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christmas treats

I baked only a few things for Christmas this year as I ran out of time.

Gingerbread Rudoff Reindeer, sugar plums and fruit mince pies ( Donna Hay).

Ginger Bread Bickies
350g plain flour
2tsp ground ginger
1 tsp bicarb soda
115g butter
175g brown sugar
1 egg
3 tbs golden syrup

Blitz flour, ginger and bicarb in a food processor to combine
Add butter, blitz again so it looks like bread crumbs.
Add sugar, egg and syrup.
Blitz till it comes together
Turn onto surface and knead (might be crumbly at first but it’ll get there, depends on the temperature of the butter) Roll out and cut as required
Bakes at 180 -190 deg for 8-10 minutes

To make the reindeer; Before baking, press on pretzel antlers, mini m&m eyes and red 'christmas m&m noses.

Three chocolate mousse torte

The first time I made this was for Christmas Day lunch. then my Nanna requested it for her birthday.

There is a sponge base then a dark chocolate mousse layer followed by a white chocolate mousse covered with dark chocolate ganache. The first version I decorated with almond Praline the second with toffee braclettes. I arranged the bracelettes to represent a crysanthamum with dots of toffee in the centre.

This is my own recipe, it's fantastic.

strawberry charlotte

Strawberry Charlotte (10 in)

Lady finger sponge biscuts with a Strawberry bavarian cream filling (from here).

On top are chocolate curls and toffee bracelets.

This cake was fantastic, I very happy with how the sponge fingers turned out, though the recipe made heaps I think next time I'll halve it. This time around I was satisfied with dipping the leftovers in chocolate fondue >;)

Recycled Denim

Bags are something that I never get tired of. This one for this outfit, that one for that.

Or how about making a bag out of an outfit.

These bags were both skirts. The pictures arent great, they look much better in real life. The top one is a pleated skirt I boxed the corners added some plastic reinforcing to the waist to hold it up and rolled handles and two magnetic closures. The bottom pic is a Billabong mini skirt. with boxed corners and plastic boning to hold out the waist and a magnetic closure.

I'm pretty happy with the way they turned out.

Christmas Gifts

Making bags is a new facination of mine, I have made a few recycled denim handbags that I really like, and I made my first bag from scratch as a gift for my mum for christmas. She is nuts about fairies. Truly, nuts.

When I saw this fabric at a craft fair in Mildura I snatched it up, I had no idea what I'd do with it but I knew I would think of something.

I got a great pattern from Nicole Mallalieu Design. And its easy too.

I also have the most adorable model, don't I?

Low fat brownies

I know low fat and brownies don't usually got in a centance together, but every rule has its excption. These brownies are fudgy, sweet, moist and chocolaty.

And best of all only one gram of fat per serve. Does it get better?

Whats the secret you ask? Okay I'll tell you, this recipe totaly replaces butter with *gasp* tofu.

Now before you run screaming into the woods, hiding from reality, they are actually pretty darn good. My kids love them (duh, it's chocolate). My DH loves them, keeps asking me to make more. He has taken them to work and had rave reviews. So this is a recipe I'll be keeping.

I picked up the recipe from FatFree Vegan Kitchen, now I'm not vegan, but I'll eat anything that tastes good, and this blog is stuffed with food that tastes good. Brownies being no exception.

Fatfree and Fabulous Fudgy Brownies
1/2 tbsp. ground flax seed (I'm not vegan and didn't have any flax seeds so I used an egg instead)

1-1/2 tbsp. hot water

3/4 cup lite silken tofu (firm), crumbled

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup unbleached white flour or cake flour

1 cup unbleached cane sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional--depending on how nutty you like your brownies)

Mix the ground flax seeds with 1- 1/2 tablespoons of hot water and set aside. (Mixture will thicken slightly.)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist an 8-inch x 8-inch x 2-inch glass baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.Blend the tofu, water, maple syrup, cocoa powder, flax mixture (or egg), and vanilla extract until completely smooth.

(I use a hand-blender, but you can do this in a regular blender.)

Place the remaining ingredients, except the walnuts, in a medium mixing bowl and stir them together until they are well combined. Pour the blended mixture into the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl, and stir them until they are well combined. Fold in the walnuts, if using.Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Completely cool the brownies in the pan. Cut and serve.
These are fudgy, not cake-like, brownies, and they're actually better the second day...if you can make them last two days! This is really as fudgy as it gets without added oils or chocolate chips, so you can indulge your sweet tooth without worry.

The nutritional breakdown, based on 12 brownies:
With 1/4 cup walnuts: 174 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (11% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 69mg Sodium; 2 gm Fiber; 3 Weight Watchers Points

No nuts: 158 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 37g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 69mg Sodium; 2 g Fiber; 2.5 Weight Watchers Points