day 219: banana s'mores

Day 219 and we made the most delicious banana s'mores tonight for dessert but the wifi coverage is so poor I can't post with photo's! We return late tomorrow, so I will post when I have a chance :)

day 216: peanut butter and jelly with strawberries, banana, and granola flat breads

the finished wraps ... yummo!

day 216 and the family and i are off to the tennis again today.  it's the week of the men's event and the other half of my christmas present ... we have had rain all summer and the weather outside is looking

the tickets i was given by my sweet are for the day and night session, so it's a LONG day for the peeps.  luckily they enjoy tennis (when it's not raining) and when they are bored of that, they also love reading and when they are bored of that, they also love eating.  eating is a fundamental when you go out for the day and take peeps.  i saw these delicious looking flat breads i had pinned a while back on my recipe must do's board and thought they looked like ideal tennis food :)

i absolutely loved visiting the website flatout flat breads where this recipe originated.  my family love flat breads of all types and i found some really cool ideas for using flat breads i hadn't seen before.  the western flatout omelette looks so yummy i pinned it to my board on pinterest as well!  i will definitely be heading back there for some tasty recipes ... but now on with today's!

you need peanut butter, jam/jelly, strawberries, bananas, granola/oats, and some flat breads to wrap it all up in.

the ingredients

firstly spread the flatbread with peanut butter all over .....

then spread half the flatbread with strawberry jam ....

add sliced strawberries and banana .....

sprinkle on some oats .....

full of goodness and very filling!

outcome:  well i HAD to take a slice off the end of one before i wrapped them up to take to the tennis!  it was really yummy, nice and hearty and had that sweet and salty taste i love together (think peanut butter cups but with strawberry not chocolate).  this is definitely something i will make the peeps before their sports and such things because the small piece i had was so filling but tasted really good :)

my thanks to my new favourite flatbread website for recipes, flatout flat breads for this great afternoon tea snack ... great for active people for sure :)

day 208: chocolate and zucchini cake

firstly, dont forget the great new years giveaway I have going at the moment.  all you have to do for a chance to win this amazing digital scrapbooking software is leave a comment on my blog this week.........now, on with day 208......

i get to use one of my christmas presents tomorrow, we are off to the tennis! the only professional tennis tournaments to come to new zealand happen this week for the women and the next week for the men.  i have ALWAYS wanted to go but have never been able to so it was a very big surprise from my dear husband for christmas.
i decided such an outting deserved some baking........

the completed chocolate and zuc cake .... yummo :)

mum begged me to make something with zucchini's in it as we having them coming out our ears ... our garden is literally overflowing with them and i think even the chooky's are getting sick of them ;)  off to pinterest i went in search of zucchini recipe and FOUND this DELICIOUS looking cake recipe from a website called chocolate and zucchini!  this website could be getting a lot of attention from me in the coming weeks to use up the abundance of zuc's we have ... not sure how well this site and my goal to lose weight will get on, but we shall see!  the recipe for this cake is also pinned to my recipe must do's board.

start with some grated zucchini

i used olive oil instead of the butter as i wanted to avoid getting any heavy machinery out ... so it was the whisk, me, and two bowls for this undertaking.  apart from that i followed the recipe according to the directions given.

add dry ingredients

mix in some wet ingredients

pop in the oven and out comes this cake, it is really lovely and moist

outcome:  mmmmm, very nice you don 't even know there is zucchini is in it!  actually my husband had his first bite and then said "just to warn you i'm going to have a second piece but that piece i am going to have with ice cream ... and he did ... and i had to have a taste ... AND it totally worked, so very very good with vanilla ice cream :)

the second piece with ice cream

my thanks to chocolate and zucchini for this cool recipe for using up some of our zucchini's ... love the website, not entirely sure my scales will love it as much as i do though ;)

day 203: ham and cheese sliders

the ingredients

day 203 and we are through the turkey, finished the christmas pudding, overloaded on christmas tarts, and now we need to work our way through the ham :)  i love christmas ... totally ... and part of it is finding new ways to deal with the leftovers to make them more exciting.  today's creation works towards that with ham and cheese sliders ... NEVER heard of them before, but i can guarantee just by the picture the boys of my house are going to love them!~

the recipe comes from the girl who ate everything and is pinned to my recipe must do's board on pinterest. the recipe was followed exactly as christy explains it and the nice thing was they didn't take too long to put together (i'm a bit tired tonight).

easy dinner is served, and the entire table was
happy with it!

pour the sauce on top and sprinkle with poppy seeds

fresh out of the oven and they smelt so good

outcome: scrummy, forget the boys, the girls loved them too ... totally going to use this recipe often, ben asked for them tomorrow and, actually, they are so good you could serve them up two nights in a row.

thank you to christy from the girl who ate everything, superb recipe and one the whole family loved, thanks so much for blogging about it with such inspiring, tempting photos!

day 185: diet coke fudge brownies!

two ingredient cake :)

day 185 and .... ben's surprise birthday is today!  his actual birthday is tomorrow but we are throwing him a surprise birthday party today :)  it was so exciting and if you are interested there are some photo's at the end of this post.  on with today's creation, it had to be simple, i had other things on my mind, and the diet coke fudge brownies totally fitted into that category and this is a pin i have been wanting to try for ages. the recipe is available on so many blogs but the one i pinned is from aunt peg's recipe box.

it really doesn't get much easier than this for baking ... pour the brownie mix into a bowl and add in a full can of diet coke (i used coke zero), stir, and put in the oven for ~35 minutes.  REALLY, no excuse not to bake this at all and apparently it is awesome :)

this is what happens when you add the coke to the mix!

ready to go in ... it is a really runny mixture :)

the final brownie ... yummO!

outcome:  for a brownie that is full of sugar and fat this would be fantastic, for a brownie that hardly has any fat and sugars in it ... its OUTSTANDING, especially in a house with a diabetic!  this recipe will come in handy and be used over and over again!

thank you to aunt peg's recipe box, she provides wonderful, really precise instructions so you know you aren't going wrong with the really liquid mix ...  and the recipe was incredibly delish!

a couple of photos from ben's surprise party!

we GOT you benny boy!

add face painting ...

plenty of friends ....

a very happy boy ... 

and you have a very very happy birthday party :)

day 168: 31 home-made taco seasoning

a bit of this, that, and the other and you have home-made
taco seasoning :)

day 168 and i am making some home-made taco seasoning today ... yes home-made, who new you could do that before pinterest!

this lovely, and very easy looking recipe comes from maggie at smashed peas and carrots.  there are a number of reasons why i am excited about this recipe but mostly because i can control the amount of salt and chilli that that goes into it to suit my family.  it was pinned to my recipe must do's board.

i got out all the ingredients and then mixed ... and that was it.  i didn't add in the onion or garlic powder as i use fresh of both in almost every evening meal and prefer the flavour of fresh onion and garlic. the hardest part was finding the lid to the container i chose to keep it in (i really have to sort that horror of a cupboard out).

gather the ingredients and measure

put them all into a clip lock storage container and shake
to mix, then you end up with the most wonderful smelling
taco seasoning :)

outcome:  this smells so good, honestly the kitchen still smells yummy from it! i plan to use this seasoning heaps for tacos, home-made burgers, stews, all sorts! i loved the fact that i could adapt to suit the kids with regards to spiciness and keeping the salt really low. the best part is knowing exactly what's in it and not having to decipher the additives on the back of the packaging :)

my sincere thanks to maggie at smashed peas and carrots for this taco seasoning recipe.  maggie also does lots of crafting and other amazing looking recipes so i of course signed up to join her using google connect!

day 166: chocolate banana cake

the very large chocolate banana cake, unfortunately right
after this picture the battery in the camera asked to be
charged and i couldn't get another picture of it cut with
the dusting of icing sugar :(

day 166 and i am back to the kitchen today in another attempt to fill my baking tins!  today we have some very ripe banana's to use so i went to pinterest to find a banana something to make.  it took me quite a while to find a recipe i had everything for ... does everybody put sour cream or cream cheese in their banana cakes?

i eventually found this chocolate banana cake recipe from joy of baking.  i had all the ingredients and in the second paragraph it had this to say:

Chocolate Banana Cake is a snap to put together. Fifteen minutes is about all you need. It is more like a quick bread in that you do not use a mixer, just two bowls.

yes indeedy, that was me sold and printing out the recipe after pinning it to my recipe must do's board.

i did exactly as the recipe suggested and it was done and in the oven in ten minutes.  cakes do not get any easier than this to make!  35 minutes later a very large looking cake came out of the oven and my hopes of tin filling were beginning to take shape.

it is a very runny mixture

into the tin for baking

and out of the oven this beautiful looking cake came
35 minutes later

outcome:  this is a superb light, very moist chocolate cake with a hint of banana taste.  the texture is definitely that of a banana cake but the taste of the banana is subtle.  the family loved the cake.  i didn't frost the cake with anything except a dusting of icing sugar and that turned out to be a good decision.  it really doesn't need anything as it is quite rich for a light cake.  definitely doing this cake again, especially when i need something sweet for large groups :)

many thanks to joy of baking for testing this recipe from best summer weekends cookbook by jane rodmell.  the cake was delicious and has filled a baking tin for today at least!

day 165: berry cookie bars

the slice ... before they ate it

day 165 and i am into the kitchen today to do some baking for the tins.  monica from lick the bowl good has come up with another mouth watering recipe for cranberry cookie bars ... they look so very very delicious!  unfortunately there are no cranberry's in this mothers cupboard so i am making these bars with frozen mixed berries instead.

this recipe does call for the heavy machinery to be lifted out of the cupboard but as the bars looked so good and i had all the ingredients i figured it would be worth it.  the only changes i made to the recipe were using the frozen mixed berries instead of cranberries and i didn't sprinkle with the additional sugar.  apart from those minor variations, i followed the recipe and they were in the oven in ten minutes.

before baking

after baking

before the eating took place, just as well they took the
photos ;)

outcome:  i am assuming these were awesome.  you will notice on my side bar in the blurb about me i mention that i have the full support of my family in this 365 undertaking.  i put these bars into the oven and realised i hadn't left enough time to get them out before i went to play netball so my sweet husband said he would take them out at the right time and take some pictures for me to post with ... perfect.  when i returned home i found the baking tray on the table HALF EMPTY ... apparently these were so good warm, my support crew went ahead and ate half of them!  mental note, double the recipe the next time i make these as they didn't even reach the tin let alone fill it :)  the recipe doesn't make heaps but even so they were so tasty even i had two pieces!

thanks to monica from lick the bowl good ... i think ... my visions of filled baking tins didn't quite happen but i do have a really happy family and it is all thanks to her wonderful recipe!

day 158: lemon yoghurt cake

this is just DIVINE, really it was that good. the whole
family oohed and ahhed :) 

day 158 and we need something for the tins this week and we are LIMITED by what's on offer.  luckily the chookies have behaved the last few days and i have an abundance of eggs, their are lemons on the tree, and we have some greek style yoghurt (yeah, that's how we spell it in nz) that needs eating in the next couple of days.  enter pinterest.  when you put in lemon yoghurt/yogurt as a search you are given some delicious options to pin to your boards, in my case my recipe must do's board!

after much ogling at all the yummy looking baking, i decided to go with freutcake's, lemon yoghurt cake.  leah's use of "especially delicious" had me printing the recipe before i even read if i had all the ingredients in stock ... lucky for me we did :)  and to top off a great recipe, this does NOT require heavy machinery either, things are looking decidedly good for this recipe and i haven't even tried it yet :)

see no heavy machinery for this cake!

while the cake is still warm you pour syrup over it ... YUM

gratuitous photo of pretty looking cake
with are beautiful roses ;)

outcome: mmmmmm so very very tasty :) the family adored this loaf and it was way too easy to eat and then eat some more of.  if you are watching what you are eating (insert my name here) as christmas is coming, do not make this cake, it is far too yummy to abstain from.  yeah, it really is that good and WAY  to easy to make, which is just as well because the tins could be bare by tomorrow again :)

my (add entire family) thanks leah from freutcake for this outstanding recipe.  this loaf would make the perfect gift if you can bear to give it away :)

day 149: sour cream coffee cake

sour cream coffee cake

day 149 and we had some sour cream that needed using so i went to my favourite recipe book to find inspiration and sure as eggs pinterest provided me with heaps of alternatives!

ali at gimme some oven provided a sour cream coffee cake recipe.  this recipe looked perfect, all basic ingredients and not too many eggs (our chooky's appear to be on strike down in the fields, either that or they are hiding their nests!).  i have used recipes from ali's blog before with great success so i was more than happy to try another of her recipes.  and just in case you are wondering the coffee in this recipe refers to what you would drink with the cake as opposed to an ingredient of the cake ;)  i pinned this to my recipe must do's board and started work on the cake.

you do need the heavy machinery out for this recipe but i was happy to pull it out today as the cupboards needed some filling even this far into no spend november :)  the cake is a simple creaming of butter, sugar, and eggs followed by the flour mix and sour cream.  the nice surprise with this cake is the topping goes in the middle AND on top!  i made the cake while the rest of the family dished up dinner around me, so it was definitely easy on time to make.

bringing the wet and dry ingredients together

ready for the oven complete with topping inside and out!

the delicious smelling cake

outcome:  35 minutes after going into the oven, out came a yummy smelling cake that looked delicious.  we had it warm as a dessert.  i couldn't believe how light and airy the cake was, i'm guessing that's what sour cream does to a cake.  if you want something light after a meal or in the afternoon with coffee this cake is a must ... it was really hard to say no to another piece and actually most of the family didn't!  this is the perfect cake for taking out to friends and family as well because it's large, delicious, and if you are rushed for time it doesn't need frosting!

thanks once again to ali at gimme some oven for yet another delicious recipe.  i will be making this again very soon to share with others!

day 143: its halloween party time :)

party at our place ... a pinterest halloween :)

day 143 brings us our much anticipated halloween party .. we are all SO excited for today and the weather has played its part!  i could easily call this my pinterest halloween party because almost everything at the party whether it was decorations, beverages, food, or games it was inspired by the great finds on pinterest. today, for example, i made:

 chocolate covered strawberry ghosts inspired by the ones from taste of home

these were a huge hit with everybody :)

the mummy game from all free crafts

this was HILARIOUS!

the popping pumpkin was a huge success with the kids and was inspired from martha stewart's website

thank you to my sweet husband who huge this game up :)

as were the felt pumpkin canvases with the littlest peeps i made yesterday :)

finished canvas to be proud of!

i had lots of little allergens at this party so pinterest was incredibly awesome for finding gluten free, nut free, and egg free recipes, such as:

egg free chocolate cupcakes from simply recipes, egg free vanilla cupcakes from sweet rosie, and egg free double chocolate chip cookies from art of dessert

the food at the party was a HUGE hit!

outcome:  i LOVED the party and so did my family.  the food was amazing for being egg free, the games were fun, and the people were exceptional. it was wonderful bringing families together and sharing heaps of fun with our kids who thought it was better than a birthday party (and i'm no slouch with their birthdays!) which was the best compliment i could have been given today.  hopefully everybody who was their also had a great time.  below are a couple of photos that i wanted to share :)

its a shoot out at 275 :0

my little pollyanna or casper's girlfriend as we like to
call her ;)

chillin between games :)

the start of the eyeball race!

polly in the scarecrow game :)

some of the weirdest scarecrows i have EVER seen!

i'm off to sit and relax with a cuppa and my newest treat, a mug rug given to me by one of the sweetest people i know AND its a halloween one ... thank you dee i LOVE it :)