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21.4.15

Blueberry Streusel Muffins



Hello, blog!

I made these incredible muffins this morning and had to share the recipe, because everyone needs a solid blueberry muffin in their arsenal.
They're a little bit fancy and that's what makes them so great. If you bake them for guests, songs will be written in your name. Your fame will spread far and wide.
You need to make these muffins.

These muffins are swirled on top with a lemon-blueberry sauce and then generously topped with a classic streusel topping.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Recipe from Just Another Day in Paradise

Ingredients:
Streusel Topping
3 Tablespoons white sugar
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
4 Tablespoons melted butter

Muffins
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 1/8 cups sugar, plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. If your oven cooks on the hot side normally, reduce the heat. Some people have commented that 425 was too hot. I would recommend getting a thermometer for your oven if you aren't sure.

Prepare standard muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or liners. Bring 1 cup blueberries, water, and 1 teaspoon sugar to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, mashing the berries with your potato masher or fork several times and stirring frequently, until berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced by about half. This will take about 6 minutes. After the blueberry sauce is cooked add the lemon juice and stir. Transfer to small bowl and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.

Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl. Whisk remaining sugar and eggs together in medium bowl until thick and well combined. Slowly mix in butter and oil until combined. Whisk in buttermilk and vanilla. Using rubber spatula, fold egg mixture and remaining cup blueberries into flour mixture until just moistened. (Batter will be very lumpy with few spots of dry flour; do not over mix.)

Using a cookie scoop or large spoon, divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups (batter should completely fill cups and mound slightly). Spoon teaspoon of cooked berry mixture into center of each mound of batter. Using chopstick or skewer, gently swirl berry filling into batter using figure-eight motion. Sprinkle lemon sugar or streusel evenly over muffins.

Bake until muffin tops are golden and just firm, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool muffins in muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and cool 5 minutes before serving.

x

10.2.15

Tuna Stuffed Zucchini

I saw my friend post about yummy tuna melts on Facebook this morning. Then it hit me how badly I NEEDED tuna melts. One problem though: no bread in the house. Which... kind of a big problem in terms of tuna melts. I popped out into the garden and found some zucchini that had been missed and were quickly growing and needed eating. AND SO MY NEW FAVORITE LUNCH WAS BORN.

Audrey (age 3) was super pleased with the thought of eating 'zucchini boats' and gobbled hers up. Margaret (19 months) preferred hers with crackers, but whatevs. I'll forgive her because she's cute and she doesn't know what's good for her.



Tuna Stuffed Zucchini

olive oil
salt
1 medium zucchini

1 can tuna in spring water
2-4 Tbsp. mayo (depending on how moist you want it)
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard
4-5 crushed saltine crackers
1/2 small red bell pepper (capsicum), chopped fine
lemon juice
dried dill weed
salt & pepper
few drops of worcestershire sauce

shredded cheese for melting
---
Heat oven to 400F (200C). Slice zucchini in half and scoop out the seeds to make a 'boat'. Drizzle with olive oil and salt. Grill in hot oven for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

While zucchini is in the oven, mix the tuna filling. To make the tuna filling mix together the tuna, mayo, garlic, mustard, crushed crackers, squeeze of lemon juice, dill, salt & pepper (to taste), and worcestershire sauce. Add extra mayo as needed.

Fill the zucchini boats with the tuna mixture, top with cheese, and grill for 2-3 minutes.

x

6.2.15

New Year Traditions

Okay, so this is a little late but it's too beautiful not to document.

We've made it a tradition to go camping around Christmas and the New Year. It's a lovely time of year and we've got an absolutely gorgeous spot. There's a little cabin next to a creek and we're tucked in by rolling hills, trees, and the calls of native birds. It's perfect really. The first year we went I traipsed through the fields with Audrey gathering wildflowers and weeds to fashion into a flower crown for the girls. We took some photos and spun around enjoying our hard work and resolved to do it again next year.

This year was no exception and we went camping in the same beautiful spot with family. As we were packing up we braided another flower crown to document our little holiday.

Seeing these photos side by side fills me with pride at my beautiful girls and makes my heart ache a little at how fast they grow.

2014.





2015.



So here's to family holidays, little traditions that make things special, and soaking your children up before they grow up. Because they grow up way too fast.

xo

23.9.14

In Stitches: Scout Tee

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I love a good tee. Who doesn't? But I'll admit I'm a little picky when it comes to finding the *perfect* tee. It has to be comfy AND stylish, never tight fitting because... just no. Cause then I'm not comfy. I'm too worried about my muffin top spilling over my jeans. AMIRIGHT? *ahem*

Enter the Scout Tee by by Grainline Studios. This loose fitting tee fits the bill perfectly. It requires very little fabric (think stash busting!) and is very easy from start to finish. It's stylish in that it manages to look a bit fancy but is sooo so comfy. So much win!

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This pattern is actually designed for woven fabric and I have big plans to make some fancier blouses but it also makes a killer knit tee. This pattern is masterfully drafted and has very clear instructions that are easy to follow. PLUS, it's very easy to modify! I lengthened the Scout Tee to a more flattering length for me and made the neckline binding thinner to give it a more polished look.

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I have plans to try and alter the pattern into a sheer peplum and a longer baby-doll tee dress.

Now BRB while I make ALLLL the tee shirts! x

19.9.14

Link Love .002

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  • How to accept a compliment with class  - An important lesson for everyone! Have you been guilty of discounting or brushing away compliments?

  • Self Lymph Drainage Massage - This was INVALUABLE to me this winter. I know we're heading out of colder weather now but it doesn't mean you can't get a bad head cold. I was dizzy for days because of all the sinus pressure, but after I did this massage my ears popped and I wasn't dizzy anymore. Many amaze.

  • A smart fight for awareness against food waste - I saw this campaign and thought that it was brilliant. It's a good reminder that just because food isn't picture perfect doesn't mean it's only good for tossing out. Fight food waste.

  • Perfecting serger tension - This. Because overlockers don't need to be a terrifying mystery.

  • The Myth of the Perfect Job - I found this series really really interesting. It's made me rethink a lot about careers and happiness. It's a multi-part series and I highly recommend it. It's quite good reading.

  • High-tech Silverware that assists those with hand tremors - I think this will mean a lot to those with tremors! This is a brilliant invention, in my opinion. 

17.9.14

DIY Hand painted Skirt

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I made this skirt ages ago (more on that later). It just never really clicked with me. I mean, it was always just OKAY in my mind. A good staple, but a bit boring. Do you what I mean? I'd been playing around with the idea of hand printing fabrics for ages but I didn't have a specific project in mind. Then it hit me. What my skirt needed was some personality. It needed some zing. What it NEEDED was some hand printing. I played around with the idea of handprinted triangles or parallelograms, but after a failed experiment I decided to go with imperfect swipes with a paintbrush.

Zing badabing. It was just what this skirt needed.

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I used a bronze textile paint and an acrylic paintbrush, laid the skirt out (with newspaper inside the skirt so that the paint didn't bleed through), and had it! It was a simple project that I knocked out in an afternoon. After the paint dried I set it with a hot iron so that the paint wouldn't wash out.

Now I have a skirt that I finally love.

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16.9.14

Link Love .001

Man, why do weekends feel like they go by so fast?*

This weekend we enjoyed spending some time with Audrey's cousins who are up visiting from Masterton. We miiiiissssed them.

This weekend we also did some tidying up outside, gardening, ate some fish and chips, and generally enjoyed the good weather. I could get used to Spring.

What did you get up to this weekend?


Link Love:

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source: Serious Eats

  • The Serious Eats Field Guide to Asian Greens - I've been venturing out into the unknown and have started cooking with various Asian greens. I found this article really useful in decoding these new-to-me veggies.

  • I want to make this. Or something very like it. Watch this space.

  • Speaking of making things with wood. I bought a Kreg Jig Mini for  myself for my birthday and I'm totally excited and just a little bit nervous about getting over my fear of power tools.

  • 4 Ways To Turn A Hem  - The Coletterie has been running a blog series on all things hems. I found this article and the accompanying photos very helpful! Hemming sounds like it should be easy but it can be tricky to get it just right. If you've ever found yourself out of your depth with hemming then I highly recommend this blog series.

*Wait, it's Tuesday already? HOW?!

12.9.14

Hello! I missed you.

It has been, um, WAY too long since I've last blogged. I kinda took an unplanned, indefinite break from the blog. I needed a break and I needed to evaluate whether blogging was something I ever wanted to continue with or not.

And? Well, I missed it. At first it was nice not having to worry about blogging, then as time wore on I realized I missed the creative outlet that it gave me. And I missed YOU guys, though heaven knows *heh* that I'm on Instagram enough.

Annnnywho. I thought the blog needed a bit o' scrubbin up as a celebration so I gave the blog a bit of a facelift. I like.

I leave you with this and a promise to return soon. I've got lots planned for this little space:

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x

11.5.14

That time when Audrey cut her own hair

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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
HER BEAUTIFUL CURLS! NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

I looked at her freshly chopped hair with big eyes and calmly gave her a hug and handed her back to her papa. Then I walked into my room, closed the door, and I cried big fat alligator tears. We were in the other room when it happened. Phil walked in the lounge to get the girls dressed when I heard, "Oh no! Audrey! What have you done? LOVE! IT'S FINALLY HAPPENED!!" My first thought was, "We don't have any markers? She couldn't have drawn on furniture."

We had just finished watching Tangled and finished the part where Rapunzel's hair is cut short and Audrey wanted to cut her own hair too. We've watched it a dozen times but I didn't think that she'd actually TRY it!

After my sadness subsided we parted her hair differently and trimmed it all over to um... blend it in. And actually it's not so bad! I mean... it could have been worse right? And it'll only take another three years for it to grow out again. *big deep breath*

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I told her cutting her own hair was very naughty but that hair doesn't matter, she is still beautiful. And then I kissed her cute little nearly-3-year-old cheek and reminded her that I love her very much.

Phew. The adventures in motherhood.

Happy Mother's Day to me! ;)

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9.5.14

Frozen Pre-K Pack: review

Awhile back I saw that Wendi recommended a downloadable Frozen Pre-K Pack for toddlers. I hadn't seen the movie yet, so I book marked it for future use. Yaknow, just in case. Well, we eventually saw the movie and, you guessed it, Audrey is in love. She's added her favorite Frozen songs to her growing list of Disney songs that she sings around the house all day. So when I introduced the idea of sitting at the table and doing a few pages of "Frozen work" a day, she was KEEN.

There's some great activities that range in complexity to keep Audrey on her toes. There's pre-writing practice, cutting practice, Which one is different?, finish the pattern, size sequencing, Frozen Movie strip puzzle, counting practice, memory cards, and a load of other things.

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Audrey LOVES it.

I LOVE seeing her serious expression as she sits at the table and arranges her pencils just so while she's waiting for me to set up the next activity for her. She takes her "frozen Work" really seriously, you know.

I LOVE seeing her focus as she tries to suss out the activity and how her eyes light up when it *clicks* for her. She smiles and claps as we celebrate her success together.
It's really fun!

It's really opened up the door for us to work on things together. Today she asked me to show her how to write the alphabet so we worked on her letters together. Yesterday we played a memory game! And she's really really good at it. *ahem* (she whooped me) These activities are perfect for keeping a toddler occupied on a rainy day. WIN!

So yeah. Fun stuff. Give it a go. IT'S FRREEEEEEEE! http://www.overthebigmoon.com/frozen-pre-k-pack/

5.5.14

sixteen, seventeen, eighteen

”A portrait of my daughters, once a week, every week, in 2014."

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My girls. I'm so proud to call you my own.

I love you.

Love, Mama

Previous portraits here:


Photos taken by my brother in law, Peter. Thanks, Pete!

14.4.14

THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN, FIFTEEN

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Audrey: We bundled up went and saw the hot air balloons early one morning. I loved watching your face as you saw them up close.
Margaret: Playtime for Margaret.

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Audrey: Your favorite hairstyle: Princess braids. You ask for them daily and tell me every time how they are getting longer now.
Margaret: You are an eating machine! You helped yourself from a bag of apples.

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Audrey: Yesterday we discovered that the feijoas had finally ripened and we brought in a basket. You haven't stopped eating them since.
Margaret: My sweet, beautiful girl. I love this age. I love you.

”A portrait of my daughters, once a week, every week, in 2014."

Previous portraits here:




All photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions from the mini-collection. I'm not new to photoshop actions but I highly recommend these! They're really easy to use and I love the results. :)

11.4.14

Monkey See

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I was on the computer when I heard a strange noise. Margaret had found Audrey's drinking bottle and was sussing it out for herself*. She had figured it out at last! I wanted to snap a photo and document the moment, obviously, and snapped a few photos as I usually do. I looked over to find that Audrey was doing the same thing, mimicking what she had seen a hundred times before. She said, "I need to get a good photo, Mama."

Haha!

So I had to document that too. ;)

I sure love my funny babis!

*this was awhile ago. I'm slow with the documenting these days.

24.3.14

Emma's Food Bag: Calamari with Spiced Chickpeas

We cooked our first meal from the food bag and tonight's dinner was a hit! We had calamari with spiced chickpeas in lettuce boats with a fresh salsa. It was a totally new experience cooking with squid and I LOVED it. The whole dish was really fun and different than our norm.

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I was concerned that we wouldn't have enough food for both Phil and I plus our two girls but I cooked it up anyway with the intention of filling up on toast if there wasn't enough, but there was! There certainly weren't any leftovers. I couldn't finish my plate so Phil lent a hand with helping me finish my portion ;) I was nervous that neither of the girls would be into this new dish but they both ate with gusto, though Audrey took a bit long with the chickpeas. It's not that she didn't like it, she just takes F O R E V E R to eat. Margaret had trouble chewing the calamari but after I gave her a hand with that she gobbled it up.

The calamari was DELISH and the spiced chickpeas have become a new fave of mine. They were SO easy to make, that's what I really loved about them.

Results:

Talia:
Thoughts: I was surprised at how rich the calamari was! I was expecting it to feel light and I would feel ravenous later but it was VERY filling. I loved that the salsa added a big element of freshness to the overall dish keeping it from being too rich. YUM!

Phil:
Liked: The whole thing! He had no complaints other than he wished there was more because he loved it.

Audrey:
Loved: The calamari. I was quite pleased with that!

Margaret:
Loved: The chickpeas were definitely Margaret's favorite.

What's the most adventurous thing you've eaten or cooked lately? Are your family adventurous eaters? x