Lemon and coconut syrup cake

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Well not today! A lemon and coconut syrup cake was on the menu today for a little afternoon treat. It originally started off just as a way to use up some of the abundance of lemons my parents had on their tree (thanks again!) but a normal lemon cake is something I make regularly so I decided to add some coconut for another flavour dimension and make this cake with greek yogurt making it delectably moist.

 

Lemon and coconut syrup cake

Prep time:20  Cooking time:40  minutes  Serves:8

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup lemon juice (for me this was 2 and a half lemons)
• Zest of a large lemon
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup of greek yoghurt
• 2 cups of self raising flour 
• Shredded coconut to top 

{For lemon syrup}

• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• zest of 2 lemons
•  1/2 cup castor sugar
• 2 tbs of water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to and grease cake tin. Make sure it ISN'T springform as you will be pouring syrup over it while in the tin and don't want to lose any of the sweet flavour. I used a silicon heart mould from ikea.

2. In a large mixing bowl crack the eggs and beat together with the sugar until they are pale and creamy.

3. Zest and juice the lemons and stir into the egg mixture.

4. Pour in the yoghurt and coconut oil to the batter and stir to combine.

5. Sift over self raising flour and fold into mixture. 

6. Pour into tin and bake for 30-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. While the cake is baking make the syrup as directed in the following steps.



7. In a small saucepan combine ALL ingredients listed for lemon syrup. Stir over a low-medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and syrup has thickened. 

8. Immediatley after pulling the cake from the oven, stab at least 20 more holes into it so the syrup will sink in more easily and pour syrup onto the cake in an even layer.

9. Add the shredded coconut to the pan that held the syrup and this will absorb any left over juices. Then top the cake with the shredded coconut.

10. Stand cake for at least 15 minutes to absorb syrup (I left mine for around 25).

11. Remove  cake from tin and place onto a plate or serving platter and serve cold with extra greek yoghurt or warm with thickened cream. 

Lemon thyme fish

There's a family story I am always reminded of when I make fish. As a toddler, my Dad used to go fishing quite frequently and for some unknown reason I fell in love with a particular type of fish. A yellow belly fish to be exact (technically Golden Perch), or, as I used to call it a 'lellabelly'. Often as he came home from a day of fishing, I would immediately pester him "Daddy you bring me a lellabelly?!" If the answer was yes, I was of course delighted, but if the answer was no I would cry, sook and sulk. Not even a consolation of "but sweetie look I caught you these big red fins!", could make it better. Thankfully, I'm now older (and hopefully a bit wiser) and love most kinds of fish and seafood but this marinade in particular has been making frequent appearances on my dinner table. This spring, pink ling has been my 'go to' fish for this recipe, although I hope that soon I'll get a chance to try it with some 'lellabelly'!

  

Lemon thyme fish

Prep time:10  Cooking time:10 minutes  Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 fillets of your chosen fish either fresh or fully thawed (I used pink ling)
• 1 cup of plain flour
• A small bunch of lemon thyme 
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves 
• 2 tsp onion salt
• 2 tsp garlic salt
• Cracked pepper to season 
• Oil for frying 

Method:

1. Combine flour, onion salt, garlic salt and a generous amount of cracked pepper on a large plate. 

2. Finely chop lemon thyme and combine with lemon juice and a dash of olive oil.

3. Prepare a frying pan with oil on place on medium to high heat. As the pan is heating, place the fish in the flour mixture and liberally coat both sides 

4. Place fish into the pan and cook until the side that is down is a rich golden brown, and then flip.

5. Once the fish is flipped, spoon on some of the lemon thyme mixture on top. Only placing it on one side makes sure that while the flavour still sinks in to the fish, it is overpowering and the outer of the fish still stays relatively crisp. 

6. Cook until the other side of the fish is golden brown and crisp, adding more oil between fillets as necessary and serve with sides of your choosing. 



Slow cooker lamb (part 1)

"Daddy, I'm never eating lamb EVER AGAIN!!!" I cried with as much passion as my 10 year old self could muster. It was the summer 10 years ago and I'd just spent the weekend on my great Aunts farm. Along with having a great time during shearing season, I had also unfortunately learnt some of the harsher truths of farming, namely, that orphaned lambs don't often survive. At the time, I was distraught and stubborn in my "no lamb" stance but  to be honest, I think I resisted maybe 2 lamb roasts before caving and coming back to the dark side (ironically I ended up being vegetarian for quite some time in my teens but thats a post for another time) . Thinking about it now, while my intentions were good I think I was crazy! Lamb is one of my favourite proteins and the convenience and adaptability of this recipe makes it irresistible. 

Slow cooker lamb

Prep time: 15 mins Cooking time: 6 hours  Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• Boneless lamb shoulder (leg can also be used)
• Dried or fresh rosemary
• 4-5 cloves of garlic 
• 500ml of chicken or vegetable stock 
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Cracked pepper

Method:
*To cook this recipe I used the Breville 'Fast Slow Cooker'*

1. If your slow cooker has a 'sear option' like mine, place a good splash of olive oil into it as well as your lamb and season with salt and pepper. Sear for a few minutes on every side until its thoroughly "sealed" to keep the lovely flavour and juices inside as it cooks. Once seared, remove and set aside on a plate.  Alternatively, if your slow cooker DOESN'T have a sear function then sear your lamb in a large frying pan following the same instructions as above.

2. Chop garlic and add to slow cooker with a little extra olive oil and sauté until softened. Alternatively, cook garlic in frying pan and then add to your slow cooker. 

3. Add rosemary  (I used approx. 2 tablespoons of dried rosemary as my plant is looking a bit bare at the moment) and made up chicken stock to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Add a trivet to the slow cooker and place your lamb on top. Re-season with salt and cracked pepper and sprinkle the top with some extra dried rosemary.

4. Set slow cooker for 6 hours on high and enjoy the delicious aromas that are sure to fill your whole house and keep your mouth watering all day. 

 5.  After 6 hours the lamb will be done. Take care when you pull it out of the slow cooker as its so tender it will be sure to fall apart, 2 egg flippers and steady hands did the trick for me. 

6. This night we served the lamb with some sweet potato that I had peeled, diced and seasoned with olive oil and salt and pepper (yep, this girl loves her seasoning!) and roasted in the oven and some simple steamed green beans. 

8. The meal was complete with some thickly cut slices of crusty sourdough to mop up those delicious juices. 

*Stay tuned for most posts on ways to use this slow cooker lamb including a pesto pizza and of course, soulvlakis!*



Wonderful Wednesday- #nannylife

Amanda over at Little Monsters and Mommies was onto something when she created a  "Wonderful Wednesday" post, encouraging others to post regularly a piece of wonderful in their lives that week (see her original post here). Every week I read her posts (and a few others) and reflect on what I'm thankful for and I'm excited to now actually be able to post it and hope to do so regularly every Wednesday. 

#Nannylife

On a sick day being read Dr Seuss and having cozy cuddles is the perfect cure.

#nannylife is something I regularly use on Instagram and Facebook to reference my job, some highlights from the past few months have included "* just tried to wash my hair with some mashed pear and I don't finish for another 2 hours #nannylife" "I just got asked by * Lala, where do baby comes from? PLEASE WAIT TILL YOUR PARENTS ARE HOME! #nannylife" and my personal favourite "* has been toilet trained for a year now but for some reason decided to use the cats litter box instead of the toilet... Without removing her dress, tights or underwear #nannylife". These snippets are enough to turn any sane person off working in childcare. I mean who wants to be covered in bodily fluids, check for nits, answer awkward questions on the birds and the bees and be wholly responsible for at least one tiny human who isn't your own? Apparently, I do. 

I honestly sort of "fell into" nannying, but it was a perfect fit from the start. When I was 14 I travelled to the Thai-Burmese border and volunteered in an orphanage and bonding with the Karen hill tribe children was to this day, one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I originally wanted to be a teacher, and then a lawyer and some weird things in between (as you do in highschool) but somehow floated back to childcare. I got my first job babysitting in 2011 after a few years of wrangling my younger cousins and running children's parties at my hospitality job. Im so lucky that those children were little angels because that first job encouraged me to apply for another job and so on and so on and now here I am. 

Aged 14 with Wyn Myant Han, a 4 year old orphan from Burma.

Being a nanny is the best job I've ever had and like every job it has some not great parts and certainly some icky parts, but the good outweighs everything. Nearly everyday of my life I'm let into a home, and instantly become part of a family unit. I get to pass my wisdom, attention and love onto beautiful children and play a part in raising them. I have never once in my job, felt taken for granted or unappreciated, all of my bosses are so wonderful and treat me with the upmost respect and shower me with gratitude (hopefully mostly deserving!). I work for 8 families, 4 nannying and 4 casually babysitting and have different but great relationships with all the parents and children. No day is the same taking care of kids ranging from a few months old to 14 years, there's so much to do and explore and always, always a reason to smile. Most families I work for also have a great relationship with my partner and generally there is an open invitation for her to visit when I'm working, (some even request it) they sure love their "Yabby". Likewise, they love Mr Wilson and he LOVES playing with the kids if I'm ever watching them here or if Gabby brings him to pick me up. I'm included in every birthday, Easter and Christmas, one of my bosses who I'm especially close to was the first person (after family) that I called when I got engaged! I'm so lucky to be so appreciated and happy with my job, the #nannylife sure is wonderful! 

*please note pictures being used are done so with parents/guardians permission* 

Mr. Wilson getting some love from his favourite visitor.

Mango chicken

As the days are getting warmer, I'm finding it hard to match the cravings I'm having with  flavours that are suited to summer. On the hottest of days, I've been unexpectedly feeling like hearty meals. While a stew or roast might fill me up, it certainly doesn't have the fresh flavours that are so suited to Aussie heat. For me, this mango chicken is the perfect solution. Rich in flavour and colour, it's made relatively quickly and the sauce can be prepared earlier if needed. Every bit as substantial as a winter meal and balanced with all those refreshing summer flavours I love.

Mango chicken

Prep time: 15 mins Cooking time: 15 mins Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 3 chicken breasts
• Coconut oil to cook
• 1 red capsicum
• 1 green capsicum
• 2 carrots

Mango sauce:

• 2 cups of mango- fresh or frozen is preferable but canned can be used also
• 3 large red chillies
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbs rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbs brown sugar
• 2 tbs kecap manis
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 1 thumb sized piece of galangal or ginger
• 1 can of coconut cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. De-seed and roughly chop chili. If using fresh ginger, peel and grate. Cut and juice lime.

 2. Add the chili, ginger and lime as well as all other ingredients for 'mango sauce' into a bowl, blender or food processor.

3. Don't put away any ingredients as you may need to adjust the balance of flavours once blended and then again once heated. I blended my sauce using a stick blender but the easiest way to do this would be in a food processor. Blend until it is combined and of a smooth consistency, add more coconut cream or a touch of water if its too thick.

4. Once blended you should have a delicious smelling sauce looking something like this ^ you now need to taste the sauce and see if its 'missing' anything.

• For saltiness add fish sauce or salt. 
• For sweetness  add kecap manis or brown sugar
• For a more sour flavour add lime or rice wine vinegar
• For a spicier sauce add more chili

Remember its better to add things in a little at a time- its very easy to go overboard with these strong flavours!

5. After adjusting the sauce, set it to one side. Dice the chicken breasts and add them along with some oil, into a large pan or wok to brown.

 6. While the chicken is browning you can peel and chop the carrots and chop the capsicums. They can either be diced or sliced, just try to keep the pieces a similar size.


7. Once the chicken is browned, add the sauce to the pan and allow it to heat through. Taste the sauce again, once heated and adjust it to taste.

8. The sauce should thicken sightly and bubble at the edge of the pan, add your vegetables and stir well. If desired you can now also add a handful of mango chunks to really highlight this flavour in the dish.


9. Cook the dish for a further 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked to your liking.

10. Serve the meal with rice and roti bread for a delicious, filling meal. 



Garlic zucchini pasta

3 early morning starts in a row do not make for an inspired cook! I start off my week with high hopes and a huge grocery list and come the weekend (and a motivation 'slump') more often than not, my new recipe plans are thrown by the wayside in favour of tried and tested family favourites that I know I can rely on. This dish is one of those that makes a frequent appearance in our household as its regularly requested by Gabby who has a love for pasta and garlic like no other! The simple flavours of garlic and lemon make a delectable combination in this quick dish and prove that sometimes, easy is best.

Garlic zucchini pasta

Prep time: 5 mins Cooking time: 15 mins Serves:4

Ingredients:

• 1 large zucchini (or equivalent) 
• 1 large chicken breast 3 cloves of garlic 
• Juice of 1/2- 1 lemon 
• 250g pasta of your choice (I used shells for this but fresh linguine is my favourite)
• Small knob of butter 
• Salt and cracked pepper to taste 
  

Method:

1. Set a pot of water on to boil in preparation for the pasta with a generous dash of salt
 
2. Crush or finally chop garlic and add it to a frying pan on medium heat along with a splash of good quality olive oil
 
3. As the garlic is softening, dice the chicken breast and then add to the pan along with salt and fresh cracked pepper to season
 
4. Chop the zucchini roughly into even pieces similar size to the chicken
 
5. Flip and stir the chicken as needed and once completely sealed and starting to brown, reduce the heat to medium and add the zucchini pieces and more olive oil if necessary

 
6. Once the water is boiling add the pasta to the salted water and cook until just al dente, then drain and add a small knob of butter. The heat from the pasta will melt the butter and helps to bind the garlic, oil and lemon into a lovely sauce when the meat and vegetables are added
 

7. Cook the zucchini and chicken mixture until the chicken is browned and the zucchini softened. The great thing about cooking them together is the zucchini releases water that helps to keep the chicken moist and not over cook

 
8. Remove the frying pan from heat and squeeze in the fresh juice of half a lemon to the pan and add any extra salt and pepper to taste. Pour the mixture into the pasta, stir to combine and serve 

A mighty big imagining

Same blog, different year and a whole lot more motivation!

A very boring life update: 

If you weren't a follower before or you're not someone I regularly chat to in blog land, then this life update will give you a brief insight into what's currently happening with me (and all that boring basic info you need to know). 

My name is Lara and I'm 19 years old from a regional town in Victoria, Australia. I'm a full time correspondence student studying early childhood education and also work as a nanny. 

In December 2011 I started dating the love of my life Gabby and in September 2014 asked her to marry me- she said yes! We live together with our fur baby, a very pampered cavalier King Charles spaniel named Wilson. We're both very close to our families and luckily nearly all live in the same town, which means we get to see (and feed them) all the time. 

I'm a lover of musical theatre, travelling,  baking, photography, reading and being an all round crafty minx. My guilty pleasures are spending too much time on pinterest (mostly the wedding tag), too much money on makeup and dresses (I just can't help myself) and eat too much chocolate (this needs no explanation)! 

I'm so very happy with my life (not always but mostly!) and can't wait to share and document it with you all on this blog.