Enjoying every moment.......

I have been enjoying these crispy wintery days.  The air fresh, the sun warming and very welcomed as I walk to work.  Along my walks I think a lot.  About how lucky I am to live this life, at this time.  To be surrounded by people who make me laugh, inspire me and are kind.    People who are interested and interesting.   I love that my days are filled with these interactions.   To me, it is important to recognize this and even more important, to be thankful for it.  

I am also enjoying  this yummy creation.  DIY Muesli!

I received homemade muesli as a birthday gift a few weeks ago. A very scrumptious and nourishing gift made by my beautiful friend Theresa (si chica...).    The cold mornings and my power walks to the office require a little treat and having this with boiling water (no milk for me thanks) has made THE best breakfasts this season. 

Having finished the supply I received, I asked for the recipe and found it very easy to make.  So I got to toasting the organic oats under the grill.  I sprinkled ground cinnamon and cardamon before placing under the grill for a few minutes.  The apartment filled with the scent of these beautiful spices. 

After toasting the oats for a few minutes and setting them aside.  I toasted a selection of raw nuts, seeds and shredded coconut.  For my selection I used :

Macadamia, pistachio, cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, pepitas, sesame seeds and shredded coconut.

The smell of toasted coconut and cinnamon.....if you close your eyes, you could be wandering the spice bazaars of Morocco and India!!  ahhh...my senses taking a little trip from my kitchen.

I wanted to add some natural sweetness to the Muesli so I opted for some  of Queenslands finest little raisins (of sunshine) as well as tart cranberries.

Ready to be enjoyed this winter......

Loving these days.......

Four of my favourite words together.....

 
One of my favorite Sydney food blogs recently featured a gorgeous recipe for a Giant Edible Embroidered Cookie.  Being the crafty chick that I am and also known to indulge in the odd sweetie treat (or 7) so this recipe caught my eye. The talented Lorraine did a stellar job creating the little embroidery stitches with little sprinkles and candied fennel seeds.  

For this recipe (more beautiful photos) and many others visit Lorraine's blog here

5 Minute repurpose project - Calendar becomes gift tags

Really Claudes? Yes! I know...its probably more like 1 minute.  I am prone to a little hoarding, especially when it comes to pretty cards and calendars. So on a recent declutter session of the crafty studio I decided to get my creative-on and save some trees at the same time.  You can too!

So take some old birthday/Christmas/wedding cards, calenders, post cards, recipe cards, etc.  Some scissors (or guillotine if that way inclined) and a hole punch....

If you have it, also some matching ribbon or twine saved from all those birthday/Christmas/wedding presents and hey presto....a new card ready for gifting!  These also make pretty cool book marks.   Easy peasy  - green and clean!

Jamie Oliver you rock!

Here is one of our winter staples for 2010 -  Chickpea and Leek soup.  Ive been collecting his cookbooks for a while and thought I better start really using them - not just for the pretty pictures and to perve at his cheeky smile - but really they are filled with wonderful, fresh, seasonal and yummy goodness! This soup caught my eye as I had been wanting a hearty soup that didn't involve pasta or lots of potato and was vegetarian.  Ive tweaked the recipe a little since I am only cooking for the two of us (the recipe in the book serves 6).   I still get 4 serves out of this recipe below, which is lovely as I get the night off from cooking!  a win win really....

eat me!  I am quick and delish

Recipe:

Serves 4

2 cans of chickpeas (240g per can)
3 medium leeks
1 large potato peeled
850ml of vegetable stock
a little olive oil
1 clove of garlic crushed
salt and pepper to taste
 
Peel and dice the potato into cubes - i usually get 6-8 cubes from the 1 potato.    Slice the leek length ways from the root to the tip. Then peel off a couple of the outer layers and give the leek a good wash to get rid of the gritty stuff that always finds its way amongst the leaves.  Slice the leek thinly.    Put a little olive oil in your pot and cook the leeks and the garlic gently for a few minutes.  You will start to see the leeks get sweaty and soft and at this point - grab a glass of your favourite drink and enjoy cause your kitchen will start to smell sooooo good - after all its part of the experience!     Cook the leeks until they are tender and sweet and then add the potato and  the drained chickpeas and  most of the stock.  Simmer all this for about 15mins.   Your soup is then ready to puree.   I pour out half of the soup and leave the other half in there to puree.  Return the rest of the soup to the pot and use the rest of your stock to get the consistency to your liking.    Check for seasoning - I don't add salt as the stock will already have some, but I do add pepper before serving.    Enjoy it with some crusty bread and a little grated Parmesan.... mmmmm delicioso!   

Enjoy!