Cholesterol Happy Brownies (Sp)

Matt got told a few months ago that his cholesterol levels were not good. Not good at all. 

Not only was this bad news for him, it was bad news for me. Firstly, you don't want high cholesterol. Secondly - I need to bake. 

I looked up what I could do to help him get his cholesterol in check. He started exercising at least five times a week. He reviewed what he was eating. We feel like we've got this stuff figured!

But baking? How could I still bake when Matt was fighting bad cholesterol?

Enter Flora Pro-Activ. The good news? I've switched it in instead of butter, so I can still bake, and Matt can still enjoy my baking! Hoorah!   

This is a super simple no-fail brownie recipe that I love. And because you've been so good dear reader, I am willing to share!

Lexi's No-Fail Double-Choc Double-Happiness Brownies

180g Flora Pro-Activ, melted

3/4 cup cocoa

1 1/2 cups castor sugar (or brown, whatever takes your fancy)

a teaspoon of good quality vanilla extract

4 eggs, lightly beaten

100g sifted plain flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup of chocolate, chopped

small pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 160C. Line a brownie tray with baking paper. 

Mix Flora Pro-Activ and cocoa in a large bowl. Once combined add sugar, vanilla and eggs. Stir through remaining ingredients. Pour into prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until quite firm, but moist (I like mine a bit gooey, so I take them out a little early - when the top is quite firm). Allow to cool in tin and cut into squares. Dust with a little icing sugar. Serve with a strong coffee. All will be well.

What is cholesterol? Even if you think 'Oh I am too young to have high cholesterol!' - you should get it checked. Click over to learn the difference between 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol.  

* This is a sponsored post. Very occasionally I will do sponsored posts - when they resonate with me, because maybe they'll resonate with you too. This is my honest opinion which is why I can blog openly about it.  I wanted to share. 

Memory Lunch

This lunch is laden with memories. Like the corners of my mind. Misty water-coloured memories.

When I was small we'd drive down to Sydney in the holidays. It was a long drive full of anticipation and wonder at what lay ahead.

We'd go shopping in the city. In the city people! And every time, every single time, we'd have lunch at a little cafe that adjoined Centrepoint Tower and David Jones. And every single time I would enjoy the toasted chicken and cheese sandwiches. With salt and pepper.

That cafe is no longer there, which is a real shame because they made awesome chicken and cheese sandwiches. And if my memory serves me correctly, they had bacon sarnies too, and they were pretty rad too.

From me to you, I highly recommend them. On wholemeal. And of course a smidgen of butter.

A Chef Named Sous

This afternoon the Doctor and I got to work in the kitchen. I am an avid fan of Angry Chicken (edit:: oops - Jo Price has corrected me - thank you! It was Soulemama, not Angry Chicken - my bad!), and when she mentioned ricotta gnocchi I listened. In fact, she mentioned it was so good they'd cooked it twice in one week. Sounds like a meal I must get my chompers around, pronto.

I have always been a little scared of making pasta. We were gifted a pasta maker machine thing for our engagement, which I was thrilled about, but totally intimidated by.

No more!

The Doctor and I mastered these beautiful parcels of floaty goodness in just minutes. MINUTES! (These coincidentally only require a bowl, some flour, some hands and a flat surface to roll baby.)

We were so pleased and proud of ourselves. PROUD OF OURSELVES! Matt dug them. Ricotta gnocchi with tomato pesto. Gobbled down in no time.Tiny snubbed them. And commenced a crying bout of approximately 15 minutes until peanut butter toast was delivered to her.

Regardless of Tiny's snub, the Doctor and I have declared Sunday to be 'Pasta Sunday'. Next week.. Something new to add to our past twirling repetoire.

If you'd like the recipe it's from Tessa Kiros' 'Apples for Jam'. Email me if you'd like a copy.

Table For Two?

Good evening sir and mademoiselle. Table for two tonight? Yes we have the best seat in the house, great views, it will be perfect for a sibling catch-up.

Tonight I set up the smalls table outside to make the most of a beautiful evening. They pretended they were dining out together catching up (Tiny was a vet, the Doctor was a train driving scientist), I was the head waiter combining a double-shift with chef-ing. Matt? Well... Er... I think he was someone sitting at the bar waiting for a table..

Blogtoberfest Day 6: Escargot?

Little people have the capacity to do really big gross things.

Take yesterday when Tiny ambled over to me with a strange expression on her face. She is always shoving random things in her mouth. She thinks it's a hoot. I am always rescuing pieces of Lego, coins, googly eyes, crayons, you name it, Tiny wants to chew it. She opened her mouth. Nothing.

It was then that I noticed a snail shell neatly shoved over her thumb.

Let's backtrack. Earlier in the day I had asked the Doctor to remove a snail that I had spotted careening at a slow pace up an interior wall. I'd just thought he'd done it and moved on.

Apparently not. Tiny went for a taste test. So Frenchy, so fresh. So absolutely not chic. Poor Tiny. Slightly bubbly. Earthy. Slimey. Your everyday garden variety of snail. So not escargot.

image via

Sunday, Sunday

Do you ever have those weekends when you feel like your a leaf blowing in the breeze, blowing this way and that way? That's this weekend for me. Not time to stop, can't be late, can't be late, must keep going.

Peace at last, peace at last, the Doctor and I are lying on the couch snuggled up together. I'm drinking lots of tea. We're both eating freckles and grissini. Strange combo. But it works. Watching Charlie & Lola.

Tiny's fast asleep, growing. Matt's studying. The world is spinning, slowly, so we don't all fall off.

Sunday afternoons. Life in the fast lane can wait. Sundays are or stretching, snuggling and snoozing.

Confessions: Guilty Fantasy

I have a guilty confession. It's not that I am mad for cheese. I do like cheese, but I wouldn't go to the end of the Earth to eat cheese. I am more of a sweet tooth. I sneak chocolate. I do not sneak cheese.

But this brings me to a guilty fantasy. I've been thinking about it for a while now, my fantasy. Though I think if it were to come to fruition, it really wouldn't be quite as good as I think it might be.

You see, I love love love toasted cheese sandwiches. Who doesn't? But the fact is, I think I like the cheese that escapes the sandwich more than the sandwich itself. You know when it sizzles on the hotplate and that taste - my goodness - that taste. I've been deliberately loading my sandwiches with too much cheese just to ensure I get to enjoy that melty cheese.

Which brings me to my fantasy. I have been thinking about just putting cheese on the hot plate and cooking it. I've never actually done it, but man oh man, I daydream about how good that melty, slightly burnt cheese would taste. There now. I've said it.

Speaking of cheese. Have I ever told you how much I love crank calls?

Magical March: Day 7

Am I copping out here? Nope. Not one iota.

Magical for me. A frozen Mint Pattie. Remember these old favourites? If you don't, then you really need to accquaint yourself, like pronto!

Mint Pattie, meet my friend, dear reader. Dear reader, meet my other dear friend - Mint Pattie.

How do you do?