Twirly wirly garlic and herb bread (home-made of course)

Who would have thought that I could make such a fancy looking garlic bread??  Normally I would have scared away from something like this - well, actually truth be told I would have just popped into Bakers Delight and bought it!  However this recipe is so easy that you can't go wrong, and you know exactly what's in it too (I'm trying to steer clear of all preservatives at the moment.)   It's also a great one to take to a BBQ or picnic as it looks so pretty.

A few people have asked me for recipe so here it is - it really couldn't be simpler.  I have made it in the thermomix but I am sure you could just adjust it if you don't have one.

Start by making the garlic & herb butter:

• Add 500-600g of fresh, chilled cream into the TM bowl (not thickened) and using the butterfly attachement blend for 1-3 minutes on speed 4.  Once the butter is separated pour off the buttermilk (pop it straight into the fridge and use it to make either pancakes or scones - SO YUMMY and much tastier than using normal milk).
• Strain the milk off one more time using ice cold water and you are left with beautiful butter.  (you could of course just use butter from the supermarket if you don't want to make it)
• Add chopped garlic and herbs of choice (I used rosemary and thyme) and mix it into the butter for 30 seconds on speed 4.  There you have it - beautiful garlic & herb butter.  Just set it aside in a bowl (not in the fridge as you don't want it to go to hard).

homemade garlic and herb butter

Bread Ingredients:

450g luke warm water

4 tsp yeast

1 tsp salt

750g bakers flour

5 tbsp oil

• Turn the oven on to 180 degrees (I always forget this part!!  It's SO annoying).

• Put the water, yeast, salt, flour and oil into the TM bowl and mix for 5 seconds on speed 7.  Then set the dial to the 'closed lid' position and knead for 2 minutes on interval speed.

• Tip the dough out and wrap it up either in some cling-film plastic or your thermo-mat and leave it to rise for about half an hour or until it has doubled in size.

The Fun Bit:

• Roll the dough out into a bit square - about the size of the thermomat (approx 50-60cm long).  I find that if you rub some olive oil (or any oil) onto your hands and then press the dough out it is so much easier to handle and doesn't stick.

• Spread your garlic & herb butter across all the dough.  You can use a butter knife or spatula for this, but I just used my hands (clean of course) and spread it out.  A rather messy job but it does feel kinda nice squidging butter between your fingers!

• Using a spatula or a knife cut the dough up into 3-4cm wide strips and roll each one up like a snail.

• Arrange each little snail in a pattern inside a 26cm springform cake tin.  Sprinkle a little rock salt and a few herbs on top and pop it into the oven for 40-45 minutes.

before.....

After!!  (sitting on my lap in the car on our way to a BBQ with friends)

Simples!!  It really was delicious and oh so easy to make.  If anyone tries it without the aid of Thermie, let me know how you got on........

*(This recipe can also be found on page 20 of the Thermomix Festive Flavours Cook book.  The pictures are all my own)

Disney Live! Mickey's Rockin' Road Show

Who doesn't love Disney??  

Since the very first time that gorgeous pair of character mice Mickey and Minnie appeared in the early 1940's, Disney has become a real part of every family.  Every little girl's dream is to become a real life Disney princess. (By the way did you know that Snow White was the first  EVER Disney princess?? Just FYI).  I can remember thinking how much I would just LOVE to be Arial the mermaid when I was a little girl - spending hours in the swimming pool with my cousin LCJ swimming with our 'tails' and washing our 'long red hair'.  It makes my heart melt seeing my little Miss H doing the exact same thing without any extra encouragement from me.  Disney really is pure magic.

How could you not want to give him a cuddle?  I had TWO :)))

Yesterday Miss H and her little friend Miss B and I were invited to visit Sydney's Entertainment Centre to to find out more about  Disney Live's newest tour "Mickey's Rockin' Road Show".  She was SO excited and didn't stopping talking the whole way into the city on the bus.  It was so cute and I must admit - I might have been a tiny bit excited too.

A few awesome ladies from the DisneyLive! team (who have just flown into Australia from Hong Kong after the Asian leg of their world tour)  took the time to tell the kids what "Mickey's Rockin' Road Show" show was all about.

The kids lining up to show off their talents!  Their enthusiasm was captivating.

The show sees Disney's coolest characters hit the road on a search to find new talent.  The audience gets to join in the fun and help find some awesome new acts.  Your whole family will be transported on a hilarious, action packed adventure where you'll get the chance to Sing with Cinderella, bounce with Tigger to do the hoe-down with Jesse and Woody from Toy Story, with a few exciting twists along the way.

The Disney Live! team's enthusiasm was infectious and the kids couldn't stop giggling.  They had to shout out their most favourite Disney character's name for as long as they could without taking a breath.  There were lots of "Cinderellllaaaaaaaa aaa aaa aaa aaa aa *giggle* aaaa aaa aaaaaa's" and some very high pitched "Minnieeeeeeeeeee *giggle giggle* eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eee eee's"  As a mummy on the sideline I couldn't help but giggle too.

They also had some time to draw and colour-in their favourite Disney characters with some one-on-one attention from the Disney Live!  team, as well as get down and boogie to some rockin' Disney tunes.  "Come on mum!!!!" shouts Miss H, "you have to do it too!!"  They were playing musical statues and bouncing on their 'tails' like Tigger.  I had Miss L on my hip and had to loose all inhibitions and get on in there for a bounce!!

Miss H just loving the one-on-one attention she got from the DisneyLive team

Some High 5's for great dancing talents!! (I was back behind the lens at this point, but don't worry - I got my high 5 too!!)

Just when the kids were doing their best Tigger bouncing, out popped TIGGER from behind a door to surprise them all!

Peek-a-boo!

I don't think Miss H was expecting the real Tigger to appear, and as he bounced in she got the fright of her life!!  I think she must have jumped at least a couple of foot into the air and then burst into hysterical  tears!!  I must be such a mean mummy as her reaction (along with some of the other children) reduced me to giggles (which I had to stifle when I realised she really had gotten a genuine fright).

Poor Tigger!!  He hadn't meant to give the kids a fright and put on his best 'sad impression'.  After a little convincing (from me) and a few cuddles (from Tigger), the smiles and excitement, and of course the bouncing was back!!!  Miss H has not stopped telling EVERYONE about meeting Tigger!  "He gave me and my friend Miss B a big fright! she says "but then he was SOOOOO FUNNY and he bounced with us!".

You're never too old for a cuddle with Tigger!

Dancing, cakes, smiles and goodie bags!  What a rockin' morning!

So if you want to join in the fun this summer with "Mickey's Rockin' Road Show" ,  The  Disney Live! Team will be touring Australia starting in Perth on 28th Dec and ending in Darwin on 24th February 2013.  Click here to find out when they will be in your area and how to book your tickets.  The show is produced by Feld Entertainment (who also produced the amazing Disney on Ice Show).  Book your tickets now so you don't miss out.  It's guaranteed to be fun for the WHOLE family.

Thanks so to much to Feld Entertainment, Disney Live and double edge pr for a really rockin' morning!

*(I have not been paid to write this post but was more than happy to do so as Miss H and I had so much fun)*

Last week! Love Instagram!

I don't know about you, but each week on the run up to Christmas seems to be getting busier and busier!  There are just so many end of year parties, picnics, get-togethers and lunches that it's nearly impossible to find a spare minute anywhere in the almost the whole of December!  Not to mention the Christmas card writing, shopping, cooking and Santa visiting to name a few other things to squeeze in.  Phew!!!! Makes me exhausted just thinking about it.  However there is just something magical about this time of year that puts everyone in such a good mood!  I love it.

It is funny though, how we are all so busy during the 11 months that run up to Christmas that we hardly have time for all these fabulous social get-togethers and then suddenly December arrives and we try to fit EVERYTHING into one month!!

Miss L has started teething this week and the poor little bunny has not been happy at all!  All red eyed and miserable and she still managed a little smile for mummy.

Late night cuddles with Daddy.

We had some pretty hot days last week and I just LOVE LOVE how easily I can whip up some fresh, delicious ice-cream in the thermomix for the kids in just a couple of minutes.  (I always have to remember to fill my ice trays with milk as well as water now)

Miss H and her little buddy enjoying the strawberry and kiwi ice-cream that they just helped me make.

An afternoon on the beach after school.  We are all really hanging out for the school holidays now.  I am so over the daily pick up and drop offs!!  Bring on the summer holidays.

Candy Bows and I have been very busy at the local Christmas Markets over the last couple of weekends.  Mr D has been rushing around with the big kids while I've had my little Market Hippy as company.  We've had an awesome time.

Little Market buddy

I had to take a picture of this little fella at Saturday's Market!  Fabulous Christmas spirit!

Mmmmmmmm Candy Floss ( or Fairy Floss, depending on where you're from).  I dread to think what it does to their teeth!!  He had to eat it so quickly as it melted quicker than ice-cream in the heat!

I was very proud of this home-made garlic and herb bread - pretty awesome if I say so myself.  Thanks thermi!!

You wouldn't believe that the hugest storm EVER hit this beach about 15 minutes after I took this picture.

Such little darlings xxxxx

The crab and the slap band

One afternoon this week I decided to take the kids to the beach for an ice-cream after school.  It was the most spectacular day.  The sky was as blue as the ocean and for those of you that know me well will know how that makes my aura all smiley.   It would have been shameful to go straight home (and I couldn't face another afternoon on the school playground with a couple of whingy kids).

School pick-up can be pretty hit and miss depending on how tired Master J is or what kind of 'mood' he's in!  Some days he doesn't stop talking.  Enthusiastically telling me every single detail of what happened during the day (mostly involving events that happened on the playground rather than the classroom).  Other times he is like a bear with a sore head and the most I get is "Mum, will you just stop asking me SO many questions!  You ask me about my day EVERY day and I told you everything yesterday already!!!"  On days like these, the best thing to do is just head to the beach!

You can't beat ice-cream to get them all smiling (well, Miss L smiles at everything at the moment) Oh and take note of the red slap band on Master J's wrist.

After having ice-creams and a quick play in the park we went for a walk along the boardwalk to the tidal pool for a dip.  (I always have towels in the back of the car, just in case!  Miss H is known for stripping off at any given opportunity!)  

Master J had one of those slap wrist band thingies that he had got from the school canteen earlier in the day.   You know the ones? - where you slap them onto your wrist and the curl around quickly? (I loved them as a kid).  Anyway he was was so attached to this thing and was slapping it on the railings watching it wrap around all the way along the board walk.  Until suddenly - he missed!!!!  and the bangle fell down into the rockpools below.  Seriously you would have thought it was the end of the world.  He howled so loudly I could almost see his tonsils!

Missing slap bangle is somewhere down there......

Realising the seriousness of the incident (in his 6 year old world anyway), I offered to climb down and get it, but as I learned over to see exactly where it was, a rather large crab walked out from under a rock with the bright red slap band in it's pincer!!!  Seriously, I kid you not!!  I mean what are the chances???  I thought it was hilarious and burst out laughing thinking that he would see the humour in the situation and stop crying.  But Oh No!!  He only howled louder  -"Stop laughing at me", he managed to get out in between sobs!  Clearly I made a very delicate situation worse, and there was no way I was going to wrestle the crab to get the bangle back either (neither was he, I might add).

Sometimes it's so hard to put yourself in their worlds and take these kind of 'incidents' seriously.  Hopefully one day he will see the funny side!

Oh and all was solved by the next day when I gave him another $1 to buy a new bangle from the canteen.

I couldn't resist adding this photo.  Miss L loving the swings (before we met the crab and everything went pear-shaped)

My first day as 'Nanny Mummy"

'Is it a Sophie day today mum?' asks Master J.  No babes, Sophie lives too far away to be your nanny now.  'Who's going to be our new nanny then??'  Me, I reply!  'So will you be a nanny mummy?' That will do I thought, and so it begins...... my first day as Nanny Mummy!!

After staring out the window at the rain pouring down with small rivers of water gushing down the garden paths forming mini lakes at the bottom (where Master J was fascinated by a lizard trying to swim), we decided to brave the elements and head out!  Trousers, raincoats and wellies on - off we went!!  Last night I decided to make friends with the Sat Nav as I think I'm really going to need her.  I never got on with our old one and that really did me NO favours.  Luckily for me, we got on like a house on fire and within 10 minutes we arrived at Manly Beach.

Surprise number 1, I didn't get lost.  Even Master J said 'Are we there already mum?'.  Surprise number 2 - NO more rain!!!!  If fact, it was so completely dry that you could hardly tell it had rained at all.  The humidity had cranked itself up a gear too, so we all sat in the car, pouring with sweat, feeling a little silly in our raincoats and wellie boots!  Another chat with the Sat Nav and off we head home to change.

20 minutes later and we finally made back it back to Manly Beach (and I didn't get lost the second time either), just in time for a picnic lunch.  The seagulls ate most of the lunch as the kids found it highly amusing to throw parts of their sandwiches at the birds and then scream and run as they chase after them for more.....

The beach was great and so relaxing to just sit and chill whilst the kids amused themselves for hours, building sandcastles, making roads and chasing sticks in the sea.  Little Miss H just loved to do 'drawing' in the sand with a stick.  It took a lots of convincing to get her anywhere near the water though.  Master J and I were playing a game where you had to wait for the waves to almost reach your feet and then run away before you they catch you (great fun and took me way back to my childhood).  We finally convinced Little Miss H to come and play too, but she didn't quite get what we were doing and as a small wave approached Master J screamed in excitement and ran away, I followed, and poor Little Miss H got such a fright she screamed and ran for the hills (literally). She didn't stop running until she got to the car!!!!!!  Poor little love, when I coaxed her back to the sand, she told me the sea was 'scawy'!!!  Perhaps we'll try again tomorrow!!

I met a lovely Scottish lady on the beach today who had kids of a similar age to Master J and Miss H.  I was very brave and approached her for a chat.  It was so nice to have someone to talk to for a few minutes and to learn about the local area.  Unfortunately I was not brave enough to ask her for her number - maybe next time!!

So that pretty much sums up my first day.  Did I pass???  A far cry from my desk at the VAA Base, but all in all a good day.

Summer with Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice 'GIVEAWAY'

"COMPETITION TIME"

Following my review of the delicious Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice pouch (which you can read by clicking "here" if you haven't already done so), the lovely people at Sunraysia have given me the opportunity to offer my wonderful readers a FANTASTIC giveaway.

So here's the deal:

THE PRIZE:
A family supply of Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice pouches for the WHOLE of the summer school holidays!!!!!!  That's a 6 week supply of juice pouches - pretty awesome if you ask me!! (based on 1 pouch per day for a family of 5).

HOW TO ENTER:

1. In the comments below tell me what is your family's favourite way to enjoy Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice (don't forget to leave an email address for me to contact you, if you were to win).
2. Sign up to become a member of "Mrs D and Candy Bows".  You can do this on the top right hand side of the home page.  I promise it will be worth your while xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

THE RULES:
You have to be living in Australia and you have to have at least tasted how awesome Sunraysia Organic 100% Juice is.  The competition closes on 20th December 2012 and there is only 1 entry per person.


*Thanks for Sunraysia and Birds of Prey PR for this great giveaway.  I have not been paid to write up this giveaway but was more than happy to do it as I love the product*

A hot and sticky week! Love Instagram!

Anyone living in Sydney would know that last week was a HOT one!  Summer really has started with a bang that's for sure.  This is only our second summer in Aus and according to the locals, last summer was appalling.  Being British, I of course, thought it was fabulous!  It might have had something to do with the fact that I was pregnant throughout last summer that I found it so hot - or maybe just because anything above 25 degrees for more than three days in a row is amazing!!  Anyhow it did not leave me prepared for the kind of heat that we had last week!!

Look at Saturdays temps!!!  And all that rain, only fell at night when we couldn't get to appreciate it (except for the grass)

The extreme humidity and high temperatures had us all feeling a bit irritable - especially me and the kids.    I had to explain to Mr D (through gritted teeth) that sitting on a hot (yet air conditioned) bus to and from the city is NOT worse than we have it!!  I had to gently remind him that while he was sitting in a lovely cool air conditioned office, I'm at home wishing I could get away with walking around naked like the kids do!!  

Every time I get in and out of the car (which is about 10 times a day) I can feel the sweat tricking down my back.  Aaaarh, it's so gross!!  No matter where you go you can't seem to find any cool air.  By the time the air con in the car has actually kicked in I'm getting out again!!

On the plus side - the sun has got his hat on and the beaches around here are spectacular!  And so are the night time thunder storms!  There is nothing better than listening to the thunder and hearing the pouring rain crashing down on the patio roof after a really hot and sticky day.  The breeze is orgasmic - really!!

How lucky I am that this is a typical Wednesday afternoon (after school) visit to the beach??

A little bit of cheeky skinny dipping to cool off

Reading the newspaper while mummy has a girly gossip with a good friend (in the shade of course).

Paddling pools are the BEST!

Despite the extreme heat, our first week of summer has been all smiles!!  Little Miss L decided to sit up all by herself!!  A big moment for her, and Miss H and Master J were so excited that she can now sit and play with them.  It's so cute seeing them all starting to interact together.  I, on the other hand, felt a teeny tiny bit emotional that my baby is moving on to the next stage already.  They really do just grow up so fast!!

Feeling very pleased with herself!

On Saturday we also put up our Christmas Tree!  I have been dying to put it up for ages, but am too scared to do it before the 1st of December as I have an irrational fear that bad luck will follow.  I'm not sure where that came from??

Earlier in the week I had a moment where I was feeling a bit lost in all the Christmas hype.  I suddenly realised that for the first time EVER I would not be spending Christmas without my parents!  It's just going to be the 5 of us this year and I don't have a plan!!  As silly as it sounds I kind of feel a bit stuck between English traditions and Aussie traditions and I'm not quite sure where to place us.  I'm so used to having a big family Christmas Day (in the freezing cold) that I didn't know what to do this year!

After watching the kids get so excited surrounded by decorations, I gave myself a stern talking to and have decided that this is the year to start some new Christmas traditions that are just for us!!

The OCD in me had to really try hard not to totally re-do the tree once they had gone to bed

My next hurdle is to tackle the Christmas shopping!!  How is everyone else doing??  Are you organised or have to left it a little bit to the last minute like me??