Beautiful Plants - Our Garden.

I enjoy to garden, and I was fortunate that I could set up a garden eleven years ago.  Now, it is a place for us where to relax,  working,  sharing our time with family and friends.  It is a lovely place.

The Garden.

Our Backyard Garden
Snapshots

We have been busy working in the backyard, the hedges look good, and the grass was nicely cut by Rayner.  Now the garden looks so Cool!

The Backyard in the Late Afternoon.

On a beautiful day spending outside is pleasant, and enjoying the garden, but to have plants inside the house is excellent, I love colours and green they make the home more homey and tranquil.

Some snapshots of my indoor plants.

Indoor Plants

Maiden Hair Fern, Fiddle Fig and Red Cymbidium Orchid

The maiden fern is back a life, it was just a pot of twigs, now it is looking very healthy with a lot of green leaves, so pretty.  Susan's fiddle fig which I have minded since last year, now it is good and well, new leaves are growing continually, I am happy about it.  As for the cymbidium, it is there because of the spikes.

More orchids will be inside the house soon.

Another indoor plant is the monstera deliciousa.

There are only a few indoor plants, no I would not add it; instead I love putting fresh cut flowers in large vases for inside the house.

Snapshots of plants in the backyard.

Potted Plants
There are a lot of potted plants in the garden, from potted cyclamen to orchids, and many more.

Potted Lettuces

Orchids

Citruses
Pomelo, lemon, Tahitian Lime which is doing very well this year, kaffir lime leaf, and Mandarin.  (The lime and lemon tree are not pictured here)

Topiary Plants

Most of the topiary balls,  the two-tier lily pily topiary plants, I set them up from small plants, the Giraffe and the Peacock was from the local nursery.

Fruit Trees and Vegetable Patch
A Pink Lady apple we grow in the backyard, and it has been excellent, we had a good harvest at least two basketfuls.  The nectarine did not do any good, but we enjoyed the blossom.  I am happy enough with the potted figs tree, which gave us fruits.

Apple Harvest,  2015

A small vegetable patch is enough for us two, but having a standard bay tree is quite a treat.

Other Trees.

 Magnolia Glandiflora, silver birch, smoke bush and kalamata olives which are ready to harvest.

Silver Birch  and Smoke Bush

The Front Garden

In the morning.

The garden's theme is white and green colour, there are a few foliage plants, that add exciting colour in Autumn, such as Japanese maple, succulents, and nana nandina

Beautiful scene of white flowering camellia sasanqua, the petal

dropped and dressed the ground beautifully.

Through and beyond the gate, you find the red roses growing against the white wall, and the opposite side, which is a calmer part, my mixed hydrangeas grow.

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They can be colourful when they are in bloom.

In the middle part of the front garden grows a cherry blossom -Winter Sun.

Potted Yucca and succulent grow a long side the fence

Beautiful succulent plants in the front garden.

Crucifix orchids (a special gift from friends) are later additions for the front garden, they grow against the entrance wall.

Roses

All roses are planted in the backyard, which makes the garden very colourful during the flowering season.

Iceberg standards, climbers roses and rose bushes and the small need pruning soon, they have been flowering beautifully this year.

My red roses grow around the house, they are under the eaves when they are in flower, the flowers adorn the white brick wall.  They do look beautiful.

Throughout the year I cut fresh flowers from the garden which are in season for inside the house.

Flowers and The Fresh Cut Flowers

Last season orchid, red roses and mixed colour roses.

Last but not least, I must include my white corner garden, it is the place where the only white and green colour is.  Evergreen shrubs I planted and a few snowballs bushes with serene white flower.  It is Autumn now, the leaves of the snowballs bush are bronze and beautiful.

This post is almost a summary of my garden-our garden.
People ask me: what type of garden do you have?  It is a common sense garden, it is not a formal or informal garden.


I love the garden, it is a peaceful place to be in.




Thanks For Visiting
Susy

INDULGENCE

Now and then we can have an indulgence, as we deserve.  Sweets for us from time to time.  This time of the year, we love our fresh fruits from our backyard, especially the apples.  I made some candied apple for our chocolate cake topping.  Chocolate cake with candied apple, sweet fig topping and garnished with shredded orange peels in syrup is indeed our indulgence for this year.  No, we are not feeling guilty to enjoy it.  The last brown turkey fig from our garden was found, and it's so perfect for dressing the cake.

The Chocolate Cake Indulgence

Homemade fresh candied apple is so pretty and shiny.   What you have to do is peel the apple and dice.  Braise with sugar and red wine until soft.  Take the cooked apple and transfer to a baking tray.  Put in a moderately hot oven at 145 degrees C for 11 minutes.  When the candied apple is cold, transfer to a jar, place a lid on and refrigerate until the time when it is needed.

Fresh Apple

Apple Candied

Using pink lady apple to candy, as it keeps the shape very well.


You can shape the fruit as you wish, I did a batch to make round apple candies.  Use a melon scooper to make the small round shape.

The Process

Braising the apple with red wine and sugar over
low heat

Thirteen minutes of braising

The finished braised off look.

The last process is straining the syrup, transfer the cooked round apples to a baking tray, and bake on a very low heat for 11 minutes to get them dry and the shiny.

Indulgence for Mother's Day
It is time to share the special day with family and friends, enjoy the pampering, love and the gift.  It was a lovely morning tea together with Rayner.  Thank you.

Freshly brewed tea with mini sponge caked dressed
with passion fruit icing, filled with layers of a cream patissier.

Every year I make a cake for Rayner's birthday, and for this year his cake is a sponge rose cake with candied apple.  I am sure he likes to indulge himself with home-baked sweet on his birthday.

The Cake

A Rose round sponge cake dressed with Candied apple Crown and filled
with chocolate cream patissier.

Happy Birthday Rayner

It is good to indulge without feeling guilty, we may have to do a lot of exercises afterwards.

Short and Sweet Post

Susy

Petty Pink

Pink is the colour for hope for some.  I am thinking of those special people today, baking a pink cake to share for Australia's Biggest Morning Tea.

The Pink Cake Dressed in Pink Butter Cream, Pink Meringues
and Filled with Cream Patisserie.

Pretty Pink Cake

It is a single sponge and filled with a creamy cream patisserie, iced with pink buttercream and dressed with petite pink meringue.  The buttercream is very mild and thinly spread, so the cake won't be too sweet or too creamy, it is good to be enjoyed by all age groups.  However, for diabetic people, maybe it is not advisable.

Home Baked Chocolate Cake Squares

Dressed in chocolate ganache and homemade candied apple and shredded orange in syrup

Preparation.

sifted mixed flour - corn flour, custard powder and self-rising,
with cream of tartar, bicarbonate of soda,

Beating five eggs with caster sugar

Freshly baked five eggs sponge.

The Filling is a cream patisserie, you could prepare the day you would like to dress it.

A Rich Cream Patisserie
Ingredients
3 egg yolks
2 tablespoons corn flour
2 tablespoon plain flour
50 g sugar
300 g milk

There was a mishap, I put two tables spoons of corn flour and plain flour instead of two tablespoons of each.  The result was a very soft, custard cream.  To that, I added some whipped cream, which made the custard even lighter.

The cake is now filled with the cream patisserie and dressed in pink buttercream.  I hope it cuts well, I am hoping that the cream patisserie has set overnight refrigerated 

As I thought, the pink cake did not cut very well, but it's still acceptable.  Taste good and looks good too.




For this particular occasion I am thinking to bake a chocolate cake which is based on my Moist Milo cake.  It is chocolate square,  and I am sure it is going to be a crowd pleaser

Sunday night the chocolate cake was successfully baked,

To Dress the Chocolate Cake Squares

The month of May or June is the month to have Australia's Biggest Morning Tea.  Family and friends, support clubs etc.,  get together to have the morning tea to raise money to support Cancer Council
I am very fortunate that I could participate and contribute my home baking this year.


Until Next Post
Susy

Stuffed Turkey Wing

A new recipe for cooking in winter is Stuffed Turkey Wings.   The dish has full flavour, the meat is tender from long braising.

I have never done this before, it is my latest cooking experiment in my kitchen, but it worked so well.   You may be interested how I did it, here it is, I will show you the process.

Gathering the Materials/Ingredients

1. The turkey wings, fresh middle turkey wing comes in a packet of five, it is available in a supermarket.
2. The stuffing, it is very extraordinary stuffing, I used the whole filleted chicken (no 16), and minced pork, mince turkey, ham, crouton, potato, apple, egg, butter, herbs, spices, and salt.  Golden raisin is added too. 
3. Plain flour for dusting
4. Stock for braising
5. A large pot to cook the stuffed wings

Indeed it is a very rich stuffing, meaty and delicious as you got the flavour from both cuts of the chicken (red and white meat), mixed with pork and minced turkey.

The Raw Ingredients  -  Preparation

Fillet of a whole chicken, the bone is for stock

Chopped chicken fillets, crouton
and ham, thyme, citrus peel 

Chopped celery, butter, potato, onion, minced pork, butter, egg

The stuffing, it can stuff up to sixteen wings.

Golden Raisins

Turkey wings with spices rub

Stuffed Turkey Wings

You can see two stuffed wings, when it is all done, lightly dust the stuffing which is exposed from the part of the wing before you put in the braising pot.  Add extra spices-crushed fennel, thyme and garlic chives.  Tuck the chopped apple in between the stuffed wings, drizzle some oil, add the stock about one and a half cup.  Place the lid on the pot, now it is ready to braise.

Ready to Braise

Put the pot carefully in the oven, and set the temperature on 200 degrees C, braise for 35 minutes.  Reduce the heat to 160 degrees, and keep on braising for 25 minutes. Continue braising at 125 degrees C for one hour. Switch the oven off and leave the pot in, until the oven is cold.

Cooked and Braised

Take the pot out, the meat is warm, not hot, but it is ready to serve with garnishes.  Take all the stuffed wings, put on a large serving bowl.  You may find that there is not enough braising juice in the pot, but you could add some stock as you make the brown sauce.
The brown sauce: Add two cups stock to the juice, add 1 tablespoon plain flour and mix together until smooth.  Cook to a gentle simmer, stir it well to thicken, then add butter and mushroom soy sauce (if you wish ).  Cook for a few minutes further, now you have a dark brown and smooth sauce.
The braised stuffed Turkey is served with hot mashed potato, creamy polenta or even turmeric rice, and the extra garnishes are green cooked vegetables.

I was happy to serve the dish with the braising juices which was not dark enough and because it was so little, the sauce barely coated to the stuffed wing, but the meat was moist and tender.

The stuffed wing is ready to serve.

The Recipe

To stuff twelve turkey wings, these are the quantities ingredients, and how to do it.

middle part turkey wing

The turkey wings (not the whole side, but only the middle part)
Twelve central part of turkey wings, loosen up the skin.
For the stuffing:
Fillet the whole chicken-you would have the breast and leg meat, it makes - 610 g, chopped in chunks.
Minced pork - 225 g
Minced turkey- 225 g
80 g good quality ham, diced
1 onion, 1 celery, 1 potato, peeled and chopped
100 g crouton, crushed onto chunks
1 egg
50 butter
Herbs and spices
A tablespoon fresh thyme
A tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
A tablespoon chopped garlic chives
1/2 teaspoon mixed crushed fresh white pepper and nutmeg
2 teaspoon salt
(Mix all ingredients together to combine and shape it into a small ball, make 12)
1/2 cup plain flour
24 golden raisins

2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 cups stock

Herb and spices rub.
Mixed a teaspoon crushed fennel seeds and garlic chives, salt and two tablespoon oil.
Rubs the wings with the herb and spices rub.
Fill the wings with the filling, put the mixed stuffing ball under the skin and add 2 golden raisins in every wing.  Do it nicely, and the side wing should look puffy, and the stuffing has to be enclosed by the skins.  Dust with a little flour to the filling which is exposed from the skin.  Now place the stuffed wings on a braising pot.  Do the rest and lay them neatly on the pot.
To Braise
Put fresh bay leaves, sprinkle the brown sugar over the meat, pours the stock over and cover the pot.
Cook to braise in the hot oven at 200 degrees C for 35 minutes
Lower the heat to 160, and continue braising for 25 minutes
Lower the temperature again to 125 degrees C, and continue braising for 1 hour
Switch off the oven, and leave the pot in the oven until it is cooler.
Now carefully take the pot out, as the oven is more cooling, it is easy to handle.
Serve warm with hot garnishes.


Enjoy.



Have fun with the recipe.

Until Next Post
Susy