New Product - Fabric Headbands

Fabric Headbands will be available from this week in 3 sizes - from 3 yrs up to adults. You can see pictured Lily & Me headbands that are made from colored and patterned fabric. I also make these in school uniform colors. You may have seen some in my local area, Summer Hill Public and Petersham Public Schools. If you would be interested in ordering please send me an email. The wholesale price is $8 each and selling roughly for $15 in shops depending on the area.

If you happen to be on your child's school P & C and think the headband and hairclips would work in your school uniform shop please let me know and I can give you some details.

Recipe of the Week

We have a university student who lives with us. After his recent trip home to visit his parents his mother sent some of this fudge for us....... well we have fallen in love with this recipe for many reasons, mostly because it is YUM! but also it is cheap to make and very quick. It also falls into the OK basket for the low chemical diet I follow for my kids too.

Caramel Fudge

1 Can of condensed milk
1 cup of brown sugar
125g butter
1 tablespoon of golden syrup
1 tablespoon of glucose
200g white chocolate

• Microwave for 8 mins on medium stirring every 2 mins
• Microwave for another 3ish mins stirring every 1 min until thick and bubbling.
• Add 200g chocolate and stir until smooth
• Pour into a lined square cake tin
• Cool
• Refridgerate

Microwave times vary depending on machine.....

A New Product - of sorts!

The thing I love about my husband is he is not scared of trying anything (well most things). A few weeks ago - over a coffee at breakfast - we were discussing how most large companies have something to display their product in a shop that makes it stand out.

Well lo and behold I went out to do the grocery shopping and returned to this stand pictured above. Rob had been busy at work designing and making this for me to use for hair clips to display in the shops. The first Lily & Me clip stand is now sitting in Monkey Puzzle (toy shop in Summer Hill) proudly displaying an assortment of clips. We still have a little tweaking to do with the design. We have just finalised our swing tags for all products which are a completely different look to what is pictured. I look forward to showing these soon.

I want to say a big thank you to my lovely husband for supporting my wild and crazy ideas.

Recipe of the Week - I can't do it without my Breville

Yes it is true i could not make this recipe until my lovely husband bought me one of these machines. I tried making pavlova every other way with absolutley no luck. Now it takes literally 3 minutes from whipping to putting in the oven. This is now one of our family favorites for that dessert treat enjoyed by all! What would I do without my Breville?

Pavlova by Stephanie Alexander - Cook's Companion

4 eggwhites at room temperature
pinch of salt
250g caster sugar
2 teaspoons gluten free cornflour
1 teaspoon white-wine vingear
few drops of pure vanilla
toppings of choice

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Beat eggwhites and salt until satiny peaks form. Beat in sugar, a third at a time, until meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and fold in lightly. Mound onto paper-lined tray in a circle and flatten the top and smooth the sides. Place in the oven, immediatly reduce heat to 150 degrees and cook for 1 1/4 hours. Turn off oven and leave pavlova in it to cool comletely. Invert pavolva onto a platter and top with your own choice of trimmings.

• The things I have learnt that the recipe does not tell you!!!

You get the best results using eggs straight from the supermarket that have not been in your fridge.

Use the Breville for every step of mixing - including the folding. (There is a folding setting on the machine)

Don't worry about the vinegar unless you are making the day ahead. Vinegar seems to just preserve the pavlova, I have not noticed any other difference.

Don't forget to preheat the oven before you start mixing. I try to remember OVEN, INGREDIENTS, TRAY always!!!!!!!!

Clean and dry your mixing bowl very, very well. I always do this a few hours before making to make sure it is definetly dry.

It wont work if you get egg yolk into the eggwhite. Don't waste your time start again.

Pavlova is fantastic straight from the oven.!!!!!!! This is our favorite way to indulge on desert.

Count it Joy

Friend and fellow Con Christian Group staff member Julia Booth is holding a CD launch on Saturday 6th March (details above). Please join us in supporting Julia by coming along for a great night of music.

Julia has asked me to set up a table to sell and promote Lily & Me on the night. If you have been waiting for the right moment to be the proud owner of one of my products look out for me there on the night.

Recipe of the Week

Sweet Potato Dahl

from more gluten free and easy by Robyn Russell
http://www.glutenfreeandeasy.com/index.html

1 red onion
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon Madras curry paste
1 cup split red lentils
1 cup grated sweet potato
1/2 teaspoon garam masala

In a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, saute the onion, garlic and ginger in the oil for 5 minutes, or until the onion is soft.

Add the curry paste and cook until fragrant, then increase the heat and add the lentils and sweet potato. Stir over high heat for 1-2 minutes to toast the lentils slightly, then reduce the heat to low, add 500 ml of water and stir well to loosen the brown residue on the bottom of the pan. cover and simmer for about 15 mins, or until the lentils havew softened.

Add the Garam masala, stir again to combine, then cover the pan and set aside for 10 minutes.

Serve with rice and poppadoms.

Serves 2 adults and 3 kids with lunch leftovers for the next day.

I have cooked this twice, the first by the recipe and the second time I was in a rush and put everything into my slow cooker on low for 3 hrs. It was a lot more mushy than by the recipe but still taste great. It has been a hit with the kids both times and SUPER CHEAP!!!!!

Emma Rush: The market is eating our children

After reading Getting Real by Melida Tankard Reist I have been following her blog with articles she has found or written herself from the media relating to the exploitation of girls and women. Her most recent post is titled:Emma Rush: The market is eating our children

New Product

Lily & Me is a business to produce mainly girls clothing but I do have two sons who also like me to make things for them too. I have been trying to cut down on my scrap fabric and zipper stash and my 6yr old and I have come up with these pencil case/ pouches. He is using his for his collection of Bakugans (transformer like action figures), my husband also requested one to use as a pencil case to start his study at Moore College.

With the arrival of my new labels last week and some tinkering time we now have a lot of these ready to go out to suppliers. Wholesale prices range from $10.

Recipe of the Week

Zucchini Slice

1 large zucchini grated
1 cup low-fat tasty cheese grated
6 eggs
1/2 cup gluten free plain flour

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees, grease slice tin.
Combine all ingredients, place into tin and even it out across the tin.
Bake for 20 - 25 mins.

Serve with any salad you desire.

Two helpful sites

My friend Ally has pointed me towards two helpful sites, for thinking through issues relating to the exploitation of women and girls.

Melinda Tankard Reist blog and Collective Shout website

Recipe of the Week

Black-Eye Bean Salsa

2 cups of dried Black-eye beans
1 large tin of corn kernals
1 red capsicum diced
1 green capsicum diced
2 cucumbers diced
1 red onion diced
2 celery sticks diced
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes sliced into quarters

Method:

Boil beans in 3 litres of water for about 1 hour until inside of beans are soft. Drain water and put beans into a large bowl ready for the salsa.

Combine all ingredients in the large bowl and serve with 2 packets of corn chips (you can buy a lower fat variety in the health food section), low fat sour cream or cottage cheese and sweet chilli sauce.

(Rob still asks "Where's the meat" but gives an enthusuastic thumbs up for this meal)

This recipe feeds approx. 6 - 8 adults.