Low Lactose Archives - Fresh Home Cook

Spelt Chocolate Swirl Buns & a journey to Voices of 2015

June 17, 2015 by Jodie Fisher 4 Comments

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)

June 5, 2015 by Jodie Fisher 3 Comments

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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Egg & Bacon Quiche

April 10, 2015 by Jodie Fisher 4 Comments

Hands up if you love pie! Yes? Me too! I always loved it in old movies when on the window sill was a freshly baked apple or blueberry pie, just waiting to be cool enough to eat. If I took a deep breath, I swear I could almost smell and taste it, reaching out of the screen to greet me. They always remind me of good, wholesome eating and family dinners around the table.

With the weather cooling, I was looking for something comforting to eat and my mind quickly set on a golden, flaky pastry. I was almost drooling in anticipation, such is my love for shortcrust! While playing with the pastry recipe, my son appeared asking what I was up to. I explained I was making a delicious pastry, just perfect for pie. He instantly became excited and asked if I could make him an egg and bacon one! While my initial thoughts were more of the sweet variety, I also love a good savoury quiche and with his little face all lit up like that, how could I possibly refuse!

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Gluten Free Shortcrust Pastry

April 9, 2015 by Jodie Fisher 12 Comments

Do you love rich, buttery, golden crusted pastry? I know I do! When I was pregnant with both my children the thing I craved more than anything was flaky, melt in your mouth, puffs of pastry wrapped around or under all manner of sweet or savoury goodness. I loved it then and still do now (only minus the gluten fuelled gut aches).

Thankfully, one of the [many] great things about an excellent shortcrust pastry is that you want it to crumble the second it hits your mouth, making it perfect for non-elastic, hard to knead, gluten free flours.

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Macadamia Friand with Lime & Raspberries

January 9, 2015 by Jodie Fisher 3 Comments

Who loves a good friand as much as I do? All that lovely light fluffy egg white, rich butter and crunchy toasted nutty flavour. Add some fresh tangy raspberries, zesty lime and a drizzle of dark chocolate and you have a sensational treat everyone will adore. So much to love!

I am very fond of macadamias, as most folks would already know, so using them in place of the usual almond meal seemed like a very reasonable and tasty idea – boy was I right.

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