As per popular demand

Ok Ladies and Gentlemen,

Here it is, as per request on twitter, the recipe for home-made Bailey's Irish Cream.

This is delicious, I often make it at christmas and give it out as gifts. I also use it instead of milk when making coffee at home too! Mmmmm


Home-made Bailey's


1 cup whiskey ( I use Jameson's)
3 eggs
1 can of condensed milk
300ml cream
½ teaspoon coconut essence
½ teaspoon chocolate essence

Blend all ingredients together.


Can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 weeks

Enjoy!

Kathy & Julia

Long time no blog... 


So my parents went away for the week, and I've been inspired to get back in the kitchen. I really would spend more time in there, but with the folks home and getting in the way, it's just too much like hard work.


Anyway, the parents had gone and I thanks to a friend on Facebook, I had the urge to cook a nice honey mustard beef roast. The only problem was we don't own a cast iron pot. I've always wanted on and it was on my wish list.  So I thought stuff it, I'm going to get one. Off I went to the city, I knew what I wanted but the good ones cost a fortune. I was looking for something middle of the range. 


Low and behold, there on the bottom shelf at good old David Jones (my shopping mecca) was the Jamie Oliver lime green cast iron pot and it was on sale!!!!  

Of course I bought it. There was no way I was letting that slip though my fingers. 


So home I came, and started cooking. 


I'm not going to talk about the roast other than to say the pot did it's job fantastic, the meat was juicy and tender, but the recipe was lacking and it was more like soup than sauce.


That brings me to tonight's cooking adventure. 


Beef Bourguignon


As some of my know from reading my earlier posts, I got the Julia Child's Mastering the art of French Cooking for my birthday this year. That was January, and it's now late April and I'm yet to use it. So in honour of my new dish I cracked the spine open and started. 


I'm still in the process of cooking it, but can I just say WOW!!!  It smells amazing, and even though it's got a few more processes than your normal wack it all in the pot stew it is fairly easy to make. 


I know this will be a great dish. 


Look Julia, here I come!


p.s I'll post pics of the finished dish once I'm done :)

The Name Game

After what can only be described as the straw that broke the work camel's back, I have finally decided to do something about starting up my own business.

It has been a dream of mine for awhile to open my own coffee shop kind of place. Something like Central Perk from Friends, but with a bit more of a fancy edge to it. I've dabbled with the family friendly place with an alcove for the kiddies, and a big screen tv for sports/movie/cult tv nights. But not anymore. Maybe it has to do with all the Sex and the City I've been watching lately but I want a place with high backed chairs and little round tables. Chandeliers hanging from the ceilings and little delicate cakes served on pretty china. Or a variation thereof.

Well here is my dilema (other than the usual, money/location/ stuff). I have no idea what to call it. The problem I'm having with everything thing I come up with is that the name doesn't work with the 2 concepts I'm trying to get something off the ground with.

You see, there is no way I can just quit my job and run away with this idea. I have bills to pay, and I really need to move out from home. So I'm beginning by selling my baked products online. Cakes to order, Hot X Buns at Easter, Christmas Cakes as Christmas, and that kind of thing, just to see if it's viable and to get my cooking out there.

But I want the same name for both things. Once I eventually have the shop up and running, I want it to be under the same brand as what I am trying to start now. Does that make sense??

Here are some names that I'm just throwing out there... In no particular order.

• Choux (because it's pronounces 'shoe' and I love shoes!)
• Mon Cheri
• Bon Appetite (will more than likely have copyright issues)
• Insomnia (have always wanted this for a coffee shop, but don't think it works for cakes)
• Martini
• Pari
• That Place Around the Corner...

If anyone has a creative bone out there can you throw it to me, or spin me around and point me in the right direction??

Let me know what you think.

Back in the swing of things.

I'm baack... Back on the wagon, back on my bike, back to the future...

After a few weeks from hell I'm finally back to cooking. There is nothing better than the feeling of

chopping up stuff, putting it in a bowl adding a few bits and pieces and voila... something yummy.

My dad's birthday was on Friday, and seeing as I gave him his present at Christmas, I decided to cook him dinner and make a cake.

Dinner was nothing fancy. Good old home made Sheperds Pie. I couldn't actually believe I hadn't

made it before. I think because it seemed too easy. Dad loved it which was a good thing.

Next up was the cake. And not just any cake mind you. Dad's favourite

BLACK FOREST GATEAUX

Now it might sound like a hard cake to make but it's not as

hard as you would think. If you break it down, it's layers of chocolate cake filled with cherries and

cream, then covered with shaved chocolate.

To start with, you bake 2 round chocolate cakes and allow to cool. Once cooled, you slice each cake in half, placing one half on the serving plate.

Then you drizzle the cake with some of the cherry syrup that you've boiled with some cherry liqueur and spread with some whipped cream and add some cherries.

You do this for the next 3 layers.

Once you have the top layer of the cake on, you drizzle with the syrup, and spread the remaining cream over the top and around the side.

Then you pat the chocolate on top of cream. I freeze the chocolate so it doesn't melt while I'm

handling it.

On the menu today is home made chicken stock, made from the bones and carcass from the chooks I roasted last night.

Next up I'm thinking triple choc praline pie.

I'll keep you posted.... xx

Last Year of my Twenties

Today is January 6th.

To some it's known as Epiphany or Three Kings day, others know it as the 12th Day of Christmas. To me it is simply my birthday.

As of today I am officially in the last year of my twenties. I'm not sad or worried that next year it will be the "Big Three -Oh", age to me is just a number.

Do I feel 29??

I don't know, what is 29 meant to feel like? Is there some cosmic list out there that you are meant to be checking off things one by one?? Personally I think that stuff happens in your own time, when you are ready to face them. Not everything has to be all sorted and your life on a plan by the time you get to 30.

So what did I do for my birthday I hear you asking....

Well, not a lot actually. It's a work day for me so it was off to the salt mines as usual, no cake (not for lack of trying, the girls went to the shop but alas it was closed). No balloons, no-one singing Happy Birthday.

I did go home for dinner with Mum and Dad, that was nice, but the present they ordered for me hadn't arrived yet, the pavlova I asked for was un-availvable, and I cooked my own dinner. So all in all, it really was a non-event. Is this how birthdays will be from now on?? What happens to all that excitement you have as a child? The one day that is yours and you don't have to share it with anyone. Does it just slip through the cracks as we all get caught up in life??

Anyway enough about me pondering the value of a birthday. On to the good things. I did get a chance to set up my new TV, I should have my book by the end of the week, and the culinary delights will follow. So all is not lost, it's just driving around without GPS.

Happy Birthday to me!!!!

New Year, New Beginnings...

Well if you didn't already know it's the beginning of a new year. 2010 to be exact and the last year of me in my 20's. That's right folks as of Jan 6 I will be 29!! Shock horror some may say, but personally I really don't care. It's just a number.. Life is what you make it and this year I intend to make it a good one. Full of love, laughter and life experiences.

First new thing of 2010 was starting this blog. I'd been um-ing and arr-ing about it for ages, trying to come up with a name, what I actually wanted to say, blah blah blah. So I just bit the bullet and here I am.

I guess I should start by introducing myself...

Hi I'm Kathy!

What made me want to start blogging??? Well I was inspired watching Julie and Julia. For those who don't know anything about me, I love cooking. Watching Julie Powell cook her way through Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking and in the mean time find herself, I thought hey I can do this too. Orginal?? No... but something that I want to do?? Yes. So once I get the book away I'll go.

Happy New Year! Let's see what the year brings