Homegrown hen scratchings

It's five o'clock in the morning. 

I went to bed at ten thirty last night and slept like a dream until Brett's alarm went off at two thirty. After that it was game over sleepwise, my brain would not turn off and I was waking every half an hour. 

The last month of Mondays I've been turning up to the gymnastics hall and taking part in Kindergym and the following Tiny Tot classes, to complete my twenty hours of training for my Intermediate coaching course. Thank goodness I don't have that today. I think I will go back to bed after school drop off.

I have been scouring the internet for transport action songs (the theme for Kindergym next term). I find myself printing out and laminating stuff to use in classes too. Who am I becoming?! It's all very exciting. 

Some of the craziness of the last few months, has settled down and I was so keen to get out into the garden last week.

Jack be little pumpkins, which a little more like a squash to eat.

I've pulled up some of the summer veggies, like the cucumbers, eggplants, pumpkins and purple potatoes. The tomatoes will be next to go, just waiting for a few of the stragglers to ripen up.

The purple spuds I have growing in pots. When they are ready, after the plants have flowered and died down, I just tip the pot out in the wheelbarrow and pick all the spuds out. I put all the dirt back in the pot with some of the smaller spuds, and the process starts again.

Roasted summer veg, with lentils and yogurt. My lunch yesterday. Yum yum!

They're not the prettiest spuds, but I like to grow them! I just plain LOVE growing and eating my own food full stop.

I've been planting new stuff like broccoli, silverbeet, lettuce and parsley.

The sweet peas, snow peas, beetroot, carrot and broad bean seeds have been dropped in the ground. With the crazy amount of rain we got yesterday, they should be plumping up big and fat, ready to shoot to life. Better get the snail bait ready. Which reminds me, I have to go shopping at some stage today. Sigh.

The kid who won't eat tomato if I put it on her plate, but will attack a tomato as big as her head that someone else grew in thier garden.

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Baharat Chick pea tagine

The last time Brett and I went out for tea(without kids, which was way too long ago), we went to an Egyptian restaurant.  It was here I first learnt about Baharat spice mix. The food was delish and it began a fire in me to explore more about spices, and cooking with them. 

Baharat Spice blend
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cardamom

Stir to combine. Keep in a sealed jar or plastic container in the pantry.

I use it in casseroles, sprinkled on veggies for roasting, and in this tagine. I enjoy this for lunch every now and then. It's so tasty.

Chickpea tagine
2 tins chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Baharat spice blend
1/2 roasted chilli*
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon coriander stems, chopped

Add oil to pan on a low heat.
Add onion and simmer until transparent.
Add chilli and baharat, and cook for a minute to release flavours.
Add chickpeas, tomatoes and coriander stems to the pan.
Add enough water(about 2 cups) to cover ingredients.
Bring to the boil, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove the lid and continue to cook until juices are reduced to a gravy consistency.
Garnish with some natural yogurt and fresh coriander. 
Serve.

*I used half a roasted green chilli. I am still using the ones I preserved in olive oil from last year. You could use a pinch of cayenne pepper, or a small fresh chilli, or a half a teaspoon of harissa paste.

This recipe has been adapted from the Maza gourmet foods cook book. 

   

Grilled peaches with rosemary

I have so many peaches right now. The tree is loaded and they all seem to ripen at once.

I made these grilled peaches. They are OH SO good!  

The recipe is adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe from a magazine from a few years ago. Our local library has magazines of all sorts to borrow, so I have been taking advantage of that, I can't get enough of looking through food mags. This way I can do it for free!

The original recipe used a vanilla bean and a dash of brandy. You could use them if you have them. He suggested you serve them with crumbled biscotti and creme fraiche, which would be awesome. I think some toasted almond slivers would be nice too :)

Grilled peaches with rosemary
6 peaches, halved and stones removed
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/4 cup caster sugar
2 rosemary sprigs

Arrange the peaches in a baking dish, cut side up.

Mix the vanilla essence with the juice of an orange and pour over the peaches.

Scatter the zest and the sugar over. Lay the rosemary over the top.

Place the dish under a hot grill for 5-6 minutes or until fruit is golden and the juices are bubbling.

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Homemade chocolate chip muesli bars

I am so glad I had a go at making my own muesli bars. I don't know what it is, but I see the boxes of bars at the supermarket and I just can't bring myself to buy them. Maybe it's the price, or maybe it's just because I haven't had success in getting my kids to like them.

I was quite surprised my fussy eater loved these, and Brett was full of compliments about them too. I thought they were extremely tasty, and will surely be making them again. Soon! I can see that they are not going to last long. 

I am so keen to try out different ingredients, besides chocolate chips and sunflower seeds. Like apricot and almond, choc chips and chopped up dried banana, or white choc chips. As an afterthought, a tablespoon of sesame seeds probably wouldn't have gone astray in this batch. The possibilities are endless. 

You should try make some, they are yumptious scrumptious and fantastic for school lunch boxes.

4 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 canola oil
1/2 cup honey

Preheat oven to 160C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Place oats, flour, coconut, brown sugar, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds and salt in a large bowl. Mix to combine.

Whisk together the oil and honey until well combined. Add to the dry ingredients until the oats are well coated with the oil mixture.

Tip onto baking tray and mound into a rectangle, about 22 x 28 cm and 2 cm thick. I used an egg flip to help push down and flatten the top and neaten the edges.

Bake for 40 minutes, until golden.
Cool for 10 minutes on the tray, then slice into 24 bars.

Tandoori Chicken

Yesterday was one of those days. I was particularly dreading an appointment late in the day, and I was sure I was going to need wine after it. Surprisingly and thankfully, it went well. It was a huge relief, I think for all involved. Hopefully it continues to be a positive step forward.

I didn't feel like the wine at all, but right now, I'm drinking it anyway!

As the girls went to sleep, all I felt like doing was slouching on the lounge and letting the world fall around me. Watch a bit of Masterchef, relax.

I then remembered the things I wanted to blog about. Some things that I know no one probably wants to know about. But things I wanted to blog about anyway. 

As I filled my wine glass I thought how clean my floor looked. I remember how dirty it looked WAS in the natural light of day, and realistically, still was. I should really sweep it. It will take me half a day to vacuum and hopefully mop it. I will deal with it tomorrow( or today, as you are reading this).

So here I sit, on this wet, windy night. Reclined, cloaked in a warm blankie, wine next to me, watching Masterchef, and blogging. 

This is the recipe for the Tandoori chicken I took along to an Indian night at my sister in laws. It was a great night. Everyone brought along an Indian dish, most of them dressed up, which was highly entertaining. 


As usual I went all out, and loved making the veggie curry and the condiments to go along with it. 

Tandoori Chicken
4 chicken Marylands, or a 1 kg, whole chicken
-Make three slashes in the thighs and breast pieces(if using a whole chook).

1/4 teaspoon hot chilli powder(I wimped out on the heat and used paprika)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoons melted butter
-Mix these ingredients together and rub all over chicken and in the slashes. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Marinade
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped finely
2 cm piece of ginger, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice 
slight pinch of powdered saffron(I just used a 1/4 teaspoon turmeric or a drop of yellow food colour)
1 small dried red chilli, chopped finely(or use chilli powder, or if you don't want heat, paprika)
1/2 cup greek yogurt
-Mix all together and spread mixture all over chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

Place chicken on a rack over a roasting pan and place enough water in to cover the bottom of the pan.

Spoon any left over marinade over chicken and drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter. 

Bake at 190C for 1 1/2 hours or until cooked. 

Cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes.

Cut into serving pieces and enjoy the crap out of that finger licking flavour! 

And after all that, I have just realised that a Heath Ledger movie is on! Yum!(on a different level ha ha) I really should get an early night!

Three things I know at the end of this day. 

1. Tandoori chicken is bloody yummy.
2.  Bad decisions as a parent will, eventually come back and bite you on the arse.
3. Good decisions as a parent will keep rewarding you for the rest of your life. And that is the truth. 

Do your friends have themed dinner nights?
What cuisine night would you host? 

Papaya Marinated steak w/ papaya salad

This may sound like a papaya overload, but it's not. There's other flavours going on, and if you didn't know the marinade had papaya in it, you wouldn't realise.

Little Summer loved the papaya raw, couldn't get enough. Izzy is my fussy, nose screwer upper and wouldn't have a bar of it. She did eat the marinated steak though.

I actually like eating the raw red papaya as my morning fruit. They are packed with vitamins and minerals. So good for you. 

I use the peels on my face. The flesh is actually really great at getting rid of dead skin and healing, I love how it improves my complexion. 

Papaya contains an enzyme called Papain that breaks down protein. So it works well as a marinade on tougher cuts of meat. I used rump steak in this instance, but I've also used the marinade with pork fillet and it was awesome. 

You'll need half a red papaya, which will cost you from $2.50 to $3. I was surprised it was so cheap, considering it is a tropical fruit. 

This recipe also uses kaffir lime leaves. If you aren't lucky enough to know someone with a tree, you can buy them in the herb section of the supermarket. It freezes really well so I doesn't go to waste. I just pull out the leaves I need, when I need.

Papaya marinade
1 kaffir lime leaf, sliced thinly
1/4 red papaya, mashed with a fork
1/2 teaspoon chinese 5 spice
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon chilli oil
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Mix together. Pour and massage into 500 grams(or up to 1 kg) of rump steak.

Leave for 1/2 hour to 1 hour.

Take steak out of marinade and grill as you normally would. Serve with salad.

Papaya and avocado salad
1 spring onion, sliced
1/4 papaya, sliced
1/2 avocado, sliced
1/4 capsicum, sliced
1 kaffir lime leaf, sliced thinly
1 Tablespoon toasted pine nuts 

Place all in a bowl and gently toss together.

Dressing
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp olive oil
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp brown sugar

Mix all together and drizzle over salad.

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Two condiments for an Indian meal

Last weekend we lobbed at my sister in laws for an Indian potluck. As usual I get ambitious and take the whole deal, meat, veggies and the condiments. 

I arrived with two tandoori chickens, mixed vegetables and the accompanying bells and whistles to any Indian feast, chutney and raita.

I'd only had real takeaway Indian food a few weeks before. What I know is, Indian food is delicious. I also know everyone left the potluck as full as googs. Some people squeezed in dessert, I don't know how they managed it. I know there was a lot of moaning and groaning after that point about how full they were. Some even stopped drinking(sacrilege, I know) because they were so full. 

I know I was the designated driver, so I wasn't drinking after the vodka, mango and ginger welcoming cocktail(traditional Indian so I was told). How could I refuse. Oh, and that glass of white wine. 

I didn't go dessert, but I know I woke up still full the next morning. Two mandarins did me for breaky.

 Indian Pineapple Chutney
1 x 825 gram can of pineapple pieces in natural juice
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 tablespoon sultanas
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cornflour

Drain can of pineapple, keeping the juice.
Heat vegetable oil, add mustard seeds. When the seeds start to pop, add pineapple pieces, cumin and coriander. Fry for 5 minutes.
Add pineapple juice, sultanas, salt, sugar,and vinegar and heat until simmering.
Mix water with cornflour. Add to chutney until it thickens.
Place chutney in serving dish, or warm sterilised jar, and cool.

Indian Raita
1 cup  greek yoghurt
1 cup chopped, seeded cucumber
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
2 teaspoons chopped spring onion
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Mix all together. Season with salt. Place in a serving dish and chill.

Flogging the blog with Grace at With Some Grace

Sweet potato pizza

I made this yummy pizza when my sister and her partner were coming for dinner, I cut this up for pre dinner nibbles. Well, they were unfashionably late and by the time they did arrive I'd put the lasagna on the table and we tucked into that. They didn't even touch it! I was a bit annoyed because it tasted bloody good!

Anyway I made it again for my lunch a few days later. I really like it.

Wholemeal pizza dough
7g(two teaspoons) dry yeast 
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon salt

Place yeast, sugar and water in a small bowl. Lightly mix with a fork and set aside for 10 minutes until frothy.

Put flour in a large bowl, with the salt. Add the yeast mix and olive oil to the flour and mix with a wooden spoon until dough comes together.

Knead for 5 minutes, then put back into the large bowl, cover with a tea towel and sit in a warm place for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

Knock down the dough with your fist and divide into four portions.

Roll out on a floured surface and place on an oiled tray.

Pizza topping
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and sliced into 5mm thick rounds.
Olive Oil
Poppy seeds
Rosemary leaves and Rosemary flowers(if you have them)
Mixed greens - e.g. rocket, beet leaves, spinach
feta or goats cheese(optional)

Oil a baking tray, place sweet potato rounds in one layer. Loosely cover with foil and bake in a 180C oven for 10 minutes.

Brush some olive oil(I used garlic oil) on the pizza base. Lightly sprinkle poppy seeds and about 1 tablespoon of rosemary leaves.

Lay sweet potato rounds on base and then drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 15 minutes at 230C.

When cooked, cut into slices and scatter mixed greens over and some cheese if using. Garnish with the rosemary flowers.

Sharing this recipe at Little Wolff blog for Little Veggie Kitchen

The thing I now know

I always knew I wanted to be just like my mum.

I now know it wasn't to have a tribe of kids. Three keep me busy enough. The worry, the guilt, the days when I could no longer stand to hear them fighting or yell out 'mum' one more time.

As Mum put it over the weekend(and now I am older, with my own kids, I totally get it), "You kids were a mob of arseholes. But I love you all and wouldn't have had it any other way."

Besides the tribe of kids, Mum had 5 under six by the time she was 24, I remember she was always cooking something. Well she had to I suppose, all we'd all starve!

Bread, biscuits, cakes, soups, roasts, scones, even the jam! I realise now, this is why I wanted to be like mum.

I find myself now loving to cook for my family and friends. I am by no means a master chef, but I love testing out cooking new cuisines, flavours and trying new ingredients. If only my kids enjoyed eating it!

This blog from the outset has included recipes. Not fancy, flash or fantastic. Just humble, good, simple tasting food. I love to share it, love to see people enjoying it.

I dream of buying a garden, ready established, with a spacious cottage. A cottage with an open fire, where after walking around the garden patrons would sit and enjoy simple, tasty, comforting food and hospitality.

I would also just about have to win x-lotto for this to happen.

They say don't let go of your dreams, work towards them. I won't be racing towards my dream. I will dawdle along, enjoy my gardening, and cooking for family and friends, because I never know what could be around the corner.

Roasted capsicum pasta sauce

Something different and veggie healthy to put on your pasta, is this simple sauce. Easy to make, when you get over peeling the skins, with all the flavour and goodness intact. 

Roasted capsicum pasta sauce
6 red capsicums
1/2 cup cream
salt and pepper

Roast the whole capsicums in a 200C oven for 20 minutes, until the skins start to brown and blister.

Let them cool a bit, remove skins, stalk and seeds.

Puree the capsicums, then place in a pan with the cream and cook for about  four minutes. Season with salt and pepper and toss through cooked pasta.

Feel free to add some parmesan to the sauce.

Try browning some cubed chicken in the pan before adding the puree and cream.

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Homemade crackers and simple avocado dip

I make these crackers quite often, usually when there are no other savoury biscuits in the house. They are so moorish.

The ingredients are so simple and if you ever took any notice at the ingredient list on a box of supermarket crackers, most probably a lot more natural and healthy.

Speaking of natural and healthy, a simple avocado dip to serve them with. I have been enjoying this dip with veggies like celery and capsicum for a mid afternoon snack. It is strange for me, because I have never really been much of an avocado fan.

I first saw this cracker recipe at Maria's farm country kitchen. She used wholemeal flour and you could too, if you'd like to.

Homemade crackers
2 cups of plain flour
1 teaspoon of salt
2/3 cup of water
1/3 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients together to form a dough.

Using olive oil on the bench and rolling pin, roll out dough to about a 2-3mm thickness. Place in two large baking trays, or three medium size trays, greased with olive oil. You might have to stretch them out a bit to the edges. Don't worry if it is uneven in some bits.

Using a knife, or a pizza cutter(this is what I use, it's easier), cut the dough into whatever size crackers you want.

Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and whatever flavours you would like. Sumac, parmesan, dried herbs or just plain.

I've also mixed in flavours into the dough itself, like mixed herbs, Za'atar spice mix or parmesan.

Bake at 190C for 15 minutes.

Avocado dip
1 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil
pinch salt
grind of black pepper
1/2 tablespoon chopped chives, more if you want
squeeze of lemon juice

Mash all together with a fork.

You could add more to it, like finely chopped onion and tomato, and corn kernels, for a chunkier dip and more flavour.

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Sunset soup

I've called this sunset soup because of the colours in it's vegetables. Pumpkin, sweet potato, red capsicum and carrot remind me of the hues in a good sunset.

It's very healthy, and makes a perfect veggie meal. I have just started the food combining diet. It is not so much a diet than a lifestyle change for the better. I was feeling toxic, bloated, unbalanced, tired. It was time to make a change. A few days in and I felt better already. It makes me feel better on the inside, which in turn will make me feel and look better on the outside.

I've done it before and don't know why, for the life of me I don't go back to it instead of taking the path of calorie counting, when it leaves me starving and not able to stick to it.

Basically the diet sees that carbs(starches) are not mixed with proteins(meat, cheese). I am having one protein meal, one carb meal and a neutral meal(mostly veggies or salad) a day. 

I had this for lunch as my neutral meal.

Sunset Soup

3 cups cubed pumpkin
1 chopped red capsicum
1 chopped red onion
1 sliced carrot
1 cup cubed sweet potato
5 cups water or stock
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
handful of parsley

Place all but the garlic and parsley in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer rapidly for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.

Add garlic and parsley and process until smooth.

Garnished with cream, sunflower seeds and pepitas(pumpkin seeds)

Lunch yesterday, with cream, pea shoots and chilli oil

How's the weather where you are? It's getting mighty cold down South. Perfect for hot soup :)

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Apple and roasted quince cake

I found this recipe on Kidspot. I've changed it to suit what I have in my fridge and pantry like I usually do. The original had buttermilk and butter, which I am not in the habit of buying. But you could use if you do have them.

What I had was quinces given to me. This is a great way to use up fruit that is ripe and in need of being used.

Due to my oven being a total cow, well the oven door which won't close properly to be exact, I cooked the cake for a bit longer than the 40 minutes. When I gently push the middle of the cake and it springs back up, I know it is done.

125 grams margarine
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup apple puree
1/2 cup roasted quince puree*
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
250 gr plain flour
1 tsp bicarb soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup of milk

Cream butter and sugar.
Beat in eggs, puree and vanilla.
Sift flour, salt, cinnamon and bicarb of soda. Fold through flour and milk alternatively.
Bake at 180C for 40 minutes.

*Peel, core and quarter quince, cut quarters in half. Place in a pan, sprinkled with sugar and dotted with margarine. Squeeze over the juice of 1 orange. Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours at 150C.

Alternatively you could use 1 cup of any pureed fruit you want. I have used pear and a mix of apple and passionfruit.

It is a lovely cake which is so beautiful with just a dollop of cream.

Pumpkin and herb damper

Pumpkins are ripening in gardens now, if not, gardeners have picked them, and are cutting them up for use.

This handy, quick and rustic damper recipe is good for mopping up casserole juices, for dipping in soups, or just because with a spread of butter or cream cheese.

If you don't have pumpkin ready, mashed potato works just as well.

Pumpkin Damper
1 cup mashed pumpkin
3 cups self-raising flour
3 teaspoons margarine
2 tablespoons dried herbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 220C.

In a bowl, add flour, salt, pepper and herbs. 
(optional extras here could be 1 teaspoon of cumin for a pumpkin damper, or 1 tspn paprika for a potato damper)

Rub margarine into flour.

Mix the pumpkin with the milk, then add to the flour until a soft dough forms.

Place the dough onto a greased tray and press into a 25 cm round. Cut the round into 8 segments, 2cm deep.
(you could sprinkle the top here with pepita seeds or sesame seeds if you like)

Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180C for 20-30 minutes.

Passionfruit self saucing pudding

Don't think I am complaining, I secretly love it when someone comes round and plonks a bag full of fresh homegrown food on my kitchen bench. It means I get to cook something new.

A week ago my sister brought over a heap of passionfruit. My first thought was what the heck am I going to do with all those. The look on my face must have read the same, she said "You don't have to have them." I had my poker face on when my sister in law sat a bag of quinces on the bench yesterday!

It's happening more and more frequently. An uncle I have hardly anything to do with left a bag of spuds, a box of apples and a bag of peaches at my brothers place for me. Do I scream give me all your unwanted food stuffs?!

Turns out Summer is a real fan of passionfruit, could eat them all day. I'd probably let her but the resulting mess in her nappies isn't pretty! I am slowly convincing myself to start toilet training her, maybe after the school holidays. I may have psyched myself up by then. It has to happen sometime soon. Oh, the joy.....

I did drop off some passionfruit iced vanilla slice and some passionfruit pudding off at my sisters to say thanks for the fruit. I also made some passionfruit custards, baked in teacups, so good! Me and hubby ate those. They weren't going anywhere!

This is the recipe I made up for the pudding :) It's delicious :D

Passionfruit self saucing pudding

2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Self Raising flour
pinch salt
1 cup low fat milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup dessicated coconut
1/4 cup passionfruit pulp(with seeds)
1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 180 C.

Separate eggs.
Beat egg yolks with the half cup of sugar.
Beat in milk, flour, lemon juice, salt and passionfruit.
Beat egg white until frothy, add the tablespoon of sugar and beat until soft peaks form.
Fold the egg white mixture into passionfruit mix.
Pour into a greased dish. Stand dish in a pan of cold water, so water goes half way up the sides of the dish.
Bake for 40-50 minutes.

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