While waiting to give birth....

I'm still here!  The Cuggle oven is due to ding in 7 days and I've spent the last couple of weeks offline. 

My belly, last week.

While waiting for bub to arrive, I've been sleeping when the Toddler Cuggle sleeps but also have been caught up with other things...

The Cuggle has been in undies for the last 5 days.  She's doing really well, though when visiting the Art Gallery today we discovered that the bathrooms are 2 floors down from the Kids' section.  Apparently my little Cuggle is not the first to wee on the carpet - derr!

Bunnies salvaged from a stained bib, ready to sew on some training undies.

I got the birds up on the wall last week -

Click the link above for the tutorial

Making my Mum-in-Law's Vegetable Lasagne.  I had planned on posting the recipe yesterday so I could play along with Emma's new segment of Easy Peasy Dinner Winners where you can find and share some really good family friendly and easy recipes.  But, I decided to just be pregnant instead and try another time. 

Layered and ready for the oven

Made another easy recipe, Melt and Mix Honey Cake from an old issue of Donna Hay Magazine.  Toddler Cuggle and I enjoyed some for our morning tea picnic in the back yard the other day.  Definitely another recipe which I'll have to share at some stage.  If you fancy making it in the meanwhile, check out the DH Website. 

Melt and Mix Honey Cake, yes the fruit got eaten too!

Finally, I spent hours on the phone to plumbing people on Tuesday because our hot water system broke on Monday night.  Thank goodness for great neighbours who let you bath your toddler at their house, shower yourself and send you home with an 'American Brownie Fudge Cake'.

Now, back to more waiting....
: ) Kim

Easy Dinner

Here's a great recipe that my Mum made often and that I have recently started making for my family.  We always called it Ki Si Mein at home, though I suspect the authentic chinese recipe (if one exists) wouldn't use curry powder!  Despite that, it is really yummy and easy, Toddler and Hubby will both eat it, a sure winner, and it has protein, veg and carbs all in one dish:

NANNY CUGGLE'S KI SI MEIN - SERVES 4

Ingredients

1 large brown onion, chopped roughly
2-3 sticks celery, sliced
1/4 large cabbage, shredded (I know, cabbage - trust me)
500g beef mince
1 tblspn curry powder
1 pkt chicken noodle soup, plus 2 cups water
2 - 3 tblspns rice
1 cup frozen peas

Method

1. Heat some oil in a large pan and cook onion till soft;
2. Add mince and cook til browned;
3. Add curry powder, celery and cabbage and stir well;
4. Add soup mix, rice and water, give it a good stir, then cover and leave on low heat for 20 mins, it should be simmering gently;
5. Throw peas in and stir, leave simmering for another 5 mins or until rice is cooked.

All done. 

*My toddler is a pretty good vege eater but I'm pleased and surprised she will go so far as to eat cabbage in this dish.  Hubby, well, he's a bit of a 'snobby princess and the pea' he will eat lots of things, but they have to be a certain way.  For a while I refused to pander to him but in the end I got jack of seeing him raiding the pantry for something other than what I slaved over.  That's when I sat down with him and wrote a list of all his favourite foods and recipes (he is a very good cook, so I'm compteting with those expectations) and started noting the other dinners I make which he will and won't eat.  Saves money, time and frustration all round.