Pandan coconut crepes, iphone games and a Holiday Greeting

I've recently got an iphone and got very addicted to these three games

- smurfs village

- bakery story

- restaurant story

Haha, i'm sure you guys have all heard of at least the last game, but these games are sooo addictive (much more addictive then papertoss, fruit ninja, and angry birds, IMO).

Restaurant story

mac & cheese, omlettes, french toast, garden salad, bacon & eggs

Bakery Story

choc chip cookies, tea, coffee, brownies, macarons, chocolate cake, carrot cake, cinnamon rolls

i love playing smurfs!

You:

- build mushroom houses (the more you build the more smurfs you get to work for you)

- plant crops of fruit and vegetables

- complete requests from Papa smurf

- play games for money and XP

There's alot more but its such a rewarding game i reckon, so cute as well.

I've been practising making crepes lately, i find it really therapeutic the repetitiveness of it all, and they are delicious with almost anything (spreads and jams) but on this occasion ive made a pandan custard. To save time i bought these from Cabramatta for $2 a pop!

all you need to do is add boiling water & stir.

I've used a recipe from taste.com.au, repalced the milk with coconut milk, and the plain flour with wholewheat flour.

Ingredients

1 cup plain flour (or wholewheat flour)

2 cups milk (or coconut milk)

3 eggs

olive oil cooking spray

Method

Sift flour into a bowl. Whisk milk and eggs together in a jug. Add milk mixture to flour. Whisk until well combined.

Spray a medium, non-stick frying pan with oil. Heat over medium heat.

Pour 2 1/2 tablespoons batter into pan. Swirl to cover base. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until light golden. Turn over and cook for 1 minute.

Transfer to a plate. Cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

Assemble

spoon custard into a long line, sprinkle with dessicated coconut, roll up like you would a spring roll. Serve!

Lastly, i would like to wish every one of my readers a very Merry Christmas, and a fantastic New year! I hope you all get lots of pressies, eat lots of yummy food, and a great holiday break (if you do get one).

I return to work on the 3rd January :( But i have a few things planned for my one and a bit break

-tennis

-baking

-cooking

-brunching, lunching and dinnering

- yoga

- gym

- coastal walk

- ice skating

- family get togethers

Can't wait! Cya everyone :D

Jonahs Restaurant - A special Lunch treat for Bigbear

Hi Everyone just a photo post today of a lovely lunch i had with BigBear a few months ago to celebrate his birthday! It's not very often that we go out for a fancy meal which means that whenever we do (special occasions) we both feel very spoilt!

Lunch was amazing! Because we came from Ettalong on the ferry, they offered pick up at the wharf and drop off after lunch as well, that was sweet - on the ride up i realised if we had tried to walk i wouldnt of made it up the very steep hill in my high heels :s It felt like we were going up and up and up a never ending steep winding road. But wow the view from our table was breathtaking (we didnt get a window seat but the view was just as nice)

Scallops with a Spanish onion and red wine compote, compressed grilled pineapple

with cardamom and pistachio vinaigrette $30

Half dozen Sydney rock served with lemon and raspberry vinegar mignonette $28

Hand cut sebago chips with rosemary and thyme salt. $12

Black-Angus Beef Scotch fillet, Rangers Valley

Polenta cake, broad beans and red wine jus $48

Kingfish and Crystal Bay prawns, S.A and Queensland

In a ginger and kaffir lime vegetable nage with baby spring vegetables. $48

Pre-dessert

passionfruit pannacotta

All about chocolate $16

Apple tart "like a Tatin" with Granny Smith and Calvados sorbet $18

Petite fours

My favourites were the scallops, the chocolate dessert, and the hand cut chips! Altogether the bill was high, and close by there was a table of 8 people so we were wondering how much their bill was ... four figured for sure !

After lunch we were invited out to the patio where there were blankets for us to sit and enjoy the view (it was a windy day so i took up the blanket offer) and then we were driven down back to the wharf to catch our ferry back to Ettalong.

Lunch was so nice, and i hope you enjoyed it Hun!

3 months *correction* YEARS! Blogiversary

How could i almost miss out on my Bettysbites blogiversary...!

It's been THREE years since my first ever post and although i don't update as much as i used to (or even want to) i still love doing it - just lately life has been getting the better of me - the days are getting shorter and time is not as available as it once used to be.

My spare time is juggled between family, staying fit & healthy (includes gym time, sports comps, planning meals), Bigbear, friends, and sometimes when i feel like it is all too much for me, i try to remember to be thankful for the life that i have, and the people that are a part of it.

My blog always cheers me up though, and also browsing food blogs has become part of my daily rituals, food makes me happy and to see it make other people happy makes me happy too :D

A big thank you to my readers i dont know exactly how many there are of you but i do truly appreciate the time you spend reading my foodblog!

I'll leave you with some pictures of the things i've been up to lately - nothing too exciting but i couldnt sign off my post with zero pictures..!

bringing out my inner kid - making waterballoons on a hot day

baking (with Natalie!) for friends birthdays: red velvet and cream cheese babycakes

check out her awesome fashion blog lucyandtherunaways i am a dedicated reader :):)

more baking for friends: cheese cake brownies

helping my cousin bake a 4 color layered cake for her best friends birthday

a simple yet beautiful quinoa salad

I quickly whipped this up this morning, with ingredients that were already in the fridge and pantry. I'm lucky in a sense that my parents very much always have fresh produce in the fridge so we are never without healthy ingredients. The cherry tomatoes are from our garden, which are ever so sweet once you try them you won't want to buy it from the supermarket again!

Quinoa is my preferred carb intake at the moment, and has been for the past few months. It's healthy, good for you, very filling with a low GI number, and its SO easy to make. Its similar to cous cous, but i dont think it is a grain, it is a superfood seed, gluten free and is busting with nutrients.

How to cook quinoa:

- measure out a 1:2 quinoa: water ratio (e.g 1 cup quinoa with 2 cupcs water)

- bring to the boil in a saucepan over high heat until boiling

- simmerfor 10-15 minutes (or until water has evaporated)

- be careful not to let it scorch on the bottom, keep a watch on it after 7 minutes as you want to take it off the heat as soon as there's no more liquid

- let it cool in the saucepan until completely cool.

- then, dress with veggies, protein (chicken/fish), and make a delicious dressing like the one i have given below :)

2 tbs rice vinegar

1 tbs soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

dash of sesame oil

mix together until sugar has dissolved.

Its a very easy but delicious dressing for any quinoa salad no matter what you put in it. I always add a can of lentils to my quinoa salads (or chickpeas), and i chuck in every possible vegetable that i have to make it super filling.

I hope you give this recipe a go, or even better- give QUINOA a go! Its so delicious and you know its so good for you.