Making Macarons.

Ever since I had my first taste of a Macaron at the patisserie "French Twist" 

I have wanted to be able to make these tiny morsels of sweetness.

They come in so many different varieties but the one that for me, 

is the pièce de résistance: The Lavender with pistachio filling! 

Here it is, the best ever.

The Cherry Ripe one beside it wasn't bad either!

So on my search to replicate the Macaron, I discovered that they are often called a "Macaroon", which is an entirely different biscuit.

Macaroons are traditionally made from coconut and are sometimes finished 

with a glazed cherry or dipped in chocolate.

As I hunted for a recipe that didn't look daunting or overly complex I began to fear the difficulty level and talked myself out of giving it a go.

And then I came across this great YouTube demonstration and it seemed easy.

This recipe from Eugenie Kitchen 

 makes lovely macarons that have not failed me yet.

This recipe comes from

Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts School in Paris.

If they can't do a good Macaron - I have no chance!

I have passed this link onto a friend and she had a success too.

My attempts so far:

Pink colouring with a touch of strawberry flavouring makes them 

look good and taste even better!

Frilly feet are the key  . . . apparently!

 Strawberry with cream cheese filling and 

Nutella filled Blue Macarons.

 I do think you get better with practice!

These were my latest attempt - the best ones so far!

Mocha Macarons [Coffee biscuits and choc filling]

and Strawberry and Cream Macarons.

So yummy and really sweet to give away as treats.

Happy Baking!

MasterChef - Lemon Lime Tart

 A Lemon Lime Tart was just what 

last Saturday night's dinner with friends needed.

And I found a great recipe on

Julie Goodwin's Blog

 This recipe is easy and quick.

Check it out here.

My version tasted better than it looked . . . like most things I make.

And boy did it taste good!

Banana Cake by the Country Cook

I found this great blog called The Country Cook.

Brandie from Southwest Virginia [The Country Cook herself] has a great site that gives some wonderfully scrumptious recipes, mostly traditional comfort food that will make your mouth water! 

I tried this one for Banana Cake with Vanilla Frosting.

You can find the recipe here.

My version doesn't look quite the same but it smelled fantastic in the oven and makes a welcomed changed from my traditional Banana Bread, which I make all the time now that Bananas are cheap again. 

 

I am going to enjoy it with a cup of tea later.

Try it sometime soon and let me know what you think. 

How Time Flies!

We have been busy with birthdays and party's and eating and celebrating.

First there was Australia Day: 

A chance to sit and enjoy eating breakfast together.

Kids breakfast  . . .

Mummy and Daddy breakfast.

Then the little boy turned into a big birthday boy and turned 6!

His drawing is getting better too! 

This one reflects how smitten he was with the Batman Lego Wii game he got.

Then it was my turn for a birthday.

I had a wonderful day filled with surprise cakes, 

handmade cards, lovely earrings and perfume

and dinner out with Luke.

I also got this beautiful cookbook from 

my brother and sister in law . . .

 And a 12 month subscription to Frankie Magazine 

[from Luke] arrived just in time.

And seeing as time is flying away, I am defiantely going to order a pair of 

these adorable mittens I found in Frankie; while my kids still love to hold hands. 

Cause one day soon  . . . NO don't think about it!

Are they not the cutest thing! An adult size mitten with a kids size one sewn into it!

Find them here.

12 Days of a Crafty Christmas.

The 2nd Day of a Crafty Christmas: What to do with Fruit Mince?

Remember this post about glorious Fruit Mince?

Well in order to use up some of the mixture,

I made some of these.

Fruit mince cakes.

 Top with a dab of cream cheese icing 

and a dried cranberry.

Yummo . . . enjoy with a morning cuppa tea or an afternoon coffee. 

It helps to draw out the festive season even more! 

 Then you can let the kids lick the bowl!

Or just do it yourself.

12 Days of a Crafty Christmas.

The 6th Day of a Crafty Christmas: Making Merry - Memories

The memories we are making in our new place, 

for our first Christmas will be with us always.

Here are just a few.

Playing with George, [cue George of the jungle music here]

in the wilds of the new backyard.

Spending time learning the art of  man cooking  on the BBQ.

 Swinging together.

 Picking macadamia nuts off the tree.

Filling the house with glorious baking smells and yummy treats to eat.

Taking time to enjoy the simple pleasures of Christmas.

12 Days of a Crafty Christmas.

The 7th Day of a Crafty Christmas: Making Merry - Fruit Mince

There is nothing more merry than the smell of homemade fruit mince.

I made some a few years ago and put a sealed pot 

of this black gold in the back of the fridge

which kept for 12 months and tasted just as wonderful 

the following Christmas.

This recipe make a huge amount but

it makes a wonderful gift done up in a lovely jar.

And there are so many yummy things to make with it.

 You will need:

1kg of mixed Fruit

1 cup of dried chopped Apricots

1 cup of dried chopped Figs

1 cup of glazed chopped Cherries

1 cup of dried chopped Dates

1 cup of dried chopped Prunes

1/2 cup of dried Cranberries

1/2 cup of raw Sugar

1 flat teaspoon ground Cinnamon

1 flat teaspoon ground Nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground Ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground Cardamon

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste 

[or 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence]

3 tablespoons Brandy Essence

the rind of 1 Orange

the juice of 2 Oranges

1 + 1/2 cups of Orange or Apple juice

Then you should:

Put the whole lot in a big pot and bring to the boil. 

Simmer for 10 mins or until most of the 

liquid is absorbed into the fruit.

Cook on low for a further 5 mins.

Take off the heat and allow to cool in the pot.

Sterilize your jars and spoon the mixture in 

making sure to push it down so that there 

is no air left in any little pockets.

Decorate with ribbon or make your own labels.

Check out this post for some ideas 

about what you can make with the mixture.

12 Days of a Crafty Christmas.

The 10th Day of a Crafty Christmas: Classroom Gifts

Rosie and I made gingerbread shapes for the kids teachers.

 

We found some cute jars at K-Mart and filled them with the gingerbread treats . . .

   

and some chocolate goodness too!

Eli and Rosie spent time each morning in the last 2 weeks of school 

preparing cards for everyone in their class.

And I made a special gift for Eli's teacher who is leaving to go to a new school.

This bunting is for her new classroom.

We just love making things to give, there is truly something 

extra special about a hand-made gift.

Lunch Box Snacks: Take Two

 Parmesan and Polenta Savoury Bites

These tasty morsels are made by a lady at our church 

and when she is on the roster for morning tea, she makes 

these savoury muffins, and they taste so good.

Like all "Nanna" recipes, she did not have specifics 

just a bit of this and a bit of that,

so I had a go today and made up my own version

using her directions.

You will need:

1 and 1/2 cups self raising flour

1/2 cup of uncooked grainy polenta

1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese or tasty cheese will do

1/2 a red onion finely diced

1 cup of corn kernels

2 eggs lightly beaten

1/2 cup of vegetable or canola oil

3/4 cup of milk

1/4 cup of sweet chilli sauce

salt and pepper for seasoning

[you could add diced bacon or capsicum or zucchini,

fresh herbs would be nice too, maybe basil or parsley]

Then you should:

Put flour, polenta, cheese, corn and onion in a

large mixing bowl and combine.

Add the beaten eggs, oil, milk, sweet chilli sauce, 

salt and pepper. Mix together well til combined.

 Spoon into greased muffin trays, the tiny ones 

seem to work well.

Bake at 170 degrees Celsius for 25 mins or until

they spring back when touched and are golden.

Great to freeze for a quick grab lunch box snack.

Lunch Box Snacks

We are more than half way through the school holidays 

and that means I need to start thinking about getting

organized for going back to school.

Here is a recipe from my gorgeous mum

that is a great lunch box snack.

It's simple, easy and super tasty.

Fruity Slice:

You will need -

3 and a half cups of mixed dried fruit

[you can use any dried fruit, chopped apricots, raisins, dates etc]

1 cup of Self Raising Flour

1 tin of Condensed Milk

Then you need to -

Place the mixed dried fruit in a bowl 

and add the flour, mix well coating all the fruit.

Add the tin of condensed milk and stir to combine.

Lastly -

Line a shallow lamington tin with baking paper, 

[I spray the tin with oil first so that the paper 

doesn't move around as you try to spread the mixture]

and spread the sticky mixture evenly over the base of the tin.

Smooth out and bake in an 180 degree Celsius oven 

for about 20 minutes, or til golden brown.

To finish -

You can cool it and cut into squares just like it is,

or add some icing, lemon is nice or even cream cheese icing.

I added a layer of melted chocolate for a special treat,

but you could just drizzle the top with melted chocolate.

White or brown would do.

So simple and quick to make. 

It freeze's well too.