Getting back to normal

Wow - I feel like I haven’t done a 'normal' blog post in forever! But I am sure you understand why - considering all of our weekend adventures.

Training

I must admit that finding time to fit in decent training sessions over the last few days has been difficult. I was super tired on Monday, and decided to take an extra rest day. Then I was in Sydney until late on Tuesday for work - although I did manage to fit in half an hour in the pool beforehand.

Its not that I am in a training 'funk' as such (which I accept can happen when you are training for a few months), its just that I feel my 'normal' routine is a little out of whack. And I am 100% a routine girl so it is frustrating for me. But then I read about Ashley and her amazing inspiring ironman experience, and I felt the pressure I had been placing on myself ease. With 5 weeks until race day, a few days "off" routine is ok. After all - I am racing for fun and achievement - not to win!

Yesterday I was planning on attending a spin class, but as I got close to the gym I didn't stop. Rather, I felt like running, so I continued to work then headed out for a run at lunchtime. 9km later, and I was feeling somewhat back to 'normal'.

Dinner

Part of the reason I decided to run at lunchtime (instead of after work) was that I knew we had another dinner to attend. This time, we met with family for dinner to say goodbye to our interstate (and overseas!)  friends who were heading home after the wedding.

On offer was a delicious home-cooked roast dinner, with all the trimmings.

I had a little of everything except for the cauliflower that was unfortunately topped with breadcrumbs :(

And seconds thirds of these amazing roast potatoes / onions!

 

Seriously, I could have eaten the whole platter!  

Wanting to contribute, I decided to bring a sweet treat for dessert.

Knowing that lemon slice was normally a crowd pleaser (with the added benefit that I didn’t need to bake it) I made a batch on Tuesday night and placed it in the fridge to set.

Then, it was simply a matter of cutting the slice into squares and arranging them on a platter.

And there were none left by the end of the evening – so they cant have been too bad!!

Lemon slice (makes 30+ squares)

        

• 2 x 250g packets of plain biscuits (I normally use granita or marie biscuits)
• 2 cans of light sweetened condensed milk
• 150g butter
• Grated rind of 2 lemons
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 3 cups icing sugar
• 2tbs lemon juice + 2 tbs water (adjust as necessary)
• 1/2 cup coconut

1. Line a large slice tray with baking paper.
2. Process the biscuits in your food processor until they resemble fine crumbs. Transfer to a large bowl and add the lemon juice and rind.
3. In a small saucepan, heat the sweetened condensed milk and butter over a low heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour into the biscuit mixture, and stir until well combined.
4. Press the biscuit mixture firmly into the prepared pan, then place in the fridge while you make the icing.
5. To make the icing, heat the icing sugar and lemon juice over a low heat until smooth. Add water if the icing is too thick.
6. Pour the icing over the slice, spreading to coat evening. Sprinkle with coconut and place in the fridge for a few hours (or even better - overnight!) to set.
7. Slice into squares and serve.

(This recipe will make an extra big slice, although you could easily halve it and make a more modest one if you prefer a thinner slice or you are using a smaller pan. It is really adaptable, and feel free to experiment! I sometimes add more coconut to the biscuit mixture and / or add butter to the icing for an extra 'sheen'. I have also made it with GF biscuits before so that I could also enjoy a slice, or two.)

What about you? Do you have a ‘go to’ sweet treat that you like to take to a party?

Happy Baking :)