decided I just had to give it a try.  You can read about it here and get this brilliant recipe which will definitely help you to save and also supply your family with a nice basic soap that is very gentle to skin and is great when you have family members with sensitive skin.

http://cluttercut.blogspot.com/2010/08/really-really-easy-liquid-soap-recipe.html

I had a little bit of trouble finding the Glycerine but finally tracked it down in a Woolworths supermarket!!  It is only a 200ml bottle but it will last a while considering you only need to use 1T of it per batch.

Here is my first attempt at making the soap.  I produced this full jar plus approx 250ml which is happily sitting on my kitchen bench being used now.

I really like it.  It doesn't leave you with a scent on your hands, so if you like to have that fresh just washed hands smell you may like to add a little essential oil, but I find that it is fine without it.  I have one boy who gets dermatitis and he has found it great to use, it doesn't aggravate him at all and another boy who tends to sneeze at any strong scents so once again it is perfect just as it is for our household.

I have noticed that it has solidified a bit in this glass jar but that will be solved with a quick jab with the stick mixer when it is time to use it.  The bit that is sitting in our soap dispenser is fine, it hasn't solidified at all.  I think if it did, I would just add a little water and give it a shake and it would be back to perfection again lol.

I figure that it will save me quite a bit.  I was only buying the homebrand liquid soap which was costing me approx $1.40 for a 500ml bottle.  Even at that cheap price it would still have cost me approx $4.80 for the same amount I have just made for less than $2.00.  So this to me is a bargain.  It took very little time to make and very little effort on my part.  We are trying to save money wherever we can so this will be a great help, it may not seem like alot but it all adds up.

On the subject of saving money, we were amazed when we counted our spare change that we have been accumulating in our piggy money box.  All year we have been putting our spare change into our pig to save up for a trip to the Royal Adelaide Show.  This always costs a considerable amount when you have 4 children in tow especially when the rides are $10 a pop (we take my boys one year and then Hubby's two children the next year).  This year upon counting our Piggy we were amazed that we had managed to save $457.65.  Add that to the $82.00 worth of empty bottles we took to the recyclers and there is the show paid for and hopefully change at the end to put back in the jar!!

Okay I am off to enjoy the sunshine while we have it,,,,it has been a wild weekend and apparently more bad weather is on the way.

4 Minute Cupcakes.........Kid and Adult Approved Recipe!!

Yesterday I decided to make some cupcakes. Rather than reaching for the packet mix that sat lurking in my pantry drawer I decided to try out one of my many recipes that I mentioned yesterday.

This recipe is definitely a "keeper" and will be used from now on in this house when the call for cupcakes arises.

So easy!!

4 MINUTE CUPCAKES

Ingredients:
2 Cups SR Flour
1 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Milk
125g Butter
2 eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Essence

Method:
Put all ingredients into mixing bowl and beat on high with electric mixer for 4 minutes.
If too thick add more milk, a tablespoon at a time, beating continuously.
Put into patty pans (lined or greased) and bake in a moderately hot oven for approximately 15 minutes.

Variations:
Replace the vanilla extract with other flavours – lemon, strawberry, coffee, orange, apricot etc
Chocolate cakes – add 3 tablespoons cocoa with the flour

Yesterday I just made vanilla ones but I am going to try strawberry ones next time I make them.

I iced them and they are all just about gone,,,,I have hidden two aside for Hubby and I to have with a coffee later this afternoon otherwise we may well miss out lol.

Busy times - School holidays are upon us again.....

I have been missing in action yet again. This time I have school holidays to blame lol.

Last week it was just my boys and I but this week sees the step kids with us and also extra friends sleeping over.

Sunday night and yesterday I had 8 kids here, today I have 6. Tomorrow I will have 7 and Thursday 7 then back to 6 on Friday and yayyyyyyy, 0 for Saturday and most of Sunday. Lol I am longing for that at the moment!!!! We have to go to my nephews wedding on Saturday so my ex is having my kids and Hubby's guys go back to their mum on Friday night.

Last week was my youngest baby's 8th birthday....where on earth has that time gone??? (Photos to follow.....

I long for little people. I am so proud of the people my kids are turning into but oh how I long for the little baby giggles and the trials and tribulations of having toddlers in the house. I actually miss Barney the purple Dinosaur and the Wiggles and Hi-5 lol. I do still get snippets of them as Mr9 with autism watches dvds over and over the only problem being he constantly rewinds so you never get to see a whole song or segment and he constantly changes the dvds.

Yesterday the kids were all occupied playing various games and I have been laid up with a bad cold so I felt like doing nothing so I spent most of the day at the computer going through all my recipes.

I have had a file sitting on the computer for the last 9 years which I have been adding recipes to when I find ones that sound yummy. I still have my mum's recipe collection to go through and scan the ones that I want from that, but finally I have sorted my recipes that are on here into Savoury and Sweet. From that I discovered I have 709 savoury recipes and 815 sweet recipes, all waiting to be tried out by me!!! I could write books with that amount of recipes lol.

My plan is to start at the top and slowly work my way through. I still haven't decided what to do with the double, triple etc ups that I have accrued along the way. I think I counted 8 different versions of Apricot Chicken and about 9 recipes for Anzac Biscuits lol. I'm not sure whether to try each of them or just find the most frugal one and stick with that, decisions decisions.

If they are successful recipes I will post them on my blog to share. I am pretty slack at taking photos of my creations and in the past I have tried recipes and forgotten to photograph the results so never bother to post them. From now on I will aim to improve. I don't think I will be doing the step by step pictures but I will definitely do the end results!!!

Quick and Simple Dessert the whole family likes - Simply Amazing!!!

Now you think in a family my size that dessert at least would be something that you could pretty much find everyone agreeing to, but nope not in this house. I have one son who hates chocolate (he obviously didn't inherit my genes....or his father's for that matter lol, must have been some genetic thing that skips generations!!). My stepdaughter detests anything that has jam in it and she also hates sultanas and any type of dried fruit along with Mr "I hate Chocolate". So when it comes to deserts in this house we pretty much stick to icecream, jelly, milkshakes, or spiders and they are all happy with that.

At Christmas I decided I would make a Christmas Log and I was absoluttely astounded after I had bribed all the kids to just try a little bit, that they actually all loved it. So every so often this will be a dessert that I will make. Normally the Christmas Logs are made wtih chocolate biscuits so I changed it to the Butternut Snaps (I think that is what they are called!) and voila we have a dessert that everyone loved!

For those of you who don't know how to make it, here is a "recipe" of sorts, it is so quick and easy and no baking, particularly fantastic for those hot summer days.

CHRISTMAS/ANYTIME WREATH

You will need:

2 packets of Butternut Biscuits, or you can use the Chocolate Ripples (I also think it would taste pretty good with Gingernuts lol but that would depend on the kids I guess)

600ml thickened cream

Dash of vanilla essence

Icing sugar to taste

Lollies to decorate



Simply beat the cream until it is nice and thick and then fold in a dash of vanilla essense and a couple of tablespoons of icing sugar
(You can make this as sweet as you like I add a tablespoon of icing sugar and then have a little taste and add just a little more until I am happy with it)

Then it is simply a matter of sandwiching the biscuits together using the cream to form either a circle for a wreath or you could make some log shapes.

Once you are done, just spread the remaining cream over the outside and decorate with your marshmallows or lollies of choice. For the Christmas wreath I decorated it with glace cherries and spearmint leaf lollies to make it look festive.

Allow to sit in the fridge for a couple of hours and you are done!

ENJOY!!!

My first recipe......CHEESE AND BACON SCROLLS

These are my famous (well in my house at least lol..) Cheese and Bacon Scrolls. I use these to put in the kids lunchboxes and they really do go down a treat. They are so easy to make and are a bit of a weekend tradition in this house.

I use my breadmaker as it is so quick and simple.

1.25t dry yeast
3C plain flour
1.5t bread improver
1T skim milk powder
2t sugar
1t salt
1T margarine
290ml water

Pop all ingredients into your breadmaker pan and pop it on the Pizza Dough setting and push start. On my breadmaker it takes 1hr50min.
Once the dough is done, simply tip it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out so it is a rough rectangle shape (I am in no way precise with this, I just roll it until it looks about right and is about 1cm thick).
Spread it with a think layer of tomato sauce.
Sprinkle with bacon pieces and grated cheese (I have also added capsicum occasionally for a more "pizza" like flavour.
Simply roll it up, so you end up with a long sausage.
Then it is just a matter of lightly flouring a couple of baking trays and cutting approximately 1 inch wide pieces off the dough. Place them onto the baking tray so that they touch one another, forming a rough circle shape. I normally get approx 10-12 on each of my trays.
Cook them in the oven at approx 160 degrees (Fan forced oven) for approx 20 minutes or until lightly brown.
This recipe normally makes about 22 scrolls.

They taste beautiful hot but are equally as nice cold. I normally freeze individually and the kids get one each in their lunchbox. They make a great alternative to sandwiches.

Friday Musings.....

Well here we are at the end of yet another week. Earlier this week I mentioned the troubles I have been having with a couple of my boys and school. Well things have changed....a little bit lol. Mr8 is going off to school without a problem and seems reasonably unphased by not having his best buddy there, but it is worrying me that a couple of days he has mentioned that he has played with noone at recess and lunch. Yesterday he told me that he walked around the pit 28 times at lunchtime (the pit being a cement area that the kids play handball in). I asked him if he was doing that with his friends and he replied that no he was alone and just felt like it. My heart just about broke,,,,I so want him to make some friends, firm friends not just acquaintances as he seems to have now. He isn't worried about it but I think deep down he does worry and that is probably the reason why he has so many temper tantrums. This week I have had more than my fair share of tantrums from him and he has been sent to his room numerous times. I can see I will have to work on this with him and may have to have a chat with his teacher next week.

Meanwhile, Mr6 (the one that cries to the point of making himself ill) has been taken to his class by my Hubby for the last 4 mornings. I was at the point where I just couldn't face it anymore. He has cried each morning because I haven't been walking him to his class but has been much better with Hubby than what he has been with me,,,,yes he has been sick twice but his teacher has been able to put up 3 stickers on his happy chart and he has earnt his right to play with Hubby's electric guitar tonight. I am hoping that he keeps this up for me next week when I resume the classroom drop off lol.....I guess if it doesn't it at least proves that it is me that he likes putting on a show for although the fact that he has been sick twice this week without even crying leads me to believe that he must be very upset on the inside still....will have to keep an eye on the more little Vegemite.

This morning I decided to make a batch of homemade laundry detergent. I had previously tried the wet batch (the one that looks like egg noodle soup) and found this to be quite good. I recently discovered a "recipe" for a normal dry style detergent that to me seems so much less fuss than the wet batch. The only tedious part of it was grating up two cups of laundry soap but even though I procrastinated doing it, the whole batch was done in about half an hour. I now have a nice little container of detergent that should last quite a while as it only requires 2 tablespoons per load. This is the recipe I used, it is down the page a little (sorry I am new to linking lol)..... http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/search/label/Cleaning I can't wait to try it out!!!......can't believe I just said that lol, it is very unusual to actually want to do laundry for me!!

Right now I am boiling up some eggs to make some yummy curried egg and salad sandwiches for my Hubby and I for lunch. He pops home to have lunch with me a few days a week, it is nice to be able to eat a meal by ourselves occasionally lol.

Have a great weekend everyone!