This week I decided it was time for a makeover! Time to strip back, refresh and rework everything from top to toe. I don’t know about you, but it always makes me feel better. I felt like it had been far too long since I had paid attention to what was going on both inside and out and I needed to find a way to get back in touch with the things that make me happy and keep me satisfied. Yep, it was time, time to revisit and renew one of my favourite Winter snacks, the humble sausage roll.
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Dark Chocolate & Macadamia Cookies – (Gluten & Dairy Free)
With the school holidays upon us, the FHC household had lots of big plans – all of which have been thwarted by illness the entire week. Somewhere between chest infections, sore throats, school sores and snotty noses we have all succumb to one ailment or another, leaving us all quite miserable and depleted, but trying to make the most of the time together without the rush and bustle of getting up and going in the mornings.
As we have been somewhat housebound, the kids wanted to do some baking, which I am always up for, so we threw these gorgeous treats together before snuggling on the couch with hot chocolates and warm cookies to watch Frozen for about the trillionth time – but I am not complaining, baking and snuggles are two of my favourite things to do!
Thankfully, we are all on the mend now, for which some credit must be paid to these toasty treasures I am sure, and looking forward to some fun activities in week two of the holidays.
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Magic Custard Cake – (Gluten & Dairy Free)
Recently, various versions of this cake have been popping up in my news feed – much to my simultaneous delight and lament. As a passionate appreciative foodie, I love seeing such beautiful creations but, as a deliciously intolerant foodie, at times, I grieve for want of such foods, knowing full well, while it might taste wonderful at the time, I will know buyer’s regret within hours, and often for days to come.
That said, I could not get this recipe out of me head. I am a huge fan of custard – my Mum used to make the most amazing vanilla custard, thick and rich, the perfect companion to apple pie or golden syrup dumplings. Oh, such sweet memories! There is no way my gut would cope with that much milk in a dish these days, but I could not shake the desire to bake and eat some magic custard cake dammit!
What else is a girl to do then, but find a way to make and bake it so she can indeed eat it, so that is what I did.
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Spelt Chocolate Swirl Buns & a journey to Voices of 2015
In my last post – you can find here – I mentioned how ‘routine’ life has been of late. Not that it was, or is a bad thing, there are just times when you need to break the monotony of it all; don’t you think? Anyway, my chance to shake things up a little came last weekend when I was able to wave see-you-later to the family and head off to the ‘big smoke’ of Melbourne to attend the launch of Kidspot Voices of 2015 Masterclass. The whole trip I was excited, but a little nervous, so I cranked up the music and ‘Journey‘d’ my way down the highway – refusing to Stop Believing I was in for anything other than a great day – (if you are a teen of the 80’s or a fan of Scrubs, this reference should not be lost on you. If not, then do yourself a favour and click the link. Go on now, I can wait).
My in car warm up held true and I did indeed have a great day, I might even venture towards fantastic to be truly accurate. While I was a little pensive at first, wondering how many and who would be there, as crowds are not really my thing, my concerns soon melted away, as I started to see lots of familiar and friendly faces, all just as nervous and excited as me. It was like going to a work conference, except, well, I actually wanted to be there and you know, learn stuff!
As well as catching up with and meeting new bloggy friends, there were a lot of valuable take homes from the Masterclass – the main ones for me being – be authentic, be engaged and be consistent as a blogger. I need to work on my consistency, my approach to blogging has been conflicted at times, just like my good self, but I can and am working on that a little each day.
The extremely amazing Michelle from An Organised Life has written the most incredible wrap up of the event here if you want all the deets. So impressed Michelle!
What I loved most about the day was being among so many like minded folks, who are all so invested and passionate about what they do, working hard to achieve whatever goals they have set and enjoying the journey (boom-tish) along the way. The atmosphere was inspiring and has given me more tangible thoughts and ideas on what I can do to find that consistency I want from myself and my blog. A great day well spent indeed!
As for the naming of the Top 100 – wow, what a task it must have been for the Kidspot team – so much creative talent to choose from! I am in awe of those named as finalists and congratulate them all on their achievement as part of this event!
From left to right: Bec from The Plumbette and Styled by Bec and I. Soapbox bloggers giving us their insights. Em from Have a laugh on me, Amanda from Cooker and a Looker and oh look, that’s me. Lucy from Bake Play Smile and, ahhh me, again. Lunch – gluten free & delicious – and not me for a change!
Now … let’s talk sweet bread!
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Spretzels! (Spelt Flour Pretzels)
It has been a little on the routine side in the Fresh Home Cook household of late. Life is pottering along day-by-day with each day much the same as the one before. Having little people sure eats into your ‘you’ time! Not that I am complaining, we have a lovely little life most of the time and I feel fortunate to have my family and the life we have. In a (rare) moment of down time recently, I got to thinking about life B.K. (before kids) – how did I spend my time, who I did I spend it with and where did I spend it? Suddenly memories came flooding back, the good, the bad and the ugly, but each with experiences I know helped make me the woman, partner and mother I am today.
I got to thinking about my travels, my first overseas jaunt was to the United States in my mid-twenties – so many firsts on that adventure I can tell you! I ‘Contiki’d’ my way across the country, got to hike the bottom of the Grand Canyon, experience the surrealness of Las Vegas, the haunting beauty of Graceland and Memphis, the intensity of New Orleans, the formality (and seediness) of Washington and these days, somewhat chillingly, wander through the Twin Towers in New York. There was so much to love about this trip – including, of course, the food!
Now, travelling Contiki means travelling on a budget, so while I do recall some extremely dodgy fast and infested food stops (SHUDDERS), there were also some amazing places and food experiences you just can’t get anywhere else. A stand out for me was New York – what an incredible and diverse city – there were times I felt like I was on a movie set the landmarks were so familiar, including Central Park, Times Square, The Statue of Liberty and Wall Street just to name a few! One cold and snowy evening we were wandering around Rockafella Centre enjoying the Christmas lights and watching folks ice skate when we came across a wonderfully chatty street pretzel vendor. It was like the stuff of dreams, standing there white flakes falling around my head, the enticing smell of fresh baked bread luring us in, the vendor’s recognisable ‘Brooklyn’ accent selling us on the significance of eating an authentic “Noo Yawk City Pretzel”, served warm with lashings of honey mustard and that signature lip smackingly good, rabid thirst inducing hit of salt. We ate with gusto while he regaled up with stories of “his city” – it was an unforgettable evening and remains one of my favourite eating experiences ever. So simple, yet so satisfying.
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