Elijah's Crunchy Choc Chip Bikkies

Elijah had been asking to make biscuits but I didn't have all the ingredients for my usual chewy choc chip cookies.  With only a little butter left we decided we'd just go with what I know about biscuit making and make our own recipe (or experiment).  Thankfully they turned out well - crunchy but crisp and super sweet!

100 grams butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 3/4 cups self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup choc drops

Cream the butter and sugars then add the egg and mix well.



Measure out the flour, salt and choc drops and stir to mix them.  Add this flour mix to the butter mix and carefully stir to mix - you might need to use your hands.

Roll into small balls (about a teaspoonful) then use a fork to lightly flatten them.



Place in an oven heated to 180 degrees celcius and bake for about 10 minutes or until golden.

picnik is not behaving for me this morning so I'm using Photovisi to make collages - a slow process but very easy.

Happy Anniversary Auckland!

Finding inspiration - Eric Carle

We all know what it's like to end up with a cupboard full of artwork so yesterday Elijah and I sat down and created some Eric Carle style pictures which will eventually be made into a book.  It was a lot of fun - he is the creative one and he designed the car himself.  I kind of winged the rest of the pictures because I'm not that arty - I like perfection and art is one area that is too open to interpretation.  I'm more of a math and science person.
So these are unedited photos

                      

The Law of Attraction...

designed by me - feel free to print out and keep a copy in your wallet

Wow - how slack am I?  I seem to have lost both my crafting and blogging mojo, instead I've been spending a fair bit of time in the kitchen trying to make a little go a long way.  The job that DH was promised feels like it's not going to eventuate meaning we've been without income since Xmas Eve.  I have to say I think I've done pretty well and have managed to keep us fed and watered since then but time is catching up and so are the bills.  I've set up a sale folder on my facebook page which at some stage I will announce a $5 plus postage sale.  

It gets me thinking though - did I attract this?  Did I think the business that DH was previously working for wasn't going to do well?  Possibly but it's too late to dwell.  Just keep your fingers and toes crossed that a job will come up ASAP - please!

An artist in the making...

by Elijah (Aged 4 years - just!)

Kelly's Coconut Korma

As the title suggests I based this recipe on a korma curry but because I couldn't find a recipe online that I liked, I decided to wing it.  It turned out great - quite spicy but also very light.

Kelly's Korma

3 small onions - chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2 teaspoons crushed ginger
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
juice of one lemon
3 chopped tomatoes
1 can of coconut milk
1 cup yoghurt
1 whole roasted chicken cut into pieces (I had marinated mine in a paste of 1/2 cup yoghurt, 1 teaspoon chili and 1 teaspoon garam masala before roasting)
handful of coriander leaves

Like most curries, start by frying the chopped onion in 2-3 tablespoons of oil until browned verging on burning then add the garlic, ginger and all other spices.  Add the tomatoes and cook until tender.  Over a low heat pour into the mixture the coconut milk and yoghurt - stir until well mixed through.  In a large pot place the chicken pieces.  Pour the korma mix over the chicken and heat through slowly over a low heat.  Throw in the chopped coriander and mix through.  It is now ready to serve

Chicken Jalfrezi

One of my favourite dishes, possibly because it's full of capsicum and I love capsicum!  This is my fairly mild version and something I forgot to point out in my last post was that I use mild chili powder and that you can adjust any of the ingredients to suit you.

Chicken Jalfrezi

1 large onion - chopped
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
3 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon chili
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cumin (I used whole but you can use powdered form also)
3 teaspoons ground coriander
4-5 tomatoes - chopped (or an average sized tin)
2-3 capsicums (any colour) - sliced
handful of fresh coriander leaves (although it tastes fine without it)
1 whole roasted chicken chopped into pieces (or 600gm boneless chicken pieces)

I like to roast my chicken first to make sure that it's cooked right through.  Fry the onion in 2-3 tablespoons of oil (of your choice) until browned verging on burnt then add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, chili, salt, cumin and ground coriander - gently fry for a minute or so then add the chopped tomatoes and sliced capsicum.  Cook for a few more minutes while you place your chicken pieces into a large pot.  Tip in the tomato mixture and continue to cook until the tomatoes are soft.  Throw in the chopped fresh coriander and stir through.  It is now ready to serve

Chana Dal - Spicy Split Chickpea Casserole

Chana dal has to be one of my favourite vegetarian meals to make.  Chana dal (split chickpeas) are readily available in all Indian grocers and some (if not all) supermarkets although I can't vouch for that - I bought the last lot from the local Four Square.  It costs around $4-$5 a kilo which would be enough to feed a family of four at least 3-4 meals if not more, they are deceptively filling!

I've had to do a bit of research and develop my own recipe based on what flavours I like and how hot (or in my case not hot) I like it.  

First you need to thoroughly wash 2 cups of chana dal then soak in a bowl of cold water for a few hours, preferably overnight.

Drain then pour into a large pot (I use a stock pot) and add enough water to just cover the chana dal.  I usually bring these to the boil then cook on a low-medium heat for about 30mins.

I like to prepare my dry spices ahead of cooking and have them ready in a small bowl.

1 teaspoon chili (obviously more if you like it hot or less if you don't want a lot of heat)

2 teaspoons turmeric (gives the dish a wonderful colour - be careful though as it stains something terrible!)

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

2 teaspoons salt (it sounds like a lot but the dish isn't all that salty)

In another small dish set aside approx 1 teaspoon ginger (chopped small or grated) and 2 teaspoons garlic

Next you will need to chop 2 medium sized onions into small pieces and fry in about 3 tablespoons of oil until golden brown verging on slightly burnt.  At this stage throw in all your spices including garlic and ginger and fry over a low heat for around a minute (or as long as it takes you to chop 1/2 kg of tomatoes into small pieces!)  You could substitute fresh tomatoes for tinned but at this time of the year it makes sense to use fresh.

Add the chopped tomato to the spice and onion mix, gently fry until tomatoes are cooked.  Once cooked, pour everything from the frying pan (tomatoes, onions and spices) into the pot with the cooked chana dal.  Give it a good stir then add a handful of chopped fresh coriander and place the lid on the pot.  Continue to cook over a low heat until a nice sauce develops.

Enjoy this on nights you want to skip meat served with raita and a warmed naan or roti.

PS - We buy our roti from the Indian grocer for $5 a pack of ten, it saves a lot of work in the kitchen!

Simple Raita

I've been enjoying Indian cookery lately and while it can often seem very elaborate it is actually very simple and also very budget-friendly.  I'm not a huge fan of spicy food so often the chili content puts me off a little BUT a simple raita fixes that.  There are many ways of making a raita but I like mine without any spices added.  It is a very quick and easy salad made with the 3 c's - cucumber, coriander, carrot - onion and dressed with yoghurt.  To make my simple raita, chop into small pieces the following:

1/2 telegraph cucumber
1 medium sized onion
1 handful of coriander (this will depend on how much you like it - I love it!)

then grate a small carrot.  Toss all four ingredients in a bowl then add a pinch of salt and 1 cup of plain unsweetened yoghurt.  Mix through and store in the fridge until you are ready to use.  This will keep 2-3 days if stored in a sealed container.

Serve with all your curries to tone down the spice.

Homemade Lemonade Concentrate

I've been enjoying as much produce as possible this year trying to cut back on both spending and preservatives and the like.  It's been fun getting back into the kitchen (as much as I dislike my current space) and making something from scratch.  I managed to grab a few bags of lemons from my cousin's lemon tree, it just wasn't right to let them go to waste while they're away on holiday.  So I've made lemon honey, gooey lemon slice, coconut, lemon and almond improv (that means I made it up as I went) cake, and lemonade concentrate.

There is nothing more refreshing than sitting down to a cool homemade lemonade on a hot day and with a bit of tweaking I think I finally have the taste just right.  You will need:

1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice (around 5-6 lemons depending on size)
1 cup sugar (I just used white sugar)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon citric acid (you can replace it with tartaric acid but I think that makes it a little too tart)

Combine all ingredients together in a pot and place over a low heat until sugar has dissolved.  Give it a stir every now and again.  Leave to cool then pour into a clean bottle.  When you're ready to use mix one part concentrate to 4-5 parts water.

I'm off to enjoy one now :)

PS - sorry for the lack of photos, I'm on my husband's laptop and it doesn't seem to like the SD card

bloglovin...

Spotted this over on Dee's blog and thought I'd try it out

Follow my blog with bloglovin

I'll be back soon with some yummy Indian/Pakistani recipes that are easy to make and taste delicious

Happy 4th Birthday Elijah!

It's hard to believe four years have passed.  I remember the day so clearly, like it was only yesterday.  I was patiently waiting for my 3pm midwife appointment.  I didn't think I was in labour.  I'd given up thinking 'is this it?' because I was already 9 days overdue.  You were meant to be here for Christmas 2006 - I guess it just wasn't the right time.  Then New Year's passed and still nothing happened.

Then on the 3rd January 2007 the backup midwife noticed something wasn't quite right - my midwife was off delivering two other babies that day.  I went into theatre pretty quickly after that but didn't see you until a few hours later.  A lot of hard work was to follow as over the next six weeks you fought to get healthy enough to come home.  Just looking at you now it's hard to believe the doctor gave us such very grim news - that the prognosis wasn't good and your condition severe.

Now you are one of the healthiest kids I know and also one of the brightest (I believe I'm allowed to say that hehe)

You love Spiderman, Ben 10, Incredible Hulk and Transformers even though you rarely see those programmes.  You love to ride your trike and scooter, jump on the tramp the neighbour so kindly gave you, weed the garden like Aunty Nicky taught you, vacuum for me and even fold clothes.  You are busy, so very busy and never bored.

Raw fruit and veges, biscuits and crackers, chocolate milk and lollipops are all your favourite things (although the latter two are off the cards for 2011).

You start morning kindy in a few weeks, I think you're going to love it but I'm not sure how I'm going to get you there by 8.30am - you love your sleep ins!  I love to see how far you've come but your personality is still the same as the day you were born.  You are determined, kind and always one step ahead.  You have made some very good friends this past year: Caleb, Kirra and Macey along with ones you've known since you were little (Harrison & Joshua) - you call them your besties.

Happy 4th Birthday - I hope this year is the best yet

Words to live by in 2011...

I made this a couple of weeks ago when I had planned to start on an inspiration board.  I cut out random words and started arranging them on the floor.  Somehow the sequence I first lay them in 'spoke' to me and that's how I decided to keep it.  I haven't made any firm resolutions yet but I have a fair idea of what I'd like to achieve.  I have this little bit of inspiration hanging on the wall opposite my bed so that it's the first thing I see when I wake up.

Of course, I have jumped on the resolution bandwagon and vowed to lose weight, be more organised and spend more time with family - isn't that what most of us strive for?

Here's to a wonderful New Year...

I hope your New Year's celebrations went off without a hitch.  I spent it with my Mum, sister, Elijah and a little girl that Mum was babysitting for the night after things went a little pear-shaped at home. 

We drove down to Birkenhead Point and joined many others to welcome in the New Year and watch firework displays on both the Sky Tower and the waterfront.  I've misplaced my camera so I've had to steal a photo from my sister for now. 

I'm looking forward to sharing with you all a little something I made last week in place of New Year's Resolutions (although I'm hoping to get a few of those in also) providing I can locate that camera!

All I can say is thank goodness 2010 is over, it just wasn't that great for me. 

Happy New Year everyone!