What you need
2 or 3 oranges
180g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups self-raising flour
Peel the oranges and then chop them up and blend them until you have really pulpy juice.
Bake for 70minutes in a 180 oven
16.11.12
Orange You Something
You know that saying "when life gives you lemons"....go buy oranges and make this cake. And eat it over the sink in your pajamas on a Friday night....for dinner.
What you need
2 or 3 oranges
180g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups self-raising flour
Peel the oranges and then chop them up and blend them until you have really pulpy juice.
Pour the pulpy juice into a bowl and mix in butter, vanilla, eggs and sugar. Slowly fold in flour. Pour into pan (I used a springform pan for the first time and it was lovely!)
Bake for 70minutes in a 180 oven
What you need
2 or 3 oranges
180g butter
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups self-raising flour
Peel the oranges and then chop them up and blend them until you have really pulpy juice.
Bake for 70minutes in a 180 oven
11.11.12
shake it off
What do you do when your professional world and your personal ethics clash?
It's not often I don't want to go to work. I like my job. I love the kids I teach. I tolerate my colleagues. However, tonight I am feeling very Sunday night. The kind of feeling where I don't want to fall asleep, I don't even want to get under the covers because it means tomorrow will be here quicker than I want it to be.
I remember being 10 and sitting on the couch all Sunday night because I knew if I fell asleep it would be Monday all too soon and I didn't want to go back to school. It concerns me because that's how I feel tonight. Fifteen years later. I shouldn't be having this feeling.
It's been a tough few weeks. I seem to have managed to spend a lot of time off the radar this year, but the last few weeks have been tough. These questions just keep nagging my brain.
Did I do the right thing? When has it ever been wrong to do what I did? Why am I relieved that you are not concerned when I am so concerned? Why aren't you concerned? What gives us the power to decide these kinds of things? How can I see this is so wrong and you can't?
I know that I joined this job to help kids. I joined this job to give knowledge and help and opportunity. And that got lost last week. And it wasn't my fault. And I'm powerless to do anything to fix the situation. All I can do is sit back and question other people and the situation and myself. What kind of person am I to let this happen?
It's not often I don't want to go to work. I like my job. I love the kids I teach. I tolerate my colleagues. However, tonight I am feeling very Sunday night. The kind of feeling where I don't want to fall asleep, I don't even want to get under the covers because it means tomorrow will be here quicker than I want it to be.
I remember being 10 and sitting on the couch all Sunday night because I knew if I fell asleep it would be Monday all too soon and I didn't want to go back to school. It concerns me because that's how I feel tonight. Fifteen years later. I shouldn't be having this feeling.
It's been a tough few weeks. I seem to have managed to spend a lot of time off the radar this year, but the last few weeks have been tough. These questions just keep nagging my brain.
Did I do the right thing? When has it ever been wrong to do what I did? Why am I relieved that you are not concerned when I am so concerned? Why aren't you concerned? What gives us the power to decide these kinds of things? How can I see this is so wrong and you can't?
I know that I joined this job to help kids. I joined this job to give knowledge and help and opportunity. And that got lost last week. And it wasn't my fault. And I'm powerless to do anything to fix the situation. All I can do is sit back and question other people and the situation and myself. What kind of person am I to let this happen?
30.10.12
Limbo
You know you're an adult when you can no longer fit your whole life into one single room. My life is currently spread between 2 suitcases, the back of a car, a removal truck, 2 boxes and one single room. And I am so so thankful just to have that room in a house where there are condiments.
You also know you're an adult when this is an acceptable dinner. And it becomes an acceptable dinner two nights in a row because it's just that time of year when there is so much to do the best thing to do is eat.
Counting down is tricky, especially when this is supposed to be the shortest count down of all.
23.10.12
Nut & But
I have two dogs - a Tibetan Spaniel, named Butters and a Boston-Terrier cross Jack Russell, named Peanut. Together they are Nut and But, they are best friends and my whole world!
They are both currently living with my mother. We had to leave them with her as we are in the middle of packing up our lives and heading back to the city so, to save them the stress of flights and 2500km drives it was better to leave them with her (to be spoilt beyond belief!). But gosh, I miss them!
The house is so empty. I am having to rely on an actual alarm clock instead of the little whimpers of puppies who need to get outside every morning. At night is the worst, when my husband works night shifts (which is almost always) they were the best company and it would be the perfect excuse to fill the bed with the furkids.
So obviously I have turned to comfort food. Another huge contributor to this is no longer having a wedding dress to fit into and, after foregoing so much indulgence prior to the wedding, it seems my body expects me to binge. Also I have a cupboard of food that needs to be emptied prior to moving so and as tribute to my beautiful little dogs who I miss so much, I present:
Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
These are super simple, easy, delicious and feel like a whole meal in a cookie (or like 5 cookies)
What you need:
125g butter (softened)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 egg
1 1/2 cups plain flour
raw peanuts (as many as you think you would like)
choc drops/ choc chips (as many as you think you would like...and then some)
What to do:
Beat the butter and sugar until creamy then add the peanut butter, vanilla and egg. Whaz this all up until it is a smooth caramelly coloured creamy mixture. Then add the flour, peanuts and chocolate and mix to combine.
Now really, you could leave it at that and just eat it from the bowl, I would not judge you....ever. But they are also equally as good if you roll them into little blobs and bake them for about 20 minutes.
They are both currently living with my mother. We had to leave them with her as we are in the middle of packing up our lives and heading back to the city so, to save them the stress of flights and 2500km drives it was better to leave them with her (to be spoilt beyond belief!). But gosh, I miss them!
The house is so empty. I am having to rely on an actual alarm clock instead of the little whimpers of puppies who need to get outside every morning. At night is the worst, when my husband works night shifts (which is almost always) they were the best company and it would be the perfect excuse to fill the bed with the furkids.
So obviously I have turned to comfort food. Another huge contributor to this is no longer having a wedding dress to fit into and, after foregoing so much indulgence prior to the wedding, it seems my body expects me to binge. Also I have a cupboard of food that needs to be emptied prior to moving so and as tribute to my beautiful little dogs who I miss so much, I present:
Chunky Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
What you need:
125g butter (softened)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 egg
1 1/2 cups plain flour
raw peanuts (as many as you think you would like)
choc drops/ choc chips (as many as you think you would like...and then some)
What to do:
Beat the butter and sugar until creamy then add the peanut butter, vanilla and egg. Whaz this all up until it is a smooth caramelly coloured creamy mixture. Then add the flour, peanuts and chocolate and mix to combine.
Now really, you could leave it at that and just eat it from the bowl, I would not judge you....ever. But they are also equally as good if you roll them into little blobs and bake them for about 20 minutes.
14.10.12
September
My goodness! What happened to September? I feel as though I got lost somewhere after making Banoffee Pie, which now seems like a lifetime ago.
For me, September was filled with so many amazing moments. The month signified the end of our third term which was the longest one of the year. The month started with my Mister receiving his transfer which means that he will be leaving our town at the start of November to head back to the city. I also received my teacher transfer which allows me to follow him a month later to teach primary school (yay!) . It also means that after three years our time living in the remote Australian outback is coming to an end which is excellent and devastating but the great thing about life is that it is full of moments like these.
So that was just the start of September! The rest of the month was filled up with hens parties, bucks parties, copious amounts of last minute planning, phone calls and rushing around, all in preparation for our amazing wedding!
The week leading up was filled with so many hazards. There were some complications with our cake (but it all worked out perfectly), our poor celebrant became very sick (but she got better and it all worked out perfectly), we had a miscommunication with our decorators and some of our decorations were not available (but after some *calm* negotiations it all worked out perfectly), the day before there was a mini cyclone on the beach (but on the day.....yep - it all worked out perfectly). We could not have asked for a better, more memorable day to unite our love with friends and family surrounding us.
And then there was the Honeymoon! We spent 3 days in Kuala Lumpur loving the city, the people and the shopping. Next we headed to the jungle of Sabah. We stayed at a beautiful resort on Dalit Beach. Relaxation. Sunshine. Orang-utans. Massages. Food. Oh the food! Stay tuned for some Malaysian inspired dinners.
So that was September and after negotiating around 30 hours of travel we are back home.
Now it is October....almost half over! There are 8 weeks of the working year left. I have a prac student to guide over the next 5 weeks. Report cards to write. A house to pack up. And a new life waiting just around the corner.
For me, September was filled with so many amazing moments. The month signified the end of our third term which was the longest one of the year. The month started with my Mister receiving his transfer which means that he will be leaving our town at the start of November to head back to the city. I also received my teacher transfer which allows me to follow him a month later to teach primary school (yay!) . It also means that after three years our time living in the remote Australian outback is coming to an end which is excellent and devastating but the great thing about life is that it is full of moments like these.
So that was just the start of September! The rest of the month was filled up with hens parties, bucks parties, copious amounts of last minute planning, phone calls and rushing around, all in preparation for our amazing wedding!
The week leading up was filled with so many hazards. There were some complications with our cake (but it all worked out perfectly), our poor celebrant became very sick (but she got better and it all worked out perfectly), we had a miscommunication with our decorators and some of our decorations were not available (but after some *calm* negotiations it all worked out perfectly), the day before there was a mini cyclone on the beach (but on the day.....yep - it all worked out perfectly). We could not have asked for a better, more memorable day to unite our love with friends and family surrounding us.
And then there was the Honeymoon! We spent 3 days in Kuala Lumpur loving the city, the people and the shopping. Next we headed to the jungle of Sabah. We stayed at a beautiful resort on Dalit Beach. Relaxation. Sunshine. Orang-utans. Massages. Food. Oh the food! Stay tuned for some Malaysian inspired dinners.
So that was September and after negotiating around 30 hours of travel we are back home.
Now it is October....almost half over! There are 8 weeks of the working year left. I have a prac student to guide over the next 5 weeks. Report cards to write. A house to pack up. And a new life waiting just around the corner.
10.9.12
Banoffee Pie
Yes, I am aware I said no more baking for a while but some days the only thing that is right and good and decent is caramel.
Sometimes your day is complicated, confusing and rushed. No matter how hard you try. No matter how organised you believe you are. There are some days when you just end up chasing your own tail.
But things look brighter when you arrive home and you discover a can of condensed milk and some ripe bananas.
And just when you think life can't get any better, there is whipped cream too and as you plonk yourself down on the couch and push all the regretful, worrisome episodes of the day to the side...you wonder why things seemed so bleak and overwhelming to begin with.
and that, is the magic of caramel.
Banoffee Pie
Base
1 cup of self-raising flour
1 cup of coconut
100g melted butter
combine ingredients, press into a pan and bake for about 15 minutes
Filling
1 can of condensed milk
2 tablespoons of golden syrup
30g butter
combine ingredients in a saucepan and place on the stove on medium heat. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for around 5 minutes until light golden brown.
Pour mixture on top of prepared base and place in the oven for 15minutes, place in fridge to cool.
Topping
slice some bananas, whip some cream - combine and dollop on top of cooled pie
4.9.12
The Wedding Rant
Yep, it's finally happened - The Wedding Rant. We are in the process of planning to move (of course) and the man of the house sold the bedroom television so now I have been left alone with crazy bride thoughts that have overspilled into a blog post.
Weddings are frightening and exciting things aren't they? Mine seems to have snuck up on me. We got engaged in January 2011. So many people have cute engagement stories. Ours involves moving house.....surprise, surprise - I am only up to my 5th house in 3 years. I was covered in dirt and sweat and had moved about 100 boxes, a fridge and a washing machine, cleaned a house and survived a house inspection. He had spent the entire day flying back to me and our new house. Obviously it was the right time.
We figured we would give ourselves a fair bit of time to plan and save money and set the date for September 29, 2012. On reflection I don't think we did either of those things overly well!
Planning things from far away is tricky. When I organise anything I like to be right there in the middle of it all but so much of this wedding had to be done online, on the phone and in bits and pieces when we managed to get out of the bush and back to reality.
Things got out of hand quickly. I had hardly said yes when we realised we HAD to book a venue and we HAD to organise the ceremony and we HAD to find a decorator and we HAD to start looking for a celebrant and we HAD to invite this person and that person. Weddings are just one massive to-do list of booking things and keeping people happy.
Which is okay, because we are fairly easy going people and like keeping people happy. We are quite organised people and generally book things well in advance and we (he) has pretty good taste and usually book good quality things. And we are actually awesome and suit each other perfectly.
So why am I ranting? Why am I sitting here wondering if it's too late to choose a different wedding dress because, even though I love mine, it might not be right for a beach wedding. Why do I keep dreaming that when my florist arrives with the flowers they are all dead and she tells me over and over, "That's how they come." Why do I keep thinking about how to explain to my future husband about rolling up the sleeves of his shirt so they don't look bunchy? Why do I only feel good when I am on a treadmill or eating carrot sticks and celery. Do you know what's disgusting? Celery. It's really bad. I keep thinking about my hair - the colour, the length, the style. I don't think I've ever thought about my hair this much.....okay that is a lie but this time it REALLY matters! And the tide. Beach wedding....the tide is something you never think of when you see all the lovely pictures of people in suits and dresses smiling and laughing by the water's edge. The tide is apparently "low" for our wedding day. What does that mean? Is my beach wedding actually going to be a mud wedding?
Okay....I think that's everything that is on my mind at the moment.
Weddings are frightening and exciting things aren't they? Mine seems to have snuck up on me. We got engaged in January 2011. So many people have cute engagement stories. Ours involves moving house.....surprise, surprise - I am only up to my 5th house in 3 years. I was covered in dirt and sweat and had moved about 100 boxes, a fridge and a washing machine, cleaned a house and survived a house inspection. He had spent the entire day flying back to me and our new house. Obviously it was the right time.
We figured we would give ourselves a fair bit of time to plan and save money and set the date for September 29, 2012. On reflection I don't think we did either of those things overly well!
Planning things from far away is tricky. When I organise anything I like to be right there in the middle of it all but so much of this wedding had to be done online, on the phone and in bits and pieces when we managed to get out of the bush and back to reality.
Things got out of hand quickly. I had hardly said yes when we realised we HAD to book a venue and we HAD to organise the ceremony and we HAD to find a decorator and we HAD to start looking for a celebrant and we HAD to invite this person and that person. Weddings are just one massive to-do list of booking things and keeping people happy.
Which is okay, because we are fairly easy going people and like keeping people happy. We are quite organised people and generally book things well in advance and we (he) has pretty good taste and usually book good quality things. And we are actually awesome and suit each other perfectly.
So why am I ranting? Why am I sitting here wondering if it's too late to choose a different wedding dress because, even though I love mine, it might not be right for a beach wedding. Why do I keep dreaming that when my florist arrives with the flowers they are all dead and she tells me over and over, "That's how they come." Why do I keep thinking about how to explain to my future husband about rolling up the sleeves of his shirt so they don't look bunchy? Why do I only feel good when I am on a treadmill or eating carrot sticks and celery. Do you know what's disgusting? Celery. It's really bad. I keep thinking about my hair - the colour, the length, the style. I don't think I've ever thought about my hair this much.....okay that is a lie but this time it REALLY matters! And the tide. Beach wedding....the tide is something you never think of when you see all the lovely pictures of people in suits and dresses smiling and laughing by the water's edge. The tide is apparently "low" for our wedding day. What does that mean? Is my beach wedding actually going to be a mud wedding?
Okay....I think that's everything that is on my mind at the moment.
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