celebrations | Vegie Smugglers

Posts tagged celebrations

A bit jammy

November 15, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, Sweets & treats · Tagged celebrations, cooking techniques, fruit, recipe

Scared off by talk of pectin variability and techniques of jar sterilisation, I’ve never been a jam maker. Add to that a couple of preserving disasters in my youth (a large disgustingly mouldy jar of roasted capsicums and 4 litres of rancid preserved lemons), and I’ve been happy enough to grab my jams and chutneys at markets and on election day outside the church hall from kind, elderly ladies.

But the other day on my doorstep, stood my mother, with a kilo of cumquats from her tree and a photocopy of a page from an old microwave-cooking cookbook.

So I’ve given it a go, and am happy to report that it was easy and I’m a bit inspired. I know some of you are vehemently anti-microwave so this recipe is not for you. But for the rest of us, who figure that a few micro-waves in moderation are ok, this recipe is great. Here goes…

Sterilise your jars

Don’t be scared. I followed Sally Wise’s advice from ‘A year in a bottle’, which has been on my shelves for a while (secretly, I’ve been coveting the role of preserve princess). Wash your jars in hot soapy water. Rinse and place on a tray in your oven. Heat to 110C, then turn off and leave for at least 10 minutes. Take the washed lids and simmer in boiling water for 2 minutes (this is where I went wrong with my lemons).

Blitzing the fruit means it cooks quickly and it is peel chunk-free

MAKE THE CITRUS JAM
This recipe is from either a Woman’s Weekly or Family Circle Microwave cookbook – I’m not sure exactly, I only have a photocopy of 1 page).

½ kilo citrus fruit (I used cumquats)
1 ½ cups water
3 cups white sugar

Wash the fruit well, discard any mouldy ones. Cut roughly and remove any seeds. Add the fruit to a food processor (I did two batches in my mini-one) and blitz well.

Place in a large microwave-proof bowl. Add the water and microwave on high for 10 minutes.

Add the sugar and mix well. Cook for 18 minutes more in total – do 3 x 6 minutes and give the mixture a stir each time.

TEST FOR SETTING

This is the bit that always makes me sigh and turn the page in recipe books, but actually it’s easy. Again, Sally Wise’s advice is good – put two teaspoons of jam onto a saucer. Pop into the fridge for a couple of minutes. Run your finger through it – if it wrinkles, it is ready. If it doesn’t, it might need another couple of minutes of cooking.

Leave the jam for a few more minutes to start to cool, then pop into your warm jars. Seal while warm.

You've bothered to make jam - go all the way and give them frilly hats.

DECORATE

If like me, you’ve got an expensive pair of pinking shears that rarely see the light of day, dig them out and make some pretty frilly caps for your jam. It is nearly Christmas after all.

And there you have it. Pretty painless. I’m off to woo my neighbour, Gloria, with a jar. Who will you woo with your uber-housewife homemade? I’ll be back later in the week with a yum recipe that actually uses up some of the jam too. See you then…

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Let the festive season begin

November 7, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Fish, Food experiences, News · Tagged celebrations, feeding the family, parenting, recipe, tuna, vegetables

Perhaps I’m allergic to my new house, because it seems that I’m waking up on most Sunday mornings with a headache. You see my new house is quite FESTIVE with a nice deck and views and I find myself entertaining a lot of FESTIVE FOLK. And we drink wine. And being a bit of a drinking lightweight who can only safely imbibe 2-3 glasses of chardonnay before I’m in the hangover zone, I’m finding myself spending most Sunday mornings with a slight haze of discomfort and a new appreciation of the clever R&D teams who masterminded Nurofen zavance.

Perhaps there is something in the water of this big dry land that does predispose the population to a love of getting drunk. There is something GREAT about the sense of fun that comes with a warm afternoon, good friends and a cold glass of something that makes you giggle.

Yet again on the weekend, I served up something yum for the adults, but left the kids to run amok with a sausage and sauce in a slice of bread. Not even any onions. I know it’s a top Aussie BBQ tradition but with a full two months of festivities ahead, I think I need to do better and lift my nutrition game. No more mumblings about ‘fridge space’, ‘easiest options’ blah blah blah.

So I’m rummaging through recipes and thinking about ways to keep the upcoming summer parties slightly more healthy for the kids. Or at least providing good options for them that are enticing for the adults too. Probably a chip or two fewer wouldn’t hurt any of us.

The first thing that sprang to mind was this sushi slice. Most kids will eat some kind of sushi – it’s easy to adapt the filling to suit your family’s tastebuds. This recipe is a classic avocado and tuna combination which seems like a good place to start. Do you think your kids will eat this? What fillings will you try out? I always like to hear your opinions on my recipes.

And why sushi slice? Well, it’s perfect for folks like me who adore Japanese food but never quite got the hang of the whole rolling a sushi roll thing. Just two lamington trays the same size and you’re done. And it’s great party food, as you can make it a few hours ahead and refridgerate it. The less I have to handle sharp knives after a wine the better.

Anyway, let’s clink glasses and ‘kampai’ to the upcoming (healthy) party season. And of course, if you do find that you’re waking up with a headache EVERY morning, you might want to look over at AA and have a think about whether it might be time to pass the mineral water instead.

No sausage? No bread? Heresy!

Flat-pack sushi squares

1½ cups sushi rice (short-grain rice, available at most supermarkets)
2¼ cups water
100ml sushi seasoning
(or make your own: 90ml rice vinegar, 3 tbsp caster sugar, 1 tsp salt)
4 sheets nori seaweed
½ cucumber, sliced in half lengthwise, seeds removed, grated
1 small carrot, peeled, grated
95g can tuna in brine, drained
125g can corn kernels, drained
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 avocado, very thinly sliced, covered with a drizzle of lemon juice

Pickled ginger (optional), to serve

Give the rice a really good wash under running water until the water is no longer milky. Drain. Pop the rice into a saucepan and add the water.

Place the (well-fitting) lid on the pan and bring the water to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 10–12 minutes or until the water is nearly all absorbed. Turn off the heat, leave the pan covered and let it sit and steam for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the vinegar, sugar and salt (if needed). Pour over the rice and use a wooden spoon to mix through.

Prepare a lamington tin by lining it with plastic wrap. Place a layer of the nori seaweed paper over the bottom (use scissors to cut them to fit).

Mix together the cucumber, carrot, tuna, corn, soy and mayonnaise. Pour off any excess liquid and discard.
Use wet hands to place half the rice over the seaweed. Evenly top with the vegie mix and the avocado, then carefully top with the rest of the rice and another layer of seaweed.

Put a second layer of plastic wrap over the top. If you have another pan of the same size, place it on top, weighted down with a couple of cans. Place in the fridge for 1–2 hours to firm.

When ready to serve, use a really sharp knife to cut the sushi into bite-sized squares. Serve with pickled ginger (if using).

SERVES 2 ADULTS & 2 KIDS

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Meringue-o-tangs (and other birthday party stuff)

September 19, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, Sweets & treats · Tagged celebrations, cooking techniques, family, ideas, kids, recipe

Yes, I know, the sheep has a moustache.

As if moving house and launching a new cookbook wasn’t enough, I’m rounding out my fortnight with Miss Fruitarian’s 7th birthday. With no chance of letting it slide by unnoticed (and fuelled on by guilt at moving the kids mid-term), I’ve had to bite the bullet and take on party hosting 2 weeks into a new home.

As regular readers will know, I love to try and keep party things pretty simple with small menus and a strict one-colour birthday cake policy. So you can image my horror when Miss F presented me with Annabel Karmel’s “My first cookbook” opened at farmyard cupcakes and an announcement that she’d happily forfeit a big cake in favour of these. Now I’m known to be generally undaunted by creative pursuits (being that I make a large proportion of my income as an illustrator) but even I was unprepared to take on the doggies, opting instead for these cute Betty Crocker chickens. They turned out well and the kids loved them.

Topping up the sugar, I also whipped up some swirly biscuits (also from Karmel’s book) and of course, a party isn’t a party without meringues. They cost bugger all to make, can be made a few days ahead and are SO pretty. Don’t be scared of them. Just remember – use eggs at room temperature, use a really clean (not plastic) bowl, NO YOLKS (not even a tiny bit), and cook without the fan-forced option.

So pretty! So cheap! So easy to make ahead!

These days I stick to a recipe from Stephanie Alexander’s bible, but increase the quantities a little.

Sue’s meringues (excuse my paraphrasing)

3 egg whites
¾ cup caster sugar
½ tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 150, line two trays with baking paper. Beat the whites until stiff peak stage (the mixture stays standing upright when you pull out the beaters). Add the sugar gradually. Add the vanilla. Beat until the mixture is no longer grainy (rub it between your fingers to test).

Dollop amounts onto trays (they don’t spread, so load them up). Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat, open the oven door slightly and leave them to cool completely.

Makes 36.

It’s worth buying one of the disposable piping bags and having a go. It’s really fun, you get a fantastic result and feel just a bit uber-parent when looking at the final product.

Like rolling a turd in glitter, a piped meringue will mesmerise, regardless.

And am I cheating with this photo of them all sitting there perfect and… raw? Well yes, but with a new oven that I’m still getting to know, it was inevitable that I’d burn a few.

Never fear, even a failed meringue is delicious crunched through yoghurt and chopped fruit.
___________________________

For other party food, try…
Chocolate nipple cakes
Fuss-free party cakes and mud-bread
___________________________

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Fuss-free kids parties and macho fairy bread

March 7, 2011 · Filed under Food experiences, Sweets & treats · Tagged celebrations, ideas, parenting

Mr Meat & Potatoes has turned 4.

The festival of him was at the end of a long week and celebrations needed to be simple.

Luckily 4 year old boys are awesome party guests, since they think everything is AWESOME. ‘Cooooooooooolllllll, buzz lightyear’. ‘wwwoooooooooowwwwwwwww smarties’. ‘aaaawwwwwwwhhhhhhh, cake’. Generally they just jump around talking gibberish to each other and playing ‘Ben 10’ (slapping your wrist, making noises and charging off to fight aliens).

I kept the food simple. A massive fruit platter, sausage rolls, cheezels (essential), a bowl of smarties, and a machismo fairy bread. Being that I couldn’t be bothered making chocolate crackles, I just added nutella to the fairy bread, renamed it ‘mud bread’ and the boys were happy.

Strictly adhering to my one-colour cake policy

Rarely do I bother making a cake from scratch for kids parties. Why would I? Nope, a packet cake was the main attraction, with my foolproof, one-icing, one-colour decorating policy. This year (as you can see) it was red, with the fudge-icing-pen drawn web and a spiderman candle. Done in 15 minutes. AWESOME. Last year it was black, which was drab until we popped Lightening McQueen on top and then we had an AWESOME edible tyre.

For the girls, make it a pretty pastel green, sprinkle over flower shaped sprinkles and pop some cute plastic kittens on top. Done. Fancy cakes are well and good for the first couple of birthdays, but geez they come around often and while we all own a copy of The Women’s Weekly Kid’s Birthday Cakes cookbook, I’ve yet to find one you can knock off in less than 2 hours.

Just add Blu-tack...

And games? Well, of course we had pass the parcel. Gotta have that. And I was keen for pin the tail on the donkey, but not organised enough to buy one. But I did have some AWESOME oversized life-like bugs. A bit of Blu-tack, a pen and A3 piece of paper and we had instant pin-the-bug-on-the-boy. And then the AWESOME little dudes got to take bugs home to terrorise their parents with.

...for instant 'pin the bug on the boy' fun

Awesome time, everyone, thanks for coming. Happy Birthday to my little man.

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Love is… having someone to check you for nits

February 14, 2011 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, News · Tagged celebrations, dinner, parenting, recipe, tuna

Adult-only ingredients and wine? Check. Kids in bed early? Fingers crossed

It’s safe to say that my better half and I have never been overt romantics. We have our special moments, of course, but rarely the prearranged kind. So Valentines Day flowers and gifts has never really been our thing.

However, one night last year, my best-friend arrived home with a romantic brown paper bag full of presents that touched my heart and got me all teary – chocolates and a Tiffany’s box? No, it was nit treatments and a matching pair of his ‘n’ hers nit combs.

Even for us it was a pretty unromantic moment, but looking at him, home after hours out in the big bad world, earning all our money and then running our errands, I had never loved him more. Perhaps it was his commitment to our family through good times and bad that got me all ‘awwwww’ over it. Or maybe I was just pre-menstrual. I can’t remember. But I do know that I look at single parents and wonder just how they cope during the dreaded nit infestations, night terrors or emergency dashes to hospital.

I’m hugely grateful that I have a lovely partner. And to say thanks, this Valentine’s Day he’s getting something special. A little special romantic dinner pour deux.

Our relationship history is littered with memorable meals both in restaurants and at home. Possibly no dish means more to us than this Tuna & Mango Salsa recipe. I made it for him on our first proper dinner together after we moved into our first apartment (almost exactly 11 years ago). Apparently this dish smoothed over any apprehensions and made him think that maybe he’d made the right decision, after all.

So try it on your man (or woman). It’s easy, but special, and with the chilli and coriander, definitely an adult’s dinner. For this night of the year, feed the kids fish fingers and pop them into bed early. Hopefully they won’t re-emerge too many times, you’ve got some serious romancing to do…

Adapted from the Family Circle 1997, ‘Tex mex’ cookbook.

Coriander Tuna with mango salsa

1/2 cup coriander leaves
1 small red chilli, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp olive oil

2 tuna steaks

Mango Salsa
1 mango, peeled, diced
½ small red onion, finely sliced
½ cup coriander, chopped
2 tbsp lime juice

Crush up the first five ingredients in a mortar and pestle until you have a paste (you can also do this in a blender). Smear it over the tuna steaks, cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Combine all of the salsa ingredients together in a bowl.

Heat a char-grill pan, bbq or frying pan until really hot. Sear either side of the tuna for 3 minutes or so, until cooked to your liking (I like mine still raw in the middle).

Serve with the salsa, fresh salad and wine.

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Bring a plate

December 15, 2010 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, Vegetarian · Tagged celebrations, Christmas, feeding the family, pastry, recipe, vegetables

It’s night after night of celebrations this week. Picnics, carols, swimming parties. It seems never ending. So to avoid the kids eating 16 straight meals of chocolate, chips and candy canes, these little swirls provide a vague notion of health on these balmy evenings.

Have a great party season, I’ll see you all next year…

Stop, go, stop, go, stop go, slow down!!!!!

Traffic light swirls

3 sheets frozen puff pastry

Red
1/2 cup roasted capsicums
1/2 cup semi-dried tomatoes

Amber
125g creamed corn
1 small carrot
Handful grated cheese (mozzarella or pizza cheese is good)

Green
Store-bought pesto
1 small zucchini, grated

Egg, for glazing

Preheat the oven to 200C. Cover two baking trays with baking paper. Separate out the pastry sheets and leave to thaw.

For the red: blitz together the capsicums and tomatoes. Spread over the entire pastry sheet.

For the amber: blitz together the corn and carrot. Spread over the entire pastry sheet. Sprinkle cheese over the top.

For the green: Spread the pesto over the entire sheet. Scatter over the grated zucchini.

Use the plastic backing on the pastry sheets to help you roll them up into a swirl. Cut through the roll into 15-20mm slices. Place on the trays (so they look like little sushi rolls). Brush with egg. Bake 15-20 minutes until golden.

MAKES 30

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Easy yet indulgent Christmas ideas

December 6, 2010 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences · Tagged celebrations, Christmas, feeding the family, food, ideas, salmon

There's a tree! It's officially Christmas.

Let’s get the Christmas recipe ball rolling. I mentioned over on Facebook that last year I made this Orange and Marmalade Roast Turkey. It was really fiddly, but I was only cooking for 6 people so it was kind of do-able (especially after an afternoon of bubbles).

This year, I’m focusing on SIMPLE and EASY food that will spoil the loved ones with a minimum of fuss. I’m on the lookout for some yum side dishes that I can take across town to pop on the buffet table at a big Christmas dinner. Do you have any suggestions?

In return, here are a couple of my favourites – quick, yet impressive recipes that I’ve made a few times and guarantee are great…

My favourite from recent years is this dressing, from the Tetsuya Cookbook, which is perfect for drizzling over any seafood.

Tetsuya’s Vinaigrette

1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
6 tbsp grapeseed oil
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tbsp lemon juice

Mix it all together and drizzle it over fresh oysters. Top them with chives and a tiny spoonful of ocean trout roe. Delicious, sublime. You’ll be licking the shells, the plates, your fingers, the mixing bowl etc etc.

If you’re sticking to seafood, this decadent tart is unbeatable and can be made the day before…

Smoked salmon & swiss cheese tart

1-2 sheets shortcrust pastry
200g smoked salmon
Egg white (for brushing)
3 eggs, lightly whisked
200ml cream
100g swiss cheese
1-2 tsp fresh dill
Pepper

Grease a 22cm flan tin with melted butter. Line it with pastry. Cover with baking paper and pastry weights (or rice) and bake at 190C for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and weights, brush pastry with egg white and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove. Leave to cool.

Scatter salmon evenly around the tart. Mix together eggs, cream, cheese, dill and pepper. Pour over to fill the case. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just set.

You can eat this cold or reheated. It’s rich, just a small slice will do.

If the whole pudding thing seems too hard, try a meringue & cherry parfait. The cherry sauce here is delicious. Pop it in tall glasses layered with thickened cream, brandy sauce and crushed meringue – very festive and looks fancy! You can make mini meringues easily, up to a week before Christmas (they taste HEAPS better than store-bought). I’ve made “Sue’s Meringues” from Stephanie Alexander’s Cook’s Companion a few times and they’ve always turned out well.

And I hear you shouting – what about the kids?? Mine do join in with Christmas dinner – they will generally eat all sorts of roast vegies so long as they’re smothered in gravy. But let’s face it, after a champers or two I couldn’t really give a stuff about their nutrition. It’s Christmas. They can just eat the entire contents of the Cadbury stocking that Santa brought for all I care.

Now about those side dishes you’re all going to suggest…..

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas….

December 1, 2010 · Filed under Craft for non-crafty parents, News · Tagged celebrations, Christmas, craft, family, ideas

a pattern for a paper snowflake to make with your kids

Nothing says 'Aussie Christmas' as much as a bit of fake snow

Ok, it’s officially December. Being born in late November, I refuse to do anything with tinsel or Bing Crosby until after my celebration of me, but that was last week and I’ve got no more excuses to keep stalling. Time to breathe deeply and tackle the whole enormous festive task.

When do the Christmas negotiations begin at your place? For us, it’s somewhere around June that the first hints start being dropped and the tentative seasonal foreplay begins. Will we lunch here, or travel to there, “Do you think you’ll be heading our way this year?”, “How about you come to us?”, “Last year you did…” You get the idea. Trying to make everyone happy and yet somehow leaving everyone vaguely cranky with you. By mid-October plans are firming and this year we’re biting the bullet and acknowledging that after a couple of years off, we’ll be spending a nice big chunk of Christmas day on the freeway between cities so that we can fulfill all of our family commitments.

At least it gets me out of cooking the turkey. So all that’s left on my list of things to do is… ummmm… everything, actually. Possibly you are in the same boat as me? So to get things started and ease a bit of Christmas cheer into your life, here’s a paper snowflake to make. Just print it (onto coloured paper if you have some), fold on the dotted lines and cut on the solid ones. And voila! Straight to top of the class at The Northpole-Elf-Craft-Academy.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

And as another Christmas sweetener, for the next few days I’m offering a giftwrap service when you buy a copy of the Vegie Smugglers cookbook. Just write ‘giftwrap’ in the special instructions when you order and I’ll deliver it to you in a lovely bright giftwrap, complete with ribbon…

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‘tis the season…

November 15, 2010 · Filed under All recipes, News, Vegetarian · Tagged celebrations, feeding the family, kids, parenting, recipe, vegetables

…for tacky concerts tra la la la laaaaaa la la la la.

December fast approaches and around town the extracurricular schools are competing to convince the parents of their students that all the money forked out throughout the year was worthwhile (and therefore we’ll see you again next year). There are concerts, art exhibitions and martial arts displays bombarding thousands of poor parents who are already brain and schedule overloaded as the logistics of Christmas looms.

This is Miss Fruitarian’s first end of year concert. And I am in a state of shock. When I chose the local ballet school, it was on the grounds of proximity, parking and convenience. I had seen the snazzy-troupes-in-fluorescent-lycra pictures in the foyer, but was sure the whole escapade wouldn’t be too bad.

The notes started arriving mid-year. ‘Save the dates’ for concerts, rehearsals and photo days. Scary amounts for costume deposits were mentioned. I started to feel scared.

Reality hit in earnest two weeks ago with the arrival of a skimpy costume covered in metallic polka dots. With matching headband and bike pants that cost me a small fortune. Miss F is delighted with it all and I don’t want to taint her happiness with my own misgivings. But I am wondering what it is in our culture that has turned a simple dance concert into a Jon-Benet Ramsey tribute night? Why the curled hair, red lipstick and tacky costumes?

And why my passive acceptance of the situation? I did complain about the make-up requirements and was treated with disdain, told “they look too washed out on stage without red lipstick”. Other mothers seem fine with it all. Am I alone? My pathetic protest is to use lipgloss only and make plans for new activities next year. Which is a shame. Dancing has been good for Miss F’s coordination and confidence. And performing in front of an audience is good experience. But why all the pizzazz? What’s wrong with a bit of age-appropriate low-key pink tulle? My daughter is 6, and has so many years ahead of her to be a slut. I don’t need the sexploitation of women to be bombarding her just yet.

I look forward to gymnastics next year.

In an attempt to reclaim some innocence, here’s a healthy and cute pink dip to serve at your end of year celebrations.

Just a bit of innocent fun

Beetroot tzatziki

1 small cucumber
200ml plain Greek yoghurt
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed (to taste)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Salt & black pepper
225g can sliced beetroot, drained

Water crackers and carrot sticks, to serve

Grate the cucumber. Drain excess liquid and then press with paper towel (this will stop your dip being too runny) and place in a bowl. Mix in the yoghurt, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. Season to taste.

Blitz the beetroot in a stick blender. If needed, add some of the yoghurt mixture to the blender to give the beetroot a nice smooth consistency.

Mix the beets into the yoghurt mixture (little girls like this stage), and mix until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with water crackers, carrot sticks, green beans, breadsticks, falafels, grilled chicken strips for dipping – anything that takes your imagination. Also delicious on Turkish bread salad sandwiches.

MAKES 2 CUPS

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Nutella toast, a fairy bread lunch and fish fingers for dinner

September 16, 2010 · Filed under All recipes, Food experiences, Sweets & treats · Tagged celebrations, family, treats

And so we find ourselves a whole year on and celebrating the fabulous birth of Miss Fruitarian. 6-years ago I was in shock over the level of pain and blood and general reality of childbirth (did you see the news this week that many women suffer post-traumatic stress post-labour) and proposing to the lovely Indian anaesthetist who took all the pain away.

Luckily for us, Miss F is growing into the loveliest young lady. She’s starting to sprout long legs (not from my side) and a grown-up awareness that give us a clue about her future. Six is a transition year for sure, with missing teeth and a whole new school vocabulary (“like, totally mum”).

But we haven’t lost our child just yet, as her chosen birthday menu proves. Sugar and fat for a whole day and since we try to eat well the majority of the time, I figure a day of sometimes food is just fine.

I have to admit that what I remember most about my own birthdays is cracking out the lunchbox and finding fairy-bread sandwiches waiting. Funny thing is, I never really liked them, kind of crunchy and weird, but the sense of special was unbeatable.

Tradition at school is to take cakes for all the kids (and all the teachers). It’s been a busy week, so last night after an all day conference I was scooping packet-cake mix into patty pans. These baking pans are my new favourite. Like mini-muffins, the cake quantity stays small and cooks in 10 minutes, but doesn’t look so measly. Let’s face it; birthday cakes are all about icing and decoration, so this morning we were dipping in chocolate icing, sprinkles and shoving jaffas in the middle. I think I’ll christen them the birthday nipple cakes!

Not a vegetable in sight...

Granny’s chocolate icing

This recipe gets a guernsey twice a year for the two kid’s birthdays. It makes a great glossy icing, which disguises the packet cake underneath!!!

45g dark chocolate
½ tsp grapeseed oil
2-3 tbsp water
1 cup icing sugar

Place the chocolate, oil and water in a metal bowl over a small saucepan of warm water (make sure it doesn’t touch the water).

Stir until the chocolate has melted and it’s all combined and glossy.

Add the sugar into several stages and use a whisk or fork to get rid of any lumps. Work quickly. Either spread over a whole cake, or dunk your little cakes into the mix, then dunk in decorations and top with lollies.

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Vegie Smugglers

Posts tagged celebrations

A bit jammy

Let the festive season begin

Meringue-o-tangs (and other birthday party stuff)

Fuss-free kids parties and macho fairy bread

Love is… having someone to check you for nits

Bring a plate

Easy yet indulgent Christmas ideas

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas….

‘tis the season…

Nutella toast, a fairy bread lunch and fish fingers for dinner

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