Cherry Eton Mess

I had fun making the melted snowmen for Christmas gifts but somehow ended up with spare meringue so I decided to make an Eton Mess. With visitors coming for Christmas and Cherries being at the their peak I adapted the traditional recipe to suit the festive season. Cherry Eton Mess using only 3 ingredients looks pretty, tastes delicious and is incredibly easy to make. Recipe will be available on our cheekyricho YouTube channel but don't just keep it for Christmas time this can be enjoyed all year round. http://youtu.be/PR7TQ4jGmcA

Last day for the Builder Boys

A mixture of old timber floor and new, being given a savage sand to remove decades of old polish and scratches  this is a comparison at the top between brand new timber compared to old polish in the centre and right with the bottom left showing how the old floor is coming up Like brand new. We have all worked so hard to get it to this stage, my family arrives tomorrow. There is much to be done furniture repositioned, lawns to mow, presents to wrap, removing of a fine film of construction dust from every visible surface throughout the entire house and Christmas cooking to prepare. The builder boys are finished we have a farewell feast for all of them today .

Roast pork with all the trimmings a double sized loaf of Banana Bread. Mostly prepared in the outdoor roaster BBQ because I was afraid the sawdust would infiltrate the cooking zone. Just a few finishing touches and we are ready for Christmas plastering, painting and fixing out to follow in the new year but it will be watertite, insulated and smells of fresh timber and paint.  My 3 favourite natural fragrances are fresh timber, fresh mowed grass and freshly laundered laundry. Tomorrow I will smell all three. I am ecstatic with the building progress and am really looking forward to cleaning the dust and stickers off the new windows and sitting down to Christmas Dinner with family that I love in comfort and space. Santa couldn't make me any happier!

The Sander Boy working very hard at trying desperately not to drop his sweat on the newly  finished timber. 

My delightful new floor with it first coat of finishing applied. We have settled for a satin finish. Not long now.

Who wants to work at my house?

The ceiling is batonned ready for the gyprock ceiling. The scurry is on because the floor Sander is coming tomorrow. We got it finished in the nick of time.

The builder boys had choc chip banana muffins one morning.

Christmas Cake cookies another day.

Apple Pie Fries the first morning.

Warm buttered Banana Bread. They haven't had the same meal or smoko twice since they have been coming to work on the house. Today is Friday which is "Pieday" so I wowed them with the biggest Shepherds Pie I have ever seen or made. It was delicious filled with veges, meat, bacon rich flavoured gravy made with homemade stock, smothered in fluffy buttery mashed potatoes that was such a huge pot it gave my arm an ache to mash it. They must've been impressed because they whipped out camera phones to take a photo of the spread and then came back for second helpings after generous first serves. Plenty of pesto Parmesan crusty whole meal bread, salads, corn cobs and for dessert there was choc caramel slice, rum balls and Christmas Cake. I tell you it was good to sit down and eat.

So I will ask you again, who wants to come work at my house?🔨🔩

Christmas Cake Cookies

The builder boys are back so I made them a batch of Christmas Cake Cookies for Smoko. These are high fibre with a soft fruity, spiced, nutty centre and crispy edges. A little dust of icing sugar and they are ready for your Christmas Morning tea too. Much more portable than sliced cake. Pop These onto a plate With a big glass of Eggnog there's no chance Santa will skip your place, they are even healthy enough for reindeers to munch on.

Check out the easy video recipe on our cheekyricho YouTube channel.

http://youtu.be/J_f7VudwYJI

Cheekyricho 3 minute 2 ingredient meringue and melting snowman

I made 2 ingredient meringues in 3 minutes in the microwave and they are crispy sweet and airy . They looked like melted snow so I got to thinking, why not  make a melting snowman? I have these mega marshmallows I got from costco, I was going to make toasted kalmia shots with them but this idea took my fancy. Can't light a camp fire this time of year as it's brushfire season here in Australia and I dare say a snowman wouldn't last very long in the strong Aussie summer sun. So here is our fun contribution to the Christmas table decoration. It's very cute, very easy  and very festive you can check it out on our cheekyricho YouTube channel. http://youtu.be/piFq2HGfdrw

Best Banana Bread

II asked the builder boys what they would like for smoko today and Warren said Banana Bread. Now I'm not one for strong banana flavoured food, I eat bananas when they they are still firm and before they get any spots on the skin. This can be a problem when you have a banana tree because it's feast or famine, all under ripe- ripe-to shickered. I make smoothies, Icecream and muffins with ripe bananas and luckily I had some ripe ones today. I have sitting on this recipe for sometime and this is outstanding. Not too strong in banana flavour just the natural sweetness. I didn't have to call them twice for smoko the banana bread did it for me. These normally shy boys really enjoyed it one even had 3 slices. Definitely making it again for them. Check out how easy it is on our cheekyricho YouTube channel. http://youtu.be/NdddrsusR-k

New Floor for the new room.

Warren the builder boy is laying our new floor. He has this nifty little secret nailer which looks like it belongs in a farm shed  and he let me have a go of it. Pull, step, tap and done. The roomba is gonna love charging around the new room, less obstacles, I know Tilly loves it.

Before then almost after except for the finishing lacquer.

Just have to sand and polish the old floor to match the new and insulate, line then walls and I can get back to my Christmas preparations. It's cooler today and raining so the painting will have to wait until the trailer load of rubbish,which is even heavier and dirtier now that it's all wet, is unloaded at the dump ready for the next big clean up load. Richo is secretly happy it's raining because he can't mow today and his old back has been having trouble trying to pretend he's keeping up with the builder boys. 

Christmas Pudding in a Mug 2 minute video recipe

It's pretty hot in Australia at Christmas and for those of us who enjoy a Traditional Christmas dinner with all the trimmings that Christmas kitchen can get pretty warm. We have been asked to present an Aussie Christmas menu so we decided to invent a delicious Christmas Pudding with all the traditional flavours BUT cooked in just 2 minutes in the microwave. This makes enough for 2-3 serves and is so amazing you will be using the recipe for more occasions than Christmas.

Team it with our home made cheekyricho 2 minute mug custard and you have a traditional winter dessert in about 10 minutes. http://youtu.be/gLcLjdnkU_A

We served it in a Funky Santa Plate and no one would have ever guessed it was just whipped up. Check it out and around 60 other Christmas Videos on our cheekyricho YouTube channel. Don't forget to subscribe, leave a comment and let us help you have a wonderful hassle free Christmas.

http://youtu.be/5Ye7khF_P5o

It's jungle here too!

You don't need to visit a wildlife park to get up close and personal with nature when you live here. The birds were going crazy squarking and dive bombing a large Goanna which has taking up residency (for reasons best known to himself) in the wattle tree. He is so well camouflaged you can just see his back and tail on the right side of the tree trunk just above the green leaves.

I decided to have a swim it was boiling hot and the concrete was too hot to stand on so I was half hopping and half marching across to the pool when I had to stop dead in my tracks. There sunning itself on the edge of the pool with its tail dangling into the water was a snake. That's the first time I've seen one in the pool. It must've been the sight if me in my swimmers that made him take flight or fright and thankfully he decided to cut short his swimming session. He bolted straight up a palm tree and rustled around in it for ages, whilst I swam my laps with my eyes firmly fixed on that palm, in case he changed his mind. We often get water dragons around the pool but Tilly asks them to leave and they generally do. Recently there has been a batch of baby ones hatched and they have embarked on some kind of underwater endurance competition. They are small (about 15cm or 6 inches long) thin and wiry. On the bottom of the pool they look for all the world like a piece of bark. I tried to Pick one up with my foot the other morning thinking it was a piece of bark the pool cleaner had missed and it moved. Richo said it's amazing how well a squeal will travel over water.

The neighbours have chooks and they are so well,  fed birds from all over the neighbourhood are coming for the banquet. Unfortunately the rats and mice have discovered the smorgasbord so they have begun supplementing their free grain diet with Richo's veges from the garden, pumpkins, passion fruit, pawpaw and tomatoes have worn the brunt of their lust for diet variety. Tilly the terrier is particularly interested in their activity and frequently hunts into places she can't reach them and then grizzles or barks until she gets help with the hunt. 

We have some serious building happening here at the moment and this was discovered in the wall by the apprentice builder when he was removing some bricks to install the new air conditioner. I would've been far less calm than him if that cold wet thing had landed on my hand, especially given the number of discarded snake skins that had been pulled out of the roof that morning. He was so gentle allowing it to hop back onto its brick and carefully placing it on the second storey scaffold without disturbing it too much.

 It's not just the rodents, reptiles and amphibians. The ants have moved in away from all the building disruption and managed to to invade my you beaut coffee machine. Cafe Latte with essence of ant anyone???? Grrr. I needed that coffee after the night I just had. 

Richo found the largest spider he has seen Barr the bird eating variety in a zoo inside the house. Reckons it was so large you could take fillets off it. Though I'm not sure it there is a market for spider fillets! 

At 1.23am it's brother or bigger cousin crawled over my throat, face and hair. I didn't see it but I felt its cold body on my skin. I estimate it weighed just under a kilo😳 I jumped out of bed punching at my own head like a ninja on steroids. Too frightened to call for help, Tilly came to My rescue but didn't know from what and my heart was pounding so hard I could hear it. Needless to say that was the end of my nights sleep. I couldn't find the spider and was convinced it would come back.

I am a real DIY person but not DIY Safari and definitely not inside my own home. I'm thinking of changing my doormat to NOT WELCOME!!

Renovation Chaos

Some time ago my house was Damaged by a storm we have finally been able to organise tradesman to assist with the repairs and it's hot, noisy, dusty, disruptive and exhausting. We have had power outages over an inch an a half of rain onto a demolished roof which caused flooding downstairs. There was unbuilding, then building then clean up and it's not even half finished. The affected rooms have been gutted, a piece of roof sheeting fell down narrowly missing my head and smashed a window. I have been making hot meals and smoko everyday for the tradesman team and making the odd trip to town to collect building requirements and supplies. With only 20 days until Christmas I am having trouble believing I will be sitting down in a renovated air conditioned room to enjoy Christmas dinner with my family, safe in the knowledge that the roof has been thoroughly repaired 

.

Empty and ready for repairs.

Tilly and Richo getting things ready for the builders.

Floor covered and room stripped downstairs.

No turning back now! Lucky we are in the middle of a drought.

Thats a bit better now if the weather would just hold until it's finished.

That shiny stuff on the floor is rain water, lots and lots of it. What a mess! Hasn't rained for months. I want to know who told the storm I had no roof!!!

They don't call us the drought breakers for nothing! Stay tuned for more progress updates!

Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup

I was after a low carb vegan soup which was nutritious, satisfying and tasty. This is what we came up with. It smuggles some veges into the kids. We served it with some homemade cheekyricho Vegan a Cheese which I molded into a spoon shape, a crusty bread roll spread with Vegan Cream cheese. Both of those vegan cheese recipes will be coming in the near future. We are quite enjoying our foray into Vegan territory, mainly because these recipes can be readily enjoyed by non vegans as well. We are particularly impressed by the ready availablility of good quality animal Product substitutes even in most local Supermarkets nowadays. We hope we can inspire you to consider trying some Vegan dishes as they are surprisingly good for the environment and easy to

Make and delicious to enjoy.

Tilly and Gary hiding from the builders

Tilly doesn't like all the noise the builders are making. As soon as the power tools and demolition work begins she grabbed her friend Gary the purple comfort bear and took him to bed to keep him safe.

Here she is with Richo checking out the building progress. That roof will be part of the sunroom floor this time next week. Tilly and I can't wait, it's our favourite room in the house.

Bali Hut gets a makeover

My poolside Bali hut/cabana/gazebo had an African Reed Thatch roof I replaced this roof about 8 years ago, even paid extra for a treatment to prolong its life. It has been falling to bits for years making a terrible mess of the pool deck and pool. Providing no protection for the outdoor furniture which has deteriorated as a result. Time for a makeover. Not African reed this time, too expensive and fails miserably with a very short life span. Looks good for 2 years tops and then it creates enormous amount if work for you. This time I've opted for a hairy hut synthetic product. Looks authentic with a 20 year guarantee. Uv stabilised and won't mould rot or fly to bits, a tiny bit more expensive but should see us out!

First you have to remove the old tiles, what a mess! In your hair, eyes and cleavage;-(( me on the ladder Richo on the blower trying to keep the crud out of the pool. Dust off the bars and rails and ready for its new hat!

First rows on. Looks like Friar Tuck. The clips which are supposed to slip straight on like last time. They don't, each one has to be prized open and belted on. My hands took a hammering with that procedure, cuts scratches and bruises. Sweaty hands sipping off red hot tools, did I mention the temperature was 40 + degrees Celsius. What the hell was I thinking. Had to wrestle with each tile and there were 42 of them, 6 clips each and everyone of them extracted a curse from me. Jump into the pool frequently to try and cool off. Can't wear a hat to do it because a hat won't fit through the bars but a head will. I seriously don't remember it being this difficult last time. Mind you I didn't have a rebuilt ankle that wasn't happy about standing on a ladder then and it wasn't hot. The tiles were easier to manage and install. Everyone of the new ones had to be cajoled into

Place.

Second row on and the hut isn't the only thing with Hair on it  grrrrr!!!! Is it getting hotter or is it just me?

The break for lunch resulted in me laying under a fan with a wet washer to try and cool off. Head pounding from the heat, hands cut and bleeding and me wishing the gazebo roofing fairies would visit and make the project go away. Yay the last tiles are bing savaged into place time for the hairy top hat. How on earth are we going to get that up there? It's heavy and large there is a howling boiling hot nor'easter wind blowing. Richo decided to stick it circus juggling plate style on the end of the pool Cleaning wand handle and snooker it into place. I can't believe it worked, him On top Of the ladder, leaning over the structure with a hand full of hairy hut  hair and me trying to balance the heavy unstable top cone on the end of a 12' pole while the wind was trying to deposit it on my head. I can't believe Richo and I are still friends after that manoeuvre. The thing is built, we both have pounding headaches from the heat and the excercise. Richo fixed his with a couple of beers, while I tried to stay under water for as long as possible to cool my face and head. One of the few times I have wished for cooler water. But I did discover my fishing hat holds water and dumped on your head is quite cooling. We must've looked a sight.

There it is finished, doesn't look too bad hope my Christmas Visitors appreciate it. At least the new teak outdoor setting will be protected and it will provide a respite  from the northern summer sun.

Katsudon Japanese Fried Pork & Rice

We went to a Japanese Restaurant the other day and Richo wanted to order Katsudon, I talked him out of it as I planned to make it at home the following night, so he settled for something else and really enjoyed it but that's for a different recipe video. As promised I made this little number and he was delighted with it. He calls it Ninja Schnitzel! He does that sometimes, helps him to remember the name of the dish for future reference.  He is pickled gingers biggest fan and eats it with all Japanese food I cook, even calls that Nippon pickles, sometimes playfully abbreviated to nippickles, sincere apologies to our Japanese viewers! Richo has a wicked Aussie sence of humour.

Anyway we have enough left over for lunch today which is handy because I'm off to oil the huge back outdoor deck, to get ready for plenty of lazy weekend BBQ  alfresco dining. Plus it has to be done when there is no rain and out of the hot summer sun. Pretty tall order this time of year. Saturday was 42 degrees Celsius so the deck oiling was postponed. You couldn't even walk on it let alone kneel on it to paint it. 

So if you want to know what I will be eating for lunch just check out our cheekyricho YouTube video recipe for a delicious easy Japanese Classic Katsudon. http://youtu.be/37S-7mTwhQ

Cheekyricho Caesar Salad from scratch

We love a good Caesar Salad and this is a great one. The croutons are crisped to perfection, brown all over and flavoured with smoky crisp Pancetta, all in the Actofry in 6 minutes, that's less time than it takes to preheat your oven or grill. The paddle stirs them while you wiz zip the worlds easiest authentic idiot proof Caesar Salad Dressing. The crunchy fresh Cos lettuce gets a quick spin in the new flimsy cheap but effective salad spinner , give the Parmesan cheese a close shave and dinner is served. I tell you this literally took less than 20minutes from go to woah. Add chicken, prawns, crab or pork for the protein or else just enjoy one if the worlds simplest, classic salads. We have done it for you before but this is just perfect and so so easy. If you are coming into summer like we are it's time to think about some outside entertaining ideas, you will be the toast of the potluck if you rock up with this little number. Check it out and so much more in our cheekyricho YouTube channel.

http://youtu.be/n2HmAxF0aI0

Cheekyricho Vegan Chocolate Brownies

These easy to make brownies are gooey rich and really healthy, gluten free with the main ingredient being Black beans although you would never know it. We have a Chocolate Magic Bean cake on our Chanel but whilst gluten free it is definitely not vegan. This little number is both tasty, healthy and satisfying why not check it out and our other healthy vegan recipes. You might just get a pleasant surprise.

Fresh Fish For Tea

Richo saw some Bass Fisherman on the river the other day, it was a nice morning so he and Tilly took a break from playing tug to have a breather and a sticky beak at the fisherman. After about 10 minutes he came running up to tell me "Those blokes just caught 3 big Perch in a few minutes!!!" After a quick scan through his lures (a collection that is so vast Tackleworld Australia would be envious) he and Tilly bolted back to the river. Now Richo   is a bit sun shy after a few skin cancer scares, he tends not to spend much time in the sun during the hottest part of the day. Frantically Slip Slop and Slapping and they were off. I had to go and check out the excitement and ended up catching a fish too. So peaceful sitting by the river in the morning air catching dinner. Richo concentrating on refining his tackle combinations and me quietly musing over the best way to cook the fish we hadn't even caught yet. Meanwhile Tilly pensively watching the line on the seat beside me whilst I absent mindedly tickle her ear much like a person would twiddle their hair, oblivious to the action, Portia the geriatric chihuahua wandering aimlessly around in her own little befuddled world. 

We only ever take what we can eat and even the fish scraps are fed to the grateful pelicans whilst the frames and skeletons go to crab bait. Nothing is wated.

The river is ever changing, the log that floated  past this morning floats back this afternoon in a different tide in a different direction, this time it's picked up a hitch hiker, a shag sits surveying his territory on the lookout for a meal too. One day I watched him try to eat a bream that was to big for him to pick up.  He wrestled with it for almost an hour before swimming off in a huff. His perseverance was admirable but he still swam away hungry.

A little houseboat pottered past and the skipper gave us a big wave, the friendly kind,  not the bank destroying deep wash that rams your boat into the jetty caused by noisy thoughtless ski boat drivers who are under some misguided illusion that I want to see them throw their skiers off while they slalom around destroying the river bank, cutting off our crab pot bouys with their propellers and thus interfering with the peaceful river life existence. The river is there for all to enjoy, not just a select few with total disregard for the safety and comfort of the rest of us. One moron went so close one day I thought his skier would hit the bank, instead he rooster tailed a huge sheet of water over my neighbour and myself thoroughly drenching us and the camera I was using to photograph little fish under the jetty. Funny?? I think not!! Such selfish, immature, show off behaviour is both destructive and illegal and is what gives responsible boaties a bad name.

Vegan 2 ingredient waffles

I underestimated the popularity of vegan and gluten free recipes. The need for easy, tasty, budget friendly menus is very apparent by the number of requests I receive and the positive response to our númerous vegan presentations on our cheekyricho YouTube channel, whatever the reason, we are always on the look out for tasty family friendly meals that even omnivores will enjoy, in fact most of our vegan recipes are impossible to tell they are in fact vegan. This latest edition to our vegan and gluten free family is a crispy light 2 ingredient waffle. So much easier to make than regular ones, they are cheap, healthy can be frozen or even packed into a lunch box for that mid afternoon snack. High in fibre,  Low in fat, dairy, egg, gluten and nut free You have to give them a try http://youtu.be/BQjf2pgs4BA

Ultralight Camping Trip

Last night we decided to try our ultralight camp gear. The whole set up weighed a few kilos. That included  the exploding 2 man tent, sleeping bag, 2 camping pillows 2 thermarest air beds, a can of insect repellent, bed sheet and a couple of ikea extra light but warm little blankets( these only cost about $3,warm without weight,  dry quick when wet and are perfect for layering)

The first problem we encountered was rain and plenty of it. Richo wanted to turn back. He is such a towel chucka! 

I wasn't keen on putting a new untested tent up on muddy ground so we put it up (or it put itself up) on the back of the ute. Great no snakes, water inundation or mud on the tent or more importantly inside it. Richo was sceptical at first but quickly saw the merit in my suggestion. We tucked our shoes under the fly which kept them Warm and dry and allowed ample airflow inside without rain. We were off to a better start.

Then we had to blow up the air beds and pillows in the dark, inside the tent in the drizzling rain with the dogs who were confused as to why we got out of the warm car. Tilly had never seen the air beds blown up before and as they unfolded thought is was some sort of new cramped game I had invented. By the time I got to the last inflatablable Richo stopped wingeing and decided his new Cpap machine ( which is the worlds smallest and lightest machine and was purchased for just such an occasion) would blow up the last air bed. I was dizzy from blowing up things and wrestling with an excited to terrier to even mention the fact he could've suggested THAT earlier.

Our girls enjoyed a hearty feed of sticky pork ribs on the back of the ute between showers before they decided this camping idea wasn't too shabby after all.

This is our entire kit. The tent was watertite, wind and mozzie proof. They reckon it takes 2 seconds to put it up, I doubt it took that long. A little longer to put down but it wasn't dark or raining so that didn't matter. We were well rested and everything performed perfectly. It was our first trip, just overnight and we stayed warm, dry, bug free and had a reasonable nights sleep. The chihuahua loves camping and Tilly treats everything as a new adventure. Everything packed up into 1 bag plus the tent which actually has backpack straps on it. Looking forward to Doing it again soon.

Apple Cake cheekyricho YouTube video recipe

Apple Cake, this is incredibly easy, with rich caramel, spice and tender apple flavours you will be making it time and again. No special equipment needed for this one made in a few short minutes and then baked for about half am hour. It's buttery light and smells amazing . For the video recipe just check out our cheekyricho YouTube channel http://youtu.be/zK1oPKleG3q

Chocolate Croissant cheekyricho 3 ingredients

I like chocolate croissants and it's a bit if a production to make the croissant pastry do I decided to make my little chocolate croissants using only 3 ingredients with stuff I already had in my pantry here is the result. Super popular at my impromptu morning tea for a couple of drop in visitors. You can make it too in a few minutes. Get the kids involved you even make mini ones like we did for those who have smaller appetites. Check out the video recipe on our cheekyricho YouTube channel with more tea time ideas than your local bakery. http://youtu.be/dRAtoooyQnc

Caprese Italian Tomato Salad cheekyricho video recipe

We made our homemade Mozzarella cheese and fashioned some of it into little baby Bocconcini, rested them in their whey until chilled and sent Richo out to the herb garden to collect some fresh Basil A few salty capers spangled over sweet vine ripened fresh tomatoes freshly cracked pepper, sea salt flakes and the best extra virgin olive oil makes this colourful tasty salad platter a sight to behold. Perfect for the Christmas table or alfreson dining. We serve it with a littleBalsamic  Vinegar with a glass of anything icy cold for that low carb anti pasta  party food.

http://youtu.be/nMbYkkcU_tw