8.30am Panic!

I woke up this morning absolutely panicked about the wedding and everything surrounding it!

Its 5 weeks today! So close but still feels so far. There is still so much to do. I guess there really isn't when I think about it, but my control/panicky nature means I like to go over everything a million times and have a backup for everything AKA I complicate things always and then freak out cause Ive made everything a million times harder than it had to be hahaha!

Also, Id like it noted that I was awake at 8.30am today! Its a new record for me on weekends!

I think Im getting old because I do love a good sleep-in but Im really starting to hate the whole "wasted a whole day" consequence. Weird. Didnt expect that any time soon.

Heck its 5 weeks till Im a married woman! Im so so excited! Sometimes I think Id like to be a wedding planner because Ive had fun doing this and I always find these awesome things for a wedding. Maybe that can be my new career prospect? Maybe not, I dont deal with stress very well and dealing with bridezilla's everyday would drive me bonkers. So this last paragraph was a bit pointless. Not deleting it though.

Anyway, Im off to enjoy this lovely part of a saturday morning I never get to see.

Raya X

Sometimes I think about things

Well its 5 weeks till the wedding! I cant wait! I never ever thought I would actually be able to say "I get married in less than 6 weeks!" but now that I am, its the most exciting thing ever!

It makes me think so much about what it means to be a wife and what my future entails! I have this picture perfect idea of a 5 bedroom house with a giant kitchen and double oven, surrounded by a white picket fence, children playing in the front yard and me standing on the street in a gorgeous floral dress, perfect hair and makeup, talking to my friends who also live on the same cul-de-sac with their children playing on their front lawns too. Ahhh. Perfection.

Now the real picture I know will be completely different, but in the perfect world of Raya, this is how it is. Let me dream.

But in all seriousness, the wedding feels like forever away but really its not and I really should get on top of everything other than shopping for things hahaha!

I bought some gorgeous striped paper straws for the wedding, which I fell in love with!

I got some Grey, Blue and Pink ones and Im dying to use them!

Anyway, Thats enough dreaming for one eve.

Raya X

Some Of My Favorite Pictures From Paris

Wow! What a long long gap!

I have been thinking about this blog for a while now! I keep meaning to post but never get around to it. But, here I am...
Ive been so busy lately! Wedding plans have tended to side-swipe me on a daily basis and this hideous exhaustion thats going on in my body is getting a bit out of hand. Im finding that Im constantly exhausted and by about 3pm Im at vomiting and crying stage. Sigh. It has been so great the last few weeks as I have been getting through the day well and can last till about 11pm but the last few days have been pretty bad again.
So sitting on the bed relaxing and watching birthing shows on Foxtel (cause Im weird) I decided to peruse my old blog and here I am. Boring you with my rambling. Infact Im boring myself. So I might go and sleep.
Hopefully see you kids again soon,
Raya X

White Chocolate Profteroles (Choux Buns)

Every Wednesday I only have 2 kids to look after at work, so I've started doing some baking with them in the afternoons. Last week we made White Chocolate Covered Choux Buns. They are delicious french sweet buns that are usually filled with cream or custard. Profiteroles are very similar but just a little different.
These were so easy to make with kids and so delicious to eat.

Ingredients:

• 80ml (1/3 cup) water
• 40g butter, at room temperature, cubed
• 50g (1/3 cup) plain flour, sifted
• 2 eggs, at room temperature

Method:

1. Place water and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until butter melts and mixture just comes to the boil.

2. Add all the flour to the butter mixture at once and use a wooden spoon to beat until well combined. Place over low heat and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture forms a ball and begins to come away from the side of the saucepan. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Whisk 1 egg in a small bowl and set aside. Whisk the remaining egg in a small bowl, then add it to the flour mixture, beating well with a wooden spoon. Gradually add a little of the reserved egg and beat until the mixture just falls from the spoon but still holds its shape.

3. Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush a baking tray with oil to lightly grease. Spoon 25-30 teaspoonsful of the mixture onto tray, about 3cm apart. Alternatively, use a pastry bag fitted with a 1.5cm-diameter plain piping nozzle to pipe the profiteroles onto the baking tray. Brush the tops with a little of the remaining egg. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the profiteroles are puffed and golden.

4. Remove from oven and turn the oven off. Using a skewer or a small knife, pierce the base (or top) of each profiterole to release the steam. Return the profiteroles to the oven and leave them for 15 minutes to dry out. Remove the profiteroles from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

This recipe is from www.Taste.com.au


Raya X

Sugar Paste Creations

So since my last post I decided that I should delve deeper into this passion of mine. So I went out and bought some Sugar Paste and some Colour Paste's (which totally changed my life because they are such amazing colours and so super concentrated that you need less than a drop to colour something) and went to work.

This is what I have made so far

This is meant to be a baby with a dummy but it looks more like a nipple



I know they're nothing outstanding, but I'm pretty pleased with my first attempt.


Raya X

Dreams

I love baking. It is my passion. We all give to others in different ways, and mine is to cook for people but primarily bake.
There is nothing better than spending a day at home with music blaring, baking up a storm in the kitchen then having people come over and the look in their eyes when they see a beautiful pile of cookies or a giant cake that screams "EAT ME!" and that moment when they realize that its theirs for the taking. Amazing.
Although I love to bake, I've never ventured into the designing side much. I sit at the computer for hours and look at pictures of peoples amazing cakes, cupcakes and cookies and I think "Gee, I would love to be able to do that." I would love to be able to create wedding cakes and know that for someones special day, they were cutting into something that I spent hours designing, pouring my heart into and for them to then know that they had the best possible cake for their big day. That would be a feeling I could live with.
Well anyway, here are a few designs I found this morning that one day, I'd love to be able to accomplish.Raya X

Mmmmm Green Soup

I have been starting to feel a bit under the weather this week so made some "Green Soup" to boost my immune system.
Its truely not visually appetising but it is tasty and it will aid in your health.

Green Soup

1 brown onion (diced)
1 leek (sliced)
1 brocolli head
Spinach - English or baby, whatever takes your fancy (chopped)
frozen Peas
chicken or beef stock


Heat a deep frying pan to medium and saute onions and leek until transluscent. Add chopped Broccoli and allow to soften.
Add about 2 cups of the stock in and bring to boil until broccoli is cooked, then add chopped spinach. When spinach is wilted add some more stock (enough to boil the peas.) Bring to a gentle boil and add the bag of frozen peas.
Once peas are cooked through, blend mixture together - with a stick blender!!! When I made this batch, i used my boss' glass blender, then as i was rinsing the jug, it shattered on me. So be careful! Plus its hot! But if you dont blend it soon after the peas are cooked they loose their bright colour and you end up with a big bowl of dark green poo-looking soup.
Also, if you think you may have too much liquid, remove some of it and set aside. If after the soup is blended it needs more liquid, slowly add the removed stock until desired consistency.
Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with croutons or crunchy bread.

Also, you can really add any green vegetable - even lettuce to sweeten it up, just saute after the onions.

Jimmy being a champ and eating his soup with me

Raya X

Hot Cross Buns for Easter

As you all know, Easter was last weekend and as I was sitting at home thinking of what to bake I realised I had never made Hot Cross Buns. But all that has changed now...

Ingredients

• 4 cups plain flour
• 2 x 7g sachets dried yeast
• 1/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons mixed spice
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups currants
• 40g butter
• 300ml milk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• Flour paste

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 4 to 5 tablespoons water

• Glaze

• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar

Method

1. Combine flour, yeast, sugar, mixed spice, salt and currants in a large bowl. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add milk. Heat for 1 minute, or until lukewarm. Add warm milk mixture and eggs to currant mixture. Use a flat-bladed knife to mix until dough almost comes together. Use clean hands to finish mixing to form a soft dough.

2. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead for 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth. Place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until dough doubles in size.

3. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Punch dough down to its original size. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Divide into 12 even portions. Shape each portion into a ball. Place balls onto lined tray, about 1cm apart. Cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes, or until buns double in size. Preheat oven to 190°C.

4. Make flour paste: Mix flour and water together in a small bowl until smooth, adding a little more water if paste is too thick. Spoon into a small snap-lock bag. Snip off 1 corner of bag. Pipe flour paste over tops of buns to form crosses. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until buns are cooked through.

5. Make glaze: Place water and sugar into a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Brush warm glaze over warm hot cross buns. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe from www.taste.com.au


Raya X

Weird News Article

Welcome to Monday! I hope your weekend didnt go too fast. Even if it did, you're halfway through Monday now and its a short weeks so really, you're nearly half way through your week...kinda.

Anyway, as the children were sleeping I decided to look at the news website and came across this article which made me giggle;

A CHEF at a trendy New York bistro is letting diners munch on fig and paprika cheese made from his wife's breast milk.

Daniel Angerer, who runs Klee Brasserie in the city's Chelsea neighbourhood, said customers started demanding his custom-made "human cheese" after he blogged about his efforts to make it, the New York Post reported.

"The phone was ringing off the hook," the chef explained. "So I prepared a little canape of breast milk cheese with figs and Hungarian pepper."

"It tastes like cow's milk cheese, kind of sweet," he added, noting that the flavour depends on what the cheese is served with and "what the mother eats."

The response among those who tried the cheese was described as generally positive, although many customers were too squeamish to attempt it.

"I think a lot of the criticism has to do with the combination of sex and cheese, but ... the breast is there to make food," said Lori Mason, Angerer's wife, who is mother to the couple's 10 week old daughter Arabella.

The restaurant was inundated with creepy queries since it began offering customers a taste, she said.

"Some people who clearly have issues have ... emailed me saying, 'I wasn't breastfed as a child, so can I taste your breast milk?'" she said.

Mason politely declined the offers.

"I'm not here to walk people through their psychological problems," she said.

That said, Mason is now prodding Angerer to make gelato out of her milk.
New York health chiefs said that even though department codes do not explicitly forbid the practice, they advised Angerer to refrain from sharing his wife's milk with the world.

"The restaurant knows that cheese made from breast milk is not for public consumption, whether sold or given away," a spokeswoman for the city Department of Health said.

Now, I'm all for cooking and eating weird and wacky food, but seriously, I dont think I would be game enough for this.

Raya X

Pizza Scrolls

So I was asked to make some Pizza Scrolls for my friends engagement party after I made them for our New Years festivities and as I was making them I thought "Hey, why not post the recipe onto my blog..." and so I am...

It is a pretty simple recipe that started out as a kids recipe in a book that I altered (which I do with nearly all recipes) and then I realized that they were delicious and that most adults are really children and we all love something simple, bite size and delicious!

Ingredients:
Puff Pastry sheets
Tomato paste (go for the stuff with garlic etc so it adds a bit more flavour)
Salami - Chopped into 1cm pieces
Ham - Chopped into 1cm pieces
Pizza Cheese
Parmesan - Shaved (buy a block of parmesan and shave it yourself for the best flavor)
Salt and Pepper (of course)
Egg and milk (for the egg wash)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Lay the defrosted Puff Pastry sheet out on a bench, slop a good spoonful of tomato paste on it and spread to the edges. Don't go overboard on the tomato paste or any other ingredient as its going to be rolled up at the end and you want to be able to taste every flavor and not be bombarded with an overload of cheese etc.

Ok, so now sprinkle the ham, salami and a handful of cheese over the pastry.
Again, DON'T overdo the cheese. If it looks too sparse, thats fine - you're going to get about 4 layers of it once its cooked so don't stress.

Sprinkle a pinch of Parmesan over everything, along with some salt and pepper.

Wet one of your fingers with water and run along one of the edges of the pastry (this will be the edge that gets folded last and sticks the roll together) then start rolling the pastry from the opposite end towards the wet end.

Once rolled up, cut with a sharp knife into 1-1.5cm rolls and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Mix egg and milk together and brush over the rolls with a pastry brush.

Place in oven and bake until golden brown (about 20 mins)

With Parmesan cheese always get a block instead of grated, and preferably buy a european parmesan as they make it right. Parmesan is not supposed to smell like vomit like it does in Australia. It is actually a super creamy cheese with a bite, but not one that leaves your mouth tasting like you've just woken up lying next to an empty bottle of tequila and the only memories of the previous night are the sand inside your pants and the above mentioned taste in your mouth.


Raya X

Adventures to Luna Park

Today I went to Luna Park with the little girl I nanny and we took some photos. Although I'm no photographer like alot of my friends, these are my favorites...

Hello smiley face, what are you so happy about? Perhaps its that you have a prime position on Sydney Harbour? Or that every day you get to see people walking around, holding hands, kissing, playing games and grinning as largely as you?
This is written all through Balmain and I love it.
The only letters I want are Love letters.

Good news people! Its Wednesday evening which means you have come through the first half of the week relatively unscathed (I hope) and now you are on the home stretch to the weekend. Hooray!

Raya X

Pondering Photography

I am venturing into photography and my favorite photos are the ones that show you exactly whats going through someones mind or whats going on around them, in the one shot.

I stumbled across this one and I really enjoy it. It is a woman who has her children hanging off her, relying on her for comfort, food and very obviously - rest.

Then you move to the womans face, and written on it are so many things. "What will I feed my children tonight?" "Where will we sleep tonight?" "How will I protect them for another day?" "How will I heal my heart while I protect theirs?"

Life seems so tough some days and we have to struggle on, rely on the strength God gives and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Raya X

My Twilight Rant

Everyone knows about the series of "Twilight" and everyone has a different opinion about it so I feel that its my turn to share my thoughts on this topic.
I am a fan of the books and movies but I have spoken to a lot of Christians who are under the impression that its very demonic and leads away from God - which I do agree with.
I'd say I am torn between the two opinions because while I do see that it completly leads away from God and is adding temptation and lust into darker things I also see the love story behind it. So lets talk about both.

Column A is the Christian attitude. We as Christians are designed to glorify God and share the gospel to all. His grace surpasses everything we could ever imagine we deserve.
By His grace, He sent His son to us, to die a hideous death that was unjust and undeserved, all so we could spend eternity with God and not have to go through the torment of never being able to live up to the demands of the law.
We are saved by grace alone and there is NOTHING we could EVER do to earn this. It is a gift and we must treat it as such and not get caught up trying to feel like somehow we deserve it.

So for this amazing grace we are given the positioning to share this gift, in-fact this is what were 'charged' with. Naturally, if something wanted to stop the progression of such a gift it would make the opposite an appealing temptation. The opposite is not a loving and kind option, it is not living your life to glorify the creator of the universe and it does not end in you spending your eternity in a place with no suffering or pain. The opposite of good is evil. God is good, and he wants you to live your life with Him in Heaven. The enemy is evil and he wants you to believe that there is no "eternity" and no repercussions for your sins. He wants you to have "fun" and take the attention away from God.
Twilight, I think, delves into this temptation. In what way, in any place, does it reference God or His morals other than not having sex before marriage - which is still misconstrued because the entire reason they cant have sex is because he would kill her.

Column B - the love story.
Every female desires a man who is strong and loving. Someone who will sweep her off her feet, shower her with love and kindness but be the protective male that God designed him to be.
We want to know we're the only person in their eyes and they would fight for you no matter what happened or who it hurt. We want them to lay their lives down for us as Christ did.
The reality for some people is that this never happens. Sometimes we get the guy who sweeps us off our feet in the beginning but will eventually stop. Sometimes we get a guy who is loving and gentle and everything we ever wanted but they lack the protection side of things and we never feel safe with them. And then some of us even get a man who refuses to fight for us, who says all the right things to make you believe he is fighting for you but in the end, he never has...and never will.
Whatever the man you have or want, this story creates this image of a man who waited 100 years to find her - the woman he has been waiting for. We see this the moment he looks at her and he realises his world is turned upside-down because she is everything he ever wanted...everything he ever NEEDED. Its love at first sight.
He comes at night to watch over her and protect her while she is asleep. He is with her constantly and never fails to shower her with love. He is always willing to give his life for her and proves it on many occasions. He is the strong male in the relationship and he will bear anything to be that. He is the leader and he completely and utterly adores her.
What woman doesn't want that kind of man!
We read these stories and are taken in by the infatuation and the romance but then we stop reading and we realise that this isnt real life. We dont get to be that woman. We have to go back to our jobs and lives and return to being the mum, flatmate, worker and girlfriend/wife and after reading this story we feel dissatisfied with ourselves, our lives and our partners. No one is perfect and even though you search for this perfect person to make your life 'Complete' or 'Whole.' We're given ideas as to how you can make your life 'complete' through tv, ads and of course, books. But theyre not guidelines or DIY kits - they're stories. They will never be real and if you continue to search for the things you find in these sources you will NEVER feel complete or happy.
Its female porn.
What we do get if we step back and look at Column A and Column B, is a chance at looking to God for this relationship. He is the one who was waiting thousands of years for us to get here. He sent His son here to endure what He did so that we could eventually be with Him. He would and did lay down his life for us. He gave up everything for us. He is the strong, protective, loving, gentle and kind man our hearts were designed to fall in love with and search for.

We have to stop looking for a checklist of things to make us feel 'whole' and start looking to God because until we do, we will always be looking for something that isn't there, except in Him.

So thats the end of my rant.
Let me know what you think and if you think differently.


Raya X

I Love Chocolate

Its been a while since I've blogged hasn't it.

So I went to Castle Towers this afternoon to stop my very best friends Mr Baskin and Mrs Robbins' store to get myself a nice waffle cone with 2 scoops of delicious mango flavoured ice cream only to find that it had a sign on the door that said it was closed till 5 due to an emergency. It made me very sad to think that there was an emergency with someone but my tummy also cried because it wasn't filled with yummy ice cream and waffle.
I contemplated waiting till 5 (thats how bad I was craving it) but decided not to so went home.

On my way home I started thinking about Chocolate and the best chocolate I know of is Haighs. Its amazing! If you haven't had some, you must! In my opinion the Chocolate coated Macadamias are the best but following closely behind are the Choc-Berries.

Thinking about Haighs brought me to thinking about the best truffles Ive ever had and they were in this small chocolate shop in Bad Homburg run by a man named Daniel. I made a bit of a tradition of going most mornings and ordering a hot chocolate (I wasn't quite into coffee yet...) and a few chocolate truffles and once a week I'd buy a bag to take home to eat while I was working on the weekend.

So now I'm craving mango ice cream, chocolate coated macadamias and chocolate truffles with no way of getting any. Boo.


The chocolate store in Bad Homburg. On the front under the windows is a ledge that the owner Daniel puts some mats on and turns them into some lovely seats to sit on with your chocolates and coffee.

This is the view towards my apartment from the chocolate store in Bad Homburg.

Raya X

Roast Chicken With Chorizo Stuffing

Hello fellow internet nerds and bloggers!
As most of you know, I LOVE Chorizo! It is the best sausage in the world and goes with everything! Its amazing in omelette's for breakfast, in lunch and its even better in dinners. Which is why the other day I felt like cooking a roast chicken (because honestly, who doesn't love a good home-cooked roast) but I also felt like some Chorizo. So I was pondering how to combine the two loves and then I thought of a Roast Chicken with Chorizo Stuffing! So I then jumped online to get an idea of how people have made this before and got some ideas for myself...

Ingredients:
1 large chicken (cavity cleaned and preferably organic or free range)
2-3 Spicy Chorizo (you can have a less spicy version but I love a little chilli kick) - found in the deli or fridge section of the supermarket
1 red onion - finely diced
Breadcrumbs - about a handful
1 lemon - juiced
2 pieces of roast capsicum (from deli) - diced
1 egg yolk
Parsley - chopped
Shallots - chopped
Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 200/180 if fan-forced. Get chicken ready and set aside. Hopefully its cavity should be cleaned out but just get a paper towel and dab the inside of the cavity to remove excess blood and juice.
Chop the Chorizo up into small but rough pieces and place in a bowl. Add the egg yolk, diced onion, breadcrumbs, capsicum, parsley, shallots and salt and pepper to taste and mix together with hands. Make sure its all mixed well.
Grab the chicken and gently stuff with the mixture, packing it tightly but being very careful not to tear any of the chickens skin or you will end up with a dry chicken.
If you have any skewers then fold over the skin of the chicken around the bum and close with skewers. If not, then with some cooking twine gently fold the skin over to close and pull the two legs together and tie the legs together over the boniest part of the leg which is toward the end. This should keep the cavity closed enough to keep the flavor and juices in.
Place the chicken in a greased baking dish and cover in lemon juice (this makes the skin crunchy) along with salt and pepper and a bit of olive oil too.
Place in the oven for anywhere between 1.5 hours to 2 hours. Test the chicken by piercing the thigh and if the juices come out clear, the chicken is cooked.

With any roast I cook veggies too. Sweet potato, potato, carrots and parsnip were my veggies of choice for this roast and it was perfect. Chop them and place them in the oven at the same time as the chicken with some olive oil to stop them from sticking to the base of the pan.
A good redwine gravy would go perfectly with this too but as I am still to perfect my gravy I wont post one up hahaha.

I hope you enjoy!

Raya X

Moustache Madness

I really need to stop eating lollies before bed! The sugar gives me nightmares and the past few nights I've had some hideous ones! But as I was laying there last night at around 3am I thought about some photos I haven't put up yet that I believe I promised I would from 'The Beautiful Temper's gig last week and the shennanigans that followed.

I bought some new necklaces last week that I absolutely fell in love with (Modcloth.com) and

there were so many to choose from like mini monacle's and mini glasses but I decided the Moustache was much more necessary for now, along with a cute black and white bow-tie necklace.

We had so much fun with Mr Moustache so I thought of putting some photos up.

I hope you're all having a great week so far! The rain in Sydney is supposed to ease up today and allow back in the hot summer weather...will you be going to the beach? Pool? Sitting at home/work in lovely air-con?

Beautiful Kimmy with a lovely upper lip

Me, Lucy (whom I love and have so much fun with!) and Sarah (who is my cousin-to-be)

...Just cause he can grow a moustache...

Oh I love love love this woman! She is the bestest!

Jimmy from 'The Beautiful Temper'

Photo courtesy of 'Esjay Creative' who is one talented photographer!

Check her stuff out!

Raya X

Photography Finds

I had such a lovely day today! My friend Lucy and I went to Windsor to take some photos of random things we thought were beautiful and interesting.
We spent a few hours wandering the streets and both having sweet teeth, we eventually found our way to a delicious lolly shop and spent quite a while in there.
One of the places we stopped in on was Vinnies and I stumbled across a few cameras that took my fancy. Unfortunately I have no idea how they work, so if you know or have any information about them then please feel free to post it. There was film in the German camera and in the Servfocus video camera so I hope something cool shows up in them.

The Voigtlander Vito CL camera that came
with these extra bits that I have no idea what do.

The Polavision Land Camera

And the Mini 3 Servofocus camera that has film in it

So if you know anything, let me know!

Raya X

Look What One Ham Hock Can Create!

I went shopping yesterday to peruse up a bargain at the local shop we call 'Woolworths' and I managed to find a Ham Hock for $2.19. So I thought to myself " Raya, this is cheap. You do love ham! You can make something out of this cheap bargain. INFACT, you could make Pea and Ham soup..." So off I went with my Ham Hock, waltzing down the frozen aisle (frozen food - the actual aisle wasn't frozen) in search of some peas. When I had my peas, I cheerfully walked down to the fruit and vegetable section and got some Celery and was on my way.

Because I love this recipe so much I thought I would share it with you as too often have I had someones terrible rendition of Pea and Ham soup (one even included corn pieces and 2 minute noodles) and I feel that I would be depriving you all of this amazing meal. I did originally get this meal out of a 'Delicious' magazine, but as most people do, I varied it so I'm now claiming it as my own.

Remember - Simple is delicious. Don't try and overdo food, when you think too much or play with it too much you run the risk of killing it. Just let it chill and do its thing, get a glass of wine and go with the flow. Here you have some very different flavors and different textures, keep it simple and enjoy the differences. It may look gross but it will taste amazing!

Pea And Ham Soup

1 Smoked Ham Hock (from butchers or the Deli section)
2 large Carrots - halved
3 Celery sticks - chopped into thick pieces
1 Large brown onion - quartered
1 tsp of Black Peppercorns (whole)
A pinch of Chilli flakes
---
1 small brown onion - diced
2-3 Tbs butter
2 Tbs Plain Flour
900g-1kg Frozen Peas


Place Ham hock, Carrots, Celery, Quartered Onion, Peppercorns, Chilli and 2 Liters of water in a pot. Bring to the boil, skimming off any scum as it rises to the surface. Be sure to submerge the Ham Hock in water as you want it to boil out as much hammy goodness into the stock.
Reduce the heat to Medium/Low and allow to simmer for anywhere from 1 hour to 1.5. You want between 4-6 cups of stock leftover depending on how runny you like your soups.
When Stock is ready, remove Ham Hock from stock and set aside. Drain stock into a separate bowl/jug to keep and discard veggies.

Heat deep pan to a medium heat and gently saute butter and diced onions until translucent. Add flour and stir for around 1 minute. Do not let it brown or burn! Flour and Butter creates a paste type consistency which, when soup is fully created, will create a softer texture and helps to bind the liquid part of the soup to the thicker parts. Once the onions, butter and flour are all mixed together, gradually add the stock a bit at a time - otherwise the flour mixture can curdle and will go lumpy. Once all stock is added bring to the boil. Feel free to reduce this mix a bit if you feel there is too much liquid - just keep it gently boiling and the lighter liquid will evaporate slowly leaving the heavier, denser liquid which is where the flavor is. Add peas and boil for a few minutes until they are tender - not mushy. Take pan off heat and leave to cool for a bit.
While the pea mix is cooling, grab the Ham Hock and take the meat off the bone. Separate the meat from the fat and discard the fat and bone. Chop up ham and set aside.
Blend the pea mixture (with a stick blender or in small batches in the blender) return to pan and return heat to medium/low stirring the mixture together. Throw in the Ham pieces and mix. Season with salt and Pepper - Salt and Pepper will take away alot of the sweetness of the peas and you want to keep that sweet taste, but remember you can go overboard very quickly with seasoning and your ham has already had pepper boiled with it. So add little by little and taste as you go. Also, sea salt flakes are always best when seasoning as they are a stronger flavor and tend to compliment food alot better when cooking with it rather than table salt being mixed in later. So if you can afford to buy some, its definatly worthwhile.

The stock simmering away

The finished product in the pan
I know it doesn't look appetizing, but trust me, its awesome!

So thats it from me. I hope you all enjoy and let me know if you try it!

Have a great night friends,

Raya X

The Last 30 Hours

Well, the last few days have been interesting indeed. I have been feeling a bit 'off color' for about a week now and on Friday night I came down with some random fever and nausea. The fever left but the nausea didn't. I slept away most of the weekend so I went to the Dr yesterday to have it checked out and as he did a routine check of my tummy I almost beat him up from the pain of having it touched. oops. So he sent me straight to the emergency ward at Westmead Hospital to check for appendicitis before he could do any further tests.

So about an hour and a half into my waiting time I hear this clinking noise and as I look up I see that there is a man walking in with handcuffs and ankle shackles with blood streaming down his face and multiple cops guarding him and the waiting room. Needless to say, everyone in the room tensed up - even more so when a bunch of kids walked through and all the cops hands moved to their belts in a 'readying' position. Eventually he was taken through to a private room and all the room relaxed again.

But the fun didn't stop there. It was about an hour later that a giant beef-cake of a man walked in (you know, the kind that has a tiny head because his body is so massive from steroid usage) and the whole room went silent and uncomfortable once again because down his arm was tattooed "Al Qaeda" and "Smith Killer" which I was told that apparently "Smith" is the name that people call Caucasians. So naturally when I found this out I realized what he meant. But he eventually left and once again, the room relaxed.

I was taken into the the next room and the Dr's finally saw me a few hours later. Then they kept me there for a few more hours before discharging me with nothing more than a few referral letters at 1am! Bah!

So off to the Dr today I went again, and was sent straight to get some Ultrasounds and Xrays of my tummy. I get the results back tomorrow so here's hoping that something turns up.
I'm rather excited though because I went to the supermarket to pick up some stuff on the way home and grabbed some bacon and cheese to make something that my mum used to make me when I was sick or sad - Cheese and Bacon Muffins ...mmmmmmm...

So I'm off, but I hope you're all doing well.

Raya X

Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Salt and Pepper Crusted Chicken with Balsamic Glaze.

I've decided to start spilling some of my baking and cooking secret recipes for your online pleasure. But the deal is, if you try these recipes, you MUST let me know how you made it and what you think!

This is my new favorite meal that I experimented with and it was a win in my opinion. I had something similar at a restaurant in the Hunter and I absolutely fell in love. The only difference was that the one I had in the Hunter was made with oven roasted Quail. I wanted to do it with Quail but the butcher in my area only had frozen ones and the plastic was all ripped so they all had freezer burn. So I decided to go with chicken breast.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Gather some baby spinach leaves, wash and place on plate. Slice as many fresh Strawberries as you want in the salad and place on top of the spinach.
Grab a chicken breast (or two) and coat with salt and pepper. You can go overboard with salt and pepper usually but in this recipe, you want a decent pepper taste to balance out the sweetness of the strawberries, so do it according to your taste preference.
Once the chicken breast is coated, place in hot, buttered pan to cook. What you want is for the center of the breast to be moist and tender, but the outside to be crispy and almost crunchy. So what to do is heat the pan to a medium-high heat (enough to crisp the outside but not burn it) and I also use butter to cook this recipe too because I think it makes it all the more crispy. But if you're concerned about the butter burning, then add some olive oil with the butter as it give it a higher cooking temperature.
Once the chicken is cooked (you can test by either cutting in in the middle, you're going to slice it anyway, or if you don't want to cut it yet, press on the chicken with the tongs and it should feel firm. A good way to compare is if you press the muscular part of your palm under your thumb and its soft, thats what the chicken will feel like if its undercooked, but if you make a fist or tense the muscle and its firm, that is what the chicken will feel like if its cooked) then remove the chicken and allow to rest for a minute or two before slicing it in half centimeter thick pieces. Place sliced chicken on spinach bed then drizzle with a balsamic glaze (balsamic, olive oil and sugar) and Viola! A simple, cheap, quick and health meal for lunch or dinner from Planet Raya.

Test it out and let me know what you think.

Raya

Day two in bloggers-land

All night I was thinking about this blog and what I could put on it and I have so many ideas but all in good time.

So, what are your plans for the day? Its a lovely Sunday (from what I can see inside.) Church? Walk? Shopping? Bumming in front of the TV?

I'm currently watching Forgetting Sarah Marshall in my pyjamas But eventually I will peel myself of the chair to shower and then head off to church. I do love Sundays!

Jimmy's new band ' The Beautiful Temper' played last night in Windsor which was fun. All of our friends showed up and supported him and it was so much fun to watch him and hang out with everyone.
My friend Lucy was there who I absolutely LOVE! It was so nice to hang out with her and chat about life, art and God. She has a blogspot too www.lucespace.blogspot.com check it out!

Anyway, I will try and upload some photos from last night a bit later.

Raya

A Few Photos

These are my girls. I did have Alisa in here too but the photo got lost in translation some how...

I Love love love this woman!

These two are awesome! I miss them - theyre away at the moment :( I love Lauren and I want to keep her forever!

This is Jimmy and I...I like him a bit too

My First Blog

So...I thought it was about time I jumped on this bandwagon and start the Blogging revolution for myself!

So often I find myself looking at peoples blogs for beautiful pictures and recipes and end up finding great ideas for food and craft - which are two things I absolutely LOVE!

A little about me- Im a Christian living in Sydney and I love the Lord with all my heart.
I am engaged to a wonderful man who I cant wait to spend the rest of my life with! I am surrounded by such wonderful people that I would gladly give my life for and I am so incredibly thankful for all of them. Without them I would be so lost. They are my support network and Family.
I love art and music. I love to look at the creative side of things and I think I see the world as such. I have a PASSION for cooking and baking! I love to 'create' things and to feed people. I like to feed people until they cant eat anymore!
I am a bit of a bandit for snap decisions or coming up with split second ideas or schemes to travel, make money or possible world domination. But I'm always brought down to earth again when I realise that my ideas have no substance and are in no way possible. This is where Jimmy comes in hahaha. He keeps me very grounded - which is great because we are two opposites that compliment each other.

Anyway, thats a bit about me. Keep reading my blog to find out more.

See you soon,