Tuesday 30 December 2014

Christmas Presents

Happy Holidays everyone!


It has been a year full of ups and downs, so Christmas was something I was definitely looking forward to! Now I would love to show you my Christmas haul!!




Just some of my favourite presents this year! note: The discontinued Starburst jellybeans my bf had shipped to AU!

My fab shiny hedgehog! (Morgan and Finch) - From my bf's mum

A Christmas scented Glasshouse candle- so pretty I will display it all year round! won this in a game of  secret Santa

A classic pair of studs! from my beautiful Sister! just what I needed!


And... what would Christmas be without some presents to myself!

A sexy Acrylic candy jar from Daiso ($2.80) I will be using this to hold cotton balls in the bathroom

Some small plate/bowls and wooden spoons from Daiso

I love the Asian blue on these bowls. Perfect for dips and condiments! Find these beauties in my future food posts!


Now of course Christmas is not just about presents. It is about spending time with your loved ones! I spent my Christmas at a farm with my bf and my family eating our days away!



What did you guys get or do for Christmas??


Enjoy


xx Mel

Wednesday 17 December 2014

My Gnocchi Secret

Hi all,

It’s been a while ! I was meant to post this on Monday however I was glued to my television for the past few days over the tragic siege that happened at the Lindt cafĂ© in Sydney. I feel it is only right to start my post today sending love to the families and friends of Katrina Dawson and Tori Johnson. It’s a sad day when lives a lost in such a terrifying way and I hope the best for all their loved ones. We should also remember that this was the work of an individual and we should not blame a whole community for this incident. My best friends are multicultural with different religions and girls… #illridewithyou to the moon and back.




Now to my post, Carb-a-phobes you might want to tune out for this one…

Last week I made Gnocchi… yes the infamous gnocchi , the one where if you get the balance of potato to flour incorrect you end up with a boiling pot of starch.

I feel like I have found a fool proof way of making gnocchi. It may have stemmed from my laziness but hey it all worked out in the end!


What’s my secret? Keep scrolling and find out. 











These little lumps of carby goodness are so easy  and quick to make! No resting or serious kneading! I love it! They are melt in your mouth good, have a pillowy softness yet also have a delicate spring to them.

So how is mine foolproof? MICROWAVE your potatoes to cook them! (I told you my method stemmed from laziness) the microwave in my opinion sucks just enough moisture out of the potatoes so that they don't fall apart when you boil them. 


What you need:

2 medium potatoes or 3 smaller potatoes
¾ cups of plain flour
1 tablespoon of macadamia oil
½ teaspoon of salt and pepper
¼ teaspoon of dried dill


What to do:

1. Place your potatoes in a microwave proof dish , fill halfway with hot water and pierce your potatoes multiple times with a knife.

2. Microwave for 12-15 minutes depending on your microwave (Mine is 1000watts)

3. Once the potato has cooked and cooled peel the skin , it should come off easily

4. Mash the potato with a fork and make sure there are no lumps!

5. Add in the salt, pepper, dill and macadamia oil to the potato mash.

6. Now incorporate the flour into the potato mash mixture until it has all combined together and can form a soft doughy ball

7. If it feels too sticky and you can’t roll it into a ball without it all sticking to your fingers then simply add a touch more flour. Don’t overdo the flour or you will end up with rubber pellets

8. Now separate the dough into 3 parts so it is easy to work with , roll the first part into a skinny snake around 1.5 cm in thickness

9. Get a knife and slice pieces off the snake around 1cm thick and place onto a floured surface.

10. Repeat with the other portions of dough

11. Now comes the fun part! To create a little hollow and lines for the sauce to nestle itself into get a fork and press your thumb into a piece of dough and roll it down the fork

12.Your thumb will create the hollow and the the fork will create the lines.

13. Repeat until all the lumps are hollowed and lined

14. To cook, add salt to a pot of boiling water and drop these babies in, when they float to the surface count to ten and scoop them out.

15. Done! How easy was that! You will never turn to store bought ever again!


  

How do you like your gnocchi? I like mine with pancetta,sage, garlic and butter.


Enjoy!


Xx Mel.



Sunday 7 December 2014

What A Cracker!

I love cheese. One of my favorite thing in life is when my boyfriends parents bring out a platter of expensive cheeses for "Happy Hour" before dinner . Yes there is alcohol involved but the cheese is the best part.

The platter of cheese is then followed by the everlasting debate on which cracker best suits the cheeses... So I have decided to make my own cracker and end this long standing feud of which cracker reigns supreme.

Here it is!!

My cracker with blue cheese, toasted walnuts and a drizzle of honey





This cracker recipe is totally versatile and easy to experiment with.

What you need (for Mel's Version):

1 1/2 cups of plain flour
1/2 - 1 teaspoon of pink salt (depends on how salty you like your crackers)
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of nigella seeds
1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon of flaxseeds  (basically whatever seeds you have!)
1/2 cup of water
1 tablespoon of garlic infused olive oil
1 table spoon of macadamia oil


What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together
3. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and knead into a ball
4. Roll the dough ball out until it is about 2-3mm's thick. the thinner the better (make sure you flour your surface well)
5. Use a pizza cutter and cut into desired rectangle shapes, or if you feel fancy use a cookie cutter
6. Spread the pieces of dough out onto a baking paper lined baking tray and prick each one with a fork- this stops it from puffing up too much
7. Bake for about 10-15 minutes depending on how well it browns,
8. When it is ready store in an airtight container once it has cooled and enjoy with your cheeses!!

Also great to have with dips or make large pieces and smother with cream cheese and smoked salmon for a yummy lunch! the combinations are endless!


Now... I feel I must share my dream cheese plate... at the moment I have a slate one which looks amazing.. but has one little problem. If I make my sticky honey walnuts when you go to pluck them off the slate it also takes a bit of slate with it... meaning we are slowly eating the slate cheese plate.


White marble cheese plate with a glass dome (Davis and Waddell)

S&P wooden board with glass dome 

If I could take the white marble base and combine it with the conical dome then I would have my dream cheese plate. I would avoid a wooden base as wood tends to take up the smell of anything it touches no matter how well it is treated... so hold the aged blue cheese!


My favourite cheese knives at the moment: (I am forever changing my mind!)


Laguiole in black or white. Love the old french look.

Bugatti in white or black. Love the elegant curves. 
* All of the above from Peter of Kensington


One day I will own my dream cheese set... but for now... a girl can dream :)



Enjoy

xx Mel




Monday 1 December 2014

Homemade Butter & Lamp Love

I have been a little slow with the posts in the past few days, however hear me out... My sister had recently purchased a new place and we have been in hardcore renovation mode. Needless to say my back and arms will never be the same again. 

So now onto the important things...

Today while I was working 'hard' at my job I flicked through my TV and came across Jamie Oliver making butter! And I know when we think of homemade butter in this day and age we think of an adorable old lady churning away with a wooden barrel and fresh milk. 

Everyone... I would like to present the most amazing thing to everyone.... Jamie's butter recipe is the most amazing thing I have discovered this year. I tweaked it  a little to make it more economically friendly Never again will you open the fridge to no butter for your toast!

The taste which I was skeptical about at first is actually delicious and buttery with an amazing rich yet fresh flavour. 



This recipe is quick and easy... forget the supermarket and what better excuse for a cute new butter dish. 

What you need (adapted from Jamie's recipe):

A food Processor
1 Tub 300g of Double cream
1 Carton 300g of Pure cream (Jamie's recipe calls for 2 tubs of Double cream but that's a little pricey for me)
1/2 tsp Pink salt (optional for salted butter)

What to do:

1. Pour all the ingredients and process on high until you see the ingredients clumping and turning into beautiful yellow butter (about 5 mins)
2. Place the newly made butter into a fine sieve and squish out the liquid. 
3. Rip the head off a baguette and smear with an obscene amount of butter. 
4. Enjoy and tell me how much you loved it!


Now while you are enjoying your new batch of home made butter feast your eyes on my new lamp!!

My sexy new lamp ! love love love it!

My bedside table- Lamp, jewelry tray for colour, candle for smell and a book mental stimulation. Tara Moss... love it


Enjoy



xx Mel