New Years Resolutions!

Its almost that time of year...making new resolutions and keeping the ones that you didn't achieve from last year!

Mine include:

• Making more use of the gym at work! yes I had this one on the list last year too
• Cooking healthier and enjoying baking again
• Being more organised
• Getting into the great outdoor more often
• Embrace the recycling food waste initiative in our community

All are totally achievable I know at the moment I don't do any of them enough.

Whats you're New Years resolutions?


Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!

from me :)

Chores

Don't you just hate em? Chores! they consume my 'free-time' they're boring and I still haven't found a way to make them fun. Lets face it what's fun about washing, drying, etc other than clean clothes and a tidy homestead at the end of it, perhaps I should start rewarding myself to do it :)

Today's tasks are laundry, ironing, clean the hubby's kitchen mess, and take the Christmas tree down! I may as well get THAT chore out of the way now than leave it till next weekend. Doesn't the room feel so much bigger once all the clutter is out of the way till next year? 

Well best get on with it...if only I could drag myself away from the computer!

Have a great day!

Big-batch Kris Kringle cookies

Confession time! The last few cookie batches have been shop bought mixes!!!! I know I know totally inappropriate, but I was testing out the oven temperature's and timings HONEST!

Anyway I decided enough was enough and embarked on making my first batch following a recipe and fresh ingredients, I found this easy recipe in the 'What's Cooking Festive 2012' edition published by Kraft Foods......

Prep time 15mins...Total 30mins ...Batch size 66!!!

Ingredients: 1 cup butter, softened; 1 cup of granulated sugar; 1/2 cup packed brown sugar; 2 eggs; 1 tsp of vanilla; 2 cups all purpose flour; 2 tsp,baking soda; 2 packs (12 squares) Bakers white chocolate although I used Hershey's white choc chips, 1 & 1/2 cups each of chopped pecans and cranberry's (or other nuts and fruit of your choice).

Directions: Heat oven to 375; using my shiny new kitchen aid mixer I put the butter and sugars into the mixing bowl and using the flat beater mixed them together until creamy; blend in the vanilla and eggs next.

Mix the flour and baking soda and add gradually to the mixture, beat after each addition until mixed together; finally add the fruit, chocolate and nuts of your choice.

Onto a non-stick baking tray drop tablespoons of dough at 2inches apart onto the tray and bake for 12 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes then transfer to wire trays till cool completely.

Finally INDULGE!

Here's is the finished product:

The batch really did make 66 cookies :) word of warning don't over do the timings, I had a couple of trays that slightly browned on the bottom, I blame the electric oven!

So i decided to start baking again, I did a few batches of chocolate chip cookies, I didnt use my new mixer, hubby loved the cookies they were a little on the 'done' side I think he tried to make me feel better by saying he likes em like that...LOL!

I made the following on christmas day:

my little GB men! a total of 40 from 1 batch :) aren't they cute?

 

 Then today whilst the hubby was at work I made these:


This cute gift for my two fav doggies was purchased at my fav store HSit came with the cutest bone cookie cutter- just add water and oil ........

 

 Cut out and bake for 40-50 minutes then cool on a wire tray, the whole batch made 60 cookies :) ............


Then it was time to do a taste test.... as you can see she loved them!

Christmas Day happiness

Christmas day started with a Merry Christmas text from a co-worker :) after that i was wide awake as was the dogs, it was 06.17 precisely i was wired and giddy like a little kid, after that the rest of Christmas day started in the usual way for me, those emotions over came the morning and lasted for about an hour, its the 14th year without my dad, having passed so suddenly day after boxing day. He loved Christmas and John Lennon would always be playing in the background so it was only fitting that I played the Imagine album while i did the busy wife saver breakfast prior to opening our presents, if only i could get the hubby to get up and see what Santa brought him.

The hubby and I had breakfast and then i found a lovely radio station playing Christmas carols, with those playing and a little singing along we opened our presents:

My hubby has great taste! I'm looking forward to next Christmas to test out some of Nigella's recipes :)

This could spell trouble :)

This lot should cure my sweet tooth, thanks to family from the UK who sent the English chocolate x

My hubby also got power tools and I bought him a Gordon Ramsey cook book. I also had a spending spree for baking goodies, such as baking tins/trays, ingredients, utensils and numerous other things to start my baking 'fad' off on the right foot.

After opening our presents we went for a short walk with the dogs and then i skyped with my mum, she had opened her gift we sent and i sent her X-large cupcake papers, she thought they were coffee filter papers and that we had sent them as a joke! Hilarious, she loved her Le vie n rose PJ's, fluffy slippers and the Maple leaf cookie cutter. We chatted for a while, childhood memories came flooding back of being a kid and having to wait till dad had lit the wood burning fire and shook the reindeer bells to let me and my siblings know the big guy had been. Mum had a great time with her sister during the day which was wonderful to hear.

The rest of the day for me was spent in and out of the kitchen coordinating a turkey and beef roast, hubby doesn't like turkey..'its too dry and boring' well it was anything but, having marinaded it in rosemary, black pepper, sea salt, basil and a bay leaf then topped with maple bacon and cooked for 3 hrs it was delicious, Colin's roast beef was done the same except different herbs and minus the bacon, it was done in the slow cooker for 8 hours, accompanied by herb and garlic roast potatoes, a whole ream of veg and gravy, it was soooooo good! and it started to snow whilst we was having dinner, how perfect!!!!

Christmas day ended in traditional fashion, a nap, spritzers, a movie and then off to bed. A truly wonderful day :)

Christmas Eve

Well its Christmas Eve! this time last week I had picked up a night shift for this very night, kerching in the pocket but at what cost of being at home with my hubby, instead I'm here blogging. I spent the day navigating through insane traffic, bought a few things from over the border, got the last few items for Christmas dinner and couldn't wait to get home and put my feet up....did I? NO!

I was in the kitchen practising my baking skills, more cookies :) the hubby seems to like them, i prepped all the veg for Xmas dinner and herb rubbed the meat for tomorrow. Wrapped the last few items for the hubby, and then i poured myself a lovely spritzer and skyped with the sis-in-law for an hour.

Ive had the urge to watch a really good Christmas movie, but could i find one no, we ended up watching 'Finding Nemo' such a great movie! nemo is such a cutie :).

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, I'm skyping with my mum, hope she likes what Santa brought her, then I'm skyping again with the sis-in-law. I also need to email my nephew, hes on tour right now with the navy, do hope they are able to have some Christmas with the troops! I know his girlfriend will miss him not being home for Christmas, i must remember to inbox her.

Well that's all for now, so merry Christmas readers, I hope you've all been good and Santa is kind to you all x

giddyness

Im getting so excited!!!!

Less than 24 hours away from vacation, so ready for that and need it as my last vacay was july, thats such a long time ago.

My cooker still isnt fixed so im not sure if were going to be having christmas dinner at home or not, it still amazes me the kindness offered from friends that they would offer 2 extra places at there table, we have truly great friends here in BC and thankyou for your kindness. I keep nagging the hubby to try to get the coils fixed after the oven blew up, we replaced the main board it works but the coils dont so no grill and no oven. Im desperate for them to work as ive decided to take up baking again, I did cookery at school in fact i chose it as a GCSE option, though hubby is a better cook than I.

Ive been treating myself to a few baking items and im hoping santa will bring a Kitchenaid power mixer! a nice red, chrome or black one will look lovely in my kitchen. I guess i will have to see how much of a good girl i have been this year.

There are a few of my co-workers on vacation over the holiday season, im going to miss them all and you know who you are!

Merry Christmas everyone! oxox