in this hot weather.....

we've been waking up early, just as the sun comes up, so we can spend as much time as possible outside. 

 

We love sitting on my old couch out on the front verandah just simply 'watching'... I've enjoyed working my way through a super special gift over the past couple of weeks 

 

And am super excited that it is finished and now gifted to its new home... YAY!!!

 

Nothing is quite as refreshing as fresh fruit for smoko on a hot Summers day and we've been enjoying plenty of it - especially these little passion fruit-y treasures..

 

Juiced and popped in to the freezer we're also enjoying fresh fruit ice blocks almost everyday as a way to escape the heat....

 

When the temps drop, late in the afternoon, but it's still too hot to eat dinner I've been baking this - 'Cheese Dip'... OMG, it's amazing!!!! It's goo-y and cheese-y and herb-y and perfect with a crisp cracker and a glass of red, how could I resist - right??! Not exactly what you'd expect to be eating on a Summers day but I just can't help myself - it's that amazing!!!

 

And while I whip up a cheese-y baked treat my littlest girl has been busily learning how to make cakes ALL BY HERSELF!!!! - it's kinda her thing at the moment, cup cakes and big cakes and icing and all...

 

And while my littlest girl makes cakes my biggest girl is crafting away at something too - her very own craft-y venture that we launched on my Facebook page last night, super exciting!!!!

 

What Summer evening would be complete without a bit of musical fun with the family before the sun goes down,

 

it gives this mumma a chance to hook away on a little something for herself - a new cushion cover in some vintage hues using gorgeous organic cotton...

 

And to finish things off - I popped this little package in to the post for a special lady this week. 

I joined in with Jewel's Australia Day swap and it has been loads of fun!!!

Made-By-Hand : : A Blanket cont....

I'm playing along with Christina's 'Made By Hand' meme again this week.... 

I've been slowly making progress on my Xmas blanket for Tobie....

 

As much as I wanted to go with the ombre of blues I ended up sticking with my 3 original shades... 

 

And love it all the same. This is such a great project to work on when I need to unwind - sitting on the front verandah, watching the world pass me by, with my kid-lids at (and around) my feet... 

 

Tonight, I'm keeping the menu for dinner super easy - we're having 'fake-out'!! Hot Chips and Burgers... 

These are the best chips ever and so simple to make that I find myself whipping them up for my family at least once a week and they all love them, a lot!!!!

I peel (but you don't have to) and chop 3-4 large potatoes. I'm lucky enough to have some gorgeous spuds that I purchased at the latest 'Dubbo Farmer's Markets' in my pantry at the moment and they are simply dreamy and super creamy!!! But, any old spud will do! 

Line a dish with baking paper and add your chopped spuds. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle on some salt and cracked pepper and add a small handful of freshly chopped Sage. Mix well and bake for 30mins in a hot oven - approx 220'C.

 

You'll end up with something that looks something like this...

 

The spuds end up super crunchy and the sage goes all crispy and yummy. These are super delicious by themselves or serve them with some salad and some protein and you're on to a winner...

And just because - today in the schoolroom we worked on tessellating patterns and I'm totally loving my Connie girls interpretation of this unit....

Her creative mind blows my mind... 

So....

What are you crushing on at the moment?

Are you a fan of 'fake-out' or do you prefer to buy the real thing?

Are your kids blowing your mind at the moment also?

Bread....

While the wind whips away outside today we're snuggled up inside, not too far from the wood fire - making bread.....

As I set a 'honey & oat' loaf aside for its final rise and clear off my side of the bench Connie puts the finishing 'sprinkle' on a special concoction of her own.....

So tell me, do you like to make your own bread??? If so, are you a bread-machine kinda girl or do you like the process of making the whole loaf from scratch yourself?

I go both ways and feel that each method is equally as good as the other. My bread machine is used every other day and produces the yummiest crusty white loaf my family and I have ever tasted, where as the oven is used twice daily to produce small, crunchy, mouth-watering, Artisan style loaves.

Am I making you hungry yet????

Egg-y Goodness....

I'm undecided...... Do I like them best first thing in the morning when Miss Connie collects them and they're still warm as I sort them from their bucket......

Or......... Do I like them best all mashed up and lathered between thick slices of homemade bread with a generous helping of homegrown lettuce and homemade mayo?????

It's a tough one, what do you think?????

Here's how I like to make my egg mash : : a dozen eggs boiled rapidly for about 5 mins, cooled slightly, peeled and then placed in a LARGE bowl (this large bowl is important so that you can get a good swing of the arm happening when the mashing process starts). Add a big tablespoon of softened butter, a large pinch of freshly ground black pepper, an equally large pinch of salt and a big dollop of mayo (I like to make my own)..... Mash this egg mixture with all your might, really get those arms a swinging, until they resemble scrambled eggs..... Enjoy!!!!!

Hugs............................... Jodie.....

Wish Me Luck.......

The preserves have been pumping out of my kitchen with 82 jars of relish made yesterday using half of my zucchini stash. I decided to put some cucumbers on the chopping block today for a bit of a change....

So with my heirlooms being the first cab off the rank I chopped and de-seeded like a mad woman and I now have 3 big pots full of chunky goodness. They'll stay like this for 6 hours, soaking up a bit of salty goodness, awaiting to be added to a new pickling juice that I've been working on over the past couple of days. This new brew is sure to pack a punk..... *wink*

Now, before I start on the green cucumbers I really must tackle this..... The big pile of waste from the heirlooms... I want to save some of my yummy seeds for next year and for any one else that might like to try some in their garden...... Then the chooks can have fun playing with the rest......

O.K.... Here's my pile of green cucumbers, wish me luck because in about 30 minutes I'll be tackling this baby with hopes of reaching an end to the pile before Little Millie wakes from her sleep in (fingers crossed) 1 hour.....

Here's hoping your having a great day whatever you're doing....

Hugs................... Jodie..... :)

Oh My.....

Well, when it rains it really does pour, literally!!!!!

My veggie patch has turned into some what of a jungle over the past couple of weeks while I've been away.. You see, we've had over 7 inches of rain over the past 10 days, how awesome is that!!!!!
I'm picking golden nugget zucchini the size of basketballs and green ones that look more like a giant butternut pumpkin than a zucchini....
The apple cucumbers are as big as rock-melons and my green cucumbers are as fat as a beer can and at least a couple of feet long, each, and there's dozens of them..... IT'S CRAZY!!!!!
A corner of the cool room is now slowly filling up with over sized produce as my fridges will hold no more.... Today sees me with big pots over flowing on the stove top as I start the long process of turning all of this gorgeous home-grown produce into yummy jars of delicious preserves....


Wish me luck........ Jodie..... :)