Tag: recipes

Everyday life, Food, Motherhood

Swedish meatballs

by wattleandash2 Comments on Swedish meatballs
Swedish meatballs

I think most people around the world can easily rattle off a couple of meals that are tried and true classics in their family. Dishes that are cooked regularly, consumed by all, and generally well loved and regarded. In our house, that meal is Swedish meatballs. I’ve been making these for many months now and they’ve quickly earned legendary status. We probably eat them every other week, Paul adores them and Adam and I have discovered they go really nicely in a wrap or sandwich the following day too.

If you haven’t got a meatball recipe in your repertoire, I highly recommend giving these ones a whirl…

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Everyday life, Food, Motherhood, Thoughts

Banana and pecan bread

by wattleandash4 Comments on Banana and pecan bread
Banana and pecan bread

Bananas are a very divisive subject in our house. Adam hates them with a vengeance, I don’t mind a ‘lady finger’ every now and again and Paul loves identifying them (‘nah-nah’) but will only eat them at daycare, never at home 🙃. So when I found myself with a couple of small, very over-ripe bananas the other day, I decided the only solution was to make banana bread. I’ll confess, part of my desire to whip up a loaf was the fact Adam won’t eat it and Paul isn’t partial to cake – I knew I’d be able to slowly devour my sweet treat over the course of several days…

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Everyday life, Food, home, Thoughts

Raspberry and chocolate hazelnut swirl muffins

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Raspberry and chocolate hazelnut swirl muffins

I woke up the other day and the morning light outside looked different. The harsh, bright light of the summer had gone, and in its place was a slightly mellower, more golden glow. Right on cue, the change of season had arrived. The time of year where there are cool mornings and warm afternoons; bare legs and long sleeves; and golden leaves and green grass. That change of light also changed my mindset about food – suddenly frozen icy treats didn’t seem appealing, but something warm and pudding like – yes please.

So one afternoon I whipped up a batch of muffins. Half trusted recipe, half made up recipe and I’ve discovered they’re just the thing for these early autumn days…

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Everyday life, Food, home

Parmesan and rosemary biscuits

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Parmesan and rosemary biscuits

Now that I’m back working again, I’ll be bringing a packed lunch from home most days I’m in the office. I find (especially since I’m still breastfeeding in the mornings, evenings and sometimes overnight) that I need something substantial to eat in the middle of the day and a few smaller snacks for mid morning and mid afternoon.

Lunch itself is normally pretty easy to get together – leftovers from dinner the night before, a salad using whatever’s in the fridge, or soup and toast on cold days.  However, I always struggle a little bit with finding different types of snacks, especially ones that can be eaten both at my desk or out and about.

Enter Parmesan and rosemary biscuits.  They’re delightfully savoury, have a wonderful cheesy flavour and pair beautifully with fruit…

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Everyday life, Food, home

The quest for crumpets

by wattleandash4 Comments on The quest for crumpets
The quest for crumpets

I’ve had a long love affair with crumpets. To me, they’re the perfect snack – just enough to curb your hunger without spoiling your next main meal, and you can eat them with both sweet and savoury toppings (honey + butter and grilled cheese are my two recommendations).

Adam and I have consumed quite a few packets of supermarket crumpets over the last month, so when a recipe for homemade crumpets popped up in one of my social media feeds the other day, I took it as a sign that we needed to try making them ourselves…

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Everyday life, Food

Birthday apple cake

by wattleandash6 Comments on Birthday apple cake
Birthday apple cake

January is a busy month for birthdays in our family and with that comes a lot of cake.  While sponges and chocolate cakes are always favourites for special occasions, sometimes it’s nice to celebrate with something a little different.  So for Adam’s birthday this year he decided he wanted to bake his own cake, and an apple one at that…

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Everyday life, Food, home, Pregnancy, Thoughts

What’s making me happy: August

by wattleandash2 Comments on What’s making me happy: August
What’s making me happy: August

August is one of those quintessential transition months in Wagga Wagga – spring-like weather will show up for a day or two at a time, but then is punctuated by the grimmest of wintry conditions.  The days are getting start to get longer, but the mornings will still often be frosty. In this month of contrasts, this is what’s been making me smile…

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Everyday life, Food

Chocolate slice

by wattleandash4 Comments on Chocolate slice
Chocolate slice

The other day my brother and I were reminiscing about some of the food we used to eat after school to keep us going until dinner was served. It was always a meal I looked forward to, ravenous after a day of learning, and usually consisted of toast or savoury biscuits with cheese, some fruit and maybe something a little sweet. It got me thinking about other childhood favourites and immediately chocolate slice sprang to mind…

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Everyday life, Food, Profiles

Pasta melanzana

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Pasta melanzana

Adam’s been working interstate this week, so I’ve been using his absence as an opportunity to cook meals that’s he’s not so fond of.  One of those is pasta melanzana – a favourite solo supper of mine for many years.  It’s an easy mid-week meal, that’s vegetarian, quick to assemble and generally provides enough for leftovers for lunch the next day.  Its star ingredient is eggplants – a vegetable I love, but that Adam’s rather ambivalent about….

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Everyday life, Food, home

Saag paneer

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Saag paneer

I’ve always quite enjoyed Indian food, but it wasn’t until I moved to England that I gained a full appreciation for the cuisine and its myriad of tasty dishes.

Having a ‘curry takeout’ or going for a ‘curry’ is one of the most beloved of meals in the U.K and it’s reflected in the number of Indian restaurants that can be found in any one location.  In the small Worcestershire town that Adam and I lived in, there were at least half a dozen places you could get a curry.  Over the months I quickly developed a deep love for saag or palak paneer – most commonly, a mildly spiced spinach dish served with chunks of cooked paneer cheese.

The versions I’ve had so far here in Australia haven’t quite matched up to what I’d eaten in England, so the other week I decided to have a go at making the dish myself, adapting a recipe from the BBC’s Good Food website…

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