Not Enough Chocolate Cake

Celebrating a positive diagnose the only way I know how. Choc-tastic cake!!! This was taken from '100 Years of Sweet Baking Memories.' I have been looking for an excuse to make this cake, it is like swimming in a river of chocolate. What better reason! I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I do :)

Choc Lover's Cake

Ingredients

125g cold butter, chopped

200g premium dark cooking chocolate

395g sweetened condensed milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup self raising flour

1/2 cup plain flour

1/2 cup almond meal

180g premium white chocolate, chopped

100g premium milk chocolate, chopped

Method

1. Pre heat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Grease and line a 20 cm round cake pan with baking paper.

2. Melt butter, dark chocolate and sweetened condensed milk in a large saucepan; stir over low heat until melted. Cool for 10 mins.

3. Stir in eggs, then sifted flours and almond meal to melted chocolate. Then add chopped chocolate and mix. 

4. Spoon into cake tin and smooth top (I aim for a white chocolate swirl on top because it is pretty).

5. Bake for 55 mins and cool in pan for 15 mins. Serve warm (and gooey)  

Other choc-a-holic day dreamings:

From Food for my Fork- Chocolate Self Saucing Pudding (Wow, some amazing recipes) 

Donna Hayes - Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins 

Martha Stewart Salted Carmel Six Layer Chocolate Cake 

Donna Hayes Self Saucing Chocolate Puddings

Taste of Home Cinnamon Chocolate Nachos

Winter Comfort Dinner

So still getting back on my feet but wanted something for dinner that reminded me of curling up with a warm blanket and good book. All those yummy winter comfort foods flow through my mind. Not to mention the thought of all the teas sitting up in my special tea cupboard. For dinner tonight we are having Chicken, Bacon, Potato and Sweet Potato Bake. Mmmmmm....it has been in the slow cooker for 4 hours so far. The house smells amazing. We could smell it from the end of the street after our walk along the river in the late afternoon.

Ingredients
1 sml sweet potato (peeled and sliced thin)
4 medium potatoes (peeled and sliced)
2 chicken breast (diced into 1-2cm pieces)
6 bacon rashes (diced)
1/3 cup of light cream
Mc Cormick Slow Cooker Recipe Sachet (if being lazy like me tonight)
OR
1/2 onion diced
1 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp mixed Italian herbs
salt and pepper to taste
(you can play with the herb combination to what you prefer, those given are for dried herbs)


Method
Layer slices of potato and sweet potato on the bottom of the slow cooker.
Pan fry chicken and bacon until browned.
Add the seasoning and onion to the pan.
Pour into slow cooker.
Turn onto low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
10 mins prior to serving stir through cream.
Serve warm straight from slow cooker.

Wonderful the next day warmed for lunch. Particularly if stuck with wet play conditions.
While all of this was happening the 2 boys were curled up at the top of their tower with the cat blanket. D'Argo and Lucifer do so look like brothers. I think D'Argo is going to miss his visiting buddy.

On the other side

Hello blogging world,

I have taken a little hiatus because life has gone crazy. I am coming home exhausted with all these things happening. But I feel it is a time to do a check list of all the things I have achieved since my last post. Plus, I would like to share a recipe I found yesterday while in the hospital waiting room, but I will put that in a separate post. Will be making them ASAP and tell you how they went. 

I have achieved the following for my wedding (I want to share photos but you will have to wait for the day, see sneak peek here):

• Organised Limo's
• Finalised catering
• Picked up my dress and had it altered
• Found out all 3 bridesmaids have theirs
• Organised my bomboniere for my guest
• Organised my bridesmaids gift
• Confirmed wedding cake
• Confirmed flowers
• Organised hair and make up for the day
• Filled out final forms for the DJ with wedding songs etc
• Have gone over and approved the final script for the big day
• Finalised photographer 
• In the process of the final steps with my reception site
• Started to make my first of 2 decorations for the bridal table.
• Started organising seating position
• Started the scrapbook my sister gave me to put in photos of the process.

And thats just the wedding! So life is insane. I am also babysitting a friends beautiful cat. His name is Lucifer, he is gorgous. D'Argo adores him, Delenn is stand offish and complains alot. Nothing new there. But the 3 have been delightful to come home to. EVEN though they steal each others food like children! 

Finally, the biggest reason I have been so stressed is a health scare. I had surgery yesterday and am feeling wooooooo. But, the best outcome has been reached. It went from a high chance of melanoma (Yay 7 weeks out from the wedding) to being nothing life threatening but needing to be dealt with immediately. I would like to thank the following people who have helped me through all of this. 

Firstly to Scott for being my rock, caring for me and making sure I was okay.

To my family for being their to listen to me freak out and celebrate the good news.

To my work collages who have been supportive and understanding.

To Dr Sally Meade my surgen, thank you for your suggestions, wonderful intellect and hands. 

To Dr Chris Jelliffe for making sure I felt nothing and appreciating my humour. 

To the amazing administration nurse at the Mater Hospital who had a wicked sense of humour and gave the most awesome numbing cream in existence, I feel awful that I cannot remember your name. When I find it I shall add it to this post. 

Also, to ALL of the hospital staff who work so hard to ensure the health, well being and hapiness of their patients. You are ALL AMAZING!  

So me in a nut shell this past month. It has been a roller coaster ride and I am sure it will continue to be. 

:( to a :)

Had a not so fun day today....grumble grumble day sucked...why did that...oooooooooooooo

Little man was waiting for me being all cute and fluffy.

Plus, Scott is cooking dinner. Keen for garlic bread.

Banana Muffin Update- better recipe

Okay, I may be obsessed with banana's. They taste good on their own, in a smoothie, on a cake, in a fruit salad, dried and baked. What more could you want from a fruit AND they are plentiful around here. I never thought I would get over my 'never want to look at a *@$#ing banana phase' after working on the farm. But, I am glad I did. Previously I posted a recipe I use for my banana muffins. However, I have a simpler and in my opinion yummier recipe that I am making today. It requires less ingredients and I use brown sugar. Here is my amended awesome Banana Muffin Recipe (esp. good if you are short on cooking supplies).
  Awesome Easy Banana Muffins 
-from a friend who wishes not to be named- you know who you are :)

  Ingredients
- 3-4 ripened bananas
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tblsp butter
- 1 egg
- 2 cups self raising flour
 - 2 tblsp milk

  Method
 1. Squash bananas, place in bowl
2. Add all other ingredients and mix.
3. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees celsius, prepare trays
4. Bake for 15-17 mins

 Serve
I normally do not put any icing on however, previously I have dusted with icing sugar or sprinkled with brown sugar. My friend uses cream cheese icing with hers (sorry haven't made this before, perhaps google for a recipe). On a side note these also freeze well (in case you need to make hundreds).

 Happy baking! Here are a few clever banana art pictures I have seen on the interwebs previously. So talented!

Wedding Sewing...the beginning

Well it is time to begin. I have my pattern and now I need to make the matching pair of plushies for our wedding. Thank you again Funky Friends Factory (love the patterns). Here is a sneak peek of what I am doing, I am linking these into where we are having the wedding reception. Each of us selected our own fabric and now I need to start the hand sewing. With the 'help' of my buddies who lay on or steal everything I touch. Lock down in the office :)

Hello World

I have a new fur baby :) He is so cute. Although my other fur baby Delenn is not so happy to see the new addition to our family. I introduce you to D'Argo. He is a sneaky ninja full of energy who attacks anything that moves or anything that doesn't. Fav hobbies include running in circles, climbing everything, watching the fish tanks, attack toys and people. Here is a quick video of him dragging his mouse toy up high.