Mint in the Mouth

We have just returned from the big family camping holiday. Two kids, the camper trailer, drop toilets, bring your own water, bathing in a bucket, long white sandy beaches, the blue blue ocean, perfect surf for me (chaser of small waves), emu's on the beach, no one around and just nuding it up. Fabulous!

Still in PJ's because dad picked me up and put me straight in the car at 5.30am, what is going on with that I thought they wanted us kids to sleep in. However, holiday breaky coco pops and a bacon and egg toastie made it all good.

Hey it is my birthday aren't I meant to be getting barreled?

Our new home... I can work with this.

Checkout cheese island. Big wave boys.

They are so beautiful when they are asleep.

The bucket had many identities on this trip.

Finally someone to talk to...

How blue is my banana lounge?

I am on a rock therefore I am and lovin it!

lemon coconut passionfruit slice

This is gooooooooooooooood!

You need:

for the slice

• 2 1/2 cups self raising flour
• 3/4 cup castor sugar
• 1 1/2 cups desiccated coconut
• 1 teaspoon vanila extract
• 1 egg
• 200g melted butter

for the icing

• 3 cups soft icing sugar
• 25 grams butter at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon milk
• pulp of two passionfruits

Do this:

1. preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius. line a slice tine (25cm x 13 cm)with baking paper, allowing it to come up over the sides.
2. Place flour, sugar and coconut in a bowl and mix with a beater until well combined.
3. add vanilla, egg and butter and mix again until combined then press the mixture into the slice tin and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and firm to touch.
4. cool completely in the tin an add the icing.
5. for icing, beat icing sugar, butter, lemon juice and milk until smooth then add the passionfruit and mix to combine - I actually add a bit more passionfruit because I looooove it.
6. refrigerate until set and then turn out and chop into bit size pieces.

Note: I made a double batch and froze half and it was still fantastic and so good for the lunch boxes.

I am addicted to the lemon passionfruit coconut slice I just made how many more pieces can I sneak before the kids and my thighs notice?

Roasted Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad

Over the Christmas holidays the ‘outlaws’ (they could also be referred to as the in-laws) came to stay with us. We had a house full, the kids were VERY excited to have their big boy cousins sleeping in the room next door and the kitchen never closed.

 

We also had lots of barbie’s, are you sick of them yet? I still have a few more left in me providing we have some variety in the salad department. My sister in-law made this salad for Christmas day and not only did it look spectacular, I mean aren’t purple and orange just made for each other? Then add a splash of green and oh my god it is a visual paradise. Anyway not only did it look good it tasted good too and it is a good hearty one for the vego’s as well.

 

You need:

 

·         ¼ of pumpkin, chopped into bit bite size pieces – I like Jap Pumpkin but any would do, if you use butternut you would probably need ½.

 

·         2 large beetroot’s, peeled and chopped into small bite size pieces. About half the size of the pumpkin because beetroot takes longer to cook and this way they will be ready at the same time.

 

·         I bunch of English spinach, washed and stems removed or you could just buy the ready prepared stuff to make it really easy.

 

·         100 grams of feta

 

·         Splash of olive oil

 

·         Splash of balsamic vinegar.

 

Do this

 

·         Turn on the oven to 180 degrees

 

·         Place the chopped pumpkin and beetroot in a roasting pan, pour over some olive oil and mix it all together so the vegies are beautiful and glossy. Bake for 45 minutes or until the vegies are cooked through.

 

·         Arrange the English spinach on a large serving platter and splash over some more olive oil and balsamic.

 

·         Placed the cooked beetroot and pumpkin on top of the spinach and then crumble over the feta.

 

If you wanted to get even fancier you could toast some pine nuts and sprinkle them over too.

 

How to wash a lettuce with no salad spinner

On more than one occasion I have been asked "what are you doing" when it is pretty obvious to me I am washing a lettuce. It could be that I am a the type who buys my fruit and veg and washes it all when I get home so when I need it, it is ready to go. I am the same with ironing I never ever iron as I go I do big baskets at a time and this can be weekly, fortnightly or (gasp) monthly. We are always getting desperate for cloths when it is monthly. Any way I digress.

I am also not sure if I just have a different way of washing lettuce, either way I think the way I 'do it' is quite efficient and I thought I would share... So here goes, lettuce washing without a spinner 101:

1. Turn lettuce upside down and give it a good whack with the palm of your hand to loosen the core.

2. Gently remove the core.

 
 

 

3. Turn upside down and let the water run through the lettuce, move it around and gently spread the leaves so the water 'get's through' the whole lettuce.

    

4. Turn upside down to drain on a rack in the sink or bench if your sink is full of dishes like mine was. leave for a few minutes.

5. Place in one of my favourite tupperware pieces, 'the lettuce container', put it in the fridge and you are ready to go.  Just for the record I also love the 'pick-a-deli' for my beetroot.