225-237/365 I think I have caught up??

I am sure that by now anyone that still stops by to catch up on my photos probably doesn't want to, or needs to hear my usual reason for not posting regularly.  My habit of being on the computer each evening has changed and I tend to try and wind down by reading.  I do really like how Foxs Lane posts regularly each week so I am going to give that a go.  I feel like that is probably a better fit for where I am with my routine of life at the moment.  So here is a snapshot of the last couple of weeks around here.  Chat with you again soon in a week, fingers crossed.  May you have a wonderful week. 

 

137-139/365 Flowers, Books and Food

These gorgeous flowers were given to me by my youngest for Mother's Day and they are still looking as beautiful as ever. Some simple, yet delicious pikelets for afternoon tea were a real treat to have.  And my new monthly collection of books from the library. I managed to get quite few new books which was great.  How has your weekend been so far? Have you watched the royal wedding?

78/365 Dinner Time

I usually make Monday meals easy after a day of shopping and baking. The last thing I feel like is a complex meal.  So on tonights menu was Speedy Spinach Pesto which was so simple, required little preparation and was full of healthy greens. I think that simple dishes are often the best, they surely are my favourite to make.

56/365 Sunday

It was a pretty slow Sunday here which was really nice. Just the usual preparations to get ready for the week ahead things like menu planning, washing, ironing, and baking muffins. After a warm day, the afternoon brought a storm which saturated the yard even more. I walked around the yard and took a couple of photos that caught my eye after the storm.  And the delicious lemon meringue pie you see, was made by my 14 year old daughter today.  We resisted the urge to have some until dessert time and it was delicious.  I hope your Sunday was a lovely one.

51/365 Raw Carrot Cake Balls

Monday is my baking day but today I thought I would make a couple of other treats to see us through till the end of the weekend.  The first was a Cannellini Dip to have with crackers and vegetables and the other was Raw Carrot Cake Balls from the recipe book Joyous Health.  The rest of the week I can relax now when it comes to lunch box treats, it feels great to have been motivated this week.

49/365 Beautiful Book

I love to read books, I love to borrow books and I also like to buy books.  Once a month I will go to my local library and choose a lovely selection of books.  They seem to be quite good at purchasing many cookbooks that I like but not as many new age books.  The other thing is that I am bit of a night owl and don't usually read for a long period of time before I nod off to sleep.  And whilst borrowing books is far more economical I do buy some books because I need more time to read them.  Today this book caught my eye and with my family enjoying healthy snacks, I decided to buy it.  Do you buy books often or do you borrow or both?

32/365 Dinner Doings

It was a bit of a tiring day today and by the time the afternoon came it was slow going.  Tonights meal was vegetarian, a bit of cutting and peeling but mostly quick to cook and wholesome.  The bonus of tonights meal was that with the cool change we had today, it was a perfect dinner to have.  So dinner was made, enjoyed and there was leftovers to freeze, so more for another night.

29/365 Breakfast

As the weather has been warm for a couple of months now, I would have usually made myself some toasted muesli but I haven't.  I'm still eating porridge for breakfast.  Each afternoon I prepare my oats for the following day.  Why do I prepare my oats?  To increase the digestibility so that the oats are better able to be absorbed into my body.  Oats also contain phytic acid which can inhibit the absorption of minerals.  I quite like soaking my oats for breakfast, other than the health benefits of oats and the soaking process, soaking the oats also makes it much quicker to cook too.  This is my recipe that I use for one person. I usually double the mixture if someone else in the family would like porridge too.

1/2 cup of oats

1 pinch of salk

1 tablespoon of acid (apple cider vinegar, yoghurt or lemon juice)

1/2 cup of water

Mix all of the ingredients together in a container and place in the fridge overnight. Rinse the oats in some fresh water and place in a saucepan with 1/2 of water or milk of your choice and cook.  Serve with your choice of toppings.  I like to add cinnamon, chia seeds, coconut, nut butter and some berries. Enjoy.

Helloooo

Gee where do I start.... I didn't mean for it to be so long in between posts.  My goal this year was to be more focussed and place importance on things that matter to me like this blog.  Life though can throw some curve balls and attention needs to be focussed elsewhere. 

 I have mentioned how my Nan was ill when we last spoke.  She went to hospital and got tests done and all was ok, she was on the mend which was great.  Then a couple of months down the track she woke with a terrible pain in her tummy, something wasn't quite right.  She was rushed to the hospital and after some tests they discovered that her bowel was full, something that can happen, I didn't think it was anything to be concerned about at the time.  But as you age and with other health complications it mean that it was very serious.  Sadly my Nan did not make it and she passed away in hospital just days later from a blood infection and her body becoming toxic.  It was such a shock to us all.  She had been unwell but was in great spirits and we thought that we would have her in our lives for more years to come....My Nan, Ivy Bertha, passed away at age 88.  Following her passing in March life has been a bit challenging.  There is certainly the loss to adjust to, the finalising of her affairs and the family dynamics that have also changed as a result.  I just haven't felt up to doing much of anything really.  I have done things of course but it has been an effort.  In time things will improve and this week has been a good one, I'm just taking each day as it comes and feel blessed to have family and friends to talk to and lean on when I need them.  

I post on instagram often but if you aren't there I have put lots of photos up here to catch you up on what I have been up to this last couple of months.  I hope to be back here more regularly now as things are slowly returning to a new normal, sharing a bit of crafting and gardening which I am planning on doing on  Monday as we have a long weekend here.  I hope you are all doing well those of you who still like to visit blogs.  

Chat soon.

Catherine xxx

Apple Pie

The other weekend we invited my mother in law over for a cooked lunch to celebrate her birthday, she loves a cooked lunch.  I simple affair of just her and our family of four.  On the menu we had an organic roast chicken with vegetables and then for dessert was apple pie and cream.  Apple pie would have to be my all time favourite dessert to make. I think it may have even been my first dessert I made in home economics and this is the same recipe I used out of the same book from way back.  I don't make dessert often so when I do it disappears very quickly and if you make it I can guarantee it will be enjoyed very much.

Still on the subject of food, I have been sitting down writing the weekly menu plan.  It can be a struggle to get it done but worthwhile when during the week you go searching for dinner ideas. I thought I would share it with you, maybe it might give you some ideas.

Herbed honey rissoles with vegetables

Slow cooker butter chicken with brown rice

Fish, chips and salad

Zesty broccoli and tomato pasta

Maple and tamari roasted rainbow vegetables with quinoa

Mexican Rice

Apple banana bread

Choc chip and oat slice

Apple Pie

Sweet Short Pastry
1 cup plain flour
1 cup self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
125g butter
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup cold water or milk (approx.)

Method
1. Sift flours and salt into a bowl.
2. Rub shortening through the flour with the tips of the fingers.
3. Add sugar and mix well.
4. Mix into a dry dough with egg and milk beaten together.
5. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth.
6. Use as required.

Apple Filling
6-8 cooking apples
3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup water
Cloves

Method (Filling)
1. Peel apples and slice into a saucepan.
2. Add water and sugar and cook gently until soft.  Add cloves. (I add the cloves when I cook the apples)
3. Drain off any surplus juice before using.

Method
1. Make sweet short pastry.
2. Turn onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth.
3. Cut dough into 2 pieces.
4. Roll out one piece to line a tart plate.
5. Fill with cooked apples.  Moisten edge of pastry.
6. Roll out other piece of pastry and cover filling.
7. Press edges down firmly.  Make a hole in the centre.
8. Decorate then brush over with milk.
9. Bake in moderate to hot oven for 30-40 minutes.
10. Sprinkle top with icing sugar.

Happy baking!!