Craft Swaps, Home Grown Olives and Cherry Coconut Cacao Icecream

Hello readers, sorry for the lateness of the weekend blog post - Maddabling has felt a little under the weather for the past couple of days. Tonight I share with you Craft Swaps, Home Grown Olives and Cherry Coconut Cacao Icecream. Happy Reading! 

Craft Swaps
The DUST Team Quarterly Craft Swap is a wonderful opportunity to share handmade goodies with your team members. The January - March Swap for 2014 recently finished and I can now share with you the handmade goodness we exchanged. It was a tri-way swap this time, there were three participants so we each received and sent two gifts each. I wrapped up two pretty parcels to send out, one to Wilma of Empress Wu and one to Meggan of Art Nomadix. 

 Here is a snap of the goodies I sent to Wilma of Empress Wu

and the photo album I sent to Meggan of Art Nomadix. 

And if you give you also receive and I admit I was so spoilt by these two DUSTy Divas. Here is the parcel I received from Wilma 

and here are the goodies I receive from Meggan (I do apologise Meggan, I found it tricky to photograph the gorgeous freeform crochet bag you sent me).

Home Grown Olives
The Olive Tree I was given for a milestone birthday has produced a real abundance of fruit this year, and for the first time we may have enough to preserve. I just have to find a recipe now! It's all very exciting. I really hope we get it right and have delicious olives to eat in a few weeks/months time! 

Cherry Coconut Cacao Icecream 

So we got an icecream machine. Not a top of the range model, but one that will get the job done. And she is a bright cheery Sunshine Yellow. I try not to eat a lot of dairy as it doesn't agree with me so much, so I tried this "ice-cream" recipe made from coconut cream. Here is how I did it! 

Cherry Coconut Cacao Icecream 
Ingredients:
2 x 440ml cans Coconut Cream 
Morello Cherries to taste (as many or as few as you like) 
Maple Syrup to taste (approx 1/4 cup) 
Cacao powder to taste (blend into maple syrup as it will mix more easily)
1 Cup Water

Method: 
1. Put ingredients into ice-cream machine and churn until a sorbet/icecream consistency. Enjoy. 
Note: you can also put ingredients into a food processor and blend, freeze, blend, freeze etc until same consistency is achieved. 

Well lovely readers, that wraps up Craft Swaps, Home Grown Olives and Cherry Coconut Cacao Icecream. See you all tomorrow for a new Wednesday Wishes Blog Post xo♥

Craft Swaps, Coast Walks and Choc Peanut Butter Icecream

Hello there - thanks for stopping by to read the Sunday Edition on the Maddabling blog post. This week is all about Craft Swaps, Coast Walks and Choc Peanut Butter Icecream. Enjoy :) 

Craft Swaps

Last week I shared with you all the craft swap goodies I sent to Ofunneka of c3n2kids - you can see the parcel I sent here: http://maddabling.blogspot.com.au/2013/09/craft-swaps-coast-walk-trails-and.html ). 

This week my parcel arrived and here is a photo of the sweet little book that Ofunneka sent to me. One day , this book will be passed on to a new arrival that is due our extended family soon! 

Coast Walks

This week we ventured to the Mount Martin Regional Botanic Park. The walk trail here is described as strenuous and is around 11km return if you complete the whole trail. There is a really amazing diversity of native plant species and equally amazing views of King George Sound, Oyster Harbour, Emu Point and Middleton Beach. On a relatively clear day, you can see the Stirling Ranges, Porongurup Ranges and Mt Manypeaks in the distance. 

From the other side of King George Sound, you can see the Flinders Peninsula in the distance, where we walked to Bald Head a couple of weeks ago. 

This is one of the rest spots on the way, the beach in the distance is where the walk trail starts from. A really amazing spot to stop and take it all in. 

We saw lots of orchids and wildflowers while on the Mt Martin walk trail, here a few that I snapped! 

 

It was kind of odd to see this big ship anchored in the sound, while walking through beautiful bush land. A reminder of the modern world we live in. 

 

The trail back took a diversion and we walked a section of track that led through the bush land rather than along the coastal hills seen on the way there. 

There were no water views only amazing lush unspoilt bush land! I can't wait to explore this area again, it is so beautiful. 

Choc Peanut Butter Icecream

The recipe this week comes from Clean Healthy Recipes (photo courtesy of Clean Healthy Recipes) and is on my To Try list as soon as possible :) 

Ingredients (Serves 2)

2 Bananas
1 Tablespoons Organic Peanut Butter (No Added Sugar)
1 Tablespoon Cacao Nibs

Method: 

Peel bananas then place in a plastic bag and freeze.

Once bananas are frozen, place in food processor along with peanut butter and process until the mixture becomes thick and smooth.

Pour mixture into a plastic tub, add cacao nibs and stir through.

Re freeze for a couple of hours and then take out of freezer 5 mins before serving. Scoop out using an ice cream scoop and serve.

That wraps up Craft Swaps, Coast Walks and Choc Peanut Butter Icecream, see you all on Wednesday for a new Wednesday Wishes post.

Craft Swaps, Coast Walk Trails and Chimichurri

Hello readers, tonight I share with you, in a belated Sunday Night blog post - Craft Swaps, Coast Walk Trails and Chimichurri. Enjoy :)

Craft Swaps 

After a break in craft swaps, the July-September swap on the dustteam.com forum was underway. My partner was the lovely Ofunneka from C3N2KIDS. 

Ofunneka told me that her favourite colours are red, black and white, also anything that was brightly coloured. I put my creative thinking hat on and made two necklaces - one in black, red and white and one in red + black, also some gift tags with coloured hearts, a hand stamped and coloured Owl card and a sachet of handmade Bath Tea.

I can share this now as Ofunneka has excitedly informed me that her parcel arrived and she mentioned that it made her feel pretty special, like a child on Christmas Day. If any of the DUST team members are interested, the festive Craft Swap will open in October on the dustteam.com forum. I will be sure to share with you the handmade goodness that Ofunneka has sent to me in my next Sunday night blog post :) 

Coast Walk Trails 

Readers, you may have noticed we have been making the most hiking trails in our region of late - this one completed recently was the most challenging to date. The Bald Head Walk Trail is a  "16km track leads out to Bald Head and should only be attempted by the fit and well prepared. The track is not recommended in strong or gusty winds. Allow 6-8 hours for a return trip" 

Keep in mind that this trail is described as almost a wilderness area.

The sun was shining bright as we set out on our hike, the furthest headland in the distance was our destination. This was taken from the top of the first hill....

We eventually arrived at the the hill from which we started our descent down to Bald Head (shown below) from the Flinders Peninsula. 

The track down to the headland is tricky and steep but well worth it! 

There is a travellers cairn at the end of the headland where you can add your stone, as we did and many others did before us.

There were many unusual rock formations on Flinders Peninsula, of many different shapes, all well worn by the elements. 

If you pause to stop, you can enjoy the views back across King George Sound and across to Michaelmas and Breaksea islands. 

Something that continually amazes me is the array of orchids flowers and nuts produced by the flora in our area. Here are some of the things that caught my eye on this trek. 

I would love to have shared more photos, but with approximately 7km remaining on the trek back to the car park, the skies opened up and drenched us with a vengeance, and it was a battle to keep the camera dry! Next time, next time! 

Chimichurri

Chimichurri is a steak sauce, a sauce for grilled meats, that is Argentinian is origin (according to sources researched). I think this would go equally well with Grilled Haloumi or as a dipping sauce - it is just so tasty! There are many variations, but I have found this adaptation to be quick, easy and delish!

Cooks note - this is best made close to serving time and eaten on the day it is made :) 

Chimichurri 
serves 4

Ingredients:
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 bunch coriander
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pinch chilli flakes
1 pinch smoked paprika
1 pinch cumin
60ml red wine vinegar
60 ml extra virgin olive oil
Sea Salt to season
Black Pepper to season

Method:
1.Roughly chop parsley and coriander in a food processor, with crushed garlic. 

2. Add red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, spices (except chilli flakes) and blitz in food processor until just mixed.

3. Stir in chill flakes, salt and pepper, transfer to a bowl and serve!  

I hope you have enjoyed Craft Swaps, Coast Walk Trails and Chimichurri.

See you all on Wednesday for a new edition of Wednesday Wishes xo

Whalesongs, Moody Middleton and Millponds, Craft Swaps, Decadent Liberte and The Good Juice

Hello readers - did you have a good weekend? I have a few things to share with you all today, in fact it is quite a busy blogpost! Today you can read all about Whalesongs, Moody Middleton, Craft Swaps, Decadent Liberte and The Good Juice. Enjoy xo 

Whalesongs

By all accounts, it has been an exceptional whale watching season on the south coast. Our migratory visitors have put on fabulous shows and can often be seen from land, for those more adventurous there are whale tours that will take you out along the coast to get up close and personal with these creatures of the deep. 

One whale tour operator had reported that as at the 1st August 2013, the tally of whales spotted included 435 Humpbacks, 44 Southern Wrights, 2 Minke Whales and 1 Blue Whale. 

I spotted these whales, which I believe are Southern Wright Whales (?) from the Boardwalk Lookout at Middleton Beach. They were not going anywhere in a hurry and were amazing to watch. 

There is a sad report today from Cheynes Beach Caravan Park that two Sperm Whales have beached themselves, one hasn't survived and the second is also not expected to survive for too much longer. Nature is a such a strange thing. 

Moody Middleton and Millponds

The beaches on the south coast are beautiful to say the least, and on the "hunt" for whales, I have been to Middleton Beach a few times lately. From Stormy Skies to Glassy Flat Seas, this really is a gorgeous spot to visit, walk or just sit and think. 

There is second lookout which is a great vantage point for whale watching that is not far from Middleton Beach and looks out over King George Sound. This picture was snapped around sunset, the water was like a millpond.  

Craft Swaps

DUST Team Craft Swaps (for DUST Team Members) are back up and running. 

The latest swap runs from July - September 2013 and there will be Festive Swap opening for sign ups on the 1st October 2013. You can read more about the craft swaps here : Dust Team Craft Swaps.

For the current swap, Ofunneka from C3n2kids is my craft swap partner. Ofunneka tells me that she likes anything bright and her favourite colours are Black, Red and White. Here is a sneaky peek at some of the things I am working on to send in Ofunneka's Craft Swap Parcel. I do hope she likes it! 

 Decadent Liberte 

We went out with a friend for dinner and drinks over the weekend and wound up the night with a cheeky cocktail at Liberte. This is a favourite place for me, I love the cosy atmosphere. Liberte is best described as a European Style Coffee House and Bar. 

The chandeliers are beautiful and the chairs are so very comfortable.

The light fitting in the ladies powder room is just sublime too! 

Its decadent, relaxed and really, just a great place to relax with friends or loved ones. And the cocktails are pretty fine too! Worth a visit if you are in the area. 

The Good Juice

I LOVE Fresh Juices. While waiting for my lunch order at the local Juice bar (must add that I was suffering with an icky head cold), I was reading through a Juice Recipe Book that they had for patrons. There was one recipe in particular that caught my attention. It was a Strawberry, Pink Grapefruit and Orange juice recipe. The intent of this Juice, claimed to be rich in Vitamin C and other good things, is to boost the Immune System and aid recovery from colds and flu. I thought I would give it a try and it did seem to help. Here is the recipe! 

The Good Juice 

Ingredients:

1 Pink Grapefruit

2 Oranges

2 "handfuls" of Strawberries

90ml of Orange Juice

 Method: 
1. Cut grapefruit and oranges into segments, remove peel from fruit.
2. Wash stawberries and chop off the leaves and tops of the strawberries. 
3. Put fruit through a juicer. 
4. Pour into jug and add 90ml of Orange Juice. 
5. Serve and enjoy! 

note: For the 90mls of Orange Juice, I used a good quality bottled Organic Orange Juice that had organic honey added in. 

Readers, that concludes the Sunday Blogpost, I hope you enjoyed reading all about Whalesongs, Moody Middleton, Craft Swaps, Decadent Liberte and The Good Juice. See you all on Wednesday for a new edition of Wednesday Wishes xo