On My Mind...

I can't stop thinking about Christmas presents, Yes already!!! 

For many years I have struggled to get to the shops at that time of the year and when I do, I often come home empty handed after hours of roaming around mindlessly looking for affordable and suitable toys, trinkets and keepsakes, just for the sake of having to give a present! Aghhh! It makes me frustrated just thinking about it!

My mum always told me to start buying presents through out the year, "When the sales are on" she says, "then it's never so overwhelming when Christmas comes around"  This has never worked for me . . . I think I just dislike shopping!

I am a practical person and I like to give a gift to somebody that has a bit of meaning or purpose to it and I do like the added element of surprise!!   On certain occasions I will give a gift card as a present, as impersonal as they are they do allow the recipient to purchase something that they do desire opposed to receiving something that is not to their required taste, colour or style! 

How many presents have you ever received that have ended up hidden in the cupboard for years then eventually passed onto a charity store.  Can you imagine how much money gets wasted on unwanted gifts at Christmas time? 

 I much prefer to give somebody just a Big Warm HUG! 

This year, I will not be purchasing presents for Christmas, for anybody! It will be A Handmade Christmas. 

I guess it still doesn't necessarily mean that everyone will like what they get, but it will be made and given with LOVE!

It worked for EASTER!

I have given myself plenty of time and have many a project 

On my mind  . . .

 With Hubby at work, the big kids at school and the little ones off on a play date today, I am hoping for a productive morning in my laboratory, happily mixing and molding.

Can you guess what I'll be making? 
Here's a little hint . . .

On My Mind...

I can not stop thinking about the Pavlova we had for our 

'If you Eat all your Dinner' treat last night, it was made with freshly laid eggs, and topped with our own sour passionfruit and freshly picked strawberries from our trip to the berry farm earlier in the week.

Half of it still sits in the fridge, I can't resist it any longer.  Is it OK to have a slice with a cuppa  for morning tea....   I think so.....  :)

BEST EVER and as always EASY . . .

Pavlova Recipe

6 large eggs,  at room temperature

(The fresher the eggs the better, as the eggs whites are firmer)

1  ¼  cups caster sugar

2 teasp cornflour

1 teasp white vinegar

1/2 teasp vanilla extract

Firstly Preheat your oven to 120°C.

Line  a baking tray with baking paper or alfoil, lightly grease and  dust with a little cornflour and put to the side.

Separate the eggs, we are using the whites only.  Be very careful not to get any yolk into the white as it will not whisk up to the proper consistency that is needed for a meringue.

The yolks can still be used for other baking, store in the fridge but do use within two days.

Beat the egg whites with electric mixer until soft peaks form.

Gradually add the sugar a little at a time,  beating well after each addition, until meringue is thick and glossy and sugar dissolved.

Add cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and whisk until just combined.

Spoon the meringue mixture into the centre of your lined baking tray,

Shape the Pavlova into an even circle and use a spatula to smooth out the top and edges.

Bake in the oven for approx 1 ½ hours, gently touch the Pavlova, It should be dry.

Turn off oven and leave Pavlova in oven with the door slightly open until it is completely cold.

Gently transfer your Pavlova to a serving plate ready to decorate.

 Beat 300 mls of thickened cream with 1 teasp icing sugar until thick and spreadable.

Layer cream over the top of the Pavlova.

Then just add your favourite toppings.  I used Strawberries and Passionfruit today but any combination of mixed berries or tropical fruits are fine.

ENJOY!!

On my mind today with Rhonda @ Down to Earth 

On My Mind...

EGGS, as fresh as they come and lots of them . . .
Have we not been eating enough eggs lately? 
Or do we just have too many chooks?  
I probably have about 10 good layers at the moment which are producing about 50 - 60 eggs per week.  
Not too many ever get wasted, some may accidentley slip from the hands of my little gatherers occasionally, and when there are just too many for us to eat, we pass them on to family and friends.  
As a high protein food for the family I regularly serve eggs for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. 
We have them boiled, fried, poached, scrambled, french toast, sometimes I bake them into a meat pie, other times I may make an omelette.  We enjoy bacon and egg burgers for dinner and everyone enjoys a curried egg and lettuce sandwich for lunch. 
Where would we be without the egg?
I coat my fish and chicken in egg and breadcrumbs before frying. The egg coagulates when it comes in contact with the heat and forms a protective barrier keeping the flavour sealed in and the fat sealed out.  An egg or two is also added to my rissoles and fishcake mixture to bind the ingredients together, again, when the egg is cooked it coagulates through the mixture and binds it together so it will not fall apart during the cooking process.

For sweets we often have baked custard, bread and butter pudding or boiled custard, all made with lots of farm fresh eggs, and for a special treat we make Pavlova, from the egg whites only.  

The yolks then used to make mayonnaise, or hollandaise sauce.

Then there is lemon butter, an extra yolk  gives it just a little more richness. . . and have you ever tried a fresh Egg Nog?

Eggs would have to be the most valuable ingredients in the kitchen, they can be quickly prepared into a well balanced and nourishing meal on any busy day, and any home cook knows you can't make a successful cake without a good egg!
I could go on forever about eggs....
Joining up with Down to Earth today
Whats ON MY MIND is how will I cook my eggs for dinner tonight? 
 How do your eat your eggs? 

THIS POST WAS INSPIRED BY 
The Australian Book of Egg Cookery 
MARSHALL, Anne (editor) Paul Hamlyn 
(1971)
ISBN 10: 0600070077

Marmalade

It's way to early to have anything else On My Mind this morning.....

I have made myself a nice cup of tea and some toast with my favourite homemade  Marmalade.....

I promised to send this recipe to Mrs Moo, so here it is:

Sweet Orange Marmalade

 4 oranges

Juice of 2 lemons

4 cups water

4 cups sugar

Cut the Oranges and lemon in half and squeeze out the juice. 

Keep the pips and tie them in a muslin bag.

Thinly or coarsely (depending on how chunky you like your Marmalade) chop the skins

Put the cut oranges, juice and bag of pips and water into a saucepan, bring slowly to the boil and simmer gently for approx 2 hours or until the skins are tender. 

 Add sugar and stir until it dissolves, remove bag of pips and boil rapidly for approx 15 - 20 minutes or until a little will set on a chilled saucer.

Remove from heat, allow to settle then bottle and seal. 

I think I did pretty a pretty good job with this considering it was my first ever batch. With citrus season just around the corner, I am looking forward to trying a few other variations to this recipe this year.

 Anybody got any hot tips for making a Good Marmalade?

Please join me at Down to Earth to see what's on everybody else's mind today

On My Mind...

I have, for various reasons had a bit of spare time on my hands this week, I have spent heaps of time out cleaning up the garden, played a little in the kitchen and also caught up on a few of my favourite Blogs and also found some fabulous new ones.  I'm sitting out in the sun this morning having my morning cuppa, It's a little bit cooler here this morning, the air has that real Autumn feel to it...no other word can describe it best as just Nice...

I'm looking at my new Granny Blanket I picked up at the Salvos just the week before last for a bargain $6.  It's actually a good queen bed size, in near perfect condition and I just LOVE the colours....I have held many a granny blanket in my hand at the op shops only to put it down again because as lovely as it was and as much as I am fully aware of the traditional anything goes colours of a granny square blanket, they just never really spoke to me like this last one did. It had a wash yesterday and is hanging over my deck rail to dry, As I sit here admiring it I realised that I should be grabbing the crochet needle and starting on one of these myself.  This has been On My Mind for a number of years now... I'm off to my mothers place for a visit this weekend, I shall get into her old craft cupboard, steel myself a needle and next time I sit out here in the sun, I shall start on my 2011 Winter Project - Crochet a Granny Square . . . !
What's on your mind today?  Join me over at Down to Earth today and see what is on everyone else mind too...