So I thought it was time for me to share… the best thing that have baked in my oven so far.

Baking time: 9 months and 4 days.

Baking environment: warm oven at 37.5 C

End product: Mik….

Ingredients:

• love
• cuddles
• lots of pastries and cakes
• alot of nandos chicken
• a whole heap of frasier

*Disclaimer: If you’re the sort that recoils, cringes or dry reaches upon reading anything related to P**, P** or V****… simply look away and scroll right down for a scrumptious Pear and Walnut loaf recipe.*

So the story begins as such. My last week at work has not been like any other week. It has in fact, been a bit of a party week – with elaborate lunches, random treats from very lovely people and delicious morning teas. Everyone in the department have been really lovely with putting the time and thought into the baby gifts and well wishes they’ve given me.

On Wednesday, my boss took me and a bunch of colleagues out to the pub for a “good luck, farewell, we’ll see you in 9 months” lunch. In my current state, I have the appetite of a small whale (I’m being modest). I had a serve of wedges supreme (i.e wedges covered in melted cheese and bacon served with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce on the side), a fish main course, apple crumble with ice-cream and the works as well as a decaf latte.

Swearing to myself that I would not have dinner that night, I went home and snacked on half a can of Pringles, BBQ rice crackers, a bag of honey snacks, and some pistachio nuts. After which, I told Jason I felt like a batch of hot waffles (the very same ones he made me on Saturday) which I had with ice-cream, maple syrup and fruit. My last and final snack for the night were 2 pieces of Turkish delight that Uncle P. brought back from Istanbul.

At 1am exactly, I woke up with a terrible pain in my belly. I lay in bed for 10 minutes, praying that the pain would go away and that this was not me having the baby. 10 minutes later, I shook the hub-ster awake and told him, that I thought I was about to have the baby. He shot out of bed like a spring that had been tightly wound up and fumbled for the lights. The next 20 minutes involved me screaming into the toilet bowl and having explosive you know what (paint ball style…). I did not have the baby. My sorry plight was purely the result of self inflicted gluttony with no one to blame of course, but myself. (Though I did try to blame Vicki – the lady in the office that had gastro on the day we went for our pub meal pig out… SHE SAT RIGHT OPPOSITE ME at the restaurant!!)

On a less unpleasant note, Fi however did have her baby… not on the same night as I had my episode but a week earlier. She had a gorgeous little boy, cute as a button. I made a Pear and Walnut Loaf to take over to their house, just to give them a little boost that they would need to take care of their new addition. Congratulations guys! We can’t wait to meet little Leon again.

This recipe is adapted from Stephanie Alexander’s “The cook’s companion” - simple banana bread recipe (I substituted the bananas with pears)

(Makes 1 loaf)

Ingredients for the loaf:

• 125g softened unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 ripe pears peeled, cored and cut into cubes
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarb soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp all spice
• 1/2 cup milk with 1 tsp lemon juice
• 150g chopped walnuts

Ingredients for the walnut and brown sugar topping:

• 3 tbsp chopped walnuts
• 3 tbsp self raising flour
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 100g soften butter
• 3 tbsp brown sugar

Method:

1. Grease and flour a loaf tin (24cm x 15cm x 8cm) and line with baking paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
3. Cream the butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy and slowly beat in the eggs and vanilla.
4. Sift the dry ingredients and add to the mixture alternating with the milk mixture.
5. Fold through the pears and walnuts into the mixture and pour mixture into the lined loaf tin.
6. Combine all the ingredients for the walnut and brown sugar topping and scatter evenly over the top of the loaf mixture.
7. Bake in the oven for 1 hour 20-30 minutes (or until a fine skewer comes out clean).
8. Cool the cake completely in its tin and then turn out onto a wire.

Jason made me these beautiful golden waffles for breakfast last weekend. He said it officially marks the last weekend we will be alone for a while, as mom arrives on Saturday and sprog arrives soon after. The first time I had these waffles, I felt sweet golden warmth and happiness radiate through my belly down to my twinkles. This is an American waffle recipe passed on from Jason’s mom to him. They are really quite amazing. We had them with salty butter, fresh fruit, maple syrup and raspberry yoghurt.

(Makes 15 waffles)

Ingredients for the waffle batter:

• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups self raising flour
• 2tbsp cornflour
• 4 tbsp melted butter

Method

1. Separate the eggs. Beat egg yolks and sugar together with a whisk, then add the milk, water and vanilla and beat again.

2. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix well.

3. Mix in the melted butter.

4. Beat the egg whites till stiff and fold into the mixture.

5. Allow the batter to stnad for 20 minutes before spooning into a hot, greased waffle maker.

6. Serve with fresh fruits, maple syrup, cream or yogurt. The world is your oyster.

Saying that I’m starting to get scared is a bit of an understatement. Who would have thought we would be down to just 2 digits! Let alone 2 digits less than 50 days. But I guess bubba’s got to come out eventually.

The last couple of weeks have mainly consisted of cooking alot of extra meals to freeze so we don’t die of starvation when the baby comes, spending alot of money on baby stuff and then spending even more money on nursing bras. Everything baby related costs about an arm and a leg… and maybe a good functioing kidney as well.

(But Oooo… look at the how cute these cloth nappies are. Not sure why I got the neon coloured ones though… Hmmm..)

Last Saturday, we took some time out from “crazy baby preparation zone” and went out for brunch with a group of our old friends. 2 of which were in the same predicament as I… 1 of which is just days away from *sound of doom*…. which reminds me… I should probably ring to see how she’s going.

I’m back to work 5 days a week as opposed to previously doing just 4 days, for the remaining duration of my time here before I go on maternity leave. It hasn’t been TOO bad but the extra day at work has made me a splash of tired and a big dash of cranky. I went to bed at the record time of 8.30pm last night but not before craving some mango sticky rice and watching a few episodes of True Blood Season 3.

When we were travelling in Thailand, we were fortunate enough to give our tastebuds the pleasure and adventure that Thai cuisine brings. My all time favorite dessert with every meal we had in Thailand was Mango Sticky Rice. The Thais call it “Khao Neeo Mamuang.” This dish is easy to make and very delicious. One of the locals at the hawker joint saw how much I adored the dessert and kindly gave me the recipe for “Khao Neeo Mamuang.” I did not understand the proportions very well but upon trial and error, this is the recipe that I’ve come up with. I reckon it comes pretty close. With sweet mangoes coming into season, this is a really nice way to enjoy them.

This receipe served 3 portions

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of stiky / glutinous rice (can be found in most Asian grocers)
• 1.5 cups water
• 200ml Coconut milk (I used light and creamy evaporated milk flavoured with coconut)
• 60 grams caster sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 ripe mango

Method:

1. Wash the glutinous rice with tap water, drain, and place the rice in a rice cooker. Add 1.5 cups of water to the rice cooker and steam the rice.
2. In the mean time, place the coconut milk in a small pot and heat on low to medium heat. Do not allow the coconut milk to come to a boil as this will make it curdle. When the milk is hot enough, add the sugar and salt and stir till all the sugar is dissolved.
3. Peel the mango and slice it up nicely, however you like.
4. When the glutinous rice is ready, pour 3/4 of the coconut milk mixture onto the rice and allow the rice to slowly absorb the mixture.
5. Use a spatula to mix the coconut milk mixture into the rice if neccesary.
6. To serve, flatten the rice into a small bowl and turn it out onto a serving plate / bowl.
7. Arrange the mango on top of the rice and spoon some of the remaining coconut milk mixture on the top.

5 years have gone by now… and I have grown to actually love this Scots woman. In reality, behind the tough as nails crusty exterior she really is all Marsh and Mellow. She’s my Agony Auntie sent from heaven – always there to give a listening ear, an extremely loyal friend and a very understanding boss. She’s also keen on dogs… and Rod Stewart and secretly watches Junior Master Chef, which made me realise she’s more human than I had initially perceived.

For her birthday, I’ve made her Bakewell tarts – which I have heard her rave about. I’ve never had these tarts before or even heard of them but I think they must be popular in the UK. I’ve researched a few recipes on the internet and these tarts are made of a few components. Shortcrust pastry for the base, a thin layer of jam on the baked shortcrust pastry, a layer of frangipane filling (almond filling) and a thin layer of white icing topped with a glace cherry.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY scary lady!! May you have many more fantastic years to come! xoxo

Ingredients for sweet shortcrust pastry:

• 175 grams Butter
• 100 grams Caster sugar
• 25 grams egg
• lemon zest from 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence
• 250 grams plain flour – sifted
• 1 egg white to brush the pastry so keeps the crunch

Ingredients for Frangipane filling:

• 150 grams Butter
• 100 grams Caster sugar
• lemon zest from 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 150 grams eggs
• 150 grams almond meal
• 20 grams plain flour

Other ingredients:

• Raspberry or strawberry jam
• icing sugar and a couple of drops of warm water for the icing
• glace cherries

Method for the shortcrust pastry:

1. Cream the butter and the sugar until all the sugar dissolves. (You can use the paddle attachment of an electric mixer for this or cream by hand.)
2. Add lemon zest and vanilla to the egg and add half the egg mixture to the butter mixture slowly (2 additions).
3. Sift the flour.
4. Add flour to the mixture and mix till combined with a wooden spoon or on slow speed in the electric mixer (*Do not overmix at this stage*)
5. Wrap the dough in glad wrap and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until it is ready to be use
6. Preheat your oven to 180°C.
7. Roll out your pastry to about 1cm thick and line your tart tins with the pastry.
8. Prick the pastry with a fork and blind bake them in the oven for 5 minutes or until the pastry looks just cooked.

9. Remove the weights that are used from the blind baking and bake the pastry till they turn a nice light brown colour.

10. Brush the pastry with a little egg white and bake for another 3-5 minutes. (This is to seal the pastry)

11. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely.

Method for the almond filling:

1. Add vanilla to the egg.
2. Cream the butter and sugar using the paddle attachment of an electric mixer.
3. Add the egg mixture to the butter mixture little by little.
4. Add the almond meal and flour and mix till the mixture comes together.
5. Put the almond filling into a piping bag (if you haven’t got a piping bag, it’s ok.)
6. Spread a little jam inside the shortcrust pastry and pipe/spoon the almond filling into the tart cases.
7. Bake in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Allow tarts to cool completely on the bench.

Method for the white icing:

1. Add a few drops of water to the icing sugar and mix together till you get a spreadable consistency.

Assembly:

1. Pour or spread the icing onto each tart and top with glace cherry.

This is the first weekend that has finally felt like Spring. It’s only taken a month for the warmth to kick in but its here now, so I’ll have to stop whinging about the crap weather. We had a couple of friends over for beers and pizza to celebrate the longer hours of daylight and busk a little in the evening warmth.

The cat has also been enjoying the sunshine, and without her archnemesis (aka the stray) around anymore to cramp her style, she’s been in and out all day roaming the garden and rolling in the warm grass.

I had to make a cake for the gang and as Navel oranges are in season at the moment, I made an orange cake. This recipe is nice and moist and the flavour of the oranges came out quite nicely, if I say so myself…

My cake and cookie cravings have been off the charts as of late… so in order to “make my cake and eat it too,” I used wholemeal flour instead of plain flour in this recipe, just to make myself feel a little healthier. (*_*)

This receipe is from Martha Stewart’s website (I used wholemeal plain flour instead of plain flour in this recipe)

Ingredients:

• 170g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 6 wide strips orange zest, plus 1 tablespoon finely grated zest
• 3/4 cup semolina flour
• 3/4 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure orange essence
• 1 cup Greek yogurt (full-fat), plus more for serving

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170°C.
2. Oil a 9-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper; butter paper.
3. In a small saucepan, combine 2/3 cup sugar, water, and orange-zest strips. Bring to a simmer over medium-high; cook until sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Set syrup aside to steep.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together flours, almonds, grated orange zest, baking powder, and salt.

5. In another large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and remaining sugar until light and creamy.

6. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

7. Beat in vanilla.

8. With mixer on low, alternate beating in the flour mixture and yogurt, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

9. Transfer batter to prepared pan and smooth the batter out with a palette knife.

10. Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert onto a rimmed serving plate.

11. Using a skewer, poke shallow holes (about 15) into top of cake.

12. Pour half the syrup over cake; garnish with orange-zest strips from syrup.

13. Let cool completely. Serve with cream and remaining syrup.

This Tuesday however, was a little different. I was stressed. A trap had been set by the council to capture the stray that I was talking about a couple of weeks ago. The ranger, Tom, came on Monday evening to set up the trap and said he would be back the next morning to pick it up. As we walked the ranger to his ute, we heard the distressed cries of other strays that had been napped in the back of his truck. This really upset me. I know we had to proceed as planned because having a stray come into the house and pissing everywhere is really unpleasant. However, it made me think… if people could be more responsible, there would be less strays around and they would not have to be captured and put down. My message is – Please be responsible with your pets. Get them Neutered!

As Tom had predicted, the black stray was in the cage by the next morning when he came back to pick it up.

So the day goes on with the feral black stray in the back of my mind….

I make Cranberry & Pistachio Sable biscuits for Jesse.

They turned out beautifully. The cranberries gave the cookies a nice tang and the pistachios added a nice flavour and colour to my biscuit.

The Sable biscuit receipe adapted from ilovemilkandcookies’ food blog (Cranberry and Pistachio – an addition)

Ingredients:

• 450g plain all purpose flour
• 50g cornflour or cornstarch
• 400 butter, diced and at room temperature
• 200 confectioner’s (icing) sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• Pinch of salt
• Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
• 150g dried cranberries
• 150g shelled pistachios

Method:

1. Sift the flour and cornflour into a mixing bowl (I used the bowl from my electric mixer).
2. Add the butter and sugar and work together with your fingertips until no hard lumps remain (I used the paddle attachment on the electric mixer and incorporated all the ingredients).
3. Add the egg yolks, salt and vanilla, drawing in the flour. Work until the dough resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Do not over work the dough. (Or add egg yolks, salt and vanilla into the electic mixer and mix till the dough comes together.)
4. Place the dough on your work bench and flatten it.
5. Sprinkle the dried cranberries and pistachios on the dough and gently knead the dough till the cranberries and pistachios are part of the dough. *Do not over knead
6. Roll the pastry into a log and refrigerate for two hours.

7. After 2 hours, preheat oven to 160°C, slice the logs into 1.5cm thick discs and place them on a lined baking tray.

8. Bake for 12 – 15 mins or until the edges of the sables start to turn brown.

9. Leave to cool and the sables will crisp up nicely.

As of late, I seem to be doing this wierd thing of honing into other preggy bellies larger than mine and I think… will I even be mobile when I reach that stage. Perhaps I should look into hiring a crane soon.

I grovel to the boss to let me have Friday off, so after taking Jason to the train station, I carry sproggo  and my elephantine self (while humming “Good Vibrations”) to the supermarket. I have never shopped at the supermarket on a weekday before… let alone during the wee hours of a weekday (perhaps something that I will experience more of with Motherhood.) The patrons at this hour were little old women and men – pushing around trolleys that were twice their size and carefully scutinising fresh produce with squinty eyes.

An annonucement was made that there was cart full of fruit and veges available in the fresh produce section for $1 a bag. So, one could pick any fruit of veges they wanted from the cart, fill a plastic bag (but you must be able to tie the bag) and get the whole bag for  $1. The Old Biddies and Mrs Elephant approach the cart with slow but steady determination. I managed to get a whole bag of granny smith apples and another bag of assorted fruit and vege before getting shoved aside by seriously zealous old ladies.

Happy and content with my whole bag of $1 apples, Sproggo and I go home and we make the apple filling for some Sticky Apple Cinnamon Scrolls.

Black Salted Apple filling receipe adapted from Stephanie Alexander’s Cooking companion

Ingredients for black salted apple filling:

• 180 grams Butter
• 10 tbsp of dark brown sugar
• 15 apples (peeled, cored and chopped into cubes)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean (split down the middle)
• 1 tbsp of black salt flakes

Method:

1. In a sturdy cast-iron pot, melt the butter under low heat and add the sugar.
2. Throw in the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean and stir with a wooden spoon.
3. Add the apples and stir till the apples are coated with the sauce.
4. Sprinkle the balck salt flakes over the top and stir through.
5. 
6. Cover the apples and allow to cook for 10 minutes
7. Remove the lid, stir the apples gently and let the sauce to thicken.
8. 
9. Set aside to cool on the bench then transfer to a container and cool in the refrigerator.

Recipe for the Scrolls

Makes 2 loaves of sweet scrolls or 15 individual scrolls

Ingredients for the scrolls:

• 400 grams Bakers flour (or plain flour)
• 24 grams Fresh Yeast (or 8 grams Dried Yeast)
• 6 grams salt
• 40 grams caster sugar
• 3 grams bread improver
• 32 grams shortening / butter
• 12 grams milk powder
• 16 grams egg
• finely grated rind from 1 lemon
• + / – 216 grams warm water
• Cinnamon Sugar
• egg and milk wash
• Silvered almonds

Ingredients for the sugar syrup:

• 100 grams sugar
• 125 grams water

But just like the lyrics in Hotel California, “You can checkout anytime you like, but you can never leave,” this place has a magnetic field that makes it impossible for me to throw in the towel, wave my hands hysterically above my head, slap around a few people that I loathe and then take off (without looking back). The problem is… I always look back, and so… I trudge on, begrudgingly in meek acceptance.

In attempt to peg my dampened soul out in the sunshine to dry, I decided that I needed to bake something scrummy enough to put the glow back into my tummy and fuzz back into my heart… A warm piece of fluffy, sweet bread with a steaming hot cup of milky tea should do it.

I can’t say that I’m an expert at bread making… but one of the things that I love to bake most is bread. It’s especially satisfying when you get a good end product – aromatic and golden brown tends to drag both the cat and Jason into the kitchen by the nose.

The only experience that I have had of bread making is at pastry school, so I approach the art respectfully and delicately. It’s a little different baking bread at home without the commercial mixers, steam ovens and the professional prover. However, it is definately possible. I would recommend using a good electric mixer (such as a kitchenaid or a professional breville). I know what all the professional bakers will say about this, however, in my opinion, if you still want to have functioning arms and fingers after this little activity, an electic mixer with a dough hook can be a bit of a saviour.

This sticky sweet bread that I made turned out really well. It had the feel of a warm, fluffy cloud and the toasted almonds with the nice crunch helped bring the fuzziness back.

Makes 2 braids of sweet breads

Ingredients:

• 400 grams Bakers flour (or plain flour)
• 24 grams Fresh Yeast (or 8 grams Dried Yeast)
• 6 grams salt
• 40 grams caster sugar
• 3 grams bread improver
• 32 grams shortening / butter
• 12 grams milk powder
• 16 grams egg
• finely grated rind from 1 lemon
• + / – 216 grams warm water

• icing sugar mixture & a couple of drops of lemon juice enough to make a thick, spreadable paste
• toasted almond flakes

Ingredients for the sugar syrup:

• 200 grams sugar
• 250 grams water

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. Place the flour, yeast, salt (away from the yeast), sugar, bread improver, butter and milk powder in a bowl of an electric mixer with a dough hook.
3. Mix together for about 4-5 minutes at slow speed.
4. Add the lemon rind to the egg and add slowly into the electric mixer.
5. Add the warm water slowly (leaving out just a little) and allow the dough to come together. You can add more water if the dough looks a little dry.
6. Mix the dough at medium speed for 5-6 minutes.
7. Remove the dough from the mixer.
8. Flatten the dough a little on a flat surface and bring the dough together. (To do this, fold the edges of the dough into the centre, turn in over and round it with your hands)
9. Leave the dough to rest for 15 minutes on a floured surface and cover with a damp tea towel.
10. After 15 minutes is up, scale off the dough – weight the dough and divide it into 2 equal pieces.
11. Round them off and allow to rest again under the damp tea towel for 15 minutes.
12. Now we shape the dough.
13. For this bread, I made them into braids.
14. Divide each round into 3 equal pieces.
15. Roll each piece into long snake and join one end of each snake together.
16. Braid the bread as you would normally tie a plait.
17. Pinch the ends and tuck them into the bottom of the bread.
18. 
19. Repeat this for the other dough.
20. Place the braided dough on a warm tray (greased) / pizza stone and cover with the damp tea towel for 20-25 minutes. (You may wish to cover the bread with a plastic container, sprinkle a few droplets of water on the tray and place the bread in a 30°C oven to get a better prove.)
21. 
22. To check that the dough has been proved enough, gently poke your finger into the dough, making an indent. If the indent comes back but retains a little indent, your dough is perfect and ready to bake.
23. Using a pastry brush, brush your braided dough with a beaten egg.
24. 
25. Bake in a 220°C oven for 15 minutes.
26. In the meantime, you can make your icing and toast your almond flakes.
27. Also, place the ingredients for sugar syrup in a sauce pan and bring to boil. *Note: stir to dissolve the sugar at the start but stop stirring before syrup comes to the boil, otherwise, it will crystalise and burn.
28. Remove the bread from the oven.
29. 
30. Brush the sugar syrup onto the bread to seal in the moisture.
31. Using a spatula, spread the icing on the bread, however you like.
32. Lift the bread carefully off the tray / pizza stone (you can use an egg flip to assist you with this)
33. Push the bread face down onto the tray of toasted almonds.
34. Place carefully onto a wire to cool.
35. Or if you can’t resist, break off a little of that warm bread and have with a steaming cuppa hot tea.
36.