Homemade Taco Seasoning

This is one of the many things I have seen on Pinterest and thought to myself:
"Oh, I have to try that some day!"
Finally that day came.
I looked in the pantry and saw some tortillas and beans along with my vegetarian "mince".
My tummy grumbled for some spicy Mexican dinner, but after searching amongst my herbs and spices, I could not find a taco seasoning packet.
So I did what any sane person does in that situation, I went to Pinterest!
I found one on a site called Whole New Mom (and I can't wait to explore the rest of her site!).

It called for these ingredients...

2 Tbsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 Tbsp cumin
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper

I scanned the list and knew I would have most of what I needed.....
Then I rummaged in my pantry...
Uh oh!
I only had some bare ingredients, chilli powder, cumin, garlic granules, paprika, salt & pepper.
I decided to finely dice a fresh onion, grind up the garlic granules to release the flavour and just mix with what I had and give it a go....

I know it doesn't look amazing, but it tasted GREAT!
I accidentally went a bit overload at first and it ended up too strong for my vege mince alone so I added the beans and it was perfect.
I will definitely be doing this again!
Check out the original post over HERE for extra tips and instructions.

Family Zoo Day

For the first time in months, my little guy slept all night.
ALL NIGHT!
This has happened maybe once or twice before, it is a very rare occurrence!
I know why he slept so well....
Yesterday, we went to the zoo with my family.
It was a great day!
We saw koalas...

Some big lizards soaking up the sun...

"Look mummy, it's a TIGER!!"

RAWR!

My little guy took me on a  few exploration walks...

We saw albino echidnas...

Some regular echidnas...

Red pandas...

We found a pony...

Hello!

Have some lunch...

There were a few mumma kangaroos hanging around...

Here, have some food!

We met a naughty goat...

So to stop him from eating our clothes, we gave him some yummy green stuff...

We fed some alpacas too...

Even I got to feed some animals too!

Beautiful little deer...

Some funny monkeys...

A very sleepy dingo...

We all had a blast!

Mile-High Pancakes {Recipe}

Last night I was exploring Youtube.
(As you do)
My husband was snoring on the couch and I was looking up recipe tutorial videos when I stumbled upon a treasure trove...
I found a recipe by a channel called Rouxbe.
I watched some of their older videos and was led to their website.
Then onto the 21 pages of recipes.
Not just any recipes, these are amazing recipes!
Rouxbe is a cooking school, visit their website HERE for more information.
I browsed through the list of free recipes (this list here) and my taste buds were soon tingling.
I love to cook.
I had to try some of these recipes.
So I saved a few and printed some off and left them on my desk to peruse later.

This morning I was wandering around the kitchen wondering what to make the kids for breakfast.
I remembered one of the Rouxbe recipes was for 'Mile-High Pancakes' and decided to give them a go.
The recipe is so well written out, with perfect instructions, I can see why their school is currently full!

After following the recipe to the exact letter (not easy for me!) I finally got to see the fruits of my not-so-long labour. All in all it took me about 5mins to mix it all up (with children and puppy at my feet).
And boy were they worth it!
I got some ready for the kids...

They were perfection.
Light, fluffy and golden brown.
The perfect pancake texture.
Soft enough to soak up whatever syrup you drizzled on top....
Amazing!

Of course I made some for myself...

And I still have a plate full for my hubby!
Anyway, enough yapping, here is the recipe:

MILE-HIGH PANCAKES


2 cups plain flour
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

2 cups buttermilk or regular milk
2 large eggs
2 tbsp vegetable oil

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and oil.

To mix the batter, first push the dry ingredients to one side of the bowl and then pour the wet ingredients into the opposite side.
Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet. As soon as the batter comes together, stop mixing.
Let the batter sit for about 5 minutes. It will thicken slightly as it sits. Do not remix.

Preheat your griddle or frying pan to medium, or medium-high heat. Grease with vegetable oil (I use a non stick pan and spray oil).
Once hot, ladle about 1/2 cup batter onto griddle/pan.
Let the pancakes cook until bubbles start to break the surface then flip and continue to cook the other side.
Repeat until all of batter is used.
Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup.

Enjoy!

Goodbye Holiday, Hello Home.

Good morning!
Today I feel great.
I feel well rested.
Finally!
Our weekend away with my family was amazing.
Good food, good wine, so many laughs and in a stunningly beautiful place.
If only the kids had slept a little better then it would have been total perfection.

We packed ourselves up and jumped in the car, ready for a short 1 1/2hr drive down south.

We travelled with my brother and sister-in-law, playing leapfrog and sending silly messages to each other as we watched the weather turning...

 It started to get dark, and cold...

We arrived at our destination and it was cold and blue...

We huddled inside and turned the heating on. I panicked at the thought of what I had packed for our supposed sunny holiday.
The girls pulled out their manicure kits and my darling girl was enthusiastic on joining in...

That night was pizza night, and we all took turns crowding into the kitchen creating our own masterpieces.

They were delicious!

The next morning we started with a coffee...

Then headed out the front gate for an adventure...

At the end of the street, mere minutes away...

We headed down the steep hill...

Then more steep hill, followed by stairs and finally...

We reached the shore!

We walked, collected shells, splashed in rock pools...

It was cold and windy, but clear skies and crystal water. Perfect for snorkelling!

We got home and the kids were exhausted from their long trek...

Then the men watched the footy...

Even later it was birthday party time for my grandpa. 

We had a big dinner followed by the birthday cake I had made for him...

After another rough night with the kids, it was a busy father's day morning followed by the local markets.
We saw interesting things for sale...

Bought lots of olives (of course!) and the kids had to have an ice cream from the Mr Whippy van...

Sadly it had to come to an end, family photos were taken, and then bags were packed.
Home we went!
It is so nice to be home again, the kids sleep well in their own beds, and I love having my own kitchen to cook in again.
But it was a lovely weekend, I can't wait for the next family holiday away!