festive fancies

Oh, these are so yummy and super simple. Years ago I was given (by my Mummy) a beautiful Tasmanian Huon Pine pasty presser thingie (don't google it you'll come up against a brick wall). I don't know if it has a proper name (I do now it's called a tart tamper - which sounds and looks borderline rude).  I have a mini-muffin-tray-tart-tamper, say that three times!

The recipe is super easy, deliciously tasty and incredibly moreish.

Making the pastry:
125g butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 cup flour

Place ingredients in a food processor and run until the pastry clumps together in a ball.
Divide into balls (small hi-bounce ball size) for each mini muffin tin.
Press with tamper - flour between pressing.
Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes (I didn't and they worked fine - they just cooked faster).
Place your choice of filling (I made traditional mince pies and  have half a jar left. I could very easily be tempted to make another batch!) in chilled pastry cases and bake 12-20 minutes (according to oven) at 180C (170C fan forced).
Allow to cool in pan then ease out - either by inverting muffin tin and pressing bottom of each tart or by easing edge with a knife.  Oh they're so good. 

Fillings
The choices are endless really but these sound great too:
Mixed nut pies
Chop 3/4 cup mixed nuts and divide equally between cases
Melt 60g butter and add 1 cup brown sugar, 1 egg and 1 tsp vanilla essence.
Mix until smooth and gluey.
Spoon over the nuts and bake as above.

christmas 2010

We were woken desperately early by Tigs who appeared to be on Chrissy-Crack!  His excitement and delight was just too infectious to force him back to bed until a reasonable hour, so up we got and stared on giddily as he spun like a top around the house searching for, and finding, evidence left behind by Father Christmas.  We had had to be fairly creative as the 'seccret' has been questioned.  In classically sweet Tiggy-style he stated that he knew that Father Christmas wasn't real.  He assured me that it was true and that he knew it was us who bought the presents and added in hushed tones "Poor Mummy and Daddy having to by all those presents" - ugh he melts me.  I didn't respond, I think I was unable to inhale, for fear of either lying to him, or feeding the lie.  I'm not sure if I'm proud of myself then for out-foxing him or ashamed for not being completely honest with him.  He's only six...  Anyway he was satisfied and reassured by the note Santa left, the dirt from his boots on the windowsill and a couple of his beard hairs caught there too.  And if there was any remaining doubt in his innocent mind, well the mess the reindeers had made on the front garden cleared them up!  

Having had hours and hours of brilliant help  from Flossy and my step-mother "Granny Alice" with all the food prep on Christmas Eve I was free to go to church in the morning, which was Heavenly, followed by the equally stellar bringing together of family to share in a very traditional English Christmas feast.

The kitchen team, Flossy, Me & Alice.

All the important people around one table and a rare shot of my bro Georgie, who spent a disproportionate amount of time concealed behind his laptop, headphones on, oblivious to the goings on around him.  A scary insight into what lies ahead for us when Tigs is a teenager.  Woo, slept right through the whole of lunch .  Such a pity, but, I add guiltily, it was quite peaceful ...

Greg - bad shot - oops.

Momo

Booboo

Dziadziu & Babcia

I could hardly hold Tigs back a minute longer and as soon as Woo was up it was under the tree and into the presents.  I think the children were suitably provided for (oh my gosh were they lucky) and I too was spoiled with some lovely presents.  But nothing quite tops my most precious and treasured gifts, Tigs & Woo.  I hope you had a lovely Christmas too.

Back soon,

E x

merricks - beware - lots of photos

I'm popping back to 2010 for a few posts to catch up with our end of year.  I was rather caught off guard by the end of year activities and excitement and in an all time first I didn't send out my Christmas cards.  Oops!  Oh well I now seem to subscribe to the New Year card brigade and may get around to them yet.  I did  have the perfect opportunity to take them to Merricks but, oops, I forgot to take them down.  It's a shame really as I was extremely pleased with them.  I will post one here if, and only if, I actually get them done and in the post box!

So, back to the post.  Ah, Merricks, such a happy place.  This is how I remember large chunks of my own childhood, wandering through scrub, bush and farmland, riding, relaxing, refueling. Now my babies are being afforded the same happy childhood thanks to our supremely generous friend, Tim,  who handed over his retreat holiday house haven  patch of paradise for a few days before Christmas.  Old friends of Tiggy and Twinkle may remember that last time we came here I couldn't bring myself to leave and so we stayed on.  I felt the same way this time and although we couldn't linger longer I can't wait to go back again.

There was time for cuddling "Granny Alice" (She loathes her title - but hey ho).

Magic moments with my beautiful babies.

Fun times,  how groovy to be able to go into your own paddock to chop down a Christmas tree.

I love the mirrored pose here - "Now how do we get this monster back to the house?".

Ah, you need another adult, to lug it from the very bottom of the paddock to the house.

It was tall and gracious and round as a pudding in the middle - the tree, and oh, well, probably me too!

Star

Something 'carative' Tigs whipped up with a bit of bark and sea sponge.

There were morning kisses ...

...and precious pearls that fell for the first time.

Relationships to rekindle with dear Foury, the overgrown puppy.

Teeny Woo on board ...

... and old, old, oh, how old Sally lugging two around.  Thank goodness they're both featherweights!

There were yummy choc-tops at the Flinders Pub.

And many morning 'cino's' at the Merrick's General Store.

A lazy hazy, dolphin spotting, afternoon at Point Leo. On a rare warm and sunny day.

Moments stolen with my 'baby' brother.

And glimpses of the festivities to come.

2010 - peace out

Sunset 31st December 2010

Farewell 2010. You've been a bit of a roller coaster.

Our arms are open and ready to welcome in the new year with peace, love, hope + joy.

God Bless, sleep tight (or party hard) and see you in 2011.

E x

the tree ...

...went up. And we let the festivities begin. I was also knee-deep in threads, snippets of fabric, packaging and other pre-market detritus. Including finding one thread in Woo's hair at school pick up one day. Not pretty. So the tree really helped me to relax and enjoy some of the more traditional Christmas preparations.

It seems to have become the boys tradition to pop the star on top. You may note that there are a couple of obviously 'not by me' decorations front and centre. I think I really deserve a pat on the back for 'letting go' and allowing them to remain in place throughout the holidays.

school's out

Oops, time ran away with me...

I'm back now and the madness has quietened a little.

It became extremely busy for me in the lead up to Christmas and something had to give, it was between feeding the family and blogging ...

I barely kept my head above water (my mantra became, "I'll sleep when I'm dead") but managed to at least grab some photos along the way that I knew I would ultimately be able to reflect on and to post here for your enjoyment and for my failing memory!

1) with his bestie and teacher

2) with his grade 6 buddy on muck-up day

3) bestie and first girlfriend from 4yo kindergarten

So my precious boy has completed his first year of formal education. And what a year it has been for him. We've seen him mature emotionally, make some lovely friends and learn SO much - he had a brilliant report. We are so proud of his achievements and are incredibly grateful for the wonderful start he has been given by his teacher - SJP better watch out here's her doppelganger.

Tiggyism:

Tigs: I don't like flying.

Flossy: That's okay darling you're not going anywhere.

Tigs: I don't like looking out of the window.

Flossy: Well you don't have to fly anywhere at the moment.

Tigs: But how will I get a baby one day.

Oh he melts me, and Flossy.  He does know that not all babies are adopted but i love that in his mind and world that is the first way he thinks of to make a family.



lessons

woosie finds even the tiniest creatures fascinating and worth her time. i don't take credit for much with my children, (although i do take it for their impeccable manners), and in fact silently berate myself all day for my failings as their mother, but i do love nature and i want to instill that same love in tigs and woo.

it's only possible to do this by allowing time for these precious moments to occur and to provide accurate, age appropriate information to them, woo said it was a "funny 'nail" to which i smiled and agreed and then she added " 'nail did a poo". "woo, that's its trail not a poo, it helps it to slide along the ground", "oh", said woo. "'nail s'iding mummy". and then because i always have to add a bit more, "it helps it stick to the surface it's on". "ohhh (bemused), funny 'nail mummy!" note to self: you do go on, emma

moving on to her next friend, "heyo bird". "oh, woo isn't it lovely? it's a beautiful baby magpie. look its mummy is over there. it's just learning to fly". woo, "funny bird mummy". lesson complete :)

Notes: she clutched her takeaway 'babycino' the entire time. her shoes are two sizes too big, but i challenge anyone to get them off her with out every window in the house blowing out. i love her to the moon and back.

i hope that you have a super week and i'll be back next week (if not before) having taken my wares to market and hopefully having the tree trimmed - it's up and glorious and currently home to some "creations" thanks to tigs. i am ashamed to say that they will not remain front and centre and will be lucky to be visible if they even stay on the tree. make NO mistake the tree is MINE.

e x