On travel with children: they joys and challenges...

 Georgie having lunch at Cullen

I make no bones about it - having children (or in our case, a child) is the best thing that ever happened to Mr K and I. It's also the hardest thing we have ever done.

I know it's a very tiny first world problem, but the one thing I have struggled with over the last few months has been lack of - or broken - sleep. We have had a bit of a rough trot on the sleep front - what with 5 teeth (including 4 molars) coming though since mid-December (one more still to come) and three colds.

 Tiny footprints: Early morning walks at at Smiths Beach

Our trip to Western Australia was fabulous, but no picnic. Poor Georgie never settled into the time zone shift which meant for some very very early (3am) mornings for Mama and Papa. Despite that, we had a wonderful time and Georgie was on her best behaviour for much of the trip. We visited some fabulous wineries: Stella Bella, Cape Mentelle, Cullen and the always Fabulous Moss Wood (hello Erika!). All worth visiting if you are in the Margaret River vicinity, especially Moss Wood.

For us, it was the first time on holidays we really had to balance the needs of a toddler and our own desires. Our pre-baby wine region visits used to consist of 8-10 wineries a day, involved and complicated discussions with winemakers about crop yields, irrigation, vintages, oak and tannins, a quick stop for lunch and long, complex dinners.

Our trip post-baby allowed us to visit approximately two wineries per day (taking turns to alternate the baby wrangling) with a lunch in-between and a long stop at a park, duck pond or other such baby friendly activity. In some respects much more relaxing, but requires a lot more planning.

We are off to Hawaii in May. I am hoping for another, slightly more relaxing trip and that Georgie will slip a little better into the time zone. And perhaps she'll like the beaches a little better there.

Kitty 

Miss Kitty Bakes: the cheat's peach pie

A few weeks ago, I made the incredible investment of baking a peach pie from scratch. I made the pastry, let it rest, made the filling, popped it all together and into the oven. I whipped it out approximately 5 minutes after we were due to be at my friend's house. Complete palaver. The whole thing took an absolute age to make. But the tart? A revelation! Delicious and sweet and full of summery flavours. I resolved to make it again. Someday. When I had oodles of time to spare (ok, who am I kidding? I am a stay at home mum! There's no TIME!!).

So when a friend came over for afternoon tea this week, I decided to make the cheats version. The version that has just 6 ingredients. The whole recipe was adapted from a Donna Hay tart (current issue) and I promise, you won't be disappointed. And it's a great way to use the last of those gorgeous summer peaches.

Miss Kitty's Cheat's peach pie

1 sheet good quality bought shortcrust pastry (Careme if you have got it, otherwise an all butter, like Pampas is fine)
3-4 ripe peaches (about 400g)
40g caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla paste
2 tablespoons almond meal (or breadcrumbs if you don't have it)
Egg white

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Cut the sheet of pastry into a 30 x 30xm square (or, if you are using pre-cut, simply defrost one sheet). Slice the peaches and place into a bowl. Sprinkle with 30g of sugar and the vanilla paste. Toss to combine. Allow the fruit to macerate for about 5 minutes.

Place the pastry on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle the almond meal onto the pastry, leaving a 5cm border of pastry then top with the sliced fruit. Fold the pastry edges over the fruit, forming a rustic pie. Brush the exposed pastry with egg white and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.

Bake in the oven for 40 minutes and serve warm with double cream. Or ice cream. Or whatever you like!

Do you have a favourite cheat's recipe?

Kitty x

Miss Kitty Bakes: Chocolate Banana Bread

There is nothing I love more than a good slice of Banana Bread. Simple, home made, delicious. It's hard to improve upon perfection but last week I stumbled across a recipe that I think is better than Banana Bread.

Chocolate Banana Bread.

Oh my heavens. So good. Worth the effort (and there isn't much really), the chocolate elevates the ordinary loaf to something truly amazingly wonderful. It's an adult treat, that's for certain. Give it a go, you won't be disappointed.

Chocolate Banana Bread (lovingly reproduced from Donna Hay Magazine, Issue 67)

125g unsalted butter, softened
1 cup (175g) brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1 1/2 cups mashed banana
1/4 cup golden syrup
100g dark chocolate, melted
Dutch cocoa for fusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 160 degrees. Place the butter and sugar in an electric mixer and beat for 10 minutes or until pale and creamy. Gradually add the eggs and beat well. Fold through the flour, baking powder, bicarb and mixed spice and stir well to combine. Stir in the banana and golden syrup.

Place half the mix into a separate bowl, add the melted chocolate and mix well to combine. Place alternating spoonfuls of each mixture into a 7.5 x 32.5 x 8cm lightly greased loaf tin lined with baking paper and swirl with a butter knife. Bake for 60-70 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to cool completely in the tin. Dust with cocoa and slice to serve.

A cape is just a fancy cardigan.

I think Matches is now officially my new favourite online retailer.

On Sunday morning I noticed a new round of items had been added to the sale, or reduced further. Including this gorgeous Alexander McQueen cape. Now, as far as I am concerned, a "cape" is just a fancy cardigan, right? And at 70% off (with free shipping) it was just too good a deal to pass up. I tossed up whether I should buy the green or the aubergine, but the purple seemed just a litle to brown for my liking. I like my purples vivid and bright.

This little baby is now winging itself to me. I can't wait to wear it.

Hurry hurry hurry...

Kitty

Miss Kitty Cooks: Skinny pannacotta.

Sometimes our new years resolutions get the better of us and we tuck into that dessert. Admit it, it happened to all of us, whether we like it or not and I for one, usually feel quite guilty afterwards.Especially when new years eve is so soon a memory.

This year I am trying to be just a little bit healthier, so sugar, fat laden cakes and sweets won't be featuring in my daily menu plan, but some days I really just feel like something sweet to finish dinner. Other than fruit. Or Toblerone.

Enter the Skinny Pannacotta. Deceptively deceiving. It's creamy and sweet, yet light and I might even venture to say, good for you.

"But it's a PANNACOTTA!" I hear you all shout! "That means cooked cream!"

It sure does, but with a couple of modifications you can make yourself a dessert that is satisfying, delicious and under 100 calories per portion. And will also allow you to keep those new years resolutions intact for just a little longer.

Miss Kitty's Vanilla Yoghurt Pannacotta
(adapted from Bill's Food)

185 ml skim milk
50 g caster sugar
½ vanilla bean, split lengthways or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1½ leaves gelatine
250 g skim milk or non fat greek style yoghurt (I used Chobani in this recipe)

Place the milk and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat. Using the point of a knife, scrape the vanilla bean seeds into the saucepan before adding the entire bean, or just add the vanilla paste straight into the milk.

Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then just bring to the boil before removing from the heat.

Soak the gelatine in cold water until soft. Squeeze out the excess water and drop the gelatine into the hot milk mixture and whisk until dissolved.

Add the yoghurt and whisk until smooth. If you are using a vanilla bean, strain the mixture through a fine sieve and discard the vanilla bean.

Divide between four 125 ml (1/2 cup) ramekins, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours, or until just set.

To serve, place spoonfuls of fruit coulis (not included in the calorie count) or chopped fruit on top of each pannacotta and serve immediately.

Viva la sale!!

Now that Project Nada is no more, Miss Kitty has been going on a bit of a sale spree.Tis the season and all. Support retail blah, blah...

We started last week with a gorgeous Camilla kaftan. Channeling Talitha Getty during her Morocco years, Faux Fuchsia and  LovelyJublies, I figure it will be lovely and cool on some of the hots days we will be experiencing this summer. And I'm sure it will be perfectly accessorised, courtesy of Little G's peanut buttery paw prints. Glamtastic. When I showed it to Mr K, he thought it was a tablecloth. Still does. Oh well.

Now, I wasn't going to visit the UK sites much, but when I got an email from Matches enticing me with free international shipping, I thought it would be rude not to browse. After all, they sent me such a lovely note!

Unfortunately (for Mr K) they had exactly what I was looking for.

 

Remember I posted waaaay back in July about this Alexander McQueen scarf? I looked for it when I was in London but never found it. Combed the streets (well, Harrods, Harvey Nicks and Selfridges). I chanced upon the white version at Liberty's but honestly, who has a baby and wears white cashmere scarves? Recipe For Disaster in this house.

Matches had the original green scarf. For half price. Free shipping. SOLD!

 

While I was there, I popped these beauties from Monica Vinader in my basket too. A real steal. Unfortunately I got the last pair. Poor you. But they do have similar ones on the Monica Vinader website. Just not these ones. And not on sale. Yay for me!!

Matches free shipping code is FREEJAN, good until the 14th January. And they have loads of amazing things on their website. Seriously... Worth a forage.

All in all, a good sale haul. Miss Kitty has been a very busy girl indeed!!

Did you find anything great in the sales, lovelies?

Kitty xx

Project Nada

So - Project Nada. I ended up getting so close to my goal... 6 days before Christmas, Little Miss G and I were at Chatswood with my lovely friend Anna and I thought I would pop into Leona. Y'know. Just because. It's pretty in there and all.

Big Mistake - for Project N, that is...

I have been lusting after this dress for ages, but $500 is honestly a bit spenny for a Stay at Home Mumma whose pride and joy is currently two pairs of GAP track pants. On rotation. So when I saw it on sale, my interest was piqued... And then I saw they had my size... Well, I just had to try it on. And while I was ooohing and aaaahing and contemplating whether I would buy it, the person next in the queue for the change rooms said:

"If you don't buy it, I will."

SOLD!!

I have some significant events coming up - my birthday, Mr K's birthday, our 5th wedding anniversary - so I know it will get some wear. It also helps that the dress is called Georgie. Serendipity, I said.

Mr K didn't think so.

Oh well, better luck next time.

Kitty