small kitchen tales

Busily preparing things for this Saturdays Market and enjoying a yummy cup of Rooibos Punjabi Chai and making cup cake toppers. Mmmm, wish you could smell this tea, it's beautifully spicy & aromatic...I do LOVE teas. Anyone else have any favourite tea blends?

Ok , so I'm attempting my first ever bribe in Blogland . Everyone seems to have some pretty cool giveaways on their blogs and I thought to myself, why don't I join in. I thought I'd start off with an irresistible favourite...THE Gingerbread Man. If anyone is out there and is reading, leave me a comment, follow my blog but especially if you are in Melbourne pop in to one of my Markets and let me know that you read it on here & you will go home with a scrumptious Gingerbread. We have two Markets this weekend, Made n' Thornbury & Bundoora Farmer's Market . Pop in and say Hi and taste our Gingerbread!

Had some fun..or stress.. baking last night some sample cakes for a cafe. Made an Orange & Poppy seed Cake, Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake, Lemon Tarts, Pear & Almond Tarts, Chocolate & Hazelnut Tarts & Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. They all looked & smelt great & the kids have already had samples of the extras this morning. Thought I'd share the Orange & Poppy Seed Cake recipe as it's quite a yummy one. Orange & Poppy Seed Cake Ingredients ⅓ cup poppy seeds ¼ cup milk 185 g butter 1 cup caster sugar 3 eggs 1 cup plain flour 1½ cups self-raising flour ½ cup fresh orange juice Syrup ½ cup caster sugar 1 cup fresh orange juice Method Preheat oven to 170°C and grease and line a 22 cm cake tin. Combine poppy seeds and milk and set aside for 20 minutes. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time while continuing to beat. Fold in flours, juice and poppy seed mixture and pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 1 ...

Kids and I are off to visit Nanny tomorrow so we decided to make some cup cakes. Hmmm, it all started off well til it was time to lick the spoon & the bowl. Even before that, my 3 year old kept asking "are you finished mum, can I lick the spoon now, are you finished..." This went on pretty much since I started filling the cupcake papers. So by the time I had finished they both looked at me with enormous smiles and the bowl & spoons were theirs. Until...the bowl became a war zone as they BOTH wanted it to themselves. Screams over & cupcakes came out of the oven smelling wonderful and the kids looked forward to sampling some after dinner. I guess they tasted good as my 3 yr old ran up to me and said "Mum, you made really yummy cupcakes" That made it all worthwhile :) If anyone would like the recipe please let me know & I'll put it up.

Well, it's not me really, but a little thing that made my little boy smile when he was really upset was this great little owl we found at the Op shop for a whole $1. That made me smile as he loved it and forgot why he was ever upset!

There's a great giveaway over at A Pocket Full Of Buttons of a gorgeous Ebook from You Can Make This on how to make Personalised Name Pillows. You can get all the details here . Goodluck!

The carefree way in which my two little cheeky monkeys enjoyed playing in the water at the Children's Garden today.

Today I woke up feeling slightly ambitious and decided that the kids and I would make hot cross buns. Hmmm...It was a lengthy process and for a 3 year old all they can do is ask "Are they ready yet mum" Hot Cross Buns 1 tablespoon dry yeast 1 1/2 cups warm milk 1/2 cup sugar 4 1/4 cup plain flour 2 teaspoons mixed spice 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup dried fruit 1 egg 50 grams melted butter Mix warm milk with yeast and 2 teaspoons of sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes somewhere warm until frothy, indicating that the yeast is active. In a large bowl add the sugar, flour, mixed spice, cinnamon and dried fruit. Mix until combined. Make a well in the center and add the melted butter, egg and yeast mixture. Use a butter knife to mix then tip out onto a lightly floured bench and knead for 8 mins till smooth and elastic. (add more flour or water if the dough is too sticky or dry) Place dough into an oiled bowl, cover with plastic. Allow to rise in a warm ...

Started off the day with a nice cup of tea and some baking for Bundoora Market . Kids helped as well in their own special way with some play dough . Luckily after raining most of the day here in Melbourne, Saturday turned out to be a great day, a little mild, but thankfully NO rain during the market. Alot of people were around enjoying their day at the Farmer's Market whilst shopping and enjoying great coffee with of course something yummy to nibble on.

When I dress my son and accidently put both his feet in the sa me trouser leg and he doesn't tell me!

There's a giveaway by Buttons by Lou Lou , read all about it here , all you have to do is subscribe to her monthly newsletter and be in the draw to win some of her gorgeous buttons. Goodluck, I've got my fingers crossed!