Potato Bake

I know I've told you about potato bake before, but that was before I discovered THIS potato bake which just happens to be THE best potato bake ever....except for my Mums but let's be honest, you can very rarely make anything as good as the one you remember your Mum making.

For years I avoided making potato bake because even though Mr B loved it, I always tried to find other ways of making it that didn't involve all the cream and milk and they never particularly worked out very well.

Recently I spotted a recipe in my Women's Weekly AWW Cooking School book that involved cream and milk and everything I have avoided putting in my potato bake for years and decided what the hell. After all, you only live once and a good potato bake is absolutely worth it.

This has become one of our all time favourites to the point where when we make it, Mr B goes back for seconds and thirds and the whole dish is gone in one night, but if you can be patient, it is even better the next day.

Potato Bake - Serves 4...or 2....depending on how much self control you have!

1.2kg desiree or dutch cream potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (if you have a mandolin it makes this much quicker and you get beautifully thin slices)
300ml cream
3/4 cup milk
1 pkt dried spring vegetable soup mix
3/4 cup grated cheddar

Pre-heat oven to 180C / 160C fan forced.

Layer the potato slices in a 6 cup capacity baking dish.

Combine the cream, milk and soup mix in a jug, Whisk well to combine. Place the mixture in the microwave and heat for 60 seconds until hot. Gently pour over the potato mixture.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 mins. Remove the foil and bake for 20 mins. Top with cheese and bake for a further 20-25 mins or until cheese is golden. Remove from over and stand for 10mins before serving.

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Christmas 2013

Well I have just finished pulling down our Christmas decorations and our tree and on one hand it feels like we only put them up yesterday but on the other, the house looks very bare without them.

We had a fabulous Christmas, it has been busy, but it has also been relaxing and fun and full of all the good things in life like friends, family, food and laughter.

We always have such a fantastic day with our family and I wouldn't have it any other way!

You will have to bare with me here because this is a fairly long photo heavy post, but this is how our Christmas 2013 went down.....

Normally my Mum buys her and I some Christmas lillies and brings them over a few days before Christmas, but this year Dad snuck in early and surprised both of us by having a bunch delivered to each of our workplaces. They had all flowered in time for Christmas Day and the house still smells beautiful. 

 

My Mum ended up bringing some lillies over as well so I had 3 vases of them scattered around the house - my resolution for 2014 is going to be more fresh flowers, I just love them!

This was our Christmas tree looking pretty impressive with all the presents underneath! 

And no Christmas Eve is complete without the traditional game of 8 ball. Unfortunately Mr B was on call over Christmas and received a call out just as Mum and Dad arrived. I played on his behalf, but it didn't do any good, Mum and Dad were victorious. 

When Mr B got home later that night, we indulged in far too much egg nog, an enormous plate of nachos and opened our Christmas Eve presents from Mum and Dad, calendars, magazines, pringles, lollies and movie tickets! Then the call out phone rang again and poor Mr B didn't get home until the early hours of Christmas morning. 

On Christmas morning Mr B and I slept in for a little while but when Mum, Dad and Nan arrived it was all systems go which could only mean one thing.....coffee!!! Oh, and presents of course! 

And someone thought it would be a good idea to decorate me......on the upside, it did match my dress, but the curls just kept getting in my eyes! 

 After the presents were all opened and Mr B and I were thoroughly spoilt with all sorts of things including a milk frother, a new fry pan, a brie baker and a swanky purple toaster, it was time to head over to Mum and Dad's for brunch, but not before the sheep got their Christmas breakfast!

This year was Mum and Dad's first Christmas in their new home so they marked the occasion with a new christmas tree, all decked out in gold. 

Every year Mum and Dad's Christmas table look so beautiful that it almost seems a shame to use it..... 

....but that's all forgotten as soon as the platters come out and the bowls of freshly dug new potatoes hit the table - time to dig in! 

This photo of Mr B and I absolutely cracks me up.....look very closely - can you spot my Dad photo bombing us??

And I think this is my favourite photo of the entire day - Mum and Dad with their Christmas cracker! 

After brunch we moved outside to the deck, partially because there was no room left on the table for dessert and partially because for the first time in a long time, it was a gorgeous sunny Christmas Day and it was lovely to be able to sit outside and soak it up. 

Normally after brunch we sit down to a plate of strawberries, marshmallows, meringues, wafer sticks and chocolate cream but this year Mum decided to change it up a bit and made her first ever Chocolate Ripple Cake. Mum and Dad had spread each biscuit with strawberry jam for something different and it was so yummy!!

After lunch, Mum cleaned up, Dad took Nan home and Mr B and I headed over to see his Mum, sister, brother and their kidlets.

One of Mr B's nephews had received an accordion and a drum kit for Christmas and it didn't take Mr B long to find them and test them out!  

This resulted in Mr B and his sister indulging in an impromptu polka dance session and Mr B giving his niece a crash course in how to play the drums (which I don't think anyone will thank him for at 3am!)

Normally trying to coordinate seeing both families and working around shift work rosters can be pretty difficult so it was really nice this year to get to spend some time with everyone. 

In the afternoon we went back to Mum and Dad's for more presents, but not before we had a quick family photo! 

I love this vintage style Bulmers Bar Mat that my Dad brought for Mum!

And Mr B and Dad, who enjoy a fierce Ford vs. Holden rivalry, have already mapped the tracks where they will race to determine who will become ultimate remote control car champion!

By the time Mr B and I got home we were absolutely exhausted, but had just enough energy left to open our presents together and lay on the couch reflecting on what a lovely day we had.

 

Yesterday we went to Mr B step Mum's house for a family BBQ and some backyard cricket!

All that was left to do today was spoil ourselves just a bit more with a brand new ride on mower!

 Mr B has wanted a brand new mower for such a long time and he has worked really hard for it. I was so pleased to see him finally reach his goal and how happy he was when we got it home.

 And that has been our Christmas for another year! Just writing about it is making me tired  and Mr B has finally put the mower away and come inside so it must be time to sit down with a Baileys and start working on some of the jig saw puzzles we got for Christmas!

Mrs B xx

Greek Yoghurt Cheese Balls (Labne)

Our Christmas Day brunch is a little different to the traditional spreads you might see.

Growing up in a vegetarian household, I had never had the full Christmas roast lunch until I met Mr B. I've also never had your typical Aussie Christmas seafood spread.

Our families traditional Christmas brunch involves freshly dug new potatoes, cheeses, biscuits, my Mum's spinach dip that she only ever makes for Christmas Day, dolmades and marinated vegetables.....kind of like a cross between a mezze plate and a cheese platter.

Given all the cheese making Mr B and I have been doing over the last twelve months and the large part cheese plays in our Christmas brunch, I wanted to contribute something home made. Unfortunately I only made this decision about a week ago, which really narrowed my options in terms of what I could make.

Initially I was going with some lemon and thyme marinated ricotta.....but due to some technical issues, that went in the bin.

Next on my list was Greek Yoghurt Cheese Balls - I don't know why I didn't I think of this first, I have been waiting for an excuse to try these for AGES!

The only thing to keep in mind with this recipe is you need to let your yoghurt drain for 2-3 days, but aside from that, it really takes no time to throw together and the end result is incredible.

Greek Yoghurt Cheese Balls (Labne)

2 cups greek yoghurt (I used Jalna)
1/2 tspn salt
1/3 cup olive oil (I used a combination of lemon and basil infused olive oils)
Fresh or dried herbs such as chilli, basil and thyme

Line a colander with muslin / cheesecloth and sit in a larger bowl. (You want the colander to be suspended just a tiny bit so the whey can drain out of the yoghurt)

Mix the salt through the yoghurt.

Spoon the yoghurt into the middle of the cheesecloth / muslin and fold the edges over to cover. Press down and place something heavy on top (like a bowl full of water). Sit in the fridge for 2-3 days, flipping the yoghurt occasionally.

When the yoghurt is thick and has a cream cheese consistency, it's good to go. Use your hands to roll the yoghurt into balls roughly walnut size.

You can place the balls into a bowl with the oil, herbs and some salt, cover and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight. They will last for about a week in the fridge but honestly they will be long gone before then!

Or, you could place the oil, herbs and some salt into a sterilised jar with the cheese balls and gently roll the jar to ensure everything is covered. This is a lovely idea especially if you are giving them as a gift.

If you use olive oil, it may solidify in the fridge but don't worry, allow them to come to room temperature and the oil will return to normal.

Serve as part of a mezze platter, with biscuits, on toast, or just eat them straight from the jar! And don't let that oil go to waste, once you have eaten all your cheese balls, use the oil as a dressing for salad or pasta.

As always, enjoy! And I hope you all have a wonderful relaxing Christmas spent with family and friends.

Mrs B xx

Chocolate Rice Pudding

I don't know about you but I absolutely refuse to leave the house between now and Christmas Day.

I made a quick trip out to the Doctor this morning and between the traffic, the people and the heat, it's just ridiculous. I was going to come home and make shortbread this afternoon, but the recipe I have calls for custard powder, which I have just realised I don't have and there is zero chance of me going back out there.

So instead I thought I would curl up on the couch with a cup of tea and tell you about this dessert I made last week.

I think I have mentioned before that your typical Christmas desserts are just not Mr B's thing  which has taken me awhile to deal with because honestly, who doesn't like Christmas Pudding?!

Anyway, last week I asked Mr B what he would like for dessert whilst I'm enjoying my Christmas Pudding and he quickly piped up with Chocolate Rice Pudding.....

The boy never ceases to surprise me.

So, after a long day at work on a 38 degree day I set about making chocolate rice pudding and given the fact that Mr B told me it was just like his Mum used to make and he ate the whole thing in 2 nights, I'm thinking it's a winner.

Chocolate Rice Pudding - Serves 4

1/2 cup medium-grain white rice
2 cups milk
1 cup cream
1/4 cup caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate ganache (or you could use 100g dark chocolate melts)

Cook rice in a medium saucepan of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain.

Combine milk, cream, sugar, vanilla and rice in the saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, for 40 minutes or until rice is tender.

Stir chocolate into rice mixture. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.Serve warm drizzled with cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Streusel Topped Cranberry and Eggnog Muffins

For years now I have eyed off the eggnog that mysteriously appears on the supermarket shelves at this time of year desperately trying to think of an excuse to buy some.

Given the fact that it's just me and Mr B here, I'm not sure why I didn't just buy some 'because I wanted some?'

I think I was worried I wouldn't like it and would then be stuck with this carton of eggnog awkwardly staring at me from the fridge every time I opened it.

Never mind the fact that I had had home made eggnog when I was younger and loved it, but this store brought caper was a whole new ball game.

Anyway, when I saw this recipe that combined cranberries (Mr B's favourite) and eggnog, I knew I had to try it and as my Dad said 'they taste like Christmas!'

Streusel Topped Cranberry and Eggnog Muffins - Makes 12

2 cups plain flour
3/4 cups caster sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tspn nutmeg
1/2 tspn baking soda
1/2 tspn salt
1 egg
3/4 cup eggnog
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup fresh or dried cranberries

For the streusel topping
1/2 cup caster sugar
5 tablespoons plain flour
1/2 tspn nutmeg
60g cold butter, cut into pieces

Preheat the oven to 175C and line muffin pans with paper liners.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Make a well in the centre and add the egg, eggnog, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir until just combined. Gently mix in the cranberries.

To make the topping, combine the sugar, flour, and nutmeg in a small bowl and combine. Add the butter and rub it into the dry ingredients using the tips of your fingers until the texture resembles wet sand.

Spoon the muffin batter into the lined muffin tins so that they are 3/4 full and then top with a generous service of the streusel topping. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Mrs B x

Strawberry Cheesecake Santas

Did you know this time next week it will be Christmas Day ??

Has that snuck up on anyone else or is it just me? I mean time has seriously gotten away from me this year, I have barely had time to do my shopping let alone plan any Christmas baking.

The whole lack of Christmas baking really annoys me because during the year I picked out some fantastic recipes that I thought I absolutely must make for Christmas and well now they will just have to wait until next year. Either that or I start sending Mr B to work with reindeer cupcakes in April......

In the mean time, Mum showed me a recipe in a magazine a few weeks ago for these Strawberry Cheesecake Santas. Not only did they sound really simple to make but I mean how cute are they?! So anyway, when Mum and Dad came for dinner last night I thought these would make the perfect Christmas dessert - plus they were lovely and light for a warm summer's evening.

Strawberry Cheesecake Santas

250g punnet of strawberries
250g cream cheese, softened
4 tbspns icing sugar
1 tspn vanilla essence

Remove the stems from the strawberries (try to cut them as flat as possible as this will be the base for your Santa hat)

Cut the top third off of each strawberry and set aside for the 'hat.'

Combine the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla using an electric mixer until smooth. The mixture will be quite thick but this is good because then when you pipe it onto your strawberries it will hold it's shape.

Spoon the cheesecake mixture into a piping bag or zip lock bag. If using a zip lock bag, snip a hole in one corner big enough to fill the 'face' section of your Santa. Pipe the cheesecake mixture onto the strawberry bases.

Top with the 'hat' section. If you are using a zip lock bag, snip a smaller hole in the opposite corner (or alternatively change your piping tip), and pipe the buttons onto Santa's jacket and the tip of his hat.

Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 48 hours.

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Toy Run 2013

Last weekend was the 2013 Toy Run which happens to be one of my absolute favourite times of year.

If you have never heard of the Toy Run before, it is an annual event where thousands of bikes ride together to Hobart's waterfront with toys and food to donate to local charities who then hand it onto families who are struggling this Christmas. The roads are blocked off, the streets are lined with families who come out to watch the bikes and the atmosphere is incredible.

When we woke up last Saturday the sun was shining and I was up faster than a kid on Christmas morning. I couldn't wait to get my bike out and hit the road with Mr B and my Dad.

We went for a bit of a ride before heading over to Mum and Dad's for a BBQ lunch. Sunshine, burgers AND the toy run? I was a super happy girl.

The ride leaves from the Derwent Entertainment Centre so we got there early and spent an hour or so wandering around looking at all of the bikes.

When it was time to go, we all lined up waiting to hit the road. It can take ages to get out of the car park, but once you're out then you can't beat the feeling of seeing all the families lined up and waving to you (I am the Queen of waving at the Toy Run, even if I did get a cramp in my waving hand!) and the noise from all the bikes thundering up the highway. Plus there is nothing that melts my heart more than seeing big burly bikers strapping teddy bears and tinsel to their bikes.

When we arrived at the waterfront, it was completely transformed. All of the roads were blocked off and every inch of free space had been filled with a bike.

We spent a few hours walking around, looking at the bikes, catching up with people and just soaking up the sun.

Another awesome toy run and I'm already looking forward to next year's!

Mrs B xx

Crispy Baked Macaroni Cheese

For an easy mid-week meal you can't go past the good old macaroni cheese.

Recently I was converted to making my macaroni cheese with a cauliflower alfredo sauce, but sometimes it's still nice to treat yourself to the original version and this Crispy Baked Macaroni Cheese my Mum and Dad made a few weeks ago was awesome. Serve it up with some steamed greens like broccolini and beans and you're onto a real winner. 

Crispy Baked Macaroni Cheese - Serves 4

500g macaroni
1/2 tspn salt
50g butter
50g plain flour
400ml full fat milk
200g mature cheddar
2 eggs
1/2 tspn black pepper
1/2 tspn ground paprika

Pre-heat oven to 180C / 160C fan forced.

Place the pasta and salt in a large pot of boiling water and cook as per packet directions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Return pasta to pan with the liquid.

In the meantime, make the sauce by melting the butter in a pan over low heat. Add the flour and stir and cook for 1 minute.

Remove pan from heat and slowly add the milk, continuing to stir to ensure a smooth sauce. Return to the heat and continue to cook and stir for 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool a little.

Finely chop 150g of the cheese and grate the remaining 50g. Combine the chopped cheese, eggs, pepper and paprika with the sauce. Stir through the pasta.

Spoon mixture into a large oven dish. Top with grated cheese and bake for 30-35 mins until golden and crispy. Serve with steamed greens.

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Boston Bun

One of our favourite treats on the weekend is swinging by Bakers Delight and buying a fresh Boston Bun for lunch.

We sit on our pergola with a hot cup of tea, soaking up the sunshine, eagerly anticipating that first bite filled with plump juicy sultanas, fluffy coconut icing and loads of butter and it is nothing short of glorious. 

It struck me one day that in reality a Boston Bun is really just a bun covered in icing and surely I could make it myself, plus I was curious to see how a home made version would taste because we all know home made trumps store bought any day!

I was a little hesitant when nearly every recipe I found included mashed potato, but it only fuelled my curiosity and Mr B's recent birthday was the perfect time to try it out. 

I made the mashed potato earlier in the week and the morning of Mr B's birthday, I mixed everything up and popped the Boston Bun in the oven whilst I made breakfast. While we went out for the morning, it cooled down and I iced it when we got home, just in time for lunch!! 

I will say that this is a little heavier then your store bought version, but it tasted just as good, if not better. Plus it meant that rather than demolishing the whole thing in 24 hours, it actually lasted us a long weekend and was still just as soft and fresh on day 4 as it was on day 1!

Boston Bun
1 cup cold mashed potato
3/4 cup caster sugar
1 cup sultanas
2 cups self raising flour
1 cup milk

Pre-heat oven to 200C.

Combine the mashed potato and sugar using an electric mixer. Beat until smooth.

Add the remaining ingredients and beat to combine.

Pour the mixture into a greased and lined 20cm cake tin and bake for 50 mins.

Once cooked, allow to cool before removing from the tin and icing.

For the icing you will need:
100g butter
2 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 tspn vanilla essence
2 tbspns milk

Beat the butter using an electric mixer until pale and creamy.

Add the icing sugar, coconut, vanilla essence and milk. Beat until smooth, pale and fluffy.

Spread over the cooled bun.

Enjoy!

Mrs B xx

Homer Simpson Donut Birthday Cake

For Mr B's Birthday this year I decided to make a Homer Simpson Donut Cake.

Basically I wanted to make a giant donut, with Homer Simpson jumping out of the middle.

Slightly ambitious when I have only used fondant once before, but if I managed to pull it off, totally worth it.

So I turned to the internet to try and find some sort of tutorial on how to make Homer. I only managed to find two and one of them didn't really look like Homer Simpson and the other one I couldn't follow.

It was not off to a positive start.

In the end I decided to get started a few weeks in advance to give myself enough time to make the fondant, practise my modelling skills and come up with a finished product that I was happy with. As you can see from the photo below, I used a magnet off our fridge to guide me as far as proportions went.....

It took me about 4 hours of work to get a Homer that I was happy with, which probably shows how poor my fondant skills are but I was really happy with the results and I'm learning so time is not an issue.

I brought a round donut shaped cake tin for $7 at Big W and usedthis mud cake recipewhich I discovered whilst making the cake for the blog's 3rd birthday earlier in the year.

I made 2 cakes and sandwiched them together with Raspberry M&M Buttercream.

To make the buttercream, I placed 1 cup of Raspberry M&M's in the blender and processed until they were powder. Then I made my favourite vanilla buttercream frosting (beat 125g butter until pale and creamy, add 1.5 cups icing sugar, 1 tspn vanilla essence and 2 tbspns milk and beat until fluffy) and added the processed M&M's to that. Believe me when I say this frosting is amazing!

I then shaped the cake to look more like a donut before covering it in dark chocolate ganache(also the same one I used making the blog's 3rd birthday cake)and placing it in the fridge overnight. To be honest I placed mine in the fridge for 4 days prior to covering it in the fondant and when we finally cut it last night (10 days after I made the cake and 5 days after I covered it in fondant) it was still amazingly moist and delicious.

To save time, I had already divided my fondant and dyed it the pink and the brown colours I needed for the donut. I used Wilton dye for the pink and a little bit of cocoa for the brown. My aim was that the night before Mr B's birthday I would 'simply' have to put it all together.....

Then I topped the whole thing off with some sprinkles and voilà!

He is just so cute and adorable and Mr B really loved it which makes all the time I put into the cake totally worth it.

Although I feel I should mention that it's now 5 days after Mr B's birthday and we were finally allowed to cut the cake and try some.....even if Homer was suspiciously missing from the top. I think all my threatening to bite his head off may have lead to him being placed in witness protection.....

Oh well, he really was too cute to eat anyway!

Mrs B xx

Happy Birthday Mr B!

On Friday it was Mr B's birthday and after the minor incident last year when Mr B refused to take the day off and I had a bunch of flowers and balloons delivered to his work, he happily agreed not to go in this year.

I was up bright and early to make Mr B his favourite cooked breakfast. My original idea consisted of eggs, bacon, toast, haloumi, chipolatas, hash browns, mushrooms, tomato and avocado but at the last minute I decided to scale it down because it has been said, although not by me, that sometimes I can get a bit carried away.

Who knows where a crazy idea like that came from?!

Anyway, whilst the bacon sizzled and the kettle boiled, I threw together a Boston Bun and popped that in the oven so it would be nice and fresh for lunch. (It turned out to be THE BEST Boston Bun we have ever had so I will be posting the recipe in the next day or two!)

It was about this time that I realised eggs and bacon is generally not my area of expertise. But honestly I thought, how hard could it be?

It was about this time that I tried to flip my eggs and the yolks burst, and then the kettle was boiled, the toast was cooked, the haloumi and the bacon were done and there was far too much happening at one time for my liking.

Anyway, I stacked it all onto plates and delivered it to Mr B who was waiting patiently for his breakfast in bed. Thankfully, despite looking like a complete mess, everything was cooked perfectly and Mr B has agreed to teach me the ways of the eggs and bacon breakfast for next time!

We spent the morning wandering through some of our favourite shops before we went for a few games of bowling. Mr B won by miles both games.....obviously I had to let him win, it was his birthday after all!

After that it was home for some fresh Boston Bun, a cup of tea and presents!

And then it was time for cake! I have been working on this Homer Simpson Donut Cake on and off for a few weeks now and given it was only my second attempt at working with fondant, I was really really pleased with how it came out, plus the big grin on Mr B's face is priceless and worth every second.

I will do another post in the next few days with some step by step photos of how I made the donut cake and the Homer Simpson and put it all together.

That night we indulged in the ultimate relaxation and went to Gold Class for dinner and to see Thor 2.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR B!

But that is not where the birthday fun ends! Saturday morning we were up bright and early to head down to Lime Bay which is about 90mins drive from home. Neither of us had been there before so we weren't sure what to expect, but as long as there was a camp ground and somewhere for us to go fishing it didn't really matter.

Mr B recently got a new awning for his ute and this trip was the perfect chance to test it out. We were really happy with it as it gives us a bit more shelter when we are sitting outside enjoying the view.

And what a view it was!

It really was a spectacular spot, which was evident by the fact that the camp ground was packed, but when the sun is shining, you are all of 5 seconds walk from the beach and this is the view from your camping spot you really can't complain.

We went for a walk right around the bay and Mr B decided he would try walking out into the shallow water and going fishing. He was not altogether phased by the sting ray that swam past him, even if I did have a complete melt down, but when the little crabs started nipping at his toes, he decided to call it a day!

We spent the rest of the day exploring the Bay and the beach and the rock pools.

And later that evening when the tide was in, we went down to the beach to do some more fishing.

We didn't catch anything, but the view was so beautiful we didn't even notice.

 

Today we took the slow road home, stopping at a few jettys and having a fish along the way.

It was cold and windy but I got to try out my brand new fishing rod which Mr B gave me (I tried to explain to him that it was his birthday and he was the one who was supposed to be getting gifts but he didn't get it.....). She is pink and called a Femme Fatale so I have named her Pearl.....like the pirate ship the Black Pearl....except she is pink and a fishing rod.

It makes sense to me.

Anyway, we are now home, two tired but relaxed little campers, after what has been a lovely weekend.

Now that it is the first day of Summer, we are looking forward to many more camping trips over the next few months!

Mrs B xx