We’ve been living in Australia for eight years in December. Eight years!!! It feels like a life time ago that we packed up our then family of six, with our meagre belongings stuffed into four suitcases, to embark on a new and exciting life. We’d never travelled overseas before our move but we had itchy feet and were not overly daunted by such a drastic shift. Yes we were sad at leaving behind loved ones, but excitement filled us at the adventures that lay ahead. The first two years were spent living in sunny Queensland but we still felt a little unsettled so after a bit of discussion we decided to hightail it over the country to Western Australia where we’ve been living somewhat blissfully, ever since.
Despite having lived here for so long I still haven’t gotten used to the heat. Winter is only fleeting compared to my country of birth but summer…holy, you ain’t ever experienced summer until you have suffered through a Western Australian one, it’s a total scorcher! and every summer that follows seems to be getting hotter than the last. I am already bracing myself for this year and we’re still in spring. A day when the temperature is over the mid twenties sees me cringing…I am a total heat wuss which is ironic given where we live…so you can imagine how bad I am at summers height.
Speaking of heat, please tell me I am not the only one who struggles to eat when it’s so hot outdoors and in? (we have no air-con so there’s little relief) About the best I can do is slurp on a smoothie or eat ice cream like it’s going out of fashion. The great thing about a smoothie is that they are a meal in themselves, unlike a heaving bowl of ice cream, and no rules apply as to what you can add. Some of our better concoctions have been those that we’ve haphazardly thrown together.
I’m on a bit of a ginger bender at the moment and throwing it in to everything I make. It’s zing rounds out the sweetness of the mango and banana quite nicely here.
Mango, banana & ginger smoothie – serves 3-4
Ingredients:
I ripe mango - preferably frozen
2 banana’s - preferably frozen
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 Tbsp flax meal
1 Tbsp coconut oil
1 – 2 tsp grated ginger
topping:
chopped glace ginger – optional
toasted/raw desiccated coconut – optional
Method:
Place all the smoothie ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth. You may have to scrap down the sides of the blender bowl a few times. Serve topped with glace ginger and toasted coconut
Notes:
- 1 tsp of ginger gives a subtle taste, for a bit more zing add another tsp or more
- I prefer to use frozen fruit in my smoothies for a thick cold mix, feel free to use unfrozen fruit in which case you may want to add a few ice cubes to thicken and chill
- I used home made coconut milk but any coconut/nut or dairy milk would work fine
- I don't tend to sweeten many of my smoothies unless the fruit is particularly tart, feel free to add it to your liking
As a teenager I absolutely dreaded the mornings, preferring to sleep my day away if given half the chance but since becoming a mum, I have grown accustomed to rising early and have actually come to relish that time between dawn and when the kids eyelids finally flutter open. It’s often the only solitude I will get on any given day before donning my mothers hat. My little ritual used to include making a pot of tea and taking it outside to listen to the birds chorus while the sun rose, these days I’m hitting the gym at 5 am in a bid to get fit and healthy and lose the last of this ‘five pregnancy’ weight.
The other advantage of rising with the birds is that it gives me ample time to make bread. Such as this monkey bread that I threw together before I skedaddled to the gym on Saturday morning. I’d not heard of monkey bread before last year some time and when I did my attention was piqued. I really have no idea where the name originated but on biting into my first ball of sweet, cinnamony, donutty bread, I was sold! After that very first initiation I think I made a dozen batches in so many weeks…hello hips!!! These days I don’t make this bread as often, which suits me fine seeing as I can’t eat it, but when I do the smell is absolutely intoxicating and I kick myself at being gluten intolerant.
Monkey bread – serves at least 6
(recipe adapted slightly from The Tart Tart)
Ingredients:
30 butter
1 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup raw sugar
2 1/2 tsp yeast
1 tsp salt
3 1/4 cups flour
80 g melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp cinnamon
Method:
Place the first measure of butter, milk, water and sugar into a small pot and heat gently over a low heat until the butter has melted and the liquids are luke warm. Stir in the yeast and set aside 5 minutes till frothy. Meanwhile, measure the flour into a large bowl and add the salt.
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a knife/wooden spoon until it comes together like a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured bench and knead for 5 minutes until smooth and glossy. Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with gladwrap and leave in a warm spot till it’s risen to double the size.
Once the dough has doubled in size, melt the second measure of butter and place in a small bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon till well combined. Grease a loaf tin well making sure to get into the corners. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured bench and divide evenly into roughly 50 pieces. Dip each dough ball into the melted butter then coat in the brown sugar mix and place into the loaf tin, layering as you go.
Cover the loaf tin with gladwrap and leave to rise for 30-40 minutes. You want the bread to rise again slightly. Preheat oven 170°. Once the bread has risen bake for 40-50 minutes until golden. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
Notes:
- we are spice freaks so add lots of cinnamon, you can reduce the amount to suit your tastes
- bread is best eaten on the day it is made and definitely while still warm
- the original recipe calls for a glaze, we found this much too rich for our liking but feel free to add it to yours
- I’ve added chopped walnuts, raisins and some mixed spice to my flour mix before adding the wet ingredients…it takes this bread to a whole new level!!
I’ve been feeling a little unsettled lately, actually I’ve been feeling this way for a while now. That pull to be closer to family is really tugging on my heart at present and the fact that we’ll be travelling home for two weeks tonight has me so excited that I can barely contain myself let alone concentrate on anything. It will be a time of firsts for our youngest three…first time back in seven years*, first time meeting cousins who have been born in the eight years we have been away, first time seeing the changes that have occurred in the place of their birth, first time being back since the passing of loved ones. So much has changed in the time we have been away, goodness knows I am not the same person I was when I left, but despite all of that we will finally be on home soil, albeit briefly, surrounded by family, and that fact alone makes me giddy just thinking about it.
In preparation for our trip, which will be 13 hours from woe to go, I’ve been busy making portable snacks to keep us sustained. I know I am not alone in thinking that airline food is pretty dismal and the options for me are even more limited now that I know I have food intolerances. Gluten free muffins, chia pudding (oh my goodness guys, the roasted strawberry miso chia pudding that I came up with is to die for!!) and these date and almond balls were just the ticket. Simple to throw together, easy to transport and nutritiously filling!
Date & almond balls – 24-28 balls
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole almonds
1 cup medjool dates – pitted
3 Tbsp cocoa
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp coconut oil – melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt
Method:
Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and blitz till roughly chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and blitz again until well combined and the consistency you want. Using moist hand, roll tablespoon amounts of mixture into balls and place on a plate. Refrigerate until firm.
Notes:
- chocolate ganache or salted caramel sauce can be added for a more decadent ball, just omit the water and oil
- a nip of baileys or kahlua is perfect for the festive season
- maca or mesquite powder is a lovely earthy addition
- any type of nut can be used as can an assortment of nuts
- can be kept in the fridge for up to a week (if they last that long) and in the freezer for 4 weeks
* lets not delve into how guilty that makes me feel
Guys can we just take a moment to appreciate these photos? I’m not normally one to blow my own trumpet but I must say I am rather impressed with how well they turned out! *blush I’m one of those people who spend more time than I care to admit ogling over the food photography in magazines, cookbooks and on the net and will admit to feeling more than a little intimidated at the high calibre set by other food bloggers but I gotta say, I think I may have brought my game…….finally, fingers crossed!
Anyway, moving right along. This dessert came about from having a jar of coconut milk, a lone lemon that had seen better days and some wilting thyme that needing using up and the ever so slight obsession I have developed for lemon, honey and thyme in a sweet dish. A few months ago I made Emm’s scrumptious ‘lemon, honey and thyme curd’ shortcakes (recipe in her cookbook) and was smitten with the sweet, earthy, zesty tang of these ingredients combined and have used every chance since to replicate the taste in various dishes. I’ve tested them in cake and biscuit form, in drink form – tea and smoothies and now dessert. The cake needs more work but I’ve been pretty happy with the other attempts.
Panna cotta is a rather decadent dessert that looks complicated but is really very simple and forgiving in nature. It’s a hard dessert to get wrong and the flavour combinations are only limited by your imagination.
Lemon & thyme panna cotta with lemon infused strawberry & mango salsa and honeyed walnut crumbs – serves 4
Ingredients: (panna cotta)
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup cream
4 sprigs of thyme
zest of one lemon
2 Tbsp honey
2 tsp gelatine
1/4 cup warm water
Ingredients: (lemon infused strawberry and mango salsa)
1/2 a small punnet of strawberries
1/2 medium mango
juice of one lemon
2 Tbsp sugar
Ingredients: (honeyed walnut crumbs)
1/2 cup walnut pieces – roughly chopped
1 Tbsp honey
Method:
For the panna cotta, place the warm water into a small dish and sprinkle over the gelatine. Mix gently then set aside for 5 minutes to absorb. Place the coconut milk, cream, thyme, zest and honey into a medium pot over low to medium heat. Stir while heating to dissolve the honey and then heat gently, about ten minutes just under a simmer, to allow the flavours of the lemon and thyme to infuse the milk/cream. Add the gelatine and whisk well to combine. Remove from the heat and strain into a bowl then divide between 4 x 1/2 cup ramekins/glasses. Refrigerate until set, around 5 hours or overnight.
For the salsa, place the lemon juice and sugar into a small pot and heat gently, stirring, to dissolve the sugar. Chop the strawberries and mango into small pieces and place in a bowl. Pour over the sweetened lemon juice and mix well to combine. Refrigerate until required but best prepared within an hour of eating.
For the walnut crumbs, place the walnuts and honey into a small fry pan and heat gently, stirring until the honey has dissolved and the walnuts are lightly toasted. Beware, this mix can burn easily. Once the walnuts are toasted place them onto a piece of baking paper or plate to cool. Once cool they can be stored in an airtight jar in the fridge.
To serve, unmold the panna cotta by dipping the ramekins in hot water and inverting onto a serving plate. If they are a little stuck simply run a knife around the edge. Spoon over the salsa then sprinkle over the walnut crumbs. Enjoy!
Notes:
- this could easily be made dairy free by using all coconut milk and/or cream (I did both versions on this particular occasion)
- I find panna cotta best made a day ahead
- if you prefer a sweeter dessert add another Tbsp of honey
- I used coconut sugar for the lemon syrup but any sugar will suffice
- infuse with whatever flavours tickle your fancy
Winter has arrived with a scattering of rain but judging by the warmth of the last week you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise. The seasons are rather strange here in Western Australia. The warmer months, which are excessively hot, seem to drag on f.o.r.e.v.e.r and a day while the cooler months that are over in the blink of an eye have ‘chill factor zero’ days that are somewhat few and far between. Talk about being ripped off! Give me hail and a bit of snow…..please? I want to hibernate for a week at least.
Despite what the mercury shows, porridge is on pretty high rotation in these parts. It’s only been in the last six months or so that I have started venturing away from traditional oat porridge in favour of other nutritious grains and while I enjoyed a bowl of porridge before I am well and truly head over heels for it now!
This banoffee buckwheat porridge, because who doesn’t love a dessert inspired breakfast, was inspired by Kelly’s creamy spiced version that we had a few weeks ago and fills the gap quite nicely with it’s nutty, creamy texture and subtly sweet fruity taste. Buckwheat does require a little forethought with soaking the groats overnight but the end result is so satisfying that it is well worth the effort.
Banoffee buckwheat porridge – serves 3-4
Ingredients: (porridge)
1 cup buckwheat groats – soaked in water with a Tbsp of apple cider vinegar overnight
1 cup coconut milk/cream
1/4 cup water
2 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
2-4 fresh dates – depending on sweet preference, chopped finely
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
2 bananas – one mashed, one sliced
small handful of chopped walnuts/nuts of choice
Ingredients: (caramel sauce)
1/4 cup coconut milk/cream
2 Tbsp rice syrup/honey
1 Tbsp coconut oil
Method:
Rinse off the buckwheat groats and place them into a pot with the remaining porridge ingredients (except the banana and nuts) and simmer gently over a medium heat for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once all the liquid has been absorbed, stir through the mashed banana and heat another minute or two.
While the porridge is cooking place the caramel sauce ingredients into a small pot and over a low heat simmer gently for 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
Place porridge into bowls, drizzle with caramel sauce then top with sliced banana and chopped nuts.
Notes:
- be adventurous and use this recipe as a starting point for other flavour combinations
- store any remaining caramel sauce in a small jar in the fridge for a few days, heating through before using
Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined having chocolate sandwiches as a child. The fanciest we ever got was sprinkle sandwiches better known as fairy bread. On the days that I opened my lunch to find sprinkle sandwiches, I thought all my Christmas’s had come at once. In my book they bet marmite sandwiches hands down! Our older school-aged children prefer salad wraps or filled rolls over a basic sandwich but thankfully our littlest is still easily pleased in the lunch department and after going through the various spread stages of marmite, jam and peanut butter he now favours chocolate spread.
I started making nutella a year or so ago using an assortment of nuts as the base but now that our little one is at a kindy with a nut free policy I’ve had to substitute the base yet again to make it allergy friendly. Enter nut-free chocolate spread. I’ve used both sunflower butter and tahini to make a nut-free version and both go down a treat.
This chocolate tahini spread is a cinch to make and is just as delicious as it’s namesake, if not more so, and those tears and tantrums that ensued over not being able to take chocolate sandwiches to ‘school’ are now a thing of the past. I’m scoring big brownie points here people!
Nut free chocolate spread
Ingredients:
1 cup tahini (I use unhulled)
4 Tbsp coconut oil
4 Tbsp hot water
4 Tbsp cocoa
4 Tbsp maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice)
pinch of salt
splash of vanilla
Method:
Simply mix all ingredients together until well combined and smooth. Store in the fridge.
Notes:
-This recipe is easily adapted to suit your tastes. It can be sweeter, more or less chocolatey, thicker or runnier depending on how much syrup, cocoa, water and coconut oil you use. Play around and find your perfect balance.
-Recipe can be easily halved.
-This spread is perfect for icing a cake with or for using as a dip with fruit.
The seasons are slowly but surely changing and with the drop in mercury I find myself reaching for woollen jumpers, long pants, socks and slippers. Winter blankets that have been collecting dust bunnies during the warmer months are being pulled out, washed and aired ready to adorn our beds. Hot water bottles have been rescued from the back of the linen cupboard and flannelette sheets are making an appearance. Stews, casseroles and soups are making their way onto our menu and the kettle is rarely off the boil in anticipation of the next cuppa. As desperate as summer was to hang on by a bare thread, autumn is making her presence known while winter is whispering that she’ll soon be on the heels of autumn.
I’ve been lingering in bed in the mornings lately, enveloped in the warm cocoon of my blankets. Not yet completely dreading the idea of rising as I do in the midst of winter when the chill factor is numbing but enough that I prolong the inevitable and the patience of by belly grumbling children.
Now that the weather is decidedly cooler first thing, we’ve been starting our day with a bowl of warm porridge. Where once I would soak the oats overnight trying to emulate the porridge of my youth, I now favour a speedier somewhat healthier version. In my humble opinion, if you are yet to try flaked quinoa porridge get in that kitchen pronto! This porridge has a different texture to traditional porridge, it is smoother, silkier and creamier. It is also much lighter than oats but just as filling and we find it doesn’t require the addition of milk though you could add a splash of milk of your liking. I encourage you to play with the topping, you are only limited by your imagination.
Flaked quinoa, chia and flax meal porridge with caramelised pear and walnuts – serves 2 but can easily be halved or doubled.
Ingredients:
1 cup flaked quinoa
2 Tbsp chia seeds
2 Tbsp flax/linseed meal
1 cup coconut milk/cream
1 cup water
1 pear
1/4 cup walnuts
10 g butter or 2 tsp coconut oil
honey to serve
Method:
Place the quinoa, chia, flax meal, coconut milk/cream and water into a small pot and place over a low to medium heat. Stir occasionally for 4-5 minutes until thick and creamy. While the quinoa is doing it’s thing heat the butter in a small pan and quarter, core and chop the pear into small bite size pieces. Cook the pear over a low heat for 2-3 minutes tossing the pan a few times then add the walnuts and cook a further minute or so. You want the pears to be caramelised and sweet but still intact and the walnuts to be lightly toasted.
Half the quinoa porridge between two bowls, drizzle with honey or maple syrup and top equally with the pear and walnuts. You are good to go.
Topping suggestions
- Caramelised or stewed apple with cinnamon
- Caramelised or mashed banana with lightly toasted slivered almonds
- Chopped date and toasted walnut
- Berry compote with greek yoghurt
As a small child I would often attend the Anzac dawn parade with my grandparents. We’d arise in the wee hours of the morning, rug up warm and head down to the local RSA where other men, who had served our country, and their loved ones waited in hushed silence for the march to begin. It was a day of recognition and commemoration for all the soldiers who had sacrificed their lives to protect our nation.
Being so young I knew there was an importance surrounding the day but I didn’t fully grasp the significance until I was much older. At that age, my five year old mind was in a hurry for it to all be over so we could get back home to the warmth of an open fire and fill our grumbling bellies with hot cocoa and cookies. Shame on me!
Now, decades later, I have taken over the tradition of baking those very same cookies. Not only in remembrance of the sacrifice made of men I never knew but in memory of my loving Nan.
Lest we forget.
Anzac cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
2/3 cup desiccated coconut
3/4 cup rolled oats
50 g butter
1 Tbsp golden syrup
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp boiling water
Method:
Preheat oven to 180°c and line an oven tray.
In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, salt, coconut and oats.
Melt the golden syrup and butter together in a small pot over a low heat. Add the baking soda and boiling water to a cup and stir till dissolved then mix into the butter/golden syrup.
Pour the butter, golden syrup and soda mix into the large bowl containing the dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
Using moistened hands, roll tablespoons of cookie mix into balls before flattening on the oven tray. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. Cool cookies on a wire rack before storing in a biscuit tin.
Makes 12-15 cookies
I know that Easter is done and dusted and that you may well be thinking that I have missed the boat in terms of posting a recipe for hot cross buns but let me share a little secret with you. My man and I share a particular weakness for these spicy fruit buns, so much so that we enjoy them at any time of year *wink
You see, hot cross buns were the last meal we enjoyed together before uniting as husband and wife. We married on Good Friday, 1999 so it seemed only fitting that we start the day with hot cross buns, sadly they weren’t homemade as we now enjoy, they were just your average supermarket variety.
I remember waking earlier than usual that morning, the sun just peaking out over the horizon. I looked over at the man still deep in slumber beside me wondering how I got to be so darn lucky. My heart skipped a beat and butterflies of excitement starting dancing in my belly as I drank in the sight of him. I reached out for his hand and holding it in mine thought about all the dreams we had shared, the babies we had created and the memories we had made. Leaving him to his dreams, I slipped out of bed to prepare breakfast. A pot of tea and toasted hot cross buns with lashings of butter. We sat in bed that morning looking out towards the beach, sipping, eating and laughing.
There was no sense of urgency as I prepare to leave for my parents to get ready, just a quiet calm that continued throughout the day. We exchanged vows on a cliff top overlooking the beach where I grew up, surrounded by loved ones, followed with a leisurely lunch at my dad’s restaurant. As far as weddings go, it was a very simple affair but one that I look back on with the fondest of memories.
Before I went to sleep that night I thought back in reverse of all the events that had unfolded that day. The partying and dancing until the wee hours, the heartfelt speeches, marrying the man that I adored – my soul mate, being given away by my Grandfather who only had weeks to live and eating breakfast in bed undisturbed by our little people. In that moment I promised myself that I would start making our hot cross buns from scratch and I’ve been umming and ahhing over hot cross bun recipes ever since. The recipe that follows is this years version adapted ever so slightly from here.
Hot Cross Buns
Ingredients:
310ml warm milk
2 Tbsp sugar
4 tsp dried yeast
600 g sifted flour
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp mixed spice
1.5 tsp nutmeg (we love our spice)
60 g soft butter
2.5 cups raisins (might seem overkill but we love fruit too)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
Egg wash:
1 egg white
1 Tbsp milk
Crosses:
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp water
Method:
Place the warmed milk into a small bowl with the sugar and sprinkle over the yeast. Mix to combine and let stand about 5 minutes till frothy.
Place the sifted flour, salt and spices into a large bowl and mix. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the raisins, yeast mixture and eggs and stir until combined.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for around 5 minutes until it becomes elastic and smooth. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or gladwrap and leave to rise until doubled in size.
Once risen, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and punch down before dividing into 12-16 equal pieces. Form a neat ball with each piece of dough and place about 2 inches apart on to a lined tray. Cover and leave to rise again 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 190°c. Mix together the egg wash ingredients and brush over the top of the buns. Whisk together the flour and water to make the crosses until it makes a smooth paste. Pipe the top of the buns then bake approximately 15 minutes until golden.
Best enjoyed with lashings of butter and a pot of hot tea!
*edited: I use a fan force oven, if you have a regular oven heat to 200°c and bake for a total of 20-25 minutes, reducing the heat to 180°c after 10 minutes.
