WTM: Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery

Sunday was an amazingly beautiful day, and we just couldn't waste it being at home inside, so Alex and I thought it would be fitting to head out to the Yarra Valley and explore some of their most popular attractions. We went off to the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery first to buy some of our favourite treats.



As you can see, it was a lovely day, so there were people everywhere. It's nice here, because the kids can play on the grass and run wild, while the parents can sit and relax with a picnic.



Of course, even though Alex isn't a tourist (not by the classic definition, she lives 10 minutes down the road), I had to make her take an awkward tourist photo. I think she did pretty well!

Because nothing says dorky tourist like an awkward photo with a giant fake chocolate bar.

If you've never been before, be prepared to be shocked. There is literally walls and shelves filled with chocolate, and 3 giant bowls of chocolate drops for you to try (we may have taken a couple more spoon fulls then they would have liked...). At the moment it's the Rocky Road Festival, which is running 1-31st May, and in celebration of this, they have 31 flavours of this Aussie classic in blocks, bars, truffles, ice creams and hot chocolates. 

  

They also have a truffle bar, where you can pick and choose your own truffle mix, in a box of 12 or 24. There are so many flavours it was so hard to decide! Some of my favourites were Peanut Butter, Marble Mint & Hazlenut Crunch.

There is a cafe in store so you can purchase your goodies and sit down to enjoy them, as well as other delicious treats like the Smokin' Salmon, Zen Duck and B.L.A.T. On a hot day, we recommend trying out the ice cream (free tastings!) which are house made decadent delights.

The store has free entry, and it open every day except Christmas day, from 9am-5pm. You can find them here:

35 Old Healsville Road (Cnr Melba Highway)

Yarra Glen, VIC

9730 2777

Love J xx

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

Shopping Blues - The Horror Of Christmas

Okay, so I hate to break it you you all, but Christmas is fast approaching. As in 45 days away, kind of fast.

Horrifying isn't it!?!?

Well, never fear, I am here!

As requested, I'll be writing today about presents. All of the troubles we have with presents start from one point, 'What do I get them?!'. From there, we then need to work out how much to spend. Once you have those two questions (almost) answered, we can go shopping. But how do we get them answered?

I've heard the aged old saying 'What do I give someone, who has everything?'. But really, what do you get them?

Well....Many things! So, let me see if I can break it down for everyone:

Girls, between the ages of 0-10:
There are three different types of gifts; girly, boyish, or futuristic.
What are they, you say? Girly gifts are little things like cute costume jewellery, clothes for dress ups, dolls etc. Boyish toys are for little girls, who like playing in the mud, things like skipping ropes, hula hoops, water pistols etc. Then the gifts for the future, are things like, opening a bank account in their name for university, Sponsoring a child etc. 

Boys, between the ages of 0-10:
Boys are a little easier to buy for, mainly because they're just little boys. Generally (And I say generally, in case any little boys, like being little girls), they just like being boys! Things like footballs, cricket sets, basketballs, comic books, ANYTHING with dinosaurs (mainly my 4-nearly-5-year-old nephew), matchbox cars, remote control cars, or lego.

After this age, they become a little troublesome to buy for, but you want to think about what they like. Do they like studying/reading? Why not have a look at the Top 100 Books Of 2013, pick something you think might appeal to them. Or you could go for stationary, things like nice notebooks, a new pencil case, or a daily planner.
Are they arty? What about a set of acrylic paints, a new canvas, a wooden artists model, or why not some life painting classes?
Are they sporty? What about a gift certificate to their favourite sporting goods store, a signed photo of their favourite sports star, or even one on one training for their chosen sport? 
Do they love space and the further frontiers? What about a model of our solar system, a book on the constellations, or if you want to splurge, maybe a telescope to look at the beautiful night sky?

I'm sure there are more, but I don't want to make this too easy for you!

Here are some ideas for adults:

• Village Cinemas gift card
• A set of BBQ tools
• Wind chime
• Decorative light for outside (bonus points if you put a citronella candle in there too)
• Perfume
• A nice scarf
• New bed spread
• Decorative candles
• A punny mug

You can also put together small baskets of goodies, depending on what theme you want to go for. I put together one last year for a friend Jess, who was having a shit time at work, and needed a bit of 'me' time. So it was in a cute little basket, with some make up wipes, nail polish, face mask, lipbalm etc. I could have also put things like moisturisers, bath bombs etc, but because Jess' skin can react to some cosmetics, I left them out.

If you want to put together a basket for someone who thinks they're a bit of a foodie: truffles (they're expensive), macaroons, fresh pasta, flavoured oils (chili infused olive oil), flavoured coffee beans, blank recipe book they can write in, etc.

What about someone who loves to entertain (sound like anyone you know?), things like quince paste, a cheese knife, sun dried tomatoes, gourmet cheeses, red wine?

Know someone who is a chocoholic? gourmet chocolate truffles, fancy cocoa for home made hot chocolates, sultanas/nuts covered in chocolate, blocks of different flavoured chocolate (think mint or orange).

Is someone in your life a bit of a boozer? what about a basket with different flavours of cider, different beers, and some small snacks to go with the drinks? Now I'm talking one bottle of each flavour, don't get too ahead of yourselves here.

Justin loves tea (drinking Tea), so I could do a basket for him with different teas, a fancy tea pot with built in strainer, travel tea mug (yes they exist), and a tea box. Same sort of thing for someone who loves coffee, get them a new travel mug, different coffee beans, a coffee plunger etc. 

I can see you're all sitting there going, well this is nice Jayde, but get to the good stuff!

Now here's my issue, I can suggest a whole heap of possible presents for people, but unless you actually want to get them something, instead of need to get the something, you're gonna have a bad time! Gift giving isn't about who gets whom the best present, it's about being there with loved ones, and exchanging gifts of love. 

I hope this helps, I know there are probably thousands more gift ideas I could have written about, but really, if you can't find anything in the text above, just give up.

Happy holidays, fools.

Jayde xx

Winter Blues

Winter is my favourite season. It's foggy, rainy, cold and generally a little horrid. But that's exactly why I like it! Screw summer and it's stupid sunny days and trips to the beach. No one likes sweating and being generally uncomfrotable because it's so hot. I'd much rather cuddle up on the couch, cook some popcorn and watch a movie. It also means longer nights, better sleeps, and less mosquitos! You can still go out and about during winter, you just need to adjust your outfit a little... Like wearing 2 pairs of stockings, a cardigan and a scarf.

I think the only issue I have with winter, is that it's cold and flu season. Because I work in the Health Care Sector, being sick is not really an option. So how do I avoid it? A few simple guidelines, and staying away from sick people!

Firstly, and I know it sounds silly, but be positive! Being happy go lucky breeds happy thoughts, and being happy releases good chemicals in your body, that reinforce your immune system and help you fight infections.

Next, lots of fruit and veg. We need to keep our vitamins and minerals topped up, to make sure our immune system is 'fighting fit'. I know myself I don't like the idea of eating a whole apple (I have issues with my teeth), so cut up food into bite size bits. You're more likely to eat lots of little pieces, rather than one big item.

Don't forget one of the most important things, water! The human body is something like 80% water. So it only makes sense to stay hydrated.

Last but not least, sleep! After 17hrs of being awake, the body reacts in the same way as having a blood alcohol content of 0.05%. Sounds scary I know, so try and make sure you're getting a solid 8hrs a night. Remember that you can't 'bank' sleep, so if you only get 2 or 3 hours of shut eye today, it doesn't mean you can make up for it tomorrow. Another fun fact about sleep: "Exposure to noise at night can suppress immune function even if the sleeper doesn’t wake. Unfamiliar noise, and noise during the first and last two hours of sleep, has the greatest disruptive effect on the sleep cycle."(1)

My other secrets include:

- Garlic, it contains allicin, a sulphuric compound that produces potent antioxidants when it decomposes.(2)

- Tea, All tea—black, green, or white—contains a group of antioxidants known as catechins, which may have flu-fighting properties. In a 2011 Japanese study, people who took catechin capsules for five months had 75% lower odds of catching the flu than people taking a placebo. (2) I also add honey and lemon to my tea, as it helps soothe a sore throat.

- Chocolate, generally dark is better, because it has a lower sugar content, and more antioxidants than it's milky cousin. To reap the benefits, and not the consequences, stick with a bite size portion a day, of chocolate with a 70% cocoa or higher.

- Carrots, our body turns these into Vitamin A, which is essential to boost our immune system.

Good luck this cold and flu season!

Jayde xx

(1) - http://www.abc.net.au/science/sleep/facts.htm

(2) - http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20631007_8,00.html

My Obsession

Look, I'm going to be honest here guys and gals. I'm not the healthiest person in the world.

This is made more evident by my obsession with Kit Kats. Yes, the smooth milk chocolate covered wafers. I love them. They are my life source.

If you ever want to buy me a present. Kit Kats. Lots of them.

I was lying in bed tonight, having massive chocolate cravings, when I decided I would go to Coles and buy a Kit Kat. Yes, you read that right, just one. It didn't work though. The minute I saw those cherry red wrappers, glinting in the fluorescent lighting, I had to have as many as I could fit in my fat little hands.

Which is 12 in case you're wondering.

So, now I'm home, back in bed, with my strawberry milk, and 4 Kit Kats (I have to take some to work as well!).

Night ya'll

Jayde xx