My favourite easy treats

Peanut butter cheesecake slice

Process 250g chocolate chip biscuits until fine; add 50g melted butter and 1 tbls milk, process until combined. Press mixture into whatever tin it fits (mine is a 20cm square tin). Freeze 30 mins.

Combine 3/4 cup smooth peanut butter and 1/2 cup cream in a small saucepan; stir, over low heat until smooth. Cool.

Beat 250g softened cream cheese and 1/2 cup caster sugar with electric mixer until smooth. Stir in peanut butter mixture.

Spread filling over crust; cover with foil, freeze 3 hours.

Combine 200g dark chocolate and 1/2 cup cream in a small saucepan; stir over low heat until smooth. Top cheesecake with chocolate mixture.

Enjoy from the freezer or fridge!

(Adapted from "The Australian Women's Weekly Cheesecakes" cookbook)


Portuguese custard tarts

(oh but they taste much better than they look)

Combine 1/2 cup caster sugar and 2 tbls cornflour in medium saucepan.

Gradually whisk in 3 egg yolks, 3/4 cup milk and 1/2 cup cream. Add 1tsp vanilla paste and a 5cm strip of lemon rind.

Stir over a medium heat until mixture just comes to the boil. Remove from heat and discard rind. Cover surface with plastic wrap.

Cut 1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry in half; place two halves on top of each other. Roll up pastry tightly from long side; cut log into 24 rounds.

Roll each pastry round on floured surface to 6cm diameter. Press pastry into greased mini muffin tin holes.

Divide custard among pastry cases. Bake about 15 mins in a 220 degree oven.

Enjoy the tiny bites of custardy goodness!

(Adapted from "The Australian Women's Weekly Little Pies and Cakes" cookbook)

26.05.10

It's a significant and celebratory date in our family:

30 years since Tim's birth;

9 years since we were wed;

5 years since our first positive pregnancy test; and

1 year since our unborn baby journeyed to heaven.

I wonder what the next few May 26's might bring?!

Almost Autumn

To celebrate the (marginally) cooler weather we've been having up here, I've been enjoying and creating a few autumn-y things....

...new Pjs for Elara...

...some booties to keep warm the toes of lovely Bek and Michael's soon to arrive baby...

...dried berry cake with masses of berries on top (yep, I know that berries are a summer fruit, it's just that I crave them more in the cold months...it must be the vitamin C).

Stay tuned for some more baking show and tell soon!

Dolls

Some gorgeous babushka doll fabric inspired these two reverse applique floor cushions for the girls. There was quite a bit of hand stitching, but I think they look really fun because of it. You can find the pattern in this book.

And this is the dolly babe clothes line that is now hanging above the dolls house in our play room! I bought it from talented Brissie girl Lauren Carney. Isn't it clever and cute?

And to finish off my dolly decorating I stretched this fabric over a canvas and hung it in our playroom too. A simple but great way to add a touch more colour!

Happy lounging

Hooray, I'm feeling much better about the state of my lounge room today! And it's because of these...Though I started work on them early in the month, I didn't finish until the very last day of cushion month!

Starting from the bottom of the pile they are: plain teal fabric with wool hand stiched around the edges; plain dark blue finished the same; smaller cushion in who-knows-what fabric (picked up from Funky Fabrix); small cushion in Joel Dewberry fabric; and finally a long cushion appliqued using all the scraps. I also managed to make two floor cushions for the girls which you'll see another day.

Did you take the challenge? Check out this lovely lady and this lovely lady who both joined in and created some great couch additions.