chicken and zucchini poppers

when trying to find gf and df options for emilys bridal shower recently, i did a lot of internet searching in the hopes i would find something delicious, but in both those categories. 

i came across the recipe for chicken and zucchini poppers here (via pinterest) and can i just say, they were amazing! so much flavour and pretty easy to make. i have already made them again since and they are totally on the make over and over list. i think i can say fairly safely that they were a big hit as the whole lot of them were gone in no time at all!

please trust me and go and make them asap.

obviously cook them prior to eating, but yum!

moana party prep

sometimes i think i enjoy the party prep more than the party! i have so much thinking of ideas and seeing them come to life. madeline decided that this year she'd like a moana party for her birthday, so my mind went into overload thinking what i could do to make the party that little bit cooler.

my very awesome best friend jen got to work making chocolate wraps that i could print to cover the aldi 40g chocolates ($2.99 for 5), you simply remove their paper (very carefully) and then add your own print (a standard size 4x6 photo wrapped fits perfectly) and hold in place with a small piece of tape.

these were to go inside these awesome coconut cups i ordered from ebay here ($2.95 each with flat rate postage for $7.95 no matter how many you order) along with some allens pineapples and a white lollipop (which totally looks like a coconut on a stick)

i decided to make jelly slice (because it's a crowd pleaser and would totally look like ocean slice with the blue white and sandy colour... only this was a huge fail. i am reporting back so no one else has to go through this... i bought the awesome looking new aeroplane glitter jelly (because who doesn't like glitter) but after being in the fridge on top of the slice all day long it still wasn't set!!!! it seems as though the glitter jelly uses a different setting agent than the regular gelatine in most jellies and adding the additional gelatine required to get it solid enough to hold on the slice had caused it to react and not set. long story short, i'll be heading off to coles in the morning on an emergency non-glitter jelly run after i tip this lot off.

i desperately wanted to make heart of te fiti cookies. for those of you that have seen moana, the movie centres on a small green stone called the heart of te fiti and i wanted to give it a go! i used the recipe i used last year to make the pineapple cookies last year and got to work. i was in the middle of rolling out the dough when madeline came into the kitchen and said, "mum, what are you doing?" i replied, "i'm making heart of te fiti cookies" "oh. why aren't they green?" oh my gosh. why weren't they green?! my darling girl with all the innocence of a child had saved me hours of icing the cookies with common sense. back in the mixer with some green food colouring, then back onto the bench to roll again.

i used a pumpkin cookie cutter that i picked up at coles in a 4 pack for a few dollars after halloween last year then used the knife i was lifting the cookies with to cut off the stem. easy!

into the oven they went... then once they were cool i iced them (same icing recipe from the pineapple cookie post mentioned above) with a simple swirl. they aren't perfect, that's for sure, but i love them!

i also made some "tamatoa's shiny treasure" by using caramel popcorn with some cute shiny gold stars and pearls to make it extra shiiiiiiiny!!

and some "beach sand slice" aka lemon pie bars, which my friend lisa used to make allll the time when she lived in australia. they are excellent and i strongly suggest you give them a try while lemons are in season. 

stay tuned... party is tomorrow and we are super excited at makeshift motonui. i can't wait to show off pictures!

jelly slice

i have always loved the look of this beautiful bright slice and have been wanting to try it for ages, but always left it in the too hard basket, but tried it for josephs birthday and am so glad i did... i've made this twice in two weeks and both times had rave reviews, so i thought i had better hurry up and share the recipe for the best jelly slice, which i found here

i will begin simply saying, make sure you have plenty of time when making the slice, as the way to make sure you get the beautiful clean layers, is by allowing enough time to let them set and for the jelly to cool before you pour it on the top. 

you will need:

200g milk arrowroot biscuits

225g melted butter

395g can condensed milk

2 1/2 tsp gelatine

3/4 cup boiling water

4 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 pkt jelly (flavour/colour of your choice)

boiling water as per instructions on jelly packet

extra tsp gelatine - for jelly top

method:

1. line slice tin with baking paper

2. crush biscuits in food processor until fine

3. add crumbs to melted butter and mix until combined. pour the mix into the prepared tin and press down with the back of a spoon until a neat layer is formed. place in the fridge to set

4. whilst base is chilling, add 2 1/2 tsp gelatine to boiling water and stir until dissolved. add to condensed milk and lemon juice. whisk until mixture is combined and smooth

5. remove base from fridge and pour condensed milk layer over the top. place back into the fridge to set.

6. make jelly as per instructions on packet, adding an extra tsp of gelatine. leave jelly to cool until it reaches room temperature.

7. pour jelly over slice and place back in fridge to set, this will take at least 4 hours, leaving it overnight is the best option to ensure the layers all fully set.

8. cut into squares using a hot knife.

it's so yum! hope you enjoy :)