gluten-free quick biscuits ... a recipe

and i return to my much neglected blog! work has kept me busy this year, and what little free time i have is often spent catching up on household tasks and recharging my batteries

this is one of my favorite biscuit recipes.  it holds a lot of fond memories for me as the first time i baked them it was at an orientation day before i started secondary school, i also met one of my best friends that day.

i have since developed a gluten-intolerance so swapped regular flour for a gluten-free blend, i also reduced the sugar content slightly and added gluten-free oats for texture

1 cup coconut
1 cup self-raising flour (either gluten-free blend or regular flour is fine)
3/4 cup sugar
130g melted butter (or margarine)
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup gluten-free oats
 optional:  for a bit of variety i have used cranberries, sultanas, dates, choc-chips instead of oats

* mix dry ingredients together
* add melted butter and beaten egg to the dry ingredients
* use a cookie scoop (or tablespoon) and place the biscuit mix onto a lined tray... remember to allow room for spreading
* bake at 180degC for 15-20 minutes or until biscuits are slightly browned.  check and rotate trays after 10 minutes
* remove the trays from the oven and allow the biscuits to cool on the tray.  once cooled they should be crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle... my idea of a perfect biscuit!
* makes 24

cupcakes and memories

in the spirit of "finishing things" and encouraging my reluctant mojo, i revisited an almost-quilt top that i was given when a friend died in September last year.  i haven't been ready to work on it before, but today seemed like a great day - the sun is shining and am feeling refreshed.

i was pleasantly surprised to find that the quilt top was closer to finished than i remembered - the centre was finished, one border was attached and the other 3 borders were cut.

with a soft smile on my face and memories in my head i finally finished sewing those last three borders on to Phyllis' quilt.

 

and of course my little quilt helper was there to assist

a little bit of fun was also had in my kitchen today (vanilla cupcakes with lemon buttercream icing and a little lemon zest over the top)...

 

this is my first attempt at piped icing!!

lessons i have learnt...

1. make sure that your finger isn't anywhere near the "on" button when you have lifted your beaters out of the bowl

2. dont buy a piping bag set from the supermarket - the darn thing leaked and had horrible nozzles (it is now in the bin)

3. if i am going to do these semi-regularly i need to get a mix-master

4. decorating cupcakes is FUN!!

it's wasn't as hard as i thought it was going to be, but i think i would have been a LOT easier if i had some decent tools to work with

I'm sorry bunny, but I just HAD to....

the eating of Easter eggs has started at my house...

my table runner has arrived at it's destination so i can now share photos!  it was a fun little project - my initial idea came from a photo that i saw in a magazine and i altered it to suit the fabrics that i had and the size that my swap partner requested.  i think it fits the "spring" theme nicely!

 

and i have also delved into the world of yeast baking, and made some delicious cinnamon rolls late one evening (i found the recipe here) i decided to use a drizzle of icing rather than the glaze that the recipe suggested.

i used this conversion table to change the USA measurements to Aussie ones

next time i think i will add a little more yeast to the recipe and reduce the amount of cinnamon filling by half, i also think that the mix may rise a little higher if i make them during the day - rather than on a cold evening!!

Mmmm, cake

I have been doing some sewing (I promise!) but today there was a slight detour to my Mum and Dad's place for a roast lamb lunch.  I volunteered to make dessert -  there is a dessert that I have wanted to make for a little while now and this was a perfect excuse.

I saw it at Kraft Foods a couple of weeks ago and then recently at Patchwork Times. I ended up using Judy's recipe with a couple of alterations...

Cake:
Green's Moist Vanilla cake mix (470g)
2 eggs
2/3 cup (150mL) milk
60g soft butter

Jelly:
85g pack of passionfruit jelly crystals
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup cold water

Icing:
90g instant vanilla pudding mix (a bit less than a full pack)
1 cup milk
splash vanilla essence
1 1/4 cups cream (full fat)
1/4 cup icing sugar

**  I had plenty of the icing left over, so next time I make it I will halve the ingredients.

**  also, I will whip the cream then mix the milk/pudding mix together.  When I made it today I did the milk/pudding mix first and it was already starting to set by the time the cream was whipped

I served it with a drizzle of passionfruit, and it was YUMMY!!  I will definitely be making this recipe again, maybe next time I will make a chocolate/strawberry combo

Mmmmm

Yummy rustic rosemary peasant bread with some homemade cannelloni and strawberry flummery for dessert.

Firstly, let me say that if you haven't tried flummery you really should give it a go - easy, light, fluffy and tasty!

This was my first attempt at bread making and the it was a very satisfying experience - from the fresh yeasty smell as the dough was rising to the slowly rising rounds of bread to the taste. It was a great bread recipe to start with and I think I can see me making bread again!

Ok, my pictures aren't great but the food is YUMMY (no photo of the cannelloni - I forgot to take one before I dished up my dinner! lol)

Mmmmm

Mmmm... fresh home made cottage pie, still hot and bubbly from the oven
(I took this photo last night, fully intending to post before I went to bed, but it just didn't happen!)
And 2 new postcards that I made last weekend for a swap that I am in. The flowers are 3d and I added some little black bead "seeds" in their centers