Grown Up Party Food or What Some Foodies Call Canapes!

We thought about many different things to do for Hubby's 40th Birthday. We tossed up whether to have just an afternoon BBQ with all our friends and their kids or go out to dinner but in the end we decided to have a party at our place. One of the main reasons for that is because (get your violins ready) Hubby had never before had a birthday party. Like. Never.

So me being the big sap and having only child guilt over having lots of birthday parties from my childhood, it made up my mind that we would have a party for him at home. But that it would be a grown up party sans children. Including our own, who would be put to bed before the guests arrived.

Well that was the plan, I had to drag Grotbag to bed before he started to ask the guests to join him in break dancing! He was actually very good and went to bed and didn't get up again!

But I digress. Because this was essentially a grown up party I wanted grown up food. But I also didn't want it to be catered, to be slaving over a hot stove or stuck in the kitchen all night. So I set about finding some good canape recipes. My first stop is always Taste.com.au

I wanted canapes that could be prepared during the day and then quickly put together just before serving. I ended up doing 8 different canapes, 4 I made myself and 4 prepared by family & friends with spring rolls in the freezer as back-up food, which I didn't end up needing.

However, I have no photos of MY canapes as I was too busy making and serving them so I had to go back to Taste.com.au to find photos of the ones I took from their recipes. If you click on the photo's below it will take you to the recipe if you were so inclined.

The first one is Mini Prawn Cocktails which were lovely and went down a treat with the guests. Very easy to prepare (I made the sauce, cut the chives and peeled the prawns earlier in the day) and serve. I took the tails off my prawns for less mess for my guests but they looked pretty much the same as the picture.

Mini Prawn Cocktails

OK so the next ones the Smoked Salmon Blinis I cheated a bit. I bought the little Blinis but made the mascapone spread earlier in the day and then just put them together again just before serving. There was not one left at the end of the night!

Smoked Salmon Blini with Mascapone

My mum made a couple of dishes for me. One was some Lamb Kofta Meatballs with a tomato curry dip. Yum. And she also came to the rescue with these Arancini balls (photo below)which were one of the guests favourites from the night. They are a bit of a kerfuffle to make but re-heat really well in the oven. They only took 10 mins to re-heat and stay nice and crunchy on the outside with risotto and oozing cheese in the middle. Mmmmmm

Arancini

These Cheese, Apple & Walnut stacks were the easiest to make just before serving and were really different. It is basically a slice of apple with a slice of blue brie topped with some chopped walnuts. I ended up making two batches of these as they were so popular! I would definitely do these again or even add some salad leaves and appropriate dressing and serve as an entree. Divine!

Cheese, Apple & Walnut Stacks

A friend of my Mum's also made me some mini Satay Chicken Pies which were heaven and again only needed 10 mins in the oven to re-heat and also my Auntie Barb made me some home made sausage rolls which again were sooooo nice.

I also did a couple of cheese plates and placed some nuts, olives, salami's and sundried tomatoes for the guests to nibble on as they came in.

All in all the food was a great success and I was pleased (and so were my guest's it seems) with all of the dishes I had chosen to serve! It was also nice to do some grown up food rather than the normal 'chip & dip' for more casual affairs.

Now I wonder what Hubby will do in 3 years time for my 40th birthday.......

Cooking With Kids

I love to cook! I am no "foodie" and since the kids came along I haven't dabbled in many new recipes but still, the kitchen is my favourite room in the house!

So it would not surprise you that my eldest Grotbag was named after my favourite TV Chef, that my favourite show this year was Masterchef Australia (oh how I miss it) and that I expect that my boys will be able to rustle up a few good meals by the time they leave the nest.

Grotbag could say Jamie Oliver before he could say Bob the Builder, knows Nigella just by the sound of her voice and can name all the contestants and judges on Masterchef Australia! When I used to take him shopping as a toddler I would name all the things as I put them into the trolley knowing one day he would repeat them back. The first one he repeated in his gorgeous toddler voice was Salami!



I am really passionate about getting Grotbag and of course Bugalugs interested in cooking and food. They don't have to want to be chefs, but at least know where their food comes from, follow a good recipe and also be able to just throw something together from the pantry. I think it is really important, especially in this day and age of the microwave meal and fast food, that they learn the basics of proper cooking.

So, at every chance possible I get him to help me in the kitchen. Yesterday I cooked up a whole load of meals for the week and also a batch of puree's for Bugalugs. I got Grotbag cutting up the fruit and vegetables for the purees. He has his own small wooden chopping board and a knife which is actually a spreading knife so has a rounded end that way he can't stab himself. It is also sharp enough to cut through the food but blunt enough that Bugalugs won't find the end of his finger in his lunch!

Grotbag cutting apple to be pureed

Grotbag loves doing this, it's good hand eye coordination and we talk about how we are going to cook the food and I get him to taste it too. It's also great quality time we spend together. I have a fantasy where he is cooking a meal for his own family in years to come, maybe from my collection of cooking books that have been passed down to him and he is telling them how he always helped me in the kitchen (Sniff). He also loves the fact he has helped cook his brothers food and tells my 6 month old every time he is in his highchair!

We cook fun stuff too, his favourite is Banana & Choc Chip Muffins and he has become interested in my cake decorating set so in a few days we are going to make some cupcakes for him to decorate! I will have to make sure I am not to OCD about them being perfect.

I hope to continue this tradition with Bugalugs too so both my boys will be great cooks and in years to come invite their old mum round for dinner!

My Favourite Things - Mini Spatulas

They don't look so mini in the picture but these gorgeous mini spatulas are only 20cm long. They are one of my favourite thing in my kitchen at the moment. I bought them about a year ago because I thought they were cute (?) but didn't really use them till about 4 months ago. That is a burn mark at the bottom of the one closest in the picture - not food!!

I would probably use these everyday now. My favourite use for them is for emptying jars or containers of stir in sauces, baby food, canned stuff or tomato paste. I can get every drop of sauce out of the jar with these little babies. They are also good for icing cupcakes, spreading fillings on sandwiches or spreading other things like potato on shepherds pie or meringue on lemon meringue pie.

Because of the wooden handle they don't go in the dishwasher, their only downfall, but I still love these little babies!!

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Before I sign off my blog on my favourite things I just want to say how sad I am that my friend Mary-Jane, for personal reasons, has stopped writing her blog. Her blog was funny, topical and very honest and she is one of the most inspirational mothers I know. I will miss her blog and hope she comes back soon. She inspired me to start my own blog and so if you get a chance, stop by and have a read at her wonderful blog at http://whatsthemattermary-jane.blogspot.com/

Banoffie Pies - Yum!

Look divine don't they!

Let me start by saying that I can actually take no

credit for this "recipe" or really it should be called a "Put Together". My BFF Anastasia Beaverhausen (lets call her AB) brought them to my house as a desert for a dinner party I threw.

The best dinner parties are always when the guests bring there own little something something!!

Another guest had commented that she had made them herself a few weeks before and it took her 2 hours. AB snorted and said "these babies took me 5 minutes and 4 teaspoons!!"

We all leaned in closer for the secret to these delicious little morsels of delight. I LOVE to cook but am not that keen on baking so this was heaven to my ears. So today I share the secret with you. The ones in the picture above are ones I made this morning to take to my Auntie's birthday get together this afternoon. My step-dad has one of the sweetest teeth I know so really they are for him. He loves it when I "bake"!! (Shhh!)

AB's Banoffie Pies

12 Shortcrust Tartlet Cases

1 Can of Nestle Top'n'Fill Caramel

1 Banana

1 Tub of Thick "Dollop" cream (no whipping here!!)

1 Cadbury Flake

Method

Open packet of tartlets.

Open can of Top'n'Fill.

Spoon caramel into tart cases.

Cut banana into thin slices and place on top of Caramel

Dollop cream on top of bananas.

Sprinkle flake onto cream! Refrigerate till needed or scoff at will!

Voila - Banoffie Pies!!

Some notable notes. I used light cream to be a bit more virtuous and also made two with canned light whipped cream as Bling will be there today and she is on Weight Watchers (they work out to about 5 points). But AB made hers with double thick cream and they were delicious. I didn't actually use the whole can of the caramel there was still some left at the bottom and I only used half the carton of cream.

So, please feel free to make your shortcrust pastry, boil your can of condensed milk and whip your cream - but for me I am more than happy to say that I "threw these together" and literally mean it!

Now I have more time to do my hair!