Unbelievable Sugar-Free BlueBerry Muffins (for brunch)

So today I took my own advice, inviting a friend for brunch (and madly doing a cleaning spree in honour of her arrival).

Some of you are blessed to know my friend Sammy; we go back a long way - pre-blogs, pre-kids - so even though we live a fair distance apart and our paths no longer cross naturally, we are making a conscious effort to stay connected and book in regular hang-out time.

[Sammy and "Grace" - my Friday morning brunch date]

It's important to do that, when you have a friendship that spans the years, heartbreaks, triumphs and shared history. It would be easy to let a valuable friendship drift into obscurity, but Sammy and I have determined to MAKE TIME and space for each other, which is so so awesome.

At our last coffee date I promised to make her brunch (she'd seen how I made brunch for Deb, and was keen to have her turn; it might become "my thing").

[The juice is a new flavour from Just juice: Kiwifruit and strawberry = YUMMO]

Day before yesterday I get a text, "Oh and I better let you know that I'm gluten free and sugar free! Haha!"
Oops, so no waffles then. Omelettes are go, but what about something desserty? To nibble on while sipping coffee?

Google Search to the rescue. After a few false starts, I landed on a blog, "Gluten Free with LB", and found a nice simple recipe that seemed to fit the bill.

With just a few substitutions I was able to whip up a batch of THE MOST DELICIOUS honey-and-blueberry muffins. Sooooooo good, healthy AND delicious, I just had to share the recipe with you all, so you can make them for your guests (the ones you invite over to motivate yourself to get tidying, remember?)

The muffins were a hit, as was the (oops slightly burnt) omelette and we thoroughly enjoyed our catchup (even venturing into politics, as you do). Next time I'm going to Sammy's house.

Blueberry Honey Muffins (SUGAR & GLUTEN FREE)
Original Recipe found here

3/4 Cup of gluten free all-purpose flour
1/3 Cup of Rolled Oats*
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Yoghurt
1/3 Cup melted Honey
30grams(2 Tablespoons) melted Butter
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup frozen berries

[OPTIONAL CRUMBLE TOPPING]
1 tablespoon melted honey
1/4 cup oats*
Pinch of salt


METHOD:

• Preheat your oven to 180oC.
• Combine all the ingredients until just combined; add the blueberries last.
• Spoon mixture into lined muffin tins and sprinkle over crumble topping.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden and set.
• Makes six largish muffins (perfect to serve for morning tea with a friend or two)

*OATS: Most Oats are not truly gluten-free as traces remain from the processing/harvesting methods, therefore if you are coeliac and cannot tolerate traces of gluten, you should substitute dessicated coconut for the rolled oats and use chopped walnuts (or similar) in the crumble topping.

So.... who's next for brunch???!

• My Favourite Recipes Page 

A Beautiful Brunch (with a Blog Buddy) *and recipes*

Such a glorious combination: good friends + good food.
There's nothing I like better than hosting a friend (or two), whether it's for coffee, dinner... or brunch.

This weekend a lovely blog friend of mine, Deb (she of the magical hug-giving quilts) made a pilgrimage to Auckland to escape the -2oC temperatures of Christchurch. (We northern softies have been shivering in our ugg boots at our frosty 11oC mornings, but Deb felt her spine un-thaw for the first time in months, when she landed here, apparently).

[Photo by Deb]

Anyhoo, she was here, she had a free morning and she wanted to meet up.
Problem.
I am on my own with three kids while hubby gads about in TinselTown. I could only imagine the stress of dragging that noisy lot to a civilised cafe and asking them to "sssssshhhhh!!" for long enough so we could have a meaningful conversation. Pigs might sooner fly.

So I did the only thing I could do: I invited her here for brunch, to my at-home cafe.
(There was a thought - briefly - of the kids playing barrista/waiter/waitress but I realised the potential for mess and mayhem in enough time to ditch that plan).

Isn't it nice to be able to welcome friends onto your own space? Show them another slice of who you are? Turn the blog-photos into a 3D animated live set?

(Give yourself motivation to vacuum...?)

I made Deb a two-course brunch. The table looked pretty set with my mix-n-match china plates, a pretty vintage tablecloth, and some blooms from a flowering tree in a little milk bottle. Deb arrived just as I was writing the "menu" on the blackboard...

Omelette with ham and cheese followed by waffles with berries and maple syrup. Plus orange juice and real (nespresso) coffee. Better than any cafe, I reckon.

Sure the waffles are from a packet in the freezer and the juice isn't hand-squeezed, but I made the berry sauce myself and whipped up the omelette while Deb and I chatted. (It's so easy; recipe below)

Deb is a very special person who I have got to know through blogging. This is only the third time I've met her in real life (and the first time we barely exchanged three words) but her kindness has touched my life on a number of occasions. Her generosity of spirit and the words of wisdom she has shared with me have made such a difference; probably far more than she knows. We share a number of similar parenting challenges but she's a little further down the road than I am. I glean so much from talking with her - practical advice, but also that rarest of treasures: hope.

So it was a privilege to sit with my friend in my windowseat, to host her in my home and to serve her up a yummy brunch. Way better than going to a cafe, IMHO. (Plus nobody asked us to leave when the kids started wrestling, which is always a bonus).

Deb blogs at Works in Progress and writes beautifully and honestly, as well as always having amazing quilts and crafty projects on the go and being a full time student (She is well known for her amazing "quilt hugs" - one of which is residing in my lounge, after I received it when I was in hospital last year).

Easy Peasy Whip-it-up-in-a-jiffy Omelette

INGREDIENTS
6 eggs
a splash of low-fat milk
grated mozzarella cheese
shaved diced ham
garlic butter/margarine
salt and pepper to taste
chopped mushrooms (optional)

• Preheat the oven on "grill"
• Whisk the eggs together with the milk, salt and pepper
• In a large frypan, melt the garlic butter on high until sizzling, then reduce heat to medium and pour in eggs
• Sprinkle over diced ham (mushrooms if you have them) and grated cheese
• Allow to cook through until beginning to set then move the frypan under the grill to cook the top
• When golden and bubbling on top remove from the oven and serve on toast with chutney on the side

SERVES 4-5*

*(if you are happy to generously share some with your kids because you know there are also waffles on the menu and that way they will not complain and will leave you in peace to talk to your friend)

Berry Topping for Waffles

INGREDS
approximately a cup of frozen mixed berries
the juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon of sugar
a dash of water

Put all ingredients in a small saucepan on a low-medium heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until softened and combined. Serve on waffles - the frozen kind are just fine.

FOR PERFECT FROZEN WAFFLES (that would cost heaps in a Cafe):
Toast your frozen waffles on number 2. Any more than that they will be too dark, bitter and burnt.
When popped, drizzle over maple syrup, then top with berries and a puff of squirty cream.

Yum Yum Yum.
Enjoy!

[Photo by Deb]

More of my favourite easy peasy recipes HERE

Of Garden Parties, Girls and Great Expectations

This is not exactly the post I imagined when we planned our Garden Tea Party, Miss Fab and I. In our minds this would be an echo of the day we had two summers ago. Mosquito nets hanging from trees, sunlight filtering through leaves, girls lounging on cushions nibbling cupcakes, sipping grapejuice.

It would be pretty, it would be pinnable, it would be the perfect way to spend a summer's day.

Just one problem: nobody told the weatherman.

The day that had been promised was sunny and warm.

The morning that dawned was grey, windy, unappealing.

Not what we had in mind at all.

But heigh ho, right? Roll with it, revise the plans, enjoy the day anyway.

Since we are now veteran party planners, you'd be forgiven for thinking a certain creative nine-year-old would be an expert at flexibility, and going with Plan B.

But no.

A grey windy day when "sunny and summery" was envisioned would not cut it AT ALL.

There was wailing. There were tears.

"Cancel it! Tell them not to come!" sobbed a dramatically perfectionistic young Miss.

Daddy had a great idea for Plan B. Under the grapevine. We could still string up mosquito nets and scatter cushions. It could still be lovely, it could still be fun.
But the young hostess was not buying it. Time was running out til the guests were due and action must be taken so I tried my best to ignore her misery and plowed ahead with the preperations. I stoically pegged up mozzie nets and bunting, spread camp mats and scattered cushions, all the time thinking: I need to help her learn this Lesson. Things in life don't always go to plan and flexibility is a skill she will need.

My daughter is very creative. She has always had brilliant ideas and bold plans aplenty, but sometimes reality can be just so very disappointing. All the way back to our very first Indian theme dinner which ended in tears because her "Sari girl costume" was not beautiful enough (she was four) the difference between what she imagines and what can be achieved has been causing us grief. Hmmmmm. We really need to help her deal with disappointment better. Manage her expectations better. 

She needs to learn that sometimes Plan B can turn out brilliant too. Life will be full of these moments, and if she doesn't learn to roll with it and bounce back, well... she'll end up always disappointed, never satisfied. Not a good way to be.

As you can see, Plan B did turn out to be brilliant. By the time the first guest arrived, the tears evaporated and the young hostess remembered the most important thing about parties: Having fun with your friends.

It doesn't matter if it's cloudy or if the decor is thrown together, or if sunlight-through-leaves might have been prettier in the photographs - what really matters is enjoying yourself with your pals (balancing cushions on your head while you eat, drink and spill stuff)...

So this might not have been the pinworthy post I'd envisioned when we called up Miss fab's friends and invited them over for an impromptu garden tea party... but it turned out to be better. Valuable life lessons learned. Perfectionism pushed aside. Disappointment discarded. Plan B embraced.

In the end the weather didn't matter; though the rain held off. There was plenty of giggling and silliness and great fun was had by all. Which is what really matters after all.

Our Easy Impromptu Garden Tea Party Menu

• easy vanilla cupcakes (my go-to cupcake recipe here)
• in-season strawberries, plums, cherries (and marshmallows)
• chips and dip
• club sandwiches (made by my friend Linda, who came to keep me company; I made her Nespresso)
• to drink: water coloured with a few drops of pink colouring or orange juice mixed with soda water
• fancy sliced apples (cut across-ways and then remove core with mini cookie cutter; dip in lemon juice to prevent browning. Too cute and easy and gobbled up in minutes)

Serve it all up on your prettiest china; serve juice in goblets, sit on cushions, laugh loudly and long. 

More Garden Tea Party Posts

• The Original (Perfect) Impromptu Garden Party that we were hoping to replicate
• The very first Garden Tea Party (and the green eyed monster)
• The Indian Theme Dinner that should have warned me
• My Party Page

Gingerbread Houses and My Village (with Printable Recipe Card)

A long time ago I wrote a post about a Village. It takes a Village to raise a child, I quoted. But here in suburbia, where do you find a village when you need one? 

I was reminded of this post as I sat down to share these photos with you, of the gingerbread-house creation day we enjoyed on Friday. 

It started last year, with my friend Mel and I. We each got a cheap gingerbread house kit and spent the morning slapping icing and lollies around with our kids.

This year Mel said, Hey can we do that again? Because it was great fun for all of us, the mums and the lolly-lovin kids.

We made a date for when school was finished.

Then my friend Nic caught wind of our plans - Ooh can I jump in on that? she wondered. She'd been missing Mel and was keen for a catchup.

So on Friday we found ourselves surrounded by royal icing and sweets, constructing a gingerbread village....

Nic and I go back years; we met through kindy when our boys were three. I met Mel through Nic (I won't bore you with the details). For someone like me who moved house, town and school every year or two, went to ten different schools and doesn't have a childhood friend to her name - having roots in a community like mine is like Magic. It's a blessing, a benediction and a miracle.

My children have friends they've known since preschool. I have women in my life that I have history with. Not just these two darling ladies I built a gingerbread village with, but way too many others to fit in my kitchen (you know who you are; I love you all).

We hung out all day. Leisurely glued together the houses, while the kids decorated and ate gingerbread men (if you follow me on Instagram your feed will have been been photobombed with those snaps - sorry about that!). We ate lunch outside under the grapevine while the icing hardened, and then we set the kids to work on the decorating...

It was hilarious to watch how each family took a different approach. Nic's house, so methodical and detailed. Mel's house, so colour coordinated and pretty. And ours...? An explosion in a sweet shop.

Our house  (the explosion in a sweet shop)

Mels' House - so pink and pretty

Nic's House - a detailed work of art

As Dash said, before he randomly dripped icing all over the roof, "It's not about a competition, it's about having fun, right?" Yep, you've got it in one, son.

It was the best day of this Christmas season so far. 

Spending time hanging out with some of my Village, making a village. 

Brilliant.

Stress-Free Fun Gingerbread House Creation


Why stress over creating a Gingerbread House from scratch when you can follow our lead and buy a $16 kit from the supermarket? Ignore the icing they supply with the kit and whip up a batch of Royal Icing.
Glue the base of the house together first; then leave to set for 20 minutes before sticking on the roof.
Leave for another 20 minutes to harden and then go to town decorating with the remaining icing and lollies galore.

Here's my printable recipe card for Royal Icing, along with a lovely easy recipe for gingerbread men.

Merry Christmas!

[right click to save to your computer then simply print]

A Christmas Fashion Photo Shoot (with Pumpkin Patch)

On the First Day of Christmas... we put up our Tree.
We hung our Christmas bunting and strung our Christmas lights.
It was looking very festive.

On the Second Day of Christmas... we tested out our new camera.
We had a Christmas Fashion Shoot, starring new threads from Pumpkin Patch. Fancy clothes for Christmas shared among friends.
It was rather jolly fun.

 Miss Fab had a couple of lovely friends over after church. I could hear them in the bedroom plotting a fashion show. I'd been planning to do a "fashion shoot" this week to share the lovely clothes Pumpkin Patch sent me for Christmas, but overhearing these girls, I thought of a better idea than snapping just my two kids in the garden - a Pumpkin Patch fashion shoot using all three delicious young models.
And of course they all jumped at the chance.

Miss Fab is wearing the Optical White Carly Rose Cardigan. Her friend Emily is wearing the super-cute Miami Sky Meadow Print Crop Tee. Olivia is modelling the gorgeous Daisy Emblem A line skirt (with yellow daisy detailing). Other clothes and accessories are models' own. Aren't they gorgeous?

 Ahhh yes, these girls made super-keen models. They would have been at home in any Pumpkin Patch catalogue; at-ease in front of the camera, taking direction, looking cute.

But then it was Scrag's turn.

Scrag is super-cute and rather good-looking (if I may say so myself), but lately he has developed a bit of awkwardness in front of the camera. If he knows the camera is on him, he pulls this funny face...

He even runs away...

Eventually the girls managed to persuade this reluctant little model to do his job and POSE...

We needed to show you the lovely clothes Pumpkin Patch sent, after all.

Scrag is wearing Aegean Sea Slimfit Chino shorts teamed with an Aztec Print SS Tee and Endless Wave Page Blue Check Shirt. Very stylie (big brother was most impressed with the shorts and pocket-tee)

In the end our reluctant model pulled it off - and pronounced that he likes the clothes and wants to "wear them out for good." Oh Yes, I can promise you this outfit won't be worn on the trampoline or to school. 

I'm thinking church, Glow and Christmas Day.

I don't think Pumpkin Patch will be calling us wanting dear wee Scrag to star in their mailers any time soon... but those girls? Yep, they're naturals. Waddya reckon?

...................
DISCLOSURE: Pumpkin Patch supplied us with these lovely clothes so we could share them with you here. We genuinely love the clothes and think they are gorgeous. Thankyou Pumpkin Patch