A Greene Christmas

Ho Ho Ho! Tis that time of the year again. Forget the diets; let's eat, drink and be merry!
The Greenies are staying home this Christmas and won't be home alone. Looking forward to all our traditional Christmas cheer, complete with  the Christmas eve  fondue fork fight, bon bon pulling, 'The Night before Christmas'  reading under the tree and nasty Santa. A very relaxed atmosphere is on offer for the big day with a buffet lunch. As it is our hot season, a lot of time will be spent in our togs; drinking and splashing around in the spa.

Naughty or Nice?

In memory of Christmas past,
in celebration of Christmas present
and in high hopes for Christmas future.
Happy Christmas to all & to all a good night!

In the world kitchen! Very Merry Christmas Cheese Cake!

                                              

                                             Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
                                                         Fa la la la la, la la la la.
                                                       Tis' the season to be jolly,
                                                         Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Very Merry Christmas Cheese Cake!   (aka: Bloody ripper of a cake)

Ingredients:

• 500g cream cheese, softened
• 250g ricotta
• 1⅓ cups (295g) caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lime rind
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 180g white chocolate, melted
• 250g frozen mixed berries

   Biscuit base

• 650g store-bought shortbread biscuits
• 1 cup (120g) almond meal (ground almonds)
• 180g unsalted butter, melted

Method:

To make the biscuit base, place the biscuits and almond meal in a food processor and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the butter and process to combine. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture into the base and sides of a lightly greased 24cm x 34cm rectangular tin lined with non-stick baking paper, ensuring the paper extends 3cm up the sides of the tin. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm. Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F). Place the cream cheese, ricotta, sugar, lime rind and juice, vanilla and eggs in a food processor and process until smooth. Place the cornflour and water in a bowl and mix until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl, add the cornflour mixture and the chocolate and process to combine. Pour the mixture over the biscuit base and sprinkle with berries. Bake for 55 minutes – 60 minutes or until set. Allow to cool at room temperature for 1 hour before refrigerating for 3–4 hours or until firm. Using the extended baking paper to help you, lift the cheesecake from the tin and transfer it to a serving dish to serve. Serves 12. 

Tip: The cheesecake can be made one day ahead and kept in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.

Guest blogger! Moody shoes!

A big part of traveling is the treasured pics. Wonderful mementos to ponder for years to come! We have discovered that people not only snap the scenery but tend to follow some quirky themes in their photography. Ghost signs, bicycles, landmarks, funny signs, broom sticks and door knobs just to name a few.

Our dear travel mate Liza Zdravkovic is a superb photographer. Her unique snaps feature in exhibitions around Birmingham. Here are a few of her favourites from her 'Moody Shoes' collection.


                                


                               


                                

                                

                                





You can follow Lisa on tumblr or twitter.

Travel Tip 25!

A nice little memento whilst travelling is to send yourself postcards to read on your return home. Writing how you feel along the way can bring great joy when you are back to the nitty gritty of routine life!

Thanks to the lovely Lisa Zdravkovic for this fabulous idea.

Our backyard! Whitfield ranges!

We are lucky enough to live just up the road from some beautiful walking tracks. The Red, Blue and Green arrow trails wind through the Mt Whitfield Conservation Park; which is located centrally behind the Cairns Botanic Gardens. Mt Whitfield Conservation Park is a 300 ha forested mountain range covered in rain forest, eucalyptus and grasslands.  There are stunning views along the trails and if you are observant, you can see local marsupials such as red-legged pademelons and echidnas.

The Red Arrow Circuit is 1.3 km and takes less than an 1 hour return. It is forested, has some steep sections with two open viewing areas overlooking the city and north towards the airport.

The Blue Arrow Circuit is 5.4 km and takes 4 hours return. It is a rugged bush track with steep climbs. 

The Green Arrow is another steep 3 km track which starts towards the top of the Blue Arrow loop and branches off toward Brinsmead ending in Whitfield.

Inspiration to train for our next challenge!