Cookie Stamps - Orange Cookies- By Stacey

Just wanted to share this I used cookie stamps today for the first time and they are so fun and really make the cookie classy! 
I made these orange flavoured cookies as I had a couple of oranges I needed to use. These are quite subtle sort of vanilla cookies with an orange infusion very lovely and really quick and simple. I think next time instead of decorating with white chocolate I will add white chocolate chunks to the dough. 

Orange Biscuit Recipe

2 & 1/2 cups plain flower 
1 tsp baking powder 
1/4 tsp salt 
1 egg
1 cup sugar
125g butter 
orange rind of 2 oranges 
3 tbls fresh orange juice 
white chocolate melted

Heres How
Preheat oven 180 and line backing trays with baking paper
Step 1 - Rub the orange rind through the sugar with your fingers. 
Step 2 - Using beaters cream butter and your orange sugar until fluffy 
Step 3 - Add the egg and juice and keep mixing 
Step 4 - Combine dry ingredients and slowly add to wet ingredients 
Step 5 - With your hands bring the dough together and either shape into balls and slightly flatten or roll them out and use a cup or cookie cutter - this is when I stamped them. 
Step 6 - Bake for 10 minutes until just changing colour to light golden 
Step - 7 - Allow to cool completely and then decorate with melted white chocolate. 

Easy Special Fried Rice - by Stacey

Who doesn't love fried rice its so versatile you can cook it with all your favourite things or throw together what ever you have at the time.  

This is my delicious version of fried rice that you really can add anything to I make mine the day after a roast pork as I use the left over in my recipe. This will serve 4 people and all up takes 15 ~20 minute max.  

Ingredients;
4 ~5 cups cooked rice - I use my rice cooker and start with 3 cups of uncooked rice.
3~4 bacon stips 
3 eggs - made into a sloppy fluffy omelette
1 chorizo sausage or the chinese lap chong sausage 
1 cup chopped left over roast pork or roast chicken
1/2 green capsicum
1/2 carrot
1/2 cup frozen peas 
2 spring onions finely slices - or 1/2 brown onion
1/2 cup oil 
1 tsp chicken stock powder
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp rock salt 
1 tsp soy sauce 
1 tsp sesame oil

Not used today (as I had none) but I do often use bean sprouts and cooked prawns which i add right at the end with the omelette...Don't worry I'll remind you again then.

Now fried rice in my opinion is mostly about the order you throw things in over a high heat. Use a large wok or really large frypan and keep tossing it.

Here is how I do it. 

Step 1 - cook rice & chop up all your stuff in small even cubes 

Step 2 - make an omelette so its still runny then put it aside chopped up roughly. 

Step 3 - Fry bacon and sausage in oil now it might seem like a lot of oil but it will be needed to coat and lubricate the rice. (If you are using a brown onion add this now too)

Step 4 - add carrot and capsicum toss around for a few minutes you don't want them mushy

Step 5 - Add rice and toss it all through I use a spatular as my cooking tool 

Step 6 - add flavourings salt, pepper, stock, soy sauce & sesame oil - you might need more salt and pepper to taste just see how you like it. Toss through at this stage you aren't cooking your just tossing through and its a fast process over a high heat. 

Step 7 - chuck in omelette, roast meat, spring onion and peas (if using cooked prawns and bean sprouts add at this stage) toss through 2~3 minutes and remember to taste - season more if needed. 

Step 8 - Eat it 

Or try serving it a bit different by putting it in a small bowl then flip it on an asian style plate ... so fancy! 

Veggie Garden Signs - By Stacey

This is not really a how to post, I just wanted to share with you a couple little signs i made on the weekend for my up and coming veggie garden.

Painted with Acrylic paint on to smooth rocks then top coat with gloss exterior varnish

Used a stensil to trace the letters then painted with acrylic paint and 4 top coats front and back with gloss exterior varnish , drilled holes and used twine to make a hanger handle thingy

My favourite thing right now gloss exterior varnish will help weather proof 

DIY Wallpaper Makeover Cupboard Doors - By Stacey

Cupboard Doors Makeover 

I decided to spruce up our linen cupboard doors they were very old scratched and stained laminate and the quote to replace the doors alone was over $2000. Which I'd prefer to spend on a holiday at the moment. 

The makeover was really easy and so cheap the hardest part was getting the doors back on I needed help, there was a fair bit of swearing and grunting from the hubby.

I chose a very simple white textured paper as the hall is small and white and my hubby wasn't completely sold with the idea - no creative trust I tell you! If it was in a bedroom or a study I'd use a beautiful bold pattern so its a feature.

First I gave the metal edges a quick coat of spray paint I just used satin white but any accent or contrast colour or gloss would look most excellent.

Before this photo doesn't highlight the ugliness very well but trust me it was awful.

here's what you need 

 You will need;
1 roll of wallpaper should be enough or use this wallpaper calculator here.

1 pkt wallpaper paste - mixed as per pack instructions 
Scissors
Stanley knife
Damp cloth 
Some thing to help smooth it out like a medium hard broom brush or paint scrapper

Step 1 prepare paste as per packet instructions

As my wallpaper wasn't a pattern that needed to be lined up I just cut out 4 sheets which was all i needed before starting I did this while waiting for the paste to set. TIP cut the sheets an inch too big its better to be too big and cut it down than too small and have unnecessary join lines or have to start that sheet again and run out off paper. 

Step 2 paint paste onto doors covering all surface area generously

Step 3 smooth on paper first with clean finger tips then with a tool to remove air bubbles
Wipe off any excess glue with clean damp cloth

Step 4 Trim excess with stanley knife

Make sure you use extra care when smoothing the join. Let dry over night.

Then re-hang doors and kiss hubby for all his hard work

close up of the pattern 

Simple Miso Ramen - by Stacey

This miso ramen recipe is a quick simple one you can do at home its very versatile in the toppings you can use i'll give some more ideas at the end. 

Miso Ramen

Ingredients;
1~2 tbls miso - I use a light one or white miso
1 tbls soy sauce
1 pkt dried dashi powder - if you don't have use chicken or vegetable stock powder.
3 dried shitake mushrooms - can leave this step out
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds 
1 pkt ramen noodles any kind per person
1 &1/2 cups of water per serving
choice of toppings

1. Soak the dried shitake mushrooms in the water for a couple of hours - you don't have to do this step I just feel it gives the stock a beautiful depth of flavour. You should be able to get these at all supermarkets now and they last in the cupboard for ever its a lovely addition to any Asian stock and stir fry.

2. Discard the mushrooms (or use later in the topping) and heat water add stock powder and miso paste- with the miso don't just chuck it in - you'll need to work it to dissolve it. I put my paste in a soup ladle and start mixing it with a spoon and a bit of the pot water at a time until it is all dissolved. 

3 . Add soy sauce and ramen noodles cook as per the packet instructions you can use dried noodles any type really udon noodles are also very good with this soup. 
4. To serve ~ add noodles to the bowl and soup then drizzle with the sesame oil and seeds. Top as desired (usually with what I can scrounge up)  and slurp slurp slurp the noisier the better. 

Miso Ramen topped with soft boiled egg, bamboo shoots, corn, braised pork 

Topping ideas;
Boiled Egg
Corn
Bamboo shoots
Spring onion
Bean Sprouts
Braised Pork - recipe here
Stir Fry - any quick or left over stir fry 
Spinach
Slice of roast or braised pork or beef
Dried seaweed 

Japanese Chinese Fusion Sticky Braised Pork Belly - by Stacey

Pork belly is a great and cheap cut of meat that is perfect for slow cooking because of the fat content. 

This is an awesome party food as it can be cooked in advanced and just heated up. 

I've sort of adjusted this recipe from eating it in Japan and the many many delicious Chinese versions I've tried on the net. 

So I'm calling it Japanese Chinese fusion Sticky Braised Pork Belly

Ingredients; 

Stock;

1 kilo pork belly cut into cubes

1 tbls oil

2 tbls brown sugar

2 ~ 3 cups of water 

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tbls sake or Asian cooking wine

1 pkt dried dashi or (1 pkt dried bonito flakes) - both now sold in the supermarket or Asian markets

1 tsp minced garlic 

2 tsp minced ginger 

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp clove powder

Dried Bonito Flakes

Dried Dashi Powder Japanese Stock powder

Braising Sauce;

1 cup above stock 

2 tbls soy sauce

2 tbls mirin 

2 tbls brown sugar

1 tsp chinese 5 spice

Method;

1. Brown the meat in a little oil - then add the sugar and caramelise lightly.

2. Add the garlic and ginger and toss through for a few seconds you don't want it to burn or colour just cook off the rawness.

3. Add the water, soy, sake, dashi stock powder, pepper and clove powder - bring to the boil then turn down really low and add a piece of baking paper cut into a circle (as shown) this is called a cartouche and what it does is control the escape of moisture its actually a French technique perfect for slow cooking. You can also weigh this down with a plate and you will put the lid on as well. 

Bring to the boil with the stock

Baking paper cartouche to hold in moisture

4. Cook at a light simmer for an hour and half or until the meat is really tender and would melt in your mouth. Let the meat cool and discard all but 1 cup of stock - you could use this left over stock for other things like soup bases or casserole etc. 

5. Add all ingredients to a pan and simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce is reduced and the meat is darker. 

I served with steamed greens with some of the braised pork sauce and sweet potato mash 

Give it a go even if some of the ingredients are unfamiliar to you its quite easy just to throw this all together and its just delicious melt in your mouth sticky yumminess!

Grandma's Vegetable Soup - by Stacey

When I was a little girl weekly we'd go over to my grandma's for lunch which would always be a 3 course meal usually starting with homemade veggie soup. As an adult and living away from home I'd often especially when feeling sick or a bit down find myself craving a good bowl of grandma's veggie soup. 

Ingredients
1 smoked ham hock
2 carrots 
3 celery stalks (including the leaves of one stalk)
1 onion
3 ~ 4 potatoes 
1 parsnip
1 cup soup mix
1~2 litres of water
2 tsp chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

1. Finely chop all the veggies and put into a large saucepan with a bit of oil to sweat off first.

2. Cover with water and put the hock in add stock and soup mix 

3. Slowly simmer for 2 hours (or more can be done in the slow cooker) topping up water if needed. Then remove hock and when you can remove the meat and put it back in the soup.  Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

I've substituted the ham hock for shredded cooked chicken and added pasta instead of soup mix - just add this later near the end of cooking.