You HAVE to make this.... {fig and frangipane tart}

I came across this recipe late one night, filed it away (or maybe i even printed it off straight away) and added it to my collection as I love any recipe that includes fresh figs, because I have an enourmous fig tree out the backyard and always need ways to use them.

When it came time to make it, I was looking after some other kids, so had a brood double my normal and given the weather was lousy, I sat them all around my kitchen bench and began to bake with them.

One tipped in the butter, the other the sugar, and they all watch me slice open the figs.  They laughed as I rolled out the pastry and I think we even were making "Apple Eyes"* with fruit from the fruit bowl.  

This tart is amazing, to say the least.  I was concentrating on baking with four children under 5 that I didn't consider for a moment just how delicious this tart would be, but when it came out of the oven, and those sweet little friends mother  came to pick them up, we promptly decided a coffee and some tart would be ideal.

Here is what you need;

sheet of short crust pasty (or you could make your own)
100g butter
100g caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
100g almond meal
8 fresh figs, halved  (although i'm thinking other fruits could be used when figs are no longer in season!)
jam (like strawberry or apricot - but this is optional)

What you need to do;

1 - preheat your oven to 200 degrees, get your pastry out of the freezer and let it thaw out a little till you can roll it out of a floured surface.  I didn't have a loose-bottom flan tin, so I used a slice tin, but lined it with baking paper.  Place the pastry in your choice of tin and put some baking paper over the top and use either baking beans or rice and blind bake for 10 minutes.  Remove the paper and beans/rice and bake again for a further 5 minutes.
2. Reduce the oven to 180 degrees, in a bowl beet together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Gradually at the beaten egg, the almond meal and combine until you a a soft paste (like peanut butter).
3. Spoon the paste into the pastry case (you might find this a little sticky, i used a spatula and it worked a treat to get it in all the corners).  Place the figs on top, snuggling them down into the paste.  I like to put my figs open way up, but it doesn't matter.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the past is set and golden.
4.  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and with a pastry brush, give a generous brush with a jam of your choice to add a lovely gloss to the dish.

Serve as is, or with ice-cream or creme fraiche. Yum!

*Apple eyes - put two apples infront of your eyes and hey presto kids think it's hilarious! 

fancy pants {summer lovin'}

It's time to accept that sunny days, bare arms and gelato are well and truely over.....

So, are you ready for the winter chill?  Well, if you live in Melbourne that winter freeze has already graced us with her presence that see's my heater running all day, my slippers on all the time and several cups of tea being made to savour the warmth and curl my fingers around the cup. 

But a few weeks ago, when those last few rays of sunshine were shining, my daughter and I were savouring it.  Her favourite outfit this Summer has been a singlet and knickers.  That's it.  I'm struggling to convince to wear more layers these days. So we've compromised that she can wear the singlet over a skivvy!  Sometimes!

My favourite outfits have most certainly been dresses and skirts. This circle skirt, made by me, and such a cinch, it literally took me less than an hour to whip up, has me wishing it was Summer again! 

My daughter thought it was worth dancing about, so I joined her.  

 If you fancy a circle skirt for yourself or a little girl you know, you can find this awesome tutorial here and get to it.

Otherwise, just take a snap of an outfit you love to wear and link up with my favourite fashionista. 

wearing;
Top; Ojay
Skirt; made by me,
Shoes; Myer
Hat; Sportsgirl


xx

I'm grateful for....meeting bloggers

I know this post is a long time coming!   I've been meaning to post for it for a while, and then have a missed a few Gratefuls....so

Today, I'm grateful for.....

1.  Meeting bloggers in real life.

During the school holidays I got the chance to arrange a little catch up with Kymmie from Day in the Life of Us and Cate from Keep Cate Busy!

Wow - what a whirlwind of a morning with the three of us (and a combined seven children!)  and Cate having to overcome a flat tyre and long wait for the RACV.  And what lovely ladies they are in real life. I'm grateful that through blogging, I've been able to meet some wonderful, inspirational and truely talented folk, that I otherwise would not have had the privilege of knowing.

It was like we were already acquainted (well, in the virtual sense) and we just picked up conversation like old friends, shared breakfast, helped each others kids with what ever it is they were requesting, and had a good belly laugh!

I'm lucky I even have these snaps, as it wasn't until I was leaving that it dawned on me, that not one single photo was taken!  I quickly shoved the camera into my son's hand.....

and this is what he produced.....

Kymmie and I were like a giggling pack of school girls, for he was trying so hard to get a picture of our heads.  I resorted to trying to take the picture myself, but we couldn't control the laughter!  Lucky he had taken the very first picture perfectly and I didn't realise till i got home.

Thanks lovely ladies, for making meeting bloggers so much fun!

Join in with this special blogger (whom I'd also love to meet in real life) as she has her own meeting bloggers story to tell!


xx

my creative space {a dozen..}

I love custom orders.  I also love repeat customers.  The ones that come back and say "Oh i just loved it, can i have more!" Why yes, you certainly may!!!

And this is no exception.  A recipient of a Key Fob as a gift has now come as a customer herself and ordered a dozen Key Fobs!  An assortment at my own discretion.  Oh what fun!

Given free license, I chose a pinch of retro.....

Some florals.....

 and softer combinations.....

And of course a bit of colour punch!

Now for dozens more creativity, pop over to it's new home here! 

just a spot of shopping.....

right now by MiraNarnie featuring a cutout dress

Kimberly Ovitz cutout dress
405 GBP - brownsfashion.com

Gerard Darel biker jacket
490 EUR - gerarddarel.com

Black mid calf boot
17 GBP - debenhams.com

Jane Norman cross body bag
18 GBP - janenorman.co.uk

Ippolita tear drop earring
1,250 GBP - harrods.com

Feather jewelry
30 AUD - birdsnest.com.au

Lauren by Ralph Lauren scarve
75 GBP - houseoffraser.co.uk

Slimmer belt
21 EUR - shopfriiscompany.com

Oh look at all that loveliness.  Yes, just a spot of shopping.  A divine yellow leather biker jacket, stunning black jersey dress that i dare say would be so easy to wear from day to night.  And whilst on on the biker theme, why not some military boots.  These ones, a bargin at only 17 pounds!  Now of course, the Harrods onyx earrings were a splurge, but tell me they are not totally gorgeous and well, everyone needs a few accessories like a floral bag, a scarf and cute little leopard print belt.

shhhh just don't tell anyone about my shopping expedition! To Polyvore that is.  Oh yes, the cheapest way to shop, without actually spending a cent!!  Just so much fun seeing what catches my eye.  I whipped this little set up in a few minutes just for fun - why not have a go yourself.  click here. 

linguini with chilli, anchovies, breadcrumbs and broccoli

I'd love to be able to take credit for this meal, but the truth is i had nothing to do with it.  My hubby has been talking about cooking this meal for some time now, and finally the time came where I was banished from the kitchen to sit with a glass of vino, some crusty bread and appetizers and just enjoy watching dinner being cooked for me.

I warned him, that if it was good it would be going on the blog.  So guess what - here it is.  Amazing.  So simple, yet so full of flavour you'll be looking for another excuse to cook it again.

Here is what you need. 

375g linguine

olive oil

one day old bread chopping into fine breadcrumbs (or - bread crumbs)

4-6 anchovies

2 small red chillies, de-seeded and diced. 

2-3 cloves garlic, diced. 

2 tbs chopped parsley

3/4 cups of semi cooked small broccoli florets

grated parmigiano cheese 

s + p

1. bring large saucepan of water to the boil over high heat.  add a good pinch of salt and then add the pasta stir frequently. keep an eye on the pasta whilst you get started on the other additions. 

2. heat some oil in a heavy based saucepan over medium heat and cook bread crumbs for 4-5 minutes, stirring often, until they are golden.  remove and set aside. 

3. Return the pan to the heat and add more oil, the anchovies, chillies, garlic and broccoli.  Cook only for a few mintues to infuse the flavours - you don't want to be browning the garlic. Add the breadcrumbs. 

4. Drain the pasta and then add the pasta to the saucepan with the anchovy and breadcrumb mix.  Toss and add the parsley and some of the parmigiano. 

Season to taste and serve immediately! 

xx

fancy being a mum....

Has your fashion style changed since being a mum?

And i don't mean in the obvious, avoid the muffin top or bits and bumps that weren't there before you had kids, i mean, your style?

Do you feel the need to dress more demure, more your age (that is if you dressed younger that you felt you should!) or do you dress more practically (the kind where mini skirts are a no-go due to the amount of bending down to attend to your brood!)

For me, i'm re-discovering lots of styles i love that can work for me.  I love dresses and skirts as opposed to pants and jeans, but sometimes it can seem a little dressy.  But pairing it down, even adding a slight work-wear casual look has me looking polished but it's not a hard to wear outfit.   And I've always loved winter boots!

We've had a lovely simple Mother's Day here.  I got a lovely new Cookbook that I can't wait to try heaps of recipes.  I've been picking it up and reading pages all day.

Joining in with this very fashionable mumma!
What ever it is you got up to today, I hope you've had a marvellous day!  And Happy Mothers' Day to my mum too!


Wearing;
Shirt - Basque
Jumper - Portmans
Skirt - Sussan
Leggings - Miss Shop
Boots - Tony Bianco
Cookbook - My mothers day gift from my kids



 xx

up up and away........

Little boys love to dream they can fly.....like superman!  And I'm sure they'd all be good superhero's and protect their toys from villains and baddies.

Well, I'm lucky enough to know a little Super-hero that just celebrated his 2nd Birthday and with a little discussion with his gorgeous mumma prior, we came up with a little idea that I could make for him.

So with a little help from my friend Tar-get, a bit more help from other friend Spotlight and of course lets not forget my newest and dearest partner in crime, Ms Janome, we set off to work on this super inspired but not too outlandish that mumma will cringe if he wants to wear it day-in-day out!

Once I made one for him, i couldn't help but think he needed to have a superhero mate, a side-kick, so i quickly whipped up another for his big brother!

Quite a simple design really.  I  chose to attach the cape to the t-shirt with vintage buttons rather than permanently sew it on.  These super-heros need breaks too you know!

Have fun flying around the neighbourhood boys! 

Happy Birthday Billy

Love your mates down the road

xx

mushroom tart

Mushrooms and cream are like a little match in food heaven.  And I love a good tart, so this rustic, gooey, creamy tart is great and can be served for lunch or dinner....

Here is what you need.

oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 leek, sliced
250g swiss mushrooms, sliced
s + p
2 tbs cream
1 tbs grated parmigiano
2 tbs chopped parsely
1 egg, beaten
2 large tbs of creme fraiche
and
short crust pastry.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Heat a heavy based saucepan on medium heat.  Add oil and onion and cooke for 3-4 minutes.  Add the garlic, mushrooms and leek, cook for a further 3-4 minutes.  Season with s + p, add the cream until the juices reduce by half.  Remove from the heat.

Add the parmigiano, parsely and egg to the mushrooms and toss to combine.  Lightly mix through the creme fraiche (or you could use goat's cheese), then spoon the mixture into the cooked pastry shell.  If you are using Short Crust Pastry from the freezer, roll it out so that it fits your pastry flan, and blind bake first for 15 minutes.

Bake the tart in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the filling is set.
Serve with a lovely crisp salad
xx