is this too much of a good thing?

Recently I came across a humorous thought from someone...it went something like this - 'By the time we all get out of isolation, half of us will be pregnant and the other half will look pregnant!' It made me laugh at the time but now I'm not so sure if it isn't the darn truth!

There's been a lot of eating going on here. Eating that might have been done at a cafe before isolation I suppose, although I mostly just had a coffee or a hot choc at the cafe where my daughter worked. Mostly....there may have been snacks too. And maybe the odd lunch. Hmmm.

Anyway, I don't think it's so much that I cook more because I always cook meals and often snacks, it's more that since I have lots of time at home, I'm cooking more bready, floury things that take time - of which I have ample - to produce. And having Stuy plus the two young ones to feed means theres three very good reasons for making extras! Young men of 22 summers need a lot of feeding to fill their 6' selves! And when that young man is trying to keep up his workout 'gains' - half a loaf of bread disappears quickly in one sitting!

A friend gave me some sourdough starter a few weeks ago, so I've been trying to get back into sourdough baking. I feel my brain has had a mid-life crisis because it simply cant remember how the heck to make sourdough - and I made it for years back when my children were younger!!! My starter (which I haven't named yet but would love suggestions!) is being well fed and keeps getting bigger by the day and every so often I need to use some up...until such time as I feel able to tackle an actual loaf! Last week the extra made a very tasty focaccia. Of course it went straight to my hips.

The next day the two young ones went to a nearby pine forest for some mushroom hunting. Whats a mama to do when there's a couple of baskets of delicious Saffron Milk Caps to be had? Make pasta of course!! That took up an afternoon and provided us with lots of enjoyment......as well as a delightful meal of Creamy Vegan Mushrooms with pasta. Yum! I think this lot went straight to my already well padded tummy.

The mushrooms weren't the only thing foraged in recent times...there are also The Apples. I feel we are apple magnets because not only have we been gifted a lot of homegrown ones but once again the young folk went out and brought home more! There's only so many we can bottle (although daughter Bee is doing a great job on those!) so since dessert is necessary on occasions - for the soul you know - we whipped up a sweet as Apple Crisp. Straight to the hips again, I'd say.

Apples again? Yes, yes it was. Breakfast - pancakes with sourdough starter (I cant bear to throw any away!) and blueberry apple topping. I couldn't find the cinnamon so improvised with some Chai latte mix and it was pretty impressive although the pancakes were a tad chewy from the sourdough. Next time I'm going to try these Vegan Coconut Pancakes that I found via CJ's post although it might help if I knew what 'free from coconut milk drink' is!!

I've given up wondering where on my anatomy the pancakes ended up ;)

that took a while!

Oh geez that took a while! I've just spent a good portion of two days working out how to a) link a page to various past blog posts of mine...and b) make a suitable image on Canva! Finally, after some cursing, many cups of tea and lots of chocolate eggs later, I DID IT!!!!

So if you have a penchant for cooking, especially fresh and vegetarian, you might just find something yummy to try. And if you are one of my children calling for a recipe - look here first!

Now theres another page I'd like to create and thats one with all the crafty and repurposed things I've made over the years.....and maybe a homeschooling one as well.... I'm not sure however if I should start asap (too much gnashing of teeth all at once!!!???) or wait until I've recovered and perhaps forgotten a few particulars of Canva and Blogger?

I'll give it some thought as I wander outdoors for a breath of fresh air today.

I hope you find some deliciousness - let me know if you try any out!  

my life is (too) sweet

There have been a number of sweet things in my life of late. Too many sweet things in fact which made it hard to refrain from tasting, savouring and tasting again....sigh... (guess what my New Year resolution action might be??). Yes last year was not a sugar free year for me although it was a lite-sugar version! Miss Bliss, 14, has discovered cake making and decorating as well as photo styling which, paired with Instagram have become a full time hobby! But we have had some delicious treats and a few very fancy birthday cakes! 

That cheery red poppy and pansy creation above, was a simple chocolate cake topped with whipped cream, 'wild' flowers from our very overgrown garden and some crumbled frozen raspberries. It looked smashing for a 19th birthday cake in November! 

Then came Chocolate Mint Power Balls and Raspberry Bliss Balls. Now these were naturally sweetened with medjool dates and other nutritious ingredients and I did manage to try one of each before they were inhaled by various loved ones who always seem to be visiting when there's something yummy to be had! And they were delicious!

This lovely pink confection was my birthday cake in December - a lemon butter cake with pink frosting and fresh roses. All I wanted for my birthday was a big bunch of homegrown roses (which were obligingly obtained from the park by one child and a backyard by another!) and Miss Bliss used some to decorate the cake so beautifully. Not a good photo but it did look impressive and I'm pleased that she's following my tradition of using flowers, seeds and homegrown bits rather than sugary, shop bought decorations.

In our home, its not Christmas without loads of traditional biscuits and while this time, there were only four varieties, there were still ALOT! These ones, called Spitzbuben (loose translation = "cheeky boys", don't ask me why!) are made the closest to Christmas as they are the hardest to keep for longer due to our summer weather as opposed to winter in Austria. We made three batches of these - which were finished first because they really are so very more-ish! Here is a recipe in English for you to try.....mine doesn't use lemon rind but the rest is similar. 

Miss Bliss received a gorgeous cookbook from lovely friends, 'Natural Harry' by Harriet Birrell and naturally (haha) she had to try a frozen sweet delight immediately! And oh my, it was divine! The recipes are all plant based - this one is Peppermint Crisp Slice. Once again there were medjool dates and nuts involved but the best part was the mint flavour from the peppermint oil and the smoothness of cashew cream centre and cacao topping......I'm drooling over my laptop just thinking about it!! 

Now its mid January and I'm firmly putting my New Year Actions into place - it only takes 21 days I'm told but if she keeps trying out new delights my willpower is going to be seriously depleted! 

Wish me luck.....Evi

making and freezing pesto

Look at all that lovely fresh, pungent basil! Doesn't it just make you think of hot summer days, long lazy lunches and good friends? Yes, yes, me too! 

Since we erected my favourite garden structure, the poly tunnel, I have been growing bunches of basil......lots of bunches! The first year I just used it in every dish I made and we had pesto with every meal - okay maybe not breakfast, but it was close! Then last year I thought it would be better if I made pesto all in one go, popped it all in the freezer and then pulled a jar out whenever I needed to add it to a meal. Only I didn't use it much over summer, still having the fresh stuff in the tunnel and when I did use it in the depths of winter, I realised that this what I was going to do every year! What better way to inhale just a small part of the summer glow, than with a delicious jar of fragrant pesto! 

                     

So with the help of children and a visiting family friend, we picked armfuls of basil, peeled clove upon clove of garlic, whizzed walnuts and grated parmesan. Oh the smell was delightful, so lovely I wish I could send a bit of the delicious smell through to you!

Fresh Green Basil Pesto

4 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup of walnuts

4 cups of fresh basil leaves

1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Himalayan salt

fresh grated pepper

1 cup of extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor, add the garlic and walnuts and give them a buzz until they are roughly chopped (see above) 

Add the basil leaves, Parmesan, salt and pepper to taste (maybe 1/2 - 3/4 tspn)

With the machine running, drizzle the olive oil into the mixture until its all fairly finely ground and well mixed. 

Pour into small jars and cover with a tiny bit more olive oil to stop the top going brown. 

Cover with a tight lid and eat now or freeze for winter! 

I have kept this pesto in the freezer from April until December and its still delicious. I'm sure it can be kept frozen for longer though, without any loss of flavour. 

We mainly use ours as a flavour bump in sandwiches or to add to pasta with extra Parmesan, butter and fresh cracked pepper.....ooh its making my mouth water just to think about it!! Yum yum yum!!!

PS - I'm writing this up on a friends computer because I am having a little jaunt in NSW. Its quite a bit warmer up here and I'm enjoying it immensely! Back soon!

a raspberry breakfast recipe

This summer, this dry, dry summer, we've finally managed to harvest a wonderful crop of raspberries. All sorts of magic just seems to have come together - warm weather, flourishing canes and best of all, a bird net! Oh yes, the bird net, has been very helpful in keeping out those rascally blackbirds, although any small gaps are very quickly taken advantage of by birds that seem to spend their days waiting for a lucky break! And as you can see, one small brightly coloured chickadee still managed to find her way in under the net on a daily basis……and under the strawberry netting too! She visited most days and the first excursion was always the berry patch! 

While most of the berrys were eaten fresh, some did manage to make it into a meal and that meal was mostly breakfast. Theres nothing nicer in summer than a sweet berry feast to start the day and its even better with home grown ones! I mentioned before, that I'm following an eating plan called Trim Healthy Mama, which, at its most basic, separates fats from carbs and eliminates most fructose. I lowered my blood pressure (which had 'mysteriously' risen after years of very low BP), I lost that bit of flubber that was expanding my waist and I am feeling fantastic! Although I feasted on Christmas food including sugary biscuits (well, it was Christmas) I'm now firmly back on my eating plan and happy to be so.

The following recipe is one that we make a lot, mostly with frozen berries as the berry season is so short lived. We make it in various incarnations and although there are a plethora of these recipes getting around the 'net, I'm just going to share the variation that we make and enjoy using raspberries.

Raspberry Summer Porridge

1 cup rolled oats (not quick oats!)

1 tablespoon whey protein powder

1 tablespoon chia seeds

Pinch of salt

1tablespoon of Natvia* (or to taste - I like it sweeter so I add extra stevia too) 

1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries

1/2 cup 0% Greek yogurt

3/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk

Optional splash of vanilla

The evening before- 

Mix together the dry ingredients.

Add in all the wet ingredients and stir to mix well.

It should be fairly sloppy because you are going to let it sit overnight and the oats and chia seeds will soak up a lot of the moisture. 

Leave in the fridge.

In the morning, enjoy your summery berry delight!

This recipe is what would be called an 'E' meal which means it is very low in fat and therefore high in slow release carbs. But please don't think I'm dieting and missing out on satisfying fats…oh not so! I'm still eating lots of butter, coconut oil, eggs, cheese and all other delicious fat rich foods, I'm just eating them separately from my starchy foods! If anyone is interested, I'm happy to share more recipes and information although the best idea is to buy or borrow the book and read it for yourself. Fascinating stuff! 

So there you have another summer breakfast to add to the repertoire. Sadly our raspberries are now finished but we do still have strawberries coming on……..

*Lets talk about Natvia. This is a mixture of stevia and erythritol (theres an excellent article about it here) and while I'm not 100% convinced that its completely benign, I do feel its a whole lot better for us than sugar/fructose. Stevia is a fine white powder thats been processed from a small plant and like most things, there are good quality products and cheaper not so good quality products on the market. Natvia is actually just a brand name combining the two sweeteners and is found in Coles or Woolworths in the sugar section. 

pfeffernüsse biscuit recipe

So. I had great thoughts of posting a few of our favourite Christmas biscuit recipes. Now its only two days before the Big Celebration and I haven't posted any yet. Ahem. My days are filled with baking, cleaning, decorating, organising, shopping (yes, I'm still doing that) and a myriad of other now or never must do's. But truly, these tasty little flavour bumps are worth putting aside a bit of time for, amongst all the busyness of this busiest of seasons. 

I make LOTS of these spicy biscuits every year - just before Christmas - and they should keep for up to a month if you store them in a tin in a cool place. Of course, in my house there are very rarely never any left after about two weeks so I can't truly verify if they are good for a month, so please use your discretion!   

Pfeffernüsse

4 eggs

400gm caster sugar

100gm almond meal

1 heaped tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamon 

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

500gm plain flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

******

For the glaze

100 gm icing sugar

Lemon juice

*Mix sifted icing sugar with enough lemon juice to make a thickened cream-like mixture. Add more lemon juice if you want thinner icing.

******

Whip the eggs and sugar until light and frothy.

Add almond meal, spices and lemon zest. Stir.

Sift flour and baking powder into the egg/spice mixture, mix until smooth. 

Give the dough a light kneading in the bowl until it looks smooth. You may need to add a little more flour if its too sticky. 

Take portions of dough (about a cup size amount?) and roll it into long sausage shapes (approx 2.5cm diameter) on a smooth surface. You can see in these photos that I use our plastic covered table! 

Now cut your sweet sausages into 2.5cm lengths and put them on a greased tray….not too close as they do spread a teeny bit. 

Bake at 160C for around 12 - 15 minutes depending on how hot your oven runs. I do mine on 165C (sorry not sure how to get that little degree sign!!) for 13 minutes or so. 

While warm dip the tops into the lemon/icing sugar mixture.

Leave to dry well before storing. 

And thats that! The biscuits will be a bit crunchy but heres a little trick to soften them - just add a quarter of an unpeeled apple into the tin, leave for a few days and the apple helps to moisten and make them chewy. Be sure not to let the apple touch the biscuits though, as they will get a soggy spot!

This recipe makes quite a few biscuits. My family also eat quite a few biscuits over Christmas. I make 4 batches of these, along with 4 batches each of at least 3 other kinds and although I wrap and gift quite a few, there are not many left after New Year. I told you they ate a lot of bikkies but perhaps its because they're all deprived for the rest of the year when I mostly make healthy, sugar free cakes!!

I do hope you give these a try. There are endless variations of this recipe but this is the one that I've settled on and find easy enough to whip up quickly. They are really very moreish and such a special treat!

Dieses feines Gebäck wert ihr schon kennen! Ich backe Pfeffernüsse nur zu Weihnachten und meine Familie ist immer ganz begeistert dabei. Ich hab hier mein Rezept aber sicher habt ihr selber eines und ich muss es nicht übersetzen!  

sunflower cheese anyone?

Have I mentioned before that I was brought up by a very health conscious mother? She grew up in a family of nine children during WW2 and they didn't have enough money for general living expenses let alone for doctors and medical treatments. If they were ill they stayed at home and rested, perhaps with some sort of herbs. People in those days were a lot more resourceful and used what they had around them, taking responsibility for themselves. Mum doesn't remember being sick often but I'm guessing that when she was, she was put to bed and given a nice herbal tea that corresponded to her symptoms because that was just what she did for us kids when we were growing up!

Tummy ache? Here sip this peppermint tea!
Headache? Have a nice calming chamomile tisane!
Cold or flu? Rosehip tea will pep you up…. its full of Vitamin C!  

I just mention this because my mothers healing ways had a big impact on myself and my sister. We have both chosen to educate ourselves about healthy healing modalities, eating a clean, plant based diet and taking care of any illnesses using natural methods. Most of my children had never seen a doctor until they needed to obtain a medical certificate for a job and those three that did need a hospital visit, needed it for accidents rather than illness (and yes, I am thankful that there is that option available)

Now, I'm not sure why I'm rambling on about this but it seemed like it might be relevant - after all, not many people make 'cheese' out of sunflowers! I don't often make it anymore either but about 10 years ago, we spent a year and a half eating a very high raw diet and this tasty recipe was not only used as a dip but also when thinned down, as a dressing for salads. This summer we have (as usual) had loads of zucchini and this was another way of munching through that glut! Sunflower seeds are quite cheap compared to nuts so this is an economical way of adding a whole bundle of vitamins and minerals into our diet.

Sunflower seed Cheese

1 1/2 cups sunflower seeds

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2 or 3 cloves of garlic 

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

I dry blend the seeds up in my blender first and then add the rest of the ingredients. You might need to add a bit of extra water to make it blend properly so just adjust the seasonings. 

If you soak the seeds in water overnight, it makes the 'cheese' creamier, is easier to blend, you won't need to add extra water and it also removes enzyme inhibitors. 

Enjoy it on crackers, as a dip with all sorts of veg or on top of sweet zucchini rounds!!  

fat hen - a nutritious weed

Do you remember in my January Slow Living post when I mentioned that we were eating a 'weed' called Fat Hen? A nutritious weed that grows well in rich, soil especially in cooler wet weather. Since we had a late start to summer with a lot of rain in October and November, we also had a mighty good crop of Fat Hen! 

Each year we purchase trailer loads of spent mushroom compost to spread around the garden but due to the rain last year, we didn't get to spread it out for quite a while. The garden beds that the compost was piled onto, became really rich and moist and I ended up with a fantastic crop of this lush 'weed'. 

The official name is Chenopodium album and it is in fact related to quinoa. The name Fat Hen was given to it because it was used to fatten poultry. Our hens may well have put on some weight because they ate loads of Fat Hen when we weeded out the garden beds earlier in the season!  I still give them a plant every now and again and they peck every little leaf and seed until there is just the skeleton of the stalk left. 

Instead of me re-writing all of the interesting info on this plant I'll just give you a couple of interesting websites that I found while looking for botanical names.

This one mentions that Fat Hen grown in nitrogen rich soil will contain nitrates and should be consumed in moderation (which we did). It also contains oxalates, so should be cooked rather than eaten raw, although I feel that the healthy enzyme content in small quantities would make up for the oxalic acid consumption!

Garden Organic, a UK site, mentions that the seed buried in undisturbed soil can still germinate after more than 20 years! Yikes! I shall be sure to pull out any remaining plants before they seed!

On this Medicinal Herbs site, there is a good lot of info on eating and using Fat Hen as well as any known hazards.

And if you want to find out more about the history of Fat Hen and some of it's relations, check out A Modern Herbal by Mrs M Grieve.

 So when there isn't yet much in the garden and the troops are hungry, why not use a little bit of what is growing?

We often have cooked quinoa for breakfast and I usually make extra so it can be the basis for lunch or dinner too. My very quick fried rice quinoa goes something like this…….

In a large frying pan heat some coconut oil, add chopped onions, carrots, zucchini, broccoli, celery and what ever else is lying about in the fridge or is in over abundance in the garden! You can also add frozen corn niblets and peas if you have them.

Saute until softened.

Add cooked quinoa/buckwheat/rice and stir through. Season with tamari and pepper.

At the last minute add a few handfuls of clean Fat Hen leaves and shoots.

And thats that!! We have ours with a salad of some sort and sometimes omelette strips on top.

And thats two recipes in as many weeks - must be all my excitement over the food we are growing!!

I'd love to hear if you use any 'weeds' in your cooking?
And how did you learn to identify them? 

Thanks for stopping by to read my thoughts and also if you've left a comment!  

two easy summer recipes

Last summer we had a huge amount of food coming out of the poly tunnel - aubergines, tomatoes, basil and capsicums as well as potatoes, onions and garlic in the garden. Stuy was away in India for the first three months of the year and although the veggie garden was prolific, my time wasn't! I had to take on more of the business side of things, do most of the gardening by myself as well as schooling the children and running our home.

It was busy!!!  Something had to give! 

Then as I trawled around some blogs late one night (isn't that what you do when you are tired and overworked and just need some 'me' time?) I discovered one that was dedicated to Greek vegetarian food. Lots of Mediterranean veggies, herbs and olive oil - just what was needed.

And I came across Greek Briam. Oh it's good. Very good. So good that it became one of the staple summer dishes that got me through that busy time. Easy, tasty and healthy.
Lisa, who writes the Greek Vegetarian blog, has some fantastic recipes there, all with beautiful photography and sweet snippets of Greece. 

I won't rewrite the recipe for you because I haven't changed it except to make double or more, so go and have a look for yourself and do try it! We mostly had it with a very quick focaccia style bread, which I will share here…. but please bear in mind that this recipe is - as usual - just a rough one! 

Easy Focaccia

In a large mixing bowl place 2 cups of blood temperature water. 

Stir in a spoonful of sugar or honey. 

Sprinkle about 2 heaped tablespoons of yeast granules over the water/honey mix.

Drizzle a good slurp of olive oil over the yeast.

Stir together gently.

Cover with tea towel and leave in a warm place for at least 15 minutes.

When it looks frothy, start adding flour. I use plain spelt or plain organic white flour with a bit of wholemeal. 

You will want to add some salt at this point too.

Keep mixing in flour until the dough is fairly stiff and workable.

Oil the trays. 

Divide dough and press onto tray (about 1cm thick) 

Prick all over with a fork.

Sprinkle with coarse celtic salt, fresh rosemary sprigs and dried mixed herbs.

Drizzle olive oil over the lot. 

Bake at 180 degrees for about 1/2 hour or until done. 

And there you have it! An easy summer meal. We had some local feta to crumble over the top and it really does need some source of protein. Perhaps hard boiled eggs would go too. And a crisp, green garden salad.

I really hope you give this a try. I've had these photos lined up since last years Briam meals and now that its summer again and I'm almost ready with the right vegetables, I thought I'd share.

Do you think you would make this?
Do you like oily, rich dishes?
I do!

hot and cold

Living in Tasmania means that we rarely get temperatures above 30°C and if we by some lucky chance do, it's considered extraordinary! Last week while the rest of south eastern Australia sweltered in the 40's we too were rather hot under the collar with four days of 28 - 30°C. And believe me, when most of the year is only in the 'teens on the thermometer, thirty makes you sweat and feel a little crabby with those near and usually dear to you! 

I'm embarrassed to say, but I will tell you anyway, that before we moved here I didn't get up in the morning if it was below 12° and the fire hadn't been lit!! It didn't always work of course but I certainly tried, naughty me! These days, I consider 12° reasonably balmy due to most of the year being well below that and have to smile when I recall my younger self!! 

So, all that to say that we have had hot weather here too although no where near the temperatures that Linda and Kate have been enduring up on the mainland. I well remember hot, sticky, sleepless nights with fans and wet wash cloths (and secretly, I do prefer them to the endless cold)!!

Anyway, last week we resorted to ice blocks to cool off. Our Small Elf had her first one ever, made by her lovely mama, and enjoyed the experience so much she repeated the fun when she came here to visit. 

That lovely yellow one in the funky shaped mould is made of - 

2 mangos 

1 cup coconut cream

1 cup water

Whizzed up in the blender and frozen till yummy! 

This super red delight was whipped up by our Fairy Girl from -

2 cups mixed berries

1 cup fruit juice 

1 cup water

Sadly today it's quite cool again, not even reaching 20° and we are back to wearing long sleeves and socks but I live in hope that all that glorious summer weather returns again and we can repeat the easy living, easy eating of hot summer days. 

Oh summer, how I love thee!!! 

Wir haben momentan etliche Heise tage und zum abkühlen gab es eis zum schleckern. Zum ersten mal für unsere kleinste maus.

Die gelben sind Mango mit Kokosnuss creme und etwas Wasser und die roten, etliche Beeren Sorten und Früchte Saft.

Die kleine geniest es so sehr!!  

   

christmas cordial

Living in Tasmania means that we get to emulate many of the culinary efforts of times past. That may not be strictly true of course, but I seem to make and create a whole lot more 'old fashioned' food and drink than I did when living in the warmth of NSW. Last years rhubarb champagne is an example, as is the elderflower champagne we made last year too. Dj made both (and enjoyed both!) along with the family. I still don't know if they have any alcohol content but I'm happy to pretend there's none!!

This year he has made elderflower cordial due to a shortage of plastic fizzy drink bottles. We never drink those and never think to start asking friends to collect them for us early enough to make a batch for the festive season. Oh well, a change is good and we did have various glass bottles that were just right for cordial. Perhaps it looks like we give the fizzy's a miss and drink only vodka and wine, but truly that is not the case at all.... really!!

We used Tanya's great recipe which you can find here and although it's a bit cloudier and darker in colour than hers, the Dj assures me it's delicious! It certainly looked very pretty with the late afternoon sun streaming through the window.

Today we started on the first four batches of the mountains of biscuits we bake each year. Lebkuchenherzen (gingerbread hearts) coated in chocolate are another of those things that I've only been making since we moved to Tassie.... chocolate biscuits in 40˚ heat?? No way!
Tomorrow they will be rolled, cut out, baked and coated with delicious chocolate and I'll be photographing the process to share.


Unser Dj hatt wieder etwas gutes für uns zu Weihnachten gemacht. Holunderblüten Sirup, goldener süsser Saft zum trinken mit prickelnden Wasser. Oder vielleicht für mich ein Hugo!!
Wir haben aber viele Blüten auf denn baum gelassen dammit wir auch Holunderbeere haben im Herbst.
Heute sind endlich die ersten Keks entstanden, Lebkuchenherzen, weil es ist nicht mehr lang bis das Christkindlein kommt!