A creative beauty in the Christmas stocking this week!

Hello lovelies!

I hope you've had a wonderful weekend!  Today I've got the perfect giveaway for the Mamas who love home decor and design.  I have long lusted over Creative Neesh's poster designs - she designs fresh and funky poster designs for our kids rooms and playrooms - but without too much of the blergh factor.  You know, the blergh being the way you look at it in a few years when you realise it's too babyish or just not suitable anymore.

The brains and beauty behind Creative Neesh is Nisha Agiasotis a Mum of two boys who started her business mainly from compliments from the design work done in her own house as she had been frustrated with the lack of design elements for boys.    Nisha started doing custom name posters which catered to both the child's favourite or room colours and what their interests were.

The great part of Nisha's design is the palette is large, and if you don't like the colours or want something co-ordinating, she's happy to accommodate!  She understands that you want it to complement/match your existing room!   Make sure you go and visit Nisha at her blog - it's hilarious - her boys otherwise known as 'seek' and 'destroy' are absolutely adorable, but they do get up to a lot of mischief. She sums here blog up so well - create, covet, chaos, cranky and of course, CHECK OUT!

So what have we got today?  We are giving away ONE poster this week - of your choosing - it can even be a custom name poster! What a great Christmas present right?

What do you need to do?

• Go over to CreativeNeesh and come back and tell me which one you love and why!
• You can enter once a day!
• Open to those with an Australian postal address
• Ends midnight 14th November 2010

Sunday baking project: Almond and white chocolate chunk cookies

Happy Sunday all!  How's your weekend been? If you're in Sydney you've probably spent most of it indoors like me.  I've been putting myself to good use though the Eco Baby Expo - I helped my friend Vicki yesterday and I'm back there today - here's a quick blogpost of what we did yesterday (there's a pic of the frills under the Luna Park Teeth!)

These are real quickie cookies - I realised at 6.45am that I was on morning tea duty at playgroup this week and had to get the kids up, dressed, house organised and us all packed in two hours - I had time to do cookies.

They're delicious and easy - you don't need to refrigerate or anything making the whole process about 20 minutes until they're in the oven.  I like that.  I like it alot. You could use any chocolate and any nuts - this is what I had on hand, it's a gorgeous combination inspired by the Lindt Gold Bar (my favourite chocolate bar).

Makes 36 large biscuits

Ingredients

175g butter, at room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp bicarb soda

2 cups plain flour

250 g block white chocolate, roughly chopped

1/4 cup flaked almonds

Method:

Preheat oven to 160 degrees c

With your mixer or in a bowl with electric beater - mix butter and sugars together until they are light and fluffy - about 2 minutes.

Add vanilla and eggs, mix for a further minute.  Add bicarb and flour and mix again until a smooth dough.  

Take mixer off stand or remove your beaters.

Stir through with a spoon or a spatula, chocolate and nuts.

Cover your baking trays with baking paper and place dough in flattened dough about 2 inches in diameter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.  Cool on trays for 10 minutes then transfer to cooling rack to completely cool and harden.

Store in airtight container up to 1 week (they won't last I promise you) or freeze in airtight container of ziplock bag up to 3 months.

Cute breakfast

I made this for the frills for breakfast the other day - cute huh?  Just used a large cookie cutter to cut out the bread, put the crust on a buttered pan for about 1 minute, turn over then crack an egg into it!  Voila.

Got a busy weekend planned?  

Fast Food on a Friday: Oven baked chicken teriyaki

My first piece of advice to you is this.   Make double. Seriously, seriously good.
My second piece of advice is use the right piece of meat.  This needs to be chicken thighs.  Not breasts.  Not drumsticks.   Look if you get desperate, but this recipe is really at its prime with chicken thighs.  They have the most flavour, don't go tough and hold their shape.

You're going to looooooooooove it.  I've put it on my meal plan again, already.  Early next week.  I don't think anyone in my family will complain.  In fact I know they will probably cheer.... I'm going to make extra for sushi too.


Ingredients:
500 g chicken thigh fillets, skin removed
2 tb cornflour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely chopped
1 tsp minced ginger

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees c

In a saucepan mix the cornflour, sugars, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic and ginger together.  Whisk together over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the sauce slightly thickens

 in a small baking tray, place your thighs and pour sauce over.

Place in oven for 25 minutes, turn the chicken pieces over and return for a further 20 minutes.

Remove, cut into slices and serve.

Winners of SFI Subscription AND Lovely Little Parties giveaway!

Aaaahhh.  How happy am I that is Friday?  REALLY happy.  I have a good friend arriving today from Brisbane and although we'll be working together the majority of the weekend it won't feel like it!

So, loved the entries for Super Food Ideas this month!    Even though we have one winner this month, you can enter any time as there will be another winner next month!  In other good news, your entries will be valid for 2 months of competition too.  So even if you didn't win this time - you have entries in for next month!

So without any further ado - winner of a 3 month subscription is....


Marcia Coventry who made these quickie chocolate brownies!

The Lovely Little Parties winner is .....

DV!

Plus don't forget - everyone wins because if you enter 'frills' in the check out at their store you get 10% off - only until Sunday!
Now, come back at lunchtime, I've got a frugal fast food recipe for you!

Winners, please email me your postal addresses!

Fridge Reading.. what our fridge says about us!

I decided today I was going to share with you my fridge.

Not the inside, but the outside!  I think our fridge is a bit of snapshot of who and where we are as a family.
If you like, blog about yours and leave a comment and tell me about your fridge or link yourself up if you have a blog with pics if you like!

I'd love to see your fridges!

So, here's mine!

I dream about a new fridge - when we moved here we had to downsize the fridge for it to fit in the cavity - and sadly this was the only model that fitted at the time.  But it does us, I'll just keep dreaming for a new one...

Up on the top freezer door on the left is a photo of my Nan, proudly displaying a picture of her at work wearing a pasta necklace Eloise made her for Mother's day about 3 years ago.  Eloise gave her strict instructions for her to wear it at work, and she obeyed, so lovely!

To the right of that is Eloise's first Easter, we made magnets for all the family (and us) to accompany eggs - I really should do some for Christmas.  I think most of my family still sport them on their fridges.

Bottom left is Olivia and Eloise about 3 years ago at my sisters house which at that point was in Lawson the Blue Mountains.

Bottom right is hubby and Eloise - he had this done at a mobile booth at Gordon one day - just to jibe me because I've trained the kids to go for Manly, and he barracks for Balmain, so we all go for both teams :P

To the right of my freezer section is a gorgeous picture of Eloise she bought home from Book Day this year at school.  The kids had to dress up as their favourite book, and Eloise went as ... Eloise of course!

Other various bits and bobs is a car detail I won at the school trivia night, our recycling calendar and our reminder for our Brasserie Bread class -- the first one we could get into when I booked last July was... April next year.

Moving down the fridge are our 'buddy bookmarks' which Olivia and Laura proudly added to the fridge.  These are the girls who will be the girls' buddies when they start school next year.

And this is the latest and currently my favourite additon.  Very picasso-esque drawing by the Artist known as Eloise, that's her, with her sisters, waving.  I love the freckles!

15 minute microwave peanut brittle

Yep, you read right.  Pretty easy peasy actually.  I made this yesterday as a quick something sweet to serve for lunch with friends, and we ate it over vanilla icecream. It has the minimum of fuss and it  is pretty yummo.  The outcome is a bit honeycomb/peanut brittle actually. 

Perfect bagged up for gift or something that can cure a sudden onset of sweet tooth.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups roasted unsalted peanuts

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup golden syrup

25g butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp bicarb soda

Method:

Grease a baking tray with canola spray and fill a sink warm soapy water.

In a glass bowl (temperatures get pretty high with sugar, don't do plastic!) mix  peanuts, sugar and golden syrup.   

Place in microwave and cook on high for 6 minutes.  Ingredients should be bubbling and dark golden brown.

 

Stir through the vanilla extract and butter and return to microwave for another 3 minutes on high.

(Get a teatowel or two or one or two oven gloves at the ready.)

Remove bowl from microwave, add bicarb and be on your guard!  Mix very quickly as it foams up and then pour into the tray.  It is very hot so make sure you do have something to protect your hands.

(Put the bowl straight in your hot soapy water to avoid it setting on the bowl.  It can be a bugger to get off otherwise!)

Allow to cool for about 20 minutes and then break up with your fingers.  Store in airtight container for a few days.

Great for a night at the movies, or movies at home! 

Pinwheel sandwiches - for a change or that fussy eater of yours

Pinwheel sandwiches are something my Mum used to make for birthday parties when I was little  - for a kid who didn't really like her crust, it was my favourite way to eat a sandwich.   Mum used to make them with my favourites - vegemite or achovette (I know, odd child) but also with jam or tuna/mayonaise - whatever took her fancy.

On Sunday I passed the bakery and decided it was time my girls were initiated into pinwheel sandwiches - so I asked the baker to slice the bread across-ways rather than downwards so I got long slices.  No problem.  My hubby thought the baker had made a mistake when I returned with the bread: 'No I asked for it this way'.

So basically you spread your butter, toppings on long pieces - you can cut the crusts off before or after... and your roll them up and slice.  Basic right?  So next time you feel like putting something different in the lunchbox or for a gathering give it a try!

If you'd like an adult twist to these - go visit my friend Not Quite Nigella who by total coincidence posted about 'spiral sandwiches' yesterday.  Great minds think alike huh? (A bit freaky actually!)

So do you or your kids eat the crust?

So did you get the newsletter?

Thank you to everyone who has subscribed!  Mwah!  The feedback has been wonderful - I thank you so much for that!

If you missed out here's your chance to see it! I'm not sure if I'm going to publish it regularly to the web, so make sure you subscribe so you don't miss out, or at least, get it early!

New series... Come have a cuppa with... Reality Raver!

Hello again,

This series has been on my agenda for such a long time and came about when a few readers wrote 'I feel like I'm having a cuppa in your kitchen' which was what I was totally going for!  So I thought I'd be nosy and get into other people's kitchens!

So today, join me for a Cuppa with Emma from Reality Ravings!  I visit Emma's blog at least 3-4 times a week because I'm a hopeless reality junkie.  Emma always has a unique view, good goss and a fun outlook - it's a fun visit!

Emma in her kitchen with her beloved coffee machine!  LOVE the red tiles!

So, how do you like your coffee or tea?
If it is not a cappuccino, I have my coffee short and black. I drink a lot of green tea

What you love or hate about your kitchen?
That I have to clean it, and it gets cluttered. The fridge and stove top is too far apart.

Who do you cook for at your house?
My two children, and my partner.

Where do you eat? Dining table/in front of computer/in front of TV (I'm guessing third?)

Yes I eat in front of the TV (Fox IQ is the best invention since the internet, however when we eat with the kids (as they are young they normally eat earlier) it is at the table.

Most desired kitchen appliance?
A wok that is low maintenance and doesn't rust out, I do also fantasise about an icecream maker but I would never use it.

Most used or loved gadget you own?
My Sunbeam espresso machine

Who taught you to cook?
I did Home Ec at school for 4 years. Also baked at home with my mum.

Any kitchen disasters you can report?
When I was meant to be making chocolate mousse, melting the choc in the microwave in a plastic bowl with rubber and it the rubber melted.

Your signature dish?
Scones with jam and cream, tacos

Your favourite quick fix mix meal?
Nachos, though I have found a new one fish, asparagus and miso stir-fry

Favourite cookbook?
Most used would be Marie Claire Cooking (yes Donna Hay), but these days I tend to get recipes off the internet at food blogs or taste.com.au

What's your entertaining style? Eg: Dinner party, BBQ, pot luck or go out!?
Normally meet up with friends for yum cha.

What's your favourite Frills in the Hills recipe or post and why?
Any of the slow cooking recipes I like, but I also enjoy your domesticity posts as it lets me get to know a bit more about you.

Wasn't that fun?  
Bet you didn't know she was so foxy too, right?  Any questions you've got for Emma about her kitchen or you'd like to ask her over a cuppa?

Peanut toffee nougat ice cream - in 30 minutes

Or possibly even less!

Yes, I love myself a cheaty recipe and why shouldn't I?  When it comes to dessert it's truly necessary and even though hubby thought my Danish was the best thing I'd baked in ages, this is my favourite dessert right now.  Big time.

Make this for a dinner party or BBQ or just for yourself.  I won't tell anyone, if you share it with me.


Ingredients:
1 litre vanilla icecream (I used Woolworths Select, it's actually very creamy and nice!)
2 large snickers bars, diced into 4mm pieces
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter

that.is.it.

Method:
Let your ice cream melt ever-so-slightly, stir in your snickers bar pieces, and then stir though the peanut butter.

Place into a pudding bowl or desired tin, lightly sprayed with canola oil.  Return to freezer until set!

 

To serve, run a knife around the edges of the tin and then upturn on a plate, wipe outside with a hot teatowel to encourage it to pull away and onto the plate.  

Do NOT, at that point answer the door to trick-or-treaters or it will melt a little....

Serve!  Now you may like to serve with chocolate or caramel sauce, but seriously, it doesn't need it.  If you want to serve it to that next level perhaps some toffee chards and fresh warm roasted peanuts.

I shall bow now, whilst you clap.

In the Christmas stocking today - all about imaginative play.. with a giveaway!

Hello again!

I'm a bit rhymy today aren't I?

Well today I'm sharing some news from my friends at Ikea.    They have today released the Play Report, the largest global study into child development and play, which reveals how Australian parents, and kids feel about the world today and the effects of play on family life.

I've had a read through it and found the following parts quite fascinating:


FAMILY AND FOOD

• 68% of Australian kids would prefer to spend more time baking with Mum and Dad - yet only 50% of parents see cooking or baking as good for creativity.
• 85% (58% strongly) believe that it is important for the development of their child/ren for the family to eat together at mealtimes.
• 91% (59% strongly) believe their children should learn about food and nutrition at home
• Time pressured working Mums though placed slightly less (by 2%) emphasis on meals together

Are you surprised by any of these results?  Do you think Masterchef has something to do with the first statistic or is it that kids want to spend time with parents doing what they think is fun?

PLAYING WITH OUR KIDS

• Almost half (46%) of parents feel that they don’t have enough time to play with their children
• Over half (52%) of Aussie parents say that they often feel guilty that they are not spending enough time with their kids
• 70% of Aussie parents would like more time to just ‘chill out’ with their children
• But most interesting (to me anyways) was that 74% (that's almost three of any four of us!) feel that they should be doing more to encourage creativity at home.  

Are we too afraid of mess (I know I have a intense hatred of glitter....) or is that we've forgotten how to play with our kids?  How down and dirty do you get?  Do you bake or cook with your kids or is that something that worries you (in terms of danger in the kitchen or mess again)?

Ikea and I would love to hear your thoughts on the two questions I've just asked - so much so Ikea are going to give away 5 of their NEW Duktig 14 piece vegetable sets - (Something for you to play with too!)

So...

• Answer one of the 2 questions above (or both in separate comments for 2 entries!)
• Share this post on Twitter or Facebook for an extra entry*

Entries close this Sunday 7th November at midnight

Entries open to those with Australian postal addresses only.

* please quote @frillyhills on twitter and post on the Frills in the Hills Wall or the Ikea Facebook Wall so we can Identify the entries.

Lunchbox legends: Macaroni slice

Happy Monday everyone.

Today I'm setting myself some goals - Motivation Monday !  Three things that I keep getting put off!

This week I'm going to:

• Buy two more Christmas presents left on my list
• Weed the front garden
• Work out what from our bedroom, goes in the Garage Sale (girls rooms done just us to go!)

Now, as far as Monday goes, I also like to get a backlog of washing done usually and also get some school baking done.  I like to have a cheat dinner - i.e. 30 minutes of less dinner and although it seems like a busy day - it energises me for the week - I don't really mind Monday!

Today you might want to do some school baking or a quick dinner, this one is great to have with a salad - a good favourite with the kids too.

Ingredients:

1 cup macaroni, uncooked (makes about 2.5 cups cooked)

250g tub ricotta

2 eggs

10 baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped

1 cup grated sweet potato

1 rasher bacon, finely diced (Omit if you want a vegetarian option)

2 sprigs continental parsley, chopped

small sprig oregano, finely chopped

1 cup shredded tasty cheese

3 tb grated parmesan cheese

Method:

After cooking the pasta, preheat oven to 200 degrees c

Mix in a bowl with all the ingredients, adding in the order shown above.

Pour into greased baking tin and bake and press into the edges of the pan and compact on top.  Bake for 30 minutes.  

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before turning out, cutting up and serving.

This is in Eloise's school lunchbox today and the little frills and I will have it with fruit for lunch - easy peasy and a great change from sandwiches!

Don't forget to come back after lunch today - there's something new to add to the stocking! xx