Where Have I Been....

Well its been an embarrassingly long time between posts!

I have been very busy setting up business. My new venture is " KinderChefs"  organic cooking lessons for pre-schoolers and their parents.

We haven't started as yet but next week will be our first demo class to practice on our friends, try to iron out any creases before the REAL class begins.

The aim of the lessons is to create a fun, educational, musical environment for our children to learn about food and cooking. Our vision is for children and their parents to understand how easy it is to eat healthy with minimum fuss and time spent in the kitchen.

So far the response has been very positive and the local media has been very generous.

We are using as much organic produce as possible and our recipes are low sugar and low fat.

I have sourced great local suppliers so this will keep our carbon imprint low. Our butcher is organic and makes his own small goods with NO nitrates and sulphates or preservatives!!!

So wish me luck as I venture into the world of wee chefs.....

Keep you posted!

Where does the time go???

Dear Blog,

How very sorry I am for my lapse. I have not been nourishing you at all...you have been so good to me and I am completely taking you for granted.....

Well now I have apologised and feel better for it!  ;)

So why have I not been around???  Well where do I start...I have been very busy with motherhood and work.

The universe sent me the most perfect little cafe that is local to me and it just so happens to be on the market for sale!!  I just cant give up a bargain and this quaint little building is truly perfect for my next venture.  What will that be you ask???   (insert drum roll....) Italian Restaurant!!!

Its the next step for us after being in cafes for years we are now ready to operate a night time restaurant. We intend to do rustic, family ordinated dining serving good Nonna's food.

We are just in the process of pleading with the banks to lend us more money so we can open in October with a lovely renovated restaurant.

So this is why I have been neglecting my lovely little blog. I hope to be able to start sharing with you all some lovely Italian recipes and yummy photos soon.

"Watch this Space"

Ciao for now. 

Quarantine and Chicken Pox

Hello my lovely blog...its been too long between visits.

I have no excuses, time has been on my side. My button was exposed to chicken pox over 2 wks ago and I have had to go into quarantine mode. Alas he did not get the spots, but my poor husband did this week!!

Not a great thing to catch as an older person Im afraid. So I have been playing nurse and trying to keep a very active toddler happy and busy during the most rain I have ever seen! 

I have had plenty of time to write on my blog but to be honest I have lost my mojo...:(

So today I searched high and low for it and found it in the packet of some wonderful Pizza Flour and dried yeast.

Both my boys are having huge sleeps today. Little one is coming up to 3 hrs and My big one has been snoozing on the sofa for the last 2.

I need to make a great afternoon snack for when they wake up ravenous. Not being able to make noise I decided to go with pizzas.

My dough is proving while i write this post.

It got me thinking about our favourite foods as children and especially the food we were given when sick.

My mother always made me creamy mashed potato with chicken gravy. To this day its my favourite sooky la la food.

My husband took some soup out of the freezer for lunch today and it just so happened to be his mothers Pumpkin and Tomato. Coincidence I think not... We all revert back to our inner child when feeling poorly and there was nothing better then snuggling in to your mothers open arms for a cuddle and dozing off to the melodic beat of her heart.

I  saw a glaze go over on my husbands face as he slurped his mother's soup. Like a big warm cuddle in a bowl.

My little button loves my pizza. So today he will have some!

I always make my own dough and tomato sauce. Its really easy and very self satisfying. The romance of making dough will never be over for me. Working and kneading the dough puts me in a trance every time. Then watching the ball of yumminess grow before your eyes as it rests in the bowl will never be boring.

Today Im going to use my fresh buffalo mozzarella, salami and mint. Yes I know mint sounds strange on a pizza but I saw this combination on a TV show the other night and I have been dying to try it.

Button just likes his true Italian style...tomato and cheese.

Well the boys are stirring from their slumber so I must get on with it and be the italian mumma makin da pizza!!

Ciao.

Website is GO!

Sorry its been a long time between posts.....life has been hectic to say the least.

My business has now become techno!  I have my very own website.

www.poppyseedcatering.com.au

Its been quiet with business lately but on the home front very busy. Jackman turned 2 and we had a little party for him. What I love about this day and age is our life has become so easy to document thanks to Technology. I was able to take loads of photos and video. I'm also in the process of creating a printed photo book for each year of my sons life.He will be able to look back over the years and see his childhood.

So thanks to you brainacs out there, forever creating and upgrading our technology systems.

I often use the Internet to source recipes and different cooking methods, its quick,easy and cheap.

Still nothing beats going into a bookstore and choosing your next cookbook. I love the smell of a new book (weirdo??) I always have a good whiff then I flick through the pages.

 

My next purchase is going to be the book  "BabyCakes NYC"  an absolutely inspirational gorgeous woman who has created a cupcake bakery in New York for people with strict dietary requirements.....gluten free,sugar free,wheat free.

It hasn't been released in my town yet so I might have to get it on Amazon. I cant wait any longer. It has given me a few ideas for another cafe venture I would like to do in the next year.

I have been thinking about opening another cafe, my hubby is a bit resistant to this idea...who can blame him, we have only just sold our cafe!!

I will have to work on him gently...... ;)

Well need to start getting tonight's dinner ready while my wee button has his midday sleep. How very stepford wife of me.

Enjoy your day and remember.....

"Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass...its about learning how to dance in the rain"

Hot Chocolate and a Cookie??

Well today it is wet,cold and my little treasure has a tummy bug....I have never seen so much liquid come out of something so small. Where does he store it all?

My washing machine and dryer has been working on overtime.

I remember when I was sick as a child mum always gave me my favourite food to eat. My little button's favourite food are my home made choc chip cookies.

This recipe is a fantastic freezing cookie dough. It will make a few sausage rolls of dough but just wrap them in glad wrap and freeze for up to 5 months!!

Good for emergency drop In's. Or for bringing a plate to share...

Awesome Cookie Dough

250gms unsalted butter

1 cup caster sugar

2 eggs

splash vanilla essence

120 gms almond meal

1 cup brown sugar

3.5 cups S.R flour

This is the best part of this recipe.....

The flavours you add to your dough can be any combination you like!

But it must be 250gms  of each. Choose 2 flavours only.

Total of 500gms in weight.

So for my choc-chip cookies I add in 250gms milk choc chips and 250gms of white choc chips.

Pre-heat oven to 180.c

Cream butter and sugars till fluffy add your eggs and mix again till smooth.

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, add the almond meal.

Add the butter mixture to the dry and work in with your hands.

Massage and knead the dough till it starts to come together.

Add your chosen flavours and keep kneading the dough.

It should come together to a nice smooth pastry like consistency.

If its a bit dry add a splash of milk.

Separate the dough into 3 or 4 balls, and then roll into a sausage roll shape. Cover in glad wrap.

Let it set in the fridge for about 1/2 hour. If your going to freeze some of the dough then do this now.

When the dough has been rested you can unwrap it and slice it into rounds. You can make your cookie as thick or as thin as you like.

Thick cookies will take longer to bake and the centre is nice and chewy.

These cookies will spread while cooking so don't over crowd them on the baking tray.

Line your tray with baking paper. Place the cookies on it and pop into oven.

I usually bake them for 12 mins first then check. You will have to decide how long to bake them, this depends on the thickness of your cookie.

Keep in mind the cookie might be softish but it will crisp up when it cools down.

Here are some flavor combination ideas....

Macadamia/white chocolate

Pecans/dries apricots

Pistachio/ Dark chocolate

Almond/apricot

Dried Fig/ chocolate

Let your imagination go wild. I sometimes scout the cookie shelves at gourmet foodie shops for flavour ideas.

Make yourself a cup of hot chocolate, put up your feet and don't stop at one cookie!!

Or in my case make a cup of warm chocolate that will be shared and end up with soggy cookie bits in it,most definitely be spilled over me, have a cookie rubbed into my pants and sit on the floor playing trains and passengers.......bless.

In the words of the blue hairy master connoisseur of cookie eating... "COOKIES...num, num, num, I love the cookie!!"

Enjoy. x