Today is my dear darling husbands Birthday!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE!!!!!

He decided he was going to take the day off work, so we could spend some time together as a family. This morning we spent a hour digging in the garden, and then we headed off into the country-side for a walk and some yummy food.

There is a lovely old homestead just out of town.. only about a 7 minute drive from our house. They have lovely gardens that you can walk through, with 2 gorgeous little bridges. And there is a cafe attached that makes really nice food. So we went for a walk then stuffed ourselves for lunch. Miss Delightful had a fantastic time playing outside, running around and climbing the bridges. Unfortunately our camera decided that it was going to “pretend” to take photos. Most of the photos from the morning don’t show up on the camera, it’s like I never took them! But there are a few that I’ll add later.

We are going to have cake very soon and then homemade pizza for dinner. After dinner the hubby and I are going to head out on our own. We want to try the new ice skating rink in town and then go out for dessert!

But for now, I shall leave you with a photo of the cake creation…. Mr W is really into technology, especially his phone. So now he gets to eat one:

Yes I did write that correctly! Tonight I made a Chocolate Mug Cake. A friend of mine sent me a whole bunch of recipes for yummy desserts that can be made in a normal mug with a normal dessert spoon! So I decided that I would test one, I had my doubts but Mr Wonderful and I really enjoyed our Chocolate Mug Cake!

This is what you start off with (yummy chocolate goo)

And this is what you end up with! We didn’t have any ice cream so we used a bit of milk. Mr W suggested some strawberry jam would have gone nicely with it too!

Here is the recipe if you want to try it out:

Equipment:

• A Mug
• A normal, everyday dessert spoon
• A microwave

Ingredients:

• 4 spoons self-raising flour
• 4 spoons sugar
• 2 spoons cocoa
• 1 egg
• 4 spoons milk
• 4 spoons oil
• A splash of vanilla extract

Method:

Add the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa) to the mug and mix well.
Add the egg, milk, oil and vanilla extract and mix well.
Place MUG in microwave for 3 minutes on high. (I put it on a plate just in case it made a mess!)
Serve with ice-cream, double cream, chocolate sauce or all three.

Note – We thought that a mug would be a perfect serving size… however if I was to make this again I think I would make one mug between the 2 of us. There is a decent amount of chocolate mug cake to enjoy But this will not help me to feel fit or loose weight, so I don’t think I’ll be making it again for a while!

Miss Delightful and I just have the most yummy pancakes ever!! We have just finished eating and I had to share them with you!

I really wanted something other than bread for lunch so I thought of making pancakes, but we have no eggs! So I jumped on the trusty internet and found this recipe. I don’t know if I will go back to making normal ones again cause these tasted so good!

Here is the recipe (taken straight from the blog):

FLUFFY EGGLESS PANCAKES

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon butter

Combine dry ingredients and mix slightly. Add milk, oil, water, and vanilla. Whisk together until just combined. Be careful not to over mix – it should still be slightly lumpy. Set aside to rest for a few minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. While pan is heating, add butter. As soon as the butter is melted, add melted butter to pancake batter.

Return pan to stove and stir butter into batter.

When pan is hot, with a measuring cup or ladle, pour 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake.

Cook until bubbles form on the surface. Carefully flip pancakes with turner/spatula and cook until golden brown.

Have you ever baked something that sounds and looks amazing in the cookbook but when you try it looks nothing like the photos?? I did that today. Mr Wonderful’s parents arrive tonight to stay with us for the weekend so I decided to bake some cookies. Mine turned out like one big sheet, not the cute little round circles that the photo showed.

But guess what?? It doesn’t matter because they taste AMAZING!!!

I’m not sure how many will actually be left to eat this weekend.

I tried cutting them into circles and then gave up and cut them into bars. The shape doesn’t alter the taste at all!

Thank goodness it worked out, now I just wish my house would tidy itself so I can enjoy the cookies! hehe!

YUM!!! My Mum and Dad bought me a calendar for Christmas… every day has a different recipe for something sweet. I have baked a few of them so far and they are delicious. This one was no exception!

Here is the recipe if you’re interested:

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter
85g chocolate
2 eggs
2 cups caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts (I didn’t have any so missed these out)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the over to 175C (350F). Line a 9x13in pan with baking paper.
2. Sift flour and baking soda together in a bowl. Melt butter and chocolate.
3. In another bowl, beat the eggs until foamy, then beat in the sugar until well blended. Stir in the melted chocolate, butter and vanilla.
4. Add the dry ingredients and spoon into the pan. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Allow to cool in the tray for 10 minutes, then cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Cut into bars.

Makes 2 dozen. Store in an airtight container for 5-7 days.

Note: It seems very gooey when you first take it out of the oven but as it cools it gets harder. The sides however turn very hard, so watch your teeth!

A friend of mine sent me the recipe for some breastfeeding milk boosting cookies!

I might actually give it a try! I’ll let you know if they make a difference!

Here is the recipe if anyone is interested:

Ingredients :

* 1 cup butter or marg
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup brown sugar
* 4 tablespoons water
* 2 tablespoons linseed (flaxseed) meal*
* 2 large eggs
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* 2 cups flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 3 cups oats, thick cut if you can get them
* 1 cup or more chocolate chips
* 2 tablespoons of brewers yeast* (be generous)

Directions:

Preheat oven at 375 degrees F, 180c. Mix together 2 tablespoons of linseed meal and water, set aside for 3-5 minutes. Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mix well. Stir linseed mixture and add with vanilla to the margarine mix. Beat until blended. Sift together dry ingredients, except oats and chips. Add to margarine mixture. Stir in oats & chips. Scoop onto baking sheet lined with baking paper.

If you have 2-3 smallish ones a day it balances out supply but if you need to boost the supply eat more.