Happy Birthday, Kirby...

Our big girl turned 19 years old today! She requested this Cappuccino Cake with mascarpone cream frosting. Here's the recipe - it was delicious.
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CAPPUCCINO CAKE
250 gms butter, softened
250 gms dark brown sugar plus a bit extra for frosting (4 tblspns)
300 gms SR flour, sifted
4 eggs, beaten
200 mls very strong coffee (made with brewed or instant, cooled)
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Heat oven to 180C (160C for fanforced). Line and grease 2 x 20cm round cake tins.
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Cream the butter and sugar until very fluffy. Add the flour and eggs and mix gently to combine. Next, add half (100mls) of the coffee mixture and mix well. Divide the mixture between the two tins. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes until cake springs back when touched in middle. I gently rotate my cakes halfway through cooking.
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Let cakes cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then take them out and place right side up on cake racks to cool completely. From the remaining 100 mls of coffee mixture, spoon out 3 tblspns and add 2 tblspns of brown sugar. Using a pastry brush, liberally paint the tops of both cakes so coffee mixture soaks in.
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COFFEE FROSTING
250 gms mascarpone cheese, softened
200 mls cream
2 tblspns brown sugar
1 tblspn icing sugar
remaining coffee mixure
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Whip the cream to soft peaks, add in mascarpone slowly to combine with cream. Add sugar in then add the coffee mixture bit by bit until you have the desired taste of coffee and the frosting is quite firm.
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Place cake on a nice plate, frost bottom layer with lots of the icing, top with second cake and repeat. Dust the cake with cocoa powder then brown sugar. Best refrigerated for a few hours before eating. Could be done the day before.
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A really yummy cake, almost like a tiramisu (and you could add Tia Maria into the frosting).
Enjoy!
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We had a few family and friends over for lunch - I made a Pear, Rocket, Parmesan & Walnut salad...
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... a fresh salad platter and a coleslaw. We had nice juicy steaks and sausages...
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... Oopsey enjoyed being part of the family
(I wish I had taken the salt away from her!)
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Finally, the birthday girl! Happy Birthday, Kirby - one year of Uni down, well done on all you've achieved this year. Love you,
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Mum, Dad
& Brianna
XXX

Happy Thanksgiving...

Wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving to all my US bloggy friends.

Oopsey has arrived...

This little bear belongs to Caroline at The Simple Things. She decided to send Oopsey around the world via blogland. Dear little Oopsey has arrived from Anne at Silver Sewer in the UK Midlands.

This little bear has been to some great parts of the world already. I was impressed that she arrived via Royal Mail (I do love Queenie-babes!).
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I thought the best thing to do was introduce her to Noddy and some of the other toys(long neglected) in Brianna's toy box. I think they were pleased to see her although the dude in the shades looks questionable to me? (looks like a bouncer at a nightclub!)
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Oopsey first visited Gill (That British Woman) in Canada in March this year. She was then posted to Janeen (Cha Chaneen) in California, USA, in March. Then in April, it was onto Florida to FLMom (The Narrow Path) where she had some great adventures.
Ohio called so it was off to see Amy (Learning at our house) and her boys in May. From Ohio, Oopsey went to Trish (Daily Decadent) in Ontario, Canada in June. Trish made Oopsey's cute little pink dress.
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The next stop for Oopsey was to Margaret (Margaret's Ramblings) in the UK in July. Finally, Anne (Silver Sewer) has been been looking after the carebear in the Midlands of the UK.
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Now back in Australia for a while, Oopsey can again get a taste of vegemite on toast for breakfast and enjoy the wide open spaces of our big, brown land. I'll let you know when it's time for her to jet off again. Where would be a good place for her to visit?
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Joolz

Weekend roundup...

(Joolz pic)
Brianna continues to practice her driving skills. On Saturday afternoon we took a drive to Kalangadoo (an aboriginal name for red gums and swamps) which is 35kms from our town. We drove there, went down a few streets then turned around and came home - at 80km/hour, she clocked up 90 minutes of driving. She has to do 50 hours of daytime driving and 10 hours of night time driving to then be able to sit for her Probationary licence and she must have her learners for at least 6 months before sitting for her 'P's. We have a way to go yet!

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Sunday morning I was up at 6am - couldn't sleep anymore. I (re)watched The Lake House (Sandra Bullock & Keanu Reeves). At 9am I thought I'd make some scones - I cheat and use the CWA scone mix - it never fails to turn out good scones. Just add water to the mix and there you have it! No sooner did I have them in the oven - everyone arose from their slumber and sat waiting for scones!
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I like them warm with butter and vegemite and butter and jam. Brianna has jam and whipped cream and Kirby has vegemite too.
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We have started cleaning up for Christmas celebrations at our house. Angus steam cleaned the pavers under the pergola and I will get to those windows this week.
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Tomorrow I am taking my Mum shopping in Mt.G so I hope to do some Christmas shopping and get a few things out of the way.
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Thursday I am going out to lunch in Mt. G then off to see New Moon with some friends. Some me time.
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Whats on the agenda for you this week? Getting Christmas sorted?
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Cheers - Joolz

Vintage Noddy...

(web pic)
Little Jenny Wren has been reminiscing about a toy pixie doll she had and lost as a child. She found an image of Happy in a Flickr group. My first Christmas present, as a baby, was a rubber Noddy doll. I thought I'd look on the web and see if there were any images. Sure enough I found the exact same doll.
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(Joolz pic)
I have always kept my Noddy doll around the place (he was in the study wardrobe, right behind my desk). I pulled him out, dusted him off and here he is!
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(Mt McIntyre, Christmas Day, 1964 - Sue, Marilyn, Janine & Leanne with baby Julie)
This photo was taken on Christmas Day, 1964 - I have Noddy sitting in my lap. I honestly can't remember playing with him during my younger days but he is still with me 45 years later. Fun remembering the old days...
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Joolz

Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake...

The photos aren't quite in order but above you can see the cake and all it's gooey icing...
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... quite a simple recipe which you can find here.
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This is the cake, straight out of the oven and the hot icing being poured over it. Oh my!
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I am the proud owner of Ree Drummond's The Pioneer Woman Cooks (First Edition)
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I have orders from Kirby and Bri to cook Cinnamon Rolls, Potato Skins, PW Breakfast Burritos, Buttermilk Biscuits, Lasagna, Comfort Meatballs, Rib-Eye Steak with Whisky Cream Sauce, Fried Chicken, Twice baked Potatoes, Meatloaf, Chicken Spaghetti, Chicken Pot Pie, Cowboy Calzone, Macaroni & Cheese and the list goes on. Most of these recipes can be found at
www.thepioneerwoman.com so check it out if you are not familiar with Ree's famous blog.
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I can feel my butt expanding as I speak....
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Cheers - Joolz

Friday night dinner...

... is served!
You want fries with that?
(we didn't!)
(homemade beef burger, dijon mustard, fried onions, egg, BBQ sauce,
lettuce, tomato, cucumber, beetroot & cheese one a toasted sesame seed bun)

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So much better than the take away variety!
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Have a good weekend, friends!
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Cheers - Joolz

Spring garden gets a Summer frizzling...

My roses have gone berserk in the past week or so with all the hot weather. No chance to enjoy lovely rosebuds for a few days as they open. All the blooms just expoded open.
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This is my lovely McLeod's Daughters rose - the softest apricot with feathery petals.
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These are carpet roses and they have gone crazy!
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Sunset over the back fence.
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This carpet rose was a lot more 'hot pink' last year, they seem to be paler this year. I'll have a fair bit of 'dead-heading' to do before Christmas! Eek - it's my turn to host Christmas at our house this year!!
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In for a hot day of 36C today! Not as bad as poor Tania in Port Augusta - 46C yesterday and 47C today with catastrophic weather warnings in force. When will this weather stop?
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Cheers - Joolz

Trying something new - Challah...

I came across this recipe for Challah bread at Niki's blog - Rural Writings. She has some great recipes in her side bar so please, check them out. Niki lives on a small rural farm in Canada and is a whiz at canning and preserving, mapel syrup and bees wax candle making and making use of everything that their farm produces. She is a true inspiration to me. She writes beautifully about her daily life, family and the goings on around their farm. I was going through her recipe list today and found the recipe so I decided to give the challah a go. It's an easy recipe which you can make in your bread maker, using the dough setting. This is how the dough looked in my machine after 1 hour, 30 mins.
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Next, give the dough a good kneading then divide the dough into 3 lots. Shape into long rolls so you can braid it.
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This is my finished loaf, braided and ready to sit and rise for a further 45 minutes.
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After 45 minutes, it has plumped up and I glazed it with a egg & milk wash. I didn't have any sesame seeds, but you can sprinkle some on if you have them. Bake in a 190C oven for 30 minutes.
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Voila! The finished loaf, fresh out of the oven. It feels hollow when you tap it so I know it's cooked.
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Wow, a lovely loaf. It is quite cakey, probably because there were eggs in the dough but it is really yummy with butter on it. I will try it toasted in the morning. Mmmm!
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Give it a try, it makes a lovely big loaf.
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Cheers - Joolz

Off to the beach ...

Anzac Slice ...from Tracy at Beyond My Picket Fence - go to her recipe list in her side bar (very easy and yummy)
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Cheesy-mite scrolls (cheese & Vegemite)...
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... then to Southend beach to cool off...
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... very relaxing...
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... we are lucky to be able to drive on this beach...
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... I've never seen the sea so glassy and smooth (no wind)...
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... nothing beats the sound of crashing, splashing waves on the shore...
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... ah! ....
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... nearly time to pack up...
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... the road home...
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... paint brush sunset to finish...
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Cheers - Joolz

Berry delicious...

This is a lovely, easy, fruity, cool dessert to have in the freezer for these stinking hot days we are experiencing, late in our 'Spring'!

FROZEN BERRY MERINGUE MESS

1 x 4 litre tub of your favourite vanilla icecream
1 packet frozen mixed berries (or fresh if you prefer)
1 tblspn castor sugar
1 packet meringues
whipped cream (fresh is better)
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First, put berries in a saucepan and add sugar (or not) and gently thaw and dissolve sugar. Cool.
Spoon out icecream into a large bowl, add cooled berry mix, smashed meringues and mix gently so it is roughly combined. Then fold through about a cup of whipped cream (wicked, I know!). Line 2 loaf tins with foil then cling film and fill both tins with icecream mixture. Freeze until very firm.
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To serve, remove the icecream from the tin, slice off desired piece of Berry Meringue Mess and enjoy!
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Stay cool,
Joolz

Remembrance Day...

On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, 1918 hostilities of World War 1 were formally ended with the German signing of the Armistice. It became known as Remembrance Day. A day to honour the fallen and those still serving our countries at war.
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"They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them."
(taken from the poem "For the fallen" by Laurence Binyon)
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Joolz

We're having a heatwave....

South Australia is experiencing a record-breaking heatwave - a week of temperatures over 35 degrees Celcius (95 degrees Fahrenheit). The last time we had extreme heat like this in November was 115 years ago.
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It is extremely important for people to take care of themselves when we experience heat like this.
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You wouldn't want this to happen to the Mr Whippy van, would you?
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I hate hot weather - anything over about 24C is hot to me!
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This is what I looked like last summer while working at our dealership - fortunately we have installed air conditioning and used is for the first time yesterday. It was lovely and cool!
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We might go to the beach tonight for a barbecue. We did that a few times last summer (after Christmas).
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If you're in South Australia, I hope you can stay cool, it's gonna be a long week. These are the temperatures and expected temperatures for Adelaide this week (my town is in brackets - we are near the coast so temperatures are slightly cooler)
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Sunday 36.7C (33.7C)
Monday 37C (35C)

Tuesday 38C (35C)
Wednesday 39C (34C)
Thursday 39C (35C)
Friday 39C (36C)
Saturday 34C (30C)
Sunday 29C (22)
Monday 28C (19C)
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Stay cool friends,
Cheers - Joolz