Homemade Pizzas

It’s Saturday night and we are supposed to have guests for dinner, but they’re at home feeling very sick. Shout out to SkyBeeJazz, wishing you and the kiddies well soon xx

To make the most of an evening at home I thought I’d get a little bit fancy, but still keep it pretty simple and relaxed, with some homemade pizzas. Pebble joined in, making her own tomato, cheese and ham pizza. She was so excited to “make it! make it!”. While trying to eat it she kept talking about how she made it herself, she was so proud. Unfortunately the pita bread was a little chewy for her. I managed to cook it perfectly for toddler mouths, just warm enough to melt the cheese, not crunchy or hard, but it was still a bit too hard to manage. I was thinking of trying an English muffin next, or just plain bread. I would feel more confident about those ideas if Pebble actually ate regular toast, but she doesn’t. Weetbix all the way for this kid. Needless to say we will be doing more cooking together when we can in the future, it definitely helps to have Daddy around to help out too.

Our adult pizzas looked a little different to the kiddy version. I tried a recipe for prawn, zucchini, feta and pesto pizzas and O.M.G! They were SO good. Light, fresh, tasty, just beautiful. I will definitely make them again…. just not often. The whole last minute chopping/assembling/oven hovering is just not my day to day cooking style. Not to mention the overall cost of it all. These days I look for recipes that are quick, easy, budget friendly, freezer friendly and child friendly. This recipe was none of those things, but it was perfect for a Saturday night stay at home treat. It was gorgeous with an asparagus, tomato and balsamic salad. To die for.*

What did you have for dinner on tonight?

*shhhh, don’t tell, but these were totally Weight Watchers recipes!** I am tres impressed.

** this is not a sponsored post.

Quiche ala Rockgarden

Tonight I’m going out to dinner, leaving Grandma to baby sit during the mummy-daddy shift change. I can’t let Paul and Grandma go hungry, so I whipped up a quick quiche that they can have with salad for dinner.

I’m not quite sure where I originally got the recipe for this quiche but I do know that I don’t have to look it up ever. It is so simple and easy to do, and so tasty!

Quiche ala Rockgarden

6 eggs, beaten
6 rashers bacon, rind and fat removed, diced
1/2 brown onion, diced (or cheat and use chopped frozen onion, I do!)
grated cheese ~ about half a cup? Maybe 3/4*
300ml cream*
300ml milk*
1 sheet of ready made shortcrust pastry, defrosted*

*I use the low fat version for all of these ingredients. It makes no difference to the taste, I promise!

1. Preheat oven to 200 celcius.
2. Spray a pie dish (or you could use a square baking dish, I do this occassionally too) with oil.
3. Roll out the pastry until it is large enough to fit your dish, then lay it in the dish, pushing it into the corners. Cut off any loose edges (and use those bits to fill any holes – hey, nobody is perfect!).
4. Put a sheet of baking paper on top of the pastry and fill the pie dish with dried beans (I have had the same dried beans for this job for years. I’m rather fond of them now. That’s probably weird, right?). Bake the pastry for about 10 or 15 minutes, then remove from the oven. Remove the paper and save your beans for next time (careful, they’re hot).
5. Meanwhile, fry the onion and bacon in a non-stick frying pan until just lightly golden.
   While you’re doing that, (such the multi-tasker!) whisk the eggs together with the cream, milk, and cheese.
6. Add the cooked bacon and onion to the filling mixture then pour the lot into the lightly baked pie dish. Cook for a further 40 minutes, or until the quiche is slightly puffy and golden. There should be no wobbly filling.
   

This is delicious hot, warm or cold, is great for lunches, AND travels and freezes well.

Dinner is done, dude!

I Give Good Cake

Last week I forgot my sister-in-law’s birthday. The very same sister-in-law and famous Aunty Julie who helps care for Pebble every week. I’m not sure who’s doing who the favour – Aunty Julie just LOVES our Pebble and looks forward to seeing her SO much. School holidays have meant that Aunty Julie’s services haven’t been needed and I know that Pebble and Aunty Julie miss each other very much. How can I tell? I just put Pebble down for a nap and told her that we’ll be visiting Aunty Julie when she wakes up. She giggled herself to sleep. Literally.

To make up for the missed birthday I decided to make her some cute little fairy cakes, filled with jam and fresh cream. Ok, the truth is I totally had a baking craving and seeing as I can’t eat any baked goods lately this was the perfect excuse to rock my inner Julia Childs. Bake THEN give them away!

Don’t they look delectable?

I just realised that there is a strong probably that my Dad will be reading this and I’m visiting him tomorrow. He’s totally going to want some. I’ll have to make another batch! We’re nearly out of fresh cream, so might be butter cream icing instead, ok Dad? I think you like them better that way anyway. Update: plenty of fresh cream after all, so fresh cream it is.

I very much like this warm and fuzzy that I’m getting from baking for other people. Tell me, what have you baked for someone else lately?

Baklava!

Another whirlwind weekend gone, the weeks go marching on. One more week until school holidays here in SA! Yay!

This weekend we went to a birthday party for our friend’s twin girls who turned five. Five! I can’t believe it’s been five years since we met those tiny little premmie babies who fought for every breath. Now here they are five years later, healthy, happy and starting school next term.

After the birthday party we whizzed off to a Greek themed dinner party with some more friends. I was in charge of providing dessert and chose to make baklava, to be served with strawberries and cream. I was a little bit scared of making baklava, at first glance it seemed so complicated with it’s many layers and syrup. But you know what? So easy!

I found a few recipes on Taste.com.au and merged the two that I liked best*. Why not?!

I used pistachios and walnuts and lemon juice and lemon rind. I opted for the recipe with more sugar rather than less because that’s how I roll. If you want to make baklava then check out the recipe links above and give it a go! I think you really can’t stuff it up, as long as there’s pastry + nuts + syrup it’s going to taste good.

The baklava was gobbled up in one night, with a few pieces shipped off to my friends family who couldn’t be there to share the Greek festivities with us. I recommend serving with strawberries and cream, they really took the edge of the super syrup-y goodness.

I would definitely make baklava again, I’m looking forward to an occasion to crack it out. I really must find somewhere to try a proper baklava so that I can see if mine was anywhere near the mark.

Have you ever made baklava? Have you ever eaten baklava?

*looked easiest to make.

Domestic Goddess

I’ve been looking for budget friendly, family friendly, body friendly meals and you really can’t go past a roast dinner to meet all three of these needs. As long as  you go easy with the portions and use low-fat substitutes where possible it makes a pretty healthy meal. Meat + veg. Simple.

I have cooked maybe ….. five? Yep, I reckon I’ve cooked five roasts in my life time. They’re just not my thing. They seem complicated, too many pots and pans going, a hot kitchen, too much timing to get right. Today I proved myself wrong. I prepped the roast potato and pumpkin mid-arvo, as well as making the cauliflower-broccoli cheese. Peas took a minute or two in the microwave just before serving, as did my awesomely classy box gravy.

The meat. The meat went into the weber about 75 minutes before we wanted to serve. Literally bung it in and go about your business until it’s time to pull it out again. I did massage some olive oil and salt into the skin of this baby, knowing full well that I wasn’t going to eat any of this AWESOME crackle. I have never enjoyed pork crackling. I try it every time and every time I’m left with a mouth full of the taste of fat. Which is just gross.

I am told that tonight’s crackling effort was CRACKING. Get it? Cracking? Cos it…. oh never mind.

Paul looked at his dinner plate then looked at me and said “This Is The Woman I Married!!”. Love it :)

How gnarly does that pork look? The best bit? With only two adult bellies to fill there is more than enough to go around for another roast dinner tomorrow night, plus some other left overs I’m sure. I love going to bed knowing that tomorrow’s dinner is already done. The simple things.

4 Ingredients - Chicken Spinach Rolls

I recently picked up a copy of 4 Ingredients Kids when tempted by the book stands at the door way in Big W. It cost around $10 and it’s a bargain! I’ve made a list of recipes to try, and have just whipped up some delicious, healthy, kid friendly and fairly budget friendly chicken spinach rolls.

Want to try them? Then get together these ingredients:
400g chicken mince
2 sheets shortcrust pastry
220g creamed corn
100g baby spinach

My notes: I’ve had the creamed corn kicking around the pantry for a while now, so was glad for the excuse to use it. I picked up the baby spinach for $1.87 on special at Coles, and the chicken mince was also on sale. I used 500g as that is what size the pack comes in and it made it a bit easier. I used two 125g cans of creamed corn as that’s what was in the pantry. This made enough filling for three sheets of shortcrust pastry (I used the Pampas reduced fat). I was tempted to try puff pastry, which is what I usually use for sausage rolls, but resisted the urge to deviate from the recipe and stuck with it.

Method:

• Get your toddler entertaining themselves so they don’t interrupt you while you’re cooking. You’ll be finished cooking in a flash.

• Brown mince in a non-stick saucepan and allow to cool.

• Add sweet corn and spinach (whoops, I added mine to the hot chicken – it turned out fine).

• Cut pastry sheets in half, spread mixture along each half and roll into long rolls.
• Cut each roll in to three (I cut mine into four).
• Cook at 200 degrees celcius for 30 minutes or until golden.
• Try not to eat them all at once!

I’m planning on freezing some and using them for quick lunches, baby lunch and even dinner with a side salad. I’d take these to a bring-a-plate family gathering any day, and they’d be great at kids parties. They’re great for sneaking it a few vegies too!

Menu madness

These days Pebble is eating meals along with us – in case you didn’t know she’s spent the last six months or so eating a combination of the same finger food every day for lunch AND dinner. Pasta, cheese, cucumber, peas, chicken, beans, strawberries, grapes, peaches. Healthy, yes. Variety, kind of. But not proper family meals.

Now she’s a spag bol enthusiast, has had a go at risotto and does mind a bit of meat and three veg (as long as one of those veg is PEAS) and she’s happily feeding herself with a spoon (too proud!). This means that I have to think a bit more carefully about what I plan to have for dinner for the three of us – nothing to spicy, plenty of veg, child friendly but healthy and tasty, and still good food for us to enjoy.

I’ve always been pretty good at meal planning, but usually it’s been an adults food plan. I need help with a family friendly meal plan. I’ve begun several times on this tedious job, but just can’t help thinking that surely someone has been here before me and done this job already? Google hasn’t really helped me here. I found a bunch of American pay sites for family meal plans, but American recipes drive me crazy with all the converting and un-recognisable products.

We’re also trying to penny pinch quite a bit more these days, so where I used to happily throw anything I fancied into the trolley, lately it’s been a dearth of mince, mince, mince.

How can something seem so simple and yet so complicated all at the same time? And so very, very boring.

Help me internet, help me! Point me in the direction of a healthy, family friendly, budget-wise, tasty and satisfying meal plan! Please.

The gift that keeps on giving

OMG you guys! I totally forgot to tell you about a fabulous present that I was gifted for Mother’s Day. Yeah, yeah, hugs and kisses from my two beautiful babes, Paul and Pebble. That’s was great. BUT. There was more! I think Beth covered this topic best on her blog, please go and check her out – but suffice to say that I was given a small piece of my childhood in the form of a cookbook. The Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Cookbook Vintage Edition, no less!

  

My siblings and I used to pore over this book, just for the fun of it. Many, many, many cakes were made over the years by my mum for her brood. I think all the numbers got a spin - a doll in a cake was trotted out, the train went for a ride, and the heart ice cream cake was a winner. This is childhood in a nutshell for me, and takes me straight back to my childhood home and family kitchen. The lino floor, laminate kitchen cupboards, dark-lit fruit and veg still life above the buffet, the pot of collectors teaspoons from around Australia, freshly baked goods always on the offer, that kitchen sink that my siblings and I would bicker over every night while we did the dishes, the orange and brown flowered saucepan set and classic collection of brown, orange and khaki Tupperware. Plate after plate of good, hearty, family friendly and budget wise meals that hit the table night after night, and were devoured by all. A birthday party for everyone, every year. And the Birthday Cake.

I continued the Birthday Cake tradition this year when I baked Pebble’s first birthday cake (blurrily pictured below). I can only hope that her own family memories are as fond as mine when she’s all grown up.

What’s your favourite family food memory?

Baking

It’s been a while since I baked, but this week I’ve found myself measuring out flour and cracking eggs more often than usual, and I’ve quite enjoyed it. I’m getting so bored with the food that I’m giving to Pebble, so I had a hunt for some baby friendly recipes online. I found this neat little cook book by the South Australian Government and their ‘Start Right, Eat Right’ initiative. Given that I have very little in the way of fresh food in the house at the moment, my options were limited! So I chose the cheese muffins – 15 minutes later they’re out of the oven and looking quite tasty. You’ve gotta love that!

I also found a recipe for pikelets. I know! Don’t laugh at me! No, I’ve never made pikelets, and yes, I actually had to look up a recipe for them. They were also easy peasy and are now cooling on the bench ready for afternoon tea. These tasty little morsels will make a good addition to the usual strawberries, peacherines, natural yoghurt, mashed veg and crackers and cheese that Pebble chows down on.

What have you been cooking lately?

Food, glorious food.

My weekend has been full of delicious food and wonderful family. We tried Liss’ chicken on Friday night and it was awesome, it really hit the spot. Make sure you give it a try! I simultaneously made a caramel mud cake ready for Paul’s mum’s birthday party on Saturday. It worked out quite well, and would have been better if I hadn’t neglected to keep an eye on the temperature and timing while cooking the chicken. A friend made it recently and hers was beautiful, so I can recommend the recipe, but can’t really recommend my cooking skills!

Saturday morning we were frantically getting the last minute bits and pieces ready for the birthday party at our house. It was low key, everyone was bringing a plate (or a casserole dish of curry, as it happens) so I’m not sure how I ended up chasing my tail so much? I think everything is just that much more difficult to do when you’ve got a little one who has her own demands.

The communal curry birthday was a huge hit. We had tasty beef curry, moreish rice pilaf, scrummy bombay potatoes and delicious dahl (definitely a keeper). Not to forget the roti, pappadums and steamed jasmine rice…. and the cucumber raita that I did forget to put out on the table. I wonder if Pebble would like to eat it for lunch today? Needless to say there was no need for dinner after such a gorgeous spread at lunch time.

When the food was all but gone and the last of the guests farewelled, Paul and I enjoyed some wine and Iron Chef before collapsing into bed.
Have you had any delicious food this weekend? Tell me about it!

Sunday, Sunday, here again

I felt most accomplished this morning. It was 9am and I had already EXERCISED. Yes, you heard it here first. You might be detecting a theme here. Two mentions of exercise in one week, when previously there was none? It’s true, I’m putting in some effort in this area, and it’s not very easy, but I’m trying. I have a goal, which helps. The City to Bay fun run is coming up and I’m aiming to WALK it with some friends. I’m not going to become a runner (or even a jogger) overnight. But I know I can walk it at a good pace and that it will be fun.

In other news, I scarpered off to a baby shower this afternoon while Paul ran Daddy Day Care. A lovely job of it he did too. I’ve just now waved off my Dad and Wicked Step Mum, after a lovely nosh up and natter. I had pondered what to cook and found myself drawn to Frills in the Hills, knowing that I’d find something tasty. Liss didn’t fail to impress, with her Thai BBQ Chicken. It was easy to prepare and so delicious. I will absolutely be making it again. This time I served it with steamed rice and stir fried Asian greens. It doesn’t get much better!

There goes another Sunday. How was yours? I did enjoy hearing about all the Nana-like Saturday nights, thank you for sharing that with me. It made me feel less alone in my nana-isms.

Bring on another week!