Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Apple & Oat Pikelets

I promised my youngest pikelets for lunch today but wanted to try something a little different than the usual flour, milk, eggs etc. I found this recipe over at http://delicioussnacks.wordpress.com/ and i thought we'd give it a go. 

My 2.5 year old gobbled them up (always a good sign) so i thought i would share the recipe as i made a few changes to the original.



2 x small apples (grated)
3 / 4 cup flour (i used a mixture of wholemeal self raising and rye flour)
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 x tbspn brown sugar
2 x tspns olive oil
1 x egg
1/2 cup yoghurt
1/4 cup milk
1 x teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of cinnamon
Oil to cook pikelets (i used rice bran)
Yoghurt, fruit etc to serve

Put apple, flour, oats and sugar into a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine oil, egg, yoghurt and milk, cinnamon and vanilla extract. 

Add the yoghurt mixture to the apple/oats mixture and fold through until combined.

Heat a small amount of oil in a pan and put tablespoons of mixture into the pan. Cook for 2 minutes then turn and cook the other side for 2 minutes.

Top with fresh or frozen fruit, yoghurt, honey - whatever you like :)

Enjoy.....

Dannii xx




Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Fabulous Fairy Bread

This is probably not the best post considering i have just started on a diet, but what is a fairy blog without some mention of fairy bread.

For those of you in Australia (and i think New Zealand), you will know that fairy bread is basic requirement at every child's birthday party.

For those who don't live down under, let me introduce you to this fun party food that is always devoured in about 2 seconds flat (usually by me).


Fairy bread is white bread, spread with  butter or margarine and then smothered in hundreds and thousands (of fairy poop as it's sometimes known).

It's usually cut into triangles but i have seen some very creative ways of displaying fairy bread on my fairy party journey.
http://www.ohhhmhhh.de/



I have been known to try and make fairy bread a tad healthier - we usually use the sprinkles with no artificial colouring, they are a little on the dull side but the kids still love them. Unfortunately, you can't really substitute on the white bread,it's just not the same. Oh, and it's always best to go for the really large sliced bread as you can get more out of each slice, especially when making shapes.

I have seen it made with nutella instead of butter, i personally haven't tried it but I'm a nutella junkie so it may be on the menu and my sons birthday party in October.

http://www.fussfreecooking.com/  
So there you have it, ridiculously simple and guaranteed to please!! 

Faery Blessings

Dannii xx


 





Tuesday, March 20, 2012

The Fairy Bower Walk

We have had so much rain here lately that when the sun was smiling on Sunday we decided we could not waste it at home and headed out for the day.

We went to Bundanoon to have a look at the markets (i have been having market withdrawals as so many of them have been cancelled due to the rain). We had a little look around, with the kids trying to decide what to spend 'their' money on. Miss E got herself a gorgeous little wishing stone and Mr T got some soap and some chocolates. They are so cute when they have money, Miss E will only buy something if she will get change, lol. 

We went across the road to the bicycle cafe for a bite to eat before heading off again.

Not at all eager to go straight home (to the mess) i suggested we take a quick drive through the national park down the road. As we were driving along there were signs to all the different walking tracks and one caught my eye immediately: 



The kids squealed with delight as we announced we were going to a Fairy Bower. 

We parked the car and headed off down the track, just enjoying the tranquility (3 noisy children aside) and being surrounded by the beautiful nature.


The track was quite steep and slippery in parts but we all managed to get down to the bottom with little fuss (even me with my 'totally unsuitable for bush walking flats' on). 

When we reached the bottom it was totally worth the walk (and the leaches that hitched a ride on my exposed feet). 


It was so magical with the lush greenery, mini waterfalls and caves. The perfect place for fairy folk to dwell. 
 
Miss E decided that we should live there.



The children made leaf boats and let them sail in the fast flowing stream. We also discovered some tiny fairy houses.


We could have happily stayed and played for a few hours but it was getting late and the rain was showing signs of returning.

So reluctantly, we made our way back up the track with promises of coming back to this wonderful spot very soon.

Dannii xx



Sunday, February 12, 2012

The Aroma Faery

Once upon a time in my pre-children/pre-Enchanted Garden days i completed my certificate 4 in Aromatherapy. Unfortunately i didn't really take my qualifications past the classroom but i still use aromatherapy and essential oils nearly everyday in my life.


If you only have two essential oils in your home, they have to be Lavender & Tea Tree oil. These two are our natural first aid kit. Just make sure they are 100% essential oil and not just fragrant oils. Most health food stores and pharmacies stock essential oils, alternatively there are many online suppliers.

We usually have a super sized bottle of Lavender Oil in the pantry as we use it for so many things:
  • mozzie bites - a drop or 2 of neat Lavender onto a cotton wool bud and apply directly to the bite. Within a few minutes the itch subsides and the redness calms down.
  • minor burns - after putting the affected area under cold running water apply some diluted Lavender oil (couple of drops in water) to the area. The lavender nearly instantly soothes the burn. Keep applying as required. I have found burns heal so much faster when i use lavender.
  • use a a couple of drops in a jug of warm water as a final hair rinse to keep head lice at bay. 

 Tea Tree oil is fabulous as an antiseptic as well as being antibacterial and anti-fungal, some of our uses here at home include: 

  •   applied neat or slightly diluted onto minor grazes and cuts

  • a drop or two added to a chamomile tea solution and used in place of wipes to help clear up nappy rash 

  • added to our homemade cleaning mixtures for use in the kitchen, bathroom etc 

There a so many more uses for these wonderful oils, the above are just some of the primary ways we use them in our home.

A bonus to using essential oils in the first aid kit is they smell fantastic and make you feel great too!!









I will cover some other essential oils in future posts :)

Dannii xx

Monday, February 6, 2012

Faerie Radio

Looking for some magical music to listen to while you're on the computer? 

Faerie Radio is a free online radio station that plays the wonderful music that can be heard at Faerieworlds & Faeriecon.  


Of course if you listen to Faerie Radio it will instantly make you want to attend one of the fabulous events above and if like me you live on the other side of the world, it may make you a little sad :(

I still love Faerie Radio though :)
Dannii xx

 


Tuesday, January 3, 2012

An end and a new beginning

For those of you who follow our Facebook page, you've probably heard the news that Enchanted Garden will no longer be operating out of our beautiful Berrima location.
 
 I was very sad to make this decision but for many reasons closing the shop was the only option. It is by no means the end of a bricks and mortar presence for Enchanted Garden, we are just putting it on hold until the time is right and somewhere more suitable becomes available.

Even though will will no longer trade from the Berrima shop, i will still endeavour to set up the plaster painting studio in various Southern Highlands locations during the school holidays. I have received lots of fabulous feedback about our plaster painting activity so i really want to keep that going. I will be expanding to include other crafts as well as a few other magical ideas i have up my sleeve.
 
Unfortunately, the closure of the shop means we can no longer host fabulous parties in the party room. I received so much wonderful feedback from everyone who had a party there, that it made the decision to close a million times harder. As with all endings though, there are new beginnings......

We are not stopping our parties, instead, we will just bring them to you. 

All the good things about an Enchanted Garden party will be brought to your house, all you need to provide is the food, space and the children of course. We are hoping to even include some catered packages in the near future so you won't have to do a thing but sit back and relax while the  kids have a ball.
 Party packages will be available on our website soon.

So, for our last little bit of time at our lovely Berrima shop, we will be doing plaster painting all next week. The studio will be open Monday 9/1/12 until Saturday 14/1/12 from 10am till 2:30pm. There is no need to book for plaster painting, just show up and have fun.

1/20 Wingecarribee Street, Berrima
sales@enchantedgarden.com.au

Faery Blessings.....

Dannii xx