yum and yummer

I know I claim to hate cooking and I stand by my claims vehemently even though I do seem to be cooking a lot. Its OK, its just a phase. I blame masterchef.
My cupcakes were too sickly sweet for the birthday do yesterday so I did what any cooking hater wouldn't do and spent hours scouring the Internet for recipes.
I am most pleased with the results and realized what you cooking nuts already know. These are fantastic recipes for kids to make too.  Make the day before if you can.

YUM!

No Rum Rumballs 

• 250g Nice biscuits.
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
• 395g can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (1 teaspoon natural vanilla essence) 
• About  3/4 cup desiccated coconut, for coating

Using a food processor, combine cocoa and Nice biscuits. Blend until they look like fine crumbs( I don't mind the odd chunky bit )
In a bowl mix crumbs with remaining ingredients

Refrigerate for half and hour to make mixture firmer but no longer or you wont be able to get it out of the bowl........(yes , I did that and then later found my husband hacking away at it with a knife to eat it)
Roll into bite size balls.
Roll the ball in the remaining coconut to coat.
voila

YUMMER!

Vanilla Wafer balls 

Vanilla wafer balls (I made this recipe up using bits and pieces of other recipes. Amounts may not be accurate but these are so yummy it is worth experimenting on your own for desired results. I know kids will love these.)

I used the 65 cent wafers from Coles in the biscuit section

• 1 and a half packets of vanilla wafers
• Half a  packet of Marie Biscuits(120g)
• Half a cup of coconut
• (another 3/4 of a cup of coconut to coat balls)
• 1 tin of sweetened condensed milk ( I used 99%fat free because we want to appear to be healthy don't we?)

Throw wafers in a food processor and mix until they are mostly fine crumbs but leave some chunks for texture.
Blend Marie biscuits until they are a fine crumb
Mix all ingredients in a bowl then roll them into bit size balls.

Roll into remaining coconut to coat.

For added Princess sparkle value I rolled mine first in fairy dust sprinkles but I am a bit like that. You can omit this and it wont effect flavor.

YUMMISH!

Non Alcoholic Rumballs

These were OK but not to my taste and ever so sticky and messy to make. Some people loved them though so it was worth it.

• 2 1/2 cups Madeira cake crumbs (approximately 280g)
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 cup Condensed sweetened Milk(99% fat free of course)
• 1/2 cup of raisins or sultanas
• 1 tablespoon rum essence
• 1/2 cup chocolate sprinkles

Combine cake crumbs and cocoa in a large bowl. Add Condensed milk and rum. Stir until a thick, 

sticky mixture forms. Place chocolate sprinkles in a  bowl. Roll  into a bite size ball and 

roll in chocolate sprinkles until well coated. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve.

Yummiest

BUCKEYES

picture: Allrecipes.com

They never last long enough here to take a picture.

Click HERE for a look at the recipe. Best eaten straight from freezer, mmmmmm

Needless to say, I am feeling a little bit stuffed and podgy today because there were so many and I am supposed to be freezing them, however, they don't seem to be making it to the freezer....

I really love that I can freeze these for rainy days when the kids use thier whiny voice and say" muuum, there's no food" whilst staring into a full pantry.

Happy Wednesday girls

Cheers

Melanie

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And now it's September

Birthdays galore and a little get together planned  on Tuesday to celebrate all of the September girls.
I said I would make cupcakes but they're just so sweet and sickly.

I took these photos with my Birthday present, my iPhone, and although it is a handy little camera to have in a pinch, I am somewhat perplexed at why the pictures always come out upside down and the blueish tinge on everything is a bit eery.

As a phone Brilliant. As a camera it makes a great phone:)
My kids have gone to QLD so I am all alone. Oh what plans I have with my precious alone time.
I will first start by making something less sickly for tomorrow.
Happy Monday Girls!
Cheers
Melanie

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Avoision

Yes I love that word. I always thought I made it up but then I heard some one else think they were clever for making it up so there ya go. Regardless, its an awesome word and its what I do with such precision. I suffer from avoision and have been avoiding things for years but funny how some things you cant avoid.

Yesterday was one of those days.

As stated previously I hate crocheting.

  Unfortunately someone hadnt heard my proclamation of loathing towards the craft and did the sweetest thing for me and now I am bound by the code of crafters to at least keep trying.

Yesterday I was pleasantly surpised to have this placed in front of me with a "There you go" or something similar.

Now people have expectations and there were witnesses. I even had one lass trying to help me hold the wool how she does to perhaps make it be more comfortable on my fingers so that I may love it more....
Helen even brought in a How To book with easy to read instructions for complete nutcases that cant read instructions and guess what, I understood them!!!
Ho hum
Crafter's are like drug pushers. They're always on the lookout for someone they can push their crafting drug of addiction onto. Well FINE...
Ill keep going with it. Not like I can avoid it now.
P.S I love that my friends care enough to want me to love something they love.
Cheers
Melanie

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