Apricot Slice

I can’t say that it has been all doom and gloom these past few months spent in “isolation”. We’ve had lots of movie nights and discovered the wonder that is Disney +. We’ve gone for walks in the sunshine and, excitedly, welcomed a furry friend into our household.

There has also been lot of cooking, and baking, with all three girls being all too eager to assist in the kitchen. The only downside being that even my ‘comfy’ jeans are now ‘snug’, and that’s putting it nicely.

But I’m sure things will even out as we start to get back to normal. I hope so, at least. Until then, you will generally find some form of baked good adorning our countertop, making for a nice morning tea treat (and afternoon tea treat, and after-dinner treat…you get the drift)

We created this apricot slice a little while ago, and I must say, it didn’t last long. Even my food sceptical daughter was happy to give it a try – although I think she enjoyed licking the white chocolate bowl more.

It is a no-bake slice, although there was some heating of the butter and sugar involved. Overall, though, it was relatively kid-friendly to pull together.

The apricot layer consisted of biscuits, chopped dried apricots, sweetened condensed milk and butter / sugar. Pressed into a lined pan, and then placed in the fridge for a few hours to firm up.

As for the chocolate layer, well this looks fancy but was really very simple. Just melted white chocolate with drops of orange colouring swirled through for a marbled effect.

I placed the slice back in the fridge overnight, and by the next morning, it was ready to be cut into slices. And to reduce our sugar-consumption (a little bit at least) we shared the slice “love” and delivered some to our neighbours.

But now, where are my stretchy pants….

Print Recipe
 Apricot Slice
Course Baking
Servings
slices (depending on the size)
Ingredients
Course Baking
Servings
slices (depending on the size)
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Grease and line a slice tray with baking paper.
  2. Place the biscuits into a food processor and process until they are a fine crumb. Add the chopped apricots and condensed milk.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the butter and sugar in a small saucepan until the butter has melted and the sugar has disolved. Add to the biscuit mixture and stir until well combined.
  4. Press into the lined tray, and place in the fridge for 2 hours or until firm.
  5. Melt the white cholocate and spread over the top of the slice. Add drops of the orangefood colouring, and use a skewer to swirl to make a marble effect.
  6. Place in the fridge to set overnight then cut into slices.
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Slow roasted tomato soup

Life is certainly a little topsy turvy right now. Truthfully, most days, I don’t know whether I am coming or going. We, like many, are navigating all things pandemic as we settle into our new “normal” of working from home and trying to homeschool at the same time.

Yes 2020 has not been all that wonderful for our little family, thus far. First we had the fires, then the dust storms. Then it was the hail storm that saw the end of our beloved car, and some other truly sad events for our family happened not long after.

So yes, topsy turvy is certainly how we are all feeling at the moment. To put it politely.

But in some respects, life – as chaotic and uncertain as it is right now – has also slowed . No more running from activity to activity after school, and no more weekend sport. Just leisurely walks up to daycare each afternoon to collect the littlest one, and family hikes together on the weekend when Miss M inevitably says “mountain?” as soon as she wakes.

We’ve built forts, done puzzles, watched movies and lots of arts and crafts. We’ve eaten our weight in chocolate too (not good), but also caught up on a few things around the house when the motivation strikes (good).

And now that the weather is starting to turn, slow cooking is inevitably going to make an appearance. Filling our tummies with comforting food (that is not chocolate) and making the house smell amazing. Little effort, generally, but offering a tasty reward at the end of the day.

Take this roasted tomato soup, for instance, that we created a little while ago when a craving for soup struck. Fortunately I had an abundance of tomatoes on hand, and could think of nothing better than to roast them low and slow in the oven.

Halved and drizzled with garlic-infused olive oil, and seasoned, then roasted for 40 minutes.

When the tomatoes were done, we simmered them in a mixture of vegetable stock, basil and Italian herbs. Then pureed until smooth, and topped with a little extra basil.

The result? A fragrant soup that was so very rich in flavour. I think a drizzle of cream would have taken it to even greater heights – although we didn’t have any on hand on this particular occasion.

We even had leftovers, which was perfect for a speedy soup the following day. Eaten at home, of course.

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 Slow roasted tomato soup
Keyword soup
Servings
serves
Ingredients
Keyword soup
Servings
serves
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 160C.
  2. Place the tomatoes cut side up on lined baking trays. Drizzle with olive oil and season.
  3. Roast for 40 minutes, then place into a saucepan with the stock and 2 cups of water. Add the herbs and stir to combine. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, then use a slick blender to blend until smooth.
  4. Divide among serving bowls and top with basil leaves (and cream, if you have it).
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Slow Cooker Red Lentil Dahl

It’s been quiet in this little blog space of mine lately – but that is a clear indication that it has been anything but quiet in “real life”. The kids have their ever-growing array of school and after school / weekend activities and the hubs and my work schedules have been pretty jam-packed. So it’s probably no surprise that we feel as though we are always running from one thing to another.

Oh yeah, and then there was the big family trip  we took to Japan! But more on that in another post…

Needless to say, I have quite the growing backlog of recipes that I want to share (if not, at the very least, to remind me of some of the delicious eats we’ve had recently).

Take this Red Lentil Dahl (or is it Dal or Dhal?)for instance, that made its way to our dinner table a few months ago.

Back when the morning frosts were still going strong, and the daylight hours were short. I popped the ingredients in my slow cooker before I went to work, and was rewarded with not only a glorious aroma when I returned home later that day, but also the ability to get dinner on the table in a flash.  From memory – C & J had swimming after school on this particular day, so the hearty and belly-warming dahl was a welcomed hit when they walked in the door.

I served the dahl with rice and coriander, and although not pictured, I’m pretty confident I also added a dollop of natural yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon juice.

A perfect meal to warm us from the inside out (with leftovers for lunch the next day too!)

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 Slow Cooker Red Lentil Dahl
Course Main Dish
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients (except for the toppings) into a slow cooker and stir to combine.
  2. Cover - and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
  3. Serve with steamed rice, coriander, a spoonful of yoghurt and a squeeze of lemon juice.
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Miso chicken salad

Do you ever get stuck in a cooking rut? Using the same recipes, same cooking methods?

For a long time, grilling was my cooking method of choice when it came to chicken. Or possibly even oven baking. But then I discovered poaching, and boy has it been a game changer. The meat is tender, there are no messy grills to clean, and there is usually enough leftover for sandwiches through the week.

It is also a great option to add to salads.

Sometimes I poach the chicken in stock, other times water – with a bunch of herbs, ginger and garlic.

On this occasion, I poached the chicken in stock with a little miso paste. I then shredded the chicken and used it to create a Japanese-inspired miso chicken salad. With wombok, cucumber and radish for crunch, drizzled with a miso / mirin / soy dressing, and finished with a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

We served this for dinner a little while back, and I’ve also had it for lunch on multiple occasions since then. I love that it can be thrown together easily, with minimal fuss, and that it is a little different than my regular salad styles.

Definitely a winner in my book…and a great reminder to get out of my comfort zone in the kitchen!

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 Miso Chicken Salad
Course Salad
Keyword salad
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Dressing
Course Salad
Keyword salad
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Dressing
Instructions
  1. Place stock and miso paste in a small saucepan. Add the chicken (adding some additional water if necessary to cover). Bring to the boil over a medium heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, then cover and set aside in the poaching liquid. Allow to cool a little, then shred.
  2. Meanwhile, divide the salad ingredients amont two serving bowls. Top with shredded chicken.
  3. To make the dressing, whisk together the miso, mirin, soy and sesame in a small bowl. Drizzle over salad, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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Pumpkin and carrot soup

As I sit here typing, the rain is falling steadily outside. It was, of course, raining most heavily right at the school drop off – where I am sure my attempts to wrangle 3 kids, 3 bags and 3 umbrellas was met with more than a few laughs.

But I have well and truly warmed up after tucking into a big bowl of soup that I had stashed away in the freezer. A perfect go-to lunch on days such as this, when the day is dreary and the temperatures have lowered.

I actually made this pumpkin and carrot soup a while back, but realised I never shared it on the blog. And what a shame that would be – for what a soup it is!

Simply – onion, garlic, carrots and pumpkin, simmered with stock and given a golden hue by the addition of turmeric. Finished with a dollop of natural yoghurt, and a sprinkle of pepitas and parsley.

And, as is always a plus with dishes such as these, the recipe yields enough to store some away in the freezer for easy re-heatable lunches on days such as this!

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 Pumpkin and carrot soup
Course Soup
Keyword soup
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Soup
Keyword soup
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and stir until starting to soften.
  2. Add the pumpkin, carrots and turmeric, stirring to coat in the spice mixture. Add the stock and 500ml water, and bring to the boil.
  3. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Puree the soup using a stick blender until smooth. Divide among bowls, and top with a dollop of yoghurt and a sprinkle of pepitas and parsley.
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Roasted Pumpkin Hummus

Miss J is proving to be quite the fussy eater at the moment. She loves banana smoothies, but wont go anywhere near an actual banana. Apples and pears are eaten by the bucket load, but grapes and watermelon are nothing short of offensive. Pasta is a firm favourite, as are prawn dumplings (!), but getting her to try new things is generally difficult.

So when she came home from day-care boasting a new love for celery (!) and hummus – well that was a combination I could embrace with gusto!

Since then, I’ve been making a batch of regular ol’ hummus most weeks. Although, recently I thought I would be a little clever and sneak some veg in by adding roasted pumpkin.

Did it work? Not even close. She turned her nose up at the combination, preferring her usual hummus instead.

On the plus side, though, we now had ourselves a lovely recipe for an appetiser to contribute at a recent lunch with friends.

We topped the hummus with parsley, sesame seeds, chilli flakes and olive oil, and served it alongside toasted pita chips, cucumber and olives. Unlike Miss J, we loved the roasted pumpkin addition – and the chilli added a little extra zing!

But I guess it will be back to regular ol’ hummus for Miss J next week…

Print Recipe
 Roasted Pumpkin Hummus
Course Appetiser
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Course Appetiser
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 220C.
  2. Place the cubed pumpkin on a lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with cumin.
  3. Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool slightly.
  4. Place the pumpkin, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, salt and chilli in a food processor - and process until smooth. Add water, as necessary, to reach desired consistency.
  5. Spoon into a serving bowl, and top with parsley, sesame seeds, chilli flakes and a little drizzle of olive oil.
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BLAT Salad

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When catching up with some friends the other day, the subject turned to food. More specifically, kids and food. And just how much the little ones can put away.

There were furious nods of agreement when we mentioned that a loaf of bread can disappear in a single afternoon. When only going through 8 litres of milk in a week is considered a ‘good’ week. And when the “I’m hungry” calls start from the moment they arrive home from school.

And while my three girls are no different, I feel as if I’ve gotten off a little more lightly (at least for now) than my friend who has the voracious appetites of three teenage boys to deal with.

We then reminisced about the great banana crisis of 2011, when Cyclone Yasi destroyed over 75% of Australia’s banana crops. Bananas were in such short supply that it was not unusual to see them selling for $3 each! The community was outraged and anyone that walked into work with a coveted banana had their salary questioned!

The irony being that we generally do not hesitate to fork over at least that amount for a single avocado.

$3 for a banana? Outrageous!! $3 for an avocado? Bargain – give me 2!

I had to laugh, for I am most certainly someone that loves avocadoes and they feature quite regularly on our weekly meal plan.

Take this BLAT salad, for instance. Which was thrown together for an easy, speedy weeknight dinner.

Bacon, crunchy lettuce, boiled egg, tomatoes, sauerkraut and cucumber. And, of course, avocado. Which in this case was sprinkled with black chia seeds.

From memory, the avocado was “on sale” for $2.50 and, thinking it was a bargain, I of course grabbed two! Questionable frugality aside, it was a lovely addition to this tasty little salad.

You can find the recipe I used for inspiration here.

Slow Cooker Pea and Ham Soup

There are some dishes that, despite their humble appearance and ease to make, are really something special.

The ones that make your belly full, and heart warm, and undoubtedly earn a star place on the regular meal plan.

Well, friends, I think I’ve found another of these dishes – as this Pea and Ham soup was rather delicious indeed. It is one of those dishes that I’ve always enjoyed eating, but never actually made, and I had to laugh at my ignorance when I realised that it contains split peas, not green peas!

With simple ingredients, and created easily in the slow cooker, the result was a hearty dinner soup (with lots of leftovers for lunch and for the freezer too). We served ours topped with natural yoghurt, shredded ham from the hock and a sprinkle of parsley. Even the kids loved it – particularly Miss Maggie – who ate bowl after bowl with gusto!

Inspired by this recipe.





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Slow Cooker Pea and Ham Soup

Course Soup

Servings
people


Ingredients

Course Soup

Servings
people


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a small frypan over a medium heat. Add the onions, spices and garlic and cook for a few minutes - until the onion softens.

  2. Transfer the onion mixture to a slow cooker. Add the ham hock, parsnips, apples, split peas and 8 cups of water. Stir well, cover, and cook on medium for 8 hours.

  3. Remove the ham hock and shred the meat (discard the bone and fat). Blend the soup using a stick blende until smooth. Stir through the lemon zest and juice, and season to taste.

  4. Divide the soup among serving bowls, and top with some of the shredded meat, natural yoghurt and parsley.


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Thai style pumpkin and cauliflower soup

Yes, friends, Summer is feeling like a long time ago (and a long time to come around again).

Our hats have been replaced with beanies, shorts with warm pants and I am well and truly wearing layers and gloves on my morning walk. My car’s windscreen is already icy in the morning (having given up my spot in the garage to a cubby house that has been under construction for far too long), and the kids have been asking for hot chocolates instead of their usual smoothies.

So I guess it is no surprise that hearty, comfort food has returned to our weekly meal plans. The slow cooker is generally on my kitchen bench, or a stew slowly bubbling away in the oven.  And, when I am feeling particularly needy of a cosy meal, a soup will almost certainly be on the stove top.

This Thai-style pumpkin and cauliflower soup made a welcomed appearance a little while ago. The vegetables were roasted, then combined with red curry paste, onion, chicken stock and a little coconut milk. Cooked and blended to perfection, then topped with fresh coriander, a drizzle of coconut milk and some fried wonton wrappers.

Hearty and delicious! With a great yield too so we had lots leftover for lunch and dinner the following days.

Print Recipe
 Thai style pumpkin and cauliflower soup
Course Soup
Cuisine Vegetarian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1.5 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Course Soup
Cuisine Vegetarian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1.5 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 180C and line 2 trays with baking paper.
  2. Place the pumpkin and cauliflower on the trays and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 40 minutes or until soft and golden. Remove from oven and set-aside.
  3. Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan, and sauté the onion until starting to soften. Add the curry paste, and cook - stirring - for one minute.
  4. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the pumpkin and cauliflower and simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. Use a stick blender to blend the soup until smooth. Stir in half of the coconut milk and season as necessary.
  6. Divide the soup amongst serving bowls. Tope with an extra drizzle of coconut milk, the wonton strips and fresh coriander.
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Cooking with Kids: Healthier Fried Rice

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Today’s post comes courtesy of Miss C – who started Grade 1 this year, and has been delivering her first ever school projects.  The focus last term was on healthy eating and lifestyles (something we are only too happy to embrace!) and saw the students do 3 presentations on various topics.

The first project required the students to cook a healthy meal and present it to the class. When tasked with the project, Miss C had no hesitation in suggesting that she make her healthier fried rice – aka something that my kids request quite often for lunch or dinner. Sure it has a little bacon, but the remaining ingredients are healthy, and the method is simple, making it a rather perfect meal for kids to help create and share!

Miss C had so much fun measuring out the ingredients, and setting up her cooking equipment. She then created a poster, outlining the various steps – as follows…

  1. Get your ingredients. On this occasion it was brown rice, peas, corn, bacon and a little soy sauce. We’ve also used carrots, zucchini and eggs on previous occasions. 2. Grab a pan and heat a little oil over a medium heat (with the help of a grown up of course!).3. Add your ingredients, heat and stir.

4. Serve and Enjoy!My little budding chef and her grand creation. And I’m told she did beautifully in presenting her project to the class also (proud parent moment right there!!)