Pork ribs- Family favourite

Do I really have to write anything?
 The kids faces say it all really. I could of put chopped liver and raw onion in the salad and I don't think they would of even noticed, just as long as there were enough ribs to go round!

 I can't say enough about how delicious pork ribs are (American style that is, you have to have American style here in Australia otherwise you automatically get Chinese style ribs and they are soooo different). American style have chunks of meat on the bone, you can pick them up like a lamb chop and gnaw until you have sucked that little beauty dry! Chinese style are more like short ribs, they have a lot more fat, you can't pick them up like a chop and the knuckle bone gets a bit chewy after a while but when cooked right, they are also to die for.

I think the reason I love American ribs so much is the fact they are so easy to prepare as a family meal, not to mention there a kick arse crowd pleaser every single time......With the left over sauce I treated the guys at work to ribs for lunch the following day and they were in heaven. As one of my friends said "these are the best meat sweats I've had in ages"- love it!

Ok, so ribs in the oven, happy days, cooking away while I make a yummy shaved fennel and broad (fava) bean salad with a few chunks of cucumber for crunch. Once you peel the beans, it's pretty much 1,2,3 and into the salad bowl. I gave the salad a light lemon dressing, I thought the tang of lemon would go great with the ribs not to mention the oven roasted chips.
All my dressings are the standard measurement of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts extra virgin olive oil and added to it I always smash a garlic clove to slowly release the oils into my vinagrette, add a pinch of salt and pepper then shake and leave to infuse.

I have never seen Alex eat so may ribs in all my life, I think he must of been on a growth spurt or eating for all the days he missed last week when he was sick.
 I did think on my feet however and only let him eat his second lot of ribs if he ate some salad first...this stratigy worked wonders and I don't think he even knew he was eating fennel, or at least he did make his usual noises of  'what is this stuff you are trying to make me eat?'
As for Max....well he was in a meat heaven, we didn't hear much from him.

Burgers rock!

I feel I could almost be called a burger fanatic. In the past three years I have blogged about pork and pea burgers, beef burgers that actually turned out to be lamb burgers, pork and ginger burgers, veggie burgers and some more about beef burgers...

What is my obsession? I'll tell you why I love them
a) you can be eating dinner within 20minutes of walking in the door
b) flavour packed meal that can be very healthy if you please
c) I NEVER get any complaints from the kids
d) Instant satisfaction with your first bite
e) 101 different versions

Yep, it is true, I love them! Funny thing is, I never really ate them when I was younger (or was that before I lived in the States?) I'd have a burger if I was hungover and needed a greasy Joe fix but that was about it.
Thank goodness I have seen the light and embraced the burger, not to mention the oven fries that go so superbly with it!
 You guessed it, Monday nights dinner needed to be quick and fabulous so I burgered it!

Salad dressing

I was introduced to the green goddess dressing when I worked with chef Vince Battista back at Union pizzeria in Evanston. Vince told me it was an old American classic that he loved and wanted to revive it.

'Sure' I said and then happily grabbed the recipe and began knocking it up for the nights service.
To say I was impressed would be an understatement! That glorious, creamy, herb dressing was sensational and I think I ate a whole bib lettuce on my own that night, drenched in the silky green sauce.

Since leaving the States I have only made it once more. When I made it at work a few months back I think there was a rough and tumble to see who could lick the bowl, it's that good!. The reason I haven't made it on a regular basis is the fact that it is chock-a-blocka full of fat! Don't let the oodles of herbs make you believe it is 'good' for you. We all know mayo mixed with fully loaded sour cream loves to sit on our thighs and stay there!

After craving something smooth and delicious this evening, I decided to see if I could make a yummy low fat version of the goddess, just so I could make it on a regular basis. When I pulled out the container of low fat sour cream (I can't taste the difference to the fully loaded stuff?), Alex was right by my side begging to help with dinner- the kid LOVES sour cream, he'd eat it straight out of the container if he knew I wasn't looking.
Lacking in the herb department this evening I decided to make it completely with basil as I have it in large amounts and there is only so much pesto one family can eat!

 I plonked all the ingredients into a bowl, Alex grabbed the stick blender and giggled with glee as the dressing swirled around- it was yummy! SO yummy in fact that Alex pretty much made a meal of it and ate more lettuce than I have ever seen him devour in one sitting.

If you are looking for a quick, yummy and reasonably healthy alternative to ranch dressing or the goddess itself then do as I did and experiment or just try the one below. If I knew I was going to make it, I would of bought more herbs to mix through (like dill, chives and parsley), but that will have to wait for next time.


Basil and sour cream dressing
3-4 tablespoons light sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon warm water
4 basil leaves, roughly chopped
good pinch of salt and pepper

Place all ingredients into blender and mix until smooth and well combined.
Dressing should be quite runny.

Super quick green salad

Sometimes the simplest things in life are the best and this is why I share one of my favourite salads with you today. I don't know if you can really call it a recipe?

I make this when I need a heat fix, it's summertime, dinner on the fly, feeling like some veggies, something to go with a curry, peckish yet thinking of my figure........ are you getting my drift?

Sometimes you can over think food. You want to impress and try to find a 'new' dish so you keep plugging away at ideas until you think your on a winner (or is that just super competitive me?). Sometimes it works and other times you just go too far...... this is when I go back to basics and then wonder why I didn't just make this in the first place!

 I am ranting I know, but I thought I needed to share one of my favourites with you. When you next grill on the b.b.q or have a delicious chicken curry that needs an accompaniment I urge you to chop up a cucumber, peel and dice an avocado, slice a fresh jalapeno then throw it all into a bowl and douse with fresh lime juice, extra virgin olive oil and generous pinches of salt and pepper.

Simple, refreshing and very morish.

Lamb and haloumi winter salad

I had a few lamb chumps I needed to use up this week and I was trying to figure out the yummiest way I could feed the family. 

I was in the mood for anything really, so when I discovered I had some haloumi left over in the fridge I got really excited. How could the kids not get excited about pan fried cheese drizzled in lemon juice and then tossed through a warm salad of char grilled lamb, beans and peas?

 See, this is what I love about recipe books. If you flick through them long and often enough, you eventually start salivating over the pictures and then wondering why you don't have any duck breasts or truffles just waiting for you to work your magic.

I guess if I was still following a meal planner I would have all the ingredients at hand......but then if I did that I wouldn't be able to put one idea from one magazine together with another I found while flipping through a tatty old mag at the doctor's office the other day. 

I guess what I am trying to say in a long winded fashion is that sometimes you should let the recipe come to you because this was divine. The herb and garlic infused butter I served instead of a dressing was from a Sauveur mag about a year or two ago. It was jam packed with capers, mustard, garlic, and lemon rind so totally fitting for a lamb and haloumi salad.

The only part to this salad I forgot was a starch. Looking back now I should of whipped up a batch of potato rosti or even a side order of couscous, but if I was to be honest with you; by the time I fried off the haloumi, cooked the beans and peas, seared the lamb and made the butter the kids were screaming for dinner......I'm also thinking I should of made this when I had more time up my sleeve, then the rostis would of come out for sure.

Dear reader, I count this meal as a winner and loser. Flavour and appearance it scored 10 points hands down, but if measured in time and fulfilment it only rates a 5. I will have to go back to the drawing board on this one and work out a way to make it so the kids aren't chewing my leg off while waiting for the meat to rest- a work in progress!

Max is in the kitchen

I tried a new tactic with the kids tonight after swimming lessons. Usually they are hungry, tired and want everything yesterday. This post swimming condition always gets to me and no matter how organised I try to be, it is never enough.
We walked in the door tonight and it started up, you know the drill-

'Ok, time for a bath while I get dinner on boys....'
'Oh come on mum, we are hungry......I don't want a bath...'
'Please hurry up, wash the chlorine off so your hair doesn't turn green and then get out....'
(my mum use to tell me the same thing about the hair, actually I use to go to school with a kid who's hair really did turn green because of swimming, and you know I get that story out whenever needed!)

Max was the first out while Alex was pretending to be a deep sea diver. When he reached the kitchen you could almost trip over his lip it was so long. I decided to go for a diversion tactic and asked him what he would like for dinner
"Dunno.....meat"
OK I said, we have mince or sausages, what will it be?
"Oh, lets just have sausages.."
"shall we have them with salad and oven sliced potatoes?"
"Yeah....that's good"
and for some reason I then asked..
"Do you want to make the salad?"
Sure enough the lip was scraped off the floor, a smile appeared and he was bustling around the fridge before I could utter another word.

Max is 8, of course he should be in the kitchen helping out with dinner and what a great way to start. Max picked out all the ingredients, made the salad dressing and took great delight in putting it all together.
 I forgot how helpful and interested kids are in and around the kitchen. I spend all day cooking so when I am home I kinda want to get it all over and done with, however just seeing the concentration and determination on his face to make the best salad he could, was enough to remind myself to invite him in and help cook the evening meal more often.
Once he has mastered cutting soft ingredients (cucumbers, tomatoes, olives etc..) we'll then move on to the harder ones (potatoes, apples etc).
Great work Max and the salad was a perfect match with our Italian sausages and fennel and sea salt roasted potatoes (BTW, these were really, really good!)


(Smashing of the garlic is always a winner)

(squeezing of the lemon is always harder than it looks)

Here it is Max, your salad!

Max's family salad
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
7 olives, stoned and sliced
1/2 green capsicum, cut into pieces
3 handfuls of mixed lettuce

Place all ingredients into a salad bowl and pour over dressing just before serving.

lemon and basil dressing
1 garlic clove, smashed
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper

Smash garlic with something hard then place in small container with lid.
Add remaining ingredients, place lid on and shake vigorously.
Pour over salad just before serving, removing the garlic clove.

Lamb Salad-Saveur style

Succulent slices of lamb, roasted pistachio nuts, capers and roast garlic vinaigrette are a few of the flavours that went into this delicious dish and I cannot claim credit for any of it. Here at the Baker residence we have decided to dip into the culinary world of Saveur magazine for a few weeks and try some of the hundreds of recipes I have collected over the past 7 years.

I LOVE Saveur magazine as I have said many times. Nic and I have also made quite a few recipes over the years and always enjoyed the end result. However, like many other families out there we got caught up in the 'usual' family cycle meaning making the usual meatballs, making the usual roast chook. Now there is nothing wrong with this and I am certainly not complaining about the lack of flavour, but it was time for a change of flavours in our household. I/we wanted to taste other people's food.
 Don't get me wrong I love experimenting with flavours, textures and ideas but I also love to taste the way other people think when preparing food.
A prime example was this delicious lamb salad I found in issue 123 (page 66) of Saveur.
 The heading splashed across the magazines front cover states "Why lamb rules", and there on the front cover are two fabulous looking cutlets you just know taste sweet, juicy and down right delicious--of course I wanted to flip the page and read it from cover to cover back in 2009 and again last week!

I have made many a lamb salad and eaten oodles of lamb cooked in many different ways but one thing that stood out in this recipe was the use of mushrooms, capers and anchovies all mixing in with the regular lamb flavours (rosemary, roast potato wedges and thyme just to name a few). We added this recipe to our weekly list.

Another aspect to this challenge was for ME to follow the recipe as closely as I could. I am not allowed to do the usual skimming through the recipe, not really reading the method (thinking 'of course I know how to make a roast lamb salad')and doing what I think best. NO, I am making an extra effort to follow instructions and looking forward to the end result- untampered to the best of my ability.

Now having said that, I did need to change a few ingredients--for example when I asked my butcher for lamb top round he just looked at me and asked what the heck I was on about. In the end we both decided a butterflied leg would be a great substitute. Second, the recipe called for oyster mushrooms.....I love oyster mushrooms however the boys think they taste like a slippery, slimy- yeah, I don't think I need to go any further, you get the drift! Instead I bought enoki mushrooms and thought they would work a treat. My third and last sub was frisee lettuce. I once served this to the boys last christmas. Alex didn't touch it at all while Max chewed through a few leaves telling me it tasted like chewing on thorns, I just stuck with arugula leaves.
I'm not to sure I am allowed to reprint this recipe (copyright etc) so if you pop on over to Saveur's website, you can look it up in their archives, just remember it is from issue 123 and simply named 'Lamb salad'.

Ok now for the Baker families opinions:

The dressing of roasted garlic, sherry vinegar, capers, anchovies and olive oil was fantastic! A crisp, rich and tart flavour all rolled into one and when paired with the lamb itself, you couldn't stop eating it.

Alex being Alex decided he didn't like lamb (?) but loved the dressing so he sucked the salad dressing off the arugula leaves (no surprises) and lamb. Devoured all the oven roasted potato and rosemary wedges and of course didn't touch the butter and thyme sauteed mushrooms.
Max ate everything except, wait for it, the mushrooms!
I would definitely make this salad again, however I did find it took much longer to prepare than I thought it would, but maybe that was because I followed everything to the T? Not sure but next time I will no doubt take short cuts and possibly make the dressing ahead of time--great BBQ salad without a doubt.

15minute dinner

Tuesday night's rush hour dinner. Firstly, I have to tell you I was suppose to pre-make basil pesto, however I have set a trend for this week and HAVEN'T prepped anything to make my life easier on the nights I really need it.
Tonight's meal was going to be pesto pasta with roast chicken.....
I went to the shops and bought a delicious pre-roasted chook on the way home from footy practice knowing I had to duck out 45 minutes later to go to pilates, (sadly late work commitments made sure this part didn't happen!). While I had the boys in the bath I decided to boil left over potatoes I had in the cupboard, while making pesto. Two out of three isn't bad; pulling a bunch of basil from the fridge I realised I only had half of it left--not enough to make pesto for four!
Thinking on my feet and remembering a great little pesto Vince my old head chef use to make, I improvised. I threw in two tomatoes, one clove of garlic, a small packet of pine nuts, all the basil I could pick from the dying twigs and push the processors 'on' button. Once everything was all chopped I slowly added extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and kept blending for a few more seconds. The smell was getting me excited, the potatoes we almost done, Nic walked in the door, and the boys splashed out of the bath to the chorus of "dinner ready yet?"
I wasn't so sure if it was really enough for an evening meal even if I did add olives and avocado, however I didn't hear any complaints until after Alex had eaten 90%of his dinner and informed me that he didn't really like the pesto thingy, but the olives and potato were good.
 I am going to make this pesto again for sure, it was so easy, quick and really tasty. It would go well on pasta, fish, potatoes and anything else you could think of. A healthy 15 minute dinner for a busy family; I would definitely recommend this over take out any day.

Honey chicken and soba noodle salad

Thursday night of week 4 and we are having a very quick, easy, and tasty family meal to prepare.
Usually I'd blanch the snow peas once thinly sliced, BUT, Alex decided to perch himself upon my kitchen bench and 'have a chat', whilst chatting he started nibbling. First it was with something he knew, something he trusted (cherry tomatoes). After building confidence, he asked what the green stuff was 'Are they peas mum?'
'Yep', I said, he then began popping the peas out of the shell. I then explained that you can eat the whole thing, he gave it a try--he liked it but preferred the 'pea'. Thus began my new stance on snow peas; leave them as is, don't touch, blanch or stir-fry, just slice raw and serve.

You can BBQ the chicken thighs or pan fry. When marinated in honey, garlic, soy, and sesame oil, you have a beautiful blend of flavours that compliment the soba noodles, which are drizzled with sweet soy to give them that hint of sweetness.

Seriously, when you have great ingredients you really don't have to exert to much pressure. And with compliments from the family like 'this is really good mum' or 'yumm, what did you do with the chicken?..' you kinda start thinking...simplicity is best when dealing with family meals. It doesn't have to take hours in the kitchen, but if you put a little love and thought into your family meals, you really do reap the rewards.

After all I am on week four of my recipe books meals and not once have I had a real complaint over 'what is for dinner tonight?'. The boys have enjoyed the journey of the past month as much as Nic and I have, and we have all looked forward to our next family meal whether it be fish sticks with risotto, chicken curry or fish and chips. As long as we are all eating it together for that special 20-30 minutes, all is well in the Baker house and what more could I ask for?

Whole fish

So far this week, we have dined on pork chops with mango, beef satays and peanut sauce and tonight's dinner was right up there with the best of them when it comes to flavour. However, serving a 4 and 8 year old from a whole fish isn't as easy as it really should be. Firstly you get the 'cool, its eyes look like they are going to burst' to 'open the mouth mum, open the mouth!!' and then reality sets in and they ask what are they having for dinner (like I have meal option number two just bubbling away in the oven, as all good mummys do....and if you are one of those mums then I have nothing to say to you!).

I have filleted my share of whole fish, in fact I think I have filleted more than my fair share thanks to many a customer at Campagnola who would order the WHOLE fish then scream or whimper when it came to the table with the head and tail still attached (shock, horror!). I can fillet a stranger's fish in seconds and have it back out to the table in no time at all but when I was taking the fillets from the boys fish all I could see was bones, bones, bones-- did I get them all out?, will I have to give one of them the upside down shake? To say I panicked a little would be fair. This, of course, did not stop me from serving them their meal but I must confess I did watch them closely, that was until Alex informed me that he '...actually doesn't like this fish, just the ones I can hold and eat, they are real fish'.
After telling Alex I was 100% certain that this beautiful red snapper was a real fish, he then informed me '....well I like the ones with the crunchy bits'- 'oh really' was my only thought.
With that said he decided to admit to liking tomatoes and proceeded to eat all this tomatoes (that had me in a moment of shock), devour his baked potato and leave 98% of his fish. I was sad he didn't like it but not entirely shocked, after all it has taken a lot of grown ups years to master a whole fish, so I decided to let this one go and try again in a few months. Max on the other hand inhaled and the entire meal disappeared, but how can I take that for a compliment, the way he eats right now, I don't think the food even touches the sides!

Pork chops with mango salad and baked sweet potato

When I was going over our meal selection for this week, I was hoping Monday would be a warm day so I could compliment this yummy combo with a splash of semillon blanc and I was not disappointed. This is a great family meal because while you pop your sweet potato into a very hot oven and forget about it for 40 minutes, you can whip up your salad and then start cooking the chops all in the time it takes for your potato to be ready, OR you can be like me and cook the sweet potato the night before while you have the oven on for another reason completely.
I find the best way to cook sweet potato is to just leave it be. I rub a little oil on the skin to get the temperature rocking but then leave it to it's own devices. The end result- a caramelised spud still wrapped in it's skin and ready to be eaten. When left to cool like this, it is the easiest way to peel, it will last an extra few days in the fridge and can go straight into any salad without wilting the leaves and full of flavour.

Mangos are in full glory here at the moment, so picking up a juicy one for the salad is like buying an apple. For something a little different, I grab my peeler and peel off layers of cucumber, just like ribbons. It makes the salad look a little more exciting and the kids love to see a salad looking like spaghetti....anything to get Alex eating salads really.
Well that is about it, the sweetness of the potato and mango are complimented with the lime juice I use in the dressing and the lovely garlic and rosemary flavour I rubbed all over the chops tie it all together, creating an interesting meal with a common cut of meat.

Fish & chips, pizza and a detox anyone?

 

I ended this weeks meals with a home run and it was not entirely planned. Writing a menu plan from a list of recipes covering two months is a lot of meals and I think I must of got a bit excited in the beginning because somehow I put fish and chips back to back with homemade pizza. To say I was looked at tenderly by my 4 & 7 year old is putting it mildly!
Alex may not be a big meat eater but he makes up for it with fish, and since Max was knee high to a grasshopper he has made it very clear pizza is his (or in the top ten) number one food. For take away meals I must admit that fish and chips is my favourite, while homemade pizza is a close second-- a great 'taking it easy' dinner, perfect for  Friday night if you ask me!
Don't worry, I get serious again next week with dumplings, beef and cilantro bake and grilled fish just to name a few.
 I have also decided to do something I never thought I'd do.......I'm going on a three day detox (just writing it is making me feel weak).
Since moving to North Sydney I have met a great lady who has started her own business and her business is all about body cleansing. I see her day in and day out juicing all her raw fruit and vegetables, pouring them into  bottles and packing them off to her clients. Of course at first I thought good for her, and then when I dug a bit deeper a few months later I was curious as to how I would feel if I packed my body with nothing but raw fruit and vegetables, nuts legumes and water.....could I do it?

So starting Monday I am detoxing for the next three days while still sticking to my menu planner for the rest of the family (nothing like testing my self control!). I never thought I EVER go down this road believing I do eat a healthy diet but I'm telling you, if you saw Schkinny Manninny, you'd want to give it a go as she is the epitome of health and I want to have me some of that!

Friday night's Thai fish cakes with Asian coleslaw

Week one has come to an end with our menu planner and what a delicious way to see in a balmy Friday evening with Thai fish cakes. I know I am a few days late in posting but life kinda got in the way; so posting on a rainy Sunday seems appropriate......at least I got it in before next week's menu planner.

We LOVE fish in our family, yet before I started organising our family meals we rarely ate it. The fish shop was always another block down the road and I never really got there unless it was for a special occasion. Quite pathetic really seeing as every time  I serve it there never seems to be any complaints and dinner is devoured before the hour clicks over, which is more than I can say for other meals!
I know fish cakes can be off-putting to some people but if you have the right equipment, ingredients and a bit of time up your sleeve (let's say and hour while you are having your end of week glass of wine with no sporting activities to rush off to). For Friday nights fish cakes I wasn't able to cook them as I had a late delivery to drop off so Nic was in the throws of Asian coleslaw and pulsing fish when I walked in the door (and yes I did spot his opened bottle of beer!).
Nic being Nic followed the recipe to the T and we were not disappointed....actually that is not quite true. The fish cakes went down a treat and both boys asked for seconds, however the coleslaw wasn't to their liking. I am sure if you had kids that actually like normal coleslaw then they would at least have a go at my version of an Asian slaw where I make a mixture of sugar syrup, garlic (lots of garlic) fish sauce, chillies and coriander then soak the raw cabbage, onion and carrot in it to give it a lovely sweet and spicy flavour. To be fair I didn't put chilli in the family version, I just added it to my plate and with Alex Nic threw in a dollop of mayo with his raw veggies to make a classic slaw but still the nose screwed up and it was declared before even tasting it "not very nice."

So with that said, we all ate our fish cakes and even went back for seconds, however Nic and I were the only ones to get dessert and Max left the table with the comment "great fish cakes dad but don't do that salad again." Honesty stings a bit but I live in hope there are other kids out there who would love the Asian slaw as much as I.

Fennel and orange salad for kids

It is a boring kind of family meal I know. Why is she blogging about every day pork sausages and salad you wonder? well let me tell you why.

It was Wednesday of last week, I'd done half the shopping but hadn't managed to get to the fruit and veg shop down the road so when it came to whipping up dinner on Wednesday night after swimming lessons all I had in the fridge was some yummy pork sausages, zucchini, onion and an orange.... or so I thought.
Come on! I thought to myself, if I serve zucchini and onions to the boys I'll hear nothing but complaints (it was a hot and humid day so I was not interested in complaints!). We had got back from swimming late so I knew I didn't have long to whip up dinner, in fact Alex hasn't been able to last long enough to eat with us, so all I managed to give him before he fell a sleep was a sausage, carrot sticks, orange slices and bread- really healthy!
While the sausages were cooking I managed to find a tub of cherry tomatoes and hidden beneath the zucchini was a fennel bulb. Without even thinking about Max and his likes and dislikes of fennel (I knew he disliked cooked fennel) I began to make a salad of cherry tomatoes, orange segments and shaved fennel because that was all I had going, bar a few carrot sticks.
It hadn't even hit me that Max might not like fennel until I was tossing the salad and he came up and asked me what the white stuff was?' Umm, it's.....shaved fennel' I said 'it absorbs the orange flavour, you'll love it'.
Sitting down for dinner I think I was holding my breath waiting to see if he ate his dinner without complaint- VICTORY!
Max devoured the salad and even said he liked it, how cool was that. If I had had a fridge full of other veggie stuff he liked I wouldn't of even given the shaved fennel a second thought so I have taught myself something very valuable- don't get stuck in the family vegetable rut of carrots, corn and beans, lash out a little, try something new a few different ways and if it still gets rejected then perhaps then and only then I will come to the conclusion they really don't like the stuff.
So note to self:
 Max likes fennel raw, hates fennel cooked.
Alex hates fennel raw, cooked or even being in the house.....he has a few years to go before I give up on him completely!

Australia Day picinic

Yesterday was the perfect day for some summer frolicking. I can't really remember the last time I celebrated Australia Day as an adult. When I was a kid, mum and dad use to throw legendary Australia day parties in the back yard. Friends would come in the mid morning and not leave until the wee hours of the evening. Children were all tucked up in bed exhausted with pool hopping, games of cricket and general mucking about while the adults kicked on in the back yard. My sister and I would wake up the next morning to left over pavlova and the classic chocolate mints......the good old days!

The night before Australia day Nic was due home around 11ish so I had to stay awake to let him in- I thought what better time to whip up a pav shell?  Making a pavlova really isn't that hard you just need zero humidity and control of your oven- two things I didn't have.
Sydney is constantly wrapped up in a blanket of humidity and while my gas oven is very good, I am still not to sure of the real temperature as someone has come along and painted on dots to tell me the approximate temperature before 200 degrees. The pavlova turned out fine. Ok so it was browner than I would of liked but the shell was crisp and the middle soft so I went to bed happily knowing I'd at least accomplished one task.
Waking up the next morning I had to begin my prep for the rest of the picnic. Chicken wings with a soba noodle salad. I used a favourite marinade of mine- coriander (cilantro) roots and stems pounded with whole white peppercorns, a fresh chilli, garlic, fish sauce and palm sugar. This is a wonderful Thai style marinade that works beautifully every time. Although I do have good little eaters, Max and Alex are not interested in this, so I marinated their wings in Chinese black vinegar, honey, garlic and soy sauce, this marinade is a family favourite and works every time, the wings get all brown and sticky and you can't help but lick your fingers even after the wings are all gone.
The soba noodle salad is a wonderful, easy, healthy and delicious salad to whip up. I first got shown this salad by a fabulous chef I use to work for- Anthony Green who is now part owner of Fabulous fine foods  in Melbourne. We use to whip up batches of this salad and finish it with sweet soy and black sesame seeds- crowds would devour it in seconds. My version was slightly different but the concept is still the same- quick and flavoursome.
Once you have cooked the noodles (following packet instructions), strain and toss through sesame oil. I use about 1 tablespoon per two bunches of noodles. Pop in the fridge to cool while you prepare the salad of cherry tomatoes, ripped mint and coriander (cilantro) leaves, spring onions, chopped shittake mushrooms- (I soak these but I'll let you in on that tomorrow) and shredded snow peas.
When all your ingredients are ready combine with noodles, pour on some sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), toss and serve.

Within two hours I had a delicious picnic ready to go. A friend from Melbourne was up so we headed down to the beach for a wonderful day of sun and surf. The picnic was devoured in seconds while the sun burn still lingers on but hey, we got out there showed the kids a true Aussie tradition of making the most out of your public holiday and now it is back to business, school uniforms to buy, work to be done and leftover pav to be consumed for breakfast!

Last day of 2009

Happy New Year!!
Can you believe another year is coming to a grinding halt? A lot has happened for us this year and I am just trying to keep track of it all. The boys seemed to turn a corner and grew more inches than I'd like, thus my food bill also took a mighty hit. I also learnt I am now officially a tight a....! Yep, after my little shopping expedition last night and Nic questioning my thought pattern I am now in the running for a NYE resolution, maybe.....
I popped down the street last night to pick up some meat for dinner. The kids were eating leftovers from the night before so it was just Nic and I. We had a splash of wine in the fridge along with some yummy feta cheese, so I thought some lamb would be great.
As I was looking in the butcher's window I almost had a heart attack- lamb back strap $46.95 a kilo! "Wow" I said to the fresh faced young butcher looking for a sale "when did lamb become so expensive?" "Well, that IS the premium cut, miss"- for that price it would want to be!
It's about this stage a switch went on in my head without me knowing and I began vying for the best cut......or should I call it how it was and just say it....the cheapest cut, meaning the smallest.
'This is a lovely piece' said my fresh faced butcher 'It's only $16!'

In the end I bought a piece of lamb back strap for $10. Thinking I'd got a good price I marched on home to tell Nic the outrageous meat prices hoping to get a "good for you!"  All I was greeted with was a look on his face as if to say "what are you talking about?"
"$16 bucks isn't that much, I mean it is only $8 per person so that is pretty good"
Damn him and his common sense, he is right of course: I ended up buying us a piece of meat each for $5, however, we only ended up with about 100 grams each. He didn't laugh when I told him it was my weight watchers meal plan!
I screwed up, which is plain to see. I am still in the mind set that we have to watch every penny, we can't buy meat unless it is a bargain price but the reality is we have moved up in the finance world. We aren't living on a student stipend with two kids anymore, we actually have two full time jobs. I don't walk around the store with a calculator anymore, nor do I have to come up with 101 ways to cook with cauliflower and potatoes, so why do I feel the need to hunt for a deal?
I'm guessing it is pure habit and in my own defence a very good one.
For the New Year I have decided to embrace the life of a dual working family instead of looking at all the negative aspects and I have also decided to loosen the strings on the past. I will never stop hunting for a bargain but I will stop and think about the true value of things.
I am sorry Nic for building your hopes up on the beautiful lamb dinner and reverting to my old habit of putting a few slices of meat on the plate with lashings of potatoes. Next year I promise that if I am going to cook lamb I'll buy it for what it is, not what a great deal I got- this way you won't just remember the salad!

Roasted quail salad

All holiday guests have hopped on planes back home, the rain has settled in on Sydney and I think it is a perfect time to reminisce about our Christmas lunch. Of course it would of been better to blog on the evening of the 25th but that was not possible- one too many glasses of plonk, a tummy full of fabulous food, not to mention all the star wars lego that needed to be fixed and re built.
If I am cooking Christmas day Nic always likes to fix a course for us to start with. He usually makes a delicious salad of some sort and this year was no exception. He came across a recipe in Stephanie Alexander's 'Cooks Companion' for a pigeon and fig salad.
 "Why don't you see if you can pick up a pigeon while your down the street shopping".
 Sure I thought and perhaps if I can't manage to pick one up at the local butcher I'd shoot one from the sky, pluck it and have it ready for you to cook! This is when I suggested quail as a good substitute.
As Nic is accustom to my sarcasm he shot back with "what ever is easier for you".

I took Tarsh (my sister) along with me on the day before Christmas food shopping expedition as I thought it might get a bit ugly- people pulling and grabbing for the last punnet of strawberries, people standing on other peoples toes at the fish market vying for the best oysters, prawns and crayfish... I was happily surprised at how relaxed and normal everyone was. We were able to buy 90% of ingredients needed, managed to pick up a packet of fresh quail (a little disappointed I didn't get to knock off one of the rats from the sky myself) and make it home in time for a cuppa and a slice of December cake.

The beauty with Nic's version of Stephanie's salad was minimal prep allowing you to get it all ready while the quails are roasting in the oven. So we weren't without food for half a minute I whipped up some oysters Kilpatrick for Tarsh (she can't stand a-la-natural) and we began our Christmas feast with fresh prawns drizzled in lime, Sydney rock oysters and some pistachios while we waited for the quail to roast.

If you are wondering, my kids like many other kids and think oysters are disgusting! I have managed to get Max into eating prawns however Alex is still unsure and just likes to rip the heads off and make loud YUCK! noises as he is doing so. I am in no hurry for them to enjoy the delicate flavour of an oyster, it is bad enough I have to share the blue cheese with Alex, I don't think I could stand handing over an oyster seeing as I still only have them on special occasions.

Ok back to the salad, once quails have roasted on 210 degree for about 15 minutes they need to be 'rested' in foil. This is when you wash the baby endive, cut the fresh figs into halves or quarters and whip up your dressing. (Nic used a good red wine vinegar, e.v.olive oil with a good pinch of sea salt and cracked pepper).
Now the quails are rested and cooled a little you need to pick all the meat from their little bodies. When you have all the warm meat, toss it in with the baby endive and sprinkle with a little sea salt and cracked pepper followed with a good feta cheese. Drizzle on a bit of your dressing, toss and then place figs on each serving plate. Place quail mix in the middle and drizzle on a little extra dressing.

Such a simple and clean salad. The figs are a perfect match with the rich quail meat and creamy, salty  feta. Endive is quite bitter which is an acquired taste (one the kids decided rather quickly they didn't like) however when combined with everything else you just didn't want it to end. A perfect salad for summer and goes beautifully with a cold glass of semillon.
Nic set the bar high as per usual so I had a bit of sweat on the collar when it was my turn to head toward the kitchen and begin the next course, however I'll leave that for another day.

Max's NEW favorite food

 

As I was flicking through my food photo collection I didn't realize Max was standing behind me browsing along side of me.
"That one, oh I LOVED that one mum"
and with that he lept forward pointed his sticky finger at the screen and wished the lamb wrap would jump out at him.
Although I haven't been blogging as much as I'd like to, I have still been clicking away at meals eaten leaving the photos to sit and wait for me to write about. This is my new way of trying to stay on top of it all- getting to do all the things I love without all the stress.
These wraps were devoured when Nic was O/S and Grammie Pam was visiting. I had gotten home late one night, the kids were starving as were Pam and I. I remember looking into the fridge and thinking 'What can I whip up in under 20 minutes?'
I'd just made a really yummy cucumber dip at work that day and I was wishing I had brought some home so I could smear it on some of the lamb mince- that was when I spotted the pre bought hummus and taziki I had as 'back up' food while Pam was visiting (I didn't want to run out of food while my MIL was in town!).
Basically the meal we had that night was a mixture of the bits and bobs I have around the house like olives, cheese, jalapenos, hummus, wraps etc.... the food items I can't live without.
Carrot and garlic got thrown into the lamb mince purely because of the lack of veggies for a family meal, after all carrot seems to go with everything. While I was piling the toppings on the wraps the lamb was cooking and the smell of lamb, garlic and cumin was intoxicating!
A squeeze of lemon juice over the lamb while resting the meat really makes them extra special.
 I am happy Max's new favorite meal is so healthy and easy to make- lets just see how many of these bad boys he can put away this summer....

Friday night dinner

I think I should re name my blog 'weekend blogger' as it seems to be the only time I get to hop online. Welcome to the world of full time work and parenting I hear some of you say, well your right. I am happy to say I have survived my first three weeks of my new world and I must say I couldn't of done it without the help of my mother-in-law, Pam.

Because my hubby had to pop off to Italy in the first week of me taking over the business I thought I should ask Pam if she could come and 'help out' with the kids. I assured her I'd be home in the afternoons to do school pick up and all she would really need to do was drop them off at school......Oh how wrong was I!

Nic has been away for almost 3 weeks and for the past two weeks I don't think I have been home earlier than 6.30 most evenings. Whatever happened to my perfect, child friendly new full time job I cannot say and if I was to be completely honest with you I'd have to say the Charcoal chicken I bought on my way home one night was a life saver, the pasta stores at home have dwindled down to nothing and anything that took more than 30 minutes to whip up was never seeing the light of day.

This is not to say we haven't been eating some yummy meals. Take last nights dinner- fish and chips. I'd come home early from work, Grammie was on her way back to Victoria and I actually felt like a decent meal. Fish was something I had told Pam 'I'll pick up one night', but as things go it never happened!

I asked the boys what they would like for dinner, mentioned the possibility of some fish and they both thought fish and chips an excellent idea. We all packed into the car before I changed my mind and headed for the fish shop. Flathead fillets were looking delicious so I grabbed a few and headed for home, on the way I dropped into the supermarket and picked up a bag of potato gems (something from my childhood I have fond memories of and know Nic would never eat).

By the time we got home time was ticking on, the boys started picking up all the toys they had left about the house (I might of threatened boiled peas and potatoes if they didn't!) while I started dinner. Because flathead is such a delicate fish with a subtle flavour I wanted to grill it and make a quick lemon butter sauce.

Looking into the fridge I discovered I didn't really have a hell of a lot of salad bits and bobs to go with dinner, this is when I had to get creative with the shape of veggies; carrots get turned into sticks, cucumber chopped into quarters and then sliced and tomatoes chopped small with seeds removed (Alex could be tricked into eating the flesh/skin if I am lucky enough). I also found some pickled asparagus lurking in the side door of the fridge so I decided to pop it in and see how it fairs (considering both boys HATE asparagus when it is lush and green I didn't like my chances).

With the potato gems almost golden brown, my salad macerating in a garlic and balsamic vinaigrette it was time to grill the fish. I lightly covered the fillets in seasoned flour then heated my frying pan with a good dollop of butter and a hint of olive oil to stop the butter from burning before the fish was cooked.

When cooking fish fillets like flathead, perch, orange roughy or ling you really only need a medium high heat to brown the fish without burning it. Once the flesh starts to look white gently flip the fillets over and cover the pan for 2-3 minutes to help the cooking process.

Remove from the heat squeeze in half a lemon, pop the lid back on and leave while you serve up your potatoes and salad. The fillets will be well rested and you should have a lovely citrus flavour coating the fish.

The boys and I really enjoyed this quick and simple meal, Alex spotted every bit of tomato and berated me for even thinking he would eat it, however success was had with the pickled asparagus, Max ate every last bit without the slightest idea so I was happy with 1 out of 2 attempts of introducing the boys to food they HATE!

Pasta salad & bike riding

What an exciting day it is today. The sun is shining bright with actual heat in the rays, Max is off at school after two weeks holidays and Alex and I are home alone. I knew I wasn't going to get much done in the way of work today due to the gorgeous day, so to make the most of it I promised Alex a day in the park. He was very excited with my decision and decided today was also going to be the day he road his bike without training wheels!

"I'm 4 now mum so no more training wheels, Max didn't ride with training wheels when he was 4"

With that said who was I to argue? Right near my (and Nic's) work there is a fantastic park with a very big oval and running all the way around the oval is a bike track so I thought that would be the best place to get Alex on two wheels. Within minutes of us making this decision I got a phone call from Nic saying his lunch date fell through and what were we up to? Well this never happens so I decided to pack a quick picnic (quick because time was ticking on and Nic only had half and hour to spare if we were at the park in the next 20 minutes). Time running against me I popped on a pot of water and boiled pasta for a quick pasta salad. Alex is always on at me for something different for lunch BUT when I tell him we were bike riding then having a picnic in the park with dad he enquires what is for lunch and I pull out all his favorites; pasta salad with cheese, ham and cucumber etc, he looks at me then pulls a face and tells me he does not want pasta salad and why couldn't we just have a sandwich? Seriously people I can't keep up with the whims my kids go on!

Anyway back to my salad- time was ticking and the pasta was boiling so I didn't have time to pander to Alex's needs, I caved and made him a wrap just to keep me smiling.

The pasta was going to be hot and I hate running pasta under water to cool it down, I think it totally changes the flavour of the pasta and does nothing for a salad, so with that said I used a couple tablespoons of mayo to give the salad some body and dressing, then I ripped up shaved ham, chopped some cucumber into chunks, roughly chopped some coriander and tossed it all through. The smell was really tasty and because the pasta was still warm it opened up the flavour of the coriander (cilantro). I hesitated a little then thought well Alex isn't going to be eating it so I might as well throw in some pickled jalapenos to boot! Ohhh what a treat, something was missing but I couldn't concentrate, I had to leave the house right then, Alex was asking me if he could take the training wheels off NOW and I still hadn't put his bike into the car....time is always ticking. Just as I leave the kitchen I see the tomato sitting on the window ledge bursting with colour and ripeness and thought that would be perfect but no time so I had to go with what I had and I have to tell you......

a) as you can see from above Alex is now the proud rider of a two wheeler bike

b) I got to the park on time and without a speeding ticket

c) salad was really tasty, especially with the jalapenos.

Of course when Alex saw us eating the salad he wanted some which was fine, I just didn't give him any green bits and he didn't seem to notice the hot pickled flavour- perhaps excitement took over!

A fantastic day all in all and a salad I will come back to even when I have more than 7 minutes to make it.