The Little Paris Kitchen

 I have a new favourite show......

The Little Paris Kitchen!

My wonderful mother in law recommended it and well, Im hooked!

I love Rachel Khoo and her cooking style.

For those of you that havent yet discovered this show, its on SBS on Thursday nights at 8pm.
Or if you miss it, try SBS on demand. Its well worth the watch if you adore the parisian way of life and simple yet delicious food.

I sit through each episode and madly make notes on each dish. Then I call my mother in law and we drool over each recipe and talk about making them!

This is my attempt at making Oeufs en Cocotte or otherwise quite simply...Eggs in pots!

First of all, the ingredients.....

fresh farm eggs (courtesy of our friends Nicola & Peter!), cream fraiche, nutmeg, 

salt, pepper & some parsley.Rachel used dill but I didn't have any.  

You will also need some ramikins or tea cups. 

I used my vintage Villaroy & Boch egg poachers-how cute are they????

Simply, add a heaped teaspoon of cream fraiche into each ramekin. 

Sprinkle some nutmeg, salt and pepper over. 

Then crack an egg and add another dallop of cream fraiche and sprinkle of nutmeg, salt and pepper. Then some chopped parsley (or dill) on top.Voila!!!!

Place ramikins into a baking dish and add enough warm water to come half way up sides. 

Bake in oven at 180deg cel for about 20 minutes. 

Keep an eye on them so the yolk doesn't cook through though! 

Its all about the gooey yolk!

And the final result!

Served traditionally with leftover crunchy baguettes, however, 

the cupboard was bare so I used some english muffins instead.

How delicious and so incredibly simple. Perfecto for a chilly winters morning!

Bon Apetite x

Bedroom Revamp

Recently we moved into a rental property. We sold our home which was built in 1905 and oozed character and charm but lacked the mod cons and moved into a brand new home out in the 'burbs.

We were very sad to leave our house, moreso the memories and good times that were had there. We only lived there for four years but it was the first home for our three bubs and the first house my hubby and I bought together. Saying that, I was secretly happy about the idea of having a bath and ducted heating and cooling! Oh, and an en-suite and walk in robe!

We have semi unpacked (this is an in between house) and well, the decorating bug has hit me already. But Im limited with my decorating given this is not my house and the fact that we have three children under the age of three-all fragile items are in storage and photo frames are on display up high! Im not sure the owners would appreciate me repainting feature walls to suit our taste! And there are no picture hooks at all in the entire house so the walls are very bare and not like our home at all. Im too scared to put in some hooks in case we end up losing our bond- extreme I know, but Im a virgo and I like to follow the rules!

So yesterday, whilst out doing a few jobs in down town Albury, I snuck into Adairs. I promise I was just popping in for a quick lap to soak in some home wares and get inspired. But, I walked out with a new doona set for our bed. It was very last minute and a design I would not normally choose. I have always been a big white girl.....crisp classic fresh white bedlinen and colour added with throws and cushions. But it was time for a change and our new bedroom was looking a tad boring and dull. It also only gets the afternoon sun so quite dark through most of the day and the white linen was looking more grey.

I bought the Mercer and Reid Azure King Size Quilt Set in blue. I think its fun. I actually was first drawn to the same design but the colours were red, pink, orange, mustard, beige and turquoise (called Autumn). It was very bright but then I saw this one and thought hubby would probably prefer the blue tones- my peace offering for coming home with  a new quilt set and not 9 Litres of milk!

Here's a few snapshots of our new linen...excuse the styling....I had two small assistants helping in the way of jumping on and off the bed! Plus I need to replace one of the european cushion inserts.

I also now need to find some scatter cushions to bring it all together. I do love the watermelon colour (http://www.adairs.com.au/soft-furnishings/cushions/home-republic/chevron-coral) with the turquoise, navy and beige, but Im also thinking a yellow chevron would be quite fun too. Our bedhead may also need a revamp-another project to add to list!

 So, stay tuned and I will upload some shots once I have decided on what colour and design.

Rhubarb Crumble Cake

As a child, I have fond memories of helping Mum in the kitchen. Usually baking some kind of cake, dessert or snack. We lived out on a sheep and cattle station in the Riverina, so trips to town were limited to once a week and if you ran out of something , you had to make do with what was in the pantry. My Mum was a great country cook and had us all helping out in the kitchen from a very young age. I particularly loved weekends when we would whip up a chocolate cake or pancakes or some yummy biscuits. Even better would be arriving home off the school bus to find warm pikelets smothered in melted butter and jam awaiting us hungary children. 

Mum taught us alot and gave us free reign in her domain. I have to say though, I did gain myself a reputation for wandering off after sucessfully mixing up the batter, pouring it into a tin, or placing on tray, then getting distracted by other activities. The one reminder of my baking efforts were the sniff of burnt cake wafting throughout the house. This habit continued well into my teens and I think it was only when I went to uni and started house sharing that I learnt how to time manage and, well, remember at all!

One of my jobs through uni was as a nanny, so my baking skills got quite a workout. I discovered rich chocolate brownies, tea cakes, sponges (which I can say I still havent mastered!!!), a range of biscuits from choc chip to afghans to milo (a favourite). Anything to fill a child up and keep them happy with a homely treat!

I love baking but try to curb my baking habits whilst at home these days. Needless to say, I have a pile of recipes on my 'Must Try' List.

Having friends around for morning or afternoon tea is the perfect excuse for a bake fest and trialling a new delight or making an old favourite.

Lucky for me, on this cold, miserable, rainy, autumn day, I had our dear friend Di pop around for a late afternoon catch up. Perfect excuse to whip an old faithful.....my Rhubarb Crumble Cake. This is a recipe a good family friend, Tess, gave to me 5 years ago. I fell in love with it instantly- not only does it look amazing and taste great....  it is so easy to make!!!!

So....to make this yummy cake you will need....

60g butter
380g brown sugar
1 tsp bi-carb soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
300g plain flour
500g raw rhubarb, sliced thinly
250ml sour cream
Grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Topping
Mix together 80g brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon.

Beat butter and sugar together, add eggs and vanilla.
Stir in sifted flour, soda, salt and cinnamon.
Add rhubarb, rind and sour cream.
Combine well then spoon into a buttered and lined 20cm spring form tin.
Sprinkle topping over and bake for 50-60 mins in a preheated 180 deg oven.

Serve with a dallop of natural yoghurt or creme fraiche.... Enjoy xxxx