healthy microwave popcorn recipe

there's nothing quite like the delightful aroma of freshly popped popcorn.

and nothing quite like the satisfaction of being able to make a quick and healthy batch in the comfort of your own home.

all you need is three very simple things - a paper bag, a functioning microwave, and some popcorn kernels of course - oh, and a don't forget to add a good measure of enthusiasm...and being easily excited by little things is a bonus condiment too...

four steps to yummy air popped homemade popcorn :

one /  put about a tablespoon and a half full of popcorn kernels (this will make about a cup of popped popcorn) into a paper bag

two /  fold the top of the paper bag into 1cm increment a couple of times

three /  set microwave for 90 seconds and stop it when the 'pops' slow down to less than one per second (this bit takes a bit of experimenting as it depends on the amount of kernels and the wattage of the microwave)

four / dig in! enjoy the popcorn while its still nice and warm :) 

love ♥ coffee

when i was a little girl, my first sip of coffee was not a pleasant experience. the bitterness was quite a shock to me, and i had never quite understood how so many people couldn't live a day without their coffee, the peculiar taste had always confounded me a bit ...

that was until sometime last year, when i admittedly did fall in love with coffee. if not a lot, at least enough for me to be able to enjoy it without a single speck of sugar. perhaps i'm somewhat still that little girl that i was, though now i've come to appreciate the uniquely rich aroma and pleasant bitterness of coffee. that being said, coffee and i, we have a pretty healthy relationship. coffee isn't one of those things ingrained in my daily routine, but rather an occasional treat here and there, especially over a chat with friends at a nice cafe.

 skinny latte at giraffe cafe

this monday i'm loving : coffee and coffee art

see what anna at much love is loving this monday

do you have a thing for coffee too?

restaurant time : olivehouse

having driven past olivehouse quite a few times ever since our placement in shepparton, and hearing plenty of compliments about this place from friends, it was clearly our first stop during the long weekend.

olivehouse is a neatly presented restaurant with beautiful gardens, and surrounded by endless rows of well kept trees, olive ones of course. we opted for the outdoor seating and had a lovely lunch accompanied by a light autumn breeze and a refreshing view of the olive grove. the food was delightful, and even better when enjoyed with a bunch of good friends.

love ♥ cupcakes

it's a long weekend, so i've been relaxing so much that i've almost forgotten that it is monday today!

we baked some strawberry vanilla cupcakes for afternoon tea, and spent most of the arvo decorating and taking photos of them. this week for much love monday, i'm loving very muchly -  cupcakes, and tiny teddies too :)

inspired by anna's 'much love' blog, check out anna's much love monday here

what are you loving this monday?

do something different everyday

summer seems to have gone by in a flash, can't believe it's autumn already! laura at see hear say has inspired me with her march challenge to do something different everyday. it's a lovely way to add a bit of creativity and spice to the daily grind, and also interesting to see photos and updates from other bloggers who have taken on the challenge too.

this march i'll be embarking little thirty-one day adventure - experimenting with new ideas, trying out alternatives to things i normally do and embracing spontaneity.

here's how i'm going so far...

day one : making wholemeal flatbread from scratch

day two : cooking without any recipes, just by feel

day three : trip to the chocolate apple factory...yum!

day four : trying handmade papardelle pasta for the first time

cafe time

the friar's cafe - a century old church refurbished into a bustling cafe, this was where we visited last weekend for afternoon tea. i loved the beautiful stained glass windows and antique wooden decor. 

the most delicious chocolate almond torte i've ever 

eaten! it's a rich cake with a beautiful balance of 

dark chocolate, nutty textures and creaminess. 

flourless orange cake with a punchy citrus flavour, 

silky texture and a pleasant hint of sweetness.

hot chocolate with that lovely layer of creamy milk

foam, and served with a slice of yummy almond biscotti

pumpkin tortilla

for the past two week i've been living away from home, which means i've been missing my family and friends in melbourne, and also missing the well stocked pantry at home! 

so here i've set up my own little pantry, with the bare minimum essentials and groceries that require minimal, or more often, no cooking at all. having been surviving mostly on salads which only require a bit of slicing and assembly, i do get a craving now and then to cook something. and perhaps try something new too. 

i had half a pumpkin left in the fridge, and also almost a dozen eggs which had been sitting there for nearly a fortnight, oh, and the onions were on sale at coles so i had a kilo of those... perfect for a pumpkin tortilla! 

tortillas are spanish omelettes, which are traditionally made using potatoes, and eggs of course. seeing i had some pumpkin handy, the idea just came together quite nicely. the little cooking experiment in the kitchen turned out rather neat. the recipe i've made up is pretty straightforward, and uses only 3 ingredients plus oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. the pumpkin and onions are full of flavour, and the eggs give it a good protein boost, so it's quite an appetising and substantial, yet healthy meal. 

pumpkin tortilla recipe

ingredients

one quarter large kent pumpkin - diced to 2mm cubes

two brown onions - halved and finely sliced

7 large eggs - lightly beaten

oil - 3 tablespoons 

salt & pepper to season the eggs

five simple steps

1. heat 1 tbs oil on in a frying pan and half cook the pumpkin ( approx 7 - 10 minutes )

2. meanwhile, in another pan / saucepan, heat 2 tbs oil and cook onions till golden brown

3. preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius, and line an 18 x 18cm baking pan ( or similar sized round baking tin) with baking paper whilst letting the pumpkin and onions cool

4. place the pumpkin and onions into the baking pan and pour the seasoned egg mixture into the pan

5. bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and cooked through

buen provecho! ( spanish for 'enjoy your meal !' )