Happy Birthday Mum!

This is a belated birthday post for my Mum.....you see we just made it home from our honeymoon in time for Mum's Bday, and after missing Mothers Day, this is one special occasion wild horses (or long distance flights) wouldn't keep us away from. 

The big event was last weekend and Mum and Dad had gone away for a few days to one of their favourite B&B's so, of course, Mr B and I went to visit and have lunch with them.....

Unfortunately there was a small communication error (can you see the cheeky gleam in my Dad's eye......) which resulted in me sitting in the car in the driveway of the B&B while Mr B went to knock on the window as there was no other car in the driveway but we could see movement in the kitchen so we assumed Mum and Dad had parked somewhere else.....right at the last second (as Mr B is yelling out to the occupants that we have arrived...Mum and Dad call to see where we are....I say 'why we are in your driveway'....Mum and Dad say 'no you're not'.....and we quickly discover Mr B and I are at the wrong address and I usher him back in the car before he waltz' into the cottage demanding a cup of tea! Mum and Dad are still laughing hysterically when we get to the correct address.....

And what birthday celebration would be complete without cake? I was on a french theme and tried to create a Fraisier cake....think light fluffy sponge packed full of strawberries and thick creme patisserie......yum yum yum...a special cake for a special Mum on a special occasion!

Happy Birthday Mum!!! 

Lots of Love Mr and Mrs B xx

Croque Balmer!

Now I know a traditional Croque Monsieur involves cheese AND ham....but Mr B and I had other ideas!

When we were in Paris last week (I mean honestly, how often do you get to say that?!) we saw these delicious little sandwiches everywhere, but unfortunately most of the time they were pre-made and simply reheated when you ordered them and when we finally got to try one at the airport as we were heading home, it was a touch dry. Never fear, Tuesday night dinners are here!

So when Mum and Dad came for dinner last night they were greeted with the vegetarian version of this dish and not only was it super easy, but it was absolutely scrumptious!!

All you will need for 4 serves is:

8 slices of bread
4 slices of tasty cheese
1 cup of bechamel sauce
1.5 cups grated cheese - I use an Italian blend including romano and parmesan
Salt and Pepper
Green Salad to serve

Pre-heat oven to 150C

Make up 4 sandwiches with a slice of cheese in each.

Toast the sandwiches in a sandwich press until golden.

Place sandwiches in a baking dish and pour over bechamel. Top with grated cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Bake for 15-20 mins or until cheese is melted and golden.

Serve with salad and enjoy!

But wait...there's more!

It has been quite some time since I've showed you some fancy new shoes and today when Mum and I went shopping at lunch time...look what followed us home!!

How adorable are these!?!?! I may have worn them around the office all afternoon....I may be wearing them now with my work pants...and my dressing gown....I may never take them off!

Happy Wednesday people!!

Mrs B xx

We're Back!!!!

How time flies!

Just over a month ago Mr B and I set off on our big adventure - and what an adventure it was!

We couldn't have asked for anything more for our honeymoon, it was beautiful and romantic and inspiring and crazy and amazing and everything inbetween.

We ate lots of great food - Baileys Cheesecake and Deep Dish Apple Pie in Ireland, Pizza, Gelato and real Mozarella in Italy, Frogs Legs, Escargot, Crepes, Eclairs, Baguettes, Macarons and Croissants in Paris........

We saw some amazing sights - The Giants Causeway, The Ring of Kerry, a whole town and a pub named after Mr B, the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Vatican, Spanish Steps, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Florence, Venice, Rialto Bridge, Capri, Sorrento, St Marks Square, The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, The Arch De Triumph, The Opera House in Paris - oh my god so many things, so many memories!

Every day we saw and did something amazing.........

Let me show you just a sneak peak.........

The captin and our camper van in Ireland

Mr B and his hawk Joyce on a 'Hawk Walk' around the grounds of Ashford Castle

Ashford Castle

Kylemore Abbey

Ross Castle at Kilarney

The view from our camper spot at Eagle Point, Ireland

One thing we learn on the trip - Mrs B has issues using the timer on the camera

Deep Dish Apple Pie and Baileys Cheesecake in Waterford, Ireland

At the Jamesons Factory, Middleton, Ireland

'Tynans Bridge House Bar' in Kilkenney

The Giants Causeway

Mr B at the Colosseum!

Enjoying the sun and a cruise around Capri, Italy

Sorrento, Italy

On our roof top in Florence

Pizza at Pisa!

Lunch in Verona - best potato pizza ever!

Mr and Mr B arrive in Venice, Italy

Our last night in Italy - pizza all round!!

Pizza and gelato...all part of a balanced diet!

A croissant and a baguette underneath the Eiffel Tower on our first day in Paris!

Freshly made crepes for dinner...one with nutella and one with cheese!

Standing outside the Moulin Rouge at 11pm and it was practically still daylight!

A real French Patisserie....and two drooling Aussie tourists!

Possibly the best chocolate and coffee eclairs in the history of the entire world....

We could not visit Paris without trying some of the local specialties....snails anyone?

How about some frogs legs?

One of the very cool gargoyles that watch over Paris from Notre-Dame Cathedral...it was totally worth the walk up 400+ stairs just to see these!

Mr B thinking at the Rodin Museum with 'The Thinker'

And that, dear friends, was The Honeymoon Tour!!

So we are now back to reality and saving for our next big adventure, but in the mean time it is back to business (and baking!) and we have already whipped up a gorgeous and delicious cake ready to show you in the next day or so - I did miss my kitchen while I was away!

Mr and Mrs B x

Honeymoon Time

So I'm starting to think I may have been in La La Land (you know that place right near Crazy Land??) for the last 12 months whilst we have been planning our honeymoon. I mean I've been to all the meetings with the travel agents, I've googled more maps and walking routes and monuments then I care to discuss and I have even spent the last week packing and unpacking and re-packing my bags. But despite all of that, I'm not entirely sure it ever really sunk in what we were doing. All in all, I think it's fair to say that now it's sinking in.....kind of.....and I'm terrified. People fly every day without incident, so I'm relying on that theory (and the theory behind some lovely anti-anxiety medication) to get us there safely. I'm also slightly concerned about turning into a teary blubbering wreck at the airport when Mum and Dad drop us off tomorrow, but I'm not confident anything can be done about that.

Anyway, basically, what I'm here to say is that I don't like the idea of leaving you for a month. I had big plans of leaving a whole heap of blog posts lined up ready to go while we were gone, but the last few weeks have been crazy busy and I just haven't had a chance so I really do apologise for the silence over the next month. I would love to take the laptop with me and blog as we go, but let's be honest, it's our honeymoon and we don't need to give Mr B grounds for divorce this early in the relationship....I think the fact I'm navigating whilst he is driving the camper around Ireland will give him more then enough!!

Have I even told you where we are going???

We are off to Ireland for the first two weeks and travelling around in a campervan - on our itinerary so far we have Galway, Limmerick, Cork, Waterford, Kilkenney, Dublin and Armagh.

Next stop is Italy for 10 days and we go from Rome to Capri, Naples, Pompeii, Florence, Pisa, Verona and then Venice.

And from Venice we fly to Paris where we spend our last 4 nights before coming home.

Wowsers.

So when we get back Mr B and I have a whole 1.5 days off work to recover where I will try and write up some holiday blog posts! In the meantime, happy baking, happy shoe shopping and most importantly stay safe and stay well.

And to two of my newest loyal readers, Mum and Dad, missing you enormously every single second, love you to the moon and back and huge giant big hugs, we will be back before you know it (I say that as much for your benefit as for mine!!)
MWAH xxxxx

Mr and Mrs B

Whole Baked Pumpkin

Isn't it nice to be loved? I came home from my last day at work today before our honeymoon to these gorgeous flowers from Mr B and to top the day off, we had Mum and Dad coming around for dinner. This would be our last family dinner before the big trip, so it was time to bring out the big guns! Mum and Dad had given us a pumpkin last week and I had plans for it....big cheesy plans!


Whole Baked Pumpkin
You will need

1 large pumpkin
100g diced mushroom
1 onion diced
1 stick celery diced
150ml thickened cream
2 cups grated cheese (I used a combination of gouda, romano, cheddar and parmesan)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tspn wet herbs (garlic, chilli, basil and oregano)
Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 180C.

Place your pumkin on a tray and cut the top off. Scoop out all the seeds. Soak the stalk in some water whilst preparing the filling.

In a fry pan over medium heat, combine the mushrooms, onion and celery. Cook for 7-10 mins or until softened.

In a bowl combine the mushrooms, onion, celery, cream, cheese, breadcrumbs and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the filling into the hollowed out pumpkin. Don't be afraid to cram it all in there. Place the lid back on and pop the whole thing in the oven for around 90 mins. If you can insert a skewer into the skin and through the pumpkin with ease, then it is cooked. If not, give it another 30 mins and see how it goes then.


When we cut the first slice out, the filling just sort of oozed out and it looked (and tasted) amazing! I am so keen to try this again, so many different filling possibilities from rice to risotto to chilli to cheesey goodness....

I'm off to pack (and un-pack) some more so Happy Wednesday everyone!!

Only 2 days to go till our honeymoon!!

Mrs B xx

Happy International Mothers Day!

Mothers Day?
In April?
Yes.
No I am not going crazy.
No I have not lost my calendar.
But I will be out of the country on Mothers Day this year and I feel incredibly guilty about it. These days are HUGE in our family. It's like our own little public holiday just for us to celebrate our family.

So when Mr B and I were planning our holiday for this time of year, I made it very clear I wanted to be home for my Mum's Birthday in June, but that meant we would miss Mothers Day. Fudge. I was none to pleased about this either, but we just couldn't do anything about it. So there was only one thing for it. We had to move Mothers Day to today. End of story.

Mum, Dad, Mr B and I went to a beautiful property just out of Hobart called Villa Howden. The Villa offers boutique accomodation with views out over the North West Bay and is set in the midst of the most beautiful picturesque garden.


Previously you could only enter the grounds of the Villa if you were fortunate enough to be staying there, so when Dad heard they were throwing open the gates and having High Tea there of a Sunday, he knew we had to go as him and Mum had admired the property from a far for quite some time.

When we arrived today we had a lovely sticky beak around the gardens and of course Mr B left unattended for 2 minutes managed to find the croquet set....


Then we went inside for the High Tea. Inside the Villa is just as stunning as the outside, with every little detail seen too. We had only just taken our seats and already there were pots of tea on the table and 2 tiers of food on the table. Mum and I decided to start off with the mini scones, jam and cream....


...and then we alternated between cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches and the dessert plate which included a mini custard tart, mini mudcake, mini lemon muffin and some exquisite (oh yes I said exquisite) creme brulee. We left there very full, but very impressed with the whole package. If ever there was a property perfectly suited for luxury, for relaxing, for appreciating and for spoiling, it is this one.


We had a really nice day today, but it did confirm something I have been feeling more and more the last few weeks. That dull twist in my stomach is turning into a tight knotting ball....and do you know why? I am going to miss my Mum and Dad incredibly whilst we are away. I don't think I have ever been away from them for this long.....and already I am looking forward to coming home and seeing them.


Happy Internation Mothers Day Mother B xx

Love Mrs B xx

ANZAC Slice....or is it a Cake???

Now this is not your average Anzac slice or your average Anzac cake....This takes the best parts of an Anzac biscuit, the chewy golden goodness studded with coconut and oats, and combines it with a soft, moist delicious Anzac flavoured cake ....I will go as far as to say it is Anzac perfection.

Now start by making your Anzac cake....

1/2 cup Golden Syrup
125 grams Butter
2 cups Self Raising Flour
1/2 cup Caster Sugar
1/2 cup Coconut
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup Milk

Pre-heat oven to 180C.
Combine the butter and golden syrup and melt either in a saucepan over medium heat or in a jug in the microwave for around 60 seconds. Stir until smooth.

Combine sifted flour, sugar and coconut in a large bowl.

Add syrup mixture and mix well.

Add the milk and eggs and beat to combine.

Pour mixture into a greased and lined 20x30cm cake tin and bake for approximately 30 minutes (the cake will be that beautiful golden Anzac colour when it's done)

Now once the cake has cooled a little, break it all up into a bowl.

Melt an extra 50g butter and 1/3 cup golden syrup and pour over the broken up cake. Get your hands in there, get dirty, mix it all up until it's all well combined and holding together nicely.

Push it into the bottom a lined slice tin and place in the fridge to cool.

Now for the caramel layer you will need:

200ml thickend cream
1/3 cup golden syrup
1/3 cup oats
1/3 cup coconut
1/3 cup brown sugar

Pre-heat oven to 180C

Combine the cream, golden syrup and brown sugar and melt either in a saucepan over medium heat or in a jug in the microwave for around 60 seconds. Stir until smooth.

Stir in the oats and coconut and pour over the base layer.

Bake for around 20 - 30 mins or until it is a nice dark golden colour and looks set. It won't go hard or completely set, but it will be cooked enough to not run off the edges and hold it's shape. Now I have to say that at one stage I looked in the oven and had a small panic attack because the middle of the slice had arched up quite high...but when I took it out of the oven it settled back down nicely....so if yours does that, just chill out and stay calm. Think caramel goodness thoughts.

Allow the slice to cool in the pan before removing, slicing and enjoying with a cup of tea :)

I really wanted to do something different to the normal Anzac biscuits this year and I'm really pleased with the way this slice came out.


Now go on....try it for yourself!! But I'm warning you, you will not want to share...and you may end up hiding in the cupboard eating all the caramel layer with a spoon....it's ok, I did it too.....

Mrs B xx