Lazy Key Lime Pie

Over the weekend I mentioned on facebook  I was eating key lime pie and more than one person asked for the recipe, I promptly took a few photos of it, because that's what  you do as a blogger. See I do remember how to do it! 

Ingredients: 

1 packet of plain sweet biscuits (I used scotch fingers)

50gms melted  butter

1 tin of condensed milk

3 eggs

Zest and juice of  2-3 limes (depending how limey you like it,and yes limey is so a word) 

Method:

Smash up the biscuits to a fine powder, unlike me who was far too lazy and busy to be arsed doing it properly.

Melt the butter and mix with the biscuit crumbs, press into a pie dish or spring form cake tin. refrigerate until cool. 

Mix condensed milk, eggs, lime juice and zest and pour into biscuit base. 

Bake at 170 Celsius until slightly brown around the edges, it wont be set in the middle, don't freak out. Pop  it back in the fridge for at least two hours it will cool and set.  

Add extra lime wedges if you have extra and slather with cream and devour like a lady with a plate or straight from the fridge like me. 

Pond Scum~The new Detox?

Green pond sludge drunk with a curly straw has to make it more interesting and tasty right?

I have over indulged this silly season, worse than ever before I'm sure. Sunday was my first alcohol free day since before Christmas, Christmas!
Along with the booze I've had a ridiculous amount of take out, party food, crazy dinners, big breakfasts and crap.
My waist line is suffering, my face is breaking out and I had to break the habit with something a little drastic, so this morning I had a strawberry chiobani yogurt and a green smoothie with added spirulina, I don't even know what that means but its obviously something good right?

What do you do to kick the binging habit? Liquid diet for a few days? Detox? Please tell me I need it!

My week according to Instagram

So according to Instagram, food and the weather were important. Typical for this time of year for me really.
My baby got super big and figured out how to use a proper cup and since then is all over it.
My hubby shaved his face clean for the second time in our entire relationship. he looks so weird to me but everyone keeps telling him how good he looks.
James found my animal bag and ran around the house with it on his face singing like a muppet. Hilarious.
Charlie became a vallet shark and parked as many cars on his garage as he could. He's going to do big things that boy.
Friday the boys and I wore our red for Daniel, what an emotional day, I was in front of the TV weeping along with a lot of the country.
Finally I won the trolley lotto and snagged the double toddler trolley. Winning right there even if my kids were both sad/crying/throwing tantrums.

Playing along with Tina. You should to, it's fun.

And just like that...

..the holidays are over. These holidays have been the best we've had. We didn't even get to the 'I'm bored' stage. Amazing.We've been so busy, it's been great. Next week I'm sending the big boys to school and Charlie to daycare then I'm putting my feet up!

This is how we spent the last day of the holidays. A quick picnic in the park with Michael while he was on his lunch break. The kids and I haven't really seen him much these holidays. When he's not away at work he's working his second job. So yesterday we packed up some food and picked up Dad from work headed to the park. 

Can't be a picnic without camembert and boiled eggs right? 

William had his first taste of egg and was quite happy with it. Even if he did spread it everywhere. 

I may have made a camembert sandwich. As you do. 

It was so nice for the kids to get to see where Daddy goes to work and spend a bit of time together in the middle of the day. I can't say I minded it to much either. Next week I'm keeping him home for a few days.  

Pinterest Love

I read this yesterday and conversations flashed in front of my eyes. I sent this to Michael and he sent me a one word message 'Agreed" Sorry about that. 

If I didn't spend so much time on Pinterest I would get a whole lot more blogging done. Actually I think I'd probably get a whole lot more done full stop. I find myself  browsing through things at 3am while I'm feeding Will then at 4am when he's asleep I'm still flicking through things on my phone. Dangerous business but I find it very calming looking at all these crazy ideas and gorgeous things.

Seriously how cute is this kitchen? 

I'm buying this bath mat for my boys just to see their reaction, it would be so worth it! 

Anything that's called Better Than Sex has to be a good cake right?

Are you a pinterest hopeless like me or do you know better and stay away? 

Quick Slow Cooking (The Martha Stewart Edition)

This is what I did on Saturday. I felt like Martha freaking Stewart. I've seen a few different idea and methods around and I've pinned some on my boards on Pinterest.

I just chose a few recipes I knew my kids would eat that would freeze well and slow cook well. Spaghetti bolognase, chicken curry, sausage hot pot, moroccan lamb shanks and chicken cacciatore. I added heaps of  extra veg to the recipes so I don't have to do any extra cooking during the week.  I spent an hour chopping the meat and veggies getting the sauces and spices in the freezer bags and we were done. My kitchen clean up wasn't that bad afterwards either considering I wont have any mess to clean up for a week. 

Five dinners ready for the slow cooker. So far we've only had one but this morning I grabbed a bag out of the freezer and chucked it in the slow cooker. Easiest dinner ever. So now instead of spending half of Williams very small nap times getting dinner ready and cooking it everyday, it's already done and I can get other things done like cleaning the outside of my fridge, because obviously I'm turning into Martha freaking Stewart, you got that right? 

Just a minute

We've had a busy week, a little busier than usual and I've fallen off the organised train a little lot. So this morning when it was time for breakfast and we had no milk left for cereal and no marg left for toast or to make school lunches with, I thought we were in for a rough day. A quick look through my bag found enough change to buy the boys tuck shop for lunch, one crisis averted, for breakfast we snuck through the maccas drive thru for some pancakes, it's Friday after all. One maccas breakfast won't kill them.
So once we'd dropped the big boys to school Charlie, Will and I headed for Coles. I was still feeling pretty hopeless so we whipped around the shop past the deli for a cheerio for Charlie and with kiwi fruit and strawberries he couldn't go past we were out of there. As I was dumping all our stuff at the register an older lady that usually serves us walked past, she stopped and put her hand on my arm then this happened:

Her: 'I just wanted to tell you, you are a wonderful mother, whenever I see you in here no matter how many of your kids are with you, your always smiling, the boys are always talking to you and your listening to them, and your never as stressed as half the mums we get in here with just one or two kids with them, they are well behaved children your obviously doing a wonderful job'
With that she was done and red faced I stuttered out a thank you and tried to explain to her I am called cranky mum and she must have missed all the crazy shopping trips where I'm dragging a crying kid out of the shops because I wouldn't buy him a lollipop. She shook her head at me and told me off, because kids always have a bad day now and then it's not a reflection on you.
I paid for our groceries and we were out of there, once I stopped feeling so silly about it I felt so much better about sending the kids to school with maccas in their bellies and tuck shop for lunch.

It was so nice of her to stop and talk to me, it made me all warm inside and it took her just a minute.
As mothers we can be so critical of each other, especially across generations, it's so easy to see another parenting style and shoot them down straight away. I'm putting this in my memory bank for when I'm old and I stop young mums in the shopping center instead of telling her she's doing it the wrong way or to cherish these moments before there gone I'll compliment her. After all, were all trying the best we can to make small people grow to be amazing big people and sometimes when you think your not being the best you can be as a mother all you need is a kind word from a stranger to cheer you up.

What's the last compliment you were given?

School Lunch Love

When Jack started school I had a four month old baby Charlie and I was fairly time poor. I sent him to school with bought snacks, some fruit and a sandwich. It got expensive and boring real quick so I started making slices and cakes for school lunches. Awesome right? 

James is only in his second term of prep so he's still happy with the funky shaped sandwiches and a cupcake, but my Jack Jack is a different story. He is a machine when it comes to food and for a while he was scoffing everything, but now he's over it and everything I make comes home without much love given to it. 

So I'm cracking out a few new recipes to try to entice my big boy back to yummy home made snacks. 

They look pretty good and nothing to exciting just Pizza Scrolls and a yummy Banana Rolled Out Muffin. 

Do your kids like home made snacks? Whats a favourite lunch recipe in your house? Help me out here!

April fools

Happy April fools day!
Last year I tricked my boys with some afternoon tea this year I thought it was time I stepped it up a notch. So after checking out this website I wanted to make everything!

This is what I served up today. Eggs on toasted home made bread and juice, right?

Wrong! This is cake 'toast' with white chocolate 'eggs' with yellow M&M 'yolks' and jelly 'juice'. 

I love how Jack is poking his egg, it was cold straight from the fridge, not exactly what you expect from your eggs.

Charlie is too little to get it so he was trying to figure out what was wrong with his straw, sorry kid!

What the hell is this? I was cracking up all morning, I was never into April fools tricks as  kid but now I have my own kids its great to be able to do these things with them. I hope they remember this sort of thing when they are all grown up. 

Luckily they didn't throw any tantrums and were pretty happy with their funny breakfast. Although none of them finished everything on their plates and asked for some yogurt instead. Poor kids aren't used to so much sugar, especially all at one time.

After breakfast we headed off the beach for a few hours so they could wear off some of the sugar. Seriously the best April fools day ever. 

The week that was

It's been a big week in our household, thankfully Michael come home tonight, so while I try to make the house look like someone loves it here are few (ok a lot!) of my favorite pics for the week. 

Charlie J waiting up for Daddy to get home from work, he was awake until 10.30pm. Gotta love his stamina! 

Putting up the tree, Jack getting 'tickled' (beaten) by Charlie with the tree

Tree! 

Missing my hunny heaps this week

Truck drivers parked three deep along the road across from my driveway, making it impossible to get out and for anyone who lives past us to get to there house, yep so over the sound of building! 

James calls this Santa dinner, anything with no hot veggies is Santa dinner because you have that sort of food at Santa time, makes sense yes?

Michael is a silly billy and let the boys play angry birds on his phone, they now have the bug and hassle me daily, I think this would satisfy them for a little while surely? 

My sparkly flashing Christmas bauble, isn't she pretty!

Morning tea outside before they boil. 

Major blowout, Michael suggested we put him on the shelf with wheezy, poor Woody. 

The first present for baby #4 is of course from my amazing sister. You know its an awesome present as well, best sister in the world x

Presents to be posted off to the family, why do we all live so far away from each other? 

Our duck population has grown, the first week it was a few ducks, yesterday there were 20 ducks waiting on our front lawn for bread. Can I class them as dependants now?

Crazy storm last night, I'm surprised we had power all the way through it. This was taken last night, by the light of lightening, it was so bright!

Even after a late night my small people were all up and in my bed by 6am, vat-o iced coffee for mummy this morning! 

Happy Sunday! 

Finally the man has done it!

In September Michael bought a boat, a big shiny toy to take up his time on his days at home, and unfortunately take up space on my front lawn. 

The first day he had it he took the boys out and these were the photos he sent me.

Charlie looking so impressed with being on the boat.

Don't be fooled by the size of the fish, James is a small 4 year old, that fish had to go back in the water. 

So here we are in December and even though Michael has been fishing every chance he gets for the last three months he has brought home a total of......... zero fish.

 Yep $11,000 worth of boat and nothing to show for it, except a very good tan and a bad mood. 

Well yesterday all that changed. He caught a fish, it's not huge but it's a fish and by golly we are going to have it for dinner tonight even if I am going to get something else to go with it, it's not enough for 5 people. 

Hopefully this has broken his bad luck cycle and now he'll now be a first class fisherman, bringing me home more fish than we can possibly eat or freeze! It might be a Christmas miracle! 

Or I might just be going to the fish market for a little bit longer. 

Friday Fun

This is what I'm doing today. 

Full fat coke, cheesecake and cookbooks. I am a sugar free dieters worst nightmare!

I'm starting my Christmas food planning now that I have the presents pretty much figured out except Michael, after his epic birthday I don't know if there is anything left for me to buy him. Were having an extra 6 or so people for Christmas lunch which will be fun and hectic and as I'll be 5 days away from my due date I don't really want to be making anything difficult. Salads, seafood and a big assed pavlova is a definite. 

My pelvis is killing me today after sleeping with Charlie last night, and Michael is currently at the physio after hurting his back at work this week so I think it's going to be a quiet weekend at home for us. 

What are you doing this weekend? 

Rolly Rolly Rolly

During the 31 photos in 31 days project the lovely Tracey from Sh1ft.org asked me to post the recipe for my sausage rolls. Well that was August and now it's the end of October. Sorry Tracey! 

So today I share with you the easiest recipe ever.

500gms of Sausage mince.

1 egg.

50gms of breadcrumbs.

A splash of tomato sauce.

A splash of Worcestershire sauce.

A few shakes of dried herb of your choice, basil, oregano, sage whatever you prefer.

Salt and pepper.

4 sheets of puff pastry (You can make your own if you want, I don't) 

Optional extra: When my kids were going through a fussy stage I used to sneak veggies into everything possible including these. I still do even though I don't need to, it just makes me feel better that even though they are having sausage rolls for lunch their is something in there that's good for them. So a packet of frozen spinach, or 2 zucchini's grated. Whatever your kids (or husband) don't want to eat can be hidden under pastry and covered in sauce! 

Add all ingredients together in a bowl, apart from the pastry, if you add grated/pureed veggies you will need a little more breadcrumbs, add enough so that it isn't as wet. Thaw the pastry and cut in half, shape a ball of the mixture into a sausage and place along 1 long edge of pastry. Roll up pastry to enclose mince mixture. Cut roll into 4. Continue until you have none left. Pop on a lined/greased tray and brush with milk, bake at 180 until golden brown around 25 mins. 

Serve with your favorite sauce and enjoy! 

New Recipe Saturday

Jack's new school is nut-free so I've been baking and cooking like a crazy lady to keep him happy without sending him to school with peanut butter cups. 

So today we made a new muesli bar recipe. 

The dry Ingredients

The finished product 

Muesli Bar Slice

Ingredients

1 cup of rolled oats

1 cup of cornflakes

1 cup of rice bubbles

1 cup of coconut (I used shredded but you could use dessicated) 

3/4 of a cup of dried fruit (I used dried berries)

3/4 cup of brown sugar

125gms of butter

1/2 cup of honey

Method

Melt the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan until it's golden brown then leave to cool a little, in the mean time mix together the dry ingredients. Add the butter mixture to the dry ingredients and stir til everything is sticky. Press firmly into a lined baking pan, refrigerate until cold, I left ours for about 4 hours. Slice up and ta-da homemade muesli bars! 

The recipe I found also included 1/2 cup of peanut butter but I find it really sweet without it, I can't imagine how sweet and sticky it would be with it. 

So tell me what are you baking this week? 

31 Photo's in 31 Days~Day 1

I loved this project last year. It's simple take a photo everyday and post it on your blog, twitter, facebook, flikr wherever you want really. Add your link to the Sh1ft.org and your done. Sounds easy but my goodness I fell off the wagon so many times last year! 

So this year I hope to stay on the wagon and I'm starting with what we had for lunch today. Exciting I know but hey it's a cute picture! I made sausage rolls for my baby boys and my hunny who insists meat be eaten at least three times a day (how he has any arteries left I don't know)

So are you joining in? Head over to Sh1ft.org for details.

april fools!

Boys afternoon tea time, would you like a drink of juice?

What the?

This isn't juice! Its jelly!

Thank you to Belinda for giving me the great idea. As always you rock.

Did you play any jokes on anyone today?