You have got to try it!

2 Cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (not required if you use salted butter)
170 g unsalted butter, melted (I used salted butter)
1 cup packed brown sugar (only used 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups chocolate chips (1 cup white, 1 cup milk chocolate)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 165 degrees C (I had mine on fan bake)
Line baking tray with baking paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended.
Beat in vanilla, egg and egg yolk until light and creamy.
Add sifted ingredients until just blended.
Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.
Put in fridge for at least 15 mins (30 would be better).
Spoon onto baking tray.
Cookies should be about 8 cm apart.
Bake for 10-15 mins. It only took 10 mins in my oven (I had it on fan bake).
Place cookies on wire rack to cool.

Comments:

This recipe can be found on - http://nzfavouriterecipe.co.nz/

 Recipe:

Frozen Pastry Sheet

Ham or Bacon

4 Eggs

1/3 Cup of Milk

Gruyere Cheese

Salt and pepper

Method:

Line a flan tin with frozen pastry sheet. Scatter chopped ham or bacon over the base. Whisk 4 eggs, 1/3 cup milk and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle grated Gruyere Cheese. Bake at 200 degree Celsio for 25 mins.

Comments:

I didn’t have a flan tin, so I used a small rectangular baking tin (the kind you would use to make slices).

Lined tin with 2 flaky pastry sheets. Scattered left over chopped ham and tomatoes.

Whisked 6 eggs and added 1/2 cup of milk. Added Italian herbs and seasoning. Poured mixture into lined tin. Sprinkle grated cheese.

Fan bake at 200 Degree Celsius for about 20 mins.

We arrived at 9.30am (which is when it starts). The place was pretty busy by 10am. So be there early if you want a space in the car-park.

The coordinator (I believe her name of Jacqui) was incredibly friendly and seem genuinely happy to be there.

I was really impressed with the set up in the hall – it was well laid out, inviting and  clean. The play areas flowed nicely with a good variety of ‘play’ from the ride-ons (for the more rambunctious little people), right through to the slightly more relaxed crafts table. There is also a bright spacious room for the kids to eat their morning tea, which I think is great. It keeps food from being dropped and mushed in the play areas. Plus a clean kitchen in which to make yourself a cuppa and have a cookie or two

If you are looking a playgroup on the North Shore. The Beach Haven one is definitely worth a visit (see below for details).

Location: Ratepayers Hall, Rangatira Road, Beach Haven (behind Beach Haven Shops)
Cost: $3 per family which includes coffee and morning tea for caregivers.
Date and Time: Every Monday 9:30-11:30am (during term time)
Please bring your own child’s morning tea.

Anyway, for my son’s Birthday this year, we had Gruffalo party. He was very much into it at the time. He loved the books (The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo’s Child). He also enjoyed the DVDs (which are awesome by the way).

I found some really cool ideas on the web. I searched for ‘images for gruffalo cake’, on google.

I made the cake and hubby took on the challenge of making the Gruffalo characters. It took him over two weeks to make them (see image above). Working in the evenings after the kids had gone to bed.

Just a quick note, we ended up buying coloured icing from a cake decorating shop,  to make the characters . The stuff we made ourselves, with food colouring, didn’t quite cut it (the colours were not as rich as the bought ones).

The cake was the easy part. I used the Annabel Langbein’s Ultimate Chocolate Cake recipe from The Free Range Cook book. The cake was delicious and easy to make!

For the party food, we had …

Sausage snake in place of scrambled snake. I used a nice sausage roll recipe and laid it out in the shape of a snake. See picture below.

Snake Sausage

We also had …

• Gruffalo Crumble – homemade apple and blueberry crumble
• Gruffalo Tea – homemade fruit punch (orange juice with peeled whole grapes and a can of fruit salad)
• Roasted Fox - Buffalo Chippies (chicken chippies) from Countdown. It was slightly spicy. But it didn’t seem to bother kids. They chowed down anyway.
• Gruffalo Pies(mini): homemade mini chicken pies topped with garlic potato mash

The party was fun but it was a lot of work. Would I do it again? Probably not.

The things we do for out kids?!

Each year, my good friend Teresa and her sister host a  High Tea Fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness. And each year I am always amazed at the time and effort all the ladies (who attend) put into making delectable high tea treats. All the goodies you see in the picture are home-made.

Each year, we raise between $200 to $300. Plus it is also an excellent  excuse to get together for an afternoon of good food and good company.

This year my high tea treat contribution was an Almond Jelly Dessert. Today was my first  attempt. I got the recipe from a friend who made it last week. I tweaked it slightly (with the colour and fruits).

Here is the recipe …

 Recipe:

7 tsp – Gelatin

3 cups – Boiling Hot Water

1 cup – Milk

1/2 cup – Sugar

2 tsp – Almond essence (or more if you wish)

1 can – Longans (pop can into fridge so that it’s nice and cold before serving)

1 punnet – Fresh Strawberries

Red Food Colouring (optional)

Preparation:

In a shallow bowl or dish -

Add Gelatin to boiling water and stir till dissolved completely. Then add sugar and stir till dissolved completely.

Allow to cool slightly before stirring in almond essence and milk.

As it was a pink themed High Tea Party, I added a couple of drops of red food colouring.

Then popped the Jelly into fridge and allow set (until firm). Note: it only took about an hour to set.

Before serving, cut into Almond Jelly into cubes and place into serving bowl. Add entire can of Longan (fruit, syrup and all). Also add washed and sliced strawberries. Give it a quick stir and that’s it

Comments:

Use canned fruit salad or other fresh fruits for a change.

Now that number 2, has settled down a bit (has a bit of a day routine), I have been able to get out into my garden again.

What a jungle?!

The glasshouse was covered moss and lichen. There were old bags of half used potting mix, compost bags and cracked plastic containers lying around.  There were also a couple of shattered window panes, from the storm a few months back.

The vegie plot was overgrown with weeds.

One of the many things I have learned (having two young kids), it is to have a plan and working fast. None of this faffing about (like I would used to before the boys). I find that I get so much more done nowadays, in the garden.

At the moment, I find it a bit of a mission to get to our local plant nursery, to get the usual compost, bark mulch etc –  so I order it online from www.zoodoo.co.nz (who offer free delivery and also stacks them neatly in your garden).Yes, it is as the link suggests, it is ZOO DOO - turning zoo waste into quality compost .

My eldest has been ‘helping’ me in the garden while his brother naps. This has become our ‘alone together’ time. He loves being out in the garden helping me dig, plant,water the plants and occasionally wondering off to play with the dog or ride on his trike.

So far ‘we’ have planted runner beans, perpetual spinach, potatoes, beetroots, broccoli, and lettuce in the vegie plot. ‘We’ also have 4 heritage tomatoes and 10 strawberry plants growing in the glasshouse.

The hybridberry is also doing well outside (I am attempting to train it to grow along the garden wall).

Thought, it would be cool for the kids to pick berries and tomatoes from their own garden.

There is still a fair bit to do but at least, the veg and fruits are well on their way.

The forecast was for rain for that weekend. Fortunately, the weather held out till our drive home on Monday.

We (my husband, son, dog and myself) stayed in one of the ‘A-frame chalets’. It was a stand alone, fully equiped two bedroom chalet (sleeps 4), Satellite TV, Spa bath, furnished balcony with barbecue. It had a nice sea view and an easy 50 metres walk private the beach. It accommodation was very clean and surprisingly free any doggie odour. The price tag of $165 per night was pretty good, I thought.

Just before the beach is a large lawn with barbecue, tables & chairs, trampoline, table tennis and badminton. You also have free use of their kayaks. You can also fish off the beach. My folks decided to try and caught a few nice sized Kawhai.

Wairoro Park is definitely pet-friendly. There were apparently nine dogs (including ours, there that weekend). It was relaxing and quiet (most of the time), despite the the amount of dogs and kids. There’s plenty of space for everyone on the 60 ha coastal estate. Frisbee, our dog, ran free with his new found friends for 3 days. He loved it.

The purpose of this course is to, “Provide business owners and potential business with the necessary skills and knowledge to set up and operate their own small business”.

The 36 weeks course is free, with all course material provided. There is one (3-hour) class per week plus 2 workshops per module.

I have already completed and handed in 3 assessments. It was little more work than I initially expected. However, I am really enjoying it. The class is small and relaxed. And those who attend actually want to be there, including our Kaiako (teacher/ guide). We have two Kaiako and both are experienced, knowledgeable and very supportive. They obviously do care about  Tauira (students) completing the course and achieving their aspirations. Which is very much appreciated, I tell ya. I remember being at University and feeling that most of the lecturers couldn’t give a fig about you. Some were as bored as the students who attended their classes. And you paid to be there.

The unique Maori cultural learning environment really suits my current way of life. Being a mum of a 23 months old toddler with another baby on the way, as well as doing a bit contracting work –  the delivery mode for this course fits in nicely with everything.

I must admit that I am little apprehensive about how I will cope, when baby number 2 arrives. But have been told by our Kaiako , that if I am committed, that they will be just as committed to help me complete this course. Even if it means, they have to visit me at home and go through the course material. How awesome is that?!

I have been a stay-at-home mum for 2 years now and really glad to be able to do something for me, in terms of self improvement. Plus, I do have a business idea buzzing around in my head at the moment. So this free Small Business Management course is a perfect starting place for me.

TWOA also offer other free courses. It is definitely worth checking out. Visit www.twoa.ac.nz

So far, I have only visited two playgroups – Highbury and Northcote. Both are quite good although it can get pretty crowded at times. I have tried to visit the Glenfield Busy Bees at Lollipops Playland, but gave up as parking was a bit of a nightmare. So if you are keen, I would suggest that you go early.

Below is a list of playgroups on the Northshore -

Beach Haven Playgroup
Rate Payers Hall Rangatira Road
Beach Haven
Monday 9.30am – 11.30am, weekly during school term
$3 per family

Glenfield Busy Bees at Lollipops Playland
Lollipop’s Playland, corner of Archers and Sunnybrae Roads, Glenfield
Wednesday 9.30am – 11.30am, weekly during school term
$5 per child aged between 1 – 5 years

Highbury Playgroup
Zion Hill Methodist Church, Onewa Road, Birkenhead
Friday 9:30am – 11:30am, weekly during school term
$3 per family

Northcote Playgroup
St Luke’s Northcote Methodist Church Hall, 14-20 Greenslade Crescent, Northcote
Tuesday 9:30-11:30am, weekly during school term
$3 per family

Mairangi Bay Plunket Cheeky Monkeys Playgroup
09 478 4681 Contact Natalie
Mairangi Bay Beach Volleyball Centre, 65 Maxwellton Drive, Mairangi Bay
Tuesdays & Thursdays 9.30am -11.30am
$3 per child or $5 per family

Onewa Parents Centre Playgroup
419 8957 Contact Jenny KochRawene Community Centre, Rawene Street, Birkenhead(next to where childbirth education classes are held)
Tuesday 10am-12pm
$2 (members) or $3 (non-members)

St Mary’s Community Playgroup
St Mary’s Parish Hall, Onewa Road
Meets every Monday (including school holidays, except public and Christmas Holidays)
10am – 12 pm. Just bring a piece of fruit and a $1 donation.

And on a day like this, when it is cold and wet outside, I love just a simple rice porridge for lunch (you may know it as congee or jook).

It’s delicious, economical and really easy to make. My son, has been eating  rice porridge since he started solids.

I usually do this for our lunch.

Recipe:

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice

3-4 cups water

2 eggs

2 spinach leaves

Dash of light soy sauce

Dash of sesame oil

Preparation and cooking:

Rinse the rice a couple times.

Finely shred washed spinach leaves.

Place rice in a pot, add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat down and simmer partially covered. Cook rice until really soft (careful not to let the rice dry out) – add additional cup of water if required.

Using a fork stir in eggs (stir quickly)

Add spinach (until cooked)

Before serving add dash of light soya sauce and dash of sesame seed oil.

Comment:

Some people like it their rice porridge creamy (like oatmeal porridge). Some prefer it to be cooked down or becomes a soup without visible grains of cooked rice.

Keep an eye out for the fish porridge and pork mince porridge recipes in my next blog.