Monthly Archives: August 2011

sunshine, bare toes and biscuits

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Sunshine. A whole bundle of it.

24C and it’s still another month of winter to be had. I think the winter season might have other ideas though…

That’s all people, we gave winter a red hot go. You all wore your scarves, your gumboots, your big jackets, and complained a whole lot. The other seasons and I have had a little regroup and decided that spring may as well pop on over as they wasn’t much else happening in her neck of the woods anyway. Enjoy. 

Fair enough I say. Enjoy we shall. You can’t really complain about clear blue skies, and a warming sun on your back to warm some tired old bones. Tired old bones this week as the Little Monkey and I have been wallowing a little in self pity. Trying to fight off a rotten cold that just won’t seem to go away. I tried wallowing for a little, it didn’t much work for me though. Monkey Boy still needed to get to school, Mr Chocolate was busy working and dinner still needed to be on the table. Nope, wallowing had to be put aside. Besides, Little Monkey was far sicker and needed a calm hand to help him through it all, as he really was feeling miserable this week.

Biscuits helped. I thought they might. Jam ones in the middle… but they didn’t help enough, (that’s when I know the little fella is really sick.) They helped Mr Chocolate and Monkey Boy though, as they happily ate his biscuits.

Then the week came to an end and so did the cold. A lingering cough for the little fella, but he’s right back to looking for his biscuits.

So an afternoon snack, packed off to the local park for  some sunshine, bare toes and biscuits.

Coconut Jam Drops

200g softened butter

1 tsp vanilla

75g raw sugar

90g desiccated coconut

150g self raising flour

75g plain flour

splash of milk- (approx 2 tbls)

jam

Soften butter, cream vanilla and sugar together. Add the other ingredients and mix well. Roll them into tight little balls and use something lying around the kitchen to make a little indentation for the jam to go in. 1/4 of a teaspoon or so of jam popped in and bake at 180C for about 20 minutes.

seven

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I was linked up by the wonderful blog Bagni di Lucca for a look at seven of my older posts. I don’t usually do award things (as I’m a bit of a poop), but this wasn’t anyway and I really was interested in what had worked, what hadn’t, and just a general going through the archives as did Bagni di Lucca and other bloggers before her.

So I looked, and this is what I came up with…

1. Most Beautiful post.

I still think of the two little old ladies that I wrote of in this post from time to time, wondering how they are… A little Sunshine in your Sunflower Bread.

Sunflower Bread

2. Most popular post.

This was a tricky one to decide on as I wasn’t sure how to define it. Tasmania was certainly popular though. It seems a lot of people have similar dreams of Tasmanian holidays or possibly a lifestyle change. Keeps me inspired just reading what others had to say…Tasmanian wanderings.

3. Most controversial post.

It’s been a while since I wrote something a little controversial, so it was good to re-read this one. I loved the fact that so many people were willing to comment on how they felt on the topic… Meat…could you? would you? 

4. Most helpful post.

A lot of people come looking for Love Cake, (with a name like that, it’s rather tempting) so I guess that’s helpful. Along with tips on using Bicarbonate Soda, which is also helpful…maybe just not used together…. Sri Lankan Love Cake

Sri Lankan Love Cake

5. Most surprisingly successful post.

Actually this recent one on eating through kids books, thrilled me that so many people felt in a similar way. I loved reading every single comment, as this was a topic really close to my heart and I could have waffled on for quite a while…. Eating through kids books.

Kingcup Cottage

6. Most underrated post.

This one was back in the early days of blogging…Why cafes and kids simply don’t mix.

7. The post I am most proud of.

I’m still happy with this one. It was a post I did when the blog was still fairly new once again. I really enjoyed researching it though, as this is my family through the dinner plate ages… Evolution of Frugal Food

For the next part I thought I would mix it up a little, and instead choose seven posts from seven different blogs that I have really enjoyed over the past seven weeks. Go on, take a peek, I think you’ll love them too.

Che and Fidel– I’m a sucker for a newborn, especially a perfect little one like this…sigh.

Just the here and now– this gal makes me think, especially if you have a look at her 21st July post.

Myrtle and Eunice– pom pom bombing? This inspiring lady makes me want to find my nearest tree and pretty it up a little.

Richard Tulloch’s life on the road– I had no idea that I wanted to go to Iceland, now I know I do. Stunning.

Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide– Peach margarita’s surely would have to be definitive summer…which is kind of nice as it’s winter here.

She of 108 Names– food markets Chiang Mai style. We still reminisce about the street side roti with condensed milk wrapped in newspaper… So good.

Spice and More– the imagery of riding a bicycle through Denmark and eating strawberries from the front basket pedalling along, was wonderful.

* Oodles more wonderful posts over the past seven weeks from lots of other bloggers around… It was rather hard to whittle it down to just seven.

It’s all feeling a little Nordic

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Something had been reignited again. It started with a holiday and then snowballed from there.

I’ve been reading.

Congratulations, I hear you mutter. But really it is a big thing. Books were getting piled up in ambitious piles and not moving. The newspaper was taunting me.

Then it all changed. Three books in three weeks and the ball was rolling, really quite fast. They were fat books too. The most I had been reading before that, was the back of the peanut butter jar… Even that was skim reading.

So what got me going again?

Stieg Larsson. The Millenium triology.

Goodbye Monkeys, goodbye Mr Chocolate, goodbye tv, *ahem* goodbye cityhippyfarmgirl blog… hello Sweden and your criminal mysteries.

Thoroughly enjoyed the books, all three of them.

Now with that being said, I have been immersed in all things Scandinavian and my taste buds are calling for food that would be fitting. Rye bread was obviously a must, along with anything else I could make happen.

I had also kept in the back of my mind this beautiful lady’s crisp bread recipe from the beginning of the year. It was time to give that one a go, and I’m so glad I did. They make the perfect base for an open sandwich, and I think they will definitely become a staple around here.

 

Knekkebrod

200g spelt flour

200g whole oats

100g pepita

100g sunflower seeds

100g LSA (linseed, sunflower and almond meal)

25g sesame

350mls water

These are the ingredients I used as it was what I had on hand. I can see how they would be incredibly versatile though, and using any ingredients that you really like. I loved them, and am definitely going to make them regularly now. See here for Turid’s original recipe though.

The Split Pea Soup I suspect is not just restricted to Swedish eating, however Jamie Oliver has a recipe for it in his Swedish section in this great book, and while I adapted it to what I had on hand and my taste buds, the one thing that I think is genius was to put mustard on top. Now, I love my mustard but I would never have thought to add it to a Split Pea Soup, so thanks Jamie.

Split Pea Soup

adapted from Jamie Oliver’s “Jamie does…”

A good couple of slurps of olive oil

add a couple of diced sticks of celery, and an onion

cook it down a little

add 500g of washed split peas

and about 1.5 litres of stock (I use vegetable stock)

1 tsp oregano

and simmer it for about 45 minutes or until soft.

Serve with a dollop of mustard and knekkebrod.