Banana Oat Slice

I'm so in love with oats and bananas. This is delicious and freezes well for a midweek breakfast treat.

So lets talk about sugar. Are you aware of the extremist anti-sugar regime? Do you have an opinion about sugar? Apparently everything is loaded with it and it will kill us all. Then theres all this nonsense about not eating fruit. I just don't have enough facts and there are actually too many opinions on the internet and in overpriced books for me to formulate a well educated and unbiased opinion about sugar.

I would like to say that this slice has zero added sugar, as the only sweetness comes from those deliciously stinky smooshy overripe bananas that are sitting in your fruit bowl. I sure don't mind sweetening up my mornings with some oaty banana love and blueberries….and pure maple syrup….just a tiny bit won't hurt right?

Banana Oat Slice
makes 4 slices in a 1.5L baking tray 
150g-200g mashed over-ripe banana (I found this was about 2 small/medium)
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Whisk the egg, milk, vanilla and then mix through the mashed banana. Add the oats, baking powder and baking soda and mix through. Let the mixture to sit for about 10 minutes then pour into an oven proof dish and bake at 180 for about 30 minutes.

Upside Down Berry Crumble

It's the start of the new school year so, obviously, I am spending copious amounts of time preparing, planing, printing, laminating, goal setting, timetable making and searching for a new job.

Every year around this time I decide I need to renew my seek.com account and peruse endless university courses thinking, "What do I really want to be when I grow up?" Inevitably I decide I like my current job enough before I find my new one. In between this realisation, however, sweet food is my one true constant and comfort….that's bad huh.  Oh well, it's Sunday night and my sanity and happiness is found smothered in berries and cream. 

 Upside Down Berry Crumble - for two

100g mixed rasperries and blackberries (I used frozen)

1/2 teaspoon white sugar 

1/4 cup rolled oats

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 cup plain flour (if using wholewheat flour use just less than 1/4 cup as it tends to be drier)

25g butter, melted

a couple of chopped walnuts

Whipped, thickened cream for topping

Mix the berries and the white sugar until combined then pack the berries into ramekins.

For the crumble, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour and walnuts. Then add the butter bit by bit mixing after each addition to ensure the crumble does not become to wet. Pack the crumble on top of the berries and compact with a spoon (not super tight, but just so it forms a "topping" more than just a loose crumble)

Bake for 15minutes until crumble is browned, Allow to cool slightly then turn the ramekin upside down, tap the base and remove to reveal a perfectly formed berry crumble tower (or more likely, a partially collapsed berry crumble tower). Top with whipped cream. 

Be happy, things will surely get better. 

Lime Curd

It's that time of year again when the limes are ready to be picked and the little tree chopped back for the cooler months. Previously I have made things like Lime Chiffon Pie and Lime Meringue Pie and it was awesome but this year was time for something new. Enter Lime Curd. Where you been all my life?

Seriously.

How did I miss this?  It's straight forward to make, easy to store and you can put it on…..everything? It is full of tart sweet goodness.

Lime Curd
1/2 cup lime juice
125g butter
1 cup caster sugar
3 eggs
lime zest

Combine lime juice, butter and sugar in a bowl over gently simmering boiling water. Mix until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.

Whisk the eggs until frothy then slowly pour into the sugar and lime mixture.

Stir the mixture continuous and watch that it doesn't get too hot (or it will curdle). Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until the mixture is thick.

Remove from the heat, stir through the lime zest and pour into a jar.

 Also Lime Curd Cheesecake will be happening soon.

Banana Bread for Two

Banana Bread For Two
My Banana Bread love affair has been documented in the past (and even past-er past) and honestly I am a little ashamed of this recipe. To me, banana bread is one of those things that there should be more of, not limited "for one" (or in this case "for two") portion sizes. Actually, that's how I feel about most food.

Anyway, this came about due to the fact that my poor body becomes a trash compactor on the weekend. I seem to fill my weekdays with smoothies, nuts and vegetables but in contrast, on the weekend, I am transformed into a sugar guzzling, carb craving maniac. I spend the majority of my weekends in stretchy pants and an awful mood brought about by a combination of sugar-crash and food guilt.

Enter portion control and a perfectly sized banana bread for a normal sized breakfast with a reasonable amount of sugar.

Banana Bread for Two
3 tablespoons wholemeal flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1 egg, whisked
1 banana, mashed
1 tablespoon butter, melted
scattering of chopped walnuts
splash of milk (if necessary)

Pre-head the oven to 180s degrees.
Combine all the ingredients and spoon mixture into muffin or loaf pans.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until browned and cooked through.
Serve topped with yoghurt or ricotta, honey and more walnuts.

Chocolate Smothered Banana Bread

It's been quite a while since I've been on/seen my blog. Of course lots of things have been happening, the biggest and most time consuming of which has been the building of and moving into our new home. It's amazing how many weekend hours are gobbled up visiting furniture stores and deciding on colour schemes and towels and cutlery and…everything that fits in a house. 

When I reflect on my posts of 2014 I see this: fish, marshmallows, yoghurt cake and mango trifle. Perhaps the only positive to come out of this is the fact that it is almost mango season again. Clearly, time has been fragile. When I reflect on my life of 2014, the last weekend I remember enjoying was spent watching 2 entire seasons of Game of Thrones (yep, discovered!). Also we went to Europe at some point for 3 weeks and backpacked (ate our way) through Italy and a bit of France. Then there is just a crazy blur of house building related……bits and pieces (of astronomical proportions). 2014 has been a time vortex. 

So, this sounds like I'm having a very big whinge "my new house means I didn't do anything on my blog whaa" and this is really not what it is about at all. I love my house. I love every painstakingly selected item within my house. I love the fact that when I was a kid I used to dream of living in a fancy house and the house that I now live in infinitely surpasses those dreams. In short: I love it and….I la-OVE the kitchen, which is really what it's always been about. Let's talk about that. 

Today is not about whinging, today is about two things - banana bread and Nutino - and the excessive amount of joy these two things (and my new kitchen) bring to my life. 

Let's start with banana bread. I don't remember when banana bread became part of my life. It is so integral to my overall wellbeing that I feel like it has just always been there….at least from the time I started regularly frequenting coffee shops so let's say 14 or 15. It's my go to breakfast, morning tea and afternoon tea and all the other small meals that fit in-between those meals - you have those too right? The only deal breaker is when it lacks walnuts. It also has to be toasted and if you let it go just a little bit, almost to the point of burning, you can create the most amazing caramelised flavour. Are you drooling on your keyboard too? 

I have had a shot at a few different banana bread recipes but this is it for me now. I have gone back to this one all year. 

Let's talk about Jamie Oliver. Love him or hate him? I enjoy his t.v. programs. I find his cookbooks have over stuffed ingredient lists and too much reading. I find his website difficult to navigate. I find many of his recipes are either epic win or epic fail. This one is epic win. An additional bonus, it can be made as a half loaf and still tastes amazing and is still a reasonable size. This is just sugary, nutty, banana goodness and it only gets better with the addition of Nutino.

As a kid I did not grow up in a Nutella household. I remember having tiny snack pack Nutella in my lunch box on very rare occasions, that I'm pretty sure I often switched or threw away. Of course when my husband hears these stories he almost goes into a fit of rage, "WASTING NUTELLA??? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU??". I just never really understood it. Then we went to Italy, where everything comes smothered in Nutella or the Italian version - Nutino. 

On our European vacation we booked all of our accommodation through Air BnB, which meant we spent three weeks living in family homes, most of the time with the family themselves. Without sounding like a total hipster, it was very authentic. It's fine, I hate how I sound when I say that as well. 

We spent out first few days in Rome. We stayed in a little apartment which, according the the Air BnB website profile, belonged to an Italian adonis named Dario. I swear even my husband thought he was dreamy. Of course when we arrived, Dario was in Milan at Fashion Week and (after a gruelling 34 hour fight through Brisbane-Singapore-Frankfurt-Rome, a train ride, a walk from Roma Termini and 5 flights of stairs) we were greeted by a woman who spoke zero English and simply introduced herself as "Dario Mama". 

We loved Rome. We loved Dario's place. We loved Dario Mama. We especially loved the flaky, buttery croissants she fed us each morning that were smothered in Nutino. 

So the rest is history right? It just makes sense. And I'm totally fine with never wearing a two piece again, there are just more important things in life.

Yoghurt & Raspberry Cake

Time is flying by so quickly. My blog reflects that my kitchen has been experiencing sever neglect. In truth, I'm still operating at full swing (over swing?) in the kitchen....but also in many other areas so it's just not transposing on to here. After 3 flat out weeks at work and 3 full weekends (of more work), this cake was the perfect way to unwind with a cup of tea on Sunday afternoon.

Yoghurt & Raspberry Cake
2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1 cup natural yoghurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups self-raising flour
3/4 cup frozen raspberries (slightly thawed)

In a mixer combine the eggs, sugar, yoghurt and oil. Mix until well combined then add the flour and continue to mix until combined. Gently stir in the raspberries. Then bake in a 180 degree oven for about 40 minutes.

Icing
This cake would work soooo well with a white chocolate ganche - however, none of those ingredients existed in my home so I settled for lemon icing which was still awesome! 
3/4 cup icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon butter
cold water
1/4 teaspoon lemon essence

Melt the butter in a small microwave bowl then add the water and the lemon essence. Add the icing sugar to a mixing bowl. Spoon about 1 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon of the butter-water mixture into the icing sugar mixing well after each addition until the icing mixture is at desired consistency (as always, do this super slow - it's worth it in the end for spreadable icing that doesn't drip off the top)

Passionfruit & Mango Trifle

It is feeling very summery at the moment. I'm loving the last few weeks of my summer holidays and trying to get the most out of every day....and every meal. This trifle was served up by a friend late in 2013 and it has been on my mind ever since. It happened in my kitchen today.

* Note: to me, trifle is a personal thing - some prefer it more cakey, others more custardy, so I have left out measurements for somethings because the best trifle is made in just the right proportions that you like.

Passionfruit & Mango Trifle
85g passionfruit jelly crystals
passionfruit pulp
sponge cake/jam filled sponge roll (400g should be plenty, I used 200g to make 3 mini trifles)
1/4 cup malibu white rum
vanilla custard
mangoes (cubed)
250ml thickened cream
1 tablespoon icing sugar mix

Make the jelly in a shallow tray according to the instructions (add 250ml boiling water, mix until dissolved then add 200ml cold water).  Put into the fridge for about 2 hours until partially set then add the passionfruit pulp and mix through.

cut the sponge cake into small squares and lay on the bottle of the trifle dish. Drizzle the malibu over the sponge then spoon the jelly mixture over the sponge cake. Top with mango and custard. Extra layers can be added but finish with a mango layer.

In a small bowl whip the cream and icing sugar until firm peaks form in the cream. Top the trifle with the whipped cream and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or over night.

Wholewheat Pikelets

Wholewheat Pikelets 

1 cup self-raising wholewheat flour

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 egg

pinch salt

almond milk

butter (for cooking)

Whisk the egg in a bowl then add the flour, sugar, egg and salt. Mix to combine, add almond milk until mixture is at desired consistency (thinner mixture = more crepe like or pancake like consistency). Heat butter in a frying pan, ensure pan is hot before adding dollops of mixture to pan. Usually, as pikelets cook bubbles form to indicate that it is time to flip, but it didn't seem to happen with this mixture! So carefully check after they have had a little time to cook. There are great to make on the weekend then freeze in preparation for delicious and quick week day breakfasts. 

These are totally delicious with berry compote 

3/4 cup of berries (I used raspberry, blackberry, strawberry)

5 tablespoons lemon juice

1/8 cup castor sugar 

Place the berries and lemon juice into a small saucepan over a low heat. Heat, stirring until berries have released some of their juice then add sugar and mix until dissolved. Allow to simmer until sauce has thickened slightly. This is also easy to freeze in small portions to be defrosted and tipped over the pikelets. 

Sunday Sweets: Berry Banana Muffins

July Throw Back

My husband's birthday is just under a month away. For the past three years birthdays have been a bit of a "thing" for us.

In year 1 I remember his birthday two days before it happened. This might not have been such a big deal if we didn't live in an isolated rural town with exactly zero department stores and perhaps (stretching it) 2 places that could be considered "variety" stores that take about 2 minutes to walk the entirety of. I offered to make a "special dinner" that failed epically. I also attempted to make a cake that was fairly disappointing. Needless to say, year 1 did not work out so well.

In year 2 I thought ahead slightly and via ebay purchased a small number of items that I felt were practical. I also planned a weekend get away to Townsville. Apparently my husband hates practical items as gifts. He believes birthdays are a time for impractical things that you don't really need but really want. Also Townsville is...disappointing to say the least. We also got terribly lost on our trip home and ended up turning a 10 hour drive into 15 hours of scary, petrol-gague-staring, out-of-range off-roading. Year 2 epic fail.

In year 3 I started early. During the year when I heard him mention various items of interest I noted them down in my phone. I started purchasing things on ebay in June. I didn't think twice about how expensive things were or how practical they were. I made outlandish purchases like an iPad and a framed Joker photo compilation signed by Heath Ledger - yes I purchased the signature of the deceased. I also made this cake. Needless to say, I nailed it in year 3.

So here we are in year 4. We are living back in a world where there are like 15 department stores in short driving distance and the entire CBD of shops is a 20 minute train ride away. So I'm starting early. The restaurant it booked. Family invitations have been arranged. Pre-shopping questions have been asked.

This weekend the shopping began. Who'd have thought that living so close to shops would actually make things harder? The variety is the issue here. I've gone from having no options to too many. Also, I had such a good crack at things last year, this year I am left with fairly slim pickings. How do I top myself?

I have spent the weekend going from one huge mall to the next. I haven't gone to the gym all weekend as I have spent so much time running in circles and going from one end of shops to the other and back....and again.  So, this Sunday I decided that, after two long shopping days, I would make afternoon tea instead of dessert....for two reasons - 1. I need a sugar boost at this point in the day and 2. I am so tired I don't think I will even last to dinner let alone dessert.

These muffins came about by accident. I was going through the freezer yesterday when I discovered a whole bunch of bananas that I had frozen about 2 months ago. I know that sounds weird, but I did it for this very reason. Over ripe frozen bananas are magical things that make baked banana goods extra delicious. I also had a let over box of frozen blueberries so it all just made sense to me. They have come out looking kind of rustic which I really like. I am consistently disappointed with my flat, smooth muffins, these look like the kind of muffins I picture in my head.

Berry Banana Muffins
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
80 grams butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup blueberries
mashed bananas (I used 6 small very ripe and sloppy bananas - these provide the moisture for the muffins so over ripe is ideal)

Sunday Sweets: Spicy Apricot Slice

Tonight I made the apricot version of this slice. It was really a last resort decision as I have really over done chocolate lately (excuse my blasphemy!). I felt like something that was sweet but fruity instead of just chocolatey. I think I got my wish with the Apricot Slice, but I have to say it is oddly different to the apple version. I can't decide if it is oddly different because it is odd, or if it's just because apple goes better with cinnamon than with apricots.

Sunday Sweets: Spicy Apple & Oat Slice

This is an easy one which is essential at the moment. Pie Apples can be substituted with Apricots, delicious when cooled and served with a calming cup of tea.

Spicy Apple and Oat Slice
1 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 cup of rolled oats (wholegrain are amazing)
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of desiccated coconut
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
190 grams of butter, melted
400 gram tin pie apples
extra cinnamon, nutmeg and handful of crushed walnuts for topping

Combine the plain flour, oats, sugar, coconut and cinnamon and mix through the melted butter until the mixture is moist.

Spoon about two-thirds of the mixture into a small baking tray and press into the base. Top with the pie apples. Sprinkle the extra cinnamon and nutmeg over the top of the apples.

Add the walnuts into the remaining mixture and sprinkle over the apples. Bake in a 180 Celsius oven for 30 minutes.

In the Garden: End of May

Earlier this month I wrote a post about my little garden. Over the month there have been some developments.

My first batch of strawberries came up beautifully ruby red ....and proceeded to turn into mushy little balls of yuck! So, I would like to say lesson learnt but after ongoing research and reading I can' really find a reasonable explanation for this. However, over the past few weeks all of our strawberry plants have started producing fruit so fingers crossed we have a little more luck with these - maybe the secret is to eat them immediately!

Shortly after my earlier post we cut our lime tree right back. With winter just around the corner we thought we would trim it right back, mulch it and let it ease into the winter. However, 2 weeks later, the tree has come roaring back to life and is already beginning to produce more limes. Maybe I will be able to conjure up another Lime Meringue Pie after all.

Our next project is sugar snap peas. I LOVE these things and have wanted to grow my own for a while now. I'm not sure if this is the right season for it but we took a gamble and purchased 8 plants. We have about 6 surviving so, like everything -fingers crossed! We don't really have the space for them right now but hopefully that will change soon.

Since the disasters of our last two tomato crop, I had pretty much given up all hope of ever being able to grow my own cherry tomatoes but.....we decided to give them one last chance. Seriously, so glad we did!! It has been a pretty exciting few weeks watching these little guys grow, flower and start bearing fruit.

Finally, this is BIG news, we have arranged to put in some garden beds. This means we can really start expanding our gardening possibilities and also move on from trying to squeeze everything into pots. It will also allow us to gain a bit more experience. There will be more on this in a few weeks. As it is, we have decided that after the garden beds are organised we won't be doing anything major for the next few weeks because we will both be pretty busy with work, birthdays, a wedding and then our trip to India!!! 

Sunday Sweets: Lime Chiffon Pie

We are still on Cloud Lime thanks to our earlier harvest. As pretentious as it sounds, making delicious things with home-grown produce is so rewarding!

I was tempted to make another Lime Meringue Pie because....well, how can you resist?! However, reason prevailed and "trying new things" is important. Also this Lime Chiffon Pie requires the use of gelatin which I generally hate working with so it presented somewhat of a challenge. Finally, the concept of lime sugar really appealed to me as it is a combination of my two favorite flavours - sweet and tart.

To begin with, to me, this dessert was reminiscent of a graceful, elegant elderly lady. The luscious cream representing carefully blow dried and primed hair. The lime sugar, like lace gloves. However, when I came to make it, I realised that Chiffon Pie is just the extremist bastard love child of Meringue Pie. It's messy, a little conceptual and time consuming.

It's everything a Meringue Pie is not and when it comes together it is like actually eating a cloud (hence my earlier little Cloud Lime-Cloud 9 play on words....we've been doing a lot of figurative language in class this week). The end of the story is, this Lime Chiffon Pie is the lightest, fluffiest thing in my house at the moment. Considering I own this dog....

.....that is saying a lot.

Lime Chiffon Tart
Base
250gram packet butternut snap cookies
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
75 grams butter
*this base actually became very hard and difficult to cut, if I were to make it again I would use my tried and true Scotch Finger Biscuit base however, this base is delicious and it works beautifully with the lime flavour 

Filling
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
3 teaspoons powdered gelatine
2 teaspoons lime rind
2/3 cup caster sugar
4 egg whites

Topping
300ml thickened cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar mixture

Lime sugar
1 tablespoon lime rind
2 tablespoons caster sugar

As with all deliciousness, this pie starts with crushing up biscuits, adding cinnamon and melted butter. Combine all of these things and press into the base of a springform pie dish or a fluted pie dish if you're fancy and own one of those.

For the filling, separate the eggs and leave the whites to sit for the moment. Place the yolks, half the sugar (that's 1/3 of a cup!) the lime juice, water, gelatine and lime rind into a large heatproof bowl. Sit the bowl over a simmering saucepan of water (exercise caution with steam, hot water etc).

Get your electric mixer ready and have your iPad nearby because at this point you are in for a long wait. As your yolk mixture sits over the simmering water you need to whisk it. Choose a low setting so that you don't end up having an egg shower. Whisk the mixture until it doubles in size and resembles thick, fluffy goo.  To begin with you will say things like, "Nothing is happening."  "Is this right?" and there will be many times when you ask, "Is this done?".  Just keep whisking. Just keep whisking....and so on.

Once it's at the point where your arm is about to fall off and it looks like this (light and creamy) you are ready to give your buzzing arms a rest.

Let this mixture cool to room temperature...this might mean popping it into a little ice bath to speed the whole thing up if you are on a time limit.

While the yolk mixture is cooling, place the egg whites into a bowl and begin mixing all over again. This whole processes becomes easier if you have a mix master but if not, just keep those arms a-whisking. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form (what does that even mean?) then gradually add the other half of the sugar, beating until it is all dissolved.

Fold the egg white mixture into the yolk mixture until it is combined. It should resemble a light, fluffy slightly goopy mixture. Pour the mixture over the biscuit base a refrigerate until set (about 4 hours).

Once the pie is set and just before serving, whisk up the cream and the icing sugar until the cream is fluffy (like everything else in this post). Smother cream over the pie filling.

Finally in a food processor, combine the lime rind and the caster sugar. Once combined this will form moist sweet-sour clumps to sprinkle over the top of the cream. Get ready to eat a tangy amazing cloud.

Sunday Sweets: Lime Meringue Pie

Yesterday's post was a little late - it was a take on our garden about a week and a half ago. As we are well and truly out of Lime season now we did a (late) harvest of our lime tree this weekend. We gathered 16 limes from our little tree then cut it right back to rest for the winter.

So with all of these limes it was time to hit the kitchen. We used one lime on a jug of zesty refreshing lime flavoured water (hold your applause) then I went looking for something a little more creative.

Being a huge fan of anything citrus and sweet the choice was clear. I have just started attempting to learn some French so why not combine my gardening, cooking and travelling hobbies into my most favourite thing of all - dessert! Welcome to Lime Meringue Pie, not too sweet, not too tart.

Lime Meringue Pie
Base
250grams scotch finger biscuits, blended into fine crumbs
90 grams butter, melted

Filling
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup cornflour
1/2 cup lime juice (for me this was about 4 and a half limes)
1 & 1/4 cups water
60 grams butter
3 egg yolks
1 teaspoon lime rind

Topping
3 egg whites
3/4 cup caster sugar

Base
Combine the biscuit crumbs and butter the press the wet base into a 20-25cm pie dish. Refrigerate while you make the filling.

Filling
Prepare all of the ingredients for the filling before you begin because it all happens rather quickly once it gets going. Combine the sugar and the cornflour in a medium size saucepan on a medium heat.

Gradually add the lime juice and the water stirring until the mixture is smooth. As the mixture heats it will begin to thicken gradually. Bring it to the boil and let simmer for about a minute.

Don't let it simmer too long as the heat will breakdown the cornflour (which makes it thick) and then the whole thing will become a weepy watery mess.

Remove from the heat and add the butter, yolks and rind and mix to combine. Scoop the filling into the pie base and refrigerate until cool.

Topping
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Beat the egg whites in an electric mixer until peaks form, gradually add the caster sugar, allowing it to dissolve between each addition.

Rough the top of the pie filling with a knife or fork then spread the meringue over the top. Bake for about 5-10 minutes until the meringue is browned. Refrigerate for about 2 hours before serving. Don't let the meringue sit for too long as it will begin to go soggy and weep.

In The Garden: Strawberries, Mint & Lime...Oh My!

We adopted our lime tree from my mum. It is a Dwarf Citrus "Tahitian Lime". After having the tree for 2 years and yielding about 5 limes my mum insisted that the tree was "dead". We discovered that it wasn't exactly dead but just desperately needed some love and attention.

We removed a lot of branches, gave it some quick release fertiliser, removed the collection of weeds that had taken up residence in the base of the pot and started watering it frequently! Low and behold - LIMES!!! They started out as tiny white flowers in December then, a few weeks, later transformed into little green buds that turned into limes!

 In late February my husband purchased some strawberry plants. We were a little nervous about these but ever since watching Jamie Olivers "At Home with Jamie" we had wanted to give strawberries a go. They quickly put out runners and by mid April we had our first little bunch of strawberries appear. Of course, this wasn't without incident. Only one of our plants grew any fruit, our other three were infected  and their leaves became covered with little black spots. In the end I just cut them all back and we're hoping for the best.

Finally, the mint. A large mint plant was given to us by a very keen gardening friend. She insisted that we keep it well hydrated. On the drive home we talked and talked about our expanding little garden. By the time we got home we had totally forgotten about the mint and it sat on the floor of our car for about a week. By the time we *smelt* it we were sure its time was up. However, with some water and some care (see the lime tree!) we were able to bring the mint back to life. It regularly adds some sweet zest to our dinners.

Sunday Sweets: Berry Crunch

Warm. Sun shining. Sunday? Love it! I have to say, my husband working 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday is probably the best invention ever. It means we were able to have a leisurely pancake filled morning, then go and do "couples things" like visit the plant nursery and get coffee and walk the dogs. My life was just a little bit picturesque today and this dessert finished it off nicely.

Berry Crunch
1/2 teaspoon sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup breakfast cereal (flakes and bran)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons honey

1/2 cup mixed berries

1 cup vanilla yoghurt

Combine the seeds, oats, cereal, maple syrup, vanilla and honey. If they mixture is too wet add more oats, if it is too dry add more syrup. You want a sticky consistency. Place the mixture on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Let cool on the bench covered with a tea towel. When cool enough to touch break up into chunks.

Layer a serving glass with the crunch, berries and yoghurt.

Sunday Sweets: Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake

What a week! I have been working 11 hour days so my poor kitchen has been very bare. There was a caramel tart around Tuesday but it didn't last long enough for photos. Somehow I have ended up back at Sunday and only 4 long days left of work until the end of term break. I made it and this dessert just makes the end that little bit sweeter!

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake has been a long time in the making. Back when we were living in "the outback" we used to do our shopping in bulk. Fresh fruit and veg was hard to come by and  on one shopping trip, I happened upon blueberries in a tin. I was so excited. Berries! That would last forever! That I could readily use at any time! My mind immediately filled with thousands of delectable blueberry based dishes that I promised myself would appear in my kitchen the moment we arrived home (after the 750km drive from the grocery store).

The blueberry tin sat in my pantry for about 4 months. Every time I went to make something I kept asking myself, "Is this really the dish I want to use my ONE TIN of blueberries on?" Then I moved house and I ensured that my tin of blueberries was safely stowed away in a box and transported the 2200kms to my new home.

The tin has sat in my new pantry for about 3 months. Every time I looked in there I could see it. This week I realised I was hanging on to something a little deeper than a tin of blueberries. I now live in a city where fresh produce is available daily. I could finally part with this one little tin that had brought me so much happiness simply by existing. So this finally happened and I am so thankful that my little tin of blueberries provided such a gorgeous, sweet dessert.

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake
pre-made biscuit base (refrigerated)
250 grams blueberries
1/8 cup caster sugar
Filling
250 grams cream cheese
90 grams sour cream
1 egg
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

Pre-heat the oven to 140 degrees Celsius and line a springform pan I used one that was 20cm, I should have used on about 15cm. My cheesecake came out a bit flat! I use a pre-made biscuit base. It is just the biscuit crumbs already broken up so I just have to add butter then press it into the pan. Let the base refrigerate.

Place the blueberries and the caster sugar into a saucepan over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase to medium heat, stir frequently and let the mixture simmer until it is thick. Tip the blueberries into a food processor and process then press the mixture through a strainer or sieve so you end up with a dark purple sludge. Put this into the fridge to cool.

To make the filling process with cream cheese until it is smooth then add the sour cream, egg, sugar and vanilla. Mix until smooth then pour on top of the base. Drip the blueberry mixture over the top and using a skewer or a blunt knife swirl the blueberry sauce through the cheesecake filling.

Bake for 30 minutes then turn off the heat and let the cheesecake sit in the over for a further 30 minutes. Allow the cheesecake to cool and set in the fridge.

Vanilla Cake with Mascarpone & Figs

Figs are dear funny little things. Apparently hailing from the Garden of Eden, I am loving the addition of these dried and fresh sweet treats to my kitchen.

Vanilla Cake with Mascarpone & Figs
4 eggs
2/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanille essence
1 cup of self-raising flour (I used wholegrain)
Seeds of one vanilla pod
Mascarpone, Figs & Honey to serve

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and prepare a muffin tray.

Beat the eggs until they begin to foam (around 5 minutes) then gradually add the sugar, vanilla and vanilla seeds, continuously beating the mixture.

Sift in the flour and gently fold the mixture together to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared tray and allow to cook for 15 minutes.

Once the cakes have cooled top with mascarpone, a fig half and drizzle with honey.

Apple & Rhubarb Crumble Friands

I have been thinking about rhubarb for so long now it's actually become a bit creepy. I've been cooking this recipe up in my mind for a while but I just wasn't quite sure how it would all turn out. I don't think it looks like much but it was delicious and a little bit technical! Since I am in the midst of watching "My Kitchen Rules" (yes I have become one of those people who are suckered into reality cooking shows), I was kind of excited to pull off a dessert with 3 elements!

Friands
95 grams butter
30 grams plain flour
60 grams almond meal (can be found in the baking isle OR usually in the fridge at the health food shop)
2/3 cup icing sugar
3 egg whites

I tried to purchase a friand baking tray but apparently they don't exist in the shops I frequent. I ended up with this shallow muffin tray that I really like. So prepare the pan by adding a little butter or oil to each section and dust it with a little flour (tap out the excess).

In a mixing bowl beat the egg whites until they form a light froth (isn't that a pleasant word). Combine the flour, icing sugar and almond meal and add them to the eggs then add the button on top and mix to combine.

Spoon the mixture into the pan and bake for about 25-30 minutes. These are quite dense so best option is use a thin skewer through the centre to test that they are cooked (obviously if it comes out clean they are done!)

Apple & Rhubarb
2 apples, peeled cored and chopped into small pieces
3 sticks of rhubarb
1/3 cup caster sugar
30 grams butter

Place the apple, rhubarb, butter and sugar into a large saucepan. Let it cook over a medium heat. Stir occasionally and keep an eye on it. After a while the rhubarb becomes quite mushy, hopefully the apples will have softened by this time. Take the mixture off the heat and mash the apples. You don't want this to be too sloppy, make sure it sort of sticks to the spoon for the right texture otherwise it will drip right off the friends. Taste this mixture because sometimes it can be a bit tart - add more sugar if you need to.

Once the mixture has cooled slightly, layer it on top of the friands.

Crumble
I don't feel like I've got this quite right...
5 grams butter
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 teaspoon rolled oats
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
1 tablespoon almond meal
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Place all the ingredients in a bowl. Using your fingertips rub the butter into the mixture until it is combined. Place in the oven to lightly toast then sprinkle on top of the apple and rhubarb mixture.

Serve slightly heated (microwave) with cream or ice cream.

Cranberry & Sultana Muffins

Gorgeous red ruby cranberries paired with plump sultanas folded into crispy topped moist dough.

Cranberry & Sultana Muffins
1 1/2 cups wholemeal self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarb soda
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sultanas

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and prepare a muffin tray with paper liners.

Combine the flour, soda, oats and sugar. In a small bowl whisk the buttermilk, oil and egg and pour into the dry ingredients. Mix to combine and fold through the fruit.

Bake for approximate 25 minutes. These are great straight from the oven with a scrape of butter or left to cool and popped into a lunch box each day. They also freeze really well for use later in the week and to assist portion control!