Koala in a creek.

For the Australia Day long weekend, husband and I went away with the extended family to a shack by the beach. We spent our days lounging by the beach, swimming, snorkelling, attempting windsurfing, fishing and cooking barbecues. It was blissful and the perfect little break away especially as husband has gotten hardly any time off work over summer and it was nice to just have an escape.

To celebrate Australia Day we did the usual BBQ and I made a special little dessert - koala in a creek. All you need to make it is some Caramello koalas (I used 7 as there were 7 of us), 2 packets of lemonade jelly, some blue food colouring and some little Australian flags.

Simply make the jelly following instructions (and at the same time add a splash of blue food colouring). Then put in the fridge to set (it will take about 4 hours). At the three hour mark I added the koalas so they could sit nicely in the jelly before it was too hard. Do not add the koalas until the jelly is a bit set or it won't work properly. 

Then add some flags before serving and you have 'koala in a creek' :-) mmm

Lisa x

P.s I'm linking up with
The Dedicated House

Day 10 -11/13. The annual christmas letter and grandparent gifts.

I've never sent out a christmas letter before but was feeling kind of inspired to since we've received a bunch in the mail this year. I wanted to go a bit further than the whole just type what's happened so with the help of publisher, in about 15 mins I had this: 

Once all our info and stories were added, they were printed and packaged for family who we sadly won't be seeing over the christmas break. Now all my extended family can put us on the fridge and will be up to date next time we see them! 

Then since my Aunt will be passing them on (no last minute postage problems), I included a special little gift for the grandparents from our garden since we've spent lots of time together in the garden.

We have a quandong tree hanging in our yard (Australian wild peach) and a while back I harvested them and froze them. It was time to pull them out of the freezer and attempt to make some jam. Since inspired my apricot jam was a success, I thought I could attempt quandong jam. I used a CWA recipe and hope my grandparents like it. I also added in some bags of potpourri (from our garden) for the extra special touch and smell :)

 Quandongs bubbling away

Canned and ready to enjoy!

For me, I love buying presents for others but something just seems so much more special about giving homemade gifts and using fresh produce that you've grown. I have dreams of one day having a large veggie patch and a hoard of fruit trees, of making the majority of my food from raw ingredients, and of only buying the freshest of produce. I long for the simple joy of living off my land and cherishing where everything comes from.

Perhaps the country air is getting to me...

Lisa x

Jamming.

Okay.. I haven't posted in almost 2 weeks but it's finally nearing the end of the term and I'll get some more free time. It's that time of the year when end of year parties fill our weekends and everyday is jam packed. 

...and with this segue let me tell you about my first ever jam making experience. Since I'm currently endeavoring to be a jack of all trades, or in my case, jill, I thought I'd give homemade jam a go. My decision was also decided by the fact mum has buckets overflowing with apricots and gave me a whole lot more than I can possibly eat at once.  We all know I just love home grown food!

Being a newbie jam maker I sought the net for recipes and found this one which worked out fabulously. It's very detailed which is good for an amateur like me.

I wasn't sure how small to cut the apricots so I just cut them into quarters. Also I might have gotten a little excited about making the jam and forgot to check out how much sugar we had left so I ended up using raw, white and brown sugar to make the required amount... they're all on my shopping list now. However the jam still tastes mighty good so I really don't think it matters what kind of sugar you use. 

I had these cute little mason jars that mum gifted me for my birthday last year so I put them to use and half the recipe made enough jam for 3 containers and two slices of toast for husband and I. Jam is just the best when it's warm and straight from the stove to toast.

I am thinking of raiding mum's apricot tree again and making some more as gifts for people- since this batch turned out great and I think homemade any is just the best. Incase you're interested the label is from a sticker book found here, which is filled with beautiful labels that I use all the time.

Also in other exciting news...(well probably only for me) but my little vegie patch is finally bearing some produce. It's turned out a bit funny though the tomato bush is like the smallest bush ever and the tomato is getting the be almost the same size as the bush? I have no idea how this happened but I'm happy as long as I'm growing tomatoes!

Lisa x

Sombrero cake.

My very talented friend Sarah asked me to help her construct a sombrero cake for the Mexican party. She had already two white chocolate cakes made and the chocolate top so I got to help with fun part of putting it altogether.

We cut up the other cake and used it around the edges of the first (circular cake). Then we used a knife to smooth the edges and make them more curved. We also used leftover bits of the cake to fill in the gaps between each bit.

Then it was time for icing and decorating. The icing was made from white chocolate and cream and put on roughly since sombreros are not super smooth hats. Once iced we made patterns using icing pens.

The cake looked with a sombrero but was also like a pinata as when the knife when in the middle, out poured a lot of lollies.  A tasty white chocolate cake with lollies on top...just the type of cake I like!!

Another cool idea was to make a dip shaped like the mexican flag- guacamole, sour cream and salsa. I love how simple and effective this idea was. For the symbol in the centre of the sour cream, simply print the symbol in colour and laminate it.

Oh how much more fun is food with a theme!

Lisa x
P.S I'm linking up with 
A Diamond in the Stuff
Elizabeth & Co
Romance on a Dime
The NY Melrose Family
Simply Done Wright
The DIY Dreamer
Claiming Our Space
The Winthrop Chronicles
The Kurtz Corner

Country charm.

 I have to start off this post with a snap of Maisy since it's her 2nd birthday today! Happy birthday to our lovely sweet little doggie.
Now to get on with what I actually wanted to post about...
Our home is in a small country town so it's pretty exciting to find a new place that's amazing within a short drive. But we did! The most adorable little blacksmith cafe complete with all the original trimmings. 

One thing I miss about living in the city is definately finding new cute places so finding this was a massive bonus. And of course the food is fabulous too which always helps.

I love the details of this place like the collection of vintage kettles, the old school cash register and all the old blacksmith equipment.

I have recently been blown away by the kindness of country people and God's incredible provision in my life. I feel like everytime I feel down about living away from family and friends, I am reminded that there are actually looks of fabulous things to do here and exciting discoveries to be made.

Lisa x

Lessons from my grandpa.

I've just had my parents and grandparents staying at my home for the last few days and it's been so good. I lost my pa about 1 year ago and have a greater appreciation of every time I get to hang out with grandma and grandpa.

While visiting grandparents for tea is great, it is truly special to be able to have your grandparents stay in your home and spend some real quality time with them. 

I am so grateful that they enjoy visiting (this is their third visit) and I am so thankful to be their grand daughter.

my grandpa, the gardener

I've previously shared my little edible garden attempts and homegrown lettuce but have decided to get down to business even more. My grandpa was excited to teach me about starting my own vegetable garden.

At present I had coriander, parsley, basil, spring onions, celery, lettuce and strawberries and now I can report that I've got a whole little garden on the go.
I've recently planted pok choi, baby spinach, rocket, tomatoes, cucumber, capsicum and onions.
I am so excited at the possibility of actually eating from my garden and hopefully next time my grandparents come to visit, I can delight them with vegetables straight from my crop.
If you're thinking of planting cucumber, here's what my grandpa suggests :
- find a nice sunny spot
- add some potting mix to the soil and then soak in water
- dig little holes and plant each cucumber plant
- water a lot but don't water the leaves
- cover with cardboard boxes for the first few days (especially if you live in a town as sunny as mine), I've also put a rock on top as it's quite windy.
Grandma got snap happy while we planted some cucumber...

I'm so excited to see what happens but here's how my little cucumber plants are currently looking:

I'm really looking forward to seeing how the cucumber goes and if I have any success. I've also set up a little dripper system for when we go away/ incase I forget to water them.

What vegies do you grow? 

Lisa x

Let us grow lettuce.

I must confess, I often ended up having frozen vegies and carrots with my tea as I'm constantly running out of lettuce for salads. Lettuce isn't expensive but it doesn't last that long and we eat it quite fast. Inspired by my first successes with growing my own edible garden (as now I have more parsley and spring onion than I need)  I've decided to take the obvious route and grow my own lettuce.

Tasty lettuce at my finger tips all the time! Perfect!
I thought I'd share a sure way to grow your own lettuce that has worked successfully for me.

You will need :

Lettuce seeds

Newspaper

Lots of water

Potting mix

An old wheely trolley ( I like the move my lettuce round)

A styrophone box ( I got it for free from my local supermarket- you just need to ask)

How to:

First place the styrophone box on an old wheely trolley and fill the styrophone box with some potting mix.

Soak water through the potting mix and wait a few hours.

Then plant the lettuce seeds in two rows.

Cover with newspaper.

Water daily and before you know it your lettuce will be growing and thriving.

Check out my lovely lettuce...

Mine will be ready to eat in about a week and then I'll be eating salad galore!

Lisa x

The beginnings of an edible garden.

source

I  live on a large enough block in a country town. It was only a matter of time before I knew I had to get into growing some of my own food. 

There's nothing quite like fresh food straight from your yard. I'm currently blessed by having some friends who will trade an egg carton for a dozen eggs. I've got a constant supply of oranges for snacks and fresh juice. My neighbours always leave me spinach and parsley and there's a large quandong tree which hangs into my yard and provides plenty for pies and chutneys.

What's a quandong you say? See above...

It's a native Australia peach that tastes amazing when it's cooked into pies, chutneys or made into jam.

So I feel pretty blessed with homegrown food; eggs, oranges, parsley, spinach and quandongs.

However I've been feeling the urge to have a try growing a few of my own edible plants and have started the process. Here's how I've started:

Mum gifted me some basil and parsley plants and I planted some coriander seeds a friend gave me.

I've also planted some strawberry plants husband was gifted as a thank you gift from a patient.  I love the idea of using an old crate around a pot to make it look all that more charming. This wooden crate was thrifted from a garage sale.

I replanted the end of some store bought celery and according to pinterest it should regrow. Only time will tell :) It's started to regrow but I am still a little skeptical about how much it will grow.

I put the ends of store bought spring onions in water and they have already started to resprout. I have also planted some of  them and will see whether they grow more. I think old thrifted teapots make the cutest pots, all you need to do is drill some holes in the bottom for drainage and put a plate underneath * I forgot to replace the plate before taking the photo.

For now I'm just starting to green my thumb. I'll let you know how my mini crops go :) Do you have any tips that have worked for you to cultivate your own little edible patch?

Lisa x

Easy recipes for when you just don't feel like cooking.

Since my parents live a long drive away, I'm always delighted when they come up for a few nights. We had lots of great meals and I thought I'd share a few cheap and easy recipes that are tasty. When my parents are up I want to impress them with my cooking but still have plenty of time to just sit with them and enjoy their company.

Tasty simple potato salad

Ingredients:
6 potatoes ( peeled and cut into cubes).
100g of diced bacon
2 spring onions
Paul Newman's own ranch dressing- any will do but this is the best.
How to:
Steam potatoes until cooked (don't let them get too soft).
Drain potatoes and place in a bowl.
Cook diced bacon in a small fry pan and add to bowl.
Cut up spring onions and add to bowl.
Pour ranch dressing generously in the bowl and mix together.

Crumbed chicken tenderloins

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 cup plain flour

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 tbsp lemon pepper

3 tbsp shaved parmesan cheese

How to:

Get three bowls out (flat bowls are best).

In bowl 1 place flour.

In bowl 2 place eggs and beat slightly.

In bowl 3 place lemon pepper, breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.

Dip the tenderloins in flour and brush off. 

Then dip the tenderloins in egg and finally coat the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture. 

Fry the coated tenderloins in a large fry pan until cooked.

And for entree we did have my favourite Chicken noodle soup 

(significantly more appetising than the above picture).

Ingredients:

1 litre water

1 spring onion

1/4 roasted chicken from the supermarket

2 tbsp of sweet chilli sauce

1 packet of chicken noodle soup mix

1 can (400g) of creamed corn.

How to:

This is the easiest soup ever but very good.

Cut up the spring onion and break the roasted chicken into pieces.

Combine all the ingredients and cook on a stove top until warm.

Eat and enjoy!

Let me know if you try any of these very easy recipes. I'm a big fan of testing out tricky recipes but for inexpensive and easy meals you can't go past these three recipes.

Lisa x