GINGERBREAD MEN

Mothers' Day Baking and Bonding.
 

 

To be clear my daughter and I planned to make gingerbread men but soon discovered that we didn't actually have a large enough 'man' cookie cutter. Our 'gingerbread men' turned out to be gingerbread teddies, butterflies, stars and hearts.

I love the old fashioned idea of gingerbread men, as it was one of my favourite things to bake as a kid, but let your children choose whatever they want! Just make sure that whatever shapes they choose the overall sizes are the same on each baking sheet so they bake evenly and you don't get some burnt ones.

 

HAVE FUN!  

 

INGREDIENTS

350g Plain Flour

175g Brown Sugar

100g Butter/Margarine

1 Large Egg

4 tablespoons (60ml) of Golden Syrup

1 teaspoon (5ml) Bicarbonate of Soda

2 teaspoon (10ml) ground ginger

 

 

METHOD

1. Mix flour, sugar, bicarb,giger and margarine/butter in a large mixing bowl together. This step requires you and your little one/s to get your hands dirty. Mix until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

 

 

This part is great fun and great for those fine motor skills

 

2. Add syrup and egg, and mix until you get a firm dough.

You can always try and do what we did. I love how creative my daughter is.

 

 

Be sure to make the holes big enough so it doesnt look like a sad face!

 

If the dough is too dry add a little more syrup until it combines nicely.

 

3. Preheat your oven to 180°C

 

4. Using a rolling pin, and a flour-dusted surface, roll out your dough until about 5mm thick. If your rolling pine and surface are not dusted your dough will stick and you will battle to lift the cut dough from the surface.

  

5. Cut out shapes using your selected cookie cutter/s or knife.

 

 

6. Place cut cookies on greased baking tray about 2cm apart and pop in the oven.

Bake for about 10-15 mins depending on the size of your biscuits and your desired crunchiness. Some prefer a softer biscuit while others like them hard.

 

7. Decorate using icing and anything you can find around the house or in the shops.

Ideas: Smarties, chocolate drops/chips, astros, raisins, silver balls. Ask your kid what they they would like and have fun with it.



Custard Slices

Confession time. I did not actually bake these myself, I just took the photo. 

 

The lovely ladies in the kitchen made these and they were amazing! I have asked the Chef if I can share her recipe because I have never had such an amazing custard slice in my life.

Thank you to Lisa Moffatt for sharing this 'secert recipe'.
Lisa calls these: Instant Custard Slices.
She loves them because they are affordable, quick, easy and appetising.

Ingredients:
1x roll puff pastry (400g)
1x 90g packet instant vanilla pudding
250ml cream
200ml cold milk

Method:

1.Preheat oven to 180c. 

2. Unroll the pastry & cut into rectangles. Place on a greased baking sheet & bake for about 10 mins, until puffed up & golden.

3. Beat the instant pudding, milk & cream together for 1 minute until stiff.

4.Cool the pastry for a few minutes before halving each horizontally.

5. Fill with the pudding mixture & dust with icing sugar.

Makes 20

 

Loving Dieters Nursery

Two big thumbs up to Dieters Nursery.

 

We were massively impressed and arrived with great excitement to see so many trees, plants, shrubs and seedlings! I am very far from a professional gardener but both my husband and I trying our hand at it, enthusiastic and willing to learn.

 

We left with a Navel Orange tree/shrub, a Cooking Leaf Lime shrub and two granadilla vines.

 

Compared to a few other places we have visited we decided that these were well priced. In fact 2 months ago I proudly returned from the Shongweni Farmers Market with a Eureka Lemon tree which I bought "on special" for R150. At Dieters there were healthier and larger Eureka Lemons for R105! You live and learn...

 

We have now planted our new babies and I will let you know how they go in the future.

 

There is a Bonsai Shop within Dieters but unfortunately it wasn't open when we were there.

 

 

 

 

You will find Dieters Nursery at 4 Bona Terra Road, Assagay.

Bona Terra Road is off Kassier Road.

You can contact them on 031 768 1583

 

Flower Park

"Let's go to the Zen Place?"

 

 This seems to be my mother-in-law's favourite request these days, and how she fondly refers to her new favourite spot,

the Flower Park Nursery.

 

Now, I know Pinetown is not the 'it' place, or area, to visit but take a look at the photos below and tell me it doesn't appeal to you?

 

 

 

 

 

I just love the shabby-chic decor and laid-back appeal, the

mis-matched crockery and cutlery as well as the ever-changing menu.

 

We first visited the Flower Park when my mother-in-law decided to take me there for my birthday (and then we visited again for my husband's birthday too!). We delighted in eating red velvet cake, carrot muffins and chocolate ganache cake. We also trested ourselves to quiche and salad. I highly recommend the basil, feta and baby tomato quiche! Each baby quiche is served with a FRESH salad. When I say fresh, I mean straight from the garden! It is literally picked and made. Ordering coffee gets you your own plunger and you can choose the strength. There are no soft drinks but you have the chance to indulge in some rather tasty homemade, old fashioned lemonade.

 

 

 

I love the little vintage cottage they have next to the coffee shop. This little cottage is full of treasures. I bought myself a cow shaped butter dish and my mother-in-law purchased some new editions to her brass collection.







 
 

You will find the Flower Park at 5 Ridge Place, Pinetown, just off Underwood Road. Phone Lynn on 031 701 4097

This is my rough gem.

 

Free State Road-Tripping

 

Taking a family road trip to Bloemfontein.

 

Admiring road-side cosmos.

 

Admiring road-side sunflowers.

 

 

Just thought I would share.

Mini Hockey

"I want to be just like Dad"

Last Friday was the first mini hockey session of the season at Kearsney. What fun!

 

We were forced to go shopping for some hockey accessories (or must-haves I guess...) and left Mr Price Sport with a new pair of Maxed takkies, 2x pairs of lumo hockey socks (thanks to a buy one get one free special), shorts and shin-pads.

We also left the shop with a very excited little girl.

Why is she so excited to play hockey? Simple.

She wants to be just like her Dad. My husband plays hockey and so she has always watched from the side and now it's finally her turn! Dad is also very good at hockey and (yes, I am about to boast!) represented SA in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

While I don't believe she needs to follow in any ones footsteps and that she must create her own destiny, it is so sweet watching Dad swell with pride! The day before this she also happened to win her first inter-house cross-country race at school in the U6 division out of 50 girls. This was Moms chance to swell with pride as I used to be a runner back in the day!

Watch this space for more updates on mini hockey.

 

For more info on mini hockey contact mini@kearsneyhc.co.za

Stunning Rise

What a way to wake up. Beautiful.