Challenge 2014 - Week 13 - Churros

Desserts are one of my favourite meals, full of sweet delicious goodness, how can you go wrong. So for this weeks challenge, we made churros.

I scoured my cook books, and came across two recipes for the choux pastry, one that didn't work and was a horrid disaster, and the other, from Margaret Foulton, which was a massive hit!

So, I'm going to share Marg's recipe, which we found came out much fluffier and nicer.


Churros, with Chocolate Sauce, and Butterscotch Sauce

Churros

I forgot to have the eggs and butter in this pic as well

1 cup plain flour 
1 cup water 
125 g unsalted butter, cut into pieces 
1 teaspoon sugar 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
4 eggs, beaten lightly 

1. Sift the flour on to a square of greaseproof paper.
2. Put the water, butter, sugar and salt into a saucepan. Bring to a rapid boil and, using the greaseproof paper as a funnel, pour the flour all at once into the boiling mixture.
3. Over a gentle heat, incorporate quickly and thoroughly with a wooden spoon and beating until the mixture balls around the spoon and leaves the sides of the pan (a bit of muscle is needed here). This process dries the paste and cooks the flour.
4. Remove from the heat, transfer to a plate and cool to lukewarm. 
5. Put into a bowl and gradually beat in the eggs. If the paste is very stiff, beat an extra egg and add gradually, until a pliable consistency is obtained. Beat the paste until well combined, shiny and smooth.

Chocolate Sauce

Getting things ready for the chocolate sauce!

100gm dark chocolate, chopped into bits

1/2 cup cream

1. Warm the cream on the stove, but make sure not to boil

2. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate, and stir to melt and combine!

Butterscotch Sauce

So few ingredients for such a yummy sauce!

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt (regular or large-flake sea salt)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Melt the butter, add sugar, and cream, stirring till all combined.

2. Bring to the boil, and boil for 4-5 minutes.

3. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes, before adding the vanilla extract.

Okay, so now you have everything ready to go, it's time to cook these little beauties!

1. In a large saucepan, heat a few cups of oil. We used vegetable oil, but you can use canola, or bran oil, which ever you prefer. Heat it over a medium flame, until a small cube of bread sizzles when dropped in the hot oil.

2. Place your dough in a piping bag, with a medium-large start nozzle. Try to push it down to the tip, before squeezing it in the bag. Otherwise you end up loosing dough that could make another churro!

3. Gently squeeze the dough out of the piping bag, over the oil, until about 4-5cm is hanging out, then cut off with either a sharp knife, or cooking scissors, into the oil. It's a good idea to stand back a little when doing this, because sometimes the oil can splash. And definitely don't do this naked.

4. Fry in the oil, a few at a time, for 5 or 6 minutes, stirring/turning with metal tongs, until golden. 

5. Take out of the oil, drain on paper towel, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (white/caster sugar, with a sprinkling of ground cinnamon).

Delicious right?

Then, dip in your choice of sauce, and enjoy!

*Allergens/Vegetarian*

 - If making these for any vegetarians, first make sure they're okay eating eggs, and make sure if you make either of the sauces, that you purchase cream with no gelatin.

 - If making for people with allergies/intolerance's to:

•  Wheat - You can use gluten free flour with very minimal difference in texture or taste.
• Eggs - Unfortunately an egg substitute isn't really suitable for this recipe, so I would advise against eating them.

These are such a simple yet delicious dessert!

If you have any other dipping sauce recipes, feel free to share them!

Love,

Jayde xx

A Perfect Saturday Night

I used to worry that I was getting old, and wouldn't be hip, cool or fun anymore. But, as I've grown older, I've also gained some wisdom along the way. I no longer really care about going out on a weekend and getting drunk. I don't worry about how other people perceive me. I'm just making sure I'm happy. Because in the grand scheme, isn't that the most important thing?

Sometimes I struggle with the joys of growing older. Making my budget stretch so I can pay all of my bills, and still have enough left over for food and petrol. They seem like mundane things now, and as a kid, all I wanted was to be a grown up. Be able to buy the candy and chocolate I want. Have my own car and be able to go where I want. Stay out late and cause trouble. But now that I'm almost here (I am after all only 25 years old), I do and don't understand the appeal. Don't get me wrong, I'm in a really happy place right now. I have an amazing boyfriend who is the love of my life, I can't see my life without him. I have an awesome house, which is now ours (renting though). I have my own car, which I chose and I love it. I love my job, and have many exciting opportunities ahead of me. 

Though, I still want to see everyone, and spend my time doing fun things. It's just now my fun things, are different kinds of fun things. Take tonight for example; I prepped and cooked delicious lasagna for dinner, while Justin did the dishes. We were listening to Dire Straights on vinyl, and bantering with each other. Then, when dinner was cooked, we sat down together, snuggled under a quilt, and watched tv. I couldn't ask for anything more.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't live for other people. Live for you, and do things you enjoy. Don't worry about what other people think, or how they're going to react. I stopped doing that a while ago, and I've never looked back.

Love,

Jayde xx

Books! Books As Far As The...Bookcases Can Go!

I took the day off today, so that Justin and I could get a few extra things around the house done, like moving furniture, and getting things ready for someone to move into the other end of our house. We ended up moving three bookcases and Justin's radiogram. We've filled them all with books (mostly mine), our records, and some of Justin's comics. We've put all of our dvd's and cd's in the tv cabinet, and just have to work out how we're going to set up the dvd player and set top box. We weren't sure on where we would put everything, but it looks like we've found the perfect spot for them.

Working out the spacing for the bookcases

He's so excited!

The bookcase on the left, and in the middle are both full of my books, and they even started spilling out into the last bookcase.

Once we had everything moved, I set up my floor lamp that I bought from Ikea years ago, and then we were off to Kmart to find some nice light filtering curtains. We already have curtains for the new bedroom, and for the main window in the sunroom, which are block out curtains, but we wanted something for the sliding doors, on either side of the deck. We weren't keen on block out curtains for two reasons; 1) It would enclose the room and make it slightly claustrophobic, and 2) they're expensive. So we ended up with 2 pairs of soft neutral cotton light filtering curtains. 



I'm quite fond of them, they really suit the room, and don't block out too much light, while still enabling us to have some privacy. I like the lamp in the corner, it gives off just the right amount of light for the area, and it's not to harsh. I'd also like to have a few indoor plants in this area, I just think it would be really nice!




While we were moving all the books to their new home, I realised I had a hilarious amount of cook books! So many to the point where I have a whole cupboard full, as well as two shelves in a bookcase. Because I have amazing friends, who love me, and give me awesome cookbooks for my birthday, I now have 3 books dedicated to cupcakes. Yup, just cupcakes. 

The baking cookbooks care on the left side, separated by my book stand, then my general cookbooks are in the middle. My hand written recipes, as well as the ones mum has given me over the years, are all in the folders on the right hand side. But I'm thinking I might reorganise them into new folders with dividers, which should make things easier to find.


ALLLLLLL the cookbooks! I love them so much! Guess I should probably starting cooking things from them hahaha!

I guess that's about all for now. Back to work tomorrow, then moving a whole heap of things on the weekend, ready for our new border. But, more on that next time! 

Thanks for reading :)


Jayde xx

Challenge 2014 - Week 12ish - Potato, Pumpkin & Leek Soup

It's coming into those colder months, where I just want to snuggle on the couch with a bowl of delicious soup, and listen to records.

Thankfully, soup is one of the easiest things to cook! I was going to make just plain potato and leek soup, but realised I had a chunk of pumpkin in the fridge too, so thought I'd throw that in as well.

The base recipe for this soup came from Alex, who loves soup even more than I do (I didn't think it was possible).

Potato, Pumpkin & Leek Soup

700gm Potato, chopped into small cubes
200gm Pumpkin, also cut into cubes
2 leeks, finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2tbsp oil/butter
4 cups vege stock
1.5c cups water
seasoning

1. Soften leek and garlic with a bit of oil and butter, until sauteed.
2. Add diced veges and cook down for 5-10 mins (depending on the size).
3. Add stock and water, mix to combine.
4. Cook everything down, until veges are soft, about 15 mins
5. Take off the heat and blitz with a stick mixer until desired consistency is reached.

We add extra garlic!

Diced pumpkin

All the ingredients!

Action shot!

Now, I'll be honest, it's not the prettiest soup in the world, but it sure is hella tasty!

Got a favourite soup receipe? Let me know! I'd love to find some new creations to add to my collection.

Love

Jayde xx

Open For Inspection

Yesterday was one of the most stressful days of my life! The man who owns our house, David, and his wife, came to visit yesterday morning, to report on some items I had mentioned needed to be fixed. When I told my real estate agent, I didn't expect such a speedy response. I mean, it took them 7 years to finish a fence.... Anyway, I sent the email on a Friday, and had my reply by the following Wednesday. So we didn't really have much time to get everything organised.

Because dad has only been out of the house for a week, we hadn't begun to move his things to the garage, and clean up. So Justin and I spent every night scrubbing the walls (Mostly Justin) and making sure everything was spic and span for the owner. 

I actually remembered to take some before and after photo's, aren't ya'll impressed! 

Justin hard at work sugar scrubbing the walls in the sunroom

We didn't think we'd fit everything in the tiny skip

I mean c'mon, all of this crap, it that tiny skip?

Justin an I were up bright and early on Saturday morning, the skip was delivered at about 8am, and from then we were on cleaning fire! Never mind that we were up till like 3am Friday night cleaning the deck! Talk about tired. Good grief!

Anyway, we had fantastic helpers on the day, my family in law, best friend Katrina, and my dad (his was mostly his mess after all!). So with all of us, working our butts off, we managed to get EVERYTHING done! How exciting! The skip is now full, sitting on the side of the road, the lawns are all mowed, the floors have all been swept, mopped & vacuumed. The only time I have ever seen my house so clean, is when my dad first moved in, way back in 2001. 

Justin and I cannot even begin to express how grateful we are for all the help. We know some pretty amazing people.

The deck looking a little more organised

Look, you can actually see the deck and the brick walls! No more weathered table!

I was so nervous waiting for the landlord to arrive, but once I got into the swing of things, chatting to them about the problems with the house, everything went really well. They've agreed to rip up the carpet in (what will be) our bedroom. They're also going to replace the gutters on the side of the house, which is brilliant, because the current gutters are rusted through and have fallen off the house. Then they're going to install a light/fan combo in the en suite, have a look at the deck and try to get that fixed, as well as the deck roof. Our dishwasher hasn't worked for the past 3 or 4 years, and they might even replace it for us! Our taps have been leaking for a little while now, so David will come over and replace the seals on those, which means no more dripping!

He was cleaning the windows...

My fabulous mother in law cleaning the floors - action shot!

I don't even know what dad was doing, but I'm sure it was helpful...

Over all I'm damn happy with the results. I would never have even dreamt we would have gotten everything done in time, but as they say, many hands make light work! 

Now to start prepping the walls for painting. Oh, I did say we're allowed to paint right? Yep, we have permission to paint!

Until next time my wonderful readers! 

Love,
Jayde xx

It's The Little Things - Presents!

Arrived home from our flu shot, and got straight to work with making some little changes. 
Packing up dads kitchen items, and giving the bench and tiles a quick clean, made such a difference.
Then I finally opened my very first house warming present! Mum gave me a matching toaster and kettle, in a lovely pale mint green. They're so pretty!

Before...

After!

Just a little change, but I already feel better about things, and can't wait to make more changes!

That's all for now, but I'll keep you all updated as we make our house, into our home.

Love

Jayde xx

Starting Fresh - The Times Are A Changin'

Hey folks!

If you've been reading my blog, you'll know that there are a few things going on over at my house. 
I used to live with my dad and my boyfriend, but as of 6am this morning, my dad moved out.

Saying goodnight last night was almost bitter sweet. I was happy for the freedom, but sad to be losing my dad. He's not moving to another country or anything, he's heading up to Thomastown to help out my aunt.
But even though I'll still talk to him all the time, it's going to be strange not seeing him in the morning when I'm getting ready for work, or on the weekends when we have dinner together (like a real family).

At the same time, I'm so excited for this amazing new chapter in my life. Justin and I are starting a new phase in our relationship. We've been living together for the past couple of years, but it's always been 'Justin lives with dad and I'. Now, it's Justin and I live together. Justin and I, live together. It looks strange to write it down, but I love how it flows from the tongue.

We'll be moving down to the other end of the house, and setting it up like a real home. New curtains, fresh paint, new furniture. We have so much work to do, I'm just glad he's there so we can make this house our home, together.

I'll (hopefully) remember to take some photos of our journey, so you can follow along with us. From furniture shopping, to choosing the new paint scheme, to cleaning and redecorating. I'm full to the brim with ideas for our house, and can't wait to share them with you all! Mind you, Justin still thinks teal, aqua and turquoise are all classed as 'blue', so I don't think he's going to be much help with colours. 

Much love, 

Jayde xx

Challenge 2014 - Week 11 - Vege Soup

Justin and I have both been struck down with a throat & chest infection, which of course means staying home eating soup and watching tv. But last week Justin was sick, and this week I'm sick, so this means there's pretty much no soup left in the house. Booo-urns. 

But, never fear, we'll just make some more! But, this means I have to go out of the house, and I actually have to get dressed. Neither of which I'm either fond of, but I guess considering I haven't put pants on in the last 3 days, I think it's about time. 

So, begrudgingly I got dressed, and Justin dragged me out of the house and to the supermarket. Which I later realised, was a really good idea, because we had pretty much no food in the house!

We decided to just go with plain vege soup, and just throw as many vegies in there as we could find! 

We started with diced onion, finely sliced leek and some garlic. Cooked that off till it was nice and aromatic, then added our chopped vegies of choice, which were: carrots, celery, potatoes and zucchini. Once all of that had been cooking for a little while, then we add some stock, heat that through and add seasoning. 

Then it's just a waiting game. Keep cooking till all of your vegies are cooked through.

It tastes delicious, and is really good for you.

So, hopefully this helps me get over my yukky sickness, and back to work on Monday, cause I'll tell you what, I'm going crazy being at home!

Talk soon, 

Jayde xx

Falling Off The Bandwagon + Paints!

Over here, guilty as charged. 
I'm so sorry, I've just been so preoccupied with millions of other things. Currently I'm sick as a dog. Blergh, I hate it. 

Anyway, only a few days left until dad is gone! It's not that I'm happy he's leaving, it's just that I'm not overly sad either... 

So, onto more exciting news! I've been out and about looking for the perfect paint colours. We haven't expressly been given permission to paint yet, but I figure there is no harm in looking for colours that I like. We went for three different colours, neutral for the walls, teal for a feature wall in the sunroom, and purple in the wardrobe. 

Neutrals:

Teals:

Purples:

We've still got a bit of thinking to do about what colours we want on the walls. Originally I wanted a slightly cooler white, but now that I've been thinking about it, I'm leaning towards a slightly warmer white. But there are soooooooooo many choices!

We still have a fair bit to do at home, cleaning and tidying wise, so we're no where near ready to paint. Thankfully I have some amazing friends who are willing to pitch in when we do paint, so it should get done pretty quickly! 

When we get everything started I'll take some more photos of the progress :)

Anyway, off to have nap, talk soon!

Catch Up & News

As you know, I've been off being a busy little bee! But the exciting news I wanted to share today is...

MY DAD IS MOVING OUT!

This means Justin and I get the house all to ourselves...From March 30th, but still!

Mainly, I'm excited that I get to walk around nude...

But I'm also excited because it means a fresh start for Justin and I. It's like we're a real couple. In our own house. With no one to bother us. 

I can't wait for everything to be finished. I have so many plans!

I want to:

• Move to the other end of the house (where dad currently is)
• Set up the walk in robe with a 'beauty station'
• Repaint the whole house
• Paint all of the kitchen tiles
• Hang new curtains
• Fix the back deck & roof
• Repaint the window frames
• Try to tame the front garden
• Reorganise my kitchen cupboards

There are so many more things I want to add to the list, but if I did that, you'd be here forever reading. Not that it would be a bad thing...

Hopefully this time I actually remember to take photos of before and after for everything. 

Talk soon, 

Jayde xx