Ta-Da!!!

Ok so after more or less a week of sitting around feeling sorry for myself and a particularly bad night on Friday, I got out of bed Saturday determined to knock this stupid mood on the head. I was supposed to go to my 10 Year High School Reunion that afternoon and you know I was not looking forward to it one little bit. At school I was the fat nerdy kid with frizzy hair, not alot of fashion sense and even fewer friends. I'd like to think I've changed dramatically since then, I've lost a heap of weight, I'm confident, on the odd day I think I look hot and I have some fantastic friends...plus I discovered high heels and hair straighteners! But just the thought of being back there with the same people made me feel ill. Nonetheless, Alice twisted my arm and we decided to brave it together and you know it really wasn't as bad as I thought. The reunion was held at the school and we went for a bit of a tour to see how much it had changed and then we headed to the nearest beer garden because it was such a beautiful day and we weren't quite finished catching up. Occasionally I still felt like that fat akward little girl, but then I remembered we are all adults and just went and started talking to someone. That was one of the great things about it, people who never said boo to each other at school were all of a sudden having in depth conversations, people who used to think they were better then everyone else all of a sudden looked like hell and people who used to be shy and akward all of a sudden could hold their heads high :)

That was step one....step two was getting my motivation back. No more moping, no more sitting around. I went for a huge walk in the sunshine on Sunday and will try and keep it up. Walking makes me feel great, not only for the exercise but I find it relaxing and a nice way to de-stress at the end of the day. I also got a heap of things crossed off my to do list, including having a play in the garden...and look what I found when I was out there...my first flower :) now if that doesn't make you smile, nothing will!


And the thrid and final step....get back in the kitchen!! I have always always always said baking is good for the soul, it makes me happy, it clears my head, it makes me feel calm and peaceful and I missed it. So on Sunday afternoon when I had done all my other bits and pieces, I put my pjs on, I put the radio on and I cooked my little heart out. Nothing overly exciting, just some things for OH's lunches when he comes home next week and I started making the frostings for a wedding cake I'm doing this week :)


OH, me and our sheep!


Caramel Banana Rice Bubble Slice
Ohhhh now this slice is very simple and very easy....melt 150g butter with 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tbspns banana topping and 1 tbspn honey. Combine with 2-3 cups of rice bubbles until they are well coated and press into a lined slice tin. Refrigerate overnight and then cut into slices. If you wanted you could drizzle these with some melted dark chocolate too :)

So basically the general theory is pick yourself up, dust yourself off, put on your highest pair of heels, your sexiest outfit and do something that always makes you smile and before you know it, you won't be able to stop yourself :) And a big hug (thank you Netty) is always good to throw in there too :)

Em x

Gingernut Snaps

I am just starting to realise something, something I'm not sure I'm happy about...

I used to leave work on Friday nights with a spring in my step, eager to get home and doll myself up and head to the pub for a few drinks, some dancing and a late night which would evidently result in an empty wallet and a sore head. It would appear that sometime in the last few years I have started to leave work, tired, eager to get home and put my pyjamas on, my mind wanders...not to the drinks I will have or the people I will meet, but what I can cook when I get home. Kind of like a celebration that the week has ended and the weekend has begun...but I am still not sure when baking rather then drinking became my relaxation technique.....although I must say it's not all bad, I much prefer to come home, put my pjs on, cook something delicious and spend the evening curled up on the couch with OH then come home, dress up, go out, get drunk, come home, put my deep fryer on and wake up with a ridiculous hangover!

Anyway, last night when I got home I decided to make some biscuits for OH's lunches. I had a flick through the AWW Sweet Old-fashioned Favourites cook book and found the perfect recipe!


Gingernut Snap Biscuits

90g butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup golden syrup
1 1/3 cups plain flour
3/4 tspn bicarb
1 tspn ground cinnamon
1 tbspn ground ginger

Pre-heat oven to 150C. Grease 3 baking trays.

Combine the butter, sugar and syrup together in a bowl. Microwave for 40-60 seconds or until everything is melted together.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.

Roll tbspns of the mixture into balls and place on the trays 2-3 cms apart. Push the balls down with the back of a fork....this is not only effective, but it makes them look pretty too!

Bake for 10-12 mins and then let the biscuits cool on the trays for 15 mins.

Ohhhhhh is there anything better then a biscuit that is crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside?? These biscuits are sort of like a hybrid between a crisp gingernut snap and soft and chewy gingerbread men....and let me tell you...it's the perfect combination!

While these were in the oven I also made some pikelets and some beef and mushroom sausage rolls...but the fun doesn't end there - currently we have hard pretzels baking in the oven....I can't wait to try them because they smell delicious! Stay tuned later in the week for the recipe!

And guess what I did today!! I took my lil bike out all on my own, I got up early this morning while OH was in bed, put a liberty bell in each pocket and got the bike ready to go! I only went maybe 10 mins up the road and back but it was my first ride on the actual road with noone watching me or following me, it was just lil ol me! It felt great, all the stress and the panic whilst I was learning finally paid off...I mean I'm not quite ready to hit the highway and head for Sturgis just yet...but I'm getting closer!

Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend

Em xx

Chunky Chocolate Ginger Slice

Do you ever have those days where you just need to remove yourself from everything?

Of course you do.

Everyone does.

And yesterday I had one of those days. Normally when I get home from work I put my bags in my room, make my lunch for the next day, go for a walk or put my pjs on, do some chores and get dinner on the go. But not last night. Last night I got home from work, left my bags at the front door and headed for the kitchen. I didn't bother getting changed, I didn't bother doing anything I would normally do, I just wanted to bake. And bake I did. I was in that kitchen for 3 hours straight and the time flew. I didn't feel rushed, I wasn't flustered, it was just me and my cooking and I was so peaceful.

One of the goodies that came out of the kitchen last night was a Chunky Chocolate Ginger Slice


I doubled the recipe and made half in cupcake form to take to work and half as a slice (easy for OH and my Dad to take to work).

The end result was a gorgeous dense ginger cake and whilst initially you do get a bit of a chocolate hit they do leave you with that beautiful gingerbread taste in your mouth. I think maybe next time I would go with slightly less chocolate and more ginger though, although that could just be because at the moment I have a cold and my taste buds have desserted me...

For this delicious slice you will need:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup golden syrup
100g butter
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/3 cup milk
100g white choc bits
100g dark choc bits
1 cup self raising flour
1 cup plain flour
2 tspns ground ginger

Pre heat oven to 160C fan forced and grease and line a slice tin.

Combine butter, brown sugar and golden syrup in a jug and microwave for 30-40 seconds until all ingredients are melted together. Set aside to cool.

In a bowl combine choc bits, flours and ginger.

Once butter mix has cooled, add eggs and milk and stir to combine. Pour over dry mix and stir well.

Pour the mixture into prepared slice tin and bake for 25 mins.

Now don't you feel relaxed? Like the weight of the world has been lifted off your shoulders? Don't you love just losing yourself in your cooking? I know I do.

Now sit down with a cup of tea and a piece of chunky chocolate ginger slice fresh out of the oven (coz you just know the chocolate bits will be all melty and gooey) and put your feet up. Go on. You deserve it!

Em x

The weekend that was....

It is a sunny Monday morning here and whilst it was a hectic weekend, it was a good one.

On Friday night I continued the birthday celebrations (it is important to stretch them out for as long as possible) by having dinner at Customs House, which is a local pub down on Hobart's waterfront, with a group of friends. The atmosphere was great with big fires keeping the restaurnt warm and the meals were really well priced, not to mention they were massive! It was a great night catching up with friends, some I haven't seen for ages and seeing as it was such a diverse group of people that didn't really know each other, they all got along really well! I had the Apricot Butter Chicken and it came out with rice and pappadums and was delicious! We even finished the night off with a few shots and you know I had one with one of my oldest friends from school and one with OH and I was pretty happy, but not over the top you know? Did I mention it was a great night?! Yesterday I had a play around with photoshop and I really like the way this photo turned out, could be one for the wall!


And seeing as neither of us woke up feeling worse for wear the next morning, OH and I decided to load the ute up and go fishing up the coast for the day. We stopped at a bakery at Triabunna on the way up and they had the biggest chocolate eclairs I have ever seen, so of course OH got on to try and when I had a bite I could barely fit my mouth around it! But it was so very good....Anyway, we spent a few hours fishing off a pier in Swansea with no luck, but we didn't mind because it was a beautiful spot. Later in the afternoon we headed back down the coast and stopped at Orford to try our luck there and wouldn't you know it...


It was a little whiting and we did our happy dance around the jetty, took some photos and then threw him back....but unfortunately I think he warned all the other fish because he was our only catch of the day. But seeing as we had finally caught a fish and had had a really nice day together I promised to cook OH the biggest steak I could find for dinner with home made pepper sauce - as seen in my new AWW cookbook!

We picked up all the ingredients on the way home and I set about cooking the steaks and making the sauce. I was a bit nervous because it was basically cream and white wine with some celery, onion, peppercorns and thyme. I have never cooked with wine or thyme before but the end result was delicious. The thyme really balanced out the wine and it reduced down to a nice thick creamy sauce. I had a big plate of boiled vegies for tea and spooned some over that, but OH had his with some porterhouse and home made potato chips (I wanted to try the new food processor too!)


We decided to have a quiet day on Sunday, which in my mind screams BAKING! I also wanted to try my new cookie cutters and mixer so I set about making some gingerbread. Several months ago, Mum, Dad, OH and I found a business called Biskart (www.biskart.com.au) who make and sell cookie cutters. But not like your every day circles and squares....they do everything! And for my birthday I was lucky enough to get a selection of some of my favourites.




I really like the bats...and yes OH pointed out I decorated the skull upside down...we have since fixed that! Oh and I love the shoe too! And the excavator! OH is most pleased because now he won't get heart shaped biscuits in his lunches...well not all the time anyway!

I spent the rest of yesterday lying in my bean bag, drinking tea, eating gingerbread and reading Eat Pray Love...it's a fantastic book and very inspirational.

Hope you all had a great weekend !

Em x

Gypsy Rolls and Gingerbread....

Well it has been a big couple of days here in my world. Well not big...just long and exhausting!

Last night OH and I attended the Miss Burlesque Finals in Hobart, I have always had a love affair with burlesque and have recently started attending the local pole dancing and burlesque school run by Miss BeBe Sparkle. So we went along last night to support Bebe (as she was competing) and check out the local talent. It was a great night and all of the girls did amazing jobs with their acts and their costumes. It's about time Hobart had some decent night time entertainment and great to see people getting out to support it. Unfortunately Bebe didn't place and in my opinion she was robbed, but in fairness all the girls were brilliant. It did make me dead keen to try it though, I have only been taking beginner pole classes so far but they do have beginner burlesque classes too....could be next on my things to try!

Speaking of the pole classes though, I had mentioned to OH a few weeks ago that I would be quite sad to attend my final class this week as I have been really enjoying doing something different and low and behold in the mail last night arrived a bloody big parcel....which turned out to be a brand new X Pole - an early bday present apparently! I did several little happy dances around the lounge room when I opened it. He really is a sweetheart...plus I think he quite enjoys playing around on the pole too, he came to class with me once and was hilarious...but scarily good at it! So I can't wait to get it up in the spare room so I can keep practising!

Today OH and I went down to Salamanca Market for a wander. I was a bit nervous because as of yesterday I reached my 55kg weight loss goal and therefore adjusted my calorie intake to maintenance calories. An extra 400 cals a day is alot to play with but I won't be going over the top with it or anything, I think the trick is to have it as a buffer if I need it, but otherwise try and stay a smidgen under the line. I mean before when I was on weight loss cals it was easy coz if I went over I was only on maintenance and it just meant I wouldn't lose, but now if I go over I'll be in weight gain terrotory and that is not somewhere I wanna be. Anyway, at the market today I successfully avoided the donuts, but I did buy a gingerbread man which was delicious, nice and gingery, soft and buttery...melt in your mouth goodness. Plus it is just not possible to go to the Salamanca Market without trying a Gypsy Roll - now let me tell you, these things are heaven on a stick...or in a wrap as the case may be. Basically it is just a skinless lamb sausage in a moutain bread wrap with some lettuce, carrot and...wait for it...strawberry chilli sauce, now I know it all sounds rather simple but it is a winning combination and I can not remember the last time in my life I went to that market and did not get one of these to chew on. I am also aware that I could quite easily make them at home...but honestly it's not the same, there is no market to wander around whilst eating it, no little white bag to catch all the strawberry chilli sauce that falls out the bottom, it's all about the atmosphere and experience with some meals isn't it!

I have also just done our shopping list and hence our menu for the week, it is looking a bit fancy and exciting too I think..let's have a look shall we??

Mon night - Roast vegie risotto for when the parents come over (I know I have a risotto addiction now too!)
Tues night - OH is cooking beef ragu with mash whilst I'm out at dancing
Wed night - Left over ragu...if there is any
Thurs night - Home made healthy chicken parmy's - minus the crumbing and the frying
Fri night - Butter chicken...possible served in crepes...I'm undecided just yet, but have been itching to try a curry recipe where you mix yoghurt through the sauce so will be interesting to see how it turns out!

I will post photos where possible, but sometimes in this house, food just does not last long enough for photo opportunities!!

And tomorrow OH has requested some Red Velvet Cupcakes which I have been wanting to try and make for ages...definetly will be posting photos of those...really hoping they come out nice and red though...little bit nervous about it!

Also rang up on Friday about a local cupcake store that is for sale, just waiting to see their business figures at the moment, I don't really know what is involved in running a small business but I know I love cooking and have some ideas for what I would like to do with the place so I spose it can't hurt to look into at the moment.

Ok must be off, OH has fallen asleep beside me waiting for his dinner and he looks quite adorable, have to wake him soon, we have a Horny Little Devil Party to go to...I think it's like a tupperware party but R18+ rated....

Till tomorrow!

E x