Lightening Online

Kind of.

I’ve only ever read about them in books.

You know, where all the farming neighbours gather and put up a barn.

Of course, times have changed and we’re actually paying our friends to put up a shed.

Kind of.

It’s a fundraiser for our church.

The guys from church are here putting up a shed that will become our games room.

SQUEEEE!!!!

I’m pretty excited!

Here we are early in the day:

After lunch, things really started to take shape:

Of course, you can’t have a “barn raising” without some good old-fashioned home cooking.

Lemonade Scones for morning tea:

And White Chocolate Cheesecake with Raspberries for Dessert:

Gotta keep those volunteers happy!

We also had marinated steak rolls for lunch with onion and coleslaw which went down well.  And party pies and sausage rolls at morning tea.  Funnily enough, they didn’t stop for afternoon tea.  I think I fed them too well!

And as the sun began to set:

Not too bad for a days work.

Some of the guys are coming back tomorrow and hope to get it finished (or close to).

Then we just have to wait for the concreter to come and concrete it out.

One thing I am learning on my journey to remove white sugar from my diet is that you don’t have to go without treats.

In fact, there are some AMAZING recipes out there for “healthy treats”.  Often they are still high in calories so you still need to view them as “treats” but at least they’re not full of empty calories.

These Chocolate Bliss Balls taste great and are awesome when I feel like a chocolate hit.  Interestingly, unlike chocolate, I don’t seem to scoff a half a dozen at a time.  I think the most I’ve had in any 1 day is 2.

CHOCOLATE BLISS BALLS RECIPE

1 1/2 cups whole almonds
1/2 cup Tahini
1/2 cup Rice Malt Syrup or substitute another sweetener (I used Agave Syrup based on a recommendation from Dr Oz BUT have since read they don’t think it’s much better than white sugar so I won’t use that again - it obviously doesn’t have the same addictive effect on me though as I’m not finding eating these is causing cravings)
1/4 cup cocoa (I’d like to try an Organic Dutch cocoa but just used what I had in the cupboard this time around)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
75 grams dates (about a handful) - I bought dried dates and then soaked them for an hour or two before using.
coconut for rolling the balls in

Process Almonds in a Food Processor (can choose to finely process or less so if you want some nutty chunks in your balls).  Add dates and pulse.  Add other ingredients and process until mixed.

Place spoonfuls onto a try and refrigerate.

When partly chilled, roll into balls (I found it much easier to do so once the mix was less “sloppy” after being in the fridge and it was still quite malleable) and roll in coconut (or cocoa if you prefer).

Store in Fridge

Singstar Princess has been asking to make chocolate mousse.

Not something I’ve ever made before.

Off I went to the internet, trying to find a simple recipe that didn’t contain too many raw eggs (not a big fan of eating raw egg white in great quantities).

We thought we’d found one.

It was AWFUL!!!

SO, try Facebook instead.

At least that way we’d get a “tried and true” recipe.

My friend Naomi made the following suggestion:

Whipped Cream with Vittorio Hot Chocolate Powder mixed in.

Now that’s MY idea of simple!!!

I made the appropriate purchases then we lightly whipped the cream (I think we used about 400ml of cream but you can make whatever quantity you like), set aside a small quantity of whipped cream for garnishing and then began to add the Hot Chocolate Mix a bit at a time until we had the taste we desired.

Here’s how they turned out:

I bought these Martini Glasses from Kmart one Christmas to put homemade slushies in and they’ve come in handy as dessert glasses as well.

Singstar Princess made the chocolate garnishing while they were setting.

I’m sure they’d look even better if we’d had strawberries to put on top (but at $8.99 a punnet right now, that just isn’t going to happen!!!!).

They were a big hit with the whole family although none of us managed to get through it all in one serving.

So we added a wine glass marker tag to each stem and put them in the fridge.  Everyone knew what picture they had and could grab theirs whenever they felt like it.

I think Singstar Princess was pretty happy with her efforts:

Image via Wikipedia

I HATE making scones.

Really, I SUCK at it.

They’re generally too dry and crumbly.

I’m always afraid to “overwork” them and then don’t get them properly mixed.

It’s an easy fix really.

I just don’t make them.

No problem!

However, Lleyton, having just started high school, has been doing Home Ec at school.

And they’ve been making scones.

They started out with a basic recipe and then they were asked to bring in their own recipe.

So we looked up Lemonade Scones on the internet.

I’ve heard they are pretty much “fool proof” and I knew the concept would appeal to 13 year old boys.

Which it did!

Lleyton made them at school and was quite impressed with the outcome.  So, I decided to make them for shearing this year.

They were really simple and quick to make and seemed to go down well with the shearers and shed-hands (not to mention the “boss”).

There are many, many different recipes on the internet but this is the one I used:

LEMONADE SCONES

250ml cream

375ml lemonade

4 cups SR Flour

1/4 tsp salt

Sift flour and salt into a bowl.  Add cream and lemonade and mix.  Pat mixture onto a floured board (it’s quite a moist recipe so you don’t roll it out).  Cut with scone cutter and place close together on a tray.  Brush tops with egg or milk.  Bake 15 minutes in a 220C oven.  Top with jam and cream or lots of yummy butter!!!!

*warning: may cause damage to one’s waistline!!!!

For those not familiar with the word, it’s pronounced “Keen-Wa”  rather than “Kwinoa”.

I’ve known about it for a while but this wheat free diet has given me the motivation to actually get around to trying it.

Apparently, while often used instead of grains, Quinoa is actually a seed.

Do you know what?

Wheat is actually a seed too isn’t it?  LOL.  Wonder what the difference between a grain and a seed is?  Not that I really care enough to actually find out.  I’ll just believe them when they say one is a grain and one is a seed.  Whatever.

Anyway, plenty of people seem to be raving about it.  What makes it so good?  I did a little bit of research and this is what I’ve found:

1.  Quinoa is Gluten Free

There appears to be a growing demand for Gluten Free foods.  While I’m not actually on a “gluten free” diet it would seem that gluten free products are naturally “wheat free” so I’ve started following the “trend” in an attempt to find more variety in what I can actually eat.

2.  Quinoa is an Alkaline Food

I’ve only recently learnt about this but apparently an “acidic body” is actually on it’s way to becoming a corpse.  A lot of Western foods have an acidic affect on our bodies so most people are in need of more alkalising foods.  It’s not as simple as avoiding foods high in acid either.  From what I’ve been told, Lemons are actually an alkalising food.

3.  Quinoa is a Complete Protein

Quinoa has all the essential amino acids (9 in total) needed by the body to build muscles.  (Source)

From what I can understand, it’s quite rare to get a plant source with all 9 of these amino acids.

4.  Quinoa is high in fibre

I think we all know the benefits of increasing fibre in our diet.

5.  Quinoa has high amounts of Magnesium

Magnesium is a great muscle relaxant and increasing magnesium in your diet can help with migraines, muscle cramps and energy levels.

It also helps the body deal with insulin and blood sugars so can be beneficial to those with type 2 diabetes.

6.  Quinoa has higher levels of nutrients than many grains

Compared to other grains, quinoa is higher in calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc than wheat, barley, or corn. ^(source)

7.  Quinoa acts as a prebiotic

It helps feed the good bacteria in the intestine.

There are plenty of other “claims” when it comes to the benefits of Quinoa and diseases it can help prevent.  These are the ones that seemed most relevant to me.

Of course, it can have all the benefits in the world but if it isn’t tasty to eat, who’s going to eat it?

I have to admit I was a bit unsure when it came to trying it.

I’m not exactly what you’d call adventurous when it comes to trying new foods.

So I tried to stick with flavours I enjoy.

Basically chicken and broccoli.

It was DELICIOUS!!!!

CHICKEN & BROCCOLI QUINOA RECIPE

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 chicken stock cube (check it’s wheat/gluten free if required - not all are).

1 chicken breast

2 cups of broccoli (or more if you like it - I added heaps!)

cream to taste (I used 3-4 heaped teaspoons)

Rinse quinoa well under running water (some websites suggest presoaking but my packet didn’t say anything about that so I just rinsed it thoroughly).  Add quinoa to water.  Crumble stock cube into water.  Bring to boil then allow to simmer until all water is absorbed.

Cook broccoli and chicken breast.  Chop into small pieces.

Fluff quinoa with a fork.  Add broccoli and chicken.

Stir through cream if desired (for a low fat option, leave cream out - but it does make it YUMMY!!!!).

***

This amount was enough for 3 serves for me.  You might want to adjust the quantities to suit your own family.

I did find it was much nicer fresh than reheated, even though I added a bit more cream when I reheated it (the quinoa absorbs the cream).

My next challenge  will be to make this for the whole family and see if they’ll eat it!!!! 

* Disclaimer: I’m no expert and this is just what I’ve found in my research.  I can’t guarantee the accuracy of anything written here.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Quinoa: versatile superfood (nationalpost.com)
• What is Quinoa? (dietriffic.com)
• How to Cook Quinoa (brighthub.com)
• Quinoa: versatile superfood (canada.com)

Now that the weather is a little cooler, I’ve been trying to give the kids a little more variety for their lunch boxes.  Sandwiches every day just gets way too boring.  In the summer months, I won’t let them take anything with meat in it.  Even with a freezer pack, I just can’t be sure that food will stay cool enough for the 5 hours it’s in the fridge.

So, recently, when we discovered the kids quite like sausage rolls cold, I thought that was something I could make periodically for them to take to school for lunch.

Of course, they are a perfect opportunity to sneak a few extra vegies into their day as well:

I usually add grated zucchini and carrot but last time I also added some mashed pumpkin.  I used Kent pumpkin which did make the sausage rolls a little sweet for my liking (the kids and Farmboy quite liked it though).

Sausage Rolls don’t have to be an exact science (in terms of quantities) but here’s an approximation of what I used:

2 carrots, grated

2 zucchini, grated

cup cooked, mashed pumpkin

500g mince

500g sausage meat

2 eggs

2 handfuls weetbix crumbs (can use breadcrumbs or whatever - I just find it a good way to use up the weetbix crumbs no-one eats)

2 beef stock cubes

onion to taste (some people like lots of chunky onion.  My family don’t so I tend to use onion flakes)

1 pkt (6 sheets) puff pastry

Mix everything (other than pastry) together.  I find using my hands works best to get it all properly mixed (squeeze between your fingers - it’s gross but effective):

Cut puff pastry squares in half and line up mixture in centre:

Roll pastry and cut into the size you desire.  I cut a roll like this into 6 which gives me 1 dozen (12) per sheet or pastry and 6 dozen small sausage rolls from a batch.

Brush the tops with beaten egg and bake in a moderately hot oven (180-200C) for around 20 minutes or until golden brown.

And I forgot to take a photograph of the finished product!!!!

Looks like I’ll just have to make another batch!

I tried a new recipe this year, as a bit of a last minute thing. I had bought apricots to make apricot balls but really couldn’t be bothered with all that rolling.

I’m a bit of a fan of fudge from time to time so figured I’d give the following recipe a go.

It is YUM!!! Way TOO yum in fact!!! Very moreish.

So, even though it’ll be after Christmas when this posts, here is the recipe for you to try (and for me to find in future lol).

FUDGE

500g dark chocolate
75g butter
400ml condensed milk

melted together gently (I used the microwave on medium so the chocolate didn’t burn).

Add 1tsp vanilla and stir together.

Add nuts or fruit if you like and then pour into a dish and refrigerate to set.

I added chopped apricots to ours (as per the title) and it goes together SO well.

I also used my own condensed milk recipe and that worked fine too. I thought the sugar might end up being a bit grainy but it has come out lovely and smooth.

And did I say moreish?

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and can find some time now to relax and unwind.

Here is the recipe I used to use up our extra rice bubbles.

Honey Bubble Crunch Bars

75g butter or margarine
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp honey
4 cups rice bubbles

Melt butter, sugar and honey together in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Allow to slow boil for a minute or 2.

Mix into rice bubbles and set in a greased slice tray (18×28cm).

Top with choc chips, sprinkles or a chocolate/butter mixture.

It’s pretty similar to honey crackles only with rice bubbles and is VERY popular - especially topped with chocolate!!!!

I LOVE easy!!!!!  Especially when it comes to cooking.  So, when I found this recipe, I just had to record it for future reference.

Most cake recipes require creaming butter and sugar and all those steps.  This one, you simply chuck it all in, whiz it for a couple of minutes with an electric mixer (or by hand if you’re game - not my definition of easy though!!!!) and it’s good to go.

Here are the ingredients:

2 cups SR flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

125g  butter or margarine

2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

It makes around 35 cupcakes.  No idea what size in a normal cake (helpful aren’t I?  ).

I’ve been very industrious in the kitchen today!  I’ll post more either later today or tomorrow about what I’ve been busy making.

I’m the kind of cook that hates following a recipe. Unfortunately, this can lead to many disasters in the kitchen. However, sometimes new and experimental ideas do work out and a new recipe is born (if I can only remember what I actually did!!!! LOL).

At the moment, this style of cooking is coming in handy as I attempt to use up all kinds of bits and pieces before we head off on the “big trip”.

Last week, in an attempt to use up some custard powder and some sprinkles, I made custard biscuits rolled in sprinkles. They went down very well.

Last night, I had a sheet of puff pastry and a bottle of pureed apple to use up. I grabbed 4 apples from the fridge (several of which needed using up including one with the tiniest bite taken out of it) and cut them up into a pie dish. Then sprinkled them with a little sugar. Poured the bottle of pureed apple over the top and finished it off with the sheet of puff pastry brushed with egg and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

It was GOOD!!!!

I was worried the pureed apple might have made it a bit too soggy but the fresh apple and puree blended together well to make a delicious filling of similar consistency to stewed apple.

The kids all really liked it and it was pretty quick and simple to make (other than the 40 minutes cooking time). I think it might be a keeper.

Sadly, I didn’t take a photograph to show you. Maybe next time?

Let’s hope some of my future “Use it up” experiments work out as well as this one did. They may well become more and more strange as supplies get low.