Daisy Chains and Picnics

  I made this the other day for my lunch, it was delicious, I did the bacon in the air fryer, recipe  here  and made a minted pea spread, recipe  here I toasted a slice of mixed grain bread, it would also be delicious on chargrilled bruschetta or sourdough bread ( heat a chargrill pan over medium-high heat, brush both sides of bread with olive oil, then cook for 2 minutes each side or until golden and charred). Use sliced ham, shredded chicken or crumbled feta if you are not keen on bacon. Spread a layer of the minted pea, top with crispy bacon or topping of your preference. Enjoy.

  This is a delicious refreshing combination of peas, mint and ricotta, ideal for spreading on toast, toasted sourdough bread, crackers or simply enjoy as a dip or jacket potato filling. Ingredients 1 cup frozen peas 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced 2 tbsp light smooth ricotta 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves 1 tbsp olive oil Method 1.  Cook peas and garlic in a small pan of boiling water for 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain. 2.  Transfer to a small food processor, add ricotta, mint leaves and oil, blitz until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Flicking through the recent woolworths.com.au fresh magazine I came across this recipe for salt and vinegar roast potatoes, they sounded delicious, so I just had to give them a try. Their recipe calls for 1 cup of apple cider vinegar but I was a bit worried it may make them a bit too vinegary for our liking so I used 3/4 cup, which for us was still a little too vinegary so I think next time I will try 1/2 cup instead. But go for the whole cup if you like a strong taste of vinegar. They also used rice bran oil, which I didn't have so substituted it with olive oil. Ingredients 1/2-3/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar 1 kg roasting potatoes, quartered 2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped 2 Tbsp olive oil Method 1.  Preheat oven to 200° C. Combine vinegar, potatoes and 6 cups water in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. Drain well and cool for 10 minutes until dry slightly. 2.  Meanwhile, combi...

Sprinkle with seasoning or herbs prior to baking for flavoured crisps, great for entertaining, really quick and easy to make. Tasty and crispy Ingredients 1 cup tasty cheese, grated Method 1.  Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. 2.  Arrange in small slightly flattened heaps on the baking tray. Bake for 7-8 minutes. 3.  Allow to cool slightly on tray before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely Enjoy.

1.  For a sore throat, add lemon juice and honey to sage tea and gargle before going to bed 2.  Freeze lemon juice in ice cube trays for later use. 3.  To remove stains from delicate clothing, soak in lemon juice and bicarbonate of soda for 30 minutes before washing. 4.  Add 1/2 lemon to the dishwasher for sparkling, clean-smelling dishes. 5.  Make lemon infused oil. Warm 250 ml olive oil and the rind of 2 lemons. Allow to cool then decant into a stoppered bottle. 6.  Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle the cut side with bicarbonate of soda. Use to scrub surfaces, dishes and stains. 7.  Exfoliate and clean your feet by mixing some lemon pulp and brown sugar and rub. Rinse and moisturise. 8.  Combine lemon juice, vinegar and water in a spray bottle and use as an all purpose cleaner. 9.  Make a facial scrub with sugar and lemon juice. 10.  Add cut lemons and 1 teaspoon of sugar to a vase of flowers to increase their lon...

These buttermilk pancakes are deliciously light and fluffy. By allowing the pancakes plenty of time to set and bubble up as they cook adds to the fluffiness of each pancake. Don't overmix the batter, this causes the pancakes to go flat and chewy, lumps  are perfectly fine. Ingredients 2 cups plain flour 2 1/2 tbsp sugar 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp salt 2 1/4 cups buttermilk 2 eggs, lightly beaten 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Method 1.  Preheat oven to 160°C. 2.  In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients, make a well in the centre. Pour buttermilk into the well, then add the eggs, butter and vanilla extract. Gradually whisk everything together until ingredients is incorporated. Don't overmix, lumps are fine. Set aside and rest for 10 minutes. 3.  Meanwhile, heat a non stick frying pan or griddle pan over a low heat for 4 minutes. Brush with some butter, increase heat to medium-low. Pour 1/3 cup batter...

A quick and easy snack that is full of fibre, protein, vitamins, minerals and healthy carbohydrates. Perfect for packed lunches, picnics or snacking on. Cerys devoured the entire bowl of these in one sitting. Tinned chickpeas are readily available at food stores and are really cheap to buy, not only is this snack healthy but also affordable.  Ingredients 425g tin chickpeas 1 tbsp olive oil 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp paprika 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper Method 1.  Heat air fryer to 200°C. 2.  Drain and rinse chickpeas. Pat dry well with paper towels. Place in a bowl, add olive oil and spices, toss to combine. 3.  Pour into air fryer basket. Cook for 12-15 minutes, shaking a few times during cooking.  4.  Once cooked, taste and add more salt if needed. Transfer to a bowl, allow to cool. Enjoy.

  I spotted this gorgeous butterfly on my succulents, hopping from plant to plant so I grabbed my phone to take a photo. As you would expect, it didn't stay still for long enough to get a lot of decent photos, as I was zooming in, most were quite blurry because I couldn't really see where it had moved to. I decided to try and get as close as possible without scaring it away altogether, when all of a sudden, it hoped onto my hand, as quick as I could I tried to snap some photos, to my delight it stayed on my hand for a good while, hopping from finger to finger so I was able to get some beauties of photos. How amazing are these 💓, I couldn't believe it! I like to think it was my dad coming to say hello and let me know he is with us always. I know that brings out a lot of skepticism in people about this sort of thing, but sometimes in the hard times and doubts it helps to believe that your loved ones are never far away from you 💙, it certainly doesn't hurt to have faith....

Jodie moved into this room from her old room at the end of 2012 and has been there ever since. Although things have been moved around on one occasion and she has added new items and collectables, her room has basically stayed the same for the past 9 years (yes, she seriously struggles with change!!).                                                                                  2012 She has accumulated a good few pop vinyl's over the years and she got more for Christmas and added a few more Disney ones when they were released in February so she was running out of space to put them, I think that's where her decision to restyle her room came. I have been suggesting a freshen up for a while now, getting rid of the dark red wall to a more cleaner, brighter colour, so she finally agreed. ...