Gingerbread House

A friend gifted us this gingerbread house kit when it was Joshua's birthday. I just had to make up the 'glue' icing with egg white and powdered sugar.

I waited until I had some backup and made this with Dad and the kids at the end of last week.

It was surprisingly easy - even Joshua got involved and it was fun. The only problem is that they are not eating it as fast as we made it.

Isabella was extra excited having made a house at Kindergarten so she knew what to do.

It was a fun little family project.

Garden Harvest

Despite our like of time and energy to really work in the garden this year, we have had quite a successful harvest.

It started with the fruit - we had so many raspberries that we have snacked on them, baked with them and even prepared raspberry rum.  

We had our first cherry, a couple of apples and lots of grapes so that Nico was able to make grape juice and turn it into smooth jam.

So far we have had one pumpkin which Nico turned into a roast dinner on Monday.

Yesterday I enjoyed my first caprese salad of the year, almost entirely from the garden, with our own tomatoes and basil.

These are our staples in the garden.  I finally feel like we are emerging from the mist of those newborn months and I am looking forward to working more in the garden next year, partly with the kids, to get back to some of our other staples like potatoes, carrots, courgette and beans.

Home Grown Grapes

 Last year, Nico planted a lot of vine around the garden. They have been growing like crazy and last week, we enjoyed the first harvest. They taste so different to the supermarket variety and all of us enjoy them.

Looking forward to an increasing harvest over the next years.

Recipe: Lime Grilled Salmon

Ingredients:

• Salmon fillets
• Salt
• Pepper
• 4tbsp butter
• ½ cup lime juice
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2tbsp chopped coriander

Instructions:

1. Season the salmon and grill for six to eight minutes on each side until through.

2. Combine the remaining ingredients, pour over the salmon and serve.

Recipe: Sausage Casserole

Ingredients:

• 5 sausages
• 1 packet cherry tomatoes
• 3 sweet potatoes
• 2 large red peppers
• 1 large red onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• Fresh thyme
• Seasoning

Instructions:

1. Brown the sausages over a medium heat in a pan.

2. Place the vegetables in a casserole dish with the sausages on top. Season to taste.

3. Cook for 45 minutes at 200℃.

Recipe: Turkey Curry

Ingredients:

• 500g turkey
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 100g ground almonds
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 1 red pepper
• 1 can coconut milk
• Seasoning

Instructions:

1. Brown the meat, onions and garlic in a bit of oil.

2. Add the almonds, curry powder and seasoning.

3. Add the coconut milk and pepper and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Paleo Update

For a month I've been following a paleo diet now and I've lost a stone. For most of that month, I have felt really good and full of energy. I've also been cycling more and getting to at least one zumba class each week.

Since Monday, things have been manic here and due to the lack of time for planning and preparing meals, I've missed lunch regularly and I'm feeling terrible. There's not much you can buy ready made that fits in with paleo and today I gave in and took Isabella to the bakery for lunch.

I plan to follow paleo as much as possible - for example, I love my banana pudding breakfasts - but not be too strict with myself. I'd like to lose about another stone this year but for the moment, I'll be happy to maintain my current weight.

In the holidays I plan to follow paleo again and try to bulk prepare some meals for after that.

Paleo Restart

Since Monday I've restarted my Paleo diet. It takes a bit more planning but I'm down two kilos already and feeling so much better.

For breakfast I've been whipping up the banana pudding recipe I shared earlier this week. It's tasty, quick and filling.

Lunches have been salads or leftovers. I was surprised how many ingredients we had in the fridge and pantry.

For dinner I tried a new recipe, which I'll share next week, and bought a cooked chicken to eat with veg which lasted two nights.

Basically you can eat meat, fruit and veg. I've been gluten free for a while but I notice a big difference when I cut out dairy too.

I can't recommend it enough.

Recipe: Carrot, Leek and Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients:

• 1 litre stock
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 carrots, grated
• 1 carton of mushrooms, chopped
• 1 leek, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp thyme
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 1/2 cup of white wine
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. Fry the onion, leek, carrots and mushrooms in the butter for five minutes.
2. Add the garlic, thyme and seasoning for about a minute.
3. Add the rice for a minute or so, followed by the wine.
4. Add the stock, ladle by ladle until it is soaked in and the rice is no longer crunchy.  Check the seasoning, add the cheese and serve.

Recipe: Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients:

• 250g butter, melted
• 3 egg yolks
• Seasoning
• 40ml water
• 1 squeeze of lemon juice.

Instructions:

1. Whisk all the ingredients, except for the butter, in a bain marie.

2. Continue to whisk, gradually adding the butter. Whisk briskly until thickened.

Tip: This sauce can quickly go too far. Mine did and it looked like melted butter again. Luckily the hubby was on hand to save it with an ice cube and extra egg yolk.

Recipe: Leftover Bake

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pumpkin
• 2 carrots
• 4 sticks celery
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1/2 can sweetcorn
• 1/2 can chopped tomatoes
• Tomato puree
• African spice mix
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Salt & pepper
• 4 eggs
• 100ml milk
• 150g grated cheese

Instructions:

1. Boil the pumpkin and carrots.

2. Drain and combine in a baking dish with the remaining vegetables, lentils and spices.

3. Mix the eggs and milk in a jug and pour over the mixture.

4. Top with cheese and bake at 200℃ for 30 to 40 minutes until set and brown on top.

Recipe: Crock pot Gumbo

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 1 green pepper
• 3 sticks of celery
• 300g chicken breast
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Cajun spice mix
• 200g frozen prawns
• 2 cups cooked rice

Instructions:

1. Place the first ten ingredients in the crock pot and cook on lw for six or seven hours.

2. An hour before you want to eat, add the prawns.

3. Thirty minutes before serving, add the rice.

An easy and tasty dish, I love the crock pot.

Recipe: Salmon Fish Cakes

Ingredients:

• 300g salmon
• 1 small onion
• Chives
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1tbsp mustard
• 1tbsp lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• Pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Combine the ingredients in a bowl.

2. Form into five patties and fry for about ten minutes each side over a medium heat.

Recipe: Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients:

• 1 onion
• 1.5 cups risotto rice
• 1 litre stock
• 500g mushrooms
• Olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 10g butter
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Salt & Pepper
• Parmesan cheese
• Lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Chop the mushrooms and fry in a pan until browned.
2. Meanwhile, fry the onion. Add the rice and begin to ladle in the stock, a bit at a time until absorbed.
3. Add the garlic, herbs and seasoning.
4. When the liquid is absorbed and the rice is no longer crunchy, add the mushrooms, butter, parmesan cheese and a good squirt of lemon juice.

Garden Harvest

As ever, I love that our garden is producing. As well as the non-stop raspberries, we've had strawberries, gooseberries, basil, our first courgette. There are still beans, tomatoes and chillis on the way. Nico is fantastic in the garden.

Recipe: Vegan Moussaka

Last week I tried a new recipe from one of Nico's vegan cookbooks.

Moussaka is my favourite Greek dish but I haven't had it since going gluten free and I thought I'd give this alternative a try.

It's made up of three repeated layers: aubergine (delicious but the skin was tricky to cut), lentil filling (nice but couldn't replace the meat flavour for me) and a binding sauce (tasty but not as creamy as the usual recipe.

Overall I enjoyed it but it took a lot of time and effort. I'd like to experiment more with vegan recipes and with gluten free moussaka but not this one.

Family Time

So we're exactly two days into our new routine and while they have been a really productive two days, or maybe because they have been so productive, I'm exhausted. Then again I'm eight months pregnant and Isabella has been home from nursery. During my first pregnancy I wondered why we get six weeks of maternity leave before the birth, now I know!

Our new routine has had one big positive though - we've finally started eating dinner at the table together on an evening. When we were both working, we were just glad to collapse on the sofa in front of the TV. Now I have time to prepare something.

Isabella loves getting to sit at the big table, which I figure is good practice to gradually get her out of the high chair. We really talk about our days and, without the distractions of TV or the internet, we really listen to each other. I feel like it's brought us closer after just two days and it's something I really want to keep up.

Tonight is pizza night!

Pades

As I mentioned in the Saturday Update, last week we went for a long overdue date night.  When we got married (three years ago), Nico's friends gave us a voucher for a cooking course at Pades Restaurant in Verden.

When we looked into doing a course things got complicated.  The courses are run quite rarely and fill up very quickly. Instead, the restaurant offered us the option of dining with the voucher and that's what we did.

Pades has a Michelin star.  The menu is updated by season and it's a very classy place.

We got in nice and early and decided to go for three courses rather than a tasting tapas-style menu.  For starters, I had a lemongrass soup, and for main, the risotto with rabbit, chorizo and king prawns.  Both were really delicious.  They were also very informed with allergies and provided gluten free bread.

The highlight of the meal for both of us was the dessert - chilled marzipan soup with peach and berries, creme brulee and a maracuja ice cream.  Delicious!

The best bit was that even after three courses we still have enough credit on our voucher to go again!  It may take us another three years but I'm looking forward to it already and because the menu is always changing, we'll be in for a different treat next time!

Recipe: Courgette Bake

 This is an old recipe but one of our favourites. Since the garden is brimming with courgettes right now, we're rapidly reviewing all of our courgette recipes. Below you can see the first of our huge harvest. We're even having to give some away. I love that we have green and yellow this year.

Recipe: Paleo Energy Balls

Since we've been on Summer holidays, we've had more time to cook and bake, which means more cooking from scratch and healthier options.

As a result, we've tried some new Paleo recipes and this one is easy, no baking required, tasty and it delivers on the energy front. Try it!