June 2024 - PLAYWORKEATREPEAT

Friday Favourites

Hi friends, it’s time to share some of my favourite things for this week! I hope you all had a good one. Didn’t this week just zoom by in a flash? But that’s okay because now we can welcome back the weekend—Amen! This week started off cold and gloomy. The clouds and wet, rainy weather lingered on after a very wet weekend. It’s hard to feel upbeat when the weather is like that. But thankfully, things shifted, and by the end of the week, the sun was shining brightly again. Yes, it was cold, but it was warm in the sun, and seeing the blue skies always makes everything so much better! Sunny days are my favourite! When I walked into the kitchen this morning and saw the sun shining brightly, I knew instantly that it was going to be a good day! Then as I walked to work, even though it was extremely chilly, the clear blue skies and golden sunshine made me happy. I’ll have to keep this moment in mind because I checked the forecast, and yes, it will be raining all of next week. Sigh! Speaking of walking to work, well, I haven’t done as much of it as I’d like lately. My husband is home, which means the car is home, and that in turn means I’ve given in and driven to work. Aaaargh!! My goal for next week is to pretend the car isn’t available and walk! I love walking, and I feel so much better on the days that I do. Funny story though, the other day I forgot that I had walked, and when I left work, I was looking for my car. For a second, I thought, “Oh no, it’s been stolen!” Ha, who would want to steal such a teeny tiny Suzuki? It took me a little while to realise that, duh, the car was at home! Anyway back to more favourites. This olive sourdough is the best and that’s probably why it’s usually sold out by the time I get to the fruit shop after work. But I got lucky this week and I nabbed the last loaf. I’m not much of a breakfast eater during the week. But on the weekends, I do enjoy a very late breakfast. The other day, I was craving porridge, so I bought these sachets. They are easy to make and deliciously creamy. Healthy too, if you ignore the amount of brown sugar I added… shhh. This raisin toast is my favourite. These mini flakes are for me but everyone at home thinks I like to share. Washed and ready-to-grab fruit is a favourite of mine. Whenever I get my grocery order, I make sure to wash everything to save the hassle of doing it later. Good looking fruit, huh? I always feel like I’m winning whenever I need cream for a recipe and I have the long-life version in the cupboard! The other night I made Mexican street corn salad to go with our nachos. It’s so crunchy, cheesy and zesty. It’s full of our family’s favourite ingredients like corn, parmesan cheese, feta cheese, mayonnaise and red onion. This made me laugh and I couldn’t agree more! Hahaha! Here’s hoping the weekend goes by real slow. Thank you so much for stopping by today and I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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What’s Up Wednesday

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Hi friends, and welcome to What’s Up Wednesday! This is the monthly linkup hosted by Shay and Sheaffer, where we get to share a few highlights from the past month. Today is all about June, and I’ll be sharing a few of the things we’ve been up to, starting with… WHAT WE’RE EATING THIS WEEK We’ve been trying to keep warm and enjoying some cozy comfort foods. There’s nothing like a warm meal to make these chilly days a little brighter! So, here’s what our menu looks like this week. Oh yes, I’m also happy to report that it’s June and I still haven’t fallen off the meal-planning wagon! Although I had a hiccup during the last term break, I got back to meal planning ASAP. Monday- Chicken stroganoff with rice and string beans Tuesday- Teriyaki salmon with rice and Asian salad Wednesday- Football food! The State of Origin is a great excuse for meat pies, mashed potato and peas with lots of tomato sauce Thursday- Nachos Friday- Chicken schnitzel with baked potatoes, vegetables and gravy Saturday- Dinner with friends! Yay! WHAT I’M REMINISCING ABOUT Hot summer days! WHAT I’M LOVING Well, up until the last four weeks, I was living the life of a toddler with no rules. With Steve at work almost every evening, I would eat late, stay up way too late, and I didn’t have to share the remote control. Now that he’s home, I’ve been eating earlier, going to bed at a decent time, and sharing more. I’ve always been a night owl, but after this dramatic change in my routine, I’ve discovered sleep and I’m loving it! Now I sleep a proper 7-8 hours, and I feel so much better. I always knew that being sleep-deprived was a big no-no, but I was just being naughty. WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO Despite the winter weather, June has been great. My favourite thing about June is that we finally booked our Cousin Connect Adventure 2025, and I’m so excited! I’ve started a planning journal, writing down all the places we want to visit and a long list of fast-food dining spots we want to try. We hardly ever eat fast food, so we plan to make up for it by visiting all the famous American spots we’ve heard about for so many years! Speaking of food, here are some of the delicious meals we enjoyed in June. We had soups to keep us warm. Meals with veggies to keep us healthy. And sweet treats to keep us happy! Some June highlights included. Pretty sunsets Weird cloud formations over Sydney skies. And cozy dinners together at home. June was filled with mostly ordinary moments, and I’m totally okay with that. WHAT I’M DREADING Thankfully I’m not dreading anything. WHAT I’M WATCHING I’ve been watching Attack on Titan with my boy, Masterchef Australia by myself, and Seinfeld with Steve. The three of us watched Deadpool the other night, and now that Steve is recovering at home, we’re eager to have more movie nights together. WHAT I’M LISTENING TO I’m at work and I’m on my lunch break. It’s rest time but I don’t hear a whole lot of resting going on! WHAT I’M WEARING I always forget to take photos of what I’m wearing, but lately, it’s been all about layers to keep warm. WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND Our friends invited us over for dinner and a games night. I love these get-togethers because they are always so much fun. I can’t wait for Saturday night! WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH The July school holidays are almost here! Starting from the 8th of July, we are off for two glorious weeks. That means sleeping in, staying warm, and not having to stick to any schedule! We are going away for a couple of nights to the beautiful coastal city of Gosford. It will be fun to visit galleries, museums, and the farmers market. Steve always works on weekends, and the last time we got to go away was over a year ago. Ha, that’s the upside of him having a knee replacement—we get three months together while he recovers. It’s a nice change from our usual routine of a quick hello and goodbye as we cross paths on our way to and from work. That wraps up some highlights from the month of June! I hope yours was a good one. Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you have a wonderful day.

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A Quiet and Cozy Weekend

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Hi friends! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. Can you believe it’s the end of June already? Woah, how did that happen so fast? It was another quiet and cozy weekend at home for us. We mainly stayed indoors because it was cold and on Saturday it rained so much. I almost thought we might have to build an ark! This kind of weather just makes me want to hibernate. Anyway, it’s great to be back to share a few things about our weekend staying warm and dry indoors. Friday Night Watching the whole series of Masterchef Australia has inspired me to cook! I’m no Masterchef—I’m more of a master eater. Even though I was tired on Friday night, knowing it was the weekend gave me an extra shot of energy! So, I made meatballs with sauce to go with our ravioli. I also made some crème caramel for dessert, which was a big treat since I don’t often make dessert! Saturday I spent a good chunk of Saturday looking at clothes online. With so many end-of-financial-year sales, I couldn’t resist filling up my cart. But then I took a break to cool off my temptation. In the end, I bought a white dress and decided I didn’t really need all the other items. We watched a couple of documentaries on iView in the afternoon, and then my grocery order arrived. I spent the next forty minutes or so putting things away and doing a bit of food prep like slicing the chicken into strips before putting it in the freezer. Not exactly a fun moment, but these little tasks make all the difference on weeknights when dinner needs to happen and energy levels are low. I’m sure future me will thank present me for getting this sorted! In the evening, we watched a whole lot of episodes of Attack on Titan. I have to admit, when Sam first asked me to watch it, I was mostly just happy that he wanted to watch a series with me. I wasn’t overly convinced that I would love animé. Now, after getting into it, I’m really enjoying the show! It has so many twists and turns with some very unexpected moments. It’s more than just a show about huge Titans eating humans—nom nom (haha, I know right!). I think I have discovered a whole new genre I enjoy, thanks Sam! Sunday Sunday was just as low-key as Saturday. With all the rain, I had a pile of laundry to tackle, so I washed it and put it through the dryer. I completely gave up hope of seeing any sun soon and hanging it out to dry. As I went about doing a few chores, Mochi was everywhere I turned. Every time she popped up from out of nowhere, I couldn’t help but hear Sting’s song playing in my head—”Every breath you take…every move you make…I’ll be watching you.” I’ve never felt so much obsession love! Coffee and raisin toast with peanut butter and fig jam for a very late breakfast. It was a winning combo! I caught up on reading some blogs and was inspired by Holly, who I think was inspired by Jennifer, to turn on a screensaver with music. I chose the roaring fireplace so I could pretend to feel warmer. A cup of hot chocolate helped too. Oh no! We need more Swiss Miss-it’s the best! In the afternoon, I watched Disneyland vlogs on YouTube and took some notes. if Disneyland was a subject in school, I would have studied like a champ! Steve was watching football, and for once, his team was winning. He was going bananas cheering, and even though I was wearing headphones, I could still hear him. I’m pretty sure the whole street heard him too! Go the Tigers! Roast chicken (from Woolies) with potatoes, sour cream, veggies, and lots of gravy for dinner—yum! And that was the end of the weekend. I’m on the countdown to the July school holidays—nine days to go! Yay! Thanks so much for being here today and I hope you have a wonderful day! Linking up with Holly and Sarah

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Friday Favourites

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Hello friends and happy Friday! It’s great to be here to share some Friday favourites, thanks so much for stopping by! It’s been so cold! I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll keep saying it until the first day of spring—I’m NOT a fan! Haha. I need to keep reminding myself that at least it’s not as cold as it is in many other parts of the world. Plus, there’s always delicious comfort food to enjoy! I shared on Monday that I made some yummy ramen over the weekend. I made enough for leftovers, so we had some for lunch the next day. Soup in winter is the best and I love it; it’s comforting, filling, and healthy. I added delicious veggies like shredded carrots, wombok cabbage, spring onions, coriander, bean sprouts, and celery. I also included chopped garlic and ginger to boost our immunity and help fight off any nasty colds. So far, so good—none of us have been sick yet (but now that I’ve said that, you know what might happen!). Anyway, fingers crossed we stay healthy this winter. I love the vibrant colours of fresh vegetables and enjoy taking photos of them! I’ve got a bunch of fruit and vegetable photos on my camera roll. I once watched a movie about a couple who got divorced, partly because the wife was always taking photos of vegetables. The husband found it so annoying for some reason. Hahaha! Maybe I need to be careful! Lots of my Friday favourites are food related and this week is no exception. I made a zucchini slice the other day and tweaked the recipe to make it better. I’ve made zucchini slices in the past that have turned out meh. So this time instead of adding the onion and the bacon to the mix raw, I cooked them first. I also added garlic and parmesan cheese and it was a winner! It was exciting to boil eggs exactly how I like them—a bit soft in the middle. I’ve finally learned how to time them just right—you set a timer instead of just hoping for the best, as I always did. That makes sense, right? Some of this week’s favourite dinners include baked barramundi with garlic and lemon juice. Chicken stir fry with noodles and crunchy cashews. Even this girl is feeling the cold and is always looking for someone at home she can curl up with. This notebook contains my brain. I’ve increasingly become Mrs. Forgetful (is it age, being too busy, or wine…who knows!). Anyway, I am now writing down everything I need to remember. Siri helps me too, but I love this notebook because it’s tangible and always there when I need it—if I can remember where I’ve put it. I also use it to write down meals that have turned out well. I don’t follow recipes and sometimes get creative, adding this or that. Or I may change things, like I did with the zucchini slice. But then, the next time I make the same dish, I often forget what I did to improve it. This way, I have a record of my successful tweaks and can recreate those dishes. Yay! Aha! We got good news when Steve saw the knee surgeon on Wednesday. Last week, we were both a bit down after the appointment because the surgeon was still unhappy with how the knee was healing and wanted us to come in again this week. He even said scary things like, “If it doesn’t heal, then we’ll have to go in surgically and wash out any infection.” Yikes! Turns out there wasn’t any infection in the actual wound, which was a huge relief. The surgeon took the time to explain (properly this time; last time he rushed us out the door) that Steve had a severe allergic reaction to the glue they used, causing the skin on his knee to burn. So, it looked like an ulcer, but it wasn’t. I’ve found that sometimes doctors may overlook the importance of thoroughly explaining things to patients. Anyway, we are very happy that things are okay and on track! After the doctor’s appointment, I dropped Steve off at home and went to get some more pain meds from the pharmacy. I got a bit sidetracked when one of my favourite clothes shops was calling me! I went in, tried on a couple of things, and couldn’t resist buying yet another sleeveless black top. It met my rule: I won’t buy it unless I love it. Maybe I should add another rule: avoid stepping into clothing stores altogether! But nah, I love clothes too much, and I try to avoid impulse buys. Look at how well this plant is growing! It used to live in the bathroom and looked sad and small. So, I relocated it to the sunny kitchen window, and now it’s flourishing. Happy, flourishing plants are a big favourite for this reformed plant assassin. That wraps up some favourites! I’m going to thaw out my right hand, which feels frozen from typing, and then get moving to cook dinner. It’s so cold!! I hope you all have a great weekend, and if you’re enjoying the sun in the northern hemisphere, please catch some rays for me! Everyone else, stay warm!! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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Highlights From The Weekend

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Hi friends! It’s time to link up with Holly and Sarah to share some highlights from the weekend. I hope you all had a good one! Friday Night Friday nights are usually low-key for me, but last Friday was different. Sam and I got an unexpected invite to join some boys and their mums from his school for dinner at The Intersection Tavern. The boys finished school at the end of 2022, and Sam became close with about three of them during high school. There are around ten boys in their friendship circle. That night, I discovered these ladies are a tight-knit group who have been friends since their kids were in kindy. Sam didn’t start at the school until high school, so we were new to their circle. I think we got invited because I met the mum who organises these dinners at the airport when Sam went to Japan with her son back in May. It was great to get to know the mums. We chatted over a delicious dinner and reminisced about how quickly time had flown. It felt crazy to think back to when the boys (or men, as I should really say) were little and now they’re all grown up. We even got treat bags, which I thought was a really lovely touch! Saturday Saturday night was my aunt’s birthday celebration. Our family and some friends went to Canterbury Leagues Club for dinner. When we walked into the foyer, I was amazed at how large it was! It was all fancy with the plants and chandeliers. I joked that it was like a mini Las Vegas. I haven’t been to Vegas yet, but I know this club, though huge by our standards, would be tiny compared to the ones in Vegas and other countries. For dinner, Steve ordered the fish and chips, Sam had the beef brisket and I chose the penne bolognese. Afterwards, we went back to my aunt’s house for cake, dessert and drinks. It was a fun Saturday night celebrating my aunt, and I love any reason to get together with my family! Going out on Friday and Saturday nights was a bonus, so when Sunday rolled around, it felt like I had enjoyed an extra-long weekend if you know what I mean. Sunday I spent a couple of hours decluttering the converted garage. It had been bothering me for ages because it was getting messy and cluttered again. Aaarrrgh!! How does this happen so fast!! I do my blogging there, and I wanted to reclaim the space and make it inspiring again. Mess makes me nuts! Four garbage bags later, I felt more zen. It’s so chilly now, and I’m not loving it! What better way to combat the cold than with some delicious chicken and vegetable ramen for dinner? I had never made ramen before and was happy with how it turned out. The delicious broth with chicken, crunchy bean sprouts, spring onions and coriander was so good! And that was my weekend! I love those weekends when I get to go somewhere fun and also accomplish something productive. It’s such a great balance that leaves me feeling better about the new week ahead. I’m excited because it’s week eight, and that means I’m counting down until we break up for the winter holidays on the 8th of July. Yay!! Getting up at 6 am in the cold is tough, but enough of me whinging about the cold, hehe. Thanks so much for stopping by today, and I hope you have a great day!

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Friday Favourites

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Hi friends, it’s time to share some favourites! I hope you all had an amazing week and are as excited as I am to welcome the weekend! I love this link-up because whenever it’s been ‘one of those weeks’ and I’m struggling to find some joy. It reminds me to focus on the little things that bring happiness. When you put all these little things together you end up with some pretty cool Friday favourites. Having the day off from work on Monday was a big favourite because who doesn’t love a long weekend? I knocked off a couple of things from my to-do list so that felt great! On Tuesday, we were back at work. I snapped a photo of this pile of leaves in the playground. You know what’s funny, and at the same time, not so funny? We don’t have many deciduous trees around here during winter—all those evergreens—but of course, our preschool playground has this one deciduous tree. Its leaves are stunning this time of year, but they seem to rain down endlessly for weeks. And guess who ended up on playground setup duty this week? Yep, me and I spent the morning raking, only to see it covered again by the time we headed out for afternoon play. Just another day in the life at the preschool during winter! My sunny always smiling positive colleague (I love sunny smiley positive people!). She brought some healthy snacks to work and shared some with me. Oh my goodness they were so delicious! Crunchy, salty and a teeny bit sweet – all of my favourite flavours rolled up in each cluster of crispiness! I’m going to add them to my shopping order for sure. I remember feeling a bit melancholy when Sam finished school a year and a half ago—I realised I wouldn’t be packing his school lunches anymore (boy that’s gone fast!). Looking back, maybe it wasn’t so much about missing the chore but about seeing him grow up so quickly! Haha! Anyway, I still like to pack his lunches when he goes to work at his casual job a few times a week. And yes I still get boomerang fruit! This banana made a couple of round trips inside Sam’s lunchbox. In the end, I took it to work with me where it reached its final destination. We went to our appointment at Australia Post to lodge our paperwork for our new passports on Thursday afternoon. There’s a significant increase coming on July 1st, from $346 to $398! Fun fact: this means Australian passports will soon be the second most expensive in the world, behind only Liechtenstein, where they cost $444. So I was happy to get this sorted before the price hike kicks in! Steve lodged his paperwork with no problem at all. But I had to get my photo retaken because I had a slight smile and my fringe was touching my eyebrow—guaranteed rejection by the passport office. I thought the original one was unflattering enough, but no. The one I had taken on Thursday—well, that will make a fantastic poster for Halloween or Australia’s Most Wanted. The lady who took my photo was so sweet. She kept saying, “Think happy thoughts” as she snapped the picture. It was hard to think happy thoughts when I couldn’t hide behind my fringe, couldn’t smile, and had a camera pointed right at me. I kept telling myself, “Think about Disneyland!” But no happy thoughts really came to me. All this is perfectly captured in that one photo I will have in my passport for the next ten years… excellent. One little thing that made me happy this week was these tissue boxes. The new pictures on the boxes are fun and look much nicer than the previous washed-out designs they used to have. After the passport photo incident on Thursday, I picked up some supplies to make me feel better—facial wax strips and a sheet mask. Those photos showed no mercy! The temps have dropped, and it’s freezing! It’s only day 14 of winter, but I think that’s enough now—I want it to stop. At least there’s always comfort food—Greek-style chicken with rice and veggies for dinner made us feel warm and cozy. I found some leftover pizza in the fridge at preschool and had a couple of slices. Finding anything other than playdough in the fridge is always a big win! The kids made it as a cooking experience, and I’m hoping the oven killed all the extra unwanted toppings they may have added—if you know what I mean. And now it’s Friday afternoon, and I couldn’t be happier! As we were walking out of the preschool after a very long week. My colleagues and I were laughing about a random conversation involving Chinese lucky numbers and which one of us had the luckiest number. It was one of those moments that made me happy and grateful to work where I do. A good laugh was the perfect way to end the week because working with little ones is a tough gig. So having fun with colleagues whom I am lucky enough to call friends is gold! I hope you have a fun weekend sprinkled with just the right amount of rest and relaxation and I look forward to being back here on Monday. See ya! Linking up with Andrea and Erika

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Hello Monday

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Hello friends and hello Monday! We had a three-day weekend and it has just flown by! All we did was cozy up at home, kept warm and watched movies. I think the only pic I took the whole weekend was a photo of my grocery delivery. Haha! I guess we’ve had an eventful past couple of weeks with Steve’s surgery, so an uneventful weekend was a welcome change. He’s doing ok and when we saw the surgeon last Thursday, he was happy with how his knee was going. However, his wound wasn’t healing up as well as it should. So the doctor prescribed antibiotics because it looked infected. Wound infections scare me and I’m hoping it clears up fast. We’re going to the GP tomorrow so he can clean it up and redress it. Fingers crossed it will all be looking good when we see the surgeon again this Thursday. I’m taking another day off from work this Thursday to take Steve to his appointment. Last week, the process took up the entire day! After getting ready, dropping him off at the hospital entrance, and finding parking quite a distance away, we then waited an hour and a half before the doctor saw Steve (as usual, specialists never seem to run on time). The day was over before we knew it and I was so glad I took the whole day off because we sure needed it. I’ve often felt guilty about taking time off from work in the past. And I’ve stressed myself out by rushing to work either before or after appointments. But I have so many sick days that I have accumulated over all the years I have worked. So I’m cutting myself some slack and using up a carers’ day. I hardly ever take time off, only when it’s really necessary. Over the weekend Steve and I watched quite a few episodes of Seinfeld, they say laughter is good medicine. And we need plenty of good medicine! We also caught up on The Amazing Race and watched a fantastic movie called ‘Coach Carter’. It’s an oldie but we had never seen it before and we both loved it! I don’t play sports but I love inspiring true stories about sport. My biggest achievement this weekend was finally applying for our passports. I kept putting it off because filling out online forms, paper forms or any type of forms is my least favourite thing to do. Today, we went to Officeworks and got our passport photos taken, and later this week, we have an appointment at the post office to submit all our paperwork. As usual, I have to gather a bunch of proof of identification because I wasn’t born in Australia; I came over when I was eight months old. I’ll be glad when it’s all done, and we have our passports in our hands! Paperwork and me, we are not friends. Tonight, I prepared an extra dish for tomorrow night’s dinner because I have a staff meeting after work, followed by a quick trip to the chemist as Steve has run out of pain meds. Then it’s off to the GP to get his wound looked at. Whew, I’m glad I had an extra day to get organised because tomorrow sounds like it’s going to be a doozy! Wish me luck!! Linking up with Holly and Sarah

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Easy Meals to Make For Others

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Hi everyone! It’s time to link up with Adrienne, Dara, Jen, Joanne and Sarah for the June edition of ‘Share Our Lives’. Today we are sharing some easy meals to make for others. I love food — talking about food, dreaming about food and of course, eating all the food! So sharing some easy meal ideas we can whip up for me I mean others, is going to be fun and helpful. I’ve made a list of meals I love to make for friends and family. But they’re not just for gatherings. Many of these dishes are perfect to take to someone who is feeling under the weather, celebrating a new addition to the family or is going through a rough patch and could use a little pick me up. After all, food isn’t just about fueling our bodies; it’s about nourishing the soul too! Easy Meals to Make For Others Meals For a Crowd Our family gets together for what we affectionately call ‘Cousin Connect’ dinner on the first Saturday of every month. We take turns hosting, and the host is responsible for preparing the mains. So, when it’s my turn, I go for dishes that are firstly, very easy to make, can be made ahead of time, hearty and satisfying as well as crowd-pleasing! With 13 of us in total, we sure know how to eat like a crowd! For starters, one of my go-to dishes is lasagna. Yum, you can’t go wrong with a big tray of lasagna—layers of lasagna noodles and a rich tomato-based sauce, creamy ricotta, and lots of melty, cheesy goodness! It’s such a timeless classic and best of all, you can make it ahead of time. I also love that I can customise it. Lasagna doesn’t always have to be made with beef! You can make it with chicken or turkey mince or make a vegetarian version loaded with lots of roasted vegetables. Another easy meal I like to make for our family get-togethers is a big bowl of pasta. Fall-apart roasted pork leg is a meal that goes a long way. You can enjoy it with a variety of sides, such as roasted vegetables, creamy mashed potatoes, or rice. And if you happen to have leftovers, you can use the tender pork to fill bread rolls and top them with tangy coleslaw. It’s a great versatile meal to make for others! Mediterranean chicken is also a big winner and incredibly easy to make. Greek-style chicken, featuring chicken thigh cutlets marinated in Greek yogurt, garlic, oregano, lemon, and salt and pepper. So good! For sides, a big colourful healthy salad is always a hit with everyone! A few of my crowd-pleasing meals seem to be either Italian or Greek-inspired! Maybe because these cultures are champions at hosting big fun family gatherings. Sweets Brownies are always popular and a perfect addition to any list of easy meals to make for others. They are rich, fudgy and chocolatey and in my opinion, they are so much more delicious than chocolate cake! Brownies are a great dessert option or you can make a batch to give as a gift. I use this packet mix and jazz up the brownies by adding extra chocolate chips or walnuts for extra crunch. Peanut Butter M&M cookies are perfect for sharing over a cup of coffee or tea with a friend. Italian trifles are also great for any occasion and make a tempting dessert to take to a dinner party, potluck, or any gathering. Hearty Meals Hearty meals such as beef stew, chicken casseroles, stroganoff, butter chicken, and chilli con carne are not only easy to make and delicious but also perfect for sharing. They reheat well, making them convenient for anyone who could use a helping hand. Plus, they’re so tasty, that they’re bound to brighten up anyone’s day! Soup Chicken soup for the sick, pumpkin soup for the soul and minestrone for the hungry! Fun Meals Whenever I think of a fun Friday night meal, I immediately think – pizza! I love using pita bread because it’s a delicious and easy base for everyone’s favourite toppings. Burgers are also fun as well as filling! The Big Breakfast Weekends are perfect for big family breakfasts. I don’t eat breakfast during the working week because I’m never hungry before 10 am. After 10, I want to eat everything! So, some weekends, I’ll make a big breakfast for the family that includes scrambled eggs, bacon, chipolatas, tomato, mushrooms, and hash browns. Pancakes with maple syrup are also a favourite! My crunchy granola is a big hit with my family and makes a great food gift. You can put it in a nice jar and add a ribbon for a fun, thoughtful touch! These are some meals that I love to make for others and, of course, enjoy myself! I hope you found this roundup of easy meals to make for others helpful. Happy cooking, and even happier eating!

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Friday Favourites

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Hi friends and welcome to Friday favourites! I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika to share a few favourites, thanks so much for being here! Last Friday, I returned to the salon where I got my keratin treatment earlier in the year. This time, I went for a haircut and I’m so happy to have found a hairdresser who makes me feel comfortable and doesn’t cut my fringe too short! I have a short fringe phobia from way back when my mum would keep cutting until she got it straight. Oh man, I’ve got some pics I could show you—I’ll have to dig them out sometime! Haha!! I didn’t get anything too different from my usual style, except now I have a bit more fringe and I’ve had the layers cut off at the back. I’ve gone back to the 90s when I wore a long bob. I forgot to take a photo when I left the salon, and I don’t want to take one at the minute—it’s been a day and I don’t want to scare you! I love getting pampered at the salon. They serve coffee and snacks, and they give the best head massages when they shampoo my hair. It feels amazing! Before the rain came on Wednesday, we had beautiful sunsets like this one. Last week I was all over the place with my usual cleaning routine. So finally seeing the bottom of the laundry basket was a huge favourite! This was one of three piles I folded! Wednesday night was the State of Origin rugby league match. I don’t care much for rugby league, but Steve loves it! So while he watched and yelled at the TV, I worked on my travel journal. I’m writing down all our exciting plans for our big trip in January, including attractions, must-see landmarks, and a packing list. I’ve been getting lots of comfortable travel outfit ideas on Pinterest and researching places we want to eat, like Wendy’s, IHOP, Chick-fil-A, and Jack in the Box. Haha! I know that might sound a bit strange, but we don’t have these fast food chains here. So I’m super curious to try them after hearing so much about them. I know our trip is still six months away (30 weeks, 3 days, 11 hours, 53 minutes, and 11 seconds to be exact), but the more I plan, the more excited I get. Planning is half the fun, right? Speaking of our trip, the suitcases I ordered from Myer arrived. We have no luggage because we haven’t gone overseas as a family in forever! We did go to New Zealand for a week in 2008 for a wedding, but we only took small duffle bags, and Sam borrowed my cousin’s suitcase for his recent trip to Japan. So it was time to invest in proper luggage, and I got three large Samsonite hardshell suitcases. They sure weren’t cheap, but luckily, I got them at 40% off. Now onto some food favourites for the week! Wednesday night (State of Origin night) we had corn crackers with salami and hummus. I popped some creamy camembert topped with fig jam, and walnuts in the oven to warm up and it was extra gooey and delicious. Then we had good old meat pies, mashed potato and peas for dinner. It was such a treat because I hardly ever buy frozen foods. It’s soup weather! So I made a big pot of minestrone and took some to work for lunch and made my coworkers jealous. Hehe. I nabbed the last piece of leftover lasagna before it was all gone! Last night we had oven-baked barramundi with wedges, coleslaw and tartare sauce. The jar of tartare sauce was nearly empty so I made my own. It was so easy and I don’t know why I never thought of making it before. It’s just mayonnaise, chopped pickles, lemon juice and dill. I was happy with how the potato wedges turned out. I coated the potatoes in olive oil then seasoned them with salt and pepper and sprinkled some paprika and flour to give them a crispy coating. Steve being off from work means we get to eat dinner together every night! It’s such a novelty! Luke popped over the other night and it was the four of us again like old times. We had chicken thigh cutlets with rice and salad. That wraps up some of this week’s favourites. We’re excited for the upcoming three-day weekend, due to Monday being the King’s birthday public holiday. Long weekends are truly my favourite! I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to being back on Monday.

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Currently in June

9 Comments / Family Life, Home

Hi friends and happy Wednesday! I’m linking up with Jennifer from Overflowing With Thankfulness for the June edition of Currently. We are looking at what we are currently loving, looking forward to, enjoying, seeing, and lounging around in. Thanks so much for stopping by! LOVING We got new letterboxes in our villa complex a couple of weeks ago, and I’m loving it! Letterboxes may not sound exciting, but for me, they sure are. The original letterboxes were lower to the ground (now hidden behind the silver number sign) and had become a home for snails. I was usually the one to grab the mail when I got home from work in the afternoon, and it was so gross! Ugh, I feel sick just thinking about it. The slimy snails would leave a trail everywhere, and on top of that, they also ate our letters. Since the mail was delivered in the morning, by the afternoon, bits of the letters had been eaten away. Now, our fancy new letterboxes not only look better, but they are also higher up and seem to be snail-proof. Checking the mail is no longer a horror story for me! Yay! LOOKING FORWARD TO I’m looking forward to this weekend because it’s a long weekend to celebrate the King’s Birthday. Happy birthday, King Charles! We don’t have any specific plans, but it will be nice to have a three-day weekend! ENJOYING I’ve been enjoying all the hot drinks after a long day at work! Some nights, I’ll have my usual Tetley extra-strong tea, while other nights, I’ll go for herbal tea from T2. SEEING Weird cloud formations in the sky! Yesterday afternoon, this cloud hung around for about three hours and you could see it all over Sydney. The kids were still talking about it today at preschool, and our classroom was in hysterics trying to pronounce the Latin name for this type of cloud – Altocumulus volutus. LOUNGING AROUND IN It’s cold over here so now I am lounging around in all things fleece! Fleecy tracksuit pants, hoodies and woolly Ugg slippers. And that’s a wrap! I can hardly believe it’s already June. Wow, we’re halfway through the year, and if time keeps flying by at this pace, Christmas will be here before we know it! I hope you have an amazing day and I’ll be back on Friday to share some favourites. See ya!

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