Wedding Memories

After watching the stunning Royal Wedding last night, and with some inspiration from the gorgeous Telle over at Fat Mum Slim, I have decided to post some photos from our wedding.

It was a freezing cold February day in Hobart, 11 degrees and snow on the mountain!

We had dozens of chandeliers hanging on silver ribbons around the edge of the rotunda,

they swung madly when the wind picked up!

Ahh happy memories!

~24-02-2008~

World's Comfiest Shoes!

These shoes are just so comfortable. 

They go with everything - jeans, skirts, shorts - and look super cute on!

Dinner Plans

My BFF Megs and her hubby are coming down for the Easter long weekend. I can't wait to see them!


They are coming for dinner at ours while they're here so I have been hunting through recipe books and trying to create the perfect menu.


I have decided to go with Asian style dishes. One old favourite, and trying some new recipes too.


~
Entree: Thai Coconut Scallops


2 tablespoons peanut oil
24 scallops without roe (600g)
1 shallot, chopped finely
2cm piece fresh ginger, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons red curry paste
400ml can coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon grated palm sugar
1 fresh kaffir lime leaf, torn


Herb Salad
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup loosely packed thai basil leaves
1/2 cup shaved fresh coconut
2 fresh long red chillies, shredded finely
1 green onion, sliced thinly


* Combine ingredients for herb salad in large bowl
* Heat half the oil in medium frying pan; cook scallops in batches until browned
* Heat remaining oil in same pan; cook shallot, ginger and garlic, stirring until shallot softens. Add paste; cook, stirring until fragrant. Add coconut milk, sauce, juice, sugar and lime leaf, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered about 5 minutes or until sauce thickens slightly. Add scallops, reheat gently.
* Divide scallops among serving plates, pour sauce around scallops, serve with salad.

~
Main: Prawn and Peanut Panfried Udon
(I have mentioned this recipe before, but will post it again here)

300g dried udon noodles, or 500g fresh

Vegetable oil
4 shallots, very finely sliced
2 large red chillies, seeded and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sesame oil
300g large cooked prawns, peeled
200g fresh bean sprouts
½ cup coriander leaves
2 fresh limes, cut into wedges, for serving

Peanut Sauce
200g salted roasted peanuts
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2.5cm ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
200 mls coconut cream
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon hot chilli sauce

Method:

* Plunge the noodles into a large pan of boiling water. Bring back to the boil, simmer for 1 minute until tender, then drain well. Cool under cold water.

Peanut Sauce:
* Place the peanuts, garlic and ginger in a food processor and whiz until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the coconut cream. Add the soy and chilli sauces to taste.
* Heat 1 cm of vegetable oil in a wok or large frying-pan. When the oil is very hot, add the shallots and chillies and cook for 3 - 4 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.
* Pour most of the oil out of the wok, leaving just a thin coating , then add the sesame oil. Cook the noodles for 1 - 2 minutes, then stir in the prawns and peanut sauce. Stir through enough water (200 - 300 mls) to make a thick, glossy sauce and cook for 3 - 4 minutes until piping hot.
* Stir in the bean sprouts and coriander. Divide between plates and scatter over the crispy shallot mixture. Serve with wedges of lime for squeezing over.

~
Dessert: Pineapple, Coconut and Thai Basil Semifreddo

Makes 1 litre

6 egg yolks
1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 cup coconut cream
1 cup cream
2 Tbs dessicated coconut
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, finely chopped, plus extra to serve
1 Tbs Thai basil, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish

* Put the yolks into a bowl and, using electric beaters, beat until very pale.
* Put the sugar and pineapple juice into a saucepan and heat while stirring, to dissolve the sugar. Pour the hot syrup on to the egg mixture and beat until cool.
* Whip the coconut cream and the cream together then fold through with the dessicated coconut, chopped fresh pineapple and the basil.
* Freeze in a lined loaf tin for at least 4 hours before serving with extra pineapple and basil.

~

I am not 100% decided on the dessert yet. I want to make something light after two rich courses, but am just not sure if this recipe is the one. If you have any suggestions for a nice light (preferably Asian inspired) dessert I'd love to hear them!

Repaint: OPI My Private Jet

Love this colour! Yet another from the OPI collection, "My Private Jet".

Weekend

Where did the weekend go?

Mine was filled with study, lecture catch up, tests and not a whole lot else. I'm so over this semester, I can't wait for it to finish!

Hubby took me out for a coffee yesterday as a break from all the stresses of Uni. It was so nice to get out of the house and away from the textbooks!




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Nasi (goreng) Night

We love nasi goreng in this house. Our addiction began in Bali on our honeymoon where we ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Literally.

I made it for hubby tonight even though I am on a low carb diet and can't eat it. Yes, I know, I'm Wife of the Year material.

Here is my recipe:

Rice - enough for however many you're feeding

Vegies - I like to use a packet of bean sprouts, half a capsicum (diced), bunch of spring onions (chopped), handful of spinach, 1 carrot (julienned), 1/4-1/2 cup coriander leaves, and about a cup of cabbage thinly sliced.

Soy sauce

Indofoods Nasi Goreng paste

1 heaped tspn chicken stock powder

Sesame oil

Cook your rice. I used 1 cup of rice and 1.5 cups of water in my rice cooker tonight. Once it is cooking and the water is hot, add the chicken stock powder and stir through.

Heat some oil in a wok. Beat 2 eggs lightly and pour into hot oil. Allow to cook through on one side then flip and cook other side. Remove from wok.

Add some more oil to the wok if you need to and add your vegies.

Stirfry for a few minutes until cooked to your liking.

Add some soy sauce to the veg and stir through. Tonight I added some leftover roast pork loin at this point too.

Chop up your egg and mix through vegies.

Once rice is cooked mix nasi goreng paste through it.

Add rice and a splash of sesame oil to vegies and mix through until combined.

Enjoy!

Note: Tonight I didn't use the vegies I usually use as we have run out. Instead I used frozen mixed veg, green capsicum, broccoli and cabbage. I only used 1 egg and 1 cup of (uncooked) rice as it was only for hubby. It has still made enough for him to have two bowls full and there is lots leftover for tomorrow!

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Repaint: Revlon Cotton Candy

This gorgeous colour was sent to me by one of my beautiful friends, Camilla. It is from a new Revlon range which are actually scented. This one really smells like it's name, Cotton Candy!




Love it! Thanks Cam! xx

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Struggle Street

Uni is so full on right now, I feel like it is taking over my life. Work is just as bad. Between the two, I have no social life, and am a ball of stress... and tears, at times.

Thankfully, I am in week 7 of the semester, which means about 5 or 6 weeks to go. And they can't go by quickly enough for my liking.

I am really looking forward to that, but also to some time away that is coming up in the next couple of months.

Hubby and I are going to Canberra and Sydney for a week in May. My best friend Megs lives in Canberra and I can't wait to see her.

I will catch up with some of my girls in Sydney while we are there as well, and then heading back to Sydney with just the girls for a weekend in June.

Can't wait to see all my beautiful girls, just need to get through the "now".

Repaint: Diva "I'm a Survivor"

New cheapie from Diva called "I'm a Survivor".





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