Making Nutella Ice Cream. It's Ah-MAZING!

This is the best ice cream you're ever going to make. Ever. 

I've been using the KitchenAid ice cream bowl attachment - and it's so ridiculously simple to use, I would be crazy to buy ice cream. Especially when it tastes this good. 

So I've been making Nutella Ice Cream for the kids, but secretly, I've had a few spoonfuls too. 

PottyMouthMama's World Famous Nutella Ice Cream AKA The Best Thing Going Pty Ltd:

Ingredients:

2 cups of pouring cream 
2 tablespoons of sugar (I use brown)
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract - or a vanilla pod if you have one fancy pants
1/2 cup of Nutella
handful of chopped chocolate

First things first: 

Pour the cream and sugar in together and whisk. Whisk it baby, until the sugar has dissolved. 

Then toss in all the other ingredients (except the chopped chocolate) and mix until combined. It is imperative at this point to have a taste. 

And then have another taste. 

And then throw it into your KitchenAid ice cream maker for 25 minutes. Once it's done churning it will be a beautiful thick consistency, and usually the mixer will make a slight clicking noise. 

At this point, I remove from the mixer, and stir through the chopped chocolate pieces. Honestly, these are like nuggets of gold. But not a deal breaker. You don't HAVE to have them. But my goodness, you'll be loved if you do.

Now transfer into an airtight container, and freeze. 

Once set, it's ready for serving. 

I would show you a bowl of the ice cream, however my children always lick their bowls clean, and that's not demonstrating much. So you'll just have to take my word for it. 

Take a look at the KitchenAid range here. 

Kid Snacks. It's A Smoothie. We Love Smoothies.

I've been messing about with smoothie recipes over the last couple of months to find what my smalls like, and what works best. I wouldn't call it a science, I'd call it - what's in the fridge, and what appeals to kids. I can recommend it for getting rid of some slightly overripe fruits, and sneaking a bit of extra nutrition into your kids day.

Take this one for example. Not groundbreaking, but really delicious - and the smalls woofed it down. Or is it wolfed it? Either way, they were into it. 

PMM's Raspberry & Banana Ripple

1 cup of frozen raspberries
1 ripe banana (go for frozen, it makes smoothies creamier)
1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon chia seeds (any colour)
1 tablespoon honey (not pictured)

Toss all ingredients into your blender, pulse for 1 minute or until smoothie is at a consistency that makes you happy, pour into two glasses. Straws. Smiles. BOOM! 

Another alternative to this? I love this one. It's fresh, and delicious.

PMM's Minty Raspberry Slushie

1 cup of frozen berries (choose whatever you like)
around 7-8 frozen cubes of natural apple juice*
a handful of mint leaves
1 tablespoon of chia
1 slurp of water 

I throw everything into the blender, the water helps loosen up the mixture so it's not so thick. Blitz for 1 minute and serve in two glasses, with a straw and a spoon. 

This is a good alternative to a normal smoothie, as my kids really like that it's more a slushie than a smoothie.

* by freezing apple juice (I put them into ice cube trays) means the smoothies take on a slushie consistency, which my kids are mad for. 



KitchenAid lent me some attachments to try out, and I've loved using them. This is not a sponsored post. The blender is so great, easy to use, and I wanted to share.  

In The Thick Of Night

It's garbage day here in PottyMouthMama Town.

You might well be sitting there on your over-stuffed couch thinking, well who cares?

You will care. Trust me, you will.

Matt got home late from drawing, and I presented him with the news that we had to put the bins out. I am sure he was thinking - why didn't you put them out earlier, but Matt is too polite to say so. (PHEW!)

Our recycling bins cups had runneth over and in our house was an avalanche of recycling with nowhere to go. I snuck out and shoved it into our neighbours recycling bin. No harm done, right? I was just sharing the community spirit and sharing our garbage around. I'm sure Matt was thinking what the heck is this nutter doing in the darkness - and where the heck is she? I can hear her, but I can't see her. Then I came back from across the road and my late night rendezvous with the bins.

We stumbled back in from the darkness, got ready for bed and dove under the covers.

By this time it was eleven-thirty. This is when I recount my day and always have my most brilliant ideas (that I am pretty sure Matt thinks are naff to the max).

It was then that it struck me. Tiny may have accidentally tossed out one of the kid spoons earlier in the day and I'd forgotten to check. So I dragged Matt out of bed totally against his will - (we don't have a torch, oh Lexxxxxxi, it's almost midnight, it's too cold).

Meanwhile I gloved up with my mobile acting as a beacon. I was out the door and rifling through our bin which was not a tasty midnight endeavour. If our neighbours are watching they're seriously thinking - the nutters have just gotten nuttier.

But I found that damn spoon. I was right. I was triumphant. If I could convince Matt to carry me back into the house on his shoulders, I would have. If I had some champagne chilled I would have cracked it open.

Cute embroidered cushion from Pwackets. And for real - there was a dish (albeit broken) in the bag with the spoon. We're living the nursery rhyme dream peeps.

Doing An Oprah

Once upon a time in a galaxy, far, far away I read that Oprah put all her kitchen utensils in a box. Ground breaking I know. Oprah has a box? Who woulda thunk it?

Well it gets better.

Over the next month, when she was cooking (she cooks!) whatever utensil, tool, gadget etc that she used, it got put back into the drawer.

If, by the end of the month, certain utensils weren't used, they were given away to an op shop.

Sounds good. Yes?

What's good enough for Oprah is good enough for me. She hasn't married Stedman. Neither have I. She has her own talk show. I sometimes like watching it (preferably when they're doing makeovers). She appears on the cover of her own magazine. And so could I if I was rolling in money and had my own magazine. Well if it's good enough for Oprah, it's good enough for me. Will you join me in evicting errant cutlery and utensils cluttering up your drawers? Let's face it friends, I am kerrrr-azy.

image via (clearly not mine, I'm not that organised... or bored)

My Eyes Are Just Aching

Here's the scoop. I've been a little slack on the blog front lately. Struggling to post on my own. Reading a few favourites each day (via Google Reader) but hardly commenting. Totally unlike me, because I love to give hi-fives, I love to see what's cookin' in your kitchen (figuratively speaking), I'm mad for a big too-long group huggle, but lately, I feel like my batts are flat. My reader was bulging when it got to over 1000 posts and I knew it was time for myself to have an intervention with...myself.

So I'm trying to be good. I keep every comment in the hope that I will come visit you. I do. I was trying to respond on the day of the comment, but it's hard, so please forgive me. In this case, it really isn't you - it's me. If you don't already, perhaps you can do this...? Kootoyoo has hooked us all up with a super tip that makes it easy to respond to commenters (except for you Anonymous, we don't want to be pen-friends with YOU!).

In an effort to be a become a better member of the blogging community I deleted some blogs from my Google Reader (secretly, I think I just added them because I thought I was cool by association - regardless of the fact they have NO IDEA WHO I AM!), now I am down to 743 posts to read.

Anyway, lately, I've been doing stuff. Stuff and things are good, here's some stuff I have been doing:

- walking training with Tiny. Well she walks, I clap. That's training for you.

- going to Spotlight to buy new bamboo embroidery hoops (because the Doctor gave mine away). Lo and behold, they only have MASSIVE ones, so I have to make do with the plastic. I don't think they are quite so fantastic.

- making casseroles. I love a good casserole.

- drawing with the Doctor.

- knitting. Have to master the art of casting off and then I'm going to do a course to learn to read a pattern.

- embroidery. Now I have a new hoop I can resume stitchin' and then some.

- we're going to visit my parents-in-law's dog Charlie tomorrow. He got hit by a car last Friday and is now the bionic dog with a steel plate in his leg. Go Charlie, go!

Oh and le image? On our way to Spotlight, The Doctor pushing Tiny in the car.

The Ants. They Are Winning.

Damn the black ants. An endless stream seem to be marching into our house. All over the kitchen bench - no matter how many times I wipe it. In the sugar bowl, I get them out, only for Matt to discover an hour later that they're back, and this time they've brought friends.

Tiny drops plenty of meals for these small creatures. But I sweep them up. She's intent on feeding them methinks. If I happen to miss a piece of toast, or a well squashed piece of peach - well they jump right on it. There'll be a trail leading in and out the door.

Don't get me wrong. I always loved ants. I had an art farm when I was a kid. I was endlessly fascinated by their tunnels, they're intelligent little things. Yet, they don't seem to be terribly intuitive. We don't want them in the house. Sneaking under the benchtop. Tag-teaming with the next round of ants as they carry out their specks of sugar.

Who do they think they are? Uninvited guests are always the pits. Spiders are particularly one of my least favourite, and lately I seem to attract grasshoppers too. Eeeeek!

But it's these ants.

Have you got the perfect chemical-free way to rid PottyMouthMama HQ of these pesky punters?

I've tried crushed mint leaves at the door. No cigar.

PS - You know you're having a slow Saturday night (AGAIN - what happened to my social life?!) when a) you're posting about ants; and b) Matt looks over and discovers you're scouring Google Images for a suitable ant picture. There's a song for this.

image via

It's Cake O'Clock!

Yesterday I mentioned I did some baking while the Doctor was at pre-school. Something I enjoyed immensely because it's been a long time between cakes when I could wield the wooden spoon and not have someone small pining for a taste test. Just me and the bowl and the spoon. Ah yes, I remember this freedom of baking.

The Doctor has been asking for eons if we could make a chocolate cake. For some reason even unknown to me, we just didn't do it. Yesterday I baked the little dude his very own 'Hey-You're-At-Preschool-And-I-Know-You're-So-Thrilled-And-Perhaps-Not-So-Thrilled-That-I-Picked-You-Up-Early-But-Hey-I-Missed-You' cake.

Et voila! (see the small hand in the frame - ready to pounce!)

My sister's recipe. You can visit her blog if you like. Though for some reason she and her blog have taken some kind of vow of celibacy and she's not blogged since September 23 (8:51pm to be precise). Not that I'm taking notes. But she's just moved back to Sydney, you'd think she'd have something to say, apparently not. But anyway, her recipe is damn fine and damn easy. Even Marie Antoinette might like more than just one piece of cake, cake, cake.

And while I'm here, some interesting reading to keep you going:

- for anyone that has to endure hours of TTTE

- do you believe that Freecycling can become bigger than hard rubbish throw out? I don't.It would be good if it did, but then what would I do as a hobby (priorities!)? And anyone some people just don't dig the internet. Or as they might like to call them - the internets.

- do you love Maggie Gyllenhaal like I love her?

Fridge Buyback

I am still madly decluttering and trying to break the ring of silverfish that have taken up residence at our place (they're like some creepy style of squatter, except I keep finding them EVERYWHERE and yowsers, they are huuuuge).

Part of this declutter was our fridge. Our fridge (which was given to us) kept freezing everything. My most memorable frozen thing was getting out a fresh container of tabouli that I had made, and was so excited to eat for lunch - to find it was frozen. I ate it anyway, but it was more like parsley sorbet - not so crash hot.

It froze everything. Frozen watermelon - not good. Frozen capsicums - not good. Frozen cheese - not so good. Frozen artichokes - not so good. I shan't go on.

We've switched fridges to a younger model. Perhaps we're having a mid-life crisis of sorts. Hopefully this one is not hell-bent on freezing everything.

And this is where it gets really exciting (as if it wasn't exciting enough - come on, you know it was!). If you've got a spare fridge and want to get rid of it - click here (for Sydney-ites only) to learn about the Fridge Buyback!

The fridges are taken away (if they fit the criteria) and the metals recycled - and you get $35 and a reduced electricity bill (and less greenhouse gases is the best bit yet!).

Something Awesome Has Happened

Yesterday the Doctor and I visited Spotlight. Ahhh Spotlight. Where dreams are made. And dreams are shattered. (Previously I had read this post from Grandy and Baa, her experience at Spotlight made me shudder, but I thought no surely not!) We spent almost an hour wandering around the store trying to find all the bits and pieces we needed, and of course, acquiring a selection of stuff we did not need. And then when we got to the check out - the famed IT system was not working, so I had to dredge up from memory the specials I had snaffled. The woman who was serving me had no idea so really I could have said anything, lucky them, my parents raised me an honest gal.

Anyway, the Doctor and I gave sewing a shot. The Doctor had shown keen bean interest in sewing when I raised the question. So we gathered our stitching bits and left in a hurry.

So in the afternoon, the Doctor got to give sewing and stitching a shot. Oh man, if he was a duckling learning to swim, he was the duckling out there quick as he could, stitching up and down, listening intently, sitting next to his Mama and up and down stitching with his wool needle and wool thread. So sweet. So, so sweet.

While he stitched we talked about Christmas and gifts for people. He was so excited he said, "I can make one of these for me, and Tiny, and Daddy and you Mummy!"

A boy has to sew to glow sisters, it's true.

And when his Daddy came home last night, "Daddy, something awesome has happened!"

"What?"

"Mummy's teaching me sewing!"

Who woulda thunk it? PottyMouthMama teaching her little man to sew!

And meanwhile, back in the kitchen I baked blueberry and buttermilk cake. Mmm, just what I need with a cup of tea on a rainy old day.

Christmas Inspiration

I love the smell of Christmas. And I'm not talking the spices. I love the smell of Christmas beetles on a balmy Summer evening. I love the almost aching sound of cicadas chirping shrilly in the trees.

It's so close to Christmas. It's achingly close. It's giddy up close. And I have still got gifts to buy.

In particular, I find men very difficult to buy for. My husband is a case in point. I give him something, he says great thanks, and then a few months later I find him sneaking it out of the house to the charity bin. I know you're probably saying, at least it's going to a receptive home, but you know, it peeves me. I always give gifts with the line: if you don't like it, I'm very, very happy for you to return it (unless it's handmade by me) and get something you do dig.

Otherwise - *POOF* - I might as well have thrown cash into the wind.

My Dad is another hard-to-buy-for.

Inspiration anyone?

This afternoon I've been conjuring up an aromatic Christmas in the kitchen, baking my first ever batch of gingerbread. All those spices. It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas.

PS - Have posted the Kimya Dawson CDs out to the winners today!

The Kitchen Sink

kitchen sink

Originally uploaded by tashalutek

Does anyone else have quibbles with their housemate over who should do the dishes?

I thought there was an unspoken rule - if you cook dinner, the other person washes. Apparently my husband doesn't know this.

Or another rule. Perhaps if one person has done the washing up five nights in a row, perhaps it's your turn...?

Anyone else have this problem?

Unfortunately our kitchen sink doesn't look like this. Unfortunately it's currently stacked with dishes. Unfortunately that's what's called a Mexican stand off.

This Is... My Favourite Kitchen Tool

I find kitchen tools and gadgets pretty exciting to look at. In fact, just thinking about it warms the cockles of my heart. All those brand spanking new wooden spoons, bowl scrapers, brand new shiny whisks, oh gosh, can you feel the love tonight?! The potential that all those tools hold - well it could even warm the sub-cockles of my heart. But the truth is, I don't really buy the gadgets, I just like looking.

But I do hold a special place in my heart for the OXO Apple Divider. Perfect for busy mamas on the hop.

But the biggest spot in my heart is reserved for this beauty, my (really our) Kitchenaid. She's a beauty. A wonderous thing. A wedding gift from my sisters. We bake cakes together. Biscuits. All manner of things. Together. All hail the Kitchenaid.

Thanks to Sharon at Handmaiden for this great topic close to my heart! For more This Is players, hop over to Three Buttons.