Junior Masterchef Wannabe

I remember a long time ago (coming up to about two years ago!) I thought I would teach Monet to cook.  Or at least be capable of putting together a couple of eatable things.  But that idea lapsed (typically) after teaching her to make pancakes.  

Recently I had been encouraging Monet to come and give me a helping hand at dinner time once in a while.  So when I spied a particular cookbook teaching kids how to cook which was heavily reduced I bought it and presented it to her.  

Of course she got mega excited and wanted to make every second thing but we ended up deciding on her making canapes for lunch one day.  With shopping list in hand we sought out hummus, cream cheese, ham and carrots, but no mini-toasts.  It was bite sized plain crackers instead.  I'm all for experimentation, so when she presented the platter with crackers and strawberries mixed in with ham and hummus I thought "why not?"  

The attention to detail was fabulous.

And they were pretty darn tasty too, I must say.

Next in her line of fire was Coconut Ice.  I hadn't made that for years and she did very well on her first attempt.

I do posses a sweet tooth but heck! this was sweeeeeet!!

I did emphasize that a good cook 'always' cleans up after themselves.  She got a tick in that box on both occasions.

I just look forward to the day when my two little chefs serve me up a roast meal.  One day....one day.

Lily and Rainbows

As Miss Lily and I were walking and chatting the other day, she started on about eating a Rainbow Cake.  She *loves* rainbows (especially of the ice cream kind!) and when I suggested that we could make a Rainbow Cake together she got very excited.  

So, true to my word, we did.  And Lily enjoyed every aspect...

Her favourite part was the taste testing (along with the pink icing and 'rainbow sprinkles'.)

My sister and I used to make 'Rainbow Cakes' quite often on cold Saturday afternoons after Netball and Monet and I have baked a few in our time too.   It was nice to be able to do this baking with my baby. =)

The Apprentice Makes Pancakes

You may remember last week I got Monet to do some baking and cooking. We have declared 'Tuesdays' the day when she is taught to make something in the kitchen.  She wanted to make pancakes.

Pancakes. Easy peasy with one egg, 1 cup of SR Flour, 1 cup milk and a teaspoon of sugar. Whisked together, left to rest for 15 minutes and then cooked in the frying pan laced with melted butter. I did the cooking but Monet did the pouring and the (attempted) flipping.  During the step of measuring and mixing, my apprentice gained her own apprentice, but the littlest apprentice just got in the way and was only in the kitchen for a minute for me to snap a photo...

Monet served up the pancakes with some yummy and sweet pancake syrup (aka cheap maple syrup)  Ooo delish....  We were most impressed that even Lily woofed her little teeny weeny pancakes up.

And the verdict?  Happiness all round!

Well done Monet.

The Banana Bread Baker

I promised Monet something a couple of weeks ago.  I'm not sure if it makes me stoopid or trying to earn a Mother of the Year nomination. I have promised her that, over the course of the summer holidays, I will teach her to cook. Well, guess what? Summer holidays are here. So now I have to put what I said into action. She used to always 'help' me bake, back in our Cairns days but since then, nah, not so much.

Official day one of the holidays I got Monet to make some Banana Bread, with my guidance.  (We used this recipe.)  She helped me measure out the ingredients, sifted the flours, did the old egg-cracking, mashed the bananas, mixed everything together, helped pour it into the tin....

The result was yummy!  It was especially delicious fresh out of the oven and smothered in butter.

Tonight, Little Miss Monet will be cooking our evening meal for the family.  We have collected all the ingredients for a basic Vegetable Lasagna (her request), from a recipe we found in a Women's Weekly Kid's cookbook.  That'll be interesting, considering her father isn't a big lasagna fan.  I hope he grins and bares it....

Apparently I Am A Masterchef

My new Food Processor tells me I am.

I bought a new Food Processor yesterday, mainly because my old one,which was a whole two years old, decided that it only had two speeds.  Those two speeds were either 'not at all' or 'flat-chat'.  Not the most safest thing to use in a country which has dodgy electrical wiring and sell shoddy electrical converters.  Lyndon told me to 'piff it' and get a new one, if I really wanted a new one.

Seeing that I have only ever had a Food Processor for two years, I first thought it was a luxury kitchen item that I probably could have continued living on without.  But alas no.  Owning one of these kitchen products is not a luxury if you enjoy cooking and cook often.  I discovered I could not live without one. (Exaggerated slightly of course!) It seems that in every second recipe I have, it states to use a mix master (I *heart* mine) or a Food Processor.  And of course with a baby on the way, it is handy to have one on hand when the little one begins solids.  (That's my excuse anyway, okay!)

After much researching, 'ooo-ing and ahh-ing', justifying, wondering etc., I bit the bullet yesterday.  Finally.  And the one I chose tells me I am a Masterchef 8000.

As I opened the box I came across gadget after gadget.  Some I am not 100% sure what to do with.

But as a bonus it also has a jug in it so I can 'blend' (and 'piff' out my 12 year blender, which is nearing the end of its life).

Let's hope this one lasts longer than my previous one!

A Taste of Rainbow.

I don't know what has happened lately, but I've been baking, baking, baking.  I've baked Pavlovas for neighbours...

...along with other bits and pieces I have been sharing (with two neighbours in particular, who seem to thrive on what I am baking!), including this yummy Apple Custard Tea Cake.

I have now even got Monet in on the act. She enjoys helping me and I have learnt to become more patient with her helping me.  

Yesterday I gave her the choice in helping me make either a 'Marble Cake' (ie, white, pink & choc) or a Rainbow Cake (using all the colours of the rainbow).  You can guess what she choose.

A simple cake which she helped measure and place the ingredients in my faithful mix master.  She particularly loves to sift the flour (I remember loving that job as a child too) and then hand mixing, without help from me.  We divided all the mixed raw ingredients into seven little bowls and I dyed them, with Monet mixing...

...We then placed teaspoon after teaspoon of mixed coloured ingredients into the cake tin and baked for an hour.

We frosted with chocolate icing and coloured sprinkles for a true rainbow effect, which kept the girl happy.  Tastes pretty darn good too...

There Was Movement At The Station...

...as I sit down to a big mug of steaming PG Tips tea, which I have to say, is probably the best brand tea I have tasted.  Those British sure know how to produce a good brew!

It is now just under 13 weeks to our impending due date of baby #2 and neither Monet, Lyndon nor myself can wait to meet and welcome this little person to our world.  It is a moover and groover baby who enjoys warm baths, cups of tea and a bit of music.  It enjoys it's big sister reading nightly stories (2 a night from Monet) and hugging (of kinds).  My heartburn has returned big time in the evenings but I have something to help with that but I am finding sleeping more and more a pain in the neck, or rather, a pain in the back - but I'll cope.  After all, it isn't forever is it?  (Or is it?)

I feel huge but you get all kinds of comments from people which I usually just take with a grain of salt - oh you aren't very big, man! you're huge... blah, blah, blah.  All I know is that I am now getting to the size as I was full term with Monet, but that is to be expected, right? Right???

I tried unsuccessfully to take a half decent photo of me and my BUMP so I will instead post one of me I took coming up to three weeks ago whilst in our hotel room in London. (Notice my short hair?  I still love my hair cut and will definetly be getting my new Australian hairdresser to give it a snip again in the very near future. Oh and btw, my bump now seems bigger than in this photo) 

We have a little organising and product purchasing (damn it) to do before this one pops out.  We don't have a cot which is our #1 priority, nor baby clothes.  It is kinda starting off fresh again though we have no grandparents to help make such purchases.  :-(  We've decided to buy a baby capsule for the car but it is hard to justify spending bucks on something that won't be used for a long time.  But it is needed here with Monet going to school and me starting my life as a taxi driver.  

We're also trying to work out the car situation.  Lyndon started working at a new job site, about a 15 or so minute drive up the road from us.  At the moment he is hitching a ride with a work colleague (what?  Car pooling in Abu Dhabi?  Who would've thunk that??) but we're unsure how long this will continue.  

It will all sort itself out in the end - it always seems to with Lyndon and I.

Okay, off now to satisfy this sweet tooth of mine by making a Caramel Mud Cake, taken from my new favourite cookbook I picked up in London.  (The Caramel Slice in this book is to die for.  My neighbours love it even more than I do!)  And speaking of great cookbooks, I also purchased this one in London too, so we've been enjoying some lovely curries as of late too! Mmmmm.....