It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

With all the festive celebrations, this is not the time of year to be on a diet! There are so many good foods, treats, wines, beers, ciders and everythings to be had, as well as good times with family and friends. I am home in NZ with the family, Thermomix-less so persevering with good old fashioned cooking (I haven't forgotten how).

Drink of the festive season would have to be the Old Mout cider range. I have it every time I come home, they now have a Passion flavor to add to my list of favorites, currently topped by the Feijoa flavor. Epic. I will be filling the suitcase.

One thing I did try this year that I have not tried before are Christmas fruit mince pies. These are not something we generally have at home, so when Dad claimed from out of nowhere that all of a sudden we needed them to make it more Christmassy, I thought I should give them a shot. Result - amazing...

I had a whole day baking day in the kitchen, made mums famous afghans from my previous post, some red velvet and blueberry cupcakes, a variation on my basic vanilla cupcake recipe (one tablespoon of red food coloring and one tablespoon of cocoa mixed into a paste then added, plus 3/4 cup frozen berries), and also nana's shortbread (which is ridiculously easy to make, and will share the recipe for that too in another post).

Christmas Fruit Mince
(adapted from Annabel Langbein)

½ cup brandy
1 packed cup soft brown sugar
300g currants
150g raisins, chopped
150g cranberries
1.5 cup stewed pear (apple would also work)
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground mixed spice
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
¾ cup almonds, toasted and chopped

Melt sugar into brandy over a low heat. Add all other ingredients and cook for 30 mins. Store in fridge until ready to be used - this has no preservatives, but you could put in a sterilized jar and keep for a short period if you don't use it all.

Citrus Shortcrust
(adapted from BBC recipe)

250g flour
1 tbsp icing sugar
140g soft butter
Zest 1 lemon
Zest 1 orange
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp water

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix until the mixture comes together as a soft dough. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (my mum has a super powerful over so I had it at 160°C). Roll out two-thirds of the pastry to about 2-3mm thick. Cut out 12 discs with a larger circle for the bases (if you are using a slightly larger circle than the size of your pie dish this will work fine to mould into the dish. Spoon a tablespoonful of mincemeat into each pastry case then roll out the rest of the pastry. Cut 12 discs or stars for lids. Place the stars on top of the pies and press down gently. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar before serving.

 MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

What's eating you?

Well, the 12WBT (for me for this round anyway) is officially over, I'm sure I will be back for another round as there is always more to learn, and I would highly recommend it. I feel like the biggest lesson I learned is that about 80% of weight-loss is what you eat - the whole "you are what you eat" thing is true! It doesn't matter how much you exercise if you still fill up on junk food. How annoying is that! Sadly it's not enough to stop my bake-fests, so never fear! And sadly I finished the 12WBT with a binge - a weekend in Adelaide visiting my friend Katy and her gorgeous little family, and drinking and eating mostly junk food for two days straight... OOPS! To be fair you can't really go to Adelaide without visiting a surrounding wine region or few - we went to just one this time around. South Australia is well known for its wine (mostly reds, but it was not a red wine kind of day),  and the hot weather took us to McLaren Vale, where we visited a really cute little brewery, Goodieson which had a delicious Pale Ale and IPA, Hugh Hamilton Wines for a tasty Rose, and Penny's Hill which had a really nice Sauvignon Blanc.

I figure since I had a binge-fest in the weekend I might as well have one more treat - the guys in the office will appreciate them tomorrow...

Raspberry Red Velvet cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow tops

(I can't take complete credit for inventing these, I got the idea from heartbreakpies blog and have made the cupcakes a few times, and even won a bake off with them at work (yes another bake off!). I have wanted to try using a toasted marshmellow topping on something for awhile - nothing like a Tuesday night home alone to try new things...)

Use my previous Vanilla Cupcake recipe but leave out the vanilla, and when up to the stage when adding the dry ingredients, mix together 1 tablespoon red food coloring (one day I will try a proper red food cake) and 1 tablespoon cocoa in a small bowl making a smooth paste. Add with the dry ingredients. Mix in TMX until just combined (TMX 10-20sec ish/Reverse/Sp 5).

Spoon into cases, add 2 raspberries to each and push in slightly. Bake for 12-14 mins, pull the cupcakes out, put the oven on grill. Place a large marshmallow on top of each cupcake and put back in the oven until the top is just toasted and the marshmallows begin to melt. This will not take long so don't walk away from the oven! Remove from oven and place on cooling rack. The marshmallows will be a little sticky until they cool.

C is for cookie... omnomnomnom...

Another week or few of failing somewhat to stick to the diet, and I blame cookies (hopefully you have had a chance to read my past post introducing my Cookie Monster), wine (on that note, another plug for Redbox Winery, their Cabernet Blanc is amazing - light drinking, similar to a Rose, perfect summer wine), and Melbourne Cup. I thought I had my self control well refined but it turns out I have a weakness for cookies, and get into the whole internal debate with myself when presented with the temptation - surely one won't hurt...???

One of my (numerous) favorite cookies, which has been a not so secret love of mine since the days when we used to go on our family Christmas camping trips to the Coromandel, is Afghans. Nana would always bring enough baking to feed an army, and I always used to sniff these babies out and make sure I got my share - the list of other delish treats such as Ginger Crunch, Fruit Cake, Surprises, Choc Coconut Slice were all equally as good but these ones are something extra special. They are one of my mum's favorites too, so she has got Nana's recipe off her, and was kind enough to share it with me. J is also a big fan of these

Afghans 

200 grams butter, soft not melted
1/2 cup castor sugar
1 1/2 cups  flour
3 Tbsp cocoa powder
3 cups corn flakes
2/3 cup of dark chocolate drops or buttons

Pre-heat the oven to 170. Line two baking trays with baking paper. Cream the butter and sugar, add flour and cocoa powder and mix. Fold in the cornflakes (don't worry if they smash up). Roll into balls, place on trays and flatten slightly with a fork. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
Melt the choc drops (I do this in the microwave, 10 sec at a time, stirring in between). Mix well until the chocolate is a smooth consistency. Drizzle on to cookies. (Nana used to put a walnut on top too but I prefer them without).

A healthy barbeque

When I hear the word barbeque I automatically think "RED FLAG DAY" (days where you have events/drinking/over-indulgence which pretty much reverses all the hard dieting and exercising you do the rest of your week), and this weekend J and I played host - Bathurst was on (which I could not care less about) so that means VB, swearing, bogans, steak and sausages. I was determined to make sure there was some healthier options (in the interests of the 12WBT and also for me to try a few new salads out), but still keep it tasty.
The guest list was mostly boys, here for the cars, but I managed to convince a couple of girlfriends to keep me company for the 6.5 hours ish of V8's. One of them even whipped up a delish Zucchini Slice, despite J's protest that it had no place at Bathurst (I had to make she put in the bacon even though she usually leaves it out, otherwise there would have been some serious protesters).

Apart from the standard barbeque fare (chips, sausages, meat patties) I managed to sneak in some more waist line friendly options. To be honest its hard to food match with VB, and to please a bunch of boys who would rather meat and three meats than meat and three veg. But it just means that I have leftovers for lunch tomorrow...

Nibbles
Sneak some rice crackers amongst the chippies, as well as some TMX homemade hummus (1 can drained chickpeas, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp tahini, 2 tbsp oil, juice of 1 lemon), and some carrot and celery sticks, and no one will be any wiser (much).

Kebabs
Put pretty much any vegetable on a kebab stick(pre soaked in water for about 30 mins to avoid burning the stick), with or without meat, and you are on to a winner. Even fruit. I am one of those people who doesn't generally mix sweet and savoury but whatever floats your boat (apricot chicken is just weird...). Onion, courgette/zucchini, pineapple, beef, tofu, capsicum, cherry tomato, eggplant, pumpkin, prawns. The ones I made this time around were beef, capsicum and zucchini.

Salads
I made the standard potato salad to make sure that nobody was too surprised with the options on offer, but here are a couple of (slightly modded) 12WBT salads that are super quick, easy and tasty...
1. Cherry tomatoes (halved, half punnet), roast baby carrots (1 bunch 20 mins at 180 with a light spray of olive oil and some salt and pepper), 1 can drained chickpeas, 2 handfuls mixed salad leaves, cucumber sliced thin, 150g danish feta
2. Cherry tomatoes (halved, half punnet), 2 cans drained baby beetroot, 150g ricotta, 2 handfuls baby spinach, 1 can drained red lentils

Abbie turned up and had a wee tantrum that I hadn't baked despite my last bog's claim that Sunday is baking day, and she couldn't see any baking, so I whipped up a MasterChef Extreme Chocolate Brownie (TMX recipe) served with some raspberry sauce (200g raspberries, 2 tbsp caster sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, bring to boil for a couple of minutes).

One last tip - avoid drinking VB, despite the fact its a BBQ. I can recommend a nice glass of vodka and soda with a hibiscus flower...

The monster bake off

Baking is one of my favorite Sunday activities (picture me in my new pink floral apron - very stepford wife!), and what better excuse than a Bake Off. It means I get to still enjoy baking without having to scoff them all and feel guilty about it later. I also won first prize! (Well first equal with a fellow much deserving coconut cake baker).

I was given a cookie monster soft toy from J after returning from a six week trip to Europe (he is a soft toy fanatic), and since then, Cookie has become my mascot (this pic is from Canada in 2011).

One day I saw cookie monster cupcakes online, and could not turn down the challenge - they were  a hit and tasted great too! Here are a couple of snaps of the ones I made first time around, vanilla cupcake, choc chip cookies....

This time around for the bake off I was a little more pressed for time, so used Oreo's instead of homemade cookies, but here is the step by step for the baking and decorating, as well as the cookie recipe I used first time around. If you have the time to make the dough the day before its better...

Choc chip cookies (I don't use my Thermomix for cookies, the less you mix the batter the better)
(adapted from Jacques Torres recipe)

1 ¼ cups unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups brown sugar
1 cup raw sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 ½ cups plain flour
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
600g chocolate chips/chunks

Cream the butter, vanilla and sugars. Add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add dry ingredients and choc to the buttery-sugar mixture. Mix until just combined. Glad-wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours (24-36 hours is best). Preheat oven to 170*C. When dough has had time to chill roll into 50c piece-ish sized balls around 1cm thick and press gently with a fork or spoon. Place on baking paper and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes – until they are golden brown but still soft. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Vanilla cupcakes
(adapted from Edmonds)

125g unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 cup standard plain flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 cup milk

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla (TMX 1 min/Sp 5) until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and baking powder and milk, mixing until just combined (TMX 20sec ish/Sp 4 - if you over mix they will come out tough). Place cupcake cases in standard size muffin tin and spoon mixture in (should make about 18). Bake at 170*C for 15 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.


To decorate you will need...
Approx 3 cups of icing - I use Buttercream Icing (200grams unsalted butter, whipped until pale, add 2 tbsp milk and approx 3 cups icing sugar until desired consistency)
White choc buttons
Dark choc drops
Blue food coloring (around 1-2 tsp)

 Before coloring the icing, use a small drop on each white choc button to stick the dark choc button for the eyes - you will need one pair per cupcake.


Once the cookies and cupcakes are cool cut a small slice out of the cupcakes and insert one cookie into each. The slice/cookie should only go about halfway into the cupcake.



Use a large star fitting for piping the icing - if you don't have one a plastic bag will give a similar effect - you are trying to have a messy effect anyway. Place the eyes on before the icing dries.


Enjoy :)

12 Week Body Transformation - Week 3 Bloggers Challenge

1. What do you think were the three most important changes you have made so far? For me, writing down what I eat every day, not just sometimes, has made me stick to the healthier options. Secondly, making my exercise a non negotiable (its something you just automatically do, like brushing your teeth!), and thirdly not beating myself up for having wine or chocolate occasionally - I have worked hard to get where I am, and if I need to it just means tomorrow I will work harder.
2. How have these changes to your food, exercise or mindset impacted on the rest of your life? Overall I am much happier and healthier, but I need new clothes!
3. What did you have to do in order to make sure these changes happened? For me the key has been sticking to my commitments, and a couple of weeks back I revisited and adjusted my goals to make them even harder so I don't get slack as the finish line comes in sight.
4. What difference have these changes made to your body transformation? By making the changes in my lifestyle, I am getting the physical changes I want from myself - I will fit back into my skinny jeans! But ironically, by then it will be summer and too hot for jeans...
5. Have these changes been hard or easy for you to make? Why? Easy - I know the difference between right and wrong, it just sometimes helps to have it pointed out to you...
6. Would you recommend others make these changes to their lifestyle too? Why? Yes - why wouldn't you, nothing frustrates me more than a person who complains about their health/weight but doesn't try to do anything about it. And I pay hefty medicare levies every year for people like that!
7. What do you think the next things is going to be that you will have to change? My summer wardrobe!

The perfect steak

The first thing J asked me when I told him I wanted a Thermomix "because it does everything, cooking, mixing, steaming, slicing and dicing", he asked me if it could cook a steak (it's funny how this is so important, I'm sure if I demoted him from the BBQ it wouldn't go down so great anyway)... well no, no it doesn't, but it does do a perfect mashed potato and coleslaw to compliment a steak!

On my last trip to the markets I purchased a whole piece of eye fillet steak (an amazing $18 per kg!), and got the butcher there to slice it up into pieces about 2 cm thick. There's probably a good 5-6 meals worth in what I got (in saying that J will eat two steaks per meal), so it stocks my freezer too.

Steak is one of those things that once you stuff it up there's no going back - you have a chewy mess.... here's what I do to avoid that

Steak, Mash and Coleslaw
(Skip the mash to make it more 12WBT friendly!)

1/4 red cabbage
1/4 green cabbage
1 green apple (quartered)
250g potatoes (peeled and halved)
125ml milk
1 tblsp butter
Salt
Parmesan -grated  (optional)
Chives - chopped (optional)
Oil spray
3 x steaks (I recommend eye fillet but whatever floats your boat)

Have your steak out (on the bench, covered) a couple of hours before you intend to cook it if possible, salted and oiled. Roughly chopped cabbage (mix red and green) and put with apple in TMX, and chop 3secs/Sp 5. Put in a bowl to the side. Rinse TMX bowl, and put in potatoes milk, butter, a pinch of salt (I always use rock salt, 1 or 2 twists with the grinder) and cook at for 25 mins/100 degs/Reverse sp 1. When the timer on TMX is at about 15 minutes, heat up your oil sprayed bbq or pan till it is searing hot.When the timer is at about 8 minutes throw on the steaks and cook for 2-3 minutes each side. Remove from heat and wrap in foil and set aside to rest. Once the potatoes are done, add the Parmesan and or chives and mix 30sec/Sp 3-4. Serve! Best enjoyed with a big glass of red wine ;)