Archives for September 2014

Pumpkin Scones …

September 29, 2014

Lady Flo Bjelke-Petersen is famous for her Pumpkin Scones and, although I’ve never baked her recipe, I have baked Mum’s Pumpkin Scones for years. These are perfect for morning tea and school lunches and are a great way to use up leftover pumpkin from other recipes. Enjoy! Pumpkin Scones …   Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 15 mins Total time 30 mins   Author: Mrs Organised Serves: 10 Ingredients … 2 cups self-raising flour ¼ teaspoon nutmeg 2 tablespoons cold butter, chopped 1 cup cold mashed pumpkin ¼ cup brown sugar 1 egg, … read more

4 Great Ideas for Organising Baking Trays and Racks …

September 27, 2014

Storing the trays, racks and things we use for baking can be a bit of a challenge. Mostly they end up stacked in an uneven pile in a cupboard. It’s difficult to keep tidy because everything is different sizes and it’s frustrating when you want the item on the bottom of the pile. Sound familiar?? So when I renovated my kitchen about 8 years ago, I put a lot of thought into what would be stored in each drawer and cupboard and I definitely wanted a solution for my baking trays, muffin trays, cake tins and oven racks. Ideally, I wanted to stand them up so they could … read more

Toblerone Muffins …

September 25, 2014

You’ll be the most popular Mum in the street once you’ve whipped up a batch of these! What else can I say but YUM!! Do be aware, though, that Toblerone Chocolate Bars contain nuts so these muffins won’t be suitable for anyone with a nut allergy, therefore, please check your school food policy before sending these in school lunch boxes. Toblerone Muffins …   Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 29 mins Total time 44 mins   Author: Mrs Organised Serves: 18 – 20 Ingredients … 3 cups plain flour (substitute Gluten free plain flour, if … read more

Breakfast Smoothies … in a Hurry …

September 23, 2014

Summer is just around the corner and lately I’ve noticed a lot of summer fruit returning to the supermarkets for reasonable prices. Through the week I bought a mango from Aldi for only $1.99 and strawberries are super cheap at the moment with 2 punnets only $3.50 at Woolworths. So when I can buy these fruits at a great price, I chop them up and freeze them in individual serves in zip lock bags for smoothies. Not only do I save money but it gets me organised to whip up a smoothie for hubby and the kids for breakfast in no time at all!   It’s as simple as 1, … read more

Cheese and Chive Scones …

September 21, 2014

Scones are the perfect snack food … great for afternoon tea when friends stop by for a visit and ideal for an after-school treat. Recently on the blog I shared my recipe for Plain Scones along with my tips for ensuring you get a great result every single time … it’s all about the touch … the lighter the better! This is another of my favourite family recipes … Cheese and Chive Scones. These tend to be a little denser because of the cheese, so they won’t rise quite as much, but boy do they taste good anyway! Enjoy! Cheese and Chive Scones …   Print … read more

Caring for Your Kitchen Sponges …

September 19, 2014

Most of us will think long and hard about the things we need to clean around our house and how we are going to do that. We think about the cleaning products we will use and the types of cloths and sponges that are going to give us the best results but do you ever give much thought to the care and maintenance of your kitchen sponges because these little “work horses” are deserving of some love and attention. As well as wiping up mess, spills and cleaning surfaces, kitchen sponges also wipe up germs and bacteria. So when one of my lovely readers asked me recently what … read more

Apple and Banana Bread …

September 17, 2014

If you’re looking for a delicious recipe for afternoon tea or something that can be frozen for school lunches, then this recipe is ideal … the sweetness of the banana and texture of beautiful chunks of apple will have you licking your lips and definitely wanting more. Enjoy! Apple and Banana Bread …   Print Prep time 15 mins Cook time 40 mins Total time 55 mins   Author: Mrs Organised Ingredients … 125g butter, chopped (at room temperature) ¾ cup brown sugar, firmly packed 2 eggs 1 ½ cups self-raising flour 1 teaspooon … read more

Meal Planning with Mrs Organised …

September 15, 2014

Meal planning is one of my favourite things for helping me get organised. It saves me time, saves me money, definitely saves my sanity and prevents the 5.00 o’clock “What’s for Dinner” panic! It’s been a couple of weeks since I shared a Meal Plan so here’s what’s on mine for the coming week: Monday: San Choy Bow with Fried Rice Tuesday: Roast Chicken with roast potato, sweet potato, onion, & capsicum with steamed carrot, broccoli & gravy Wednesday: Mexican Beef Tacos with tomato, cheese, lettuce, avocado and sour cream Thursday: Spaghetti and … read more

Spaghetti Bolognaise …

September 13, 2014

Most families will have their own recipe for Spaghetti Bolognaise but, in case you don’t, here’s my version … so simple to cook, full of flavour and oh so tasty! When the kids were little and invited friends for sleepovers, I usually cooked “Spag Bol” because it’s popular with most kids and used to be a fairly safe bet. Enjoy! Spaghetti Bolognaise …   Print Prep time 25 mins Cook time 1 hour Total time 1 hour 25 mins   Author: Mrs Organised Serves: 6 Ingredients … 900g lean mince 3 celery sticks, chopped finely 2 medium … read more

Decluttering (Part 4) … Questions You Need to Ask to Help You Declutter …

September 11, 2014

In Part 1 of this Decluttering Series we answered the question: What is Clutter? In Part 2 we talked about The Benefits of Decluttering and in Part 3 we discussed When Will I Find the Time to Declutter? Now it’s time to consider what questions you need to ask yourself when making choices about your excess “stuff”. The following questions have helped me make decisions about the things I want to keep and the things I choose to let go of or get rid of. In Part 5 of my Decluttering Series, I’ll share my “How To Guide” for creating a less cluttered home and life and … read more

Breakfast … on the Run …

September 9, 2014

Like most families, our mornings are super busy. Hubby is racing out to work, I’m trying to get ready for work, Miss 21 is usually still asleep following late night study sessions (such is the life of a university student) and Miss 16 has to get ready for school. So we tend to reserve “sit down” family breakfasts for the weekend when everyone is home, not rushing off and we’re all a bit more relaxed. I do, however, insist that everyone eats breakfast every day and also that it’s something healthy ….. so important to start the day especially for school kids who need … read more

Butter Chicken …

September 7, 2014

We love Indian food in our house and this would be one of our favourite dishes. I love Butter Chicken because it’s so smooth and creamy and this version is very mild … loads of flavour without the spice … so it’s perfect for kids. Serve it with rice and some lovely broccoli or green beans. We also love to treat ourselves with some Garlic Naan Bread from our local takeaway to finish off the meal. My kids love this dish and usually ask for seconds. Enjoy! Butter Chicken …   Print Prep time 20 mins Cook time 30 mins Total time 50 mins … read more

How to Bake a Perfect Scone …

September 5, 2014

It took me years to gather the courage to even try baking scones. I’d heard so many people say how they had tried and failed so I figured it was best avoided. However, after years of being afraid I finally decided to have a go and I’m so glad I did! Scones seem simple enough … take some fairly basic ingredients, mix them together and you get a beautiful, soft, fluffy scone. Well, that’s the theory anyway and, with a few simple tips passed on by my Mum, I managed to produce exactly that. So, here are my top tips: Scones need a very light touch and should be … read more

Lettuce Wraps … Lunchbox Ideas …

September 3, 2014

  Lettuce Wraps are something I used to make years ago but totally forgot about until recently. It’s a fairly simple idea that just involves replacing a Tortilla used for making a wrap with a yummy, crunchy lettuce leaf.   Ok, so a couple of tips:   You will need a relatively large lettuce so that when you remove the leaf it’s big enough to wrap up.   Try to use a leaf that’s in one piece and not torn so that your filling stays nicely wrapped.   To make my wrap nice and secure I usually layer 2 lettuce leaves stacked … read more

How I Organise my Baking Ingredients (Part 2) …

September 1, 2014

Recently I shared with you my solution for storing most of my baking ingredients, things like flour, sugar, breadcrumbs, bi-carb soda, etc. The photo below shows the final result and if you missed that blog post you can read more about it here. However, that was only part of the story because there are loads of other ingredients that I use and need to whip up muffins, cakes, slices and other yummy treats, so it was definitely time to come up with a fantastic solution for storing those extra things.   This project was a little trickier because (unlike the … read more