Rat bait...

... and no, I haven't had to resort to poisoning those mice. A friend of mine, on facebook was talking about rat bait... I had to ask! This is what she calls rat bait - I really have no idea why? In my house, we call them Savoury Toasties.
~In a bowl, mix grated cheese, tomato or barbecue sauce (or your favourite relish), 2 eggs, bacon or bacon pieces or sliced ham and a chopped onion. Honestly, you could add pineapple (I did), capsicum, corn, asparagus - anything!
Spread it on slices of bread, then bake in the oven 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling.
~

Golden goodness...
~

Cut into triangles or fingers and serve - with hearty soup for an 'after the game' dinner or 'before the footy starts' on Saturday night.
~
Joolz

Cat and mouse...

I was just pondering what to write about today when my mogster, Bonnie, skulked past the study window with a little mouse in her mouth.
~

She bought it into our garage and what ensued was indeed a game of cat and mouse.
~

Poor little mousey...
~

... I'm afraid I don't like your chances!
~

I left Bonnie to do her job. I don't want mice in our house so it's nice to know she is a good mouser.

~
Daylight saving hours finished on the weekend so it was lighter at 6.30am when I got up. That will only last a few weeks until winter sets in and the mornings become darker again. It was misting with rain a minute ago but now the sun has come out.
~
Funny how soups, stews and casseroles become instantly appealing when the first cool weather blows in. I noticed Pip at Rest is not Idleness had a yummy soup and dumpling recipe on her blog and Marie at The English Kitchen has a hearty Thick Pea Soup recipe and lots of other scrumptious things on her food blog. Give them a go!
~
Enjoy your week, I am feeling so much better now and looking forward to the Easter break in a couple of weeks time.
~
Cheers - Joolz

A very easy and yummy Pineapple Cake...

In a bowl, combine 2 cups of SR Flour, 1/2 cup of sugar and a 440gm can of crushed pineapple...
~

Mix all together quickly to make a stiff batter...
~

I baked mine in a square tin but a large loaf tin would work too...
~

I baked it at about 170C for around 35 minutes ( a loaf tin may take a little longer). Test with a skewer for doneness...
~
When it comes out of the oven, place it on a wire rack to cool. While still hot, brush melted butter over the top then sprinkle with a mixture of 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
~

Enjoy the cake while it's still warm or let it cool then slice and butter it.
~
How easy was that?
~
I have been moving beds around our house today. We have a new King sized bed so our Queen went into Kirby's room and the king single went back into the spare room where it belongs. Phew! Now I have to wash all the linens and get them all made up again. Can't wait to see how I sleep tonight!
~
In other news... I have still been plagued with sore lips - I had another outbreak on Monday morning where I woke up with burning, blistering lips (or actually, around my lips). Honestly, it is so depressing! Anyway, I went straight to the doctors on Monday and was prescribed another type of anti-viral tablets (4 to be taken all in the one day - another $32.00). I went to get the script filled at the chemist only to be told that they did not have it in stock. They would get it in over night so I would have to wait until Tuesday morning before being able to take it. Grrr! Tuesday morning, I went into the chemist and was told that their stockist was 'out of stock'! I nearly burst into tears, I was so fed up with it all. I very curtly asked to have the prescription back please, and told them I would drive to Mt.G (50kms away) to get it filled there, immediately! I rang a chemist before I left and they had 1 box of it left, so they put a hold on it for me. So by this stage I have had 2 doctors and 2 different pharmacists tell me that I have cold sores. I took the medication on Tuesday and it basically did nothing. The lips improved slightly but unless I had some sort of cream (Blistex, Vaseline) on them, they felt hot and itchy and ready to break out again any minute.
~
Friday morning, my lips were looking better but you could see all around them, redness and swelling just under the skin surface - just waiting to bust out again. So I thought I'd better get the repeat for the prescription filled in case they came up over the weekend. I rang another chemist in Mt.G to see if they had the tablets. No, sorry - you'll need to get the script changed to a different dosage then we can fill it, I was told. I rang to see if I could see my doctor again to get a different prescription - but the doctor was off sick! I waited for the clinic to ring me back and finally got an appointment with another doctor at 11am. When I went into his office, he had already read up on my records - he took one look at me (and a blown up picture of my lips that I took with me from when they were really inflamed and blistered) and said "I can tell you, they are not cold sores. You have 'lipstick dermatitis' because the inflammation is all the way around your lips." He has prescribed some Betnovate 1/2 cream which is a steroidal cream. Overnight, the swelling has already gone down and they do not feel itchy. I have to use it for 2 weeks then see the doc again. Oh, the relief!! Not sure if I will ever get to wear lipstick again though (and I usually always do). I think the 'lipstick' refers to the pattern of where the rash comes out, not so much that lipstick gives you the dermatitis - because I have not worn lipstick for 6 weeks.
~
My stiff neck finally cleared up too and has been good since last Sunday. I am taking it easy and not doing anything too strenuous so as not to aggravate it again. So I am nearly back to normal! Yay! It's about time!
~
Cheers - Joolz

Southwest Layered Salad with Chicken Kebabs...

(all pictures from Joolz Kitchen)
This was our dinner last night! Yum, yum, yum! Very quick and easy to prepare (and you could prepare ahead of time, leaving off the corn chips until serving).
~

Fry off some short cut bacon (less fat) in a non stick pan. Drain and cool on kitchen paper.
~

Now, to assemble the salad. You need a large flat platter or dish. I use Cos lettuce (I think this is what the US call Romaine) as it holds it shapes and has good crunch, even when dressed.
~

So chop it nice and chunky...
~

Sprinkle on red kidney beans (or you could use 4 bean mix or refried beans and corn too)
~

Throw on the bacon pieces...
~

I use a mild salsa (about 1/2 a cup) but you can spice it up if you like (use your favourite) ...
~

Looking good...
~

... now lightly drizzle with a creamy dressing - I chose PN's South West or you could use Ranch or Caeser dressing.
~

Sprinkle with grated cheese and crushed corn chips. Goodness me!
~

I bought some honey soy and lemon pepper chicken kebabs...
~

I par-cooked them in a skillet then oven baked them on a rack so they were moist and tender (and this stops the marinade from burning and charring).
~
The original recipe is here but you can alter it to suit your tastes. The world is your oyster!
~
A delicious meal - ideal for an outdoor Sunday lunch with friends.
~
Cheers - Joolz

Monopoly by candle light...

~

We had lights out at 8.30pm last night for Earth Hour. We set up our new Monopoly game and played for 3.5 hours in the darkness. No interuptions.
~

Brianna won by eventually placing hotels on Mayfair and Parklane and with a rental of $14 million,

Gus ended up going bust! Good fun!
~
Katrina at The Organised Housewife has some great tips and motivational posts to get you in the mood for cleaning, laundering and ironing. She also menu plans as well. Check out her site.
~

One of her "to-do's" was to wash your washing machine. As soon as I read her post I knew I had to clean mine! I had a good build up of mould, soap powder and fabric softner in there. A good hot wash with a big cup full of vinegar had it all refreshed. I sloshed the vinegar water around the top and wiped all the mould and residues away. Took me about 10 minutes, tops!
~

Here's the finished product - a gleaming machine, ready to tackle anything!
~

This is another tip that I got from a friend on facebook - fill your laundry sink with a strong solution of Napisan and hot water. Soak your oven racks and trays to remove baked on fat and food spills.
~

This was taken after only a few minutes and a bit of scrubbing (a bit more still needed). The fatty build-up just disappears. Sugar soap was another product mentioned to do the same trick. Will try that next time.
~
Obviously, there is probably a 'green' recipe for Napisan so give it a go!
~
Cheers - Joolz

WWF Earth Hour:Moths

Feeling better, thank you ...

We enjoyed our weekend in Adelaide for the Clipsal 500 V8 Super Cars - it was so nice to catch up with our Kirby!
~

My neck pain is nearly better apart from a bit of numbness which I hope can be sorted out by some more physio next week. While I was laying low, I made some nice pumkin and vegetable soup - very easy - chop vegetables roughly, add water to cover, a good tablespoon of chicken stock powder, salt and pepper to taste, then boil until veggies are tender. I whiz mine smooth with my Bamix. Ladle into a bowl and add a dollop of sour cream and cracked pepper. Yum!
~

I fiddled around with some loaves of bread - I think I am perfecting it.
~

Mmmm... who doesn't like Shepherd's Pie on a cold night? This was my version - I use a flavour sachet (Continental) and added carrots, peas and zucchini & celery.
~

Top with mashed potato and bake until golden.
~

Saturday night, dinner for two... glass of wine, veal steaks with olives and pear, crunchy potatoes and salad (all cooked by my dear hubby) ... watching Iron Chef then Rockwiz!
~

~

Next up is Margaret Fulton's Sage & Ham Stuffed Chicken Breast - I got it from a free recipe card at Woolworths.
~
So you need chicken breasts, tenderised and flattened...
~

... some good prosciutto ham ...
~

... chopped fresh sage leaves, parsey and garlic...
~

... some good Dijon mustard...
~

Spread mustard then herb mix over the breast, top with slice of prosciutto...
~

... roll up and tie with string, place in baking dish (or you could pan fry)...
~

While it was cooking I prepared frozen vegetables and mashed potatoes ...
~

... and tah dah! A very tasty meal. After making it, I would try pan frying next time as it did dry out a bit, but well worth the effort.
~
A quiet weekend coming up. I have lost my cleaning lady (she has developed dermatitis so has given cleaning away) so until I can locate another, I must keep on top of things. I have a large expanse of tiled floor and I hate mopping so that's my priority to keep maintained. All other areas are good to go!
~
I will be back tomorrow with some other bits and pieces that I have been doing - home mainenance wise.
~
Cheers for now, Joolz