Cook Up with Vicki No 4...An Anniversary Dinner!!!

Here I am...back again for another Cook Up with Vicki...I had every intention of doing this for our Wedding Anniversary last week...went into town...got all the ingredients...took some Respite Care for JoJo to do all this and be properly organized...but what happened instead!!!

Got all distracted in there...bought myself the latest edition of Homespun to read over a Caesar Salad and coffee...went and had a pedicure...I think I was just enjoying these couple of hours off...then had more coffee...Needless to say I didn't make dinner that night, we had Chinese take away instead!!!

Come Saturday night...JoJo set the table under Hubby's prompting...

Recipe chosen from the latest issue of Donna Hay magazine...


But first...a little Happy Hour...Pate from Maggie Beer...my favourite at the moment!!!
For Anniversary Dinner for 3...all our celebrations are for 3...JoJo just loves to celebrate with us...being a couple just seems so long ago for us now...
For tonight I chose Sumac Pork with Apple and Celery Salad
Sesame and Snow Pea Salad

To this I added Potato Roesti and a Lemon Cheesecake...adapted for Gluten Free


Golden Walnuts toasting for Snow Pea Salad...


Roasted Walnuts along with Roasted Flaked Almonds and Sesame Seeds...

The Sesame and Snow Pea Salad...

Apple and Celery Salad...

Sumac Pork with Apple and Celery Salad

Potato Roesti and Sesame and Snow Pea Salad...

Under Hubby's watchful eye JoJo proudly lit the candles she had bought the week before...

And finished off with Lemon Cheesecake (gluten free)...
I have put the recipe up for this Cheesecake here on my other blog My Dolce Vita...

Anyone is welcome to join us in our Cook Ups...nothing formal...just cook a meal from the latest Donna Hay magazine and blog it...Easy!!!

And to you Vicki enjoy your very special Thanksgiving this year with all your family...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you and to all who celebrate!!!

And while the Cheesecake was setting look at these tea towels I bought at a Craft Fair that Saturday morning...the one above says Joy...but I didn't see that...all I could see was Jo...with an Angel next to her...which I just had to bring home with me for her...

I couldn't choose between these 2...so both came home with me also!!!

The next day I went for a beach walk to walk off the cheesecake...and went back later that day for my first swim of the season...absolutely beautiful...22c!!!

Looking forward to more 'salty blue days'...and many more swims over Summer...bring it on!!! Next post I'll show you more scenes from the beach...and what I was contemplating on!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!!!

Rich is not how much you have

or who you are

or even where you are going

Rich is who you have beside you.

Quote from Dave Wood

Can you believe we bought this beautiful framed quote in calligraphy from Dave Wood's Calligraphy Art Gallery before moving here...he lived not too far from us but has since moved to Queensland...must be meant to be!!!

Easy Peasy Swap...Easy Peasy Clafoutis AND 2 Awards!!!

Wow what a week this has been!!!

Summer has certainly arrived here on the Coast...lovely hot days...some with a little breeze, perfect to get into that water this weekend!!!

A couple of weeks ago I signed up for an Easy Peasy Swap with Vicki ...

no sewing involved...just send 2 Fat Quarters to your Partner...along with a metre/yard of ribbon/trim...and 2 Festive buttons...

My Partner was Katie over in America and here are my received goodies...

2 very Wintery looking Fat Quarters...more than a metre of red ribbon...a pack of Festive buttons and a treat...a homemade Snowman Hot Chocolate mix...enough to make 6 cups!!!

Opening the parcel was like opening a little Winter Wonderland...

as Christmas in the Land Down Under is usually quite warm if not very hot!!!

Thank you so much Katie ...I am thoroughly enjoying my Easy Peasy Swap package...

and Thank You Vicki for hosting this fun little Swap just before Christmas!!!

And look what I found while up in the 'big smoke'...

little post it labels to mark recipes in favourite magazines/cookbooks...

how cool are they!!!

A few weeks ago while it was still cool I used these frozen berries to make a Cherry Clafoutis...but mine was Berry Clafoutis...
Clafoutis is batter based dessert from Limousin in the centre of France...
I thought I would try using gluten free flour to see how it worked...


Mixing the ingredients...


Ready for the oven...


All ready...dust with icing sugar...add more berries...


With some cream...all went well!!!
So far the few recipes I have tried substituting gluten free flour for regular flour have worked really well!!!


I have discovered this fabulous book using only 4 ingredients...

from it tonight I have made a cheesecake base using rice biscuits...almond meal...butter...
Hopefully tomorrow I will make the cheesecake for Dessert to celebrate our Wedding Anniversary which was this week...along with a cook-up with Vicki from Donna Hay magazine!!!

This week saw me receive this Over The Top Award from Bev ...
Along with this Award came some 'over the top' questions so I'll have a go at answering them here!!!

Where is your cell phone...on my table

Your hair...hot

Your Mother...well

Your Father...missed

Favourite food...at the moment I am partial to Maggi Beer's Pate

Your dream last night...don't know

Favourite drink...tonight cold white wine

Your dream/goal...to do the best I can

What room are you in...home office

Your hobby...varied

Your fear...who'll do the caring when we're gone

Where do you want to be in 6 years....healthy

Where were you last night...home

Something that you aren't...nasty

Muffins...gluten free only

Wish list item...a holiday with Hubby sounds good with JoJo in good care

Where did you grow up...Sydney

Last thing you did...had ice cream

What are you wearing...bright colours

Your TV...on

Your Pets...happy

Friends...scattered

Your life...busy at the moment

Your mood...cheerful

Missing someone...Dad

Vehicle...red

Something you aren't wearing...winter clothing

Favourite Store...this is hard...I like them all!!!

Favourite colour....today, blue

When was the last time you laughed...today

Last time you cried...watching the news

Your best friend...always positive

One place I go to over and over...beach

One person who emails me regulary...more than 1

Favourite place to be...with family

To pass this onto six blogs was very hard...so I'll go over the top by 1 and pass this Award on to...

Clarity ... whose W0nderland I thoroughly enjoy

Janey ... who does great scrapbooking of family pics on her blog

Kath ... her crafty life in an English Railway cottage

Millie ... whose life with MOTH always makes me chuckle

Natalija ... over in Italy

Natima ... my good Friend

Vicki ... who I have fun with doing Cook-Ups

Thank You Bev for this 'Over The Top Award'!!!

And this Award from dear sweet Clarity I'd like to pass on to all my regular readers and blogging friends...as I think you are all Kreativ Bloggers!!!
Thank You Clarity!!!
Have a great weekend everybody...and I hope you can all get to cool off somehow...Dzintra

Advent Swap has arrived...a Win...Stitchers Angel has arrived...and 2 very special little people!!!

Hello to all my lovely Friends out there in Blogland...

The weather here on the Coast has been absolutely beautiful this week...warm sunny days with a few beach walks thrown in...I reckon it's time to hit that water soon!!!

To start the week off I recieved a parcel from my Partner Carol...

this parcel is part of the Advent Swap hosted by Fiona in conjunction with Jo ...

My goodies are all in here...numbered from 1-24...one gift a day to be opened up till 25th December...and I am being very good and just staring at this box...and not opening it...

And Hubby is amazed it is still sitting there unopened!!!

(I think he's secretly on guard!!!)
Thank you so much Carol...I am eagerly awaiting to delve into these gifts come December!!!

And Carol ...your Advent gifts are on their way to you in this bag!!!
Thank you so much to Fiona and Jo for organizing this Advent Swap...what fun it has been!!!

Then the next day...I received another package...with none other than our own Russel Crowe on the stamps!!!
This one a giveaway win over at Miss Nance's !!!

All wrapped up in this fat quarter with a scrapbooked card...

were these 'vintage' d'oyleys!!!

Thank you so much Gail for hosting this fun giveaway!!!
Gail and I hope to meet each other one day as she lives not too far away from me!!!

But wait...there's more!!!
2 days later another parcel...this one from my Stitchers Angel...Sigrid, all the way from Germany!!!

My Angel gifts all wrapped...and ready to be opened...

all in reversible paper too...I haven't seen that before!!!

A little Advent Calendar card along with a postcard!!!

And inside...a journal cover with a rose stitchery on the front...

a little bag...some lotion...and the biggest surprise...A Harry Potter calendar for 2010!!!
Oh Sigrid...how excited was I to see all this!!!

Plus a lovely little zippered case...rose fabric and threads!!!
The theme for this Swap was roses...how beautiful is that!!!
Sigrid has a wonderful Harry Potter quilt on her blog...if you get a chance and you are a Harry Potter fan hop on over and take a look...you won't be disappointed!!!
Oh Sigrid...these are the first swap gifts I have received...
they are just so gorgeous...you have lovely small stitches!!!

I am well and truly blown away by your generosity...and your thoughtfulness and will always treasure my first Stitcher's Angel Swap gifts!!!
Thank you so very very much dear Stitchers Angel Sigrid...Danke Schon (hope that's right)!!!
And a huge thank you to Helen (Mother Angel) for organizing this swap so Stitchers all over the world could take part in this!!!

Last weekend we looked after these 2 precious little Cherubs...

while their Mum put on these very pretty pink shoes and went off to a Wedding!!!

What a very special week it has been!!!

And to finish off as we head off into the weekend...

Giving whether it be time, labour, affection,

advice, gifts, or whatever, is one of life's greatest pleasures.

~Rebecca Russell, b. 1905...American Writer~

Stitcher's Angel Gifts have been sent...and Received!!!

This year I participated in the Stitcher's Angel project run by Helen

I was quite nervous about this my first swap...after deliberating should I...or shouldn't I...due to my course and the role of caring...I finally decided Just Do It!!!

These are the gifties all wrapped up...

little drawstring bag...needlecase...and a pincushion...
with a couple of fat quarters and some floss!!!

These have safely arrived in their new home at Marian's

If you get a chance hop on over to Marian's...

she handweaves on a loom using traditional weaving techniques using hand dyed Australian yarn with specialty yarns eg. silk, mohair, lycra, fine copper wire amongst other yarns.

I have thoroughly enjoyed making these items for you Marian...

and Thank You Helen for bringing Stitcher's the world all over together!!!


Helen at the moment is having a giveaway of these 2 patterns...

the one above is Tagged and Bagged...

and this one is Belle of the Ball!!!

Have a lovely week Friends...and it's so good to see the warm weather back with us again...

I can see plenty of Salty Blue Days ahead!!!

Halloween...and some Blood Sucking Brownies...and Stitchers Angel all set to go!!!

Oh WOW!!! How excited am I...I have won a Blog Banner...a very special Halloween one...

from Annabelle !!!

Annabelle had a little competition on her Blog to win this Banner...answer a few questions...as simple as that!!!

If you get a chance hop on over to visit Annabelle...a wonderful Digital Artist...with a bit of poetry added...exploring the world of Edgar Allan Poe and the likes...and Vampires!!!

A wonderful Blog to visit!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH DEAR ANNABELLE...I love my new Banner...and so look forward to next Halloween!!!

For now I think I'll keep it up for a little while to admire it!!!

Meanwhile...on Halloween...seems so long ago now...I put our 2 Owls together with a slice of Blood Sucking Brownie!!!

Couldn't let the evening go by without Harry's appearance...Thank you Vicki!!!

'Snapped' coming down the stairs with not 1 but 2 Wands LOL and our very special Harry Potter Sorting Hat...all the way from California...from Vicki
Vicki has a very special bit'oearth on the Coast over there...and wow, you should check out her pumpkins...and have a guess as to the weight of one...it sure is a whopper!!!

JoJo's hat for the evening!!!

We had 2 lots of trick-or-treaters...the first was a pair of little boys with a shopping bag full of treats...and here is the 2nd lot...2 young Mums with their little brood digging in to the treats!!!

With the trick-or-treaters!!!

Chocolate Bars and lollies!!!

'Blood Sucking Brownie'...

very delicious and this recipe will be used all year round here...Summer and Winter!!!
Served with raspberries and strawberry topping...topped with ice cream...would do just as well with cream...or both...any Season!!!

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens...latest issue and made by Fast Ed...

With me back at classes the weeks are flying by but I have finally managed to parcel my goodies off to my Stitchers Angel partner...these should arrive any day now!!!

Stitchers Angel is run by Helen annually...whereby Stitchers put their name in to get a Secret Partner...followed by free Stitchery patterns...pick 3 and away you go!!!

You stitch for somebody...and you get 3 projects back from a Secret Angel!!!

A great idea Helen...and Thank You for enabling Stitchers the world over to come together!!!

If you celebrated Halloween/All Hallowe's Eve/Samhain this year...I hope you had a 'spooky' great time with lots of treats!!!

Have a great week everyone...Dzintra