Gingerbread Muffins

In my last post I mentioned that Miss R wanted me to make Gingerbread muffins over the weekend.

I'm happy to report that one batch has been made but as there's not many left then I'll probably be making another batch on Christmas Eve.

This year we're having muffins and fruit for breakfast as I really like to start the day with as little fuss as possible. 

 As well as the Gingerbread muffins, I'll also make a batch of savoury cheese muffins to balance things out a bit.  Both kinds of muffins freeze really well and are great popped into the microwave for 30 or 40 seconds for a yummy breaky or snack at any time.

I usually ice my gingerbread muffins with a cream cheese icing although the traditional lemon icing would be beautiful too.  Master M doesn't like lemon or cream cheese icing but he loves the muffins plain so I always leave some un-iced just for him.

The mixture itself is quite liquid so don't panic if you think you've missed an ingredient.  It also fills 12 muffin cases up nearly to the top.  In the past I've used smaller cases and made around 20 or so muffins which is a nice little bite full but this time I've made them the normal size.

Gingerbread Muffins

1 cup of boiling water

1/4 cup of Golden Syrup *

1 tsp bicarbonate soda

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

2 eggs

1 cup caster sugar

2 cups plain flour (all purpose)

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon of baking powder

pinch of salt

* (I think you use Corn Syrup in the USA or you could substitute maple syrup but I've never tried it with this).

Pour the boiling water into a bowl.  Add the syrup and bicarbonate soda and mix well then allow to cool slightly (I usually leave it about 5 minutes while I get the other ingredients ready).

Add the oil and eggs and mix until combined, then stir in the sugar.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.  I usually use a whisk to get rid of any lumps.

Pour into 12 muffin tins lined with cases and bake at 180 C (375F) for approximately 20 minutes.

Once cooled top with icing if you wish.

Cream Cheese Icing

250g block of cream cheese, softened (e.g Philadelphia brand)

2/3 cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)

Beat the cream cheese and icing sugar together with an electric mixer until well combined and creamy.  It only needs a couple of minutes.

Enjoy!

xx Susan

Domestic Bread Goddess

Well the title may be a bit of a fabrication because I'm certainly no domestic goddess, bread or otherwise.  The first day of the school holidays brought intermittent rain and sunshine and was one of those days where the weather couldn't make it's mind up.

That was fine by us as I usually try not to have any plans for the first day of the holidays.  The kids like to sleep in (Miss R mainly) and not have Mum prodding (figuratively) them to get ready for school.  I love the fact that I don't have to make lunches and then prod the kids to get them ready for school.

I did wake up wanting to make bread though.  I haven't made a loaf in AGES but decided that Saturday was the day for filling the house with that warm bakery smell.

Of course I cheated and used the bread maker for one of the loaves.  Just because I wanted bread didn't mean I wanted to all the hard kneading work!

One of my favourite loaves to make in the bread maker is a fruit loaf.  I used to make it about once a week then would slice it up before freezing.  It makes the best toast and is a really yummy quick breaky, especially when slathered in butter and honey.

The original recipe said to use about 1/2 cup of dried fruit but that makes the bread look like a fly has walked over it and left a couple of little black spots behind.  If I'm making fruit loaf then I want fruit!  I used about 2 cups of dried fruit in this loaf and it's pretty scrumptious.

I also went a bit posh and got the gourmet dried fruit with dried figs and things in it.  It's delicious and I won't be going back to ordinary old dried fruit in the future for this bread.

Sticking with the theme of wanting homemade bread without the hard work, I ended up making a loaf of No Knead Bread.  This stuff is amazing and takes a couple of minutes to put everything in a bowl then leave it overnight to let it do it's magic.

The next day you pop it in a pot in the oven and presto...fresh bread.

(I used the recipe from here).

I've used this recipe a few times before over the years and it's always been amazing and works out perfectly.  However there's a reason you see the bread in the above photo still in the dutch oven.

I got distracted (school holidays remember) and didn't flour it enough so it kind of stuck to the bottom of the pot.  After a bit of a marvel in engineering, I was able to remove most of it in tact with only about half of the bottom crust still stuck to the pot.  No matter, it still tasted awesome.

I've exhausted my cooking and baking mojo for now though and am off to start on the multitudes of washing and a little bit of a house tidy which all got very neglected over the weekend.

xx Susan

Sunday Baking Recipes

I've had some requests for recipes from my last baking post so I'll write out two of them here for you.  The others, including the muffins, are all available via the links I provided in the post.  I'm not exactly sure on copyright if I rewrote them out here which is why I've provided the links.

Today I'll give you the Anzac biscuit recipe and the Gingernut recipes I use.  Both are family recipes from well worn hand written books and both are delicious.

I've also added in the jam drop recipe I made today.

Anzac Biscuits

Nearly every Australian and New Zealand household probably has a recipe for these and I'm sure everyone's is a little different when it comes to the quantities.  There's also the argument for crispy or chewy Anzacs as some people prefer one or the other.  I love both!

I will say that I have tweaked the amount of butter I use compared to my Mum.  I found that the mixture was just slightly crumbly (which makes for crispy biscuits), and the kids would get frustrated with trying to keep them together if they were helping me cook.  To avoid tantrums, I increased the butter a little and we have no problems now.

Anzac biscuit ingredients

1 cup Self-raising flour

1 cup Rolled oats

1 cup Desiccated coconut

1 cup Sugar

140g butter (Mum's recipe was for 125g)

1 tablespoon Golden syrup

2 tablespoons boiling water

1 teaspoon bicarb soda

Place the flour, oats, coconut and sugar in a bowl.

Melt the butter in a saucepan then add the golden syrup and water.  Add the bicarb soda to the butter mix until it froths up then pour it into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Place teaspoon sized balls of mixture onto greased baking trays, press slightly to flatten them with a fork or the back of a spoon and cook for 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees celsius (350F) until golden brown.

I've found that if using just 125g of butter it's easier to leave the mixture in balls and not press down on them before putting them in the oven.  Take them out after about 5 minutes in the oven and press them, then continue to cook them until golden.

Gingernuts


125g butter
1 cup sugar (about 225g)
2 teaspoons golden syrup
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups Self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
3 teaspoons ground ginger


Melt the butter and golden syrup in a saucepan, add the sugar, stir then cool slightly.  Add the egg and mix well (and quickly so it doesn't scramble).

In a separate bowl add the flour, ginger and bicarb soda.  Pour the butter mix into the dry ingredients and mix well.  Roll into teaspoon size balls and dip the tops in a little sugar, then place onto greased baking trays sugar side up.  Press slightly with a fork and cook at 180 celsius (350F) for 10-15 minutes until they turn brown.  Devour once cooled....slightly!


I'll add one more recipe since I made them this morning and the kids loved them.  I promise I won't turn this into a cooking blog but I wanted to document these so I remember what I want to do next time I make them.

They are the classic Jam drop biscuits and I hadn't made them in years.  This recipe is easy and is from my high school Home Economics recipe book and is a hit with the kids.

Jam drops

120g butter

1/2 cup caster sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups self-raising flour

about 1/2 cup jam of your choice

Beat the butter and sugar to a cream.  Add the egg and beat well then add the vanilla.  Gradually add the flour and mix into a stiff paste.  Roll into teaspoons sized balls and place on greased trays.

To make the hole to hold the jam, I used to press down with my thumb or a teaspoon but found I couldn't place too much jam in the hollow because it would run all over the biscuit while cooking.

Today I pressed a good sized hole in them with the end of a wooden spoon.  I only filled the hole about 3/4 with jam as I didn't want it to go everywhere but it was well contained in the hole and in the end I didn't put enough jam in.  So if using the wooden spoon (highly recommended), then fill the hole right up for lots of jammy goodness.

Bake for around 15 minutes until golden in a 180 Celsius (350F) oven.

Since Master M doesn't like jam I decided to put some Nutella in half of the biscuits instead.  

Note to self:   Nutella doesn't spread as much as jam so really load it up to give a decent amount of chocolatey goodness.  These are really yummy too!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.  I'll be back in a few days with a non food post as we had a special celebration this weekend.

xx Susan

Sunday Baking

For the last four or five weeks I've got into the habit of doing some baking of a Sunday morning.

I used to bake regularly for the school week but got out of the habit in the past couple of years when things started to get me down a bit.

I'm trying to bake only 2 things, sometimes 3 each week as I really don't want to feel like I'm stuck in the kitchen for the whole day and so far we've all been enjoying the results.


Gingernuts are always a firm favourite in our house and I've made these a couple of times.

Cupcakes are also a favourite and the best thing is that they freeze really well (icing and all) which means I can pop one in a lunch box for a treat sometimes and it's defrosted by the time lunch comes around.

I always have to make two kinds of cupcakes of course as Miss R won't eat chocolate ones and Master M won't eat any that AREN'T chocolate.

I've also fallen in love with muffins.  They are so easy and for a person who doesn't really like the decorating side of baking, they are a perfect fit as once they're out of the oven you don't have to do anything else, ...well, except eat them of course.   Oh and they're perfect for a quick breakfast as you only have to microwave them for 30 or 40 seconds and presto....brekky!

I made some cheese muffins which are beautiful and will add some ham and maybe sundried tomatoes or other things next time.  Then again, I love them as just as they are too.

Our favourite Anzac muffins which I mentioned in a recent post have been made a few times as they're a firm favourite and we really love them for a quick breakfast.

I tried some chocolate chip muffins which were a big hit with the boys (okay...and me) and may be on the cards again this week as there are none left in the freezer and I'm getting some not so subtle hints.

The classic Anzac biscuit is a regular as well.  Very much favourites around these parts and with Anzac Day coming up next month I think will be on the menu again soon.

I have had a helper occasionally.

Miss R loves making some lemon biscuits from a recipe in a cookbook she received for Christmas a few years ago.   They're actually called Mum's Lemon Biscotti but they're nothing like biscotti.  We don't mind though as they're delicious.

I even made a carrot cake from a packet cake mix.  I prefer making things from scratch but I don't mind making something from a packet mix if it's good.  This one freezes well too!

Another packet mix was the brownie I made last weekend.  We had some extras in the house on Sunday so I decided I had better make something chocolately for them.

I also made some shortbread and I can't believe that I have NEVER made it before.  How on earth did that happen?

Anyway, I can now say that I've made it and it was is scrumptious and incredibly easy to make.  I know there are so many recipes and ways to make it out there but if you're looking for an easy 3 ingredient one, click on the link here for the one I used.  YUM!

Now I've just made myself hungry again so I may have to go and have another piece of shortbread before the hordes polish the last few pieces off.

Enjoy your week everyone.

xx  Susan

Headbands and other ramblings

Christmas seems to be hurtling closer but everything has come to a bit of a grinding halt around here this weekend.

Making it through the last couple of weeks of school for the year is usually a bit of a challenge and I had the added bonus of being sick and having a horrendous cough that I couldn't shake.  It was exhausting, draining and very annoying, especially as I'm rarely sick so I can't say that I coped all that well with not being able to get as much done as I would have liked.

The bonus of being sick is that I ended up having to rest a lot more than I usually would and since I can't just lay or sit there without doing something, I got plenty of crochet done.

I've finished my commission for a friend which was a number of headbands.  She wears them all the time and wanted them specifically in black and white.  I've got 8 of them completed and ready to go for any season she wishes.  She also wanted them a certain width so I ended up working on a couple of easy patterns so that I could adjust them to any size.

She now has some lacy ones for summer and some a little denser for cooler weather.

I have to admit I've had fun making them and ended up making a few extra smaller coloured ones for a friend's daughters.

There has also been some Christmas baking although not as much as I had planned.

Gingerbread and cupcakes were made for school end of year parties (or fiesta as Master M called it).  

School is now out for the year and we all seem to have let out a collective sigh and just flopped about after the whirlwind of the past few weeks.  I'm feeling better but Master M has been a bit sick so it's back to being up and down like a yo-yo at night and pottering about during the day.

Luckily it's been raining quite a bit as a result of the Cyclone north of us which has made it perfect for a quiet start to the holidays.

I've asked the kids what they would like to do over the holidays and of course the Zoo is usually the number one thing that comes up.  Master M wants to go on picnics and go camping and Miss R hasn't a clue but will be very vocal when we do something she doesn't want to do (which will be most things her brother requests).

It's early Sunday morning here and I'm enjoying the quiet of a house with sleeping children inside and the world waking up outside.  The birds are noisy and active already, and the light is gently creeping into the house.  In the distance is the rumble of thunder and the promise of an early morning storm which is the perfect way to start the day.

Later I'll be going through my Christmas 'to do' list which has been sadly neglected lately and see what I can get a head start on.  Perhaps I will just do some Christmas baking as I seem to be in the mood to potter about the kitchen today.

Enjoy your weekend my friends.

xx Susan

Random moments

This last week and weekend has been filled with all the normal family things as well as organising school stuff in the lead up until the end of the year.  Only 3 weeks left before they're home for the summer break and I find myself desperately looking forward to them being home and wondering how long I'll actually cope with them underfoot every day.  Sometimes it's such a fine line.

Until then, I'm busy concentrating on what's in front of me and not thinking too far ahead and I'm finding that I'm slowly getting through my 'to do' list.

There has been sewing in the household of late.  I have finished the teacher's gifts but won't show you until after they have been given as I'm not 100% sure if any of them check in on my blog from time to time.

I also made some little Ouchie (or Owie) packs for one of the kids former teachers.  They're mini wheat/rice packs which go in the freezer instead of warmed up in the microwave (although you could do this too).  

I always had a couple in the freezer when the kids were little for those moments when they would get a little bump and it would be such a big crying drama.  The ouchie packs aren't as cold as ice packs for a bump you really can't see and gives them just a little comfort.

I made some for one of the teachers when Master M was in grade 1 and the other day she asked me to make some more as she loves using them in the classroom for her little charges.

Afternoon play fun has also been had with cousin R.  These two are not only cousins but best mates and are trying to spend as much time together before the school holidays as we won't see R for the first half of them.

A small, basic set of mittens has been made for Master M's school friend.  His friend loves the ones I made for Master M years ago and wanted a pair for himself.  Despite the heat he apparently wore them ALL day at school when he got them.

I've started a crochet commission for a friend too and have decided that some of this project will be worked in the day time only as it's black.  I'm finding that my eyes these days need that little bit of extra daylight to see the black stitches but I'm fine working the other colours at night though, thank goodness.

My lovely Uncle took my sister and I out for lunch the other day.  The company and conversation was wonderful and the food at La Dolce Vita restaurant at Bulcock Beach in Caloundra was superb.  Watching the stormy skies and moody ocean was a bonus too.

The only down spot of our lunch was the fact that I closed my thumb in the car door as we arrived and I sat through most of the meal with my throbbing thumb stuck in a glass of cold water and ice!

A few days later and I now have the loveliest deep purple and black colours halfway up my thumb.  I'm hoping that I'll still keep the nail.

A note from Master M to hubby (and hubby's reply), left on the fridge.

The weekend has been a bit of a revolving door weekend.  That's what I call it when Master M and his mate N from across the road trade their time between the two houses.

Master M spent Friday night at Master N's place then they turned up at ours early Saturday morning and spent the day going between the two houses.  Master N then had a sleepover at our place on Saturday night so I made pies to keep the hordes happy. (I did cheat and used bought pastry)

X-box was played, the trampoline was jumped on, a ball was kicked and movies were watched.  (Miss R is hiding under her well used blanket on the floor)

Despite my sore thumb I have still been able to hold a hook so I've been able to work a little more on my commission project as well as my granny blanket using my stash.  I'm pleased to say that the stash is dwindling rather rapidly.  Yay!!

I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend and the weather is kind to you wherever you are in the world.

xx Susan

Spring...where did you go!

Spring seems to have left us in a bit of a hurry.  The pleasantly cooler days that we were enjoying have turned into hot, humid days and the air conditioners are in use to help make going about the day just that bit more comfortable.

Indoor pursuits were on the cards in the hottest part of the day over the weekend and I also grabbed the chance to head out and do a bit of shopping while hubby looked after the kids.

It's been ages since I've had a day like this and I have to say that I was reminded why I don't really like going to the shops very often.  The people and the noise and all the stimulation saying 'buy me, buy me!' was a bit intense and overwhelming I have to say.  I really don't know how people can go there all the time but that's just me, some people absolutely love it.

I was on a mission though, not just to have a 'me' day but to start on my Christmas shopping.

My first stop is always a coffee shop and this time I indulged in something a little sweet to eat as well.  It gives me time to go through my list and work out a bit of a plan of attack so to speak.  Once I've got things organised in my mind, I can cope with the day better and find that I can enjoy the Christmas displays, the crowds and just the busy-ness of the place for longer.

I did cross a few things off my list and have ideas for other things and am happy to say that I now have most of Christmas sorted, with the exception of a few bits and pieces.  The budget didn't stretch that far on the day so in a few more weeks I'll pop back into the shops for just a quick visit and get what I need.

A letter to Santa was posted over the weekend with great excitement.  It's not often my boy asks for things so I'm hoping Santa can deliver on this one.  Fingers and toes crossed and lots of google searching will be on the cards I think Santa.

Pocket money has also been earned when Master M helped hubby mow my Uncles lawn.  He loves using the ride-on mower when he's at my Uncles place and is working out how he can earn a few more dollars because he is saving up for something.  I have no idea what but I'm sure he'll tell me soon enough as he's hopeless at keeping a secret.

I somehow found myself in the kitchen for most of Sunday even though the temperature was in the mid 30's (celcius) and it's humid.  Thank goodness for the air conditioning to help keep me cool.

As tomatoes are pretty cheap and going a bit crazy in gardens at the moment, I decided to make a batch of my Sweet Tomato Relish.  As it says, it is sweet but it's a really, really beautiful relish that I found the recipe online for many years ago and have since tweaked it over time.

Some of it will be gifted at Christmas but most of it will be for our use as hubby and I both love it.  In fact hubby's not happy about having to wait a few weeks for the flavours to develop nicely before I'll let him have some.

I've also got a new project on the go.  I wasn't intending to start another blanket just yet but I had so much yarn leftover from Miss R's blanket that I decided to make one.  As it's the same colours in her blanket I wanted to make something that looked different and decided that a basic granny square blanket would be best. 

I can keep adding to it until I run out of yarn so I'm not sure how big this one will be.  I know I'll definitely have a good size throw for the lounge so I'll keep you posted on it's progress.  My stash is already dwindling and I'm LOVING it.

Our morning walks in the heat haven't been overly pleasant but Patch is finding some lovely spots to cool down and have a drink.

Sometimes when hubby's home Patch and I can go quite early in the morning before it really starts to heat up but when he's away we're limited to going after I drop the kids off at school.  The heat can be pretty relentless at that time over summer but we do love our walks, we just go for shorter ones that's easier for my boy to cope with on those days.

I hope you have all had a great weekend and were able to stay cool, warm or just comfortable wherever in our big wide world that you live in.

xx Susan

Wishing you joy

So that was Christmas...

 

It passed in not quite a flurry this year.

 

The days leading up to it were quite full.  There was lots of baking and cooking the roast etc and basically stocking up on some of those excessive treats we seem to have at this time of the year.

 

There was a night when we drove around town to see the Christmas lights which kept the kidlettes happy.

 

 

 

We don't decorate the front of our house and yard as I would seriously have a meltdown going up and down ladders putting the lights up.  I think I would end up a bit cranky actually and then the thought of having to take it all down again in the New Year.....

 

No thanks.  Not for me, but I do appreciate the effort and joy others seem to take in making their homes festive for the rest of us to enjoy.

 

Christmas Eve was quite lovely.  A few years ago I made a tradition in our house of having just nibblies for dinner as I've usually been working in the kitchen for days getting things ready for Christmas.

 

By the time the evening comes I have no wish to cook dinner for the rest of the family, especially when the 3 of them had been on their devices all day while I slaved away.  Perhaps they should cook dinner for me (ha ha)... now there's a thought.

 

 

This year we had cheese and crackers, dip, chips, teriyaki chicken pieces, kabana, pretzels and prawns.  Can't forget the prawns at Christmas in Australia.

 

This was all accompanied by the thwacking sound of the fly swat as they swarmed once the food came out.

 

Afterwards I enjoyed a little quiet time, just me and my chardonnay out the back with the fire roaring in our rusted out fire pit.

 

 

Christmas morning arrived in a flurry of excitement as Santa had been so the presents were ripped open and warm cinnamon buns were consumed for breakfast.

 

The family turned up for lunch and thank goodness there was a slight breeze out the back as it was HOT!  We had a lovely Queensland Christmas with temperatures in the mid 30's (celcius) and sticky humidity. 

 

The air conditioning had been put on early to keep the house cool but we can't fit everyone in our little place which is why we had lunch out the back in the shade.  The kidlettes made use of the cool lounge room after lunch to watch some movies they had been gifted.

 

It was lovely to catch up with family all in the one place and graze our way through the afternoon.

 

At least we had a late night storm to cool things down a bit.

 

I hope you are all enjoying your festive season and keeping cool (or warm) wherever in the world you live.

 

xx Susan

 

 



Time flies

This last school term seems to have flown by so fast and I can't believe we're already half way through the first week of the Winter school holidays already.

 

We've been busy.  I've been making myself do more things and get out more and we're all loving the results of this.  Sometimes it's not for long, just a little outing to get us out of the house.

 

I've also finally finished my picnic blanket which I sewed the top of a couple of years ago.  I just cut up squares of old jeans and pieces of fabric that I had left over from other projects and joined them all together.  It has been patiently waiting for a backing during all of that time and I ended up buying a dark blue sheet which I cut up and sewed onto the back.

 

It was used the day I finished it and a few times since.  It's the perfect size for us to sit on for a snack and me to crochet upon while the kidlettes go off and have some fun.

 

Then it goes straight in the washing machine when we get home to get ready for our next outing.

 

 

 

 

On weekends if I've decided there's been too much screen time, we'll grab a snack or buy something yummy from one of the local bakeries and head off to find somewhere to run off some energy.  Sometimes it's up to Maleny and Mary Cairncross Park, other times it's to Skippy Park or Pioneer Park which are our usual favourites.

 

We usually have something to eat, a play and a run and are home within  1 1/2 to 2 hours and much happier that we've done something, no matter how small it seems. 

 

 

 

 

There's also been more cooking by Little Miss R (with help from Mum).  She decided she wanted to make Crème Caramel which isn't something I've ever made but we gave it a go.  OMG!  It was incredible and really EASY.

 

 

 

The biggest problem we had was with the caramel as it didn't get cooked enough.  Not having ever made it or seen it being made I kept thinking I was burning it and there were a few other problems too.  As a result we ended up having more toffee in the bottom of the ramekins than caramel but there was enough to make it really good.

 

 

There's been other outings with specialist appointments for the kids up the coast which luckily turned out to be after school time and hubby was home.  We headed to Cotton Tree in Maroochydore for some fun in the playground and fish and chips by the water for dinner where we watched the sun set.

 

 

 

 

Of course there has also been Zoo time.  These school holidays they've got an obstacle course set up so we headed up late one afternoon when I decided we needed to get out for a bit. The kids really love the waterslide they had in the summer holidays so we decided to check this out.

 

 

 

A few times around this really got the heart pumping and the kids hot. 

 

 

They expelled a lot of energy, especially by the 5th and 6th times they went around so we all went home happy.

 

 

There was also a drive with hubby.  This was a spur of the moment drive on our way home from the shops and ended up being a little bit of an adventure.

 

We're not hard core 4WD enthusiasts but hubby took us on a track that he used to drive a lot with my brother when they would go hunting.  It's been really churned up from the weekend warriors over the past year or so.

 

 

 

Some parts were really muddy and other parts the road was hard and really gouged out.

 

 

 

We got through it all easily though and the kids were pretty excited about our spur of the moment drive.  I'm just glad we didn't get bogged.

 

I hope you're all having a great week. Hubby heads back to work tomorrow and I have an appointment today so I'm off to have a lovely day to myself.  I'm REALLY looking forward to this!

 

xx Susan