DIY Printable Valentine Cupid's Arrow Card

Shot through the heart and you're to blame...

I made these for my young men last year and ended up making a heap for my friends and family too, they were such a hit I wanted to share the link with you again.

These were created by Sweet Muffin Suite - they are super cool and very easy to make.

Here's a link to my original post which also includes a sweet recipe for a spicy black pepper chocolate valentine brownie, perfect for gifts too!

Brisbane Square Farmer's Markets *with pretzels!

Last week I worked in the city and really loved having the Jan Power's Farmer's Markets there all day Wednesday. I bought a pretzel, some macadamia nut brittle, a vietnamese salad, some strawberries. So much goodness! It was packed with people, everything looked delicious and so fresh, the mushrooms being cooked up smelled amazing! Next time I'll try and fit in a round of black jack at the tables too.

candy!

We went to Sunnybank Hills shopping centre on the weekend. My sister Catherine organised for Liam to go to a Manga workshop at the library because that is the kind of thing he is very much into and afterwards we did a teency bit of shopping at the Asian Supermarket. We probably only make it there a couple of times a year and it's a bit of a treat because there is so much cool stuff!
I like just about everything because of the packaging, I really could spend hours looking at it all.
Mostly today I bought sweets and tea, Liam bought noodles, condiments and he loves the drinks, he got some Calpis this time.

These White Rabbit candy taste a bit like Milkos,

beautiful packaging.

These are brown sugar caramels and are divine and this little box is my favourite. 

 If you like ginger, these are the best ginger candy ever! sweet and hot! 

Once again the packaging is an equal part of the enjoyment for me.

There are about a gazillion Asian grocery shops in Sunnybank, Brisbane.
My boys love going there and nothing's too expensive, our little excursion was a sweet end to our school holidays. Today the boys are back and I am packing boxes as we have a new home to move into at the end of the week. Man it's been a stressful couple of weeks trying to find a place to rent. I know moving house is a pretty foul job but I feel like the hardest bit is over and I can just get on with it now that everything is set in place. Wish me luck!

pepper & spice chocolate brownie for valentine's day

I made these by adapting a fantastic recipe that my friend Jamie gave me. 

The original is called "Mother Of The Year Chocolate Brownies".

Unfortunately I'm not sure where the recipe came from but I have added it here with my extras so you can print it out and try it yourself.

It's so quick and easy you can whip up brownies at the drop of a hat. 

Jamie uses this recipe as a base and adds all sorts of ingredients and makes all manner of 

amazing cakes, desserts and cupcakes from it. She's very clever!

I just chose to add black pepper and mixed spice {another idea borrowed from a chocolate spice 

biscuit recipe from a friend!} and made them into cupcakes. 

These will be for the boys for valentines day. Luke did a fantastic job at decorating the top of this 

one with a red candy heart and chopped up musk sticks!

* just to let you know, these brownie cakes taste amazing with the pepper and spice addition!!

here's my adaption...

and look what else...
how cool are these!

I found this free printable project at sweet muffin suite printable valentine's card via creature comforts 
I made these up in about 5 minutes this afternoon using some cute black pencils I found at spotlight.
I think they such a clever idea.

The boys will love them I' sure.

Have a wonderful Valentine's Day tomorrow!

champagne and beer

let me just ask you to rewind a couple of days so I can show you the champagne and beer from
new year's eve - that is, if you're not feeling to seedy...
I made these champagne cupcakes to take to the barbecue me and the boys were invited to for NYE.
I adapted the lovely looking recipe from here ➭ at sprinkle bakes! but basically left out the champagne creme filling in the middle AND the sour cream because I didn't have the ingredients.
hmm bit of a poor man's version but ~ quite nice ~ a bit unusual ~ will make again for sure.

My friends have a very special room at their house - a beer room.
A room dedicated to the making and appreciating of beer.
I loved Ben's glass collection and beer fridge ~ taps inserted straight in the door! No mucking around.
Ben had a selection of his home brew to try - Strawbeery was my favourite!

More stories of Ben's beer ➭ here and ➭ here.
It was a great night, lots of families and kids, a yummy halloumi and nectarine salad that I will have to
track down the recipe for and we were home before midnight so I was up early the next day getting
stuck in to two thousand and twelve ~ day one.

icy poles!

This weather is too hot already and there are some tempers in our house that need cooling down!

I have found an inexhaustible source of inspiration on pinterest. 

Some healthy, some not healthy, some for kids and some for adults only. We are making vanilla yogurt with fresh blue berries tonight, I will let you know how they turn out. 

raspberry yoghurt 

herb infused lemonade 

coffee

green tea

lychee saketini 

{lots more delicious looking poptails here ➡ endless poptails from endless simmer such as 

  bloody mary, white sangria and bourbon butterscotch latte just to get you started}

oh my goodness they all look marvellous... I guess you could very easily make kid friendly 

versions by omitting the alcohol.

and finally...

rainbow popsicles!

do you have a favourite concoction for me to try?

Halloween Rocky Road

There is still time to make this before Halloween!

It's not pretty but it tastes good!

In a large bowl add as much of the following as you like; 

white marshmallows, 

salted pretzels, 

salted peanuts, 

reese's pieces, 

toasted shredded coconut and 

yellow and orange sour unbearables {the natural confectionary company}

Mix together with about 

two large blocks of white chocolate {melted with about 50 gms copha}

*Once it's all combined, pour out into a slice tin lined with baking paper and set in fridge at least 1 hour.

*Make sure you put it in the fridge to set for as long as possible. 

I did mine at the last minute so it was a bit soft, not as good.

I was planning to mix candy corn in with this, in fact I wanted it to be the feature but my source turned out to be a dud. I substituted with some Reese's Pieces which were probably the better choice in the end.

 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •   Happy Halloween!   • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 

More Tiny Treats!

Here is some more tiny stuff from the Tiny Party.
Tiny bathroom, really tiny egg and spoon race and a tiny sweet shop to choose some take home treats from.
The tiny sweet jars are herb jars from ikea and look just like big lolly jars... but little.

                    

Tiny Treats!

Here are just a few photos of my niece's "Tiny Party" on the weekend.
This is the "Tiny Treats Table".
My sister and mother had been cooking up a tiny storm and made tiny lamingtons, caramel and custard tarts, mini lemon meringues, "cute as a button cupcakes" as well as tiny trifle cups and little chocolate crackles! My other sister designed some menu cards which were put in frames, one for the sweet and one for the savoury table. I got to help with the fun stuff which was helping to decorate. For the table, I added a few little miniatures which once belonged to a doll house I had many years ago, including my tiny little handmade cakes, iced buns, and jelly. I was glad they could be used again finally for something. It was all so cute and the whole party was beautiful and enjoyed by everyone who went!

a coconut and pineapple cake made by my sister and the little doll's skirt made my me.

Apples on Ainsworth

My sister and her husband recommended Apples on Ainsworth {facebook page} to me knowing how much I'd love it. It's just a few suburbs away to the west of where I live so the boys and I dropped in for lunch.  

This part of Salisbury used to get visited frequently by me although I haven't been there for a couple of years so I was delighted and surprised to find this little gem. It's a whole heap of goodness tucked into a little shop. The food looked amazing, especially the big fresh salads and there was an interesting range of teas and beautifully packaged {yay} cold drinks to tempt me next time. Lots of deli items as well as a selection of gorgeously displayed fresh fruit and veges. 

oh and did I mention the small matter of vintage... tea sets, drink glasses, serving ware, salt and pepper shakers, my tea pot had a fluffy cosy, a relaxed and eclectic collection of tables and seats pottering about the wide shaded footpath, a big basket of blankets to take across the road to the park for a picnic...

I am looking forward to returning, rennovations are underway and I am sure something beautiful awaits.