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Elf on the Shelf

November 7, 2011 By corrie 10 Comments

I know some of you aren’t ready to say the C word yet. Christmas. But I am. I love Christmas. I love everyting about it except when I can’t get a carpark at the Mall. But I feel like I’ve been living under a rock because I had never heard of Elf on the Shelf before. At school pick up one of the other mum’s was telling me about how she bought it on Amazon and I was like ‘What? Never heard of it’, and she told me to go check out pinterest. So I did. How did I not know about this cute retro elf that sits at your house.

He comes with a storybook and and makes a cute little Christmas tradition at your house as you move him around every night for the little ones to find the next morning. I know this will be popular and right up there with the Little People Nativity Set. Needless to say I ordered him on Amazon and hope he makes it here soon!

Do you have one or did you know about him and didn’t tell me?

Filed Under: christmas

our kitchen renovation – I found our dining table

November 6, 2011 By corrie 13 Comments

Well I know it’s been a bit quiet with kitchen renovation progress but the builders are back for 2 days today. Then the painters are in for 3 days afterwards so it’s a busy week here with lots of things going on. Next week the floor goes in and the following week the kitchen arrives. Then we need to wait for the caesarstone and the trades so we’re looking at finishing up mid-december. A long process but totally worth it in the end.

picture from pinterest here

So I’m using that time to make sure that I choose the perfect cupboard handles, the perfect lights and of course the perfect dining table. And we found it. Retro daddy had wanted cheap cheap but when we went to the stores and looked at them the one we both agreed on and wanted was of course not cheap cheap. I finally got to visit Alfresco Emporium – the most beautiful homewares store in Sydney if you ask me. And there it was, a big round table….160cm in diameter. Here it is with a 100cm diameter

Picture from Alfresco Emporium here

Now it’s not cheap. In fact it’s totally over budget. But it fits into the space perfectly and even when I tried to hunt down a less expensive one on the internet, retro daddy didn’t like the wood pattern on the table top. See what I’m working with here. And the more I researched round tables the more I realised it would suit the hamptons theme and our new space even more.

Picture from pinterest here

So we’ll be forgoing a big shiny TV and new couches for a while and hopefully enjoying Christmas seated around a big round table.

Filed Under: kitchen, renovations

Smarties Tart

November 5, 2011 By corrie 16 Comments

Remember when retro daddy bought me the huge baking hamper at our school golf day. Well one of the gorgeous cookbooks in there was Chocolat, The Chocolate Bible by Cordon Bleu. It couldn’t have come to a better home. It is an amazing book and one of the recipes that I just had to make was the Smarties Tart. Sure to be a hit with little people (and their parents!). Now it’s 7.30 on a Sunday morning and I’m taking this to a late afternoon bbq so I’ll report back when I actually take it out with me.

It’s very simple to make and if you do your tart shell ahead of time then the hard work is out of the way.

Pastry
120g soft butter
100g icing sugar
1 egg
200g sifted plain flour

Ganache
100g dark chocolate
100ml whipping cream
110g smarties (or just buy a big bag to enjoy and save some for the tart)

So first make your pastry. Now if you have a Thermomix I just used the pastry recipe in my Everyday cooking book and added the icing sugar. Too easy. If you want to follow this recipe then beat the butter, icing sugar and salt together until well blended. Add in the egg and flour and mix to combine. Press the crumbs into a ball and place on a floured surfance. Flour your hands and knead quickly to mix the dough together. Form into a ball and flatten into a disc and wrap in cling wrap and leave in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease your tart tin. You can use a round tin like the recipe called (they used a 20cm tin) but I was dying to use my new rectangular tin. Now you want to roll out your dough large enough to fill your tin and place in your tin then refrigerate or freeze for about 10 minutes. This helps to prevent the dough from shrinking when you bake it. Now line with baking paper and baking beans/rice/lentils etc and bake for 10-20 minutes until edges are a nice golden colour, then remove paper and baking beans and bake a further 10-20 minutes at a lower temperature (160 degrees). Remove from oven and leave to cool in tray on rack.

Now to the ganache, the easy part. Heat your cream in a saucepan until simmering and pour over the chocolate which you have chopped and placed in a bowl.

Stir well until the chocolate melts and you have a smooth glossy mixture. Now I missed this bit but leave your ganache to cool and thicken. I didn’t do this but it still worked out. Now pour the ganache into the cooled tart shell and place smarties on top. Pop in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until you need it. Enjoy.

Edited to add that the tart was delicious, the kids ate it all up and there was nothing left. I wouldn’t leave the smarties in the tart longer than 3 hours as the colours faded and went into the chocolate so best to make it up to 3 hours before otherwise do your ganache and then press the smarties in at the last minute! I am definitely making this again!

Filed Under: baking, chocolate, recipe, thermomix

my quinoa salad

November 4, 2011 By corrie 9 Comments

I hear it’s going to reach 34 degrees here on Sunday! Summer is coming! I think a trip to Manly for some Ben & Jerry’s is in order (triple caramel chunk just in case you were wondering what my flavour is). But thankfully warmer weather also means salads for me. I’m more than happy to have a big healthy salad for dinner when the weather is warm. I tend to be more of a throw it all together in a big bowl person rather than follow a salad recipe person. I think you’ll like this one if you haven’t really gotten into quinoa yet.

my quinoa salad

Quick, easy, tasty, healthy, gluten free, vegan, dairy free – what more do you want from a salad! We are huge quinoa fans here and this our favourite!

Recipe type: Dinners

What you'll need

1 cup quinoa
2 cups boiling water
tsp of vegetable stock powder
1 avocado
1 cucumber
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
1 lemon
1 can of beans or lentils (butter, cannellini, chickpeas, green or brown lentils)
olive oil
handful flat leaf parsley

Instructions

Instructions
Place quinoa, vegetable stock and boiling water in small saucepan and bring to the boil them simmer.
Quinoa will be cooked when all the water is absorbed and it takes about 15-20 minutes. Spread out over 2 plates/a large tray to cool then tip into a large salad bowl.
Roughly chop avocado, peeled cucumber, cherry tomatoes and add to the quinoa. Add in a can of drained beans, lemon juice, chopped parsley, a good glug or two of olive oil then season with salt and pepper.
Now I like this just as it is but retro daddy loves it with a dash of sweet chilli sauce or chilli and lime dressing. You can use your own favourite dressing it in if you prefer.

Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe

Filed Under: cooking, dinners, recipe, vegan, vegetarian

Gingerbread Cupcakes

November 3, 2011 By corrie 12 Comments

Short break from kitchen renovation talk as I’ve got a few recipes to share. Last Christmas I was given an amazing little cookbook ‘Vegan Cupcakes take over the World’. Now I’m not vegan (I have been a couple of times in my lifetime) but this book is just full of so many great recipes that I wanted to try. First up I had to make these gingerbread cupcakes which you can top with lemon frosting. To keep them healthy I’ve left the frosting off. Now I used dairy in this recipe but have put where to use soy if you want to keep them vegan.

Gingerbread Cupcakes
1 1/4 cups self raising flour
1tsp baking powder
1 1/2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup vegetable/canola oil
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup soy/dairy milk
2Tbsp soy/vanilla yoghurt
grated zest of 1/2 lemon

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. If you have a thermomix place your oil, syrup, milk, yoghurt and lemon peel in the bowl and process for 10 seconds on speed 6. Tip in dry ingredients and process for 10 seconds on speed 4. Taste and add more ginger if you want more of a gingerbread taste. **Divide between 12 cupcake wrappers in a muffin tray. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes until firm on top and a skewer comes out clean. Cool on rack and enjoy. If you want to ice them, try my easy cream cheese frosting here with a dash more lemon zest or lemon juice. To make the frosting vegan just substitute with nutelex (a dairy free margerine), vegan cream cheese and a non dairy milk.

If you don’t have a thermomix you can use your kitchenaid/food processor or just a good old whisk by combining your oil, syrup, milk, yoghurt and finely grated lemon zest. Whisk well then add in dry sifted ingredients and whisk again. Add in more ginger to taste then follow from **.

And I’ve got to say these are so light and fluffy you wouldn’t believe you haven’t used eggs or butter.

Filed Under: baking, dairy free, recipe, thermomix, vegan, vegetarian

Our kitchen renovation – china patterns

November 2, 2011 By corrie 28 Comments

Well I’m happy to report that I’m up and at ’em this morning! I hate being sick so am glad to be feeling almost normal this morning. I don’t have the energy to do my usual step class so instead am going to use the time to hunt down a few more essentials for the renovation. And thank you for all the dining suggestions, I’m so glad you warned me against wicker. I didn’t even think about food getting stuck in there! What would I do without you all.

Pergola by Rorstrand here

now top of my list for shopping is a new china set for the kitchen. I have my fancy wedding china by Wedgewood which I keep for special occasions. But every year when I’ve wanted to replace the mismatched and chipped dinner plates that live in my cupboard, retro daddy has told me just wait till you have a new kitchen. Well that time is coming.

Petite Fleur by Villeroy & Boch here

Now of course being a man he’d rather not spend money. So when I sent him some pics of my favourite china patterns he just told me stick to a cheap white set. No. That’s what we had before. If I’m getting my dream kitchen then I am having some very pretty plates, cups and bowls to go into it and I’m getting rid of all the mismatched stuff I have. We are currently using the same plates and bowls that I used when I first moved out of home on my own…….we are going back a long way in time now.

Switch 3 by Villeroy & Boch here

So here are my favourites. I’m really in love with the first set but let me know your favourites and if you have something you think I’d love then definitely let me know.

Switch 3 by Villeroy & Boch here

All of these gorgeous china patterns came from Royal Design………..you could spend a lot of time there.

Filed Under: homes, kitchen, renovations

our kitchen renovation – dining dilemmas

November 2, 2011 By corrie 24 Comments

Well nothing is happening here today renovation wise. Which is just as well as I have picked up the same bug that went through the rest of the family. I’m lying on the couch while retro daddy tops up my lemonade. But I do also have an important job…………..choose a new dining setting. I thought we’d just use the one we had but it’s very dark with bench seats and retro daddy has ‘approved in principle’ a new setting. Here is my current table, it’s lovely but doesn’t really go with the light and bright hamptons theme out the back.

For me I want a table that is light in colour, traditional, long enough to seat 8-10, durable, definitely no fabric covered chairs as one meal with my guys and they’d be messy. I’m not asking for much am I. Oh it has to be under $2k and meet with retro daddy’s approval. And here lies my problem – it’s too big, too small, too dark, too white, too cheap, won’t last, the legs are funny and the I just don’t like it. Can you see what I’m working with. I’m so glad I was given free reign with the kitchen design or we’d still be disagreeing.

so here are a few of my favourite looks

picture from here

available at Early Settler here

picture from here

picture from pinterest here

So if you can steer me in the right direction it would be much appreciated!

Filed Under: homes, kitchen, pinterest, renovations

our kitchen renovation – day 6

October 31, 2011 By corrie 15 Comments

Bored yet? I hope not but the builders aren’t coming for 2 days so I have to think of something else to blog about for a couple of days. I also get to relax a bit more and enjoy a little peace and quiet. So day 6 saw the ceilings go in. What a difference. There were about 7 different people working out the back (which meant 7 different people using my downstairs bathroom!!!!). But they all worked super hard from 7am. I love how it’s looking more like a room and less like a building site just by having the ceilings in.

I also had to go back to the door shop for a few more things and learnt what rebated doors meant. The things I could tell you and terms I’m learning. The builders just have to come back and finish a few jobs, put cornices in the ceiling, put a manhole in a wall to access the roof in the kitchen area and a couple more things. And then once the kitchen is installed they will be back to put a bulkhead over my cabinets to make it look pretty. Awwwww. I like pretty.

And that was day 6. The transformation still amazes me everytime I walk out the back. I can’t get over how big and spacious it is and how much use we’re going to get out of it. I may never want to leave home.

Really wish I had noticed that plastic bag hanging on the door BEFORE I took the photos!

Filed Under: homes, kitchen, renovations

our kitchen renovation – day 5

October 30, 2011 By corrie 10 Comments

Now I’ve decided to count my renovation days as the days when work is actually being done as it will be easier to archive rather than telling you that on day 54 nothing happened! So day 5 is Saturday and the lovely electrician Drew was here doing all the power and lighting for the new space. I must admit that creating a new space for the kitchen does mean more work and more costs but it’s going to be so worth it. It was getting really exciting marking out where the island would go and benches would end and roughly where the pendants would hang.

I also love that all the people involved offer me advice when I give them a blank look or hadn’t thought too hard about something. Take lighting and downlights. I had wanted downlights all over but we had some serious problems with downlights in our old house so after hearing all the downlight options have decided on fluroscent downlights set in 3 banks of lighting so I can use some or all.

electrician puts in all the cords for lighting

And of course my pendant lights will go in over my island. At last I’ve found a sydney stockist with reasonaly priced pendants to suit a hamptons style kitchen. I don’t want to be a slave to the hamptons theme (ok, maybe I’m just saying that) but I also want everything to be in keeping with the style. I found some parisian pendants in brushed nickel on Schots but they don’t deliver to Sydney. But I just found a sydney stockist so 3 of these babies will be hopefully be hanging over my island. I’m happy my late night researching came to fruitition

I decided to not go with the antler lights! Kind of not my style!

And that was day 5. The builders are back here today (monday) to do the ceilings and will finish up this week. I kind of missed the noise and action and people being around on Friday which sounds crazy. Maybe it’s nice having some adult company around the house and getting to chat to them – not too much mind you!

Filed Under: hamptons style, homes, kitchen, renovations

honey, date and cashew cake

October 30, 2011 By corrie 6 Comments

I’m really missing baking at the moment as I try to lose a little weight so I’m on the hunt for healthy baking recipes, found one but needed to jazz it up a bit and the finished product……delicious. A real winner with some butter or margerine on it. The kids and I are loving it for morning and afternoon tea. This recipe is my version of the Date loaf from Healthy Eating with Cyndi O’Meara. I baked mine like a cake but ate it like a loaf so wasn’t sure what to call it! you can call it loaf or cake…..

Honey, date and cashew cake
250g dates

80g cashews

220g water

160g honey

320g self raising flour

1 egg

generous splash of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a loaf or square tin. Place your dates and cashews in the TM bowl or a food processor and processs for 8 seconds on speed 8 or until finely chopped. I liked chunky nut bits in my loaf so don’t overprocess. Now if you have a thermomix then add water and cook for 3 minutes at 80 degrees on reverse and speed soft. If you don’t have a thermomix then heat the date mixture and water for 5 minutes on a medium heat.

Leave your date mixture to cool then add in flour, egg and vanilla and stir for 10 seconds on speed 5. If you don’t have a thermomix then just tip in remaining ingredients into your cooled date and water mixture and combine well. Pour into your lined tray and bake 35-45 minutes when a knife comes out clean. This won’t brown too much on the top but when it’s cooked right through and golden on top it’s ready to come out of the oven. Cool on rack and serve. Delicious hot and cold and even better spread with something.

Filed Under: baking, cooking, recipe, thermomix

I knit another cardigan for elodie!

October 28, 2011 By corrie 22 Comments

Woohoo! Another finished cardigan for little Elodie. I’m on a roll. This is actually the third baby kina I’ve knit but the first for Elodie. It’s such a sweet and easy pattern. Knit all in one piece from the top down. You just need to know how to knit, purl, increase and do some yarn overs for buttonholes. Great for beginners. I also love how modern it looks too.

I knit this in Bendigo Cotton 8 ply, the gorgeous colour is Blush. A very pretty coral colour that suits her perfectly. I knit this on a short 3.75mm circular needle rather than 4mm as I find the cotton doesn’t stretch as much eventhough the recommended needle size for the 8 ply cotton is 4mm. I also cast on with a smaller needle like a 3mm to get a nice cast on edge.

And now I’m ready to cast on another one for summer! You can never have too many sweet little cardigans when you are one. Ravelry details are here, yarn here and pattern available here.

I’d love to hear what you are knitting this summer………..

Filed Under: bendigo, kina, knitting, ravelry

our kitchen renovation – day 4

October 27, 2011 By corrie 8 Comments

Well day 4 was a bit crazy for me. It’s Thursday and that is generally my day! I do step class, the shops and a few errands without the kids. Our lovely Fernanda minds the little ones. Today I did half an hour at the gym so I could then make a trip to the lock and handle store to get several locks, handles and latches. I was totally the blonde who had no idea what I needed and just said things like the other bit that goes on that bit and so on. But we made it and ‘I did good’. Everything the builder needed

Gyprock went on walls, corners were finished, french doors went in and other small jobs went on. I also sat down and wrote a timeline of when everyone could come in to do their jobs before the kitchen is installed and I’m happy to say I have 2 1/2 weeks to get my other jobs in. Unfortunately it wasn’t until I was lying in bed (where I obviously do all my thinking) that I realised the kitchen is delivered and installed on the dates when we’re supposed to be in Melbourne for Mathilda’s Market and my trade show. Delaying the kitchen until the following week pushes out my completion date a little too close to Christmas for me.

Now the builders won’t be here today as the rest of the gyprock and guys to help with the ceilings won’ t be here till monday so I’m going to enjoy using my toilet in peace and quiet not worried someone might come in accidentally and just make the most of it. So I’ll make day 5 on saturday when the electrician is in.

Filed Under: homes, kitchen, renovations

our kitchen renovation – day 2 + 3

October 27, 2011 By corrie 11 Comments

Well day 2 started with me thinking I had a bit of time up my sleeve since the builder said he’d be there 9.30, turns out he really meant but I might come at 7.30 so he was greeted by a very surprised me in my summer pj’s (read it was a hot night and I wasn’t wearing much). I raced upstairs, dressed and moved the car!

lots more rubble was moved, another skip arrived and was filled, the supporting beams were installed, the last bits of the ensuite came out – bye bye daggy brown 70’s ensuite that we never used except in emergency toilet situations. Unfortunately it also meant there is no floor there so my plan to do flooring after the kitchen was installed won’t work now.

day 2 standing from the hallway looking in

oh and another night in the loungeroom! the kids are terrified of going upstairs and who can blame them when mummy keeps thinking she can hear noises from under the house. I really don’t help the situation.

day 3 and the work moved upstairs. What? What are doing upstairs? Well we decided while the builder was here to build us a wall to make upstairs 3 bedrooms and a bathroom rather than 2 rooms, a rumpus and bathroom. Keira has been dying for her own room – sorry Keira but Tillie loves sharing with you. Putting the wall and door in was just nice timing. But another little thing on the budget – I have a whole blog post coming up on your renovation budget. Trust me. Everyday I need to go back to the spreadsheet and add things in. That 10% contingency is coming in handy.

And I’d just like to say that daddy changed the paper flower and decided to tie it straight to the roof so the kids couldn’t play with it. I hate it. I have other plans. Now day 3 meant decisions on the french doors, paying the deposit on the floors and panicking because the floors will need to go in before the kitchen. Hearing from the builder that retro daddy shouldn’t paint just to keep costs down but get a professional in. Telling retro daddy he’ll need to pay for the painter. That sort of thing went on.

And that was day 2 + 3. Still early days and I’m getting used to it, there is a lot of noise but not too much disruption and I’m happy to be here to answer the questions. The kids peek their heads around the door and can’t say anything they are still in shock everytime they peek their head around. Even elodie strains her head to get a look in. It still doesn’t feel real that I’m finally getting the space I’ve always wanted but it’s coming along and I’m learning a lot along the way.

Filed Under: homes, kitchen, renovations

my VW bus, Caltex Vortex and a retro commercial!

October 25, 2011 By corrie 13 Comments

our kitchen renovation – day 1

October 24, 2011 By corrie 19 Comments

Well day 1 is over and welcome to my war zone. I really didn’t know what to expect when I opened the door to see what they’d been up to after they’d left. I’d hear bricks fall, tiles smash, things drop, people coming and going, the water was turned off for most of the day which meant I really had to go to the gym whether I liked it or not, the twins kept asking to play out the back which they couldn’t, the ipad got a good workout, strangers were using my bathroom and for elodie it was life as usual with a few startled looks from her when things got noisy

so 1 day down and 30 to go? But the builders got through so much work in one day. It took my breath away when I opened the door and saw how much had been done. Swear words were running through my head when I looked up!

Of course it’s so dusty and full of rubble that none of the kids wanted to go upstairs, then I realised the stair light wasn’t on and I couldn’t find the torch so had to carry a candle around to get upstairs. So we all slept in the loungeroom. Today I’m off to get a torch and airbed just in case they don’t want to go up again.

And thank you for your encouraging comments yesterday. They will definitely keep me going and keep me positive during the whole process. I know this is the worst part. And yes we are staying while they do the work.

And that was day one!

Filed Under: homes, kitchen, renovations