Mmmmm Brownies and Christmas

Christmas has come and gone with a wink of the eye. Our little family had an alright day, unfortunately though Little Z was quite unsettled at christmas lunch with the extended family. She got so worked up that she wouldn't feed or sleep - but in the end she settled down and was her happy little self again. Oh well - I'm sure next christmas will be a whole different story.

Mat and I got quite spoilt this year - we received $400 from our parents, which we will be spending on nappies from baby beehinds. We also got $400 worth of Cole Myers vouchers and Mat wants me to spend on it some new clothes and shoes for my wardrobe - awwww! I got Mat a digital scale for his beer home brewing and he got me a lovely dress from Midwest Trader, we may have to return it for a two-piece outfit though since it is almost impossible to wear a dress while you are breastfeeding. We gave Little Z a collection of books, I really want to build up her library so that we have a great assortment of books to choose from. I think that is about it - so pretty spoilt really.

Now time for another recipe...

White & Dark Chocolate Walnut Brownies
Keep up to 5 days, or freeze up to 1 month (thaw in fridge)

Serves 12

Melted butter, to grease
300g dark chocolate, finely chopped
125g butter, chopped
2/3 cup caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly whisked
1 cup plain flour
200g white chocolate, chopped
100g walnut halves, chopped

Preheat oven to 180. Brush a square 19cm cake pan with melted butter to lightly grease. Line base and 2 opposite sides with non-stick baking paper, allowing it to overhang.

Place dark chocolate and chopped butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring, until chocolate melts and mixture combines. Stir in sugar and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until well combined.

Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Stir in eggs and flour. Add white chocolate and walnuts and stir until combined. Spoon into prepared pan and smooth the surface with the back of the spoon.

Bake in oven for 25 minutes (skewer should come out slightly sticky). Remove from oven and set aside for 3 hours to cool completely. Cut into squares to serve.

Digital Camera Research

After doing a bit of research I think I have found the digital camera to save up for it is the Canon IXUS 980 IS.

• 14.7 megapixels
• 3.7 optical zoom lens
• optical image stabiliser
• face detection technology
• motion detection technology
• 2.5" LCD screen
• red eye correction

Sounds like it is a really good all rounder and it is not overly expensive. It goes for about $500 on Digital Camera Warehouse - so I only have about $450 to save up. At least it is a goal to work towards.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way

It is christmas time again and our first ever christmas as a little family - awwww! We have the christmas tree up with a few presents under it, there are christmas cards pegged up around the house and I've been singing lots of christmas carols to Little Z. So I am definitely getting into the christmas cheer.

Yesterday Mat looked after Little Z for most of the day so that I could do some christmas baking - I made apricot balls, rum balls and truffles all from the wonderful Exclusively Food website. I must say they all turned out wonderfully but my favourite would have to be the delicious truffles. All of them were so easy to make, which is great when you have a 9 week old and not much spare time. Now I just need to wrap them up in some cellophane, tie them with string and pop them in my little christmas baskets to make them into presents for the relatives and my work. I love giving yummy home made gifts for christmas and most of the time people love receiving them.

Here is a photo of the yummy christmas goodness....

Speaking of photos I really want to get a new camera - I have decided that ours is too old and dodgy. Now I just need to research what camera to get and of course find the money to actually buy one. Or I could just dream about buying one for a while ... damn money!

Pork Balls

Pork Balls with Salad and Satay Sauce

Serves 4

850g pork mince

5 spring onions, sliced

1 tsp grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup breadcrumbs

olive oil cooking spray

350ml satay sauce

handful of green beans, trimmed

1/2 cabbage, finely shredded

1 carrot, peeled and grated

1 cup beansprouts,

4 hard boiled eggs, peeled and quartered

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. Combine the mince, onions, ginger, garlic and breadcrumbs in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Roll spoonfuls into balls, place onto a plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Thread 3 meatballs onto each skewer, place on a baking tray and spray with oil. Bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through. Meanwhile, heat the satay sauce until hot. Also steam the beans and cabbage until just cooked.

To serve, arrange bean sprouts, beans, carrot, cabbage, eggs, pork balls and satay sauce on a plate.

Enjoy!

Long time no see....

Well after disappearing for a good two months I am finally back on the blogging wagon :). First of all my disappearance was for a very good cause...

The ray of sunshine in my life - Zoe Lynne McCarthy. She joined us on the 17th of October in a relatively quick delivery and she has been keeping me very busy ever since. So far I would say that we have been incredibly lucky with little Z, no major dilemmas and in general she is a happy little girl (although lets not mention the arsenic hours :P). Since that fateful day life has been very different for our little family. We have definitely all been a lot more busy, but I think also we have found that we concentrate now on the more important things in life. It is amazing how a little one can help you forget about all the little things. And speaking of the little one I better get a move on before she wakes up from her morning sleep.

Time for a new recipe methinks...