New Years Resolutions

To exercise more, spend more time, eat better etc etc - I don't think the list is any different to the greater population.

On a more serious note - what do I commit to - this year I think it's simple ( well in theory) ..

I am going to enjoy every minute of my life, focus on the positives and spend time with those important to me. Princess A and A - 2012 is going to be magnificent - with never-ending love, laughter, delicious food and fun !!!

Happy New Year !!!

Xx

Milestones

Milestones were always associated with project management theory and scheduling in a Princess A free world. Now they are something entirely new, its like a whole new vocab.

Milestones like rolling, drinking, eating, talking, crawling and now walking. At 10 months pretty much to the day my little princess took her first step. Was I proud ? You bet, grinning from ear to ear.

Sitting, once again away from A and Princess A I wonder, have I been in such a rush to meet the milestones, that I somehow forgot to enjoy the way? Has the 'management' theory taken over the pure joy of just experiencing things?
When did having a child and working my way through the parenting minefield become a competition ?

I notice myself comparing, judging, passing opinion, all those things I said I wouldn't do.

Is it out of pride that parents do this? We can only really listen to others if we are willing to take a step back.

More later x

The Glamour of Travel

OK I am going to promise, first up that this post is not going to be another repeat of the guilt's or a to - do list for 2012.

Is travel glamorous?
Maybe if you fly at the very pointy end of the plane, stay in 5 star hotels, and travel to luxurious destinations, surely there must be an allure or the 100,000's of travellers wouldn't bother. Lets face it, the hotel rooms, the comfortable pillows, the luxurious linens, the delicious food... ha??? Right now I am sitting in a comfortable room, having enjoyed a small dinner waiting for sleep to come. I don't think its really as glamorous as people make it out to be. Travel is a necessary evil to reach our objective. (or so I heard from someone), maybe that was a bit harsh. For me its a way to get to A - B and home again, part of the job, but part I could live without.

Is travel necessary?
On my way to the airport, the driver of the mini bus taking me from my car park to the domestic terminal, suggested that skype would be a far better way to communicate and save so much money. Does that make up for human contact. Maybe in the work sphere, I could save time and energy by beaming myself into function rooms, webinars or something like that - I am still not 100% convinced about this......
I have been skyping, face timing, whatsapping and Texting and trying to do as much as I can to stay in touch with Princess A and A and I can tell you that Skype does not make up for the real thing. A cuddle, a warm hug, a kiss, the smell of home......

My Glamorous experience -
I stay in a smallish hotel, the service is friendly and they do seem to care which is what I like - but glamorous - No! there is nothing glamorous at racing to the airport, parking the car, waiting for the mini bus, arriving at the airport, heaving the bags and boxes or material to check-in, waiting for the plane, finally boarding only to sit next to some person who thinks that all 3 seats were designated for them, and how dare I want to sit there and then to make it worse, be in the window seat. Order a cup of tea, $10 salad that is barely edible, where the dressing has spurted all over my pants, to pack up, get off, wait for the bags, heave them to the rental car company, wait for 35 minutes while they find your booking, which for some reason doesn't exist, get to the rental car (of course the furthest away from the booking office), find the car, notice additional damage not mentioned, queue some more, get the car looked at, finally leave the airport, drive to the hotel, park the car, check in, get to the room, unpack..... only to start the process in reverse a few days later to return (and if it a short trip the very next day). I think exhausting is a more appropriate word for it !!

The domestic goddess in me yearns for a warm bath, a nice cup of tea and some time with a good book. Bring on the next installment of "the colour tea"  or my latest literary discovery "Nikky Pellegrino". But really if i could chose to be anywhere right now it would be home - nothing feels as good as your own bed, own home, my own food. Princess A and A, I love the feeling of home - I'm on my way in my dream tonigh, see you soon !!

Auckland Adventures

I am once again in amazing Auckland, well maybe it is for me. It seems that when I am here I somehow seem to get a glimpse of the life that I would like and where I want to go, a feeling of clarity only to have it overtaken again by the Sydney System.

At the moment I am feeling anything but domestic, I seem to spend more time in hotels than at home with the family.

A is screaming that isn't what he signed up for and Princess A seems to be coping, but I suffer pangs of jealousy of all the cool things she does with 'other' people.

Enough said, I have started planning 2012 - yes in October!!! I promise Princess A and A that I will do maximum 3 days a week and none of these all week stints.

Anyway... about the food...

I had a delicious dinner in the hotel restaurant - they serve 'prawn cutlets with Asian slaw'. I would call them prawns with with some bean shoots and sweet chili sauce, but the balance of flavour is really delicious and I find myself slurping at the sauce.

Tonight I was a 'piggy wiggy' and ordered a main, lamb fillet with blue cheese sauce, capsicum and some undefined herb. It was surprisingly good, I kept wondering whether the blue cheese would overpower and kind of hit me in the senses, but again the flavours were subtle and tasty. Oh and the best bit - I could go in the draw to have a years supply of New Zealand Beef sent anywhere in the world (how cool would that be !!)

Its late here and way past my bedtime but I wanted to let you know that I hadn't fallen off the planet.

More to come about the Island Luau, my Birthday lunch and lots lots more

xx

Work work work

I feel terrible that it has been so long since I have written - it's been all work and no play.

It was my birthday on Sunday, we had a beautiful family lunch including princess A. My mum the original domestic goddess made the best cake!!

Princess A is growing so much and has started loads of new foods -

Spaghetti bolognese, asparagus, strawberries, water melon, blueberries. She pretty much eats what we do which is making meal times more fun, we just have to make sure that we eat early enough for her.

I have been working a lot lately and it's only getting worse. I heard myself describe myself as a part-time mum - that's not really what I "signed" up for.

I just have to make the commitment that 2012 will be different.

It's time to make the most of the time with my loved ones and make them feel goddessly loved.

So what's on the domestic goddess checklist.

• luau dinner for my dads birthday
• another macron batch
• biscuits for A

And lots of delicious treats for Princess A

Wish me luck xx

Ps I got some beautiful cups - pink with gold from H.

Love your life !!

This has been my mantra today, I think safely I would say it has been 'one of those days'.

I realised sitting in the taxi, on yet another trip away from Princess A, singing her 'goodnight song' that even though I wasn't there to tuck her in, I could still make it special for her. The taxi driver to my surprise thought it was a lovely song (obviously he is as tone deaf as I am) and gave me 2 sticks of incense (not sure what I am meant to do with those).
 
I guess what I realised is that I can always complain about working too much, or not enough, of being busy or not busy, of having it easy or having it tough, life has been a whirlwind since February for way too many reasons to go into here, and I just realised today how blessed I am to have A and Princess A. I have a wonderful life (ok we always wish for more, or better or whatever) but its time to take stock, make the most of the dreams I have and go out there and just do it.

I was reminded on Friday of my own advice (funny!!), I had a friend come and do my hair, and while we were talking she referred to a mutual friend of mine and something I told her a long time ago "what other people think of you is none of your business". My mum used to say that to me all the time, and it was really interesting having my own advice come back at me. It made me realise that as people we are far better at giving advice than taking it.

Today's post is slowly deteriorating to some babble.. I feel like I want to tell the world so much today, about how we can all make a difference yada, yada, yada. Probably the best place to start is to say, that today I had a reality check about what is important and moving forward I am really going to make the most of the life I have and love every minute of it.

A and Princess A are in my corner, they are their as my support and there to bat for me. Now is my time to make the right decisions, shine and make them proud.

Princess A and A, I love you both

Good Night big world

N

Family Dinner Night

I am starting to consider whether an extended family dinner night on Thursdays might be a new institution in our home.

Last night my Dad, brother, In laws and A, Princess A and I had a delicious dinner.

Menu
Rib Eye Roast - we got it from RG meats and it was absolutely delicious.
Spinach, Speck, Tomato and Cheese bake - really yummy!!
Roast potatoes, Sweet potato, Eggplant, Zucchini and carrot.

Everyone loved it.. I feel like I am finally getting some control in the mayhem which has been my life for the last month or so. I have a few more stumbling blocks getting my accounts in order and clearing my desk out.

My motto for today is bit by bit, step by step - I know that A, Princess A and I will get there.

Wishing you all a Delicious day

N xx

The simple things in life

I find myself in Auckland again, reflecting on the last trip here. On the way home I watched a  movie about a duck. It was a New Zealand film, I enjoyed the simplicity of it and how heart warming it was. Lets face it there is something kind of nice about a man and a duck.

The amazing thing was, I found myself tearing up when explaining how much I enjoyed it.  My homeward trip last month was a trip of discovery, of enjoyment and of finding some inner peace. I head home again tomorrow, and am hoping to find a few similar a - ha moments. The movie trailer is below, I am not sure if it does it justice (comes across a little cheesy), but its worth a look.

If you find yourself on a flight between NZ and Australia, or anywhere else in the world, with an hour and a half to spare, have a look at a story about the simple things in life.


Enjoy

N xx

cupcake coma

We are in the wind-down aftermath of cupcake chaos.

25 large cupcakes 24 mini cakes

Designs- dinosaurs, butterflies, snakes, teddies and shapes

Dinosaurs & teddy bears

The snakes

Snakes finished product

The full collection

Recipe was the same as the Thermomix vanilla cupcakes (post in June)

Lots to tell.. Promise to write more later xx

Cake Mania

Wow what a weekend - 2 cake orders

Luckily they were both the same type of cake so I could make all the elements in bulk

The Weber BBQ cake
Inspired by planet cake (the cake gurus)

The Chicken Drummies

Skewers and sausages

Steaks

Skewers and Sausages

 I made 2 carrot cakes, both were moist, I felt a little terrible as the first one I made I had to rush the decorations a little, I think the end product just wasn't quite as smooth ( I only hope it tasted ok).

Cake 1

Cake 1

I learned that for me it is definitely a hobby, not sure I could really enjoy making cakes with a deadline or price tag.

I was in a total conundrum, what to charge my friend, particularly as the cake wasn't as perfect as I would have liked it to be

Cake 2

Cake 2

Cake 2

Cake 2 with escaped skewers and bottle tops

PS. My friend came back to me and liked the cake, in fact its the ultimate compliment, she asked me to make her wedding cake.. so I was worried about nothing.

There was a time when people had manners

This week I am wearing the working mum hat. I am sure as all working mums its a mixture of a glimmer of the former pre-little person life but also the guilt of not being there. At least I am not calling home every hour (which must have been truly annoying for whoever was minding Princess A).



Currently I am sitting at Melbourne Airport, and I have never really noticed it before, but there is a gentleman sitting a little way away who has spent the whole hour I have been here talking to people. Although this is interesting, I sat here wondering ... Do I do this too? Am I as irritating to others. Part of me wanted to lean over and give him my business card, but then that would demonstrate that I was listening in to his conversation. He was quite rude the whole time, loud, obnoxious, and had I really wanted some personal time, it would have been impossible.



I have been thinking this a fair bit lately, this morning I was listening to the radio on my way to the client, and they were discussing parents who show their pictures of their children to friends and acquaintances without realising that others aren't interested, don't care and frankly think this is just bragging. Do I do this? I mean I think Princess A is just the most beautiful, clever, brilliant child in the world. Am I boring the people around me with endless chatter about my "perfect" child? Is it bad manners to talk about ones own children? or about oneself?



I am starting to wonder whether people are losing their manners. What happens to a simple "thank you". Am I old fashioned for wanting to instill this in my child? People don't really send thank you cards anymore, don't wave in traffic when you let them in, are constantly in a rush and frankly in my work life, seem to be out for themselves to better their position (financial / status etc) at the detriment of the people around them. Have you noticed that people seem to have a disregard for others?



It seems that table manners have dissappeard, many kids only rarely sit at the table to eat a meal. I have to say in the haste of choking a meal down in Princess A's early life, my table manners started to slip and left alot to be desired, eating with one hand whilst attempting to breast feed, or pat, or cuddle just didn't really leave much room for ettiquete. Having said that, we now eat at the dinner table every night, with Princess A, A and I love food, and frankly, communual eating, sharing a meal is part of domestic bliss.

Sing it Loud

Have you ever experienced how good it feels to turn a song up in the car and sing it as loud ( and in my case out of tune) as possible?

On my way back from the airport, I found myself alone, no precious ears of Princess A to worry about, and the radio just wasn't quite fulfilling the souls need for a boost.

Shift to IPhone - song pick - "Hold On" by Michael Buble. I played it loud and proud and let it lift my soul. It reminded me that it has been a long time since I let loud music and singing soothe my soul.

There is an immense release- I found myself grinning ear to ear as I walked in at home to see Princess A and A.

If you haven't sung your heart out recently, I suggest that this week is the week. Whether at home, in the shower, in the car or where ever you can belt out a tune - enjoy the life it breathes into the areas we haven't let the sunlight reach for some time

x

Time for Tea

I have just finished posting as many of the recipes from the last few dinners and started to notice that my blog seems to be becoming a list of recipes. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I somehow promised more.



The Macaroon post from last week was inspired by The colour of tea by Hannah Tunnicliffe was a beautifully written book that really spoke to me, I am still trying to work out why it spoke such volumes, I will keep you posted.



On another note, trying to sift through the maze in which I find myself, being a working mum, means that at the moment I am suffering from "mummy guilt", which H often reminds me is totally optional, however I feel sometimes that I just don't get enough hours in the day to work, live, love and play.



Work is totally all consuming at the moment, but I find this blog and creating food for my loved ones as a great release from those pressures.



I have been asked to make 2 orders for friends -  so you could say my first cake orders. A Webber BBQ cake (I promise to post its progress) and 40 cupcakes for a 5 year old birthday.



Its Saturday afternoon, a beautiful sunny day, definately time to close the laptop and make some "time for tea".



Nx



PS. I am looking for some beautiful bone china tea cups (preferably pink with a delicate gold rim) if anyone knows where to find some of these, please leave a message or send an email.

Strawberry Ice-Cream

I have used the Thermomix for a delicious sorbet before, but as I finally got my Ice cream machine, it was time to take a culinary ice-cream test drive. It tasted just like the strawberry ice-cream I remember as a child, somehow more real than the ice-cream we buy in the stores.

Ingredients
Punnet of strawberries, washed and cleaned
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of milk (full cream)
2 cups of cream
1 teaspoon vanilla essence ( I use a good quality one which is made of real vanilla)

Directions

Put the strawberries and lemon juice, 1/3 sugar in the thermomix, and blitz so that it is pureed. leave for the juices to kind of come out and flavours enhance.

Mix together milk, and the remainder of the sugar whisk till the granules dissolve, then add the cream, whisk. Add the strawberry mixture, whisk till combined, add to ice-cream machine turn on and in 60 minutes the most delicious strawberry ice-cream is born.

Notes
I am not 100% sure how this recipe would work without an ice-cream machine but without the thermy, you could also just chop the strawberries very finely, or puree them with a hand mixer, bullet or other type of food processor. It would also be possible to mush them in a mortar and pestle to get the flavours out.

Macaron Madness

There is something strangely magical about Macarons. I was totally inspired by a beautiful book The colour of tea . The Author of this book also has a blog, and last weeks blog post was about beautiful Macrons. I still haven’t worked out if they are meant to be called Macarons or Macaroons – it’s one of those things where both can be right. Looking at the picture in Hannah’s post, mine were definitely not nearly as beautiful or perfect - but a good start.






Recipe

Ingredients Macarons
300 grams ground almonds or almond meal
300 grams of icing sugar
5 egg whites
cream of tartar
red, yellow brown food colouring

Ingredients Filling
250 grams unsalted softened butter
150grams of icing sugar
Orange macarons - orange zest, Small amount of juice
Pink strawberry macrons - fresh strawberries pureed
Coffee macarons - shot of espresso / or if you don't have access to a coffee machine, instant coffee and water to dissolve.


Piping in Filling

Directions for macarons
Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites until they are foamy. Add a pinch (or tip of knife) of cream of tartar and whisk till soft peaks form. Add the icing sugar in batches, continue to whisk. stir the meringue into the Almonds. split into 3 sections and tint one with brown food colouring, one with orange and one with red. Depending on the fillings you can also make them green, or yellow or whatever.

Spoon each of the mixtures into piping bags with about a 5mm nozzle. pipe into 1.5cm rounds (I think mine were a little smaller), onto baking paper lined trays. Repeat with all the colours.

Preheat the oven at about 150 degrees and bake them till they are firm to touch (mine took about 15-20 minutes).

Remove from oven and cool.

Directions for fillings
Using the thermomix beat the butter until its pale and fluffy. If you don't have a thermomix just beat them with an electric mixer. once pale and fluffy beat in the icing sugar until combined.
Transfer the mixture into 3 bowls and add the flavourings.
Strawberry - thermomix 5 strawberries till pureed and beat into the mixture
Orange - add the zest and juice (i found that beating this in with the electric mixer meant that it did not separate, it can also be done in the thermomix, but as i had the strawberry going in the thermy, i used the electric mixer)
coffee - add some of the espresso or dissolved instant coffee, whisk in to combine.

Place the mixtures into piping bags and pipe onto the appropriate coloured macaron and sandwich together.

Date and Pine Nut Cous Cous

Wow this was a work in progress... even though I have made Cous Cous before, for some reason the first attempt ended up looking more like sandy cement which A would use to brick up a house, than something which would complement our Moroccan chicken.

Ingredients
2 cups of Cous cous
2 cups of stock
1 cup dates
1/2 cup pine nuts (roasted in a pan)
Coriander to serve
Oil
Butter

Method
Place 2 cups of stock and a good dollop of olive oil into a saucepan, bring to boil. Once boiled get the 2 cups of cous cous, add whilst stirring. Put the lid on and let it sit for about 5 -10 minutes
Take a fork and separate the grains, add butter and stir

then chop the dates, combine with the roasted pine-nuts add to the cooked cous cous, stir through roughly chopped coriander and serve warm.

Note - if you are not sure about the cous cous, as there are different types, brands etc., read the packet instructions and just adapt with stock rather than salted water.

Thermomix Guacamole

The Thermomix books and posts on the forum contain plenty of recipes for all sorts of dips, but when it came to the crunch, 1/2 hour before the imminent arrival of the family for the Sunday Smorgasbord, I just whipped something up and it was actually delicious.

Ingredients
6 small ripe avocados
1 250ml tub of Sour cream
Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice (about a small lemon)

Method
Place all ingredients in the terrific Thermy, blitz at 7 or 8 for about 30 seconds (if that) scoop out and serve.

I served it with bread sticks

Enjoy!!