Around Here - Date Walnut Loaf

I recently came across this Date Walnut Loaf recipe which is a really great recipe and wanted it on my blog.  The recipe link is above and if you go to that link it has the normal instructions as well as Thermomix method.  It's a bit confusing because both methods are written together instead of separately so I've just typed up the Thermomix recipe here.  I can highly recommend this recipe and although I don't have a photo it is worth it.  I'll make it again and take a picture to add to this blog post.

DATE WALNUT LOAF

INGREDIENTS

250gms pitted dates

250gms water

90gms melted butter

150gms brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg lightly beaten

225gms self raising flour

1 teaspoon bi-carbonate soda

pinch of salt

90gms walnuts chopped

THERMOMIX METHOD

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.

Grease and line the base and sides of a loaf tin [approximately 12cm x 30cm] [4.5inches x 12 inches]

1. Place the dates, water and butter into the Thermomix bow.
2. Mix for 4 minutes, 80 degrees, Speed 2 [until dates have softened and resemble a thick paste]
3. Mix to blend into paste.
4. Add the brown sugar and mix for 10 seconds on Speed 6.
5. Scrap down the sides of the bowl and repeat 10 seconds on Speed 6.
6. Add the lightly beaten egg and vanilla extract and mix for 5 seconds on Speed 6.
7. Add the self-raising flour, bi-carbonate soda and a pinch of salt.
8. Mix for 5 seconds on Speed 6.
9. Scrape down the sides and mix for 5 seconds on Speed 6.
10. Manually add the chopped walnuts by folding them in the mixture.
11. Pour into loaf tin and cook for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
12. Note:  I cooked for a further 10 minutes.
13. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Around here - Blogs in 2023

In July 2023 this simple living blog of mine will be 11 years old.  Things come and go and it seems that blogs are on the way out and not many people are writing them anymore.  Back in 2011 when we moved into this house I used to make my morning coffee and look forward to reading my daily 15 blogs and that was the technology done for the day.  So many of those bloggers no longer have blogs as it appears that the current technology like Instagram is the preferred method.  I do love Instagram and more so when it was only a photo sharing app however now every second post is an ad or a loud video which is not as great as it once was.  Also your IG and FB feed comes and goes in a heartbeat and a blog post you can add lots of photos and words and have it as a record in time.

I still write on this blog because I have so many things stored on here, recipes, outings and things I often refer back to.  I was in a FB group today and a lady was asking about making Vanilla with Vodka so I jumped onto my blog and searched "vanilla" and up popped the Vanilla post from November 2013 when Sienna made our first Vanilla extract when she was 7 years old.  It's great for a timeline of when we did what and where.

There are so many links to recipes on my blog as well that I have made and loved over the years.  After a while along with linking the recipe I would also write it in my post because blogs were disappearing which means so would the recipe.  I only ever post recipes that I love and will make again so if it's on my blog I can quickly refer to it and then bake it.

Over the years I have printed out my blog in a hardcover book so that if one day it's no longer there I have printed copies however you don't have the search function available.  Emma from She Sews Seeds [closed her blog] recently after I told her about printing it out using Blog2print before she closed it.  She posted she had to look up a recipe recently but then had to flip through books and books of her printed blog however at least it's all there in writing.  It's super easy to print your blog into a book as you put in your blog name and whether you want the comments printed or not, whether you want a new page after each blog post and what size you want the photos.  If you get on the mailing list they often have 30% sales which when you are printing a book with lots of pages certainly helps.

I thought I would post a few old blog posts for a trip down memory lane.

Our very first time making pasta together, how could me kids be so little and cute.

James making Five Seed Bread when he was 9 years old.

Sienna planting veggies in our veggie garden when she was 8 years old.

Our first veggie garden at our other house was a huge success with just two garden beds and I made a photo book of that garden which was such a joy.

Best cupcake recipe using cream.

A favourite slice called "Happy Pantry Slice" which we have been making since 2015.  I don't actually put chocolate on top now to make it a bit healthier for the school/uni lunch boxes.

Back in 2019 I got into learning about additives and preservatives that are in our foods and how to avoid them.  What is alarming that spinach wraps from the supermarket did not contain any spinach and yet they are allowed to get away with it.  I listed to these 7 podcasts which was very eye opening and then I did the 4 week online course with Tracey & Jo, sisters from Additive Free Lifestyle.  The girls have just launched an app now and you can take a photo of the ingredients on the packet, crop the image and then it will pop up with all the additives and preservatives in the item and then the traffic light system of red, yellow and green pop up and then a description of the additives, where it's used and how harmful or good it is.  The app is a game changer to make shopping easy.  If you only do one thing I would listen to one of the following podcasts a day for the next 7 days.

Day 1 - Preservative 282

Day 2 - Annatto 160B

Day 3 - Perservative 220

Day 4 - Caramel 150c

Day 5 - Take Away Foods

Day 6 - Swapping it up

Day 7 -  Embracing the Change

School holidays and visiting the Koalas at the Daisy Hill Koala Centre.

Still making this laundry power for our washing which I love.

This Apple Slice recipe of my Mother in Law's is amazing I can highly recommend it.

Baking in the Country when my friend moved to acreage 15 minutes from me we would spend a day together doing some sort of baking and preserving.

I have been making this Mayonnaise and Coleslaw Dressing since 2019 which takes all of 10 minutes to get the ingredients out and whip it up with a stick blender.  Super easy, economical and best of all no nasty additives and preservatives.

Around here - Celebrating Motherhood - The Magic in the Everyday

Whilst my Motherhood journey is at the other end of the spectrum the value in all those years of photographing our everyday lives remains immeasurable.  Regardless of the unique circumstances we face, the power of photography transcends, reminding us that the essence of Motherhood lies in the beauty of everyday moments, forever cherished and treasured.

I've created a Free Facebook Group for Mothers who are just starting out on their journey as Mothers or Mothers who already have a number of kids.  Whether you have a camera or just an iPhone you are welcome to join for tips and tricks and a space where we can encourage you to get in the frame and document your day to day life.  If you are reading this blog post and you know any Mothers this would be of interest to, please pass these details on as I've just opened this group.  I'm passionate about Motherhood and celebrating all the things we do.

Here is the link to the Free Facebook Group.  Celebrating Motherhood - The Magic in the Everyday.