Chewy Anzac Biscuits

25  April Anzac Day

Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and suffering of all those who have served."

Anzac Day is a national public holiday and is considered by many Australians to be one of the most solemn days of the year. Marches by veterans from all past wars, as well as current serving members of the Australian Defence Force and Reserves, are held in cities and towns nationwide.

In my house we bake Anzac biscuits to commemorate the day.

An Anzac biscuit is a sweet biscuit popular in Australia and New Zealand made using rolled oats, flour, coconut, sugar, butter, golden syrup, baking soda and boiling water. Anzac biscuits have long been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) established in World War I.
It has been claimed the biscuits were sent by wives to soldiers abroad because the ingredients do not spoil easily and the biscuits kept well during naval transportation. One notable omission from any Anzac biscuit recipe is that of eggs, because of the scarcity of eggs during the First World War (after most poultry farmers joined the war effort), and so that the biscuits would not spoil when shipped long distances

Lest we forget

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Easy Lemon Tart

Happy New Year everyone and Happy Australia Day!!

Sorry its been so long but we have been in Hawaii and now are in preparation mode for the beginning of the school year. My eldest daughter is starting prep this year so its going to be an exciting couple of weeks for us.

I hope everyone has had a safe start to 2013. We had such a relaxing couple of weeks on the island of Oahu. We stayed in Waikiki at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and then headed out to Ko 'Olina to stay at Aulani Disney Resort.

We swam, we shopped, we swam, we shopped some more. I visited a craft store called 'Ben Franklins's, (it was like spotlight for us Aussies) and stocked up on some Wilton cake decorating products, for about half the price of what we pay here in Australia for Wilton products. I even did some dessert research and have some new recipes to try over the next couple of weeks.

Hawaii is a great place to vacation with young children. Everyone was very accommodating to the children and extremely helpful. We will definitely be repeating this trip again in the future!

Ok enough about me, todays recipe is a super quick and easy lemon tart. Its a perfect summer dessert or afternoon tea selection which can be served warm or cold, plain or with a dollop of cream. Give it a go, I promise you wont be disappointed!

Enjoy xxx
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Gingerbread House

1 more sleep until Santa comes and we just have some last minute baking left to do and some prep work for tomorrow. The presents are wrapped and my three children are very excited today.

I had my three children working hard last night. They were given the task of decorating their gingerbread houses and they loved every minute of it!

Making gingerbread houses isn't a quick process but it is definitely worthwhile. Nothing beats the smell of gingerbread baking in your oven. I started the process of making my gingerbread houses on Wednesday and we finished on Sunday.... I got distracted.

Basically you need to make the dough and bake the pieces for the house on one day. I assemble my houses over 2 days to ensure that they are structurally sound as last year I had one collapse while we were decorating and I've now been scarred for life. I then leave assembled houses to dry overnight before I let the children decorate them as the children are never exactly gently when applying the decorations. I'll share with you my ginger bread recipe, royal icing recipe and basic template link.

I hope that you can also find the time to make a gingerbread house for yourself or with your family this year or the next.

Merry Christmas xxx


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Chocolate Chip cookies for Santa

Three more sleeps till Christmas, so now is the time to decide what you are going to leave out for Santa and the reindeers on Christmas eve.

Depending on where you live Santa might need something to warm him up or if its a hot night in Australia Santa is often left with an ice cold beer to quench his thirst. I wonder if anyone ever leaves Santa a healthy snack option on Christmas eve?

In my house Santa often gets a plate of cookies and a cold milo. The reindeers get a bucket of water left out the front for them and a bunch of carrots.

This year Santa is getting some chocolate chip cookies. These cookies are quick and easy to make and store well for up to a week (or so I'm told - mine have never lasted that long).

Enjoy & Merry Christmas xxx
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Chocolate Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These cupcakes have not been 'dressed up' for Christmas but they taste great.

Whenever my bananas are over ripe in the fruit bowl and if I don't have time to bake I just put them in the freezer where they turn completely black. Then when I'm ready to use them in my baking I take them out and within an hour they are ready to use.

This super moist cupcake recipe is lovely. It combines the sweetness of ripe mashed bananas with cocoa powder and to make it even more heavenly, the cake is frosted with a smooth and creamy  cream cheese frosting. These cupcakes are very popular in my house and I'm sure you will love them to.

Enjoy xxx

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Whimsical Cakehouse Foundation 1 course

This week I had a great day with some fantastic ladies at Whimsical Cakehouse. The class was held in Sweet by Natures premises in Heidelberg West.

I completed their foundation 1 course and have found out about working with ganache to get my cakes just right.

Spending a day away from home without any interruptions was bliss. I was lucky enough to have a fantastic teacher Anita  whom was willing and able to share all her knowledge and those all important hard to come by tips.

Here are some pictures from the day.

Enjoy xxx
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Christmas Shortbread Tree

 

 

Not long until Christmas now, only 6 more sleeps to go!. The countdown is on in my house as in many homes all over the world.

Today I thought I would share an easy gift idea. A Christmas shortbread tree is by no means a new idea but it is a great idea none the less. I make these trees each year for my children's teachers and family friends. They are not complicated to make and can be decorated anyway you like.

Enjoy xxx
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