Eating her lemon curd & waaaaay too many hot cross buns

HAPPY EASTER ALL!

There was a method to my madness when I decided to make my own hot cross buns on Friday morning. I decided to call up the folks to join us for afternoon tea and hope (with my fingers crossed) that Mum would bring along a pretty little jar of her home-made lemon curd. An absolute favourite of mine and pretty much guaranteed to make an appearance around this time of year. She pulled through, good onya Mum!

If you have a backyard lemon tree bursting with golden fruit you have no idea what to do with, whip up some of your own lemon curd to gift to family or friends this Easter or simply enjoy it all to yourself on a toasty hot cross bun!

Marion's Homemade Lemon Curd

4 large lemons- zest and juice

2 cups caster sugar

4 eggs well beaten

125 g unsalted butter cubed

1. Place the zest and juice of lemons with sugar into a heatproof bowl and whisk to combine

2. Add the beaten eggs to the mixture and continue whisking

3. Place the heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk gently until sugar dissolves

4. Add cubed butter and continue stirring with a wooden spoon until mixture is thick and smooth

5. Remove from heat and pour into hot sterilised jars

6. Store in the refrigerator

Cover lids with a pretty piece of fabric, ribbon or twine and attach any other Easter embellishments you wish

Homemade Hot Cross Bun Recipe

4 cups plain flour

2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast

1/4 cup caster sugar

1 1/2 tsp mixed spice

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of currants or raisins

40g butter

300ml milk

2 eggs lighlty beaten

Flour Paste:

1/2 cup plain flour

4-5 tbs water

1. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, mixed spice, salt and currants in a large bowl.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add milk and heat for 1 minute or until warm. Add warm milk mixture to currant mixture and also add eggs.

3. Use a flat- bladed knife and mix dough until it almost comes together. Use clean hands to finish mixing to form a soft dough.

4. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until dough is smooth. If you're lucky enough to have the luxury of a Kitchen Aid, pop on the dough hook and let it do the 'kneading' part for you for approx 6 mins.

5. Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught free place for 1- 1.5 hours, or until dough doubles in size.

6. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Punch dough down to its original size, knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide into 12 even portions and shape into balls. Place balls onto lined tray about 1cm apart. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in warm draught free place for 30 minutes, or until buns double in size. Pre-heat oven to 190 degrees C.

7. To make flour paste, combine flour and water in a small bowl until smooth. If paste is too thick, add a little more water. Spoon into a piping bag and pipe over top of risen buns to form crosses.

8. Bake buns for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through

9. Serve warm or at room temperature with your homemade lemon curd!

BIG hair you are beautiful

Va Va Volume is back and I love it! So if you're one of the lucky ones who can actually master the 'tease' without it resembling a crazy bird's nest, then start backcombing and get your hairspray out girls... it's time to release that inner vixen!

Instant Delight!

Now I would not usually support the purchase of instant coffee, however Moccona's marketing department have managed to convince a coffee connoisseur (snob) to buy their cheap bitter product...and lots of it. How?!! By making an already functional jar simply beautiful.

These delightful jars are available for a limited time only - so make sure you pop into your local grocery store and get your hands on them while you can.

(note the labels come off to reveal the whole design)

If you miss out on these beauties, the regular jars can be made just as pretty!

So I find myself in a predicament...I don't like being wasteful, but I cannot bring myself to drinking instant coffee. So I find myself making mocha sauce puddings...daily, which is not good for the waist line, but it would be positively wrong of me to be wasteful. Right?


Ingredients:

1 cup self-raising flour
1 tbsp cocoa
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
1 tbsp boiling water
60g butter, melted
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup caster sugar
1 egg
Extra 3/4 cup caster sugar
Extra 1 tbsp cocoa
Extra 3/4 cup boiling water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Combine flour and cocoa in a bowl. Whisk coffee and water in a jug until granules dissolve. Add butter, milk and sugar to coffee, whisking lightly until combined. Pour coffee mixture into flour mixture. Add egg and stir until smooth. Spoon into 4 x 1-cup-capacity bowls and put on a baking tray.

2. Combine extra sugar, extra cocoa and extra boiling water in a jug. Pour mixture over pudding. Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through when tested in the centre with a skewer. Serve hot!

A very pretty Easter

I feel for Easter. No one is ever really ready for it. We've only just got over the hype of the Christmas period and Easter Eggs are magically back on the shelves, we're making plans for the extra long weekend and no one has remembered to make Easter feel quite as special as Christmas.

So here are a few decorating ideas to light up your home this Easter!

Printable Easter Labels

Egg Cup Centre Pieces

Easter Egg Garland

Egg shell candles

 And of course we've thrown in a couple of yummy recipes to try too!

Deviled Eggs

Easter honey glazed ham

Carrot patch Easter cupcakes

Pimple face fart machine

I had to share this most exciting news with you all.

1 week out from mine and The Geord's engagement party, I discovered a pimple on my chin. Being the idiot I am, I of course squeezed it. It looked OK and was certainly cover-able, but I wasn't convinced it was going away.

After many a beverage that night, once I got home, I decided to squeeze some more and more and more, only to wake up with a mess the size of a 5c piece on my chin. A mess that not even giant amounts of concealer could cover.

I know you're all probably thinking "Oh I bet it wasn't that bad", but I am not exaggerating. This thing was no longer a pimple, but more like a giant cold sore.

In my desperation, I called the only person I knew who'd be able to give me some sort of cure. Caroline.

She advised to LEAVE IT ALONE, go to the pharmacy and get some nappy rash cream STAT. The zinc ingredient within the cream aids the healing process, while keeping it moist and therefore not allowing it to scab. She told me to blob it on at night as it's impossible to rub in for under makeup/day time usage.

This wouldn't do. I needed to speed this process up. Thankfully my bosses are aware of my vanity issues and accepted the fact that for 2 days I was going to work with a blob of nappy rash cream on my chin. In fact, in the end we all became so used to seeing it there, I even went shopping with it on.

So after 3 days of nappy rash creaming it up, I am happy to say, I shall be attending my engagement party PIMPLE FREE!!!!! The cream worked absolute wonders and has left no sign of a scab, merely a red mark where the pimple was, which can easily be covered with makeup.

I've said it before and I will say it again and again. I LOVE YOU CAROLINE. 

Your daily dose

I am a fairly organised lass, so when my phone battery died part way through the night and my alarm failed to wake me, my morning routine was slightly screwed.

Luckily for me, I work with very forgiving people who don't mind me rocking up to work with a slight shine to my hair or a lack of cover up on my face. But what I have learnt is not to rock up to work grumpy; and although I did receive an extra half an hour of sleep, the jolt from my usual routine and a lack of coffee sent me into a bit of a frenzy.

It just so happens that I work well under pressure, so with 15 minutes to spare, I found myself at The Daily Planet on Beaufort Street, ordering a Skinny Cap to go.

I have always been a big fan of Planet Records and Planet Books so when I heard that The Daily Planet was opening next door, I was super excited to have another option for my morning coffee.

Continuing with the alternative theme of its sister and brother planets, The Daily Planet oozes simplicity with its hardwood floors, quirky decor and exposed brick - I was instantly in love.  

I was greeted immediately with a huge smile from the Barista, who promptly went on to make my coffee, while another staff member ran my order through the till. Within about 2 minutes (not nearly enough time for me to gawk at everything I needed to gawk at) I was handed my coffee and back on my way to work.

I am yet to try the food but I must say, the coffee is unreal - something seriously lacking in Mount Lawley. After reading several reviews on urbanspoon, I am surprised at the negativity other patrons have shown. Perhaps this lovely new cafe have since found their feet? The service I received was second to none, which meant I was sitting at my desk sipping the best coffee I've tasted in a while with 5 minutes to spare before my work day began.

Red Carpet Ogling

Red carpet arrivals are my guilty pleasure. Thanks to the beauty of being able to record live T.V, I over indulged last night.

Here are my top 10 Best Dressed:

Emma Stone - The dress is utter
perfection to me!

Milla Jovovich (I am OBSESSED with Ellie Saab)

Kristen Wiig

Michel Hazanavicius

Louise Rowe
(ABC Red Carpet Reporter)

Octavia Spencer

George Clooney

Michelle Williams

Brad Pitt

Angelina Joli

A krafty engagement

Making things makes me so very happy. So when it came time to start thinking about our engagement party invitations, there was never a doubt in my mind that I'd attempt to make them myself.

Of course my original idea looked much better in my head than it did in reality, but luckily for me no one else was witness to the picture in my head OR reality. 

In both the original idea and the final design, I had three constants;

1. Kraft Paper!

If I wasn't already marrying The Geord, I would totes marry kraft paper. Hell, I'd probably even buck the tradition and get down on one knee myself. It is the easiest thing to dress up or down and whatever you do with it, it oooooooozes rustic charm.

I found kraft card + matching envelopes at
Spotlight + made two invites per card

2. Typewriter Font

It took me a while to find a typewriter font that actually looked like it'd been printed on a typewriter, but in the end I was pretty chuffed with my choice. It is called Splendid 66 and can be downloaded straight onto your computer in about 5 seconds, for free!

3. Music lyrics

Any music loving couple has 'their band'. A band that when it's not in a play list of it's very own, it's your go to band for any type of mood you're in. Ours is the lovely Angus + Julia Stone. With the risk of sounding like a big corn ball - their gorgeous music has always resonated with us, so much so that it was only natural to have their lyrics splayed across our invite.

"One kiss from you + I'm drunk up on your potion"
Just a boy - Angus + Julia Stone

I have no idea how I stumbled across these gorgeous custom stamps, but they were purchased from Peppermint Press, an Australian company which specialises in beautiful customised stationery. I originally purchased the smaller stamp for the back of the envelopes as an alternative to a wax seal or sticker. Through pure luck, I was sent the larger stamp as well and it just so happened that it looked brilliant on the information side of the invite!

I have blanked out some of the finer deets
as we are yet to hold our big celebrations!

 

So there you have it! We somehow produced charming invites on the cheap, which match our personalities 'to a T!'.

 

 

x

Technofail

Last week, a friend of mine admitted to me that whilst watching the cricket live, she reached into her eski to grab a drink, missed one of those 'Howzaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?!?' moments, popped her head up and waited patiently for the live replay. It took a few seconds before she realised, replays don't exist in real life.

Although she was horrified and ever so relieved when her cricket loving peers were none the wiser, she was positive she wasn’t the only person who’d experienced what we’ve now dubbed a ‘Technofail’.

This prompted me to think of times technology has jumped in the way of my life. I must admit though, at this stage of the thought process, I couldn't imagine I'd do anything quite as ridiculous as she had.

As per usual I've surprised myself.

In the days before facebook or texting, a teenage version of myself spent most weeknights switching between ten conversations in 'ICQ' (whilst on a three way phone call), laughing out loud and ensuring the less interesting of 'friends' that I'd BRB. In the hazey sleep deprived school days that followed, it wasn't uncommon for anyone to find me hiding from embarrassment in the bathrooms due to answering 'LOL' to something funny the latest guy I was in love with had said. 

However, unfortunately I can't just blame this on teenage stupidity or lack of sleep. In more recent times, upon reading a particularly entertaining piece of writing, my right pointer finger has been known to linger over the article header longing for a 'like' button. I still can't help but be disappointed when the writer has no way of knowing I really liked their article. Who writes to the editor these days?

As embarrassing as this has been to admit, it’s my most recent phase that’s got me worried.

Now, I don’t often voice strong opinions on trivial matters, but I distinctly remember speaking up about people who 'check in' on facebook. Firstly, why on earth would you want your facebook 'friends' knowing where you are, I have enough issues with stalkers.... And secondly, how boring must your outing be for you to feel the urge to get on your phone and tell the world you're having a wonderful time.

But much to my horror, it wasn't long before I copped a big slap in the face when I was tagged in check in. With wide eyes and a thumping heart, I watched my phone light up and reveal to the social media universe, that I was at Little Creatures with 7 other people...

I couldn't tell you exactly what happened in the outings that followed, but much the same as an addiction to baked goods or online shopping, I am now a serial checker innerer.

So instead of adding my technology addiction to the list of things I worry about each day, I have decided to just roll with it. And why not!? Surely everyone knows how important it is to reveal to your 'friends' how cool you are and that your nights aren't actually filled with blogging and crafting... And let's face it, we must get on the good side of technology if one day computers will rule the world and hold us as their slaves for use only when their batteries run low.

Cheeky Rascals

Did I ever mention that I love school fetes? Well I do....and I'll do my best to drag along the closest person to me so I don't feel like a weirdo twenty-something childless person, hanging solo at a typically family oriented event. Getting high off baked goodies and crafts by yourself is sure to raise eyebrows.

On a weekend back in November, the unfortunate victim was my husband. Poor thing. After bribing him with a pre-fete caffeine fix at Hubbles Yard on George St (my most favourite street ever) we plodded up the hill to East Fremantle Primary School. This is where I came across my copy of 'Cheeky Rascals'. Mr B. was not the least bit impressed by my fete enthusiasm, so while he sought refuge at the home-made fudge stall, I set out to get my hands on this treasure of a cook book. When I heard that these tasty tales had been collected by the kids and relatives of the school (some of which were family secrets until now) I had to support this local project. A browse, some chocolate fudge and a cupcake later- my curiosity was satisfied.

The recipes are divided into seasons and feature some beautiful photography and playful food styling

So far I have tried and tested the Hubbles Yard Chocolate Raspberry Cake (above)- to die for! ...and the Brown Rice & Lentil Salad- amazing! Next on the 'to do' list is the Avocado & Ginger Icecream; Drunken Peaches and the Beetroot & Quinoa Salad

Well worth the $20 investment.

Get your greasy little fingers on your very own copy by popping into Hubbles Yard, Harpers Emporium, The Wine Store or Willow and the Bowerbird, all located on George Street in East Freo

The difference between lust and love

Oh how time changes everything. Here's what you new lovers have to look forward to.

Happy V Day.

DI - Why?

I have an ever growing urge to paint my large, old floor boards a fresh shade of white. At least in my bedroom.

Old houses can be quite dark and sometimes no matter how many times you sweep and scrub them, they lack that fresh look of a new house. Don't get me wrong, this is part of what I love about old houses, but it can also be frustrating.

If paint them, it will be quite an undertaking (not to mention a mammoth task to keep them clean; sharing my house with a man child and 2 boisterous dogs) - so I am open to opinions before I make the final commitment. On the other hand TheBob's father is a painter, so how hard can it be right?

What do you think?