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.

Nursing Homes are depressing but fruit trees show me hope

Today I went to visit my Mum who lives in  a nursing home.  She is 81 years old and suffers from Dementia.  Dementia it is a word that strikes fear into most people's hearts when they think of their old age.  Nursing home,,,more words that most people live in fear and dread of.  To my Mum, the thought of going into a nursing home was one that she just would not even think about.  She had always said that the only time she would permanently leave her home was in a little wooden box.  That was a hope that I had for her too, I wanted her to live out her days in her own home, sadly that wasn't to be the case.  She has been in a nursing home for almost 2 years now and every time I go to visit I come away feeling immense sadness.  I feel horrible for helping to put her in there, I truly do but at the same time I know that if my brothers and I hadn't gone down that path, she wouldn't be with us at all now.  She could no longer live alone and it got to the stage where caring for her on the occasions that she came to stay at my house was very, very difficult for me.  She is diabetic and legally blind.  Putting her into a different surrounding is hard work as she becomes totally dependent on others for her every need.  I know that in the nursing home she is as safe as she can be.  I know that she is getting the care she needs, but that doesn't take away the sadness I feel.

She still knows who I am but it is almost impossible to hold a conversation any more.  She prattles on about things that have happened in her mind, although naturally she believes they were real events.  She talks about "Dad" coming to visit her soon (we still don't know if she is referring to her father or my dad (Dad died almost 24 years ago)).  I ramble on to her as best I can telling her all about what the kids are up to and what we have been doing but I now get next to nothing back from her in response.  It is hard work trying to hold a one sided conversation.  I help to feed her if I am there at meal times.  She is becoming less and less the person she once was and it is heartbreaking.  I don't normally talk about this on my blog as I feel it is something private and most people don't want to hear about the depressing side of life, but today I feel the need to get it off my chest, share it with someone, anyone.

I have come home this morning and gone out in the glorious sunshine that this beautiful Autumn weather has given us.  This is the blue of the sky outside my back door this morning...isn't this sky beautiful!!

Notice I have cropped out the lower messy part of the yard lol.  We are undergoing a back yard transformation you might say and it looks very weedy and messy right now.  We were progressing but then Hubby hurt his back and mine isn't the greatest at the best of times so everything has come to a halt.  Hubby's back is feeling a little better now so we are hoping within a week or so we can get back into it.

This little guy is my fuschia that I rescued from the "sad trolley" at Bunnings one day.  I paid $1 for him as he wasn't much more than a stick with a few leaves attached at the time.  Now I am no green thumb by any means but I love fuschias and wanted to give it a go to save the little guy.  Well, I am amazed myself, but just look at him now!!!  I can't wait until all those buds decide to open up and share their beauty with us!!

And now the grand unveiling our my beloved fruit trees which we received last Friday.  Last night hubby and I spent a lovely half hour potting them up.  They have gone in pots for the moment as we are considering selling our house in the next year or so and moving interstate and there was no way I wanted to leave my trees behind!!!!  So for now at least while we come to a firm decision, they are potted up with plenty of room for their young roots to develop.

Just disregard the shambles surrounding them lol.  Along the side fence you can see what is left of a rather large and unruly rose bush.  I want to replace the four rose bushes that reside along there with kiwifruits and raspberry bushes.

Here you can see some of the fruit trees,,,,the wilted one is a peach or nectarine, can't remember which.  I watered them all straight after I did the photos so I am pleased to say he is now looking a bit perkier lol.  The pots either side of the trellis like structure contain snow peas.  I am thrilled with these guys.  I grew these from seed,,,,,yes I know I can't believe they are still alive either lol, or for that matter alive at all!!!  Needless to say I am quite fond of these little plants.  I can't wait for them to grow and provide us with snow peas to go in our stirfries,,,yummo!

On the right hand side, on the rather dilapidated looking table are our feijoa trees, our strawberry guava and our Mr and Mrs Kiwifruit.  The kiwifruit was another plant I rescued from the "sad trolley".  This one was reduced to $10 down from $20.  I had always wanted to try to grow kiwifruit so I couldn't walk past and leave him there, I had to attempt to save him.  I am proud once again to say he is thriving.  He has nice new leaves and is looking very healthy indeed.  With all these small successes I have been having of late, I am slowly gaining in confidence with gardening.  I no longer consider myself as a "death trap" for poor little unsuspecting plants which I drag into my home.  Now I am happy to sit and watch each new leave develop and gaze in wonder at them daily.

And take a look at what I just noticed.  I just went outside to see if I could photograph some beautiful rainbow lorikeets which are going nuts in the gum tree shown in the top photo.  Sadly I couldn't get a decent shot of them as they are too high up and too far back within the foliage, but look what I found which I hadn't noticed this morning...... (I apologise for the blurriness of this first picture but I am using an old camera cuz I couldn't find any fresh batteries for the new one lol).....flowers on my beloved blueberry bush!!!!

We bought this bush last year and it was half the size it is now.  Last year we got a handful of berries off it and they were simply devine.  This year there are many little buds forming on it and these flowers have been sitting there, just as little buds for a little while now and finally one has opened up.  Oh I am so excited to see this, I can already taste blueberries,,,I cannot wait!!!

I am driving my hubby crazy and my kids too I think when they get home from work and school and I go on about each plant's progress lol.  All they hear about is my cooking, my plants or my crafts and things I want to make!!!

But hey, no home is happy unless Mum is happy right????

ANZAC CAKE - This cake is really good, I mean REALLY GOOD!!

This is a cake that I have made many times.  It is a regular on our menu as everyone enjoys it.  I have made it and frozen it in pieces for the kids for school recess which works out well, even after freezing it tastes and looks just like it did straight out of the oven.  But the whole family agrees that there is nothing like it with the icing on it, the icing truly makes this cake.  This is a recipe I have had for years, and I don't remember where I got it from (like most of my recipes lol....I really should start noting where the recipes come from shouldn't I!!)

I should have photographed a slice of this cake to show how moist and delicious it looks, but it has been devoured now so maybe next time lol.  My mouth is watering just looking at the picture!!  Okay here is the recipe,,you just have to try it, I know you will love it!!!

ANZAC CAKE

½ C golden syrup

125g butter

2C Self Raising flour

½ C castor sugar

½ C coconut

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1C milk

ICING

60g butter

1t honey

1t vanilla

1 ½ C icing sugar

1T hot water

Combine syrup and butter in pan, stir over heat until smooth.  Combine sifted flou, sugar and coconut in bowl, add syrup mixture and mix well.  Using an electric mixer gradually beat in combined eggs and milk.  Pour mixture into a greased 20x30cm pan and cook at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

ICING

Combine butter, honey and vanilla in a bowl.  Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar and water until smooth.  Spread over cooled cake.

Exciting dreams of hopes for the future....Fruit Trees Arrive

Well finally today was the day....

Our fruit trees from Diggers have arrived.  We have been eagerly anticipating their arrival since we placed the order on March 18th.  We have great hopes for these little trees, can already taste the sweetness of their fruits, can't wait to see the blossoms and the bees that will hopefully buzz around those little blooms.  Patient, we must be as we nurse and care for these new little lives that have been placed in our hands.  Here is the box they arrived in....I was too excited to photograph it unopened lol.  For some reason this picture refuses to turn right side up, but hey that is the way the silly courier driver delivered it anyway, standing on its end!  Those guys sometimes just can't read can they????  Or they just don't care,,,the latter of the two probably!!!

Nevertheless, our babies are all in one piece,,, and safely standing right way up on my pot table.

Here they are in all their beautiful baby glory.....

See how tall they are....

Oh I can't wait until tomorrow when we will go and buy some pots for them and some nice fresh soil for them to go in.  Yes these babies will be starting their new lives in pots as we have been discussing buying a new house in a year or two.  An "our house", one that we have both chosen together.   Hopefully a house with at least an acre of land to let our new found gardening passion blossom to its fullest extent possible.  A home where these little babies can expand their little feet well and truly into the soil and share with us their future fruits.

Here we have 10 fruit trees and a strawberry plant (this little strawberry plant was a freebie for ordering so much).

The fruit trees are as follows:

3 x apples Cox's Orange Pippin, Jonathon and Blue Pearmain
2 x pears Buerre Bosc and Red Williams
1 x Cherry Stella
1 x Nectarine Goldmine
1 x Peach Anzac
2 x Plum - Santa Rosa and Satsuma

I am so excited.  Our little yard is slowly looking more productive.  I now understand how people get so excited about plants.  I have never been a green thumb but I think we are slowly getting there.  Learning little by little how to have a productive garden.

Bowling, Big Rocking Horse, Whispering Wall....Easter goes by way too fast!

We had a lovely 5 day break over Easter, nothing got done on the house front but we kinda relaxed and just "hung out" with the kids which was nice.

On Good Friday we took the boys bowling and mini golfing.  It was great fun.  It was the first time that we have ever been to Barossa Bowland and I have to say it was pretty cool.  The boys loved it and we had an enjoyable afternoon, well most of it lol.  We played golf first and Hubby won (as usual lol).  Then we came inside to play a game of ten pin bowling.  All was going well for Hubby until he got to shot number 8.  He bowled once and felt his back go pop.  After his back issues last year, we weren't taking any chances and he sat the rest of the game out,,,,,,,naturally he still won lol.  Even with the boys taking turns to finish his game off he still thrashed us all!!  After bowling my fair share of gutterballs, I finally managed to get a Spare!!!  But overall I was pretty dismal on the score front.

Friday night we picked up Hubby's 2 kids as we have them for the following week.  Friday night became movie night, as is our usual school holiday ritual.

On Saturday Hubby was still in discomfort so he went to the doctor's surgery and prepared for a long wait.  It was one of the few clinics actually open over the Easter break so it was quite busy.  When he finally saw the doctor he was told that it was muscular this time and should heal itself in a few days and to just take some Panadeine Forte.  Needless to say I was pretty worried and wanted him to go to the hospital for a second opinion but he stood firm and said  he would see how it went.  (Update on back:  after taking it easy and being careful for the Easter break, his back is almost normal again, but he will make an appointment with his physio today to just make sure)

Easter Bunny came a day early in our house as my boys were going to their Dad's house for 2 nights.   With the boys away the house fell silent with just Miss12 and Mr10 left to entertain.  Miss12 was determined to watch a Hannah Montana marathon on TV and Mr10, well he was just his usual destructive self sadly.

On Sunday we went for a nice drive into the Adelaide Hills to  the Meadows Easter Fair.  I was a little disappointed with it, as I had been told it was basically a craft fair, but it was actually more of a second hand/bric a brac type of thing.  We did however, come away with a kilo of Nashi Pears and a large punnet of strawberries which were divine!!

Easter Monday was spent at home as we weren't sure what time the boys would be brought back.  I decided to turn it into a bit of a cooking fest.  I made my Coconut Pie, my self saucing Chocolate Pudding and I decided to try out this recipe from Farmama Farmama's Homemade Donuts, they were delish!!!  And were devoured by the tribe within seconds.

 

As Tuesday was a public holiday here, we took the kids up to  Gumeracha's Big Rocking Horse.  They make the most amazing wooden toys there.  They aren't cheap by any means but they are very well made.  They also have a small wildlife park at the back which is free to wander.  We bought a couple of bags of food to feed the alpacas, sheep, goats and kangaroos.  There aren't alot of animals but the kids enjoyed it and it was out in the fresh air so that is what matters.  Even Mr14 quite liked it as they had his beloved Alpacas and his next favourite thing in the world his "afro chickens" lol.  I was a little disappointed though with the fact that they are now charging to climb the Big Rocking Horse.  This has always been free to climb since I was a child.  Now it is $2 per person to climb up on it.  I know its not a lot of money but I still find it hard to believe, as naturally all the kids want to climb it and with a large family all of a sudden it costs us $16, even an "average family" of mum, dad and 2 kids would have to fork out $8 just to climb it.  I found it pretty sad.

Anyway after our adventure in the rocking horse, we wandered down to Federation Park which is a lovely park in the heart of Gumeracha.  We cooked up some sausages and onion on the free bbq while the younger kids played on the playground.  After enjoying our sausage sizzle, which always tastes better when you are out in the fresh country air, we made our way to Williamstown to take the kids to the Whispering Wall.  It was pretty busy there and we didn't get to really appreciate the sound effects so we will have to go back at another time to really allow the younger kids to appreciate it fully.  They all enjoyed walking around the top walkway of the reservoir though.

And there you have it, our Easter break......can you believe that I forgot to take photos of most of it!!!!

Why Do I Leave These Things Till the Last Minute!!!! Lol

Why on on earth do I do this to myself everytime there is a holiday near.....I have my shopping list done early in the week, declaring there is no way I am setting foot in the shops the day before the holiday, whether it be Easter or Christmas....but every year and every holiday I am running around like a mad woman organising the groceries on that very last day.
Today was no exception I traipsed my way around 4 different stores getting the various things I needed from each place and then of course came the line up at the checkout, Holy Moly!!!

Never again!  At Christmas I vow to be different.........I promise!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Easter Everyone - I hope everyone enjoys their break.

The Art of Crochet - Square Number 2

 Well here we are with Square number 2 in The Art of Crochet rug.  This one for some reason I found a little tricky to get right and I feel even now that I have finished it that something isn't quite right, but it is done lol.  There will be others similar to this to do so hopefully I can refine my skills in the Scallop Lace Square at some point further on.  The rug, for me at least, is a kind of practice piece.  For me, it will be the piece of work I can look back on and say "I started my crochet skills with this rug".

I love to learn new skills and for my family, we are just starting out really on the "Simple Life" style of living.  We have so far to go, but we have already come so far too.  Yes, my house still holds way too much clutter, but little by little we are getting rid of it.  I am trying to sell as much as I can but at the same time I am being realistic and only holding on to things for a limited amount of time.  If it doesn't sell online it goes to a charity shop.  Some things are just too bulky to warrant paying out large amounts for postage so logically the charities get those items.  Everything we buy gets scrutinised carefully, "do we really need it", "how much use will it get", and the myriad of questions that those living the simple life ask.  We certainly still have our wants but those wants are becoming less as we strive to live a more self sufficient lifestyle.

Yesterday I saw the front page of The Advertiser and it worried me.  It was talking about the power plant our near Port Augusta and how it would likely be closing down by about 2015 and how it supplies 40% or our State's power and now we would have to get power from Victoria etc.  Part of me sees this as possibly being time for us to make a move interstate.  We have talked about moving interstate and getting a country property, that is our dream, or maybe move back to Hubby's homeland of New Zealand.  One thing that causes us a problem is the fact that we are a blended family and we have two ex-partners and 6 kids between us that still need to see those ex-partners.  I do believe it may be time to seriously start to consider our options, I just don't know that SA will be the place to be in years to come, then again the world is changing, so where is the place to be in ten, twenty or thirty years time????

The Art of Crochet - Square Number 1

 
I remember seeing the Art of Crochet advertised on TV I think in the middle of last year.  It sparked my interest as I love crafty things and my "want" is to be able to try my hand at many different crafts.  I am severely lacking in time for craft but hey that doesn't stop a girl hoping and dreaming does it???

I guess I am what you could call a serial hoarder of recipes and craft project patterns that I stash away to try at some point.  Currently I am in the process of printing my recipe collection and am making each thing and using my family as guinea pigs to try out recipes that have caught my eye over the years.  The ones my family enjoy I put on my blog to share but also to keep a photo and the recipe itself in a place where it won't get lost or ruined etc.

My craft patterns are kept in our bookshelf just waiting to be utilised.  I have knitting patterns, crochet patterns, christmas decorations, quilting, decoupage, felting, clothing, you name it, it is probably on my shelf!  I am kinda embarrassed to admit it but I currently have over 200 things on my "want to make list" lol.  Other than the crochet patterns from "The Art of Crochet" which will be a growing collection I have put  a stop on my pattern hoarding for now.  I usually flag things with one of those little stick it labels when it is something that I really either think I can do or want to give it a go.  I will just go through one thing at a time, many of them I will probably change my mind on by the time I go to make them lol but hey who knows, I may just get there one day!!

Crochet was one thing that had always eluded me.  I admired the finished results but I just couldn't quite grasp how to do it lol.  So when I saw this advertised I knew that I just had to at least get the first one and give it a go.  Hubby convinced me to subscribe to it and then if I decided after the first few installments that I was just not cut out to crochet, we would then stop it.  So I subscribed and I must say I love it.  I normally cringe at the idea of subscribing to this sort of thing because lets face it, it is darn expensive.  But in this case I feel happy that it is money well spent as I absolutely adore the patterns that come with it and I have flagged the majority of them for me to attempt at some point in the future.  Currently I am up to issue 31, not of course in crocheting the squares, I am way behind in that lol, but that is how many issues I now have.  Which means there are still 89 left to go.  That is going to be ALOT of folders worth of patterns and many balls of wool lol.  Each week comes with the ball of wool for you to use to crochet that week's square which at the end of the series will be joined together to make the rug that is featured on the cover above.

To keep me honest and to ensure that I will in fact make use of this collection I have decided to put each finished square on my blog.  I am pretty happy with my efforts so far.  They aren't perfect by any means but I think for an absolute beginner they aren't too bad.

This was the square required for Booklet 1.

And here is my finished square,,,,this hasn't been pinned out yet.

I think I actually prefer crochet to knitting because it seems to come together so much faster.  I look forward to making many more items.

My Baby has turned 9!!!!! Swimming Pool cakes and a Gorgeous Boy

Where does the time honestly go????  This cute little bundle of joy....

is now this cheeky little monkey of a 9 year old, full of beans and always making us laugh....

 and here as he requested is his swimming pool cake.  I usually do the kid's cake requests each year and over the years I've had some great ones and some that I was a little horrified with the outcome lol but this one, this one was one of the better results I think....

He loved his cake and it tasted really really yummy too.  I'd hate to think of the calories in a slice lol but I have to say it was so worth it!!!

I basically made two cakes and joined them together with apricot jam and cream and then smothered the outside with what I believe may be the world's best icing which I will share with you tomorrow.  I dug out the centre and filled it with Blue Heaven flavoured jelly and then added the rest of the decorations.

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.

 

Preparing to change our garden space......one messy part at a time!

 This weekend saw us begin our garden transformation as I will call it.  As part of our simplifying journey we are determined that we will start growing veggies and fruit on a more serious scale.  We have decided to add 2 large garden beds into our small back yard and take up the lawn area that now lives there.  The kids don't really use the back yard for much these days as they have all outgrown the small area.  Now if they want to play they head down the road to the oval.  Therefore the backyard has laid dormant, used primarily by the dogs and cats and as you can see in this photo,,,,,tends to get very neglected looking.  The last few months we have basically done the bare minimum to the backyard, tending to just keep the grass area in check (as you can see by the photos though, the recent rain has made the grass grow like crazy and our lawn mower died a few weeks ago and we can't quite afford to replace it at the moment, so the whole area looks pretty horrid!

Well that will be no longer, of course we will still leave the dogs area to roam and explore as they like but we will have a productive section too.  We have placed orders for 10 fruit trees which for the moment we will grow in large pots.  Yesterday we bought 4 more feijoa plants and one strawberry guava plant.  These will be planted in the front yard, adding to the 5 feijoas we already have planted and our mulberry tree.

My plan is for the space along the fence to be filled with raspberries and blackberries and possibly kiwifruit.  This area will be underplanted with strawberries.

In front of this in the grassy area will be two narrow garden beds for zucchini, tomatos, cauliflowers, pumpkins and whatever else we decide or should I say lol, whatever else we can manage to grow!!!

This will be a long drawn out process like most things in my life but we will get there!!!!  Below is our dwarf orange tree which I hope will start producing fruit sometime next year.

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!!!!

ANTS CLIMBING TREES.........this my friends is a recipe not about the little black guys lol

OK now that I have established that I'm not talking literally about the little 6 legged critters that inhabit our yards around the world, I would like to share with you a recipe that my kids thought would be fun to try.  I found this recipe quite some time ago on the internet somewhere and stashed it away, never quite game to actually try it lol because the name kinda freaked everyone out.  Well in my new found determination to try out all these recipes I have been storing away for the last few years, we  have given it a go.......and the results, weren't too bad at all.  The kids all really liked it.  While it isn't a recipe that I would make on a regular basis, it is something that is quick and easy to whip up, especially when you have a lot of kids to feed!

Please note that the photo was taken of a double batch as I wanted leftovers. I also didn't add the chillis, nor did I garnish with coriander, simply because I didn't have any coriander and my kids don't like things too hot so I thought the chilli sauce would suffice on its own.

This is a dish which is of Chinese origin.  It is apparently so named because the mince is meant to look like ants climbing up a tree (the noodles).  I didn't quite see it like that but lol I guess sometimes you need your imagination turned on.  Overall though it was quite a nice dish.  Next time I will serve it with stirfried veggies as well, or maybe even mix the stirfried veggies through it to make it less noodly.

ANTS CLIMBING TREES

200 grams rice noodles

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce (low salt)

1 teaspoon caster sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine

1 teaspoon cornflour (non wheaten)

350 grams lean pork mince

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tablespoon ginger

1-2 red chillies, chopped (I left these out)

2 teaspoons hot chilli sauce

2 shallots, sliced

coriander sprigs for garnish (optional)

extra chilli for garnish (optional)

Place the noodles in a bowl of hot water and soak for 15 minutes and drain.

Combine soy, sugar, sesame oil, Chinese rice wine and cornflour in a bowl.  Add mince and mix to combine.  Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.

Heat peanut oil in wok.  Add garlic, ginger and chilli.  Cook for 30 seconds.  Add chilli sauce and mince and cook for 5 minutes until browned.

Toss through noodles until combined.

Serve sprinkled with shallots, chilli and coriander.

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!

New Zealand Earthquake

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Christchurch and their families.


My Hubby is a Kiwi and his parents and one of his sisters live in Auckland.  We are grateful they are safe but our hearts go out to the people of beautiful Christchurch, lets hope there isn't too much more loss of life and damage.


There are just way too many tragedies taking place lately, it is so hard to comprehend.

Should I,,,,,Shouldn't I,,,,,,this my friends is today's million dollar question!!!!!

 I have been humming and hahhing over my blog for a while now.  This blog started out as a way to document our lives in a way,,,I was never much of a diary or journalling kind of girl.  Once I got into blogs I found a world of treasures just begging me to read them....and read I did.  I have spent many, many hours taking in glimpses of other people's lives and gaining more knowledge and ideas for my life and my home in the process.  I love the blog world and all it contains......However, in that process I also decided that I am boring lol. 

I am a bit of a procrastinator, the kind of girl that hesitates, knowing what she wants to do, but the little "Perfection fairy" hangs around my head saying that unless I make it perfect it ain't worth starting.  So needless to say many of my ideas never get off the ground.  I have this huge want list that I have mentioned several times on this blog.  I have so many craft ideas that I want to do, but often feel that I won't make them good enough to look any good so I don't try (yes I know practice makes perfect lol).  I like to cook, and have hundreds, actually more like thousands of recipes, sitting here both on my computer and in folders waiting to be tried out but due to a strict budget and fussy kids, I don't try too many because I always think if the kids don't like it it will just sit there until it goes off or hubby and I will eat it which makes losing our excess weight we are both carrying very very difficult.

Anyway, I had a thought over the weekend that I might start up a new blog, keeping this one as my "diary" of sorts and my crafty show off one (when I get to craft that is!!) and a new blog which will become a cooking one.  One purely for sharing my recipes with the world lol.  At the moment I am trying to come up with a catchy name for it.  My son, Mr16, is doing cooking for his Community Studies task.  He will be cooking at home and has to come up with menu plans and then he actually has to cook a couple of meals each week.  I said to him he can try out a few new recipes each week and in the process give me the push I need to maybe get this new blog up and running.  I want to do something that will inspire others with some new cooking ideas and also help other families to provide healthy and nutritious meals at a reasonable cost.

This was dinner on Saturday night,,,,,,,my Impossible Quiche.  This is a recipe that never, I repeat NEVER fails!!  It is cheap and easy to prepare and tastes divine.  We served it with chips (at the kids request of course) and fresh garden salad,,,,,YUMMY!

Anyway, I will let you know how I go!!  I'm not sure if there are already way to many cooking type blogs out there or if the world can handle one more lol.