Teddy's Play Date

Just some photos I took when Teddy went over to his friend Busta's house. Busta is a Bull Arab breed but he is as docile as a lamb. Teddy actually dominated Busta in Busta's own backyard - he kept barking at Busta to stay off the paved area! The paved area is where Busta's kennel, food and water are!

Paul's 30th Birthday

My husband turned 30 on May 11th. The Friday before Paul's birthday I decided to stay home. No patients were booked in so I took the opportunity to cook him a heartwarming autumn feast! I wanted him to arrive from a long week at work to a relaxing meal.

I set the mood with candles and rose petals! I even wrote a card because he was only going to turn 30 once!

What I wanted him to walk into from the garage upon his arrival home!

Like my handwriting?

My menu:

Entree:

Tourtière du Quebec (Quebecois Pork & Veal Pie)

I used vegetable shortening for the pastry (so bad for you but so yummy)

Main:

Coq au Vin (Chicken slow-cooked in Red Wine)

Sides:

Asparagus with Garlic & Butter

Pecan & Caramel Brie

Baguettes

Scalloped Potatoes

Arrange pecans on cheese, pour caramelised sugar over top
Do on a rack over foil because it's messy!

Dessert:

30 Black Forest Birthday Cupcakes

I didn't have kirsch so used cherry brandy
Paul loved the Grand Prix candles :)

Healthy Afternoon Snack

I keep swinging between eating bad food (bad for you but delicious) for a period of time and then trying a short (1 day long!) healthy phase here and there. One such afternoon I was feeling particularly peckish - and healthy. I stared into the fridge and came up with an idea!

Using the baguettes I had made previously, I toasted them (in the oven because they were too big for the toaster) then topped them with cottage cheese and figs, with a healthy drizzle of honey. Delicious!

Roxy's Bakehouse

Ahhh finally, scarf season has arrived. Where has the year gone?! After an unseasonably warm autumn (some days were still reaching maximum 30 Celsius - not that I was complaining), I now definitely know winter has arrived. It's those few months of inserting your icy toes between your soundly sleeping spouse's legs, battling between staying under your warm covers or facing that hard, frosty toilet seat (whilst busting to pee of course), and getting vitamin D deficiency because it's dark when you get to work and when you leave work.

I find a nice way to turn your home toasty is to bake! Bake several things simultaneously or one after the other - cookies, cakes, bread, pies, slow-roasted meat... the longer the oven is on, the warmer! (not to mention a higher electricity bill)

I made some bread again - actually overcooked it because I left it 5 minutes too long! I think the darker brown is actually quite attractive though! Because of the colder weather it's hard to find a cozy place for your dough to sleep! I know a technique is to place the dough on a stool in front of an open oven (the oven would be turned off but previously heated) - but I do not have a stool and my oven is at floor level! So I put it on the TV entertainment unit! The heat generated from the TV, DVD player and computer seem to do the trick!

I really like my dough hook attachment
on my KitchenAid
Dough is done when you imprint a thumb
and the dough springs back!

After being left to rise for 1 hour

A sharp knife used to slash the surface
Bake at 220 Celcius
Chuck a handful of ice cubes in a baking
tin at the bottom of the oven to achieve
a crunchy crust!

A darker brown from being baked 5 mins
overtime but I actually like the colour!

Feel like baking but not in the mood or no time for messy prep work? I overcome this particular first world problem by preparing cookie dough ahead of time! Same concept as the cookie dough logs you can purchase at the grocery store.

Shape your prepared cookie dough into a log
on a sheet of baking paper

Roll the paper up and seal the ends like bonbons!
Store in the fridge until needed - simply slice and bake :)

Comfort Food

I first discovered what "comfort food" was about 7 years ago. I was still at university and I made one of my regular pit-stops at Basement Books - a hole in the wall, makeshift discount book store. The books weren't preloved or anything, just not in flawless condition. Think of it as a factory seconds store for books! They also had stationery and art supplies so you can see why I always wondered in - you never know what you'd find. On this occasion, as always I checked out the cooking section.

I picked up a book based on its cover - a royal purple felt material, stylishly embossed with shiny silver letters that spelled out "Comfort Food". There was a glossy photograph of a rather sloppy looking dish - bangers and mash with gravy. As I flipped through it I found many similar seemingly easy and achievable dishes - apple and cinnamon pancakes, eggs benedict, croque monsieur and even chocolate mousse. With a price label of about $5 and feeling extremely intrigued, I decided to take the plunge and indulge in purchasing the book. Plus, Paul and I were still in the lovey-dovey dating stage and I was eager to impress him with such dishes. Long story short, the chocolate mousse was an EXTREME success - he ate all that I had made except for what I served myelf (in one sitting too), and we are now coming up to 3 years of marriage :)

This morning was an absolutely beautiful autumn morning. The kitchen thermometer read 22 degrees celcius, the sky was bright blue with the sun filling my home with glorious light (courtesy of our skylights!). This motivated me to cook up a yummy breakfast with what little ingredients I had in the pantry. My absolute favourite comfort dish would have to be crêpes with sugar and lemon juice. The sourness balanced by the sweet granules and heated by the warm, tender crêpes makes me feel warm and happy inside!

Crêpes with Lemon & Sugar

Whisk 2 eggs with 1¾ cups milk

Slowly incorporate milk mix into a bowl containing 1 cup of plain flour

Add 2 tbsp melted butter and mix until smooth

Rest batter covered for 30 minutes

Grease crêpe pan (or non-stick fry-pan) with butter

Place batter into pan and swirl to spread thinly

Cook for 1 minute, flip, cook for 1 minute

To serve:

Fold crêpes into quarters

Sprinkle with granulated sugar

Serve with lemon wedges

Enjoy

Sick, Sick, Sick

I went home after seeing only 2 patients today. This cold seems to be lingering. Paul also wasn't feeling well so he's home from work too.

So with a sore throat, sore joints and sore face, I mustered as much energy as I could to make a chicken soup. Hot and golden, it heals the body and the heart with every slurp.

I put this soup together based on what I pictured in my head would taste good!

ASIAN FLAVOURED CHICKEN SOUP FOR COLDS

Place 1 whole chicken (chopped into pieces) in large stockpot filled with cold water.

Place in varying amounts according to personal taste: 

fish sauce, soy sauce, salt, peppercorns, chopped galangal, celery sticks, 

banana chilli (unopened; chopped if you want more heat)

herbs eg basil, bay leaf, star anise. 

Simmer for 1.5 hours, constantly skimming the surface of impurities.

Strain broth and put chicken pieces aside, discard herbs and things.

I would have liked to have used a cheesecloth to strain the broth

but I just used a fine sieve. Replace broth onto stove.

Remove meat from chicken pieces (bite sized pieces) and place into broth.

Add chopped cabbage and enoki mushrooms into broth.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Garnish with chopped coriander and fried shallots.

Slurp and heal :)

Teddy begging for some soup

Teddy liked us being home because
he could chill in the sun :)

Stormy Sunday

This weekend brought the end of daylight savings, the end of ANOTHER cold for me and the start of a cold for my husband. I am now lounging in my bed in the dark - at 6PM! listening to the soothing mixture of the rain outside and Alt-J, with an occasional clap of thunder and sniffles from my hubby next to me.

When Paul gets sick I cannot help but look after him! Is that a maternal instinct perhaps??

So this morning I baked him some scones with orange pekoe tea. Here is the scones recipe:

SCONES

Preheat oven to 200°C (390F). 

Grease and flour a round cake tin.

Sift together 2½ cups of self-raising flour 

with a teaspoon of salt and 

2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.

Rub in 40g of butter with fingers until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Make a well in the centre and add 1 cup (250ml) milk. 

Gently mix until combined.

Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. 

Flatten dough to 2cm thickness.

Cut rounds from the dough and arrange in prepared cake tin. 

Brush surface with milk.

Bake on top oven rack for 15 minutes.

I love my scones with whipped cream and jam :)

A double rainbow seen from my backyard this afternoon

Happy Easter

Easter was a lazy, content affair for me this year. I stayed home and was the domestic goddess I fancy myself to be and only left to go to church on Sunday. I heard a powerful message about how the apostle Paul compares ours and Christ's death and resurrection to the sowing of a seed (1 Corinthians 15:35-44). The seed already contains predetermined genetic information of what it will grow into. When the seed is sown it ceases to exist - it is no longer a seed. It "resurrects" into a new creation. Before our death (or our "sowing") we contain predetermined spiritual information of what we will resurrect into, in the kingdom of heaven. Isn't that just amazing? Just as birth and life is a miraculous event, so is death and resurrection.

So as I mentioned in a previous post, I got excited about decorating for this Easter! It was my first time so forgive my simplicity - I assure you it will improve in the coming years! Because of our dire financial situation I did Easter on a budget. So I present to you, Easter at the Fry's:

Making Sugar Cookies

I was going to buy Easter Bunny and egg cookie cutters
but it wouldn't have arrived in time from eBay

I learned a lesson - dye icing with a toothpick and not by
pouring from the bottle! These were supposed to be pastel
blue and pastel pink...

These were attractive to look at but believe it or not,
too sickeningly sweet for my liking! The cookies are
nicer plain with no icing

I crocheted some birdies to hang off my Easter tree
Balls of yarn from K-mart $3 :D

My DIY Easter Tree: The branches
were sourced from a parking lot then
spray painted with Dulux off-white
Simply de-leaf, de-bug and spray!

The silver birdies are actually Christmas
ornaments I found online.
I stuck the branches in some old florist's
foam block that came with roses Paul gave
me for our first wedding anniversary.
I knew I kept it for a reason!

Mini Easter Eggs - less than $2 a bag from Aldi

Birdie salt shakers - a gift

Lindt Bunny - a gift

My Macarons from a previous post

Would you call my décor shabby chic?

Royal Albert Napkin Rings
Yves Delorme Linen Napkins

My husband's Peter Rabbit he had as a
baby in fantastic condition - not bad
for 30 years of age eh?

And there you have it.
My simple Easter tablescape.