Misty's Diner

This is our 'place'... We don't go out for dinner often, but when we do, this is where we go! It's a heart attack on a plate, but it's delicious, US diner style comfort food... We have been twice in the last month with Cricket and Dave! Squeezing in dates before they become parents...

I just about always have the same dish, and then I move on... I have had numerous BBQ bacon and mushroom burgers, more recently meatball sub and tonight I went back to the 24 hour pulled pork sub, always with curly fries instead of straight fries, and the mozzarella cheese sticks... All delicious, all the time! Tonight we had our first dessert, the red velvet volcano cake, it was pretty good... Glad I only had half though, such a serious amount of food! Everyone needs to go there!!!

The Wiggles - Taking Off - Comedy Theatre

June 2013

The new Wiggles tour was surprisingly intimate, I have seen them 4 times in the past 2 years, so I feel qualified to say that! The comedy theatre is not a great theatre for kids, they can't see over the people in front... There are loads more theatres that would have been better suited... But between our 4 seats, with a kid on each lap (aisle dancing aside), we shuffled around until we found a good view for both babies...

The show was as entertaining as any that I have seen, and I have seen the wiggles in all possible combinations! The addition of Emma has been a welcome one... It's so nice to have a girl, for all the girls, and boys, to adore... She's a proper sweetheart too, being lovely about taking a pic with Marley... The songs were mostly new songs, little bits of old songs, and a couple full old songs, but definitely more new stuff... Which was a little disappointing, but refreshing, it's nice to see a new path being forged...

Friday baking... Red velvet crinkles stuffed with Oreos...

Red velvet crinkles stuffed with Oreos... These looked amazing on the website, so I was in immediately...

http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2012/12/oreo-stuffed-red-velvet-crinkles.html

I did the work, made the deliciously smelling cookies, took them out of the oven, and they were one big blob, no crinkle anything... Too ugly to photograph! But they did taste good, really good... I'm still undecided as to whether I will make them again...

Monsters University

We ALL love Monsters Inc, so we thought we would try to see it at the cinema, as a family... Hahaha... Taking Mace to the movies was a gamble, one we planned for... We got through the first 30 minutes and he was done, so Marley and I watched the rest together... 

The prequel to Monsters Inc was hilarious... Something for Marley, and something for me... The story was brilliant, and less 'scary' then Monsters Inc, I loved the characters, back stories, watching the friendships develop and how Mike and Sully ended up where they are... Nothing not to like! 5 stars from each of us... As we walked out, as I opened the door and Marley said 'that was amazing!', I agree!

Friday baking... Chocolate chip cookies filled with Nutella...

When I saw this recipe, I was in! The reality was much more serious... We had a kinder party at ten so I baked these without the help of the babies... The whole recipe made only 9 muffin sized biscuits filled with Nutella! And eating one for breakfast was the wrong idea... These are almost suitable as an actual dessert, rather then a little cheeky snack... As a dessert they excel... 

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/giant-nutella-stuffed-chocolate-chip-cookies/

Y'all gonn make me lose my mind! Hip hop cross stitch...

I have seen hip hop cross stitch around and really wanted this particular one in my kitchen... I sing this to my kids when they are acting crazy, songs truly get me through my hardest parenting days! I saw a complete one framed, on etsy for $60, or the pattern for under $6, I grabbed the pattern! 

I have never cross stitched before and with sick kids and my own exhaustion, I never started it... Mum offered to start it, and then finish it and I said yes please! So a week later it is framed in my kitchen... I LOVE IT! It captures my family perfectly!

Mothers Day Classic...

I meant to blog about the Mother's Day classic at the time that it was on, but it was a crazy time as we had just returned from Vegas... Now the Mother's Day classic has let the world know that it has raised five million dollars!!! Thanks to all of the participants and sponsors! I raised $600 this year, taking my total over $3,000 over the years, had some amazing sponsors as usual... Our team raised around $1500, and we had a lovely morning walking together... 

Marley showed a lot of interest this year, so I am going to take her with us next year... It really is the perfect way to spend Mother's Day, walking for my mum, who is a breast cancer survivor, and my Nanna who passed away from breast cancer in her early 50's... Looking forward to walking with my sweet girl, fingers crossed she manages! 

Friday baking - gingerbread...

We had a bit of a family baking session today... I made the dough at 7.30, we all went to Chadstone, on our return home Michelle and Mum helped the kids with cutting out the gingerbread, I baked it, and michelle and I helped the kids decorate it... Team work! I used a Betty Crocker recipe 

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/gingerbread-cutouts/29072204-d392-4ce5-850d-7e3cf11f4cde

Baby Jordans...

In case you didn't realise, we love sneakers in this family! Our kids have quite a few pairs in each size, to match their outfits, moods, whatever... Mace is a full on diva when it comes to fashion, Marley has been since about the same age... Nike is Mace's sneaker of choice, the minute he realised his big winter jacket was Nike, he just wanted to wear his Nike's with his jacket alllllllllll the time! 

When Mark got the rerelease of fire red Jordan 5's, we got Mace some too, and from the moment he fit them, he resisted... Every morning when we discuss what shoes he is wearing and I asked 'Jordan?' His answer was 'NO JORDAN!', I was pretty sure that he wasn't ever going to wear them... And then on the weekend Mark wore his Jordans, Mace cottoned on, and now loves them! It's a relief, at the price that they were, that he finally likes them, with room to grow... So the men are happily wearing their Jordans, and now Marley wants some... Sigh...

Puzzles on cold days...

Winter is here, and this winter Mace isn't so babyish anymore... This bodes well for activities that match both kids skill sets... Mace has been killing 9 piece puzzles by himself, and Marley does 30-50 pieces on her own, so every afternoon we spend an hour or two doing puzzles... I also have some BIG floor puzzles that they do together, at around 20-30 minutes each, they kill am afternoon quite easily... If you have little ones at home, I highly recommend buying a bunch, they are relatively cheap compared to other toys, and bring hours of fun!

Art attack on a drizzly Friday morning...

In our house, Friday mornings are an equal worst parenting experience with Thursday nights... After they both have a 7/7.5 hour day at kinder/crèche, they are tired and grumpy, I get the brunt of it... It takes about an hour until they have pushed me to the edge, and then I usually bake, but today thought we should get into the Art Attack pack we bought last week, especially for a miserable day like this... Because we already have a cupboard full of arts and crafts, especially Pompoms and googley eyes which are in this pack, I thought we would be cheeky and got Mark to make extra colour copies on card for future use! I set up while they were in bed so I didn't have to deal with a whingefest while I was setting up, nothing happens quick enough for a tired 4yo... 

Mace needed some extra help, where Marley was fine on her own... We stuck on the Pompoms and eyes, when that was over, made a couple birthday cards and a spider... It was really really good and positive, until the end which inevitably ended up in tears (a Friday morning signature)... We distracted with puzzles and I promptly packed up... A great activity, would have been even better with non tired kids! The art attack packs are like $10, definitely money well spent, especially with the re-uses I have planned!

The Sapphires, Mandawuy Yunupingu, and racism...

Racism is rampant in Australia... It makes me sick... The casual racists get me the most (same exact thing applies for me with homophobia)... The 'its just a joke' 'I didn't mean anything by it' idiots... Race isn't a joke, minorities have been shat on since white people took over their countries... It's awful... And then to add insult to injury Mandawuy Yunupingu, passed away at a young age this week... Keeping in line with the 20 odd year gap for indigenous Australians and white Australians... Yesterday, upon hearing that news, I cried on and off all day, feeling powerless to undo all of the wrong thats been done... Way too emotional... And then I put on The Sapphires...

I had been meaning to watch this for ages, but we were listening to soul music and it reminded me... It was a really good film, great cast, can't fault any of them! The story was good, I did cry a bit, another reminder of our shameful history... It made me laugh too, really ticked all my boxes... 

Salted caramel macaroons dipped in chocolate...

This cold of Marley's has come back full force, I feel like since we got back from Vegas, my life has been defined by these germs... Adding gym to feeling like there is a cold on the horizon, it's been hard going... The weather both creates and perpetuates it... In any case, one of my beautiful and pregnant girlfriends came over for morning tea, and I made her some of these salted caramel macaroons dipped in chocolate... They could have done with more caramel but they were still divine!!! I didn't add the toffee because I didn't have any!

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/salted-caramel-toffee-coconut-macaroons/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+twopeasandtheirpod%2FrNNF+%28Two+Peas+and+Their+Pod%29

Salted Caramel Toffee Coconut Macaroons Dipped in Chocolate

Yield: 18 macaroons

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 17-20 minutes

Chocolate dipped coconut macaroons with salted caramel and toffee. These macaroons are heavenly!

ingredients:

1/3 cup salted caramel sauce
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 egg white
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups sweetened coconut
1/2 cup toffee bits
2 cups chocolate chips

directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the salted caramel sauce, sweetened condensed milk, egg white, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir until combined. Add in the coconut and toffee bits and mix well.

3. With a spoon, scoop up about 2 tablespoons of the coconut mixture and place onto the prepared baking sheet. Form the cookies into mounds that have a peak at the top. Use your hands to gently squeeze the dough together to create a slight point at the top. Your hands will get sticky, but that's ok:)

4. Bake the macaroons for 17 to 20 minutes, or until slightly golden brown. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes or until they are firm and set. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

5. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Make sure you keep stirring the chocolate every 20 seconds or so until chocolate is melted and smooth. Lay out a large piece of parchment paper or wax paper. Dip the bottom of the macaroons into the chocolate-just so the bottoms are covered. Set dipped cookies on the paper to dry. Dip all of the cookies and let them sit on the paper until completely dried.

Note-you can make these 2-3 days in advance. Store in an air tight container on the counter.

Print this Recipe

Baking, on a Tuesday!

This is not a part of our routine, but mum is away, and I wanted to keep the babies busy! We started at the park, came back and prepped, froze the goods, waited until Mace woke and baked... It's been an awesome day... 

A friend suggested that www.sprinklebakes.com was amazing, she was right! Just about every post Marley was wow and oohing about! I decided this would be good for both babies, I could prep and they could do the balls and sprinkles!

http://www.sprinklebakes.com/2013/01/lemon-sprinkle-sandies-and-giveaway.html?m=1

There are helpful notes on the website!

1 cup butter softened 

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons lemon extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

Pinch of salt

Zest of 1 lemon  

Multicolor nonpareils (at least a 3.75 oz. jar)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
2. Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add powdered sugar and beat again until combined. Scrape down the bowl and beat in vanilla and lemon extracts.  Beat in the flour, salt and lemon zest.  The dough should not be sticky and should hold together when a small amount is squeezed in the palm of your hand.
3. Shape mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls (a little over 1 tablespoon of dough). Roll dough balls in nonpareils. Arrange balls 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes, or until bottoms of cookies are light brown. Frozen cookie dough will take slightly longer to bake. Transfer to wire racks and let cool.
5. Keep in an air-tight container or in a zip-top bag with the air removed

Studio 21 tattoo Las Vegas

This was my husbands experience, but people always seem to ask about tattoos on the strip... Mark chose this spot because he wanted something done by the mad artist Tyson... We booked in advance, they took a $50 deposit over the phone, and we were in... It was between $15/$20 cab ride from the strip, the studio was clean, staff both professional and friendly and the art phenomenal!

My husband is a tattoo artist so knows what to look for in a good studio and he was very happy... Should, or when we go back to Vegas, we will definitely hot this spot again!

The Flamingo Hotel Las Vegas

People look down on the Flamingo because its in an old casino, but the GO rooms are awesome, king bed, big TV, fridge, coffee maker, everything you need for a comfortable stay...  The pool areas are exceptional, party pool, and family/chilled pool, great food and drinks at the pool, I love it! The staff everywhere, from bar, food, cleaning, concierge, check out, were all amazing, everyone had a smile to give... 

It is also incredible inexpensive, we got 7 nights for $700, this had more then doubled the month before we left! And it's easy to check in, their are some kiosks to the right of the check in area that are always empty! The only downside is the wifi, the cost is quite a lot because its per device! Surely it should be per room if it's in room wifi that you want! Still, we paid it because we wanted it!

All in all another stay in a central location with all of the amenities required! A great hotel!

Vegas is done and dusted...

My poor unattended blog! Things have been crazy with our week in Las Vegas KID FREE! And then making up for that since coming home... Our trip was amazing, was so lovely to be selfish on our ways, activities, hand holding, etc... There was one Mace related emotional meltdown, but that wasn't bad when away for almost 10 days... That was the morning I required a drink for breakfast...

Coming home was wonderful, cuddles with two of my favourite humans was everything I knew it would be! They were ecstatic, we were ecstatic... So much affection and presents! It was ambitious to look after them after a very long travelling day, but we got through it... The jet lag is still messing with me, it's 4am, every day, no matter where I go in the world... We still managed to make the most of what is most likely the last lovely day before winter! Heading to Edithvale beach, playing in the sand and snacking at the cafe, a really lovely morning to spend some proper quality time with my beautiful family...

Fremont Street Las Vegas

We didn't get here the first time, and to be honest, the only reason I wanted to check it it out was because of The Killers lyrical references... And their recommendation to get a deep fried Twinkie from Mermaids, as it turned out they were out so I tried a deep fried Oreo ($1 for 3!) instead, surprisingly like a donut with an Oreo centre! We stumbled across an awesome toy shop, featured on some pawn show, which was awesome, full of vintage toys... It was a bit more seedy feeling then the strip, wasn't a massive fan, don't need to go back!

Cheesecake Factory Las Vegas

On soooo many recommendations, coupled with some great vegetarian and vegan options, this spot was a definite! A 20 minute wait - worth it! Mark had a vegan burger, I had the most delicious grilled salmon and veg, a delicious healthy meal, followed by cheesecake... Amazing cheesecake! Over the course of the trip I had (in order of greatness) red velvet cheesecake, Hershey's cheesecake and Godiva cheesecake... Glad we got them all take away and shared them over a couple of sessions... So good... Looking forward to my next red velvet, might have to find a recipe... Go, go, go!!!

PF Changs Las Vegas

This spot looked good online, catering for Marks vegan/fructose free diet as well as so many deliciously meaty options for me! We knew that there would be a wait, there always is for awesome food... Our waiter was AMAZING, right down to getting GF soy sauce for Mark, even though he isn't quite that picky... We ordered far too much food for two people, it was all so delicious! I highly recommend going here, the crispy beef was mindblowingly good...