Christmas Party Dinner!

Lovely!

Christmas Party

The Secret Location!
Can you guess where we are?

Christmas in Paradise!

So Chopper and I are on our way to my work annual Christmas Party weekend! All very hush hush at a secret location. I must say that Virgin Lounges really do have good food. With the amount I travel on planes it needs to be. Makes you feel at home while I'm waiting. Will keep you updated on our secret adventure!

My Birthday Goodness!

 

What a lovely day!

Roses from my Nieces & Nephews!

 

The Shoes I wanted from Hype

from Chopper!

 

The stash from my family & beautiful roses from Chopper!

I feel so special!

 

Arancini for dinner with Roasted Vegetable Salad

Garlic Bread and Chocolate Raspberry Fudge Cake!

 

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

Chopper's 40th Birthday!

 

My Gorgeous Chopper had his 40th Birthday

last Wednesday!

I took him away for a no children 5 fun filled days!

We discovered nature!

 



Chopper rode his first horse, scratch that from the bucket list baby! He is now walking like an old man! Stiff and Sore!

We rode 13 rides at Movie World in 5 hours!

I have bruises from the harnesses and decided that my heart must be pretty strong to survive all that!



 

And we made some new friends, 7 of them! Chopper was enthralled by them!

 

I must say it was a wonderful Birthday for him and I got to share it!

 

Happy 40th Baby!

xoxoxoxox

A Little Pot of Gold at the end of the Rainbow!

Alfresco 2

 

 

I very rarely recommend places to buy or eat. I don't do it because I find there is never any consistency. One day fantastic, next time BLAH!

1. The food is just not consistent, chefs on different shifts that cook food differently.
2. Staff changes, sometimes friendly, sometimes NOT.
3. The quality of produce seems to differ on different times that you go, sometimes really fresh, others not so fresh

 

So hence, I try to avoid it. But about 18months ago I went to one of my sons many birthday parties he gets invited to. One of the parents was smart enough to have little desserts on platters. Normally you get stuck with a cold sausage roll, a piece of cake that your son has eaten all the icing off and some really bad coffee and tea station. Yuk! It's bad enough having to stand there for 2 hours when really you just want to be doing something else. But we do it because we love watching how much fun our son has and how special he feels to be invited to a 6 year old red carpet event.

 

So I asked the parent where she got them? This is the place Alfresco 2 and oh my what a flavour hit.

 

We have been going there ever since. Seriously this place is something special. The pastries are divine. Always beautiful, always fresh, always lovely staff!!!

The price is exceptional $1.30 per piece with the ones I picked.

 

And last but not least consistently Excellent!!

 

 

Last night was our Football Teams break up dinner and I supplied dessert!

 

 

This is what I brought them!

 

 

This is them, well some of them anyway. Full range below.

 

 

 

Their Range includes:

• Cannoli
• Ricotta Cannoli
• Chocolate Eclair
• Coffee Eclair
• Puff
• Hazelnut Puff
• Vanilla Slice
• Fruit Tart
• Strawberry Tart
• Almond Tart
• Rum Baba
• Banana Caramel
• Sfogliatelle
• Chocolate Sfogliatelle

 

- The Chocolate & Vanilla Custard Cannoli is the perfect amount of sweetness and that gorgeous crunch of the shell.

 

- The Chocolate Eclair is again the perfect amount of sweetness and that lovely fluffy choux pastry, with the decadent chocolate on top

 

- The Vanilla Slice, the most perfect vanilla slice I have ever had. Just perfection.

 

So I am telling you, if you live in Adelaide, go here, you will become addicted.

Just a wonderful place.

 

Alfresco 2

Opening Hours

Monday to Friday - 8am-5pm
Saturday - 8am-3pm
Sunday - Closed

(Closed all public holidays)


Shop 4
636 Lower North East Road
Campbelltown
South Australia 5074

Phone: 08 8365 3480
Fax: 08 8365 9662
Email: alfresco2@internode.on.net

 

 

For The Vegetarian Footballer In Your Life!

 

Yes, Yes You Are, CAPTAIN!

Vegetable, Sage & Parsley Gnocchi with Butter, Garlic & Pine Nuts

 

For The Gnocchi

I made a massive batch so I could snap freeze half for a different sauce in the future. The KEY to good Gnocchi is it needs to be light and fluffy not heavy like a dumpling. How to do that is to not overwork the dough, mix it with your hands gently and knead it gently.

 

Ingredients

 

3 kilos of potato, peeled, cubed and steamed.

3 Free range Eggs

1-2 Cups of 000 Flour

Extra Flour for rolling

1 Cup of Flat Leafed Parsley Chopped (Italian Parsley)

 

 



 

 

Once you have steamed the potatoes, lay them out on a tray and allow them to sit for a good 15 minutes to cool and to dry out. Then put them through a potato ricer. The good thing about a potato ricer is that it keeps the potato light and fluffy. If you don't have one, I would use a colander and push the potato through using a spatula. Mashing them is not a good idea as it seems to make the dough a lot heavier. 

 

 

In a very large bowl, add the potato, the cup of chopped parsley, three eggs and about a cup and a half of flour. I also added a good grind of black pepper.

 

 

Mix with your hands nice and gently to form a ball, this is when you will assess if you need more flour. If it is really sticky add some more as you go. Once it has come together in a nice ball, put on a floured bench.

 

Knead the dough not for long until the ball looks like below.

 

 

Cut dough into Quarters, each quarter you roll into long ropes about 1 inch thick and cut the dough into about 3 quarter and inch pieces, then place them on a lined tray.



 

Remember to be gentle with it. They are like light fluffy pillows.

 

 

I left mine out for an hour or so just to rest. Then I froze half of them on the tray, after they were frozen for a good few hours, I popped them into a freezer container for a later date. Half the Gnocchi will feed 4 large eaters ( Footballers)

 

They are so beautiful.

 

For the Sauce

 

Ingredients

 

Cup of Chopped Sage

Cup of Chopped Flat Leafed Parsley (Italian Parsley)

3 Large Cloves of Garlic Chopped

Cup of Toasted Pine Nuts

2 Punnets of Cherry Tomatoes Cut in Half

3 Zucchinis Chopped into uniformed pieces

75 grams of good Quality Butter

A Good First Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper to Season

 

Now I made this in two batches, the reason I did that was so I could keep the Gnocchi light and fluffy without crushing it all together in one massive pot. But after doing it in two batches, I look back and think I probably could have done it in one.

You decide how you would like to do it.



 

Before you start you need to have a massive pot of well salted boiling water on the stove for the Gnocchi. In a separate large pan on a medium to high heat pop in half the butter and a really good splash of the olive oil. Use a good olive oil, it's about taste and you want that lovely fruity pepperyness from the oil.

Fry off half the garlic until translucent and then add half the zucchini. Cook on a medium high heat until the Zucchini has just become translucent as well. Add half the cherry tomatoes and half the sage. Give it a quick stir.

 

Gently place the half the Gnocchi into the salted boiling water, they only take 30-60 seconds to cook. They will sink to the bottom when you put them in. Once they start floating they are done. Use a slotted spoon as they come to the top and gently place them in the pot with the herbs and vegetables.

 

 

Gently stir them through the sauce, with half the parsley and add half of the pine nuts. Season to taste, lots of pepper and I used quite a bit of salt.

Serve Immediately.

 

Like I said, I did it in two batches that's why each measure is half of what is in the ingredients list. It was delicious. My Vegetarian Football Captain loved it!

The flavor is just lovely.

Enjoy!

Lasagne, Football & Red Velvet Cupcakes

Well its the end of the football season and I must say I am very sad. I have had such an amazing time being the Team Manager for My Chopper and Sons Footy Team! Can't wait for it to start again! I would have to say that my boys have spoilt me rotten with their love and it has been so much fun! The year has gone by so quickly and I have not had time to scratch myself, but I couldn't be happier. Saturday was our last presentations for our B Grade and our C Grade so I volunteered to do the dinner for my boys. Lets just say Lasagne and Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting is the way to a mans heart and I think I won the boys hearts. Yes they are spoilt :)

 I am really looking forward to watching our A Grade in the finals this weekend!

So now that I have a bit more time I should be getting some more recipes and stories out! No I have not dissapeared, just been busy.

I am loving life, man it's just so sweet at the moment, fingers crossed that it stays that way. My Gorgeous Husband, Beautiful Kids, what more can you ask for really!

I can't get the photo of the Red Velvet cupcake to be the right way up. This new layout on Blogger is confusing. This is a Martha Stewart Recipe and it is bloody sensational. Wen't down like a treat. Enjoy the recipe, thanks Martha, it is awesome!!!

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self- rising), sifted
2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons red food color
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.

2.With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.

3.Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.

4.Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.

5.To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting   Ingredients

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 pound (4 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1.Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth.

For The Love of Doughnut Babies!

Ingredients

7g Dried Yeast

3 Tablespoons of warm water

1 1/2 Cups of Luke Warm Milk

1/2 Cup of Castor Sugar

1 Teaspoon of Salt

2 Eggs

75g Butter Softened in little cubes

625g Plain Bread Flour + 3 Extra Cups for security purposes

Cinamon Sugar - 2 Cups of Sugar & 2 Tablespoons of Cinnamon

Sprinkle yeast over warm water and allow to sit until bubbly.

In a large bowl or in your mixer with the dough attachment add the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, butter and half the flour. Mix on low for a few minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixture and give it a good stir. Add in the remaining flour and mix on low until a dough forms. Now for the extra flour. I have modified this website recipe as it did not come together into a nice dough. I had to add 3 extra cups of flour to get it to come together. I also only used half the butter that they recommended. (I hate it when you google a recipe and it's not right, drives me batty!)

Place the dough in a bowl and cover. Allow to double in size. Then tip it out onto a floured bench, bash out all the air and roll it out like cookie dough. I had it at about 1cm thick. We used cookie cutters dipped in flour to make shapes. But Alex like the little doughnut men so we mostly used those. Keep the bits and pieces left over. I used them to test the heat of the oil and they were just as delicious also. Place them on a lined baking tray and allow them to proof until they puff up like the photo above.

Now for the frying. I used my electric Wok. It was excellent and a great way to keep the oil the right temperature about 175 degrees. I hovered mine between the 8 & 10 setting on the Wok. Use one of the test pieces and if the oil is bubbling away nicely round the edges your set. Once browned to golden on one side, flip them over with a slotted spoon and allow them to brown on the other. Pull them out, drain on absorbent paper and while still hot dump them in Cinnamon sugar. We used one cup of sugar to every tablespoon of Cinnamon.

They were delicious. I had Kids and Husband in toe grabbing them before I could even finish the next batch. Enjoy them!