a cherry

Photography Challenge, Day 7 of 30: Fruit.

This is a cherry. Yes it is. It is also my submission for day 7 given that a cherry is, in fact, a fruit. (So I may not have scored points for creativity but at least I got to eat some yummy cherries!)

I also made some particularly yummy cupcakes. And, being the generous and giving person that I am, I will share with you now...wait for it...the best vanilla/lemon cupcake recipe in the world. No joke. Click here if you want in. (Believe me, I've trailed my fair share of cupcake recipes!)

As for tomorrow, the topic has me stumped. 'A Bad Habit'. I am hoping for a lightning bolt of inspiration some time in the next 20 hours or I will have to resort to photographing a nose picker or a bum scratcher.

Eek! See you then, brain wave or not!

:)


x

a few things

This weekend was full of birthdays, family, friends, yummy food and windy beach outings.

I have so much to be thankful for.

Life is good.

Here are a couple of things I've been thinking about:

I am so appreciative of the people in my life who seek to see the best in others.

They truly sparkle--

the result of years of walking on the bright side of life.

A little family goal we have is to scrap negativity.

We want our home to be a positive place.

A worry-free, anxiety-free, gloom-free zone.

Is it any wonder that, statistically, positive people maintain better health?

I think they are likely to enjoy life a lot more as well.

This weekend my dear friend Emma reminded me of a book I read a couple of years ago, A Mother's Heart.

I remember the effect this book had on me when my daughter was only six months old--inspiring me to be a better mother.

Emma mentioned a blog she's been reading that has had a similar effect for her:

Kelle Hampton's Enjoying the Small things.

I've been reading through Kelly's posts since then and: wow.

Talk about a mother who makes the most of the small moments with her children and who lives life on the bright side.

And loves it.

I dare any mother out there to read Nella's birth story and not be moved. There are always reasons to find life hard and there are always things to worry about. But I guarantee there's always more to be thankful for.

And there's always room to love more.

Here are a couple of her stunning photographs:

Here's another thought:

I have been dwelling on a little extension to our family goal recently which is to always assume the best of people.

I guess it's another definition of grace.

I cannot fully understand what motivates the actions and choices of others and I can never fully comprehend their history or their circumstances--especially when their personality is very different to my own, and sometimes, no matter how well I know them.

Here's our new family value: we refuse to make judgements.

We want to always see the best,

assume the best

and give the benefit of the doubt.

It begins in our minds and with our thoughts about others.

Here's my paraphrase of a quote I heard recently:

What I think about, I begin to say. What I begin to say, I begin to do. What I begin to do, I become.

I want my defaults--to myself and to others--to be love peace and joy.

Here is another blog that I have been loving recently: forty-sixth at grace.

I love her style. Her use of white space and poetry. Her stunning photos and ridiculously good-looking food. You may also notice the inspiration for the cupcakes I baked for my Dad's birthday this weekend (top image).

Love it.

Here's a taste:

And here's another recipe from 'the book' to add to the blog this week. A pretty darn good chocolate mousse.

Click here for the recipe.

Unfortunately I don't know who gave it to me, but thank you whoever you are! Yum!

Hope you all had wonderful weekends!

Lots of love

xxx

'You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view--until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.' Atticus Finch

baking (cooking) the book: part 2

I added an old favourite to the mix this week. My husband had been craving Taco Soup (a recipe given to me by my auntie) which I've enjoyed many times but never actually cooked myself.

Verdict: SO EASY (didn't realize quite how easy--a zillion cans of things mixed together an heated, really) and a bit of an all-round winter winner. Yum.

Husband's craving: satisfied.

I thought I'd combine it with a corn bread recipe I added to my scrap book a year or so ago. I'd been reading a book set in Georgia at the time, full of descriptions of southern food. The book made me hunt this recipe down. It's a bit of a winner also.

And as for the baking: Peanut Brownies. Another of my Nan's old recipes. I say old because A) it's another childhood favourite, and B) my grandmother used pounds and ounces and all those archaic measurements despite living in the 21st century, so I had to do a haphazard conversion (not sure whether it worked for me) and C) it includes shreddo. Does anyone bake with shreddo anymore? I'm such a baking novice I really have no clue.

Verdict: the RECIPE is amazing, we devoured these things as kids, however I think that winging the metric conversion was not the best idea. The texture was not what it should be, from memory. I'll stick the old measurements in here (easy for you Americans) and suggest that any Kiwi reading use an internet conversion site to get the recipe just right--it's worth it. I'll have to try again I think.

Extra baking tip: Spoon the mixture on to the tray in lumps and don't press them flat. I did. They all spread into one another and I had to break up chunks of biscuit like peanut brittle. They looked a little rustic compared to Nan's perfect cookie bundles. :)

baking the book (part 1)

Just when you thought my blog was a mishmash of too many elements I go and add in another one.

Recipes...yay!

When I was engaged my lovely friends Becs and Katie threw me a kitchen tea shower. They organized for everyone to bring an 'old favourite' recipe, and Becs (being her clever self), created a book for me filled with the donated recipes and many pretty pictures. There are a number in this book I've tried but also a lot that I have yet to attempt. So as for the exciting new facet of my blog: my two year old sous chef and I are going to get baking and cooking! I figure that 'old favourites' are given that title for a reason so, as long as I don't botch them up, they're gonna be good. :) Thanks, blogger, for the motivation (my husband thanks you too).

I've started with an awful lot of baking! I won't be baking three plates of sweets every week. I just happened to have a few fun events on the calendar this week to warrant the first three recipies. I've started with Lemon Pistachio bites and Choc Bit Slice (these two were given to me by a couple of inspiring women: Rae Candy and Jo Thom) and an old favourite, my dear Nan's Sultana cake. It's really the best--a taste of my childhood.

So here goes...

Note: I'll share the recipes with you as I go. Since they were handwritten for me it's hard to tell exactly who created them or where they come from. So if you recognize any let me know and I'll give credit where it's due. :)

Pistachio Lemon Bites

300g (10.5 oz) butter, softened

3 tbsp caster sugar

150g (5.5 oz) pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

2.5 cups plain flour

1 tbsp lemon rind

icing sugar for dusting

Preheat the oven to 180C (355F). Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 4 minutes or until light and creamy. Add the pistachios and beat for 2 minutes. Fold through the flour and lemon rind and mix until well combined. Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture into balls, place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, flatten slightly and bake for 15-20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar. Makes 30.

Nan's Delicious Sultana Cake

500g saltanas

250g butter

1.5 cups sugar

3 eggs

1.5 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp each vanilla essence, lemon essence, almond essence

Wash saltanas, put in saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 5 mins. Strain and pour hot fruit over butter in large bowl. Cream sugar and eggs together then add to butter mixture when butter is melted. Sift in flour and baking powder and add essence. Bake in tin lined with baking paper for 1.5hrs at 180C.

Jo's Choc Bit Slice

100g melted butter

1 packet plain biscuits, crushed

1 packet Nestle choc bits

1 cup long thread coconut

1 cup slivered almonds

1 tin sweetened condensed milk

Melt butter, pour over biscuit crumbs and mix. Press into the bottom of swiss roll tin.

Then sprinkle over choc bits, coconut, almonds and drizzle over condensed milk. Bake at 180C for about 20-30mins or until golden brown.

Cool in tin, then slice and store in fridge.

I couldn't help but add some pictures of that sous chef I mentioned...

this week i like...

This week I like ... this chair face lift. I am itching to try my own. I actually have a few old pieces around here that I'll start work on soon, so watch this space. Click here to see the site this chair came from plus other great restorations.

This painting by none other than MY MUM! Click here to see her website: Ruth Phipps. I love it.

These lemon and poppyseed muffins are the yummiest! Got the recipe from my mum (not sure where she got it from) and I can't tell you how good they are:

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Ingredients

2 cups self raising flour (or use plain plus 3 tsp Baking Pwdr)
1 cup White Sugar
1/2 cup poppyseeds (one packet)
finely grated rind of 2 lemons
100g butter (melted)
2 large eggs (whisked)
1 cup milk (or plain yoghurt)

Topping
Juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup White Sugar

Method

Measure flour, sugar and poppy seeds into a large bowl. Grate in lemon rind.
Melt butter, add milk and eggs. Beat with a fork to combine.
Tip liquid ingredients into dry and fold together until flour is dampened. Do not over mix.
Spoon into 12 greased or oil sprayed regular sized muffin tray and bake at 200 C for 10-15 minutes.

Topping
While muffins cook, squeeze lemon juice and mix with sugar. (Do not dissolve sugar)
As soon as muffins removed from oven, brush lemon sugar glaze over top of muffins. Cool on a wire rack.

These wall adhesives by Love Mae. Am currently saving my pennies to purchase for my daughter's room.

And finally, for any mums who may be reading, this is some great stuff.

I went to a parenting seminar by Diane Levy this week and was impressed. I love her emphasis on the need to provide children with emotional support for frustrated/upset/angry feelings through her 'boring cuddle' method. And alternatively, emotional distance (in the form of a time out) for controlling/non-compliant behavior. Very similar to the strategies and theories presented in my favorite parenting book Loving Our Kids on Purpose by Danny Silk, however Diane provides specific strategies for dealing with toddlers. So I actually find it a little more practical. And it really seems to work! Go Diane Levy! To have a look at or purchase her books click here.

Hope you've had a great week! :)