My 3 favourite recipes for winter kids dinners in the Thermomix

One of my most popular posts is my Top 5 recipes for super easy kids meals in the thermomix. It's about a year since I first posted it that I though it was high time I did an update.  Finding the inspiration to make dinner for the kids EVERY SINGLE DAY can be quite tedious, so hopefully these might help.   Just in time for winter (well in the Southern end of the world anyway) here is a great selection of 'warm belly food' especially for kids.

1.  Vegetarian Chilli Con Carne

I have actually based this recipe on a Jamie Oliver old faithful, but I have replaced the mince with a whole heap of yummy veggies instead.  It's now one of our favourite dinners (although Mr D does complain that it is lacking in the 'chilli' department as it's very mild).  Can't please them all! Oh and it also makes the kitchen smell AMAZING when it's cooking.

Ingredients:
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 carrots (or 3 if they're small)
1 large red capsicum
2 sticks of celery
1/2 sweet potato
1 tbs olive oil
1/2-1 tsp chilli flakes/powder or a real chilli if you prefer (feel free to add more but my kids like it mild)
1 heaped tsp ground cumin
1 heaped tsp ground cinnamon
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
1 x 400g tin tomatoes
1 x 400g tin red kidney beans
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 heaped tsp tomato paste
1 tsp rice malt syrup (or brown sugar)
2 tbs vegetable stock paste (I used a homemade one)
50g water

Put the onion, garlic, capsicum, celery, carrot and sweet potato into the thermomix and chop for 5 seconds on speed 6.  Add the oil, cinnamon, cumin and chilli flakes and cook for 5 minutes at varoma temperature on reverse speed 1.  Add the tomatoes, kidney beans, chick peas, stock paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar and tomato paste and cook for a further 18 minutes at 100 degrees on reverse speed soft.  I serve it with fluffy basmati rice and a dollop of creme fraishe (or plain yoghurt) on top.

2.  Sweet Chicken Curry

This is the only curry my kids eat (apart from butter chicken) and it couldn't be easier to whip up. It's a very mild dish too so you may want to add a bit of extra spice if you're going to feed the grown ups too.

Ingredients:
1 large apple (peeled and cored)
1 zucchini
2 carrots
1 tbsp fruit chutney (I use Mrs Balls Original which I get in the supermarket)
1 onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp curry powder
500 chicken breast cut into chunks
1 tbsp vegetable stock paste (I use a homemade one)
300g water
2 tbsp plain (or gluten free) flour
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp rice malt syrup (or honey or golden syrup)
1 heaped tbsp desiccated coconut

Place the apple in the thermomix and chop for 5 seconds on speed 4-5.  Scrape down the side and add the fruit chutney.  Mix together for 5 seconds on reverse speed 3.  Set aside in a separate bowl.  Add the zucchini and carrot and chop for 5 seconds on speed 5.  Set aside in a separate bowl.  Put the onion in the bowl and chop 3-5 seconds on speed 7.  Scrape down the sides and add the oil and curry powder and saute for 3 minutes on varoma reverse speed 1.  Add all the remaining ingredients except the apple and cook for 10 minutes on 100 degrees reverse speed soft. Add the apple and cook for a further 10 minutes on 90 degrees reverse speed soft.  Serve up with some coconut rice and enjoy.

3.  Sausage and Veggie Hot Pot

I love this dish and it's soo good on a really chilly winters night.  If there are any leftovers I blitz them in the thermomix on speed 9-10 for about 20 seconds until it's smooth and then freeze it.  It makes the perfect pasta sauce or tomato pizza base on those nights when you need something quick.  It is also freezable just as it is and the kids love it.

Ingredients:
500g sausages (of your choice, but I usually use beef)
120g diced bacon
500g veggies (I use carrot, zucchini, sweet potato and red capsicum)
1 clove of garlic
1 onion
1 x 400g tin cannelloni beans
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp vegetable stock paste (I use a homemade one)
100g water
1 tsp sugar (or rice malt syrup)

Place the sausage under the grill and cook for approx. 15-20 minutes until they are cooked through.  Once they have cooled, cut them into 2cm thick slices and set aside.  Add the veggies and chop for 3-5 seconds on speed 5-6.  You don't want them to be chopped too finely, so start with 3 seconds and chop further if you need to.  Set them aside.  Add onion, and garlic and chop for 5 seconds on speed 5.   Add the bacon and olive oil and cook for 3-4 minutes at varoma temperature on reverse speed 1.  Add veggies, tomatoes, beans, tomato paste, sugar, stock and water.  Cook for 18 minutes on 100 degrees reverse speed soft.  Check that the veggies are soft (if not then cook for a further 3-5 minutes).  Add the sausage slices and mix on reverse speed 2 for 3-5 seconds. My kids love it served with lots of grated cheese.

So there you have it - my top 3.

If you have any other recipes I'd love to hear them.

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'Reboot with Joe' Days 6-10. Top tips for doing a juice detox.

I really meant for this post to publish straight after my Reboot with Joe days 1-5 post, however my limited technology knowledge completely failed me.  I attempted to schedule the post while I was sipping wine on the beach over the Easter break but unfortunately it didn't work.  So better late than never - here it is....

I survived my 'Reboot with Joe' detox days 1-5 relatively unscathed and was ready to dive straight into the next 5 days of just juice.  I would much rather have eaten food if truth be told, but I was on such a roll that I couldn't stop now!  The next few days got really tough at times.  I struggled to get my head around not eating - at all!!  I just needed to chew.......something, anything.......(I could have chewed a couple of kids at one point, but luckily it didn't get to that). The first two days for me fell on a weekend which was absolute torture.  Mr D and the kids ate their saturday morning pancakes while I sipped on a 'Joe's mean green' trying not to breath through my nose as the delicious smells wafting through the air were enough to make me leave home (well at least for a walk around the block until they finished breakfast).

I did get into the swing of it though and found the week days much much easier.  There were some juices that were really tasty and filling and others that I had to talk to myself (like a mad women) just to keep swallow them!!  So here's my low down:

Day 6 
I managed it!  That's all.  Sorry if this doesn't sound encouraging but it was really tough getting through the day, even though (strangely enough) I wasn't actually hungry.  It was definitely a mental game.

Day 7
Not much improvement today.  Mostly because it was still the weekend and I was surrounded by all the foods I wanted to eat but couldn't.  I did love the feeling of not being bloated at all AND I managed to get my skinny jeans on!  I still couldn't do them up yet, but that's just details right? HAPPY DAYS!!

Day 8
By now I was in the swing of juicing and apart from the celery and cucumber ones, I was actually starting to enjoy them.  I made sure I had one in my handbag everywhere I went so that I could just sip on it all day long and that really helped keep hunger (and occasional dizzy spells) at bay. My skin also started to break out a little, which to me was a good sign because it mean it was getting rid of toxins! I had a few uncomfortable tummy craps but managed to fix them by eating a small handful of raw almonds. Cheating, I know but at least it wasn't chocolate or bread!!!!

Day 9
I had a really really busy day and I felt exhausted and totally zapped of energy.  I had to dig deep not to make myself a ham and cheese toasty or a bowl full of carbs.  I think I might have even dreamed about one!!

Day 10
Total was weigh in day for me and I was another 2.5 kilo's lighter.  That's a total of just under 5 in 10 days.  I honestly couldn't wipe the smile off my face all day.  It's been tough but oh so rewarding and I was really starting to feel fantastic.

If you think you'd like to join in you can fin all the details HERE.  You can also find out how I did on days 1-5 of this detox program HERE.

I still have 5 days to go to complete my challenge, so stay tuned and I'll keep you updated on my progress!

TOP TIPS

• Don't do any heavy exercise, you just won't have the energy for it.  I managed to do my body step classes in the first 5 days of my detox but when I was just on the juice there is no way I could have managed it.  Running around after the kids was more than enough!!
• Make sure you have ALL the fruit and veg you need for the duration.  Believe me you won't be happy if you're desperate for your next fix and you don't have the right ingredients in the fridge.
• Don't give up.  You CAN DO IT.  It's for such a short time and you will feel fantastic at the end.
• Avoid places like coffee shops or restaurants if you can, it's just not going to help.
• If you are feeling really unwell at any time at all during the detox, consult a doctor.

Have you ever felt like you could eat just about anything before (even a kid)?

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'Reboot with Joe' days 1-5. Top tips for doing a juice detox

A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine opted to drink a bottle of this revolting looking green juice instead of joining us for our usual mid-morning coffee at our playgroup catchup.  We all listened intently as she told us about this 15 day re-boot juicing program she was doing.  In all honestly I thought she was as mad as a box of frogs!  There was no freaking way I was not having my morning coffee!!!

The idea of just having pretty much nothing but juice and green juice at that made me literally shudder.  There was just no way I could do!! NO WAY!!!

So how on earth did I end up doing it????  Mmmmmm yes, good question.  Well......... the lovely Gina (mad as a box of frogs friend) sent the link for a documentary film called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (delightful title) and I was so intrigued that I had to watch it.  If you're in any way intrigued too.......watch it!!!  It explains everything you need to know about the benefits of detoxing.

As shallow as it sounds, the thing that caught my attention was the amount of weight Gina had lost in such a short space of time (not that she even needed to)!!  I know I'm not huge, but I have been trying for so long to loose the last little bit of my baby weight and it's just not happening!! I lost it so easily after baby one and two but the third time round I am really struggling.

I couldn't stop thinking about the reboot detox and the concept of literally spring cleaning my whole body (and of course loosing those last few pounds).  For about a week I mulled it over and then grilled Gina about it on the phone one afternoon while I was sat watching Miss H's swimming lesson.  I decided to just suck it up and do it.  And that was it!!

The program I followed was 'Reboot with Joe' and he includes a FULL shopping list, step by step meal plan and all the recipes too.  It takes all the 'thinking' out of it and all you have to do is following the steps and polish up your will power.

I am now on day 8 and still going strong.  Here are a few tips I have if you want to join in too and a few details of what to expect.

TOP TIPS

• Invest in a juicer.  I tried to use my thermomix as a juicer but it just wasn't happening, so I went out and bought a Breville Juicer and it has been fantastic.
• Follow the shopping list and make sure you have all the ingredients you need before you start.  Joe gives you a new shopping list ever 5 days, but I actually got my ingredients every 3 days as I just didn't have enough space in my fridge to store everything.
• It's a lot cheaper to use frozen berries than fresh ones.
• Be organised.  I can't stress enough how important this one is.  If you're busy like me you really need to know exactly what you're making that day and if you can pre-prepare anything than do it.  There is nothing worse that being starving and you can't eat anything because you're not home and have not made a juice to bring with you.
• The first 5 days include juicing and some food but no dairy, meat, sugar or carbohydrates. The following 10 days are just juice.
• Be prepared to go to the toilet - all the time!!!
• Be brave - it's only 15 days.  Some of the recipes sound revolting but are actually not that bad after all.

Full details of shopping list, meal/juice plan and all recipes for the 15 day Reboot with Joe program can be found here.

Day 1 
I actually found that there was too much to eat and I couldn't keep up with it all.  I felt great, enjoyed the food and really didn't see what all the fuss was about!!

Day 2
Now the fun kicked in (cue sarcasm!). Not being able to have coffee left me with the most horrendous headache that felt like someone was stabbing at my temples all day.  Other than having to tell myself several times that 'this is self inflicted and NOT the kids fault' day 2 was not too bad.  I wasn't left feeling hungry at all.

Day 3
This was a funny day really - for some reason I felt really emotional and found myself getting all teary over the silliest things.  Also my cravings for a big fat slice of fresh bread with butter REALLY started to kick in today, especially when I was eating soup.

Juice instead of coffee (sobs)

Day 4
Day 2's lingering headache was starting to slowly disappear and I had the best nights sleep I've had in a long time.  I was also starting to get used to drinking the different juices, although it still took some extra will power to drink anything with celery in it.  I also discovered that chopped kale, garlic, onions and some chilli olive oil is actually bloody delicious!! Who would have though it?

Day 5
This was by far the hardest day for me so far as it was our wedding anniversary and Mr D was taking me out for dinner.  We went to a beautiful fish restaurant and I had some amazing grilled tuna with roasted vegetables.  However it just took EVERY ounce of strength I had not to order any wine.  It was coconut water all the way for me.  The only thing that got me through was that fact that I had lost just over 2kgs - in 5 DAYS!!!  The other thing I noticed was how beautiful and long my nails have grown.  Bonus!!

I'm about half way though now and although I wouldn't say it's been easy, it hasn't been as hard as I though it would be either.  I'll keep you updated on my progress.

Have you ever done a detox before??  How did you find it??

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White chocolate Easter Egg bark

Miss H's birthday is right slap bang in the middle of the Easter school holidays.  You'd think it would be much more fun to have your birthday in the holidays but she is devastated because she wanted to take 'cakes' in for all her class at school!!  Poor little thing I did feel for her.

Our school breaks up for the holidays on Friday and the kids are doing an Easter Hat Parade, which I'm sure will be very cute.  Miss H is very enthusiastic about her Easter Hat, but Master J is verging on being too old for it now and is not quite as excited.  The best bit is the Easter picnic that follows and everyone is allowed to bring in an Easter treat for their morning tea.  I asked Miss H if we could make something 'Eastery' for her class and she could take them in instead of birthday cakes to have at the picnic.  THAT got rid of the teas - phew!!

I made chocolate bark at Christmas last year and it was so quick and easy that I thought making an Easter version would be a great idea.

What you'll need

• 1 bag of white chocolate melts
• 1 bag of Cadburys mini eggs
• some coloured string or ribbon (I got my from Woolies)
• Some clear or Easter cellophane bags (again I got mine from Woolies)

Method

• Line a baking tray with baking paper.
• Take a rolling pin (or something similar) and bash the mini eggs (still in their bag) until they break up into little pieces.  This is a great job for any little helpers you may have.
• Melt the white chocolate in a pan on the stove top, stirring slowly.  I find it better to have it on a low heat so the bottom doesn't burn.
• Once the chocolate is completely melted spread it over the grease proof paper in a thin even layer.
• Immediately pour the crushed mini eggs on top and pop the tray in the fridge in the fridge.
• After a couple of hours take it out the fridge and snap it up into bit sized shards.  This is another great job for little helpers.

We then put a few pieces into each bag and tied them up with colourful string.

They're all in the fridge waiting to go to school and I'm sure Miss almost 5 will be very happy to hand them out to her friends.  I forget how important these little thing are when you're almost 5!!!

I love Easter baking and made these cute bunny cupcakes last year.  This year we're going to be camping over Easter, so I'm not really sure how I'm going to manage to do any!

Does anyone have any tips or suggestions on how to do Easter in a campsite????

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Gardening leave and a coconut lemon pound cake

So after 13 years of service at his current job Mr D has taken the plunge and decided to move on. It's a very exciting new chapter and I'm extremely proud of him.  BUT and yes there is a but...... he is now on Gardening Leave for the next month until his new job starts.  For those of your that haven't heard of Gardening Leave (and don't worry because I hadn't either) it's when your Company puts you on paid leave instead of working your notice period before leaving.  He's only been home a few days but he's driving me crazy already.

He has taken over my neatly organised desk AND my computer and not only can I NOT get any work done but I can't find anything either!!!  Not to mention the laying on the sofa playing games and telling me "Babe, I don't no what you complain about...staying at home all day is easy!!!" GRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!  

He doesn't know it yet but I have decided that Gardening Leave is for gardening.  Literally.  I am desperate for someone to dig out all the weeds in the flower beds in our back yard and prepare them, so that I can plant sunflowers AND have a veggie patch.  I'm sure he can managed all that with a month at home.  Plus I know he is very good at it because he did up the garden in our last home in England.  So no excuses Mr D...... as soon as all this rain stops I will be putting your back to work!

Anyway I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and I will leave you with the DELICIOUS coconut pound cake recipe!!

Ingredients:

120g butter
20g stevia (or a sugar free equivalent)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
280g plain flour
100g desiccated coconut
170g coconut cream (I used the light version)

Optional topping (This part is NOT sugar free)
3-4 tbs icing sugar
coconut cream
grated lemon rind
1/2 lemon
desiccated coconut

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees and line a loaf tin with grease proof paper.
2. Cream the butter and stevia together in the thermomix (or food processor) for 1 to 2 minutes on speed 6.  You will need to stop it and scrape down the sides every 20 seconds.
3. Add the eggs one at a time and mix for 10-15 seconds on speed 5 for each one.  On the last egg, add the vanilla extract.
4. Add the flour and the desiccated coconut and mix for 1 minute on speed 4.  It should turn to a sticky dough consistency.
5. Add the coconut cream and mix for 45 seconds on speed 5.
6. Pour into the lined loaf tin and bake for 25-30 minutes or until it is slightly browned (and cracked) on top, and a knife comes out clean when poked into the middle.  

Adding the glaze will make the cake taste even yummier, but it does mean that it's no longer totally sugar free.  To make it, put the icing sugar into a bowl and then squeeze half a lemon into it and mix it into a paste.  Slowly add the coconut cream until you have your desired consistency. I like mine really runny.  Once the cake is cooled, pour the glaze over the top and then add some desiccated coconut and grated lemon rind to make it look pretty.

ENJOY x

She certainly loved it.

Do have a parter that works from home?? 

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Sugar-free and nut-free kids apple muffins - perfect little lunch box snacks

Technically these aren't totally sugar-free as they do have apples in them, which still contain fructose.  If you want to be super duper good, then you could always leave the apples out.

I've had one of those weeks, with birthday parties and two school BBQ's, where I feel like my kids have eaten nothing but junk (and the amount of whinging going on today is just confirming it!).  So this morning I decided to try and make some sugar-free snacks.  This recipe was actually a bit of a trial and error experiment and I was half expecting it to turn into a complete disaster - especially as I'm not the most talented baker out there.  However I totally surprised myself and they're actually really super yummy.  They are not the sweetest muffins out there, so if you have a sweet tooth you might not like them.  My kids have devoured them though, so that must be a good sign.

This recipe makes approx. 40 muffins

(*I have used my thermomix for this recipe*)

Ingredients:
3 large red apples
100g butter
4 eggs
1 and 3/4 cups coconut cream
300g plain flour
200g rolled oats
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp bicarbonate soda
2 heaped tsp cinnamon
a pinch of salt
6 tbs stevia
(chia seeds and desiccated coconut for toppings)

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and line (or grease) your muffin trays.
2. Peel, core and quarter the apples and put them in the thermomix.  Chop on speed 6 for 3-5 seconds and set aside in a separate bowl.
3. Add the butter, stevia, cinnamon and salt to the bowl and mix on speed 6 for 30 seconds.
4. Add the flour, oats, baking powder and bicarbonate soda and mix for 3-5 seconds on speed 5.
5. Add the coconut cream and the eggs (one at a time), mixing on speed 5 until all the ingredients are well combined.
6. Finally add the chopped apples and mix on reverse speed 3 for 15-20 seconds until well combined.  
7. Divide the mixture into the muffin tins and sprinkle a little desiccated coconut and chia seed on top of each one.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown (or stick a knife in a it comes out clean).

I put half of the muffins in pairs into little zip lock bags and put them in the freezer.  I pull them out on school mornings and put a frozen one into each lunch box.  By the time morning tea comes around they are perfectly defrosted and fresh.  A little tip I got from The Organised Housewife. The other half didn't last long today.........

Do you ever experiment in the kitchen??

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What Australia means to me and a Sugar Free-Anzac biscuit recipe for Australia Day

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In the short time we've been living in Aus we've never actually celebrated Australia Day before. In fact the first one we spent at Northmead Children's hospital while Miss H had emergency surgery on a tooth that had come through without any enamel, causing her to get blood poisoning. My poor little mouse was so sick, that the last thing on my mind was celebrating - in fact I don't think we even realised it was Australia Day until the staff mentioned it.

This year I'm really looking forward to celebrating all things Aussie.  I love how enthusiastic the whole country gets about 'their' day.  Australians are one of the many things I love about living here.  In the short time we've been here I really feel like we've been taken in and welcomed into the community (both locally and online) and I'll always be grateful for that.  Moving countries is not an easy thing to do, especially with a family but I don't have one single regret.  Australia is everything I imagined it would be and more and it is also somewhere we are now very proud to call home.

Here are a just few things that make me think "Ah yes - I'm in Australia"

1.  The smell of eucalyptus trees
2.  The beach
3.  Glorious sunshine and HUGE blue skies
4.  Sausages wrapped in white bread
4.  Nippers
6.  Crazy, stalking magpie birds
7.  Sunscreen
9.  SPIDERS (and all other kinds of creepy bugs/lizards and snakes)
10.  Cockatoos and pelicans
11.  Camping
12.  The way no one uses the letter 'T' for example, taddoo's (tattoo), scooders (scooter), wader (water)
13.  Jacaranda's and Frangipanis
14.  Thongs (flip flops) - worn all year round
15.  Banana bread and flat white coffee
16.  Ocean swimming

My little contribution to Australia Day baking will be some Sugar Free Anzac biscuits.  Oh how I would love to bake the real deal, but I am very much still SUGAR FREE and I have to tell you, these are a pretty damn good alternative.  I dare you to try them!!!!

Ingredients:
250g butter
100g rice malt syrup
1.5 tsp bicarbonate soda
3 tbs boiling water
2/3 cup stevia
120g desiccated coconut
180g oats
300g plain flour

Method:
1.  Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and line two baking trays with greece proof paper.
2.  Add the butter and rice malt syrup to the thermomix and set it to 90 degrees for 3.5 minutes on speed 2.
3.  Mix the bicarbonate of soda into the boiling water (in a separate cup) until it fizzes and dissolves and add it to thermomix.  Mix for 10 seconds on speed 2.
4.  Add the dry ingredients and mix for 1 minute on speed 3-4 until it forms a dough.
5.  Roll (squeeze) into balls and flatten each one with a fork.
6.  Bake for approx 8 minutes until they turn a golden brown colour.  Allow them to cool and harden before enjoying them with a lovely cup of tea.

For a sugar free biscuit these are actually so delicious that the kids haven't turned their noses up at them - which is always a bonus right!!  They are definitely not as sweet or as chewy as traditional Anzacs, but for a something that is completely guilt free (and yummy) I am definitely not complaining.

What's your favourite thing about being Aussie - or living in Australia??

Happy Australia Day everyone and I hope the sun is shining where ever you are (and you're near the water if it's one of those ridiculously HOT days).

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Christmas Mince Scrolls - a slight twist to the more traditional Mince Pie (Thermomix Recipe)

Possibly not the prettiest looking scrolls but they were delicious!

I made the most DELICIOUS christmas fruit mince the other day.  It was so good I had to stop myself from eating it out of the jar with a spoon.  It was the first time I've ever made it and it was surprisingly easy - so much so that I don't think I'll ever buy mince pies again.

The kids are not huge fans of mince pies so this was really a treat for me.  I was all set to make my pies (with my special mince) when I saw a Jamie Oliver Christmas show on TV and he made scrolls instead of pies!!  Genius!  So I decided to be a bit of a copycat and make them too.  I do still want to make my pies but I think I'm going to have to wait just a little bit closer to Christmas otherwise I'll just eat them all - and then have to make them again!!!

Here's my recipe:  

Ingredients:

• 500g apples (peeled and cored)
• 1/2 orange (juice and rind)
• 1/2 lemon (juice and rind)
• 300g mixed fruit (raisons, sultanas, cherries etc)
• 30g dried cranberries
• 50g raw almonds
• 30g butter
• 50g brandy
• 20g apple cider vinegar
• 200g raw sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp mixed spice

Method:

1. Put the orange and lemon rind into the thermomix and blitz it for about 10 seconds on speed 8/9.  Scrape the sides and repeat if you need to until it is very finely grated.  If you prefer it chunkier then use speed 5.
2. Add  the juice of the orange and lemon, the apples and almonds.  Chop them on speed 5 for about 5 seconds until they are in quite small chunks.
3. Add everything else and cook for 30 minutes on 100 degrees with reverse speed soft.

The smell in the kitchen is AMAZING and so Christmassy, you have to make it just for that. Once the mince is ready you can store it in sterilised jars or put it aside for your mince pies or scrolls (or just eat it as it is like me!!).

To make the scrolls all you'll need is the mince (of course) and a few sheets of puff pastry.  

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.  Spread the fruit mince over the pastry sheet until it is completly covered and then roll it up like a long sausage.  You can use some beaten egg to help seal the ends together. 

Slice them up into 2-3cm sections (or bigger if you prefer) and arrange them on a baking tray facing upwards.  Sprinkle over some vanilla sugar over the top of them and bake for approx 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and the pastry has completely cooked through.

Serve with custard, cream, ice-cream or brandy butter or just eat them on their own. DELICIOUS!!

I've saved some of my mince so that I can make the more traditional mince pies with my mum when she arrives from London in two weeks!!  At least then there will be more than just me eating them.

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Nigella Lawson's Christmas Cake Recipe (converted to Thermomix)

I've always wanted to make a proper Christmas Cake from scratch but it's always seemed a bit ambitious for me! And besides, my mum has always made the Christmas Cake and it just seems like a 'mummy' thing to do at Christmas.  Newsflash....... I am the mummy now - eeeek!!!  Seems a bit surreal when I say it like that.  Do you have anything that you still think of as 'a job for mum' - but YOU ARE the mum??

My mum is coming to Sydney for Christmas this year (Yipeeee), so I though I had better make an effort and get this Christmas Cake baked.  I decided to go with a Nigella Lawson recipe as, well really - you can't beat Nigella at Christmas time!

I opened up the book and the first sentence said 'This cake should be made about 3 months prior to Christmas Day".  OOOOPS!!  Well that's a fail before I've even started!  I bet my mum knew that!!

The reason you have to make it so early is that is needs to be fed with a little brandy every week until Christmas.  I figured if I just fed it a little extra then I'd be just fine making it now (I hope).

So here goes...... (Oh and although I have used my thermomix, I didn't really need it this time, so this recipe can quite easily be made without it).

Ingredients:
850g mixed fruit (currents, sultanas, raisons etc)
100g glace cherries chopped into halves
75g mixed peel
75g slivered almonds
350g plain flour
1 tsp cinnemon
3/4 tsp mixed spice
275g butter
200g soft brown sugar
5 eggs
A few capfuls of brandy (I'll let you decide how many is a few)

Method:

1. Mix the dried fruits with the cherries and the peel in a large bowl.  Add a few capfuls of Brandy (I added 3 I think - or maybe 4??).  Mix it all together and wrap the bowl in a tea towel.  Leave it to soak for around 24 hours.   
   
2. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees.
   
3. Add the butter to the thermomix and cream is really well on speed 6/7 for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides and cream again for another 10 seconds.
4. Add the sugar and cream together with the butter until it's light and fluffy.  Speed 7 for 30 seconds.  Scrape down the sides and repeat.  
5. Weigh out the flour and put it in a separate bowl.
6. Add the eggs one at a time with a table spoon of flour.  Beat for about 5 seconds on speed 5 for each one.  I had never done this flour trick before when beating eggs - Nigella says it stops the mixture from curdling and it really works!!  
   
7. Add the rest of the flour with the mixed spice and cinnamon and mix gently on speed 5 for about 10-15 seconds.
8. Add to your big bowl of fruit and fold it all together until everything is mixed through.   
   
9. Double line a cake tin with baking paper.  This bit is not easy (for me anyway) and there were a few curses whilst I was trying to get it on properly.  Oh and FYI cellotape does not stick to baking paper!!  Once you have achieved this, scoop the mixture into the tin as evenly as possible.  Use the back of a spoon to flatten it out.
10. Another Nigella tip, which I thought was pretty awesome was to make a little hollow in the middle of the cake with a teaspoon before putting it in the oven.  It stops the cake from rising unevenly - and it REALLY WORKS!! 
    
11. Wrap another layer of baking paper around the outside of the tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 3 and 3/4 hours.  That's what the recipe said but I took mine out of the oven after 2.5 hours as I think it was ready.  A knife came out the middle clean and I could hear my mum in my head saying 'Don't dry it out!!".
12. Allow to completely cool.  Poke a few holes into the top of the cake and tip over another capful of brandy allowing it to soak into the holes.  Repeat this 'feeding' process every week until christmas (or in my case, twice a week as I'm playing catch up).  
    
13. To store the cake on the lead up to Christmas you will need to wrap it up in more baking paper and tie it up with string.  Then put it into an air tight tin and only take it out for 'feeding'. 
    

I really enjoyed making this cake and it was much easier than I initially thought.  Unfortunately I won't be able to tell you how it tastes until after Christmas, but I am quietly optimistic.  To finish it off,  I'll firstly put a layer of apricot jam over it, followed by a layer of marzipan (my favourite part) and then finally some white Royal Icing.

The other night I went to a cake decorating class and I made an angel out of fondant.  I was SUPER PROUD of my little angel and she will most definitely be going on top of this cake!! (and Miss H has first dips on eating her).

She's a little bit wonky but I still think she's cute :)

Have you made your Christmas Cake yet??

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Tiny Star biscuits for kids (just like tiny teddies but homemade)

My kids LOVE Tiny Teddie biscuits and I have to admit they are the perfect little treat to carry in your handbag, pop in a lunchbox or pull out for morning tea.  I normally always have a stash in my pantry to shove in my bag before leaving the house as a 'just in case I need a snack snack' but yesterday morning I got caught out and my stash was empty!!!!!!  A very bad oversight indeed as a handful of cut apples just didn't cut the bacon after the promise of teddies!! So I decided to make my own.

Seriously I don't know why I haven't done this before as they were SO EASY!!!

Ingredients:
120g Caster sugar (or just raw sugar if using a thermomix)
240g butter
1 tsb vanilla essence
360g wholemeal flour (or you could just use plain flour)
40g hundreds and thousands (or 20g cocoa powder or 40g chocolate chips)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.
2. Add the raw sugar to the thermomix and whizz for 10 seconds on speed 9/10 to give you caster sugar.  Scrape down the sides.
3. Add the butter and vanilla and cream together for 30 seconds on speed 5/6.  Scrape down the sides and repeat for another 5 seconds if necessary.  
   
4. Add the flour (and cocoa powder if using) and mix for 10 seconds on speed 6, until the mixture roughly resembles bread crumb texture.
   
5. Add the hundreds and thousands and set the thermomix to closed lid and knead for 30 seconds on interval speed until you have a dough.  
   
6. If you want to make chocolate stars then add 20g cocoa instead of hundred & thousands or you could add chocolate chips, but just make sure you crush them a bit first so that they they are teeny tiny.
7. Roll the dough into a big ball and either wrap it up in a thermomat if you have one, otherwise cling-film will do.  Pop it in the fridge for half and hour.  
   
8. Roll the dough out until it is about 2cm thick and then cut our your shapes using a tiny thumb sized cutter.  I have to admit, this bit is a bit fiddly and time consuming because you have to do so many, but it is worth it in the end.  
   
9. Bake in the oven for 10 - 12 minutes, allow to cool and then enjoy.

I only used 3/4 of the dough and saved the rest for Miss H as she wanted to make her 'own' shapes and not just stars.  You could also freeze whatever dough you don't use and save it for a rainy day.  Just make sure you wrap it up in cling-film and label it before you put it in the freezer!!

Store your tiny stars in a cute tin or you could buy some little zip lock bags and add 8 to 10 little stars into each one. That way they are just as handy to chuck in your bag (for emergency snacks) as the 'real deal' tiny teddies!!

I have used my thermomix but if you don't have one they are just as easy to make.  Put everything in a bowl together and use your hands to mix it all together.  Make sure the butter and sugar and well mixed before you add the dry ingredients to make your dough (if you have a hand held mixer use that first and then your hands to get a perfect dough).

ENJOY

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