mosaic road

Cake and Daiquiris !!

Let Them Eat Cake {and Fairy Bread too}

I created this cake from Krispy Kremes - who cares about trans fats when it's your birthday ! It was a fabulous and fuss free way to serve lots of people without needing plates and eating utensils. A donut of your choice - as long as it is not one from the bottom layer -  and a paper serviette is all that was needed and it was a huge success. The other huge success was the fairy bread - just so reminiscent of kindergarten days. I lost count of the children who came up to me and said this was the best fairy bread they had ever eaten ! I actually doubt that was true, but they had just forgotten just how yummy it is to eat something sweet, buttery, crunchy and childish with not one zot of goodness in it. Fairy bread is just that, pure unadulterated fun and calories.

Wish Me Luck !

In several hours the above picture will look very different. I will turn the fridge bit on, add a couple of bottles of vodka and we will be serving frozen daiquiris !!! Daughter18 is having 40 "close" friends over for a birthday party tonight . Food will be traditional party fare including fairy bread, party pies and sausage rolls and big bowls of assorted sweets and candies and individual packets of chips, cheezels and twisties. I know it seems as though we are in a time warp but we have had this type of food at every party the children have had since they were toddlers and it all gets eaten and no one really expresses any interest in altering the sophistication level . The exception though being the type of beverages on offer. We have always made jugs of "cherry ripe" which is cola mixed with raspberry lemonade. This year alcohol will be served and we have hired this frozen daiquiri machine. Mango and strawberry daiquiris will be go nicely with fairy bread, don't you agree ??

Sausage Hotpot

This is a hearty, warming German style dish just perfect for our wintry chill. I used organic lamb sausages, my red peppers from earlier in the week and crisped up some little diced potatoes. It was easy to put together and flavoursome. We eat so little meat in this household that we really enjoy it when we do.

5 Dreaded Words !!

Last evening - 4.45pm on the dot - my electricity supply was severed by a distinctly unfriendly man from the State Electricity Commission . He served me with a defect notice that said "Defective Single Phase Mains Box" !!!
This left me in the half dark, no heat, no lights, no landline, no mobile charger and no internet !!! My neighbour had had power problems and in sorting them out a defect was located on my property. So it was up to me to get it fixed . Panic stations !! So I hastily and luckily found an electrician who did the necessary repairs by torch light and then we had the long, dark and cold wait for the unfriendly man to reappear, survey the work and deem it OK and turn the power back on, which he did at 9 pm. I realize now I am not suited to domestic adversity in any way. How I take for granted the flicking of a switch !!!

Pics of the Show - 13, the Musical - as requested !!

Cornish Tapas .

 

Those two words do not sound right together do they ? They sound like a total anathema to me -  but daughter21 had wonderful tapas  with friends the other night at a little place on the Cornish coast. In the scheme of things, I suppose, Cornwall is not that far from the Mediterranean especially as the crow flies. The pictures speak for themselves and the food looks like they are in a little place on the Spanish coast ! Weatherwise, I am sure they wish they were !!

Autumnal Sunday.

What a classic autumn day ! It was very cold overnight and when I got up at 2 am to collect daughter18 from a party I could see the beginnings of fog lying in low clouds over the parks.  When I threw back the doona at about 7.30 it was really chill and totally windless and very, very foggy. I headed off to meet a sweet, sweet friend  at Cafe Moravia for a capuccino and then totally indulged myself with an Italian hot chocolate - wow - so thick, akin to a liquid chocolate mousse ! I had nothing on my agenda for this autumn day after coffee but a string of chores. And after the mayhem of the last week these were in abundance ! So I made barley soup, roasted a tray of capsicums, weeded an out of control patch of garden, swept the deck and porch, made banana pancakes for daughter18's brunch, walked dogs, ran 4kms, sorted washing and went to the gym. The day stayed still, even though I did not. It got to about 14 C and the evening has closed in early. I now can tuck myself into bed with a great sense of satisfaction that I used my time on this 'stay at home Sunday' very wisely.

13, the Musical

via en.wikipedia.org

This is the musical that daughter18 has been in. The show was brilliant and the final show was last night. I was lucky enough to go twice and loved every single second. Daughter18 had the role of Kendra. This is an all singing/all dancing type of musical and was the best fun for both performers and the audience. The lyrics are clever and some quite hysterical. As it was the final performance  last night the cast was just on fire as was the audience. It was just so much fun to be there !! Champagne at interval was fun too !

My Baby Turns 18 !!

Happy Birthday, darling ! Daughter17 now becomes daughter18 ! Such a turning point - you can now legally drink, drive and vote ! The world is your oyster ! Enjoy your day and make the most of every minute today, tomorrow, the next day and forever ! You are only young once and the world truly lies at your little dainty dancer's feet ! I am so proud of you, don't stop singing and dancing, baby pidgeon !!