If there is one thing i remember about my father it is that when we were young he would spend about 1/2 an hour every month or so making up a combination of muesli and cereals to create the “perfect” breakfast cereal  for him….  Now at the time my sister and i thought this combination was the most disgusting thing known to man, but as i grew older i came to like it and now i myself (when i do have cereal) like to do the combo thing, i mean when there is nothing you like – make it right?

Anywho over the weekend i made some granola for my father and while he didnt ask me to make this for him i am counting it as one of my 30 before 30 anyway as i know that if he were to suggest a recipe this would in fact be something he would choose oh and it was so awesome i am making it again for the next time i head down there!

All Natural Granola taken from Gifts from the Kitchen by Annie Rigg

Stuff you’ll need

• 50g whole almonds
• 50g pecans
• 200g rolled oats
• 50g pumpkin seeds
• 25g sesame seeds
• 50g sunflower seeds
• 50g desicated coconut
• 125g dates
• 100g apricots
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 175g honey

How i did it

Super easy!  Preheat the oven to 180 deg cel.

Roughly chop the almonds and pecans as well as the dates and apricots.  Place them in a large bowl along with the other ingredients.  In a small saucepan slightly warm the honey and oil so that the honey is really runny but not boiling.  Pour the honey mix over the nut and fruit mix and stir so that all the ingredients are coated evenly.  Place in an oven dish and into the oven.  Cook for about 30-45 minutes or until golden, stiring every 5-10 minutes so you get an even roast.

Enjoy with yoghurt…. NomNomNOMMY!!

We have just come back from an amazing weekend away at my fathers house down the coast… The sun shone the whole time and this morning i even kept up with the old long legged man and ran 6km in 32 minutes! Very chuffed with myself… And another thing i am chuffed with myself over this weekend is the tart i made for my step mothers birthday… Even though her birthday was over a month ago now!

Anywho back to the recipe.

It was actually much easier to make than i fist expected and because i could prepare all the sections a day in advance it made the perfect dish to prepare and bring down for a wonderful summers dinner.

The original recipe came from here, however i didnt use anything do do with truffles (as if i have THAT lying around in my pantry! *giggles*) and when i saw the amount of fat in mascapone cheese i fainted in the middle of the shopping isle and when i came too i decided to use low fat ricotta instead! And to be honest i would never have been able to tell the difference anyway… Oh and i got rave reviews from my stepmom and dad

Stuff you’ll need

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons butter, diced
• 1 egg

• 1 small head of cauliflower
• 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, halved lenghth wise and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 large eggs
• 200 grams low fat ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk whatever is in the fridge)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground white or black pepper
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

How i did it

Pretty much exactly how the recipe says…

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and one-fourth teaspoon salt. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender, fork or two knives until it is in very tiny bits. Add one egg and mix with a fork until a dough forms. If this does not happen easily, toss it out onto a counter and knead it together. This dough is rather tough but with a little elbow grease, it does come together nicely.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan and press to remove any air bubbles. Crimp the edges, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  No parbaking required.

And the pie…

Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 200 deg cel. Toss cauliflower with 2 tablespoons olive oil in large bowl. Spread on rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast 15 minutes before turning florets over and roasting until brown and tender, it took a total of 40 minutes in my oven.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until onion is a deep golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Use a knife or brush to spread the bottom and sides of crust with mustard. Spread onion over crust. Arrange cauliflower over the onion. Set the tart on a rimmed baking sheet (to protect against leaks). Whisk eggs, ricotta, milk and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in Gruyère. Pour mixture over filling in tart pan, sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until tart is golden and center is set, about 40 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool 15 minutes before serving.

ENJOY! This was a wonderful tart enjoyed with a small side salad… I look forward to making this one again, especially the pastry!

Day 444 in my miracles life

Why am i doing this? Read it here….

1. This weekend my wonderful husband took care of my little george twice so that i could get things done! On saturday he took her for a swim so that i could bake and on sunday he took her to play outside while i cleaned the house! It was so much help i got things done in half the time!!
2. He takes us out for a latte and baby cino even though he hates coffee himself and doesnt even have one!
3. He helped me out today and tomorrow if all goes to plan with picking up and dropping off our car while it got fixed, he took time out of his rest afternoon to help
4. For the first time ever he told me the meal i had made was… and i quote “yummy”
5. He puts up with my crazyness and mood variety – which with depression can change from hi to low in a nano second
6. Have i mentioned before that he gives little george her shower every day?
7. Oh and the most important thing he does… He lets me eat the peanut butter from the jar!!

Our love is not written on paper, for paper can be erased. Nor is it etched on stone, for stone can be broken. But it is inscribed on our hearts and there it shall remain forever. anon

Its a long story, but the reality is i made this recipe on kind of a bet….

If you dont have five minutes, just skip the story and know that i won the bet! Oh and make sure you have a crack at the recipe because apparently is was – and i quote – yum, on both boys count!

*not the real prawn nachoes... I got so excited about the boys tasting them i forgot to take a picture!!

So the story behind the prawn nachoes is that a few weeks ago my husband, my step son, geroge and i went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner and to be brutally honest it was crap… There are harsher words for it, but ill keep it pg rated and just say that it was not worth the effort that we went to so that we could eat out.  Anywho while we were, ok ok while i was whining about the food and telling my husband that i could cook better he challenged me.  My dear sweet husband bet me that i couldnt make the dish better for under $15…

BUT I DID! And yes, yes they BOTH said that the nachoes i made were better than the crap they ate at the restaurant

So here it is, prawn nachoes for under $15 that are BETTER than what you would get at a restaurant

Stuff you’ll need

• 10 prawns (i used green)
• 6 gourmet tomatoes
• Garlic & onion
• Basil
• Vinegar & sugar
• Chilli
• Corn Chips
• Cheese
• Avocado
• Sour cream

How i did it

Firstly i had my husband peel the prawns, this is a husbandly duty as there is no way you would catch me peeling those little slimy creatures of the deep blue sea! Once you (he) has peeled the prawns place then in a bowl with the chilli and garlic finely chopped with a splash of olive oil. Place in the fridge for an hour or so.

In a pan fry off your onion and a little more garlic.  Chop your tomatoes and place in the pan, cover and let the tomatoes cook through and all the juices come out.  Add some salt and pepper, the basil, a splash of vinegar and a sprinkle of sugar, if you like uber hot tomatoes based sauces add some more chilli or chilli sauce here.  Bring to the bubble then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened and the flavours developed.

Heat a seperate plan and when smoking hot place the prawns chilli garlic oil mixture in and fry until the prawns are JUST cooked.  Place in the tomato sauce and turn the heat off.

Mash the avocado.

Place the corn chips on a plate and grate some cheese on top.  Place in the microwwave for 30 seconds / until the cheese is melted.  Place the tomato and prawn sauce on top, another sprinkle of cheese, a spoon of the avocado and a spoon of sour cream…. And voilà! Prawn nachoes!

And from the reports it was BETTER than the eat out version

Day 440 in my miracles life

So i made another change….

Yup well if my first hair style change wasnt dramatic enough for you, i chopped my hair again…

And now this week AGAIN!

I will let you decide if it was a good change or a bad… I actually like it, i think i look older, ok maybe just more my age

The key to change… is to let go of fear. Rosanne Cash

Day 437 in my miracles life

Oh my husband, my dear sweet husband…

Again this week, something a little different that deserves all seven “things” for the week…

With a little bit (ok, ok, with A LOT) of persuasion from myself and his son, my husband decided to jump on the band wagon and support and to raise ‘vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and depression in men.’ by taking part in Movember…

Yes that is right my friends my husband is doing Movember!

So this week i ask that you support him in his quest to raise funds and sponsor his mustache…

Or you can simply sponsor him because you feel sorry for me having to put up with a hairy face

“The generous man enriches himself by giving; the miser hoards himself poor” Dutch Proverb