tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63340266239605632212024-03-13T21:05:50.484-07:00S'morishS'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-42557617645200654632014-02-11T00:37:00.000-08:002014-02-11T00:39:52.061-08:00Addicted to crumble- Berry Crumble Slice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LXOYWtHHQO4/UvnYOklv4fI/AAAAAAAABAA/pe8yza7pxxw/s1600/IMG_20140115_180939%255B1%255D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" closure_lm_762367="null" cua="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LXOYWtHHQO4/UvnYOklv4fI/AAAAAAAABAA/pe8yza7pxxw/s1600/IMG_20140115_180939%255B1%255D.jpeg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I think I'm addicted to crumble. Actually to rephrase I'm addicted to </span><a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/about/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Heidi's</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> crumble topping featured in her cookbook </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580082777/heidiswanson-20" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Super Natural Everyday</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. It's actually so amazing that I've eaten it straight from the bowl, freezer, during baking, sneaking it from other peps' plates- it's addictive. In the past week I made 2 batches and used it to cover baked peaches, ice-cream and this berry crumble slice. The only adjustments I make are adding a handful of shredded coconut and using a little less sugar. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Berry Crumble Slice</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Base</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">125g dairy-free spread (I use Nuttlex's olive oil spread) or butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/2 cup raw sugar </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 1/2 cups Self-Raising flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/2 teaspoon cinnamon</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Centre</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 Tbsp Berry Jam</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 cup frozen berries, or enough to cover the base</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Topping</span></h3>
<a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/oatmeal-muffins-recipe.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Heidi's crumble topping featured here</span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celcius, fan-forced.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mix flour into creamed mixture.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bake for 15 mins.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Remove from oven and base to cool for 5-10 mins.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Top with a layer of jam and enough berries to cover the base and the crumble topping.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bake until the crumble is golden.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yRm4d2iPDaY/T_aMpTaCoGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/hXZckgZYtc4/s1600/Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_762367="null" cua="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yRm4d2iPDaY/T_aMpTaCoGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/hXZckgZYtc4/s1600/Sign.jpg" height="79" width="320" /></a></div>
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-7241411038400677652013-06-08T00:40:00.000-07:002013-06-08T00:40:53.097-07:00Mixed berry & honey upside down cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FNSj2zcorgc/UOVn1M0uIoI/AAAAAAAAAk8/MjRLOwa0Fic/s1600/berry+cake+half.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FNSj2zcorgc/UOVn1M0uIoI/AAAAAAAAAk8/MjRLOwa0Fic/s640/berry+cake+half.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Upside down cakes have always been one of my favourites. I trace the fascination back to when I first laid eyes on the classic pineapple and glace cherry combo in my year 8 home economics class. I can't even recall the taste of that cake and I'm guessing it's because I never even tried it. I blame the glace cherries. I've never been much of fan of those sickly sweet, squeaky textured little red and green balls. It must be genetic. Every year for Christmas and Easter our Nonna makes these little round cinnamon biscuits which she decorates with a glace cherry in each centre. Everyone in our family picks off the cherry and yet she insists on continuing to use them as decoration because...wait for it..." it looks good for the visitors." I admit she does have a point. It's probably the reason why they were included in the classic pineapple upside down cake and perhaps the reason behind my love of upside down cakes. It's all about appearance. There's something magical each time you turn over the tin. It's the surprise of what lies underneath. Something shiny, glossy and simply gorgeous. And that's why I don't think I could ever get sick of upside down cakes, unless of course they are adorned with glace fruit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">This particular cake is no exception. While it bakes, it fills the house with the comforting aroma of honey. The cake itself has a soft, moist crumb which is neither oily, nor too sweet, and the berries are a great match for the prominent honey flavour. Just the right accompaniment to a cup of tea.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ew55iAd5hAQ/UOVmHjJwUtI/AAAAAAAAAkc/8vRc2oVtrpk/s1600/slice.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ew55iAd5hAQ/UOVmHjJwUtI/AAAAAAAAAkc/8vRc2oVtrpk/s640/slice.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Mixed berry & honey upside down cake</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Adapted from a caramelised apple upside down cake featured in </span><a href="http://www.aabooks.co.nz/store/cooking-&-drink-healthy-eating-healthy-heart-happy-life-delicious-recipes-p-2053.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Food, Heart, Life</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">, a Unilever Australia Ltd. publication.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 tablespoons of jam (I used plum conserve)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A pinch of lemon zest</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The juice of 1/2 a small lemon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/2 cup of frozen mixed berries (I used raspberries/blueberries/blackberries)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">60g (1/4cup) olive oil spread (or butter softened)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 egg, lightly beaten</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/4 cup milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/4 cup honey</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 cup of self-raising flour, sifted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A pinch of salt (omit if you are using butter)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The juice of half a small lemon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The zest of one small lemon</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease the sides of a 20cm round cake tin with butter/olive oil spread and line the base with baking paper.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Spread the jam over the base of the tin. You may have to squash the jam down using the back of a spoon. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Grate the lemon and sprinkle a pinch of the zest over the jam. Reserve the remaining zest for the cake batter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Squeeze the juice of half a small lemon over the jam.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Arrange the frozen berries over the jam/lemon mixture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">In a bowl use a whisk to mix the olive oil spread/butter, egg, milk and honey. Don't worry if the mixture appears lumpy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sift in 1/3 cup of the flour and add the salt, lemon zest and juice. Gently mix using a whisk to remove any lumps.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Use a spatula to fold in the remaining flour. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Using the spatula, dollop the mixture over the berries then gently smooth the mixture so that you have a flat/even layer of batter over the berries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 20-25 minutes or when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Another trick to check if the cake is done is that it should spring back to the touch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Cool for 5 minutes on a cooling rack before turning out of the tin. This step is important as it allows the berry topping to set.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yRm4d2iPDaY/T_aMpTaCoGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/hXZckgZYtc4/s1600/Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="79" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yRm4d2iPDaY/T_aMpTaCoGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/hXZckgZYtc4/s320/Sign.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-57476697934354700972013-05-05T06:01:00.001-07:002013-05-05T06:52:05.940-07:00Helen's Chocolate Cake, 3 ways<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n1kUW_nmO40/UScTqfndk9I/AAAAAAAAA1o/Rb9Wa6-LVok/s1600/20130210_100516.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" mea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n1kUW_nmO40/UScTqfndk9I/AAAAAAAAA1o/Rb9Wa6-LVok/s640/20130210_100516.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Helen was my Pre-Primary teacher. I remember she had a birthday box that she would bring out when it was one of our birthdays. We were allowed to choose a gift and I remember choosing a kinder surprise, which would have to be one of my favourite chocolates, just for the surprise inside. This cake is just like that. It may look like a simple chocolate cake, no different to any other, but I assure you when you take a bite it takes chocolate to a whole other level. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are three flavour options; plain chocolate, chocolate and espresso or chocolate, espresso and whisky. My personal favourites are the later two. The cake is deliciously moist and will keep well provided it's stored in an airtight container. The crumb is tender, though holds it's shape, which makes for beautiful slices to be served with cream (OMG- soo good). Have I also mentioned that it's a one pot wonder? It also works well as a whole cake or cute little bundts like the one we made above. </span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-InT0YMvksLA/UScZ4Pi-BTI/AAAAAAAAA1w/dNd_XPmyFeQ/s1600/DSC01765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" mea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-InT0YMvksLA/UScZ4Pi-BTI/AAAAAAAAA1w/dNd_XPmyFeQ/s640/DSC01765.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><strong><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Helen's Chocolate Cake</span></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Makes one cake or 22 mini bundts</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Combine in a large pot and melt on the stove (low- medium heat), stirring regularly:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">125g margarine, not butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 cup of water <strong>OR</strong> 1 cup of espresso coffee <strong>OR</strong> 3/4 cup espresso and 1/4 cup whisky</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 1/2 cups sugar (I used raw sugar)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda/baking soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2 heaped tablespoons of cocoa</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Then, take of the heat and allow to cool slightly before whisking in 2 eggs and 1 3/4 cup of self-raising flour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For a cake: Bake for approximately 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For smaller cakes such as muffins adjust the time accordingly. For bundts, baking time is approximately 10-15 minutes.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x6DpTzG5Ee8/UScZ9KYIzMI/AAAAAAAAA14/No8p5xTyg6A/s1600/DSC01761.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" mea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x6DpTzG5Ee8/UScZ9KYIzMI/AAAAAAAAA14/No8p5xTyg6A/s640/DSC01761.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So if your feeling a little spontaneous give this cake a go- it will be sure to surprise. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We would love to hear any flavour combinations you come up with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thanks for letting us share your recipe Helen! :)</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yRm4d2iPDaY/T_aMpTaCoGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/hXZckgZYtc4/s1600/Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="79" mea="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yRm4d2iPDaY/T_aMpTaCoGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/hXZckgZYtc4/s320/Sign.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Enjoy x</span>S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-7147352560972166142013-03-26T20:07:00.000-07:002013-03-26T20:08:40.918-07:00What's on my to do list?...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UxNmMIIK1Vw/UVJgqV8-v3I/AAAAAAAAA9k/BCX9czkwQSA/s1600/jamies+italian.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UxNmMIIK1Vw/UVJgqV8-v3I/AAAAAAAAA9k/BCX9czkwQSA/s640/jamies+italian.jpeg" usa="true" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Happened to stroll by </span><a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/italian/australia/perth" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Jamie's</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> in William St, Perth CBD. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Excited?</span> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I know I am!</span>S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-61937026725796746302013-03-19T01:09:00.001-07:002013-03-19T01:12:40.870-07:00Sweet Sydney Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N-qiFtlN2bI/USYowtQJAmI/AAAAAAAAAz4/kJL8SGmWn0k/s1600/first+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N-qiFtlN2bI/USYowtQJAmI/AAAAAAAAAz4/kJL8SGmWn0k/s640/first+pic.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So recently we brought you <a href="http://smorish.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/sweet-sydney-part-1.html" target="_blank">part one</a> and here's just a little more of our time in Sydney. This city has so much to offer and I will definitely have to visit again. I loved the city's natural beauty, bustling, busy streets, street performers and of course the food. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mJfLdz8EfXY/USYhYluEITI/AAAAAAAAAyw/gdP17ncDAFE/s1600/DSC00612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mJfLdz8EfXY/USYhYluEITI/AAAAAAAAAyw/gdP17ncDAFE/s640/DSC00612.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Awesome waves in Manly. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5r_E0gDMIkQ/USYe51qLUwI/AAAAAAAAAxg/wcvnRK3IB6k/s1600/20130110_093123.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5r_E0gDMIkQ/USYe51qLUwI/AAAAAAAAAxg/wcvnRK3IB6k/s640/20130110_093123.jpeg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The perfectly manicured gardens of Hyde Park. Couldn't help but take a snap. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RImy4enkCws/USYw7yBx2PI/AAAAAAAAA0g/Jkp_0q-S8T8/s1600/DSC00038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RImy4enkCws/USYw7yBx2PI/AAAAAAAAA0g/Jkp_0q-S8T8/s640/DSC00038.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Seriously massive cruise ships in Circular Quay. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kHqImcmDgUg/US4CcW1pXwI/AAAAAAAAA58/SjYz7V3OSdE/s1600/photo+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kHqImcmDgUg/US4CcW1pXwI/AAAAAAAAA58/SjYz7V3OSdE/s640/photo+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Rainbow of colour at Luna Park.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aGkaqMKURPg/US4CqqUpHqI/AAAAAAAAA6M/i6ku6Agx9NI/s1600/P6220432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aGkaqMKURPg/US4CqqUpHqI/AAAAAAAAA6M/i6ku6Agx9NI/s640/P6220432.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Love the </span><a href="http://www.monorail.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sydney monorail</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. Sadly though, it may soon be removed. :(</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sXnaVQay7N8/US4CntdwPWI/AAAAAAAAA6E/JAdlul9ZFSU/s1600/flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="454" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sXnaVQay7N8/US4CntdwPWI/AAAAAAAAA6E/JAdlul9ZFSU/s640/flowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Gorgeous trees in China Town.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WdJxslFLy94/US4EOlOO76I/AAAAAAAAA6Y/-VJKkg8hUPM/s1600/DSC00462.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WdJxslFLy94/US4EOlOO76I/AAAAAAAAA6Y/-VJKkg8hUPM/s640/DSC00462.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">View from Centre Point Tower by dusk.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hiAfeIo-mEc/US4Ez6k06KI/AAAAAAAAA7I/RJW-NuvWLQo/s1600/DSC00486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hiAfeIo-mEc/US4Ez6k06KI/AAAAAAAAA7I/RJW-NuvWLQo/s640/DSC00486.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">View by night.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GQumLfDkfs4/US4EniJKKwI/AAAAAAAAA6w/2Yc-ZJou8As/s1600/DSC00623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GQumLfDkfs4/US4EniJKKwI/AAAAAAAAA6w/2Yc-ZJou8As/s640/DSC00623.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Giant rubber duck by artist Florentijn Hofman for the <a href="http://www.sydneyfestival.org.au/2013/Family/Rubber-Duck-at-Darling-Harbour/" target="_blank">2013 Sydney Festival</a>.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NG2u8YIGTM8/US4N4RbkfDI/AAAAAAAAA84/ok74ZH5umH4/s1600/850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NG2u8YIGTM8/US4N4RbkfDI/AAAAAAAAA84/ok74ZH5umH4/s640/850.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Wow :)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SIbiIL6XbgY/US4M47UOKNI/AAAAAAAAA8o/IihKY-DbPi4/s1600/DSC00655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SIbiIL6XbgY/US4M47UOKNI/AAAAAAAAA8o/IihKY-DbPi4/s640/DSC00655.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I mentioned street performers. There are many but two really stood out for me. The above photo is the entertaining and talented contortionist </span><a href="http://www.bendyem.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bendy Em</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. How does she do that??! Another (not pictured) is the amazingly talented</span><a href="http://jackdawson.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Jack Dawson</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. Mum bought his album after a captivating performance in Circular Quay and she has played it every weekend since (Not kidding!). Go check out his </span><a href="http://jackdawson.com.au/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">music</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, it's fantastic.</span> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sorry about the many pics. I'll post photos of foodie highlights soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hope you're having a lovely week. xx</span><br />
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-30612458572309211482013-02-27T01:29:00.000-08:002013-03-01T16:56:01.381-08:00Hot Sauce<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> So a couple of weeks ago (when might I add we were in the middle of a heatwave) our Nonna decided to make sauce. Now sauce making isn't a one man (or one Nonna) job, especially in an Italian household- it's a family affair and one which our Grandparents take very seriously. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So despite it being a 40<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">°<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> day we gathered around in Nonna's patio to make sauce. Ever since we were little our grandparents would allocate everyone a job. The adults of course had the more 'responsible' and 'serious' tasks, while the grandkids would be allocated random odd jobs like fetching water for parched relatives, or keeping the dogs occupied with way too many snacks. If we were lucky enough though, we would have the 'grown up' job of putting a small sprig of basil in the top of each bottle once it had been filled with sauce. We felt so responsible.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This year though the younger grandkids were at school and the all important basil garnish job was scraped. That got me thinking, was that job truly crucial, or was it just a lesson in responsibility? My younger self held hope that it was the former until Nonna informed me that the basil wasn't all that important! I was initially crushed until I realised that the small task of garnishing the sauce was important. It was a way for us to be involved and included in family traditions and for that I am grateful. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0TJoNT2KOBM/US3NmUXAnoI/AAAAAAAAA4k/x68Uv9v5Ngo/s1600/DSC01784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0TJoNT2KOBM/US3NmUXAnoI/AAAAAAAAA4k/x68Uv9v5Ngo/s640/DSC01784.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bottles waiting to be filled.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qsGtSusgF2g/US3IRtH4mSI/AAAAAAAAA3g/PNGaRc11ebo/s1600/DSC01790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qsGtSusgF2g/US3IRtH4mSI/AAAAAAAAA3g/PNGaRc11ebo/s640/DSC01790.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Filling the bottles with sauce.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9YjefkpWPwQ/US3Idij3tTI/AAAAAAAAA3o/_U6m_R5Q0L0/s1600/DSC01791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9YjefkpWPwQ/US3Idij3tTI/AAAAAAAAA3o/_U6m_R5Q0L0/s640/DSC01791.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tomatoes ready to be placed in the machine.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HZCcO_NFoQE/US3IksLBF1I/AAAAAAAAA3w/cCsLeNNEARU/s1600/DSC01792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" gsa="true" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HZCcO_NFoQE/US3IksLBF1I/AAAAAAAAA3w/cCsLeNNEARU/s640/DSC01792.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The rejected tomato skins.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So what was my job this year? I had the task of putting the bottle tops on the filled sauce bottles and fetching water for parched relatives. Not completely grown up, but getting there.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">xx</span><br />
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-79476493807816644532013-02-19T02:30:00.000-08:002013-02-20T18:17:34.437-08:00Four Berry Cheesecake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LcK45Oe8JHU/UOZ_AjuWxoI/AAAAAAAAAnI/h3DGr1TLb-c/s1600/photo+(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LcK45Oe8JHU/UOZ_AjuWxoI/AAAAAAAAAnI/h3DGr1TLb-c/s640/photo+(5).jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Recently, I made a glorious berry cheesecake for no reason. Now that I come to think of it baking for no reason is the perfect reason to bake. I had cream cheese in the fridge which I was meant to make a carrot cake with and I accidentally bought a mix of four berries when I turned away and reached into the freezers at Woolworths to avoid immediate frostbite to the face region. I was aiming for the blueberries.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Nonetheless, often the unplanned ones are the best. Baking stuff, that is.</span><br />
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<h3>
<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Four Berry Cheesecake</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Crust</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">300 grams of digestives or Graham crackers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">150g of butter, melted</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Filling</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">375g of cream cheese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup of icing/confectioners sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 teaspoons of vanilla</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup of whipping or thickened cream</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3 teaspoons of gelatine (dissolved in 1/4 cup of boiling water)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Zest of one lime</span></div>
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<span style="color: #741b47; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Topping</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">100g frozen berries - whichever you prefer</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 cup of water</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Zest of one lime</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 tablespoons of lime juice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Place the biscuits you're using in the base into a food process and blitz into a fine crumb. Mix in the melted butter, either by hand or in the food processer. Press the mixture into the base of a springform tin. I pressed it up the sides as well but next time I'm definitely going for the more traditional cheesecake approach and leaving it just on the base. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to half an hour while you're preparing the filling and the berry topping!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla until it reaches a smooth consistency. Make sure there are no lumps of cream cheese and that it's all really well incorporated. You don't want to be enjoying a cheesecake and coming across a solidified blob of cream cheese that was sneaky and didn't want to be a part of a nice thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Once you've everything is perfectly combined, beat the cream into the cream cheese mixture on low speed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix in the lime zest and then add your gelatine mixture. Pour the filling over the biscuit base.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For the topping, place all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook on medium heat until it boils. Carefully place spoonfuls of the berry mix on top of the filling and then, using a skewer, gently swirl the berry mixture through the filling.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cover and refrigerate until set, either for 3-4 hours or even overnight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Finely grate some extra lime zest over the top of the cheesecake to serve! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<br />S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-75658878623556066912013-02-11T22:10:00.000-08:002013-02-11T22:10:05.057-08:00Sweet Valentine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As we all know, singles' awareness day is fast approaching. Though amongst those of you with a significant other, you'll be more familiar with the day's more well-known name: Valentine's Day. If you're looking to make a sweet little treat for your Valentine, this is perfect for you! And did we tell you it's easy? Yanno why? Because all you'll need is a box of cake mix, dark cooking chocolate (the good quality kind. No vomiting on Valentine's Day!), and a sliver of vegetable shortening and some pretty things for decoration!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Let's get started.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">First, shamefully purchase a box of red velvet cake from your nearest grocery store. Try to ignore the sound of your pride dying whilst doing this. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Red Velvet and Dark Chocolate cake balls</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 box of red velvet cake mix with frosting included</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 block of good quality dark cooking chocolate</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">15g of vegetable shortening (Copha)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Candies to decorate - <span style="font-size: xx-small;">we also made some red royal icing for cute little embellishments</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Prepare the cake according to the instructions on the box. Once the cake is cooled, rest it for 10 minutes and then crumble it up using your clean hands until it is the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Once the crumbs have cooled entirely, prepare the frosting according to the instructions on the box and add it to the crumbs. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the frosting to the crumbs and mix until well combined. Test if the mixture is ready by rolling it into balls. If it holds its shape, then you've achieved the right texture. If too dry, add cream cheese or buttercream.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Take 1/2 a tablespoon of mixture and roll it into a ball. Once all the mixture is rolled, place in the fridge for 15 minutes while you prepare the chocolate coating.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Zg3TjY0ZXY/URDXhYqBMiI/AAAAAAAAAu0/PuZlmBFdkjE/s1600/DSC01695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ea="true" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Zg3TjY0ZXY/URDXhYqBMiI/AAAAAAAAAu0/PuZlmBFdkjE/s640/DSC01695.JPG" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler, or in the microwave. Once partially melted add the shortening and stir until completely melted.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gently roll the cake balls in the chocolate, making sure the chocolate coats the entire surface of the cake ball. Using a fork, gently scoop them out of the chocolate, allowing the excess chocolate to drip off the ball into the chocolate. Set the coated ball down on baking paper and allow to set.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When the chocolate is half set decorate the cake balls with your favourite Valentine's candies. This is so when it sets, the candy will be set to the cake ball. If you let the chocolate set completely, a spot of royal icing will stick any candy firmly to the cake ball.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Place in miniature red or pink cupcake cases and enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy Valentine's Day!</span></div>
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-80151140560721390742013-02-01T00:14:00.001-08:002013-02-09T00:15:21.354-08:00Watermelon and strawberry slushie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today we feel like an egg left out on the pavement to cook. Broken and abandoned... Just kidding. Temperatures here have decided to skyrocket again and so we're going to be living in 40 degree days for a bit. On the brink of heat-induced insanity, we needed to find a source of hydration and fast. Our salvation came in the form of my father knocking on the door with arms full of groceries. Much like I mentioned in our banana and chocolate muffin recipe post, the fact that my dad can't pass up fruit on special still stands, because he walked through the door with two huge watermelons, and of course, his beloved bananas. The conversation that occurred went a little like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Alexia: </b>Hey Tash, guess what? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Natasha: </b>What?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Alexia: </b>My dad just walked in the door with watermelon. He intends to eat it himself but I fully intend to sabotage his plans by turning it into a dessert of some sort.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Natasha: </b>Bags being taste-tester.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So off we went into the kitchen to make nice things.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This, however, is why we cannot have nice things:</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HhmxegnB0k4/UQt103OXL5I/AAAAAAAAAsA/vlD0WsNZUcU/s1600/photo+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HhmxegnB0k4/UQt103OXL5I/AAAAAAAAAsA/vlD0WsNZUcU/s640/photo+(3).jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cameras should come with a warning: "Objects viewed through camera are closer than they appear," to stop things like this happening. Or maybe Alexia should just be more coordinated. Neither of these things seem likely to happen in the near future.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Regardless of fails, this slushie is so easy, you are only three or four ingredients away from a refreshing and cooling healthy slushie thing.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #ea9999; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Watermelon and strawberry slushie:</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To every 2 parts of watermelon you use, add 1 part of strawberries and add one and half cups of ice. Whizz it all up in a blender and serve. If you want to, you can add a sprig of fresh mint for an even fresher summer hit. Serve and enjoy!</span></div>
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-83149797492734609492013-01-27T22:53:00.001-08:002013-01-27T22:56:28.612-08:00Sweet Sydney Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The start of 2013 has seen us travel to Sydney for a little break! As Sydney basically stomps all over Perth in terms of cupcakeries, I had to try these cute little things when I accidentally stumbled upon the cute little shop while I was self-medicating with retail therapy along Sydney's shopping strip on George Street.</span><br />
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The weather was pretty bad, as you can tell from the photo, so I didn't spend any time standing in the downpour outside trying to take a photo of their window cupcake display, but you'll have to trust me when I say that it was everything a cupcake display should be: cute, colourful and gorgeous! You're spoiled for choice, to say the least. </span><br />
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After having a breakdown facing the fact that no, I couldn't, in fact, have all the cupcakes in the shop because they would be impossible to bring back home on the plane (literally, that was the only thing stopping me from rolling around on the floor of my hotel on a pile of cupcakes - plane impracticalities), I chose four flavours which I thought would make me weep with joy. Clockwise from the top left I bought a chocolate, vanilla strawberry, the classic red velvet, and a chocolate chilli cupcake - all up I spent something like 16 dollars (Australian) on the four cupcakes.</span><br />
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We were eager to tuck into these cupcakes as we'd seen the bakery's website and once spent hours wishing that we had something similar in Perth. </span><br />
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First up, the red velvet cupcake. I loved the icing swirl on top and the little red heart was adorable! Though I kinda wished they had crumbled some of the cake on top of the white icing. I love that about red velvet cakes, having the bright red velvet cake crumbs set off against the white icing is just stunning to me. The red velvet was really yummy, made better by the great crumb of the cupcake and the icing was to die for - smooth and full of flavour.</span><br />
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Unfortunately my love for the rest of the cupcakes wasn't as strong. I found the vanilla cake of the vanilla strawberry cupcake lacking in flavour and too dense. The centre of the cupcake had a little spot of strawberry jam which really added to the strawberry hit of the cake, which I really liked. The frosting was the saving grace of this cupcake, smooth and delicious with a pretty sprinkling of pink sugar on top.</span><br />
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The chocolate cupcake looked absolutely decadent with its rich chocolate frosting and mud-cake like texture. I adored the swirl of frosting and its chocolate shavings, and they tasted incredible. The cake though was less impressive, lacking in flavour and a kick of salt, there wasn't enough of a chocolatey hit. Whilst eating it I was just waiting for this massive bash of chocolate but it never came which made me sad. You were left wishing for more. The frosting can't speak for the cake, they both have to be strong on their own and I thought it wasn't the case. That being said, I do think people who like their desserts not too rich would enjoy this.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The chocolate and chilli cupcake was much the same story with the lack of chocolatey hit in the chocolate cake, but the frosting was really yummy again. Taking a bite out of the cupcake you're left wondering where the chilli comes in until you swallow and your mouth starts to burn. The tingle of heat from the chilli made me smile, I really loved it! The chocolate chilli combination has always been a favourite of mine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And it wasn't a trip to the eastern states without a Krispy Kreme doughnut hit, of course! I wish these could be a part of everyday life in Western Australia like they are over there but alas...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My brothers chose the strawberry glazed, two original glazed and a chocolate glazed doughnut, which all were freaking delicious. No doughnut can ever compare.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The strawberry glazed one was devoured instantly upon opening this box.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stay tuned for more Sydney sweetness!</span>S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-79855693014863938672013-01-22T23:06:00.004-08:002013-01-22T23:08:20.534-08:00Not so peachy...<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So, this happened... :(</span><br />
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-90884695176567572072013-01-18T00:40:00.000-08:002013-01-18T00:47:33.191-08:00Ice Coffee with a twist!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Yw9cw6UnIw/UOZ0ADl6VGI/AAAAAAAAAmo/d6ziN5Ft8fw/s1600/best+ice+coffee+ever.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Yw9cw6UnIw/UOZ0ADl6VGI/AAAAAAAAAmo/d6ziN5Ft8fw/s640/best+ice+coffee+ever.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Whilst browsing the internet machine this morning (or stalking <a href="https://twitter.com/adamliaw" target="_blank">Adam Liaw's Twitter</a>), I stumbled across his weird little trick to whip up an iced coffee in record time. Seeing as we've been having an absolutely ridiculous heat wave for the past week and a half, with temperatures reaching around 42 degrees Celsius (108 degrees for you Americans and others using Fahrenheit) at four in the afternoon some days (and reaching a maximum in the forties the rest of the time) we are in serious need of an ice cold glass of deliciosity to make sure we don't die. Because a tall glass of cold water's overrated. Everybody drinks it, and we're way too subcultural to conform to the norms of mainstream society. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ahem.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This was the perfect time to try out this recipe. It's so delicious and refreshing and it just makes you want to cry because all the stress and the hot-and-botheredness from the past ten days is just gone with this coolness-in-a-cup. Make sure you chill a tall glass in the freezer beforehand. The frosty glass makes it even more refreshing.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 shots of espresso</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">(you can buy this in the shops or you can make your own, simply by infusing some caster sugar with a vanilla pod in an airtight container)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 cup of milk</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">1/2 teaspoon of your favourite liqueur </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">- we used Baileys </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">2 tablespoons of condensed milk</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> - this gives it a wicked foam on top </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Ice</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Chuck everything into a cocktail shaker or blender and shake it all up until delicious. Then pour it into an ice cold glass. It's that easy. If you're feeling daring, add a scoop of good-quality vanilla ice cream.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is also the perfect time to feel awesome whilst using the cocktail shaker. You can imagine you're in a James Bond movie, "one ice coffee, shaken - not stirred," as you proceed to do some skillful shaking, chucking it up in the air, rolling it down your arms and across your shoulders. Dropping it onto the ground, getting shocked back to reality once you realise mid-trick that you're incapable of that level of coordination and now because you were overly ambitious the only way you'll be able to judge if this is - in fact - the best ice coffee will only happen if you lick it off the walls or squeeze it out of your clothes. Yum.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Just stick to shaking it up like a normal person. I'm 100% sure you'll find this way to be much more rewarding.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--d1dNyoa4EQ/UOZxc3I_iWI/AAAAAAAAAl8/IVA3rm8WoMU/s1600/photo+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--d1dNyoa4EQ/UOZxc3I_iWI/AAAAAAAAAl8/IVA3rm8WoMU/s640/photo+%25283%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Enjoy not dying from the heat and lack of fluids! (You're welcome.)</span></div>
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<br />S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-68108327283061791062013-01-02T19:24:00.002-08:002013-01-02T23:01:22.964-08:00Breakfast @ New Norcia Bakery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vGAQvl6XNRE/UOT5Vr-387I/AAAAAAAAAis/8fbDkh9FgO4/s1600/frangipani+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vGAQvl6XNRE/UOT5Vr-387I/AAAAAAAAAis/8fbDkh9FgO4/s640/frangipani+2.jpg" width="640" /></a> </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--7iCQWTM-5o/UOTusYpp_II/AAAAAAAAAhk/iISkbPytol4/s1600/sign.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--7iCQWTM-5o/UOTusYpp_II/AAAAAAAAAhk/iISkbPytol4/s640/sign.jpeg" width="640" /></a> </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wL6pbxPP4VY/UOTvxYQfMWI/AAAAAAAAAh4/q-quGR5anoQ/s1600/coffee.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wL6pbxPP4VY/UOTvxYQfMWI/AAAAAAAAAh4/q-quGR5anoQ/s640/coffee.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CCjGw9Np5sQ/UOTvo4b8fTI/AAAAAAAAAhw/ow_fsGiY87I/s1600/eggs+b.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CCjGw9Np5sQ/UOTvo4b8fTI/AAAAAAAAAhw/ow_fsGiY87I/s640/eggs+b.jpeg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Breakfast at the cosy <a href="http://www.newnorciabaker.com.au/mount-hawthorn-bakery-and-cafe.htm" target="_blank">New Norcia bakery/cafe in Mt Hawthorn</a>. I tried the eggs benedict ($15.95) with a cappuccino ($4.00). The food was fresh and homely and the hollandaise light and lemony. I have to mention the fabulous staff. Possibly the warmest and friendliest I have come across in a while, providing service with a smile. The bakery/cafe has a seriously tempting selection of freshly baked pastries and bread. If only I had room left for a slice of their lemon and polenta cake. I guess I'll be visiting again soon...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hope you're having a lovely morning xx</span></div>
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-55859823065011710122012-12-31T05:17:00.000-08:002012-12-31T05:17:19.145-08:00HAPPY NEW YEAR!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Wishing you all the best for 2013! Our New Year's resolution is to keep you posted with more sugary goodness - a promise we know we'll find easy to keep!</span><br />
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-25008119873343084172012-12-27T20:57:00.000-08:002012-12-27T20:58:46.875-08:00What to do with cherries... Cherry Ripe tart<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cd6VgQ8t7gA/UN0Wvn6dedI/AAAAAAAAAeE/BP5szBhDRY0/s1600/DSC01453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cd6VgQ8t7gA/UN0Wvn6dedI/AAAAAAAAAeE/BP5szBhDRY0/s640/DSC01453.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Each year when cherries come in season our Nonna buys them by the bucket load. Several times this past month we've gone over to find she's left a bag of cherries waiting for us on her kitchen sink. We're not just talking about a handful of cherries...no a giant overflowing bag, each and every time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Heidi from 101 cookbooks has come up with a <strong>fabulous</strong>,<strong> <u>must try</u></strong>, </span><a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/macaroon-cherry-tart-recipe.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">macaroon cherry tart recipe</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, which for several years has been an amazingly delicious solution to our cherry overload. There are so many reasons why we love this tart. For starters its easy and no fuss. The pastry doesn't have to be rolled out or chilled. That means less waiting around- YAY! When baked you're presented with the crunchy peaks of macaroon topping, the juicy cherries and the butterscotchy, chewy crust...need we say more. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We used a round 23cm pie tin which was perfect for the amount of pastry. We also added a drizzle of dark chocolate once the tart was baked. 4-6 squares of chocolate (20-30g) once melted is sufficient.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Wishing you a fabulous weekend, hopefully with this tart baking in the oven (seriously who can say no to that crust?) xx</span></div>
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-62568494410072134752012-12-21T01:17:00.000-08:002012-12-21T01:40:45.768-08:00New traditions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rgmhVLjkxBo/UNQnzUO-71I/AAAAAAAAAbM/ujoVSlhThSw/s1600/photo+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="478" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rgmhVLjkxBo/UNQnzUO-71I/AAAAAAAAAbM/ujoVSlhThSw/s640/photo+1.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We thought that it would be a good idea to start a new family tradition this Christmas. We decided onmaking a gingerbread house. So though not a very original choice, it's sparkly, colourful and delicious, so why not?Admittedly we got off to a questionable start this year by deciding we were too lazy to make the gingerbread from scratch (I know shock horror considering this is a baking/cooking blog). Instead we bought one pre-made from the lovely place that is IKEA and went crazy with lollies and icing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Will you be starting any new holiday traditions this year?</span></div>
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-26528242637659354942012-12-16T21:56:00.000-08:002012-12-16T22:01:32.548-08:00Lemon Layer Cake<div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EAbdMEP_SEk/ULgsiUx2yeI/AAAAAAAAAXo/2wNrbSe1bGA/s1600/DSC01362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EAbdMEP_SEk/ULgsiUx2yeI/AAAAAAAAAXo/2wNrbSe1bGA/s640/DSC01362.JPG" tea="true" width="640" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gNjG0jWiuO8/ULgs0LX27jI/AAAAAAAAAXw/a-XIrtUhtps/s1600/DSC01351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gNjG0jWiuO8/ULgs0LX27jI/AAAAAAAAAXw/a-XIrtUhtps/s640/DSC01351.JPG" tea="true" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Lemon layer cake for mum's birthday. Easy, delicious and not too sweet, just the way she likes it. The lemon flavour wasn't as strong as I had anticipated, so I recommend adding more lemon rind to the cake if your after a stronger lemony hit. This cake tastes best the next day, served at room temperature. The iced cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Lemon Layer Cake</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Lemon butter cake recipe by Margaret Fulton in <em>Margaret Fulton Baking</em> which can be purchased</span><span style="color: black;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Margaret-Fulton-Baking-Ultimate-Collection/dp/1742700284/ref=pd_sxp_redirect" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444;">Lemon icing recipe by Julie Goodwin as seen in <em>Our Family Table</em> which can be purchased</span> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Our-Family-Table-Julie-Goodwin/dp/1741669685" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia;"><strong>Lemon butter cake</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">160g unsalted butter, softened </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">3/4 cup (165g) caster sugar</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Grated rind of 1 lemon</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">2 teaspoons lemon juice</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">3 eggs </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">1 2/3 cups (250g) self-raising flour</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">a pinch of salt</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">1/2 cup of milk</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 160 if you have a fan-forced oven.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Grease and line two 20cm sandwich tins.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and gradually beat in the sugar with the rind until light and fluffy. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Add the eggs beating well after each.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Add the lemon juice and beat until it is just mixed in. Don't worry if the mixture appears curdled.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Sift the flour and salt and fold into the creamed mixture alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour. Take care not to over beat the mixture.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Add a little more milk if necessary so that the mixture drops easily from the spoon.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Spoon the mixture into the prepared tins and gently smooth the top.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Leave in the tins for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #93c47d; font-family: Georgia;"><strong>Lemon butter icing</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">125g unsalted butter, softened </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">2 cups (300g) icing sugar mixture</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">11/2 Tbs lemon juice</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Using electric beaters, beat the butter until light and creamy. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Gradually add the icing sugar, beating constantly. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Add half the lemon juice and beat until well combined. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">Add the remaining lemon juice a little at a time until you achieve a spreadable consistency.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia;">When the butter cakes have cooled to room temperature the cakes are ready to be iced. assembled and decorated. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Enjoy!</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yRm4d2iPDaY/T_aMpTaCoGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/hXZckgZYtc4/s1600/Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img bea="true" border="0" height="79" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yRm4d2iPDaY/T_aMpTaCoGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/hXZckgZYtc4/s320/Sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-35262971572716238882012-12-01T23:15:00.000-08:002012-12-01T23:15:27.632-08:00Banana and Chocolate Muffins!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PyogzShGiq4/ULr45rMzRcI/AAAAAAAAAZY/DmwqJIbtZsM/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PyogzShGiq4/ULr45rMzRcI/AAAAAAAAAZY/DmwqJIbtZsM/s640/photo.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yes, this is another chocolate and banana recipe! Bear with me here though, because I guarantee you won't regret making these bananalicious babies! Unlike our previous banana and chocolate post, this one is a lot sweeter, it really makes your sweet tooth - or if you're like me: sweet teeth - ecstatic.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My father should be awarded a prize in the category I just made up in my head called 'Person who buys ALL the bananas when they're on special at Woolworths' category. It is literally impossible for us to eat all the bananas he buys before they go bad and go all oozy and sugar-spotted and blech. Bad for my brothers' school lunches but perfect for my 'let's get rid of these festering things in the fruit bowl and turn them into cake' recipes. When I created this recipe on the spot while trying to get rid of the gross bananas, it was originally a loaf cake. I made it a few times as a loaf cake but it became really obvious that the cake was WAY too moist and crumbly to slice, so while I was trying to cut it it turned into a pile of crumbs and squish. A <i>delicious </i>pile of crumbs and squish though, to be more accurate. Just for convenience I decided that to avoid destroying nice things in the future, I'd make them into muffins instead.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BUGF94wR0Aw/ULr5BaSrI7I/AAAAAAAAAZo/QaRAbxVcoKo/s1600/photo+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BUGF94wR0Aw/ULr5BaSrI7I/AAAAAAAAAZo/QaRAbxVcoKo/s640/photo+(2).jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Banana and Chocolate Muffins:</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">100g of caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">150g of butter, softened </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 teaspoon of vanilla essence</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/4 cup of milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1/2 cup self-raising flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3 brown bananas, well-mashed</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">100g of chopped good-quality dark cooking chocolate</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Line a muffin tin with paper cases.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix butter and caster sugar on high speed until light, pale and fluffy. Add vanilla essence.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add a little of the milk, alternating adding flour to the mixture, until you achieve a light and fluffy batter, similar to the consistency of the mixture in the first photo in this post.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the mashed banana to the cake mixture, folding it in well with a spatula. Don't use the electric mixer for this or you'll over-work the flour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the roughly chopped chocolate and mix through.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vtecjAsGF6s/ULr49QR7P-I/AAAAAAAAAZg/Eb84dVMN70w/s1600/photo+(3).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vtecjAsGF6s/ULr49QR7P-I/AAAAAAAAAZg/Eb84dVMN70w/s640/photo+(3).jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Spoon the mixture into prepared muffin tin and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the muffins comes out clean.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pxAAPhGHtJA/ULr5KMfA7jI/AAAAAAAAAZw/tQ60kWNpdOU/s1600/photo+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pxAAPhGHtJA/ULr5KMfA7jI/AAAAAAAAAZw/tQ60kWNpdOU/s640/photo+(1).jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And that's it! Next time you forget about including fruit in your diet because you've been baking too much, just chuck the gross bananas into a cake! Fruit and cake - here at Smorish, we aim to keep your diet balanced.</span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2tXILQsGe_Y/ULr5ZBklEZI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/N_H6a-1RmMc/s1600/photo+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2tXILQsGe_Y/ULr5ZBklEZI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/N_H6a-1RmMc/s640/photo+(4).jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy!</span><br />
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<br />S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-91947807574891126102012-11-25T21:31:00.000-08:002012-11-29T19:38:55.558-08:00Lemon, Pistachio and Coconut Slice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lRXpjCryKBM/ULBifee2hnI/AAAAAAAAAUc/M4qC36_vqtM/s1600/photo+(11).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lRXpjCryKBM/ULBifee2hnI/AAAAAAAAAUc/M4qC36_vqtM/s640/photo+(11).jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As we mentioned in <u><a href="http://www.smorish.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/cafe-review-tartine-cafe-perth-city.html" target="_blank">this</a></u> post, we recently tried a delicious homemade lemon, pistachio and coconut slice at Tartine Cafe. Inspired by the delicious treats we devoured, we got home and decided to recreate the beautiful citrus slice and hope that it was as good as the one they serve at Tartine. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our lemon trees at the moment are overflowing with big, bright yellow and impossibly juicy lemons, so the opportunity to take advantage of the fresh fruits was too good to pass up! Here is S'morish's version of a lemon, pistachio and coconut slice!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lemon, Pistachio and Coconut Slice:</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>For the biscuit base - </b></span></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup of all-purpose flour</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup of caster sugar</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1 cup of desiccated coconut</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">125g of butter, melted</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Zest of half a lemon</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 teaspoons of lemon juice</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Combine ingredients in a large bowl, and mix until the mixture forms a ball. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Evenly spread the biscuit base in the bottom of a 32x20cm slice tin til about half a centimetre in thickness. Bake the biscuit base at 160 degrees Celsius for 10 minutes or until firm and golden.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>For the lemon and coconut filling - </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2 x 395g cans of condensed milk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Juice of 5 - 6 lemons depending on your personal tastes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">100g of desiccated coconut</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4 eggs, lightly beaten</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Zest of one lemon</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix together the condensed milk, coconut and lemon zest until well combined.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the lemon juice a little at a time until fully incorporated into the mixture.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Add the lightly beaten eggs a little at a time, mixing well after each addition.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pour the filling on top of the prepared biscuit base and bake at 160 degrees Celsius for 20 - 25 minutes or until firm to the touch and golden. Set aside to cool completely before pouring the topping on top.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>For the topping - </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">500g of confectioner's sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Juice of 3 lemons</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pistachios to sprinkle on top, roughly chopped</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Zest of half a lemon</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix together the confectioners sugar and the lemon juice, making sure there are no lumps and the mixture is smooth. Add the lemon juice gradually to make sure you get the desired consistency.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pour the lemon icing over the cooled slice filling and set aside for 5 minutes to set slightly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sprinkle pistachios, lemon zest and desiccated coconut over the icing sugar and set aside to allow icing to set the rest of the way.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Enjoy and if you tried let us know your thoughts on this recipe! Til next time!</span><br />
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-16689586050167345442012-11-24T22:09:00.000-08:002012-12-31T00:47:37.818-08:00Cafe Review! Tartine Cafe, Perth City!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Today, we popped in to this little gem found on the corner of Wellington St and William St, Perth, for a beautiful morning tea after a productive morning of retail therapy as a celebration of the beginning of the summer holidays. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">(We are not sponsored by Tartine and this is not a commissioned post).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Walking into this gorgeous warm, homely European-style cafe, you immediately feel as though you've stepped into a miniature Europe. Immediately welcomed by the friendly and enthusiastic staff, you're overwhelmed with the choices you can make about what the heck it is you're going to spend hours being emotional over. The counter is abundant, overflowing with homemade baked deliciousness like the moistest looking slices of pear and raspberry loaf, banana bread, jars of caramel-filled shortbread, fresh danishes and pastries - literally, they spoil you for choice. Once we had finally ordered from their glass cabinet display of goodies - lemon coconut and pistachio slice ($3.75), a humungous pear tartlet ($5.50) and a hazelnut caramel slice ($3.50) plus cappuccinos ($4.30) - we sat at a lovely polished wood table and chairs and patiently waited for our orders. We didn't have to wait very long because literally three minutes later our orders arrived at our table together. One thing I've always hated about ordering a slice and a coffee at a cafe is that the slice or cake always arrives at your table before the coffee does, so I was so happy to find that at Tartine, they wait for your coffees to be made and then serve your sweet snack along with the coffee. The coffees at Tartine are delicious, served extra hot, full of strong coffee goodness. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I couldn't refrain from tasting before we took a photo. Not even sorry.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The pear tartlet has a smooth, light, creamy and fluffy moist filling, topped off with sliced pears and a clear glaze, in a perfect delicate shortcrust pastry, which was thoroughly enjoyed. The filling had an ever-so-slight hint of amaretto and almond, reminding us of Nonna's biscotti. As you can see, we weren't able to wait to eat it til after a photo had been taken. Sorrynotsorry.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The lemon, pistachio and coconut slice was amazing! From the first bite you're hit with an explosion of lemon and coconut in an incredibly refreshing slice. The filling had the perfect balance of lemon and coconut, topped off with an incredibly lemony icing layer, giving the slice an overall perfect lemon flavour balance. The only thing I will say about this is that the base was almost impossibly hard to cut through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next up is the decadent chocolate, caramel and hazelnut slice. The filling was the highlight - creamy, sprinkled through with roasted hazelnut with a deep rich, nutty, caramel flavour. The hard base seemed to be another problem in the chocolate, caramel and hazelnut slice, though the chocolate base was almost painful to cut through this time, as well as being dry. The chocolate topping complemented the caramel really well, and it wasn't overly rich.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6-47x1eNqXs/ULGx-4EZKjI/AAAAAAAAAWI/Js3v2ciiruM/s1600/photo+(13).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6-47x1eNqXs/ULGx-4EZKjI/AAAAAAAAAWI/Js3v2ciiruM/s640/photo+(13).jpg" width="640" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Overall, we had a really good experience with Tartine Cafe and we highly recommend paying them a visit! We will definitely be revisiting!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy foody-ing!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yRm4d2iPDaY/T_aMpTaCoGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/hXZckgZYtc4/s1600/Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yRm4d2iPDaY/T_aMpTaCoGI/AAAAAAAAAB8/hXZckgZYtc4/s320/Sign.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-75746367567279488462012-11-23T22:02:00.001-08:002012-11-29T19:40:42.149-08:00Chocolate and banana loaf<div align="left" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Those who know me know I <strong>hate</strong> bananas. On their own I find the texture and smell gag worthy. I do however like food that has banana in it; banana bread, banana yo-go, banana milkshakes, banana ice-cream... So perhaps it's the pairing of bananas with a thousand and one other ingredients that makes them, dare I say it- delicious?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We had two lone bananas in our fruit bowl this morning. They looked foul...absolutely nasty, quietly fumigating the kitchen with their scent. They did make a good excuse for baking.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A quick search online and I came across <a href="http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/18318/chocolate+and+banana+loaf" target="_blank">this</a> recipe. With a 5 star rating I gave it a go. Unfortunately I left it in a little too long so it wasn't as moist as I would have liked. I also used wholemeal self-raising flour which gave the cake a bit too much texture so next time I will use white self-raising flour. The flavours were still fantastic and the cake was quick and easy to make so I would recommend giving it a go.</span><br />
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<br />S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-76546817810234542862012-11-14T22:56:00.000-08:002012-12-31T00:48:47.169-08:00Grandma's Shortbread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">These biscuits were made for a friend who LOVES<em> </em>shortbread. I'm no expert on shortbread; I dont bake it and I hardly ever eat it. The closest I come to shortbread, is the 'shortbread' in the Arnott's Family Assorted packets, that our Nonna buys by the truck load when they go on special. So I thought surely a recipe past down the generations would be pretty trustworthy. It was.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This recipe features in Julie Goodwin's first book; <em>Our Family Table</em>. It's a recipe passed down to her from her Grandmother and it was delicious. It may have a lot more ingredients than standard shortbread but when the outcome was a delicate, soft, buttery, melt in your mouth yumminess I'm sold. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #a64d79; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Shortbread</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Recipe: Grandma's Shortbread- <em>Our Family Table</em> by Julie Goodwin</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">makes ~40</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">250g unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">3/4 cup (110g) icing sugar mixture, sifted</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1 tsp vanilla essence</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1/2 cup (70g) cornflour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">2 cups (200g) self-raising flour</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">good pinch of salt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">caster sugar, extra, for dipping</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Preheat the oven to 180<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">°C (160<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">°C fan-forced) and line grease two large baking trays.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Using electric beaters, beat the butter and icing sugar until light and creamy, then beat in the vanilla essence.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Sift the cornflour, self-raising flour and salt into a bowl. Add this dry mix into the butter mixture and gently mix using a butter knife. Keep mixing until the mixture comes together.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Gently roll the dough into small balls about the size of a walnut. Dip the tops in the sugar and put them on the prepared tray, ~5cm apart. Flatten slightly with a fork.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until just starting to colour underneath. The biscuits will still be soft to the touch so leave them on their trays for 10 minutes to become firm, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Store in an airtight container.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">NB* When you take the shortbread out of the oven sprinkle each cookie with more caster sugar. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> rolled my shortbread into balls, however other bloggers have had success rolling it out and cutting it out into shapes.</span></span></span></span><br />
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-45829223087650779022012-11-14T05:59:00.000-08:002012-11-14T06:06:11.236-08:00Spring's bounty<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Our Nonno loved his garden. It was one of passions and it shows. For years its produce feed our families and many neighbours and friends. Although he is no longer with us his garden lives on, most spectacularly in spring. </span><br />
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-12675435773087288702012-10-31T07:27:00.002-07:002012-10-31T07:33:14.303-07:00 not so spooky cupcakes...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Though Australians don't really celebrate Halloween, I hope someday we will. Wouldn't it be awesome to have a choice of </span><a href="http://www.bakerella.com/spooktacular/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">these</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> to decorate Halloween inspired baked goods. Instead our supermarket chains have chocolate chips, hundreds and thousands and sprinkles- oh and more hundreds and thousands.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I do however think change is in the air. On a quick dash to the shops today I noticed that the shelves of the candy aisle were empty. People were purchasing candy! We even had little monsters come knocking and people were decorating their gates! (Yes gates, not houses...maybe next year)</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">These cupcakes were made for a presentation night at my sister's school. I admit they aren't very spooktacular but they're our little contribution to the Haloween spirit and to the refreshments table tonight.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Let's hope next years festivities are even greater!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Chocolate Cupcakes and Frosting</strong></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">From the </span><a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Hummingbird-Bakery-Cookbook-Tarek-Malouf/9781845978303" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Hummingbird bakery cookbook</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> ~ makes 26 mini cupcakes</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Cupcakes:</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">100g plain/ all purpose flour</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">20g cocoa powder</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">140g caster sugar</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 1/2 tsp baking powder</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">a pinch of salt</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">40g soft unsalted butter</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">120mL whole milk</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 egg (room temperature)</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1/4 tsp vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Preheat the oven to 170C. Line a 24 hole muffin tin with paper cases.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a large bowl and beat on slow speed until well combined and a sandy consistency.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Whisk the milk, egg and vanilla in a jug and add half to the dry mixture.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Beat on a slow speed to combine and then increase the speed to remove any lumps.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Add the remaining half of the liquid mixture and beat slowly until just combined, don't over mix.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Transfer the mixture into the paper cases until 2/3 full.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bake for 20 minutes until they spring back to the touch. A skewer inserted should come out clean.</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Remove from the oven and allow to cool before frosting.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Vanilla Frosting:</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">125g icing sugar, sifted</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">40g unsalted butter, room temperature</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">10mL whole milk</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">A dash of vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Orange food colouring</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Beat the icing sugar and butter until combined using an electric mixer on medium speed. </span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Add the milk, vanilla and colouring and beat on slow speed until the mixture is combined and smooth.</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For the chocolate frosting I omitted the orange colouring and added 1 tablespoon of cocoa and as much milk as was required for the mixture to combine and form a smooth consistency. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span><span style="color: black;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Wishing you all a happy Halloween!</span></span><br />
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6334026623960563221.post-2020183029159772682012-10-30T21:21:00.000-07:002012-10-31T07:36:45.376-07:00Picnic dessert<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sRW8nlm_Y2Y/UJCUjAEH4tI/AAAAAAAAAOg/mdps3SMpwtE/s1600/photo%5B1%5D.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" qea="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sRW8nlm_Y2Y/UJCUjAEH4tI/AAAAAAAAAOg/mdps3SMpwtE/s640/photo%5B1%5D.bmp" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">These kebabs are amazing! Fudgy brownie cubes, soft marshmallows, strawberries and a drizzle of dark chocolate...hungry yet? </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The first time I made these kebabs I was in a slight state of panic. I had a picnic to attend and I was responsible for bringing dessert. The only problem was I had completely forgotten the picnic was on. So when the day arrived here I was lounging in my PJ's, looking dishevelled, no dessert prepared and 2 hours until the picnic. So upon realising, I needed something easy, quick and transportable. A quick search of the pantry and within no time dessert was made.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I made these again last Sunday and they were a huge hit. They're perfect for a picnic, easy to eat and not too rich... well depending on how many you scoff down.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Dessert Kebabs</strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">S'morish original ~ makes 20-30</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 large punnet of strawberries </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">1 packet of marshmellows</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="color: black;">1 batch of brownies (I used</span> </span><a href="http://smorish.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/first-post-cupboard-brownies.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">these</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">75<span style="color: black;">g dark cooking chocolate</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">20 skewers </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Make the brownies. Once they have cooled to room temperature cut into 3cm x 3cm cubes. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Assemble the kebabs by inserting a strawberry first, this mosistens the skewer so that the marshmellows don't stick. If you wish, slice the larger strawberries in half, by doing so you will be able to make more kebabs.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When all kebabs are assembled arrange them on the tray that you will serve them on.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Melt the dark chocolate and drizzle over the kebabs.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">These kebabs can be stored in the fridge however you may like to bring them to room temperature before serving. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What's your favourite picnic dessert?</span></div>
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S'morishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14615054159655288432noreply@blogger.com0