hello again.

Yet again another Saturday done and dusted.

Such an easy day today.   I didn't get out of bed till 9.30 this morning.  Ambled through a coffee even played some games on facebook.  I didn't even think about cooking till nearly 11.00.  Not having the grandkids this morning certainly made a difference.  I'm also only cooking for number one son and  family tonight, so no stress. Miss Tash has to work tonight so I do have to baby sit the chunky one but that's not till later this arvo.

I'm making porcupine meatballs, cauliflower cheese, mashed potatoes and carrots for main tonight and they don't have to be started till late this arvo, so I only have to concentrate on sweets at the moment.

First off I'm making the biscuit base for the banoffee tarts,  This is just heating and pressing chocolate ripple biscuits into the patty pan trays. Nice and simple.

My mind is always ticking over, thinking of what I can make that is different to what everyone else makes. What can I change about a recipe that will make it mine. I have frozen raspberries in the freezer that I want to use so I'm going to make something with them.  Look at some recipes, look at some photos and decide.
I'm going to take the common jam slice to another level and make DOUBLE RASPBERRY AND WHITE CHOCOLATE STREUSEL SLICE.  Sounds pretty impressive I think.  Now to make it.

I make a plain biscuit type base which is cooked first. I covered that with raspberry jam. I covered the jam with the frozen raspberries and then covered the raspberries with a crumble type topping.  Cooked that, then when it had cooled, drizzled melted white chocolate over the top.  Now for the taste test.  You don't know whether these things are going to turn out until that first taste.  Could be a bin it thing. But no.  Sounds impressive, tastes impressive. Yum.  The frozen raspberries just give it a nice tangy taste that goes well with the crumble top.  I'm happy.

Miss Tash arrives with Chunky so we have a cuppa and a late lunch and a bit of a chat before she has to leave for work.  Chunky's tired so I'm hoping she'll sleep for a while. Her mum leaves, so I get her a bottle and lay her down.  She drinks the bottle, pitches it over the side and proceeds to scream.  Damn.  Kristy comes to the rescue and pushes her around the block in the pram.  Twice.  She's asleep.   Thanks Kristy.

So I tidy up a bit and get the table ready for tea and Chunky's awake.  40 minutes.  Oh well.  The man takes her outside to play for a while so I can continue on.

Its time to think about getting the meatballs and the cauliflower on. So I put the cauli on to boil while I'm playing in the mince steak and rice and rolling it into balls.  I throw the balls into the tomato soup and put them in the oven.  I take the cauli off and leave it to drain while I make the cheese sauce.  That's done  and ready to put into the oven.  I peel the potatoes and carrots and they are ready to go too.

Once 6.00 pm arrives, I put the cauli in the oven and put the potatoes and carrots on to boil.  At the last minute I decide to make a bread and butter pudding.  I quickly butter the bread and cut it into pieces.  I put that in a dish with some sultanas then whisk some eggs, milk and sugar together.  I'm not putting it together till the other bits come out of the oven.

Lizzy Lou arrives with the kids, she's lost her voice.  I need a hearing aid to understand her lol, but we manage.  Only have to ask her to repeat every second thing.

Now we are just waiting for number one to arrive so I can dish up.  He arrives so I mash potatoes, drain carrots, take the meatballs out of the oven, dish them up, take the cauli out, its good.

I finish making the bread and butter pudding, into a water bath and into the oven.

Eat, drink,  whispered conversation, yelling kids, fighting babies..I love Saturday nights.

Dessert.
I take the bread and butter pudding out of the oven and check it. Its done.

I whip cream and put the banoffee tarts together.  They look great. Can't wait to eat them,

They are excellent even it I do say so myself.

Tea's over.  Lizzy lou and family have gone.  Miss Tash rings to say she's on the way.  She wants tarts. She got lucky,  I even saved her some.

MissTash arrives then next thing,  number five arrives.  He demolishes half the raspberry slice with half a bottle of cream.
Chunky proceeds to fall asleep in mums arms, which makes it awful hard to drink tea and eat tarts, but Miss Tash soldiers on,even though her arm is now numb, as you do.

It's time to for them to leave before they both fall asleep in their chairs.  Nite.

So I send my lot to bed and clean up  a bit.   Only a bit. And here I am.  Again.

Before I go, I had a revelation through the week.  I made something I haven't had in years.  Napolean slice.  Made with cake, pastry and jam. We use to have them as kids.  That was a mighty long time a go.  It was good.

And last, but not least.

nighty nite.