Time Flies

(A Google image search for 'time flies' brings up some really cool clocks.)

Valentine's Day already? This year is going so quickly - it is a little scary, actually.

At the moment, my husband and I are living in a caravan in my parent's front yard. It isn't as bad as it sounds. We have been here a month already, and it is actually going really well. We take turns cooking (based on who is busy and who feels like cooking), and we all help out with things like the dishes and the laundry. 

I think it is sometimes a bit scary for Julian, living with his in-laws, as he keeps seeing them do all sorts of things that I do a lot. Mind you, he does things like this:

Hahahahaha! I love it!

Mind you, I don't think it compares with my 80's hair and make-up:

So yes... back to what I was talking about. 

This year is a bit weird. We have no house, we are not planning on looking for one, and we are fine with that. We think we will be in the caravan until approximately the start of May, by which time we will no doubt be very happy to leave as autumns are not particularly warm here in Tasmania.

Speaking of Tasmania, the other day I saw it referred to as a country of its own (it is, in reality a state of Australia) and it was spelt 'Tazmania'. It was pretty funny. And disturbing.

I am going to do some knitting and eat the chocolates my husband gave me. It seems he likes me 'cuddly'. At least I can rest in peace knowing millions of other women are also eating chocolate today - or are you strong enough to resist? ;)

It's FINISHED! (plus two snails)

Well hello!

It's gotten back to me that certain people (Beka) are mourning by blogging absence, even though we see each other a lot. As in, the only other person I see more is my husband (who is totally freaked out about how similar we are haha). 

I admit that I have been putting off writing a post, because I feel like there are so many other things I want to say, so this is going to be a sort of summary post. You will, however, have to visit my other *ahem* healthy living blog to see me with a giant box of chocolates.

Okay, let me get you up to speed, from least to most important:

1. I took lots of photos of a cute snail which I was going to blog about, but didn't. Here's one of them:

2. I've added a "Follow me on Pinterest" button on the sidebar. If you're on Pinterest and you like the sort of things I pin, start following me, and I'll follow you in return! I am just a little bit addicted...

3. I've decided not to take part in NaNoWriMo this year. I already have enough going on without trying to write 50,000 words in one month. My author-friend Lissa, however, is taking part, and will be sharing her progress throughout the month (she also has some of her stories available FREE until the end of October!).

4. I've begun a 21 Day Organisation Challenge (thanks to Beka, who's also doing it). I'll post more about it in the next couple of days. If you want to join in feel free; I'm only up to day two.

5. This is the MOST important update of all...

I've finished my degree!!!*^

*so long as I've passed everything!

^if I passed, I'm qualified to teach anywhere in the world!

As you can probably guess, I am over the moon about this! I started going to uni SEVEN years ago with the intention of becoming a primary school teacher, and now here I am on the other side! If you are newer here, you can read about some of the struggles of this journey here.


Incidentally, here's another snail, made in class while completing my Master of Teacher course:

more pics

And there you are, all up to date!


I'll be back soon with a post about the 21 Days Organising Challenge (warning: there will very likely be lots of pictures).

Kathy's Dieting Tips

Throughout the course of our lives, we pick up tidbits (hehe) of advice. Some is helpful. Some of it is total cheesecake.

Here is some feel-good (yes, really) dieting advice that I have gathered over that vast span of my life. All twenty-four years.

If it is a neutral colour, it has no calories. 

Delicious things like chocolate, fudge, caramel slice, and chocolate puddings fall into this category.

If it breaks, all the calories leak out.

In other words, "snap and enjoy!" (This is why KitKats are so popular.)

Did your choc chip cookie fall on the floor? Well, pick it right back up and take a bite, because the Five Second Rule keeps your cookie safe from all those nasties.

Above all, follow Plutarch's advice and abstain from beans.


*This post was inspired by mouthwatering maccaroons, made by a friend who will hopefully one day visit me, bringing some neutral or slightly broken goodies along with her.

Choc Coated Anzac Slice

On the 25th of April it is Anzac Day. My dad fought in the Vietnam War and my grandfathers, great-grandfathers and other family members have fought in several other wars, including WW1 and WW2. War has had a big impact on my life, even though I come from a very sheltered country. I grew up hearing war stories and being so very thankful that my great-grandfather, my grandfathers and my father survived, not to mention great-uncles and so forth - I only know of one who died, a brother of my great-grandfather who died in WW1.

 

As a memorial of sorts, I would like to share this recipe with you. I first found this recipe on the Goddess's Kitchen about two years ago. Its original name is 'Afternoon Tea Slices' but I like to call it 'Chocolate Coated Anzac Slice'. Those of you who have made anzac biscuits will see from the list of ingredients why I call it this. I have made it quite a few times! It is the slice pictured in my current blog header.

Though the ingredients are the same, my method is slightly different and I use less chocolate. I hope you like it!

Chocolate Coated Anzac Slice

125g butter
2 tblsp golden syrup
1/2 tsp bicarb of soda
1 tblsp hot water

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup plain flour

1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup desiccated coconut

200g milk chocolate, melted (or dark chocolate)

1. Preheat oven to 160c. Line a 20cm x 30cm slice tin with baking paper. Grease if you want to (I never grease it and it does not stick).

2. In a medium or large microwave proof bowl, put the butter and golden syrup and microwave until completely melted.

3. In a small cup or jug, mix the bicard and water. Add to golden syrup mixture and mix together.

4. Add oats, flour, sugar and coconut to the golden syrup, butter and bicarb mixture and mix well.

5. Press the mixture into the slice tin. Bake for 20 mins or until golden. 

6. Cool in tin. Pour over the melted chocolate* and leave until set. Cut into squares.

*Melting chocolate in the microwave: do this very carefully, 30 seconds at a time and stirring often with a knife. Make sure there is no water in the bowl or on the knife, and chocolate and water are mutual enemies.

Today in the History Books

Today I am...

Making:

A variation of my Urban Shell's Scarf - a neckwarmer! This will be the prototype for a handmade stall I am taking part in with my SIL and another friend. I will be writing up the pattern for it, too!

Reading: 

Hind's Feet in High Places, a really sweet story that is also an allegory about living as a Christian.

Going to Cook:  

Banana Muffins - I have 5 bananas that are so ripe they are black. They are going to be so easy to mash.

Planning on implementing:

Family Dinners - we need more talk time! However, it also means clearing the diningroom table, which can be a bit of a challenge.

Listening to:

Lincoln Brewster's album, Today is the Day. I love this so much! Here is the title song. (Sorry! I can not remember how to get the video to show up here!)

Thinking About:

This Easter weekend, and all the things we are going to - church and family dinners. Also about what else to put in this post :)

Grateful for:

University Holidays! Also my husband (who is barely able to contain his excitement about two 4-day work weeks in a row), my friends (I had a great time last night!) and my cat. I love how his whole body vibrates when he purrs. I am also grateful for chocolate and homemade hot cross buns. Bring on the weekend!

What is making history for you today?

Chocolate and Pear Muffins: Recipe Card

Remember me telling you that I was featured on Key Ingredient (just a couple of posts ago...)? Well, here is a recipe card for it. Clicking on "Print" will take you to an easy-to-print version of the recipe. Or so I have been told ;-P



(Please note, I have also added this to my original blog about these muffins.)

I was featured on Key Ingredient!

Do you remember these chocolate and pear muffins?


Sophie, the chief blogger from Key Ingredient, came across them a while back (last October, I think) and now they have been featured on the Key Ingredient blog. Have a look and see what Sophie has to say about them!

Better yet, make some and have a taste :-)

Pears are in season now, after all... and chocolate is available all year!

Chocolate and Apricot Hot Cross Buns

These hot cross buns are very good, even after spending nearly an hour on this post due to blogger being uncooperative! I found the recipe here but changed it quite a bit. I added chocolate! And apricots! And lemon! And I took out some of their ingredients, such as candied orange peel, orange juice and sultanas. The chocolate bits melt through the dough as you are kneading, making it a lovely dark colour.Instead of making flour paste crosses, I used lemon icing and did the crosses as the final step. This tastes divine (which is appropriate for Easter) and uses the rest of the lemon that provided the rind. Nice and thrifty! (Btw, thrifty has a lovely meaning: careful and diligent. Much nicer than 'frugal'.) Here is the recipe, changed to how I did it (if you want the original recipe, click the link above).

Chocolate and Apricot Hot Cross Buns
Serves 16

Buns
5 cups plain flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tspn dried yeast
1 tspn allspice
1/2 tspn cinnamon
250g chocolate chips (I used an equal amount of milk and dark choc)
100g dried apricots, finely chopped
1 lemon, rind only (save the juice for the icing)
300ml milk
100g butter, chopped
1 egg

Glaze
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tspn allspice
1/4 cup water

Icing for Crosses
1 Tbspn lemon juice
1/4 cup icing sugar

Method
1. Combine flour, sugar, yeast, spices, chocolate, apricot and lemon rind in a large bow.
2. Gently warm milk and butter over a low heat until butter melts and mixture is tepid. Add the egg to the mixture and whick until smooth.
3. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, add milk mixture and stir together.
4. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth.
5. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
6. Knock back dough and divide into 16 equal pieces. Knead each piece into a ball, place on a lightly greased tray, cover, and leave until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.
7. Heat oven to 220C. Bake buns for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 200C and bake a further 10 minutes or until golden. (They are ready when they sound hollow when tapped).

Glaze
Combine ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 minutes. Brush glaze over hot buns.

Icing
Combine ingredients and mix with a knife until smooth. The icing should be of a runny consistency. Put icing in a piping bag (or a plastic sandwich bag with the corner cut off - cut off the corner after the icing is in the bag) and make crosses on the buns.

Transfer the buns to a wire rack to cook. Or just start eating them... Your choice!

Thesis Update No.1

As you might know, I am doing Honours in English this year. Well, it is officially four and a half weeks to go until the thesis is due. I thought I would put my blog to some actual use and turn it into a motivational tool by posting updates on the progress of my thesis a couple of times a week. No doubt my mind shall gradually go crazier and crazier as my thesis progresses, so I shall try to report on that too :)

Anyway, after that little introduction, here is my first update:

Progress on thesis: 600 words out of 12,500 are written, though perhaps 50 to 80 of those are still in point form. But I am counting them anyway! It's my Right!!! Also printed out an article (which I still have to read) and thought some more about how I want to structure the main body of the thesis. I am fairly happy with the current plan of doing a close reading (of two children's novels by Nan Chauncy) and then applying theory to the close readings to come to a better understanding of how the texts work and the impacts they have upon children's perceptions of Tasmanian Aborigines.

State of Mind: Relatively calm, considering the personal crisises that have been taking place (all totally unrelated to the thesis) and the looming deadline. And considering I have a 5000 word essay to write AS WELL!!! by the 13th of October. Yup, thats 17,000 words I still need to write in 4 1/2 weeks. Well, 3 1/2 weeks really because the thesis needs to be finished early so my supervisor can go over it and so that I can get it bound. That's nearly a thousand words a day!!! Okay, I think I need to update my state of mind since writing this paragraph. Now feeling ever-so-slightly overwhelmed. Ah well, I'm sure I'll get over it!

Days left until the due date (24th October): Thirty. Yup that's all. 30. Three-zero.

Issues: Somewhere between now and the 11th of October I need to buy a nice black cardigan/cute jacket and dress shoes and a wedding present! I love weddings but this is really awkward timing. I need to buy some new pantyhose, too.

Good Things: My husband bought a new ink cartridge for our printer so now I can print out stuff at home. This will be really helpful when I come to editing my thesis (if I have enough time for that haha!) because it is so so so so so much easier to see mistakes on paper than it is on a screen. Don't ask me why. Another good thing is that once I get this in I will have four months of holidays. And while I am writing it I can eat as much chocolate as I like and not feel guilty!

Optimistic Requests: Can someone send me brownies??? Or chocolate mud cake???

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting and Spiced Yogurt Pound Cake

The making of this cake reminded me of the story of the Ugly Duckling.

The Spiced Yogurt Pound Cake was awful to make (1 cup butter = 225grams and 325F = 160C). It would have been fine if I had electric beaters or a mix master. But I don't have one (though now I want one more than ever!) I just have a stick blender with some attatchments, which works fine for just about everything I usually make. Anyway, because of the huge amound of butter and sugar that need creaming, it was really difficult. I ended up putting it in a tall jug (the yellow one that used to belong to you, M) and used the whisk attatchment on the stick blender to "cream it". Beating the whole mixture was pretty much impossible and very messy. I have pretty much cleaned my carpet now though :)

I had to use my 25cm springform tin to cook it in, which was fine, but after following the instructions and greasing and flouring the tin the cake was stuck to the bottom after being cooked!!! Well, I was in despair and thought I would have to make another cake, but it eventually come off - though there was a fault line running through the middle!

Here is the brute after being seperated from the tin:Hmmm, bit UGLY!!! (btw that is the bottom of the cake - the top is prettier!) So I went on the search for "fluffy" Chocolate Frosting! Why? To give the cake a bit more height. It looked a bit short, especially on that huge platter :) I eventually found the perfect recipe, and I had all the ingredients. Yay! This is one frosting I will be making again. Here is the cake after it has been frosted: Much better, don't you think?? And a little decoration: It really is true that icing can fix anything (particularly if it is chocolate icing)! I was a bit worried the person I made the cake for would think the petal girl was a present, and wondered if I should announce that "The girl is not a present" as soon as the person saw the cake, but I didn't and the girl is still mine... (she was a present from my mum, so it is not like I am just really greedy and possessive).

Anyway. The cake, despite being horrible for me to make, was really delicious, and once I get some electric beaters I think I will make it again.

Here is the recipe for the frosting (which I originally found here) with a couple of little adjustments (i.e. weight conversions):

110 grams butter, softened
2 2/3 cups icing sugar
1/3 cup milk/half-and-half/unwhipped whipping cream (I used milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

With either 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (for light choc flavour)
OR 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (medium)
OR 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (dark rich)
(I used between 1/3 and 1/2 cup. Result? Choc-a-licious!!)

1. Cream butter.
2. Blend in cocoa, icing sugar and vanilla, alternating with the milk.
3. Beat until desired texture is reached.

This recipe makes a quite a lot, but apparently it freezes well. I think I have enough left over from the cake to ice a bunch of muffins. But first I need to make some muffins!

Recipes and Stuff

Since joining Blogger in January I have come across many recipes from other blogs, and have even made a few (!). I thought I would share with you the recipes that I have made, and tell you what I thought of them. And I might throw in a few photos, too...

From The Goddess's Kitchen there was Afternoon Tea Slices, which I like to call Choc Coated Anzac Slice. Read the recipe and you'll see why :) DELICIOUS!
This one isn't actually in a blog, but for the sake of alphabetical order I am putting it here and not tacking it on at the end of a post... CHOCOLATE CARAMEL SLICE! This is my husband's favourite type of slice and he loves this version. I have made it twice since discovering it one or two months ago. Sorry no pic! There may be only 2 of us, but it goes pretty darn fast (and the camera needed charging...)

Next (drum rolllllllllllll plllllllllease!), The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies (anyone seeing a theme??), from Good Things Catered. These are great, and the batter is some of the best I have EVER tasted... seriously addictive. Have also made these twice since discovering them not very long ago (less than a month). Go to the original post to see the pictures. As an aside, instead of putting in an extra 2 Tbspoons of flour, I put in cocoa instead. VIOLA! The Best DOUBLE Choc Chip Cookies! Also from Good Things Catered are Smooth Fudge Brownies, which are really yummy (and also unphotographed by me. Sorry). Check out the blog for yourself, you won't be disappointed (I hope!).

Julian LOVED these Cranberry and White Chocolate Flapjacks from Sweet and Simple Bakes, but I haven't made them again for one reason. Before I say (type) my reason, let me just tell you that I am not into low-fat, diets or anything like that, and most people who know me would think I was a little bit crazy if I did go on a diet. Okay, I've said it. Here is my reason: SOOO much Butter for such a small amount of slice! And when teemed with the sugar and golden syrup, the oats and cranberries look like they are in a bath. Just look at the square on the paper towel where a bit of slice used to be (I ate it!) to get the idea:That said, the slice was delicious and is well worth making. I didn't drizzle my white chocolate on because I was feeling lazy. And I had cut it up into tiny squares instead of bars :)

Another good find were the Chocolate Chip Oaties from Bombay Foodie. I have made these a couple of times, but I do douple the recipe, so as to end up with more than eight Oaties. Really yummy.

The Double Chocolate Brownies from Bake or Break were good. I think. I'm not sure, I can't really remember what they were like, but hey, they are Brownies so I assume they were good!

Key Lime Pie from Domestic Goddess in Training was great, though I made it with unsweetened condensed milk instead of sweetened condensed milk. I think I would like it much better with the correct ingredients. However, using unsweetened condensed milk made the dessert much more suble and I have a feeling it would be great with a coffee.

One of the most exciting recipes I have made was Homemade Pita Bread! This recipe from the blog Sugar and Spice (now moved to Brown Eyed Baker) was amazing to make! Seeing it puff up in the oven was very so exciting. Sorry no pictures, but I really recommend having a go at this if you don't mind working with yeast. A bit time-consuming and fiddly, but SO rewarding!

Last but not least were Korean Sweet Pancakes (Hoddeok), from My Korean Kitchen. If you aren't confident with yeast cookery this would be a great recipe to start on. You don't even have to do any kneading! These were really nice: the stuffing is delicious! I used almonds instead of walnuts, because they were the only nuts in the house (besides the one upstairs playing a computer game...) but it would have been much better with walnuts, I imagine!

There we go, the recipes I have tried (except for one that I really didn't like... I don't want to get in anyone's Bad Books). I apologize about the lack of photos... go to the original sites - their photos do much more justice to the recipes than mine would have!

Pear and Chocolate Muffins - Recipe

It all began when I had 3 extremely overripe pears and some good quality dark chocolate...

The result? A batch of yummy yet unusual muffins. To make these I followed a recipe for basic sweet muffins, added in some cocoa, and used pureed pears instead of buttermilk. After putting the batter into the muffin tin holes, I pushed half a square of dark chocolate into the centre, and made sure it was (only just) covered by the batter (I used my fingers to spead the batter over the chocolate, and then licked my fingers clean...).

These are not very sweet muffins: the pear taste is subtle, but the lump of dark choclate is absolutely heavenly. Ommiting the cocoa and using spices (maybe cinnamon and cloves) would probably be just as yummy. Hmm, might try that next time... Here's the recipe:

Pear and Chocolate Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

300g (10oz) self-raising flour

2 Tbspns cocoa

125g (4oz) castor sugar (I used normal white sugar, having no castor, though raw or brown sugar would probably compliment the pears really nicely)

1 1/2 cups (375ml, 12 fl oz) pear puree (about 3 ripe pears, cored and chopped-I left the skin on)

2 eggs

150g (5oz) butter, softened a fair bit

6 squares of dark chocolate, each chopped in half (0r, if the square are little, 12 whole squares)

1. Heat oven to 200C (400F, gas mark 6). Grease a 12 hole muffin tin. Sift the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the centre.

2. Puree pears (if not already done). Add in the eggs, one at a time, blending them in, and then blend in the softened butter. Make sure the mixture is quite smooth.

3. Add the pear mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix gently to combine. DO NOT over-mix, or your muffins will end up tough and springy. The batter should be lumpy.

4. Spoon the batter into the muffin holes. Push a bit of chocolate into each muffin, and then stick it in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until risen and golden and beginning to come away from the side of the tin.

Mmmmm... yummy. These were so moist. I think using fruit puree instead of buttermilk is genius, and can't wait until I have some more overripe fruit!! (Hopefully strawberries... !)

(Edited to add the whatsit below. Digital recipe card, I think it is called. See this post and this post to find out the backstory.)