amazing kids bed!

Love this bed from land of nod!

also this DIY dresser! Beautiful, no? More here.

ikea dresser redo

love this simple dresser redo from ikea. 

more here.

lemon blackberry cheesecake bars

MEYER LEMON BLACKBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS

For the crust:

12 sheets graham crackers, pulsed until crumbled in a food processor (about 2 cups crumbs)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons butter, melted

For the blackberry puree:

6 oz fresh or frozen blackberries

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/4 cup water

For the cheesecake:

16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1 tablespoon Meyer lemon zest

1/4 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9"x9" glass pan. Using a food processor, pulse the cookies until they are completely broken down into a fine crumb and add the sugar and melted butter. Pulse a few more times until the mixture is like wet sand. Dump into the pan and press firmly into the bottom. Bake for 8-10 minutes for a nice golden color. Remove to cool.

In a small saucepan on medium low heat mix together the blackberries, sugar and water. Cook for 8-10 minutes until the blackberries are completely broken down. Place a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and with a silicone spatula press through all the liquid, disposing the solids. If the puree seems a little thin, return to the pot and bring to a boil to cook for an additional minute. Let cool.

Onto the cheesecake! Lower the temperature of the oven to 325ºF and bring water to boil in a teakettle. 

In the bowl of your stand mixer or using a hand mixer with a large bowl, cream together the cream cheese sugar and lemon zest until light and airy about 3-4 minutes. Then add the sour cream and eggs one at a time until well combined.

Scrape down the sides and bottom and finally add the meyer lemon juice and salt. Mix to combine. Scrape everything together again and pour into the prepared pan.

Smooth the top of the cheesecake batter with a spatula and drizzle  the blackberry puree on top of the cheesecake. With a skewer or chopstick, make a swirl pattern. Place the square pan into a larger pan and put both into the oven. Pour the boiling water into the larger pan so that it reaches about halfway up.

Bake for about an hour and fifteen minutes or until the middle no longer jiggles. Remove and let cool completely (about two hours) before removing from the pan.

Recipe via here.

baby mobiles

cute & easy DIY baby mobile - more here on mothermag.

mother inspiration

here on mothermag.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY PAVLOVA

6 x Egg Whites

300g Caster sugar

3 x tablespoons Belgian cocoa powder

1 x tablespoon good balsamic vinegar

50g good quality chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped into small pieces

3 punnets of fresh raspberries

500ml whipping cream, whipped and sweetened with a tablespoon of caster sugar

Preheat oven to 180˚C

1. Place egg whites in the bowl of a mixer (I use a Kitchen Aid, find it excellent for meringues) and whisk until soft peaks form.

2. Using a tablespoon at a time, add sugar into egg white mixture and continue beating until the egg whites become stiff and glossy. Be careful not to over-beat as it can start to separate. The mixture is ready once it forms stiff, glossy peaks and you can hold the bowl upside down without any of it falling out. (I don’t normally test the latter as I’m familiar with meringue consistence but if you’ve never made one before, it’s worth giving it a try, once it stays put, you know you’re good to go.

3. Sift in the cocoa powder, add the vinegar and chopped up chocolate, using a large spoon slowly and carefully fold these into the egg white and sugar mixture until fully combined. the mixture will resemble a very light brown shade.

4. Line 2 large, flat oven trays with baking parchment – I find it a good tip to dab a little bit of the pavlova mixture underneath each corner of the paper as it helps it stick to the tray and avoids the paper slipping all over the place whilst you are loading on the mixture = very annoying..

5. Place a 9″ or 10″ dinnerplate on the middle of each tray and draw firmly around the edge with a pencil or pen to form a circle – this will act as a guide and ensure both pavlovas are the same size. Flip the paper over so the ink/pencil lead is touching the tray side as opposed to the pavlova side, you’ll still be able to see the line through the paper.

6. Load up each circle with the mixture, smoothing it out to the edge of the line you have just drawn, try to divide the mix equally so both have same volume of mix. I normally smooth out the mixture, but a Pavlova is not supposed to look perfect so feel free to form a few points and peaks if you want, when cooked they’ll crisp up and add a bit more interest visually.

7. Place in oven and immediately reduce heat to 140˚C. Cook for 1hr to 1hr15mins. Do not open the oven door whilst the pavlova is cooking.

8. You’ll know when the pavlova is cooked when it looks crisp at the edges which will have started to crack slightly. The top will be dry but if you press on the underside it’ll give a little as the centre should be still a little squishy/soft. Place the pavlova back in the oven and leave the door slightly ajar, leave the pavolva to cool completely inside.

9. When it is cool, I place one disc on a serving platter or cake stand and spoon a big wallop of cream on top, scatter a good handful of fresh raspberries onto the cream and then place the second meringue disc on top. Again pile on a good amount of cream and the remainder of the raspberries. Sprinkle with finely chopped chocolate and serve.

eames chair

replica eames chair from  $150.

from $119.

at wire home.