Di-licious

My first stitching project. Embroidery is highly addictive - I stayed up to all hours to finish this one.  It's true I haven't posted for a while. Life has been busy - doesn't it always get like that? A couple of months as a working mum and I think I can almost say I've gotten the hang of it. I've had to rethink my approach to the week, how I cook, how I clean and how I carve out time for me. Inspired by my late Nanna, I've made craft my release valve to life. I've completed my first quilt, my first stitching project as well as making items for my CWA branch's upcoming craft stall. I still love cooking but craft has less calories... And I'm still blogging....it's just that sometimes I get a little distracted..... A mug warmer for my niece using some vintage buttons from my Nanna's stash. Making a bundle of tissue holders for my CWA Branch's upcoming craft stall. Great Teacher's Gifts! Last step of my fi...

"So what do you put in Olive's lunchbox?" my girlfriend asked me yesterday. It's something I get asked a lot. Generally its a small bread roll with vegemite or jam, a piece of fruit, maybe a cheese stick and something baked. Muffins make a regular appearance.  They're just so easy to whip up using whatever's lying around in the fruit bowl, pantry or freezer. Today's flavour combination came about from having some leftover almond meal from making Kransekake last week, the last of the bag of frozen berries and a container of cooked apple in the fridge. I've been cooking up apple a lot lately since Olive's teeth have gone wobbly. (The tooth fairy will be visiting again tonight.) Cooking it in the microwave is a breeze and means you have apple pieces as opposed to apple mush. Pop it in a container and throw in a spoon and your lunchbox is apple friendly again. Once the muffins are cool, wrap them up  in small freezer bags and toss the...

Every now and then you experiment in the kitchen and create something magical. This is one of those moments. I first whipped up these brownies for a BBQ to thank mates for helping shift a very heavy steel workbench. After a lot of beer and wine you don’t want a fussy dessert. It’s much better to have something that satisfies the sweet craving and can be eaten with fingers. I shared the recipe on the blog at the time and they were really popular. Then I accidently killed my blog and the recipe was lost... And then I lost the photos..... This weekend I'm catching up with friends, one of whom has been begging me to re-share the recipe on the new Di-licious blog. So Sandy, this one's for you. This brownie is a bit different from regular brownies in that there’s no melted chocolate in the batter, just some chocolate chips.  And raspberries. I used white chocolate chips because that’s what I had in the pantry. You could easily substitute ...

Wintery weather has finally lashed itself over Melbourne and I just want to snuggle up in front of the fire with a big bowl of warm, comforting soup. I try to make a big pot of soup every week. Not only is it economical, a bowl of lentil-laden goodness is filling and healthy too. Soups are also a great way to use up the half or near empty jars of spice pastes you have languishing around in your fridge. The harissa paste was almost empty and a perfect match for the sad little capsicums rolling around in the crisper drawer. You could mix and match with whatever you have in your fridge (although I must say the harissa gives a nice hint of heat without blowing your socks off!) The rest of the ingredients are basic pantry staples - tinned tomatoes, tinned corn and lentils. This makes a very thick, almost stew like consistency soup (which we love). If you prefer a thinner consistency, use an extra 2 cups of stock or water. Or why not leave it thick and turn it into a Mexican su...

This is my go to recipe whenever I get asked to bring a dessert but I'm pressed for time. The basic brownie mix is so easy to whip up and can be as posh or simple as you want them to be.  Dress them up with perfect raspberries, a drizzle of chocolate glaze or ganache or a sprinkle of cocoa powder. Or better still, simply dust them with icing sugar. Serve them up as dessert canapé at a posh soirée. Bring them along to a morning tea or take it to your friend’s house for dessert next time you get invited for dinner. It's also a great beginner's recipe for young learning cooks. The first time I cooked them I was disappointed because they looked so flat in the pan.  “They’re too small!” I wailed to Mr Di-licious. That was until I picked up my little round cutter, cut one out and tasted it – absolute perfection! And then there is the matter of the little cook’s treat you’re left with after cutting out the brownies – brownie corners! Pop t...

I really hate cleaning the bathroom. I mean I avoid it for as long as possible - probably much longer than I should. Normally I get propelled into action when I know my mum is coming over or we are expecting overnight guests.  More often than not the shower languishes for a few weeks and then I think I really should attend to that this week and another week or two goes by until I shudder at the sight of it.   Perhaps it's this bathroom in particular. Dark slate floors that never look clean; a clumsily renovated shower closet that doesn't recieve an inch of natural light; a badly sealed shower base that has mould growing under the silicone no matter how much mould cleaner or bleach I use.  I feel defeated before I even begin. Rationally I know that if I do it every week or two weeks, it won't get so far out of control. I think it's been almost two months. It was nasty this morning. Aside from the act of cleaning the shower, I also hate the sm...

You could be forgiven for thinking that there is a strong lemon theme happening on the blog lately. And you'd be right.  When you have unlimited access to a ridiculously abundant lemon tree - you don't cook with oranges. Luckily we're all lemon fans here.  Can I just say categorically that I love lemon butter. It's tart, it's sweet and it makes the most decadent white bread sandwich.  It's perfect on scones and pikelets; is a divine filling for cakes and sandwiched biscuits; and unbeatable eaten straight from the spoon. It's also pretty easy to make provided you're not in a hurry. If you rush it..... well, you're going to end up with lemony scrambled eggs. Trust me. I've been there.  I got asked what the difference was between lemon butter and lemon curd. I couldn't find an answer online but according to my CWA Judging notes, lemon curd/cheese is made with milk and cream whereas lemon butter is not. A good lemon b...

I'm in a very, VERY good mood this week. Why? Well for starters, I finally landed my dream part time job. The company is a gourmet food producer and I'll be actively involved with promoting their products through food tastings as well as behind the scenes in the office and (hopefully) helping develop their website. I may even get my hands messy in the kitchen sometimes..... The other reason I'm very happy this week is discovering my ultimate, perfect cake nirvana - this (very) Special Lemon Coconut Cake. The recipe comes from the Country Women's Association Classics Cookbook. It was contributed by Mrs Elaine Youd from Devonport Branch, Tasmania who shared that it is her "friend Barb Parson's special cake". Special is definitely the right way to describe this cake. The coconut keeps the cake lovely and moist, making it a great bake ahead affair. It freezes well and the icing......well tangy lemon juice icing with coconut... it just keeps the l...

Sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect.  I'm a constant offender in the kitchen. Yesterday I tried to do too much: I made another loaf of bread, I made up a chicken curry in the slow cooker, threw together a soup, prepped for dinner and then baked a cake - all before lunch. The soup wasn't ready so we had sausage sandwiches. I let the slowcooker cook and cook......too long. It was pasty, dry, too acidic and just plain revolting.  The cake turned out well but there was no one home to eat it because the rest of the household had gone to the park. Feeling despondent and surveying the dishes already in the sink, I couldn't bear the thought of cooking our planned family dinner of sausage risotto.  By the time Olive & Mr Di-licious came home from the park, I was in a complete funk. I felt like a complete failure. "You know what darling?" he said. "Everyone is allowed to have a cooking fail once in a while. Even you." "How about ...

I often crave baking biscuits but its normally when I'm feeling a bit lazy and don't have any softened butter to hand. At times like these a quick mix bickie recipe is a life saver, especially when all you need is a food processor to do all the hard work for you. I found this Lemon and Poppy Seed biscuit recipe in the delightful  Alice in Bakingland  cookbook by Alice Arndell.  Alice, a finalist in New Zealand's Hottest Home Baker show, is a champion of real home baking as well as her local community. I found the book at the library and was instantly jealous of the gorgeous vintage styling and delicious sounding recipes. Alice also has a blog Alice in Bakingland where you'll find more of her recipes. It's definitely worth checking out. Mum and dad had dropped off a big bag of home grown lemons last week and up until now they'd been serving as a charming still life arrangement on the dining table.  It felt good to put them to use.  The finished bi...

I'm back....with a new look, a new name and a new blog address. I've been Di-licious Cupcakes, Life is Di-licious. I moonlighted for a while as Little Teapot. But now it's just simply Di-licious . My new web home is www.di-licious.com . On Facebook you can find me at  www.facebook.com/DiLishLife (some addresses are still hard to change). I'll update all my other contact details over the coming weeks. So why the break in transmission? Well, after accidentally blowing up my blog Life is Di-licious 12 months ago, I felt all at sea. Creatively, personally and emotionally. I'll share more in the coming weeks but just really needed to get this announcement post out (before racing off to do school pick up). It feels good to be back. 

Last Friday I dipped my toe into the world of cooking demonstrations. I was invited to demonstrate icing techniques as part of a CWA Cooking Masterclass. Although quite nervous at the thought of talking to a room of strangers, once I got going, it was actually a lot of fun. I was reminded of a public speaking course I'd done back in the day where we were invited to give a five to ten minute talk about any topic we were passionate about. I talked about how to make a true risotto. It was so easy. I actually enjoyed myself explaining to a room of predominantly men the importance of using the correct rice, how to deglaze the pan and why you absolutely MUST stir the pot the whole time. When you know your topic, it's easy to show enthusiasm and exude confidence. So how did the icing demo go? Really well. I received so many lovely comments and learnt so much watching the other presenters over the course of the day. Talking to girlfriends a couple of days later, one of th...