Pumpkin Spice Waffles

Brinner (aka breakfast for dinner) has become a regular feature on our weekly meal plan. And why not?! This week I decided to make waffles, and having a lot of pumpkin to use up, went searching for pumpkin waffles. I think I've said it before but pumpkin based sweet dishes really aren't popular in Australia which is such a shame as they're so good!

I actually felt great about the boys having these for dinner. They're dairy free, low in sugar, use wholemeal flour, eggs for protein and of course pumpkin for veggies. Topped with a little crispy bacon and a generous slug of maple syrup they were the perfect dinner for all of us. You could of course leave off the bacon to make them vego.

Pumpkin Spice Waffles
Adapted from Food.com

1 cup plain flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
2 ts baking powder
1/2 ts bicarb soda
Pinch salt
2 tbs brown sugar
3 ts cinnamon
1 ts ginger
1/8 ts ground cloves
1/8 ts nutmeg
3 eggs
2 tbs melted butter (I used nuttelex)
1 1/2 cups milk (I used oat milk)
3/4 cup mashed pumpkin
Maple syrup to serve

Preheat waffle maker.

Combine the all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, milk, pumpkin and melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix well to combine.

Place 1/3 cup mixture into the waffle maker at a time and cook until firm and crispy, about 2 1/2 minutes. Keep warm in a low oven until ready to serve.

Makes 8 waffles.

We will definitely be making these again!

The HULK Green Smoothie

Why the Hulk? Because it's green of course!

I know I am a little late jumping on the green smoothie bandwagon but it wasn't from lack of interest, rather from lack of equipment. While I am the queen of kitchen gadgets one thing I don't have is a blender (well actually I do have one that fits on top of my 35 year old Kenwood Chef mixer but it's pretty much useless so it doesn't count).

I saw this gorgeous green smoothie on The Healthy Chef blog and was immediately inspired to try it. I loved the tip she had about replacing the fresh spinach leaves and ice with cubes of frozen spinach. Genius!

I first attempted to make it in my food processor. It blitzed all the ingredients quite well but I was still left with lots of large spinach flecks. I then tipped the mix into a jug and tried to blend it with my stab mixer. It frothed up a bit more but still left lots of green specks.

Despite the fact it looked more like a herb bechamel than a smoothie I drank it anyway. It was AWESOME.

My 3 year old who watched me make it also had a taste and then begged to lick the spoon, the glass and anything else this smoothie may have touched. It was that good.

I took a pic of my now empty glass covered in spinach flecks just to have some sort of photo to accompany this recipe. Hopefully it doesn't put you off your breakfast.

Blender or no blender I will be making this again (and again, and again ...). Such a fantastic way to get in some extra greens and even better that it tastes so good. And no you can't taste the spinach at all!

Hulk Smoothie
Adapted from The Healthy Chef

As with most smoothie recipes this is very adaptable. You can use plain or flavoured yoghurt, any type of milk you like and any kind of sweetener. What you see here is what I used and really enjoyed but the possibilities are endless ...

1/2 cup almond milk
100g good vanilla yoghurt (I used Jalna)
1 ts rice malt syrup
1 ts white chia seeds
1 banana
3 cubes frozen spinnach
generous pinch of cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and serve immediately.
Serves 1.

Oaty Pancakes with Strawberries

I am the early riser in the family. Morning is my favourite time of the day and my alarm goes off at 5.30am every day. When the mood strikes I get up and exercise, or I'll just have a cup of tea and enjoy some peace and quiet, mentally preparing myself for another busy day with my 2 little people.

After yet another long week of illness in the food.baby household a yummy Sunday breakfast was definitely in order so that's what I spent my early morning doing.

Usually after having a breakfast of pancakes made with white flour and loads of sugar I will crash a few hours later, starving and with a headache. Recently though I've been making simple changes to our diet, swapping white rice for brown, always buying wholemeal or multigrain bread, reduced fat cheese and the like. So my challenge was to make some pancakes that the kids would actually eat while still being pretty healthy.

Oats are my breakfast of choice most days so that's what I used here and I was really happy with how these turned out. The batch of 12 disappeared in record time and with the strawberries on top it was the perfect start to our Sunday!

Oaty Pancakes with Strawberries
Makes 12 pancakes, serves 4.

1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 tbs sugar
1 ts vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup almond milk (or whatever milk you like)
1 punnet of strawberries
1 tbs orange juice
1 tbs maple syrup

Wash, de-stem and halve the strawberries and place them in a bowl. Pour over the orange juice and maple syrup and toss well to combine. Leave to macerate while you make the pancakes.

In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, oats and sugar. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla and mix until well combined.

Lightly grease a large fry pan with butter and cook pancakes over medium heat 4 at a time (or whatever will fit in your pan). You should get 12 pancakes from this mix. Cook on the first side until you see lots of bubbles start to form then slip over and cook until golden brown. Continue with the remaining batches.

Serve warm with a big spoonful of strawberries and syrup. Yum!

Super Toasted Muesli

I have a love-hate relationship with breakfast. If I have toast/pancakes/waffles etc by mid-morning I feel light-headed and stuffed from a carb overload. I know I need protein but I don't have time for a cooked breakfast and I am trying to stay away from just cereal and milk which I am heartily sick of. What to do?

Lately my breakfast of choice is a freshly made fruit and veggie juice, using some combination of apple, carrot, celery, beetroot, ginger, lemon, pineapple and spinach. Absolutely delicious and packed full of nutrients. Then an hour or so later I will have either porridge with LSA or toasted muesli with yoghurt.

I found this muesli recipe on Scandi Foodie and it ticks all the boxes for me in terms of what I want to be eating at the moment. I made a few changes based on what I had in the pantry and also made a double batch so I don't have to make it so often.

Super Toasted Muesli

Recipe slightly adapted from Scandi Foodie

200g rolled oats

200g rolled quinoa

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

100g raw buckwheat

200g seed and nut mix (mine had pepitas, sunflowers, sesame and pine nuts)

200g raw almonds

2 tbs cinnamon

100ml rice bran oil

2 tbs rice syrup

Yoghurt and dried fruit of your choice to serve

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (160 degrees fan-forced). Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the oil and rice syrup and mix until well combined. Pour into a large baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until the muesli is well toasted and golden brown. Remove and allow to cool on a wire rack before storing in an air-tight container. Serve with yoghurt and whatever dried fruit you like. I use sultanas and dried apricots. Yum!

Yeast Waffles

We've decided to make Saturday morning breakfasts a bit special around here. Hubby is out the door by 7 on weekdays, often before the boys get up and then on Sundays we are in a rush to get the kids to their swimming lessons by 8am. Crazy. But on Saturdays we're all here together with nowhere we need to go. So from now on Saturday mornings for us will be a special yummy breakfast and a trip to the park. Yay!

First up today are these yeast waffles I stumbled across on Fake Ginger. Unlike Amanda I am a real ginger and absolutely love fresh ginger, but I heart her blog!

Anyway, hubby and I got a waffle maker as a wedding present but have never used it regularly. Partly because the recipes we have tried all seemed to oily, too heavy or just too annoying. That's why I liked the look of these yeasted waffles which can be prepped the night before.

Yeast Waffles
Recipe from Fake Ginger

375ml milk
90g butter
2 tbs maple syrup
1 ts vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups plain flour
1 1/2 ts instant yeast

Heat the milk and butter together until very hot and butter is melted. Remove from the heat and stir through the vanilla and salt. Cool the mixture to lukewarm then add the eggs, flour and yeast. Whisk well to combine and remove any lumps of flour. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

You can cook the waffles now or place in the fridge overnight.

Preheat your waffle iron. When ready pour in 1/2 to 2/3 cup of mixture (or whatever amount your instruction book says) into the centre of the waffle maker. Close the lid and cook for about 5 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Serve immediately or keep warm in a low oven.

We got at least 10 waffles from this mix (we lost count).

We loved ours with sliced banana and maple syrup but the possibilities for toppings are endless.

The taste test ...

Really, really good! And the aroma of yeasty waffly goodness in the house first thing in the morning was fantastic. The boys scoffed theirs in record time, probably just thrilled to have something other than cereal or toast for a change. This recipe is a keeper!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Maple and Fruit Bread Pudding

I know I've said it before but I'll say it again ... I LOVE bread pudding! It is just about the most comforting food you could ever eat and after the week we've had, a little comfort eating is definitely required.

Oscar came home from daycare last Monday with a fever and by the next day was just downright miserable and refusing to eat or drink. By Thursday he was diagnosed with tonsilitis. By Friday he was covered in a rash which is either rubella or roseola. Being sick at any time sucks but when you're not even 2 and can't tell anyone what hurts or what you need to feel better must be just horrible. While he is on the mend now we still have a week of quarantine at home missing out on all the fun stuff like swimming, daycare, music and playgroup that we normally go to.

The remedy? Bread pudding for breakfast!

While I love bread pudding I don't love bourbon and wanted to make it child-friendly in any case. I pretty much completely changed Dorie's recipe but I was inspired by it. A big thanks to Sharon of Simply Southern for choosing it this week.

For my Maple and Fruitbread Pudding I used the following ingredients but followed Dorie's method of preparation and baking.

250g fruit bread (mine was homemade and packed with dried fruit and mixed spice)
4 eggs
3 cups reduced fat milk
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 ts cinnamon
1 ts vanilla extract

The taste test ...

The youngest and sickest taste tester gave this a big "yum yum!" I have to agree. Absolutely delicious. A little sweet for everyday but perfect for a special breakfast or dessert.

For the real deal aka Bourbon Bread Pudding make sure you visit Sharon of Simply Southern.

Tuesdays with Dorie: Lemon and Poppyseed Muffins

Wow, a TWD recipe actually posted on the right day! This week Betsy of A Cup of Sweetness chose Dorie's Lemon Poppyseed Muffins. While I love a good layer cake as much as the next girl these melt-and-mix muffins are much more my thing at the moment.

It's been ages since I made muffins but given how quick and easy they are I really should dig out my muffin pans more often. Unusually for me I did a full batch and only made one substitution, using homemade greek yoghurt instead of the sour cream.

The taste test ...

These muffins are moist, bright and zingy, especially drizzled with lots of the lemon glaze. Perfect afternoon tea fare. My taste testers all gave a big thumbs up!

Make sure you check out Betsy's blog for the recipe and for lots of pics of her adorable baby boy (a November baby like Charlie).

Tuesdays with Dorie: Oatmeal Breakfast Bread

This week's Oatmeal Breakfast Bread was another hidden gem. Well not hidden exactly, but I had certainly never noticed it until it was picked by Natalie of Oven Love!

It also falls into the ugly but delicious category because try as I might I could not get a decent photo.

Let me just say that I loved this bread. Made without any butter it is incredibly moist from the apple puree and buttermilk and the house smelt amazing while it was baking. Because it was so moist it was a little hard to tell when it was done but in the end it was perfect. I used raisins and dried apple in mine and it was fabulous.

I found the streusel topping a little hard to manage, as in most of it fell off every time a slice was cut. Next time I might skip the topping altogether so that I can toast a piece straight from the freezer.

Thank you to Natalie for hosting this week. Wonderful choice! Make sure you check out her blog Oven Love for the recipe.

My Tuesday with Dorie: Raisin Swirl Bread

First of all, woo-hoo! I had figured it would be my turn to pick sometime this year but getting Laurie's email for June was a huge surprise. I spent a harried 24 hours or so flicking back and forth between recipes, trying to select something that I would not only love to bake but that said something about me.

My very first TWD post was for the Chocolate Puddings back on 15 July 2008. I wasn't even an official member at that stage but was playing along at home until I could order my copy of Baking. My blog was only a few days old and it was less than a month since my mum passed away. Baking and blogging seemed like a wonderful distraction at a really difficult time. Since then I have gotten married, had a baby and reached the 200 post mark.

All of this brings me to my reason for choosing the Raisin Swirl Bread this week. Baking bread is such a comforting, homey thing to do. There's nothing quite like the smell or taste of your own fresh bread and it is something I hope my kids remember from their childhood as I do.

I loved this bread and I hope anyone who was scared of yeast (or raisins!) had a go and was happy with the results!

Raisin Swirl Bread
pp 59-60 of Baking: From My Home to Yours

For the bread:
1 packet active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar, plus a pinch
1 1/4 cups just-warm-to-the-touch whole milk
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons or 60g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional)
Grated zest of 1/2 orange (optional)
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
3 3/4 to 4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour

For the swirl:
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
1 cup moist, plump raisins (dark or golden)
3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter, softened to a spreadable consistency

To make the bread:
Put the yeast in a small bowl, toss in the pinch of sugar and stir in 1/4 cup of the warm milk. Let rest for 3 minutes, then stir - the yeast may not have dissolved completely and it may not have bubbled, but it should be soft.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the remaining 1 cup of milk, the butter and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and mix for a minute or two. Add the salt, egg and vanilla, if you are using it, as well as the zest and nutmeg, if you're using them, and mix for a minute. In all likelihood, the mixture will look unpleasantly curdly (it will look even worse when you add the yeast). Add the yeast mixture and beat on low-medium speed for 1 minute more.

Turn the mixer off and add 2 3/4 cups of the flour. Mix on low speed just until you work the flour into the liquids - you'll have a sticky mix. If you've got a dough hook, switch to it now. Add another 1 cup of flour, increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the dough for a couple of minutes. If the dough does not come together and almost clean the sides of the bowl, add up to 1/4 cup more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep the mixer speed at medium and knead the dough for about 3 minutes, or until it is smooth and has a lovely buttery sheen. The dough will be very soft, much too soft to knead by hand.

Butter a large bowl, turn the dough into a bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Put the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise until it is doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Scrape the dough onto a large piece of plastic wrap, wrap it and put it in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm enough to be rolled easily. (At this point, you can instead refrigerate the dough overnight if that is more convenient).

To make the swirl and shape the loaf:
Butter a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.

Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon and cocoa, if you're using it. Check that the raisins are nice and moist; if they're not, steam them for a minute, then dry them well.

Put the dough on a large work surface lightly dusted with flour, lightly dust the top of the dough and roll the dough into a rectangle about 12 x 18 inches.

Gently smear 2 tablespoons of the butter over the surface of the dough - this is most easily done with your fingers. Sprinkle over the sugar mixture and scatter over the raisins. Starting from a short side of the dough, roll the dough up jelly-roll fashion, making sure to roll the dough snugly. Fit the dough into the buttered pan, seam side down, and tuck the ends under the loaf.

Cover the pan loosely with wax paper and set in a warm place; let the dough rise until it comes just a little above the edges of the pan, about 45 minutes.

Getting ready to bake:
When the dough has almost fully risen, centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees Celsius). Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter, and brush the top of the loaf with the butter. Put the pan on the baking sheet and bake the bread for about 20 minutes. Cover loosely with a foil tent and bake for another 25 minutes or so, until the bread is golden and sounds hollow when the bottom of the pan is tapped. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes, then unmold. Invert the bread and cool to room temperature right side up on the rack.

I have to confess to slicing my bread while it was still warm and I ended up with raisins scattered everywhere. But it was totally worth it ... it is sensational straight from the oven!

Oh and it also makes spectacular cinnamon toast the next day!

Thank you in advance to everyone who baked along with me this week and huge thanks to Laurie for creating such a wonderful group and Dorie for her fabulous book! :-)

Sunday Crepes

Breakfast has always been my favourite meal of the day, particularly on weekends, but lately I can wander around the kitchen for ages before I find something that takes my fancy. It can't take too long to prepare, be too sweet or too heavy. The answer? Crepes!

Lots of crepe recipes are filled with unnecessary ingredients. One recipe I came across had 1/2 cup sugar and 80g butter. Ridiculous!

The recipe I use is from The Original Woman's Weekly Cookbook (circa 1970s) and it is one that has stood the test of time. This weekend we filled our crepes with fresh sliced bananas and topped with a raspberry and lime sauce. Delicious.

Crepes

1/3 cup plain flour
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients using a food processor or hand whizz. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile to make the sauce, in a small saucepan add 1 cup of frozen raspberries, 1 tbs sugar and the juice of 1 lime. Warm through on low-medium heat, stirring gently to keep some of the raspberries intact.

Heat a non-stick frying pan (or crepe pan if you have one) over medium-high heat. You shouldn't need to use any oil at all. Holding the pan in one hand, pour in 1/4 cup mixture while tilting the pan in a circular motion to swirl the mixture evenly over the base. Cook for about 1 minute or until the the top of the crepe is dry and the edges are starting to curl. Flip the crepe over and cook for another 30 seconds or until lightly golden. Remove crepe and repeat process.

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes

For the past couple of years Saturday has been just another working day for me. Working for yourself from home kind of means the days of the week are irrelevant anyway so I've never minded. Then for the past couple of weeks we've had birthing classes to go to which were a lot of fun but still an early start.

But now I am officially on maternity leave ... no clients, no classes, nothing to do but get ready for this baby who will be here in 6 weeks (!!!) And what better way to celebrate a Saturday morning than with pancakes!

I've been on an oats kick for the past month or so, having either porridge or bircher muesli every day without fail and although I wanted pancakes I wasn't ready to give up on my oats either. Lucky for me this recipe has been floating around for awhile, first at Joy the Baker, then at A Whisk and a Spoon.

They were the perfect start to the day. We also finally got out to the movies for the first time in about 6 months and saw Ghost Town. We liked!

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes
Adapted from Sunset Magazine

1 1/2 rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup blueberries or raspberries ( I used frozen)
butter or oil to grease the pan

1. In a bowl mix oats and buttermilk. Let stand at least 15 minutes, or up to 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

3. In a large bowl, beat eggs, milk and vanilla. Stir in flour and oats mixture. Mix until evenly moistened, then fold in blueberries.

4. Place a nonstick griddle, or nonstick frying pan over medium heat. When hot, coat the pan with a few teaspoons of a light colored oil (you can eyeball the measurement).

5. Pour batter in 1/2 cup portions onto griddle and cook until pancakes are browned on the bottom and the edges begin to look dry, about 2 minutes. Turn with a spatula and cook another 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Coat pan with more oil as needed to coat remaining pancakes.

6. Serve the pancakes as cook or keep warm on a baking sheet, in a single layer in a warm oven (less than 100 degrees Celsius or they will dry out) for 15 minutes, or until you’re able to serve them.

7. Stack and serve with berries, maple syrup, ice cream - whatever takes your fancy!

This quantity will easily feed 4 people. We did find the batter a little runny. so next time I would use only 3/4 cup milk and double the baking powder to give them a little more lift.

Real or Fake?

This was my breakfast egg today. It looks like plastic. But it tasted great!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

I woke up this morning feeling hot and absolutely starving. Most mornings I don't eat breakfast for at least an hour or 2 after I get up but there's something about Sunday mornings. Possibly the fact I ate too much rubbish the night before?

These are my favourite basic muffins. You can easily switch the main flavours and make banana or rhubarb or blueberry or anything else you can think of.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Recipe from Taste.com.au

300g (2 cups) plain flour
1 tbs baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
150g (3/4 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
2 medium (about 375g) Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, chopped
125g (3/4 cup) seedless raisins (optional - I left these out purely because we didn't have any)
125g butter, melted, cooled
2 eggs, lightly whisked
185mls (3/4 cup) milk

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease or line 12 muffin pans.

Sift the flour, baking powder and cinnamon together into a large bowl. Stir in the brown sugar, apples and raisins until well combined.

Whisk together the butter, eggs and milk until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir with a large metal spoon until only just combined. Be careful not to over-mix or the muffins will be tough.

Spoon the mixture into the muffin pans. Sprinkle some raw or demerara sugar over the top for extra crunch. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden and cooked through (when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean). Remove from oven and stand for 2-3 minutes before turning onto a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 12.

Sunday Brunch at Home

We've been going out for breakfast a bit lately and as nice as it is, it's becoming a bit expensive. This week we decided to do our own version of a 'big breakfast' at home and invited N's mum and my dad to share it with us.

The menu:

• Eggy crumpets with crispy bacon and real maple syrup
• Waffles with strawberry compote and icecream
• Fresh juice

Jungle Juice
Any combination of tropical fruits you like! We used:

1 large pineapple
4 pink grapefruits
1 lime
2 cm piece of ginger

Eggy Breakfast Crumpets
adapted from Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver, p30

This is essentially french toast made with crumpets instead of bread and it's absolutely brilliant! Because of all the air bubbles, the crumpets soak up the egg mixture like a sponge so the end result is incredibly light and fluffy.

3 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 round crumpets
6 rashers of bacon
olive oil or butter
maple syrup, to serve

Lay out the crumpets in a single layer in a large baking dish. Whisk together the eggs and milk and season with salt and pepper. I usually add 1/2 ts vanilla and a glug of maple syrup as well. Pour the egg mixture over the crumpets and leave to soak, overnight if possible, or as long as you can (we always do ours the night before and by morning they have absorbed virtually all the liquid). If you are using them immediately make sure you turn them several times and really push them into the egg mix.

Heat a frypan over medium heat and fry the bacon until crispy. You shouldn't need to add any fat here. Remove and keep warm. Add a blob of butter and swirl the pan to coat.

Add the crumpets to the pan (we need to do 2 batches because of the size of the pan) and fry them for a few minutes until they are golden brown. Turn and fry on the other side until cooked through.

Serve topped with bacon and a genererous drizzle of maple syrup.

Crispy Waffles

We received our waffle maker as a wedding present just a few months ago and haven't gotten very adventurous with the recipe. We're still using the one that came with the instruction manual! Thank you Breville.

2 x 60g eggs, separated
2 ts sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 ts vanilla
1/4 ts salt
2 cups (300g) self raising flour
2 tbs cornflour
80g g butter, melted

Beat the egg yolks and sugar together, then add the milk, water and vanilla and mix well.

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl, add the egg mixture and melted butter. Beat mixture well into a smooth batter.

Beat the eggwhites until stiff and fold into the batter.

Allow to stand for 10 minutes before use.

Use 1/2 cup of batter per waffle. Makes 6.

Strawberry Compote
recipe from Taste.com.au

250g strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
1 tbs icing sugar (I used caster sugar)
1 ts balsamic vinegar (I used a delicious caramalised balsamic from Flaschengeist)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until pulpy and syrupy. Remove from heat and cover until required. Perfect with waffles, french toast or just over ice cream.

After eating all that we went to the movies and saw The X-Files. I loved it when it was on tv and have seen every episode. Despite not being very hungry we then went to lunch at Chill on Oxford St. Now i'm absolutely stuffed!

All in all a lovely Sunday.