Chocolaty Nutty Goodness

I've made this slice so many times I don't need the recipe anymore!  I also don't think I've made it the same way twice.

I should add that this originally came from my cousin Sylvia.

So here is the recipe and a photo of my latest version! 

Choc Bit Slice

180g butter

2 cups crushed plain biscuits

200g choc bits

1 cup shredded coconut or chopped apricots

1 cup chopped nuts

1 tin condensed milk

·         Place a 30 x 20cm tray in the oven with the butter while the temp is warming to 180˚C.

·         Remove from oven and mix in the crushed biscuits, press down if you wish.

·         Sprinkle the choc bits on top.

·         Then sprinkle the coconut and top with the crushed nuts.

·         Pour the tin of condensed milk over the lot.

·         Bake for 30 minutes.

·         Cool completely before cutting.

Note: Nuts can be 1/3 macadamia, 1/3 peanuts & 1/3 cashews or 1/3 crushed walnuts.

Choc Bit Slice

Restored Faith

Well Heston just restored my faith in his abilities to wow and amaze with food.

Loved the 80s inspired feast.  I sooo wanted that toastie! ... and the dessert was special too.

Good thing I had eaten dinner by then, although my mouth still watered. Am now going to have to buy a soda stream to make my own fizzy alcohol!! Yes I know you can buy it that way...but where's the fun in that!!

Slowly going down hill

Okay so after a fabulous first 2 shows, Heston's Feasts, has kinda not lived up to expectation since.  Last night's 70s Theme, while okay, didn't exactly dazzle me as the first 2 had.  I guess it was the fantasy of the themes that got me hooked and then the ingenuity of the courses served. Shall see how the 80s Theme for next week stacks up.

I was however impressed with the Food Safari last night, German cuisine!!  I am not a fan of sauerkraut, but watching the prep on the show made me want to eat it! Particularly with that enormous pork knuckle they cooked! Oh and the stunning Black Forest Cake made my mouth water, still is in fact!

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Sashiko!

After Mum came back from her Japanese/Korean Quilting holiday last year, she told me about something called Sashiko.  I didn't really quite grasp what she was talking about at the time, even though she had bought a number of books and was showing me all the pics.  I went to the Craft & Quilt Fair this year, and noticed a "Make & Take" for a Sashiko card.  I knew Mum liked it, so thought this would be a great start to getting her 60th Birthday gift together.

According to Wikipedia, sashiko is literally "little stabs". It is a form of decorative reinforcement stitching (or functional embroidery) from Japan. Traditionally used to reinforce points of wear, or to repair worn places or tears with patches, this running stitch technique is often used for purely decorative purposes in quilting and embroidery. The white cotton thread on the traditional indigo blue cloth gives sashiko its distinctive appearance, though decorative items sometimes use red thread.


Many Sashiko patterns were derived from Chinese designs, but just as many were developed by the Japanese themselves.

So after attending the workshop and making my little dragonfly design, of which I forgot to take a photo, I proceeded to the shop and bought a kit for a small bag or apron, depending on your preference.  I chose the traditional indigo fabric and the decorative red thread.  So now I'm hooked!

My little Sashiko bag!

Newest Jewellery Made

This is a pic of the finished product, made for my mother's 60th Birthday.

These are the earrings I made. I purposely made them to be worn with any other piece of jewellery my mother has too.

Mum was born in the year of the tiger in the Chinese Horoscope.

Garnet chips with clear glass crystals and hematite seed beads.

Garnet chips, hematite seed beads and a big agate bead.

Stitched and Bitched

Soooo ... attended the August SnB on the weekend.  Was great to get together and craft.  Although I spent a great deal of time in the kitchen keeping Karen H company while she created gourmet quiches & a divine smelling bolognaise!  We also had my Rice Paper Rolls, yummy bruschetta and a fabulous cheese plate from Nerolie! We tend to over cater these get togethers, but hey, it's half the fun!

I eventually went into the other room and started my Sashiko! I managed to do quite a a bit for the amount of time I actually spent doing craft!  I have to say there wasn't as much laughter as there usually is when we 'Ladies' get together for our SnB days.  Might have something to do with the fact Karen W is about to pop with child at any moment. Was a good day for me anyway, it got me out of the house and doing something other than watching TV. Will post a pic of progress on my Sashiko later.

Famous Chef's

Just watched Heston's Feasts The Chocolate Factory Episode. 

OMG!!! He is brilliant!! I loved the way he made everything edible, but fun! I so wanted to try everything he made. The likable wallpaper was brilliant. Not too sure about the mushroom dish, but then again am not fond of mushrooms. The Duck a la orange (spelling?) looked sooo tasty! And what can I say about the dessert! The idea behind the chocolate fountain was stunning! I want to taste that chocolate water!

Sigh ... will be watching again next week for the fairytale theme.

Cupcake Day!

So yesterday was Cupcake day for the RSPCA in Australia.

I made some plain buttercake mix up and just spooned it into the regular cupcake patty cases.  I was going to be a little more complex and use a chocolate cake mix too. Ya know, to create the marble effect, but by the time I got to baking the cakes it was a little too late. The cakes turned out great!! I must remember to use buttercake mix when making cupcakes again, as it seems to be a little more dense than the chocolate or vanilla mixes.


I topped the cakes with White Chocolate Ganache with Peppermint essence mixed in.  Then I sprinkled 100s & 1000s over the top of that.  Would have been perfect if I'd gotten the consistency of the Ganache right. I think I used too much cream for the amount of chocolate.

Anyway here is a pic of what they looked like!