Sweet Potato Thins, made not so thinly!

I have a new Gluten Free baking cookbook! Yay! New ideas! I have already baked a few recipes from it and so far it has been really educational. I am finding myself learning a whole new way of baking and learning about an entire new range of foods. I was very comfortable with the difference between self raising and plain flour, I knew what adding baking powder would do to a recipe and knew when to use bicarb soda instead. But, rice flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, xantham gum... what do I know of these! The answer most certainly is not a lot. But, I'm happy to be learning.

We had our adorable neighbours over for afternoon tea last weekend, it was time to meet our daughters' boyfriends' parents. They are so sweet. Their two year old little boy calls Baby M his girlfriend, and loves hearing her crying (?) in the hallway outside their door! So we had them over so that we could chat more than by the mailboxes! It was fun to have afternoon tea and I made a few little treats for the occasion. I will post about the cupcakes soon, but firstly I made these simple Sweet Potato Thins.

They were made even more simple due to the fact that I had baked 5 sweet potato's for Baby M's meals, so just kept one aside for these sweet treats. Easy. Otherwise, you'll need to bake/steam a sweet potato and then let it completely cool before baking.

The first thing I learned with Gluten Free baking is to make up a batch of Gluten Free Flour Mix (A), which can be used for cakes, biscuits, etc. It is a mix of rice flour, potato flour and tapioca flour. The quantities are listed here.

Ingredients

 

1 Large sweet potato

150g Gluten Free flour mix (105g white rice flour + 30g potato flour + 15g tapioca flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

40g caster sugar

50g margarine

1 medium egg

Icing sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Bake the sweet potato until soft, about an hour. Leave to cool and then mash with a fork.

2. Place the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and margarine in a food processor and pulse until you have the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. I love doing this with my fingers, so I rub the butter between my fingers until it has reached the desired consistency. I find this helps add air into the recipe too.

 3. Add the egg and cold sweet potato and mix well

4. Roll the dough into a log and chill in the fridge for an hour.

5. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and cut the dough into 5mm slices and place on the tray.

6. Flatten until about 3mm thick, or keep them a bit thicker if you want more of a biscuit (cookie) consistency, which is what I did.

7. Bake for 15 minutes or until the edges start to lightly brown.

8. Leave to cool and dust with icing sugar.

If you want to have a light icing on top of these if you have made them into biscuits (cookies), mix together icing sugar, butter and lemon juice until a spreadable consistency. Spread over each biscuit and allow to set for ten minutes. 

 

Printable Sweet Potato Thins

Gluten Free Flour Mix (A)

This recipe for GF Flour Mix A is straight from my Phil Vickery cookbook. It can be used for cakes, biscuits, slices and a whole range of other baking that has needs for a lighter (and obviously gluten free) flour mix.

I will link to this recipe when needed.

Makes 1kg.

700g fine white rice flour
200g potato flour
100g tapioca flour

Mix all the flours together very thoroughly or put into a food processor and pulse until mixed. Store in an airtight container.

My first attempt at Crispy Carnitas!

Gluten-free eating hasn't been as hard to get used to as I thought it would be. There's GF flours, breads, pastas, and well, really most things, so if I really want to have a piece of toast for breakfast, I can. I have found that it is easier to eat meals that aren't focused around something that originally was wheat-based though. So rather than having a big stack of pancakes for breakfast, we now focus on creating lavish omelettes instead. 

And then I discovered Mexican. Discovered isn't quite the right word. I have had plenty of Mexican food before, but, I hadn't realised how much I would come to be obsessed with it during my GF trial (which, I think might turn into a way of life instead of merely a trial....). Obsessed isn't quite the right word. But there aren't any english words that a strong enough! Perhaps there is in Spanish! 

We had an amazing lunch at our friends' place a few weeks ago and knowing that I was now eating GF, she told us she was going to make carnitas. A quick google search later I learned it was shredded pork caramelised with mexican spices. SOLD! It was delicious and filling and had so much flavour I hadn't even noticed the missing tortillas! 

Not even a week had passed before I had purchased some pork shoulder and I set out to replicate lunch. 

I followed the same recipe, which is on Marks Daily Apple, for Crispy Carnitas. 

Ingredients

1.5kg boneless pork shoulder cut into five pieces. I trimmed the main hunk of fat, but then kept enough to get a good caramelisation!

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili flakes

1 cinnamon stick or sprinkle of ground cinnamon is fine too

1 bay leaf

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 onion, chopped or thinly sliced

Water, for braising

(and, not in the recipe, I added some paprika and garlic salt, and omitted the garlic, because I didn't have any!)

Method:

1. Cut pork into a few large pieces and place in a large, heavy-based pot.

2. Mix together spices and rub all over the meat.

3. Place the cinnamon and bay leaf, garlic and onion in the heavy pot with the seasoned meat. I cooked mine entirely on the stovetop but you can also cook it in the oven.

4. Add enough water to almost entirely cover the meat.

5. Slowly cook the meat for 3 hours until slightly browned, very tender and most of the water has evaporated. You will need to stir a few times in this period, more if you are cooking on the stovetop.

6. Remove the pork and shred between two forks. Return to the pan with a little more water to tenderise further.

7. Remove the cinnamon stick (if used), and bay leaf, and when you are ready to serve the meat, place it under the grill/broiler for about ten minutes, to caramelise the fat and crisp up. It will turn a darker brown and will essentially dry out a little, so only do this right before you are ready to eat.

8. Serve with char-grilled onions and peppers, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, and any other salads/vegetables of your choosing. It makes a tortilla fulfil its Mexican destiny, makes for a mean quesadilla or is just awesome as is atop a mound of salad. 

Printable Crispy Carnitas

Pub Placemat and Lobster review

Please excuse me writing through bleary eyes this morning, we were up until 1:30am watching Australian sporting/golfing history happen!! (And well, I have had a major crush on Adam Scott well before Ana did so it was wonderful to finally see him sink the putt that counts!!). Anyway.....

Lobster review, yummy...Nope. Not that kind of Lobster. We can't all of a sudden justify lobster for dinner for the two of us! This is the Phil n Ted's Lobster, which is a travel highchair and pretty much one of the best purchases we've made since Baby M arrived. This is not a sponsored post. I wish it was. I feel I should be getting commission from Phil n Teds with the number of sales we've encouraged over the past few months. Seriously every single time we have this out and about, some other parents come by and ask us about it and where they can get one.

We enjoy taking Baby M to restaurants, friends' houses and pubs that aren't too loud or dodgy. Its great just having the Lobster in the pram with us so that we can make most dining situations work. 

In Hampstead

In Brooklyn

Christmas Day in Charlotte

But, now that bubs is eating finger food and wants needs to have a little more control over her food, its starting to gross me out a bit about the pub tables that she's virtually licking clean!!! The Lobster does come with a little tray that you could put on the table, but, its kind of awkward and somehow seems to be more trouble to travel with than its worth. So, when I was making the Knee Pad I had the thought of using the PVC fabric to make a little placemat. 

I know what you're thinking...why can't you just buy a placemat....well... the little arms (claws) that attach to the table top would kind of be in the way of a regular placemat, unless of course you made one with splits in it! 

And so now I have the perfect placemat that rolls up into practically nothing, that we can throw in with the Lobster and not have to worry about an excessive amount of table goop! 

I hope you had a great weekend. What are the chances that Baby M will schedule us both in for a 2pm nap today...or am I just dreaming! Happy Monday! 

Photo Phriday #1

Photo Phriday

I really can't decide if I love the name, or if it irritates me! But, that's one of the great things about a blog... I can change it whenever I want!! It's not a printed publication, forever lining greasy fish and chips....mmmm....fish and chips.... anyway, I love the alliteration (and HATE photo being spelled with an "f"), so for now, it stays. 

I had a thought the other day about wanting to do a regular post once a week that is a photo only. 

Of absolutely anything, not necessarily of anything 'meg has made'. 

And so I've decided to give it a go. I think it will be fun to look back over a year's worth of Fridays and see a snapshot of our lives. One photo. No words. 

So, later on today will be my very first Photo Phriday posting... I promise I won't only post of Baby M, but a few may sneak their way in!! 

Courgette Cozette Chips

Apparently, I am YEARS behind! I had never had a courgette chip until I made these last month. GASP. There seems to be a heap of recipes floating around Pinterest at the moment, and so I thought I'd see what all the fuss was about. The Lean Green Bean pointed out that her recipe was well behind the game too, and that was posted nearly two years ago, so lets just call it like it is, ask your Gran for a recipe before coming to me for an innovative recipe for your humble courgette. 

Moving right along. It seems that all those many, many people before me were onto something because these are tasty. Simple. Healthy. Good. I made mine dairy-free but the Parmesan would add a tasty extra crunch too. I am not sure that this would work all that well gluten free, as the courgettes would make the almond meal too damp and not crisp up enough. So perhaps this might not be one for gluten intolerant. 

Ingredients

2-3 courgettes
Plain flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Breadcrumbs mixed with salt, pepper and a little paprika

Method:

1. Slice the courgettes into long fingers (a little thicker than julienne)

2. Coat each courgette finger in plain flour. Shake off excess.

3. Dip each courgette finger in egg. Hold above egg mix to let excess drop off

4. Roll each courgette finger in breadcrumbs.

5. Place on a baking tray and bake in 180C/350F for about 15 minutes until browned.

6. Enjoy with sauce of your choosing. I started with salsa, and finished with tomato ketchup and mayonnaise!  I think garlic aioli would go well with it too.

Printable Courgette Chips recipe

Caketails.....Cocktails you can eat!

Caketails. A few years ago I came up with this witty, catchy and altogether awesome title for my dream recipe book that I was going to write when we moved to London and I had some time on my hands. But... little did I was know, I was pregnant at the time of hatching this great plan, and there goes all of my free time and ability to drink copious amount of cocktails!I still baked a few different Caketails over the past 18 months though, as a sneaky way of enjoying myself a cocktail while either being pregnant or breastfeeding, and thought I would share them because, frankly, they're even more awesome than the book title, if that's even possible.

I followed the basic mojito recipe from The Hummingbird Bakery Cafe and then adapted each recipe according to the main ingredients of the cocktail I was hoping to emanate. In addition to the recipes listed below I've done G&T's, Godfathers, Honey Vodka and Berry Caprioska's. 

I am playing with different ways of getting printable recipes included in my posts now, so try it out and let me know what you think!

Ingredients for all cupcake bases:

100ml alcohol (as per listed below)

170g caster sugar

40g unsalted butter, softened

120g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 large egg

120ml (4fl oz) whole milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

Ingredients for icing:

80g unsalted butter softened 

250g icing sugar

1 tsp finely grated citrus (as listed below)

4 tsp whole milk

Any other additions as listed below 

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) 

2. Add the alcohol and 30g (1oz) of the sugar to a small saucepan and bring to the boil, allowing it to reduce by about half, then set aside to cool slightly. 

3. Meanwhile, using a freestanding electric mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand-held electric whisk, slowly mix together the butter, flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix until the ingredients have come together and resemble fine breadcrumbs. 

4. In a jug whisk the egg, milk and vanilla essence together. With the mixer or electric whisk still running on a low speed, gradually pour the liquid mixture into the flour and butter and mix thoroughly, scraping down the sides of the bowl every now and then. 

5. Spoon batter into cupcake cases. Be sure to fill each case to 2/3 full. 

6. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until the cupcakes are a light golden-brown colour and bounce back when lightly pressed. While they are still warm, spoon about 1 teaspoon of the alcohol reduction over each cake, then leave to cool completely before icing. 

Making the icing:

Using the freestanding mixer or electric whisk, set on a low speed, beat together the butter, icing sugar and citrus zest until combined and crumb-like in texture, then mix together the milk and 4 teaspoons of the reserved alcohol reduction in a jug. Pour the milk and alcohol into the butter and icing sugar mixture, still mixing on a low speed. When all the liquid has been incorporated, increase the speed to high and beat the frosting until soft and fluffy. Ice the tops of each cupcake and allow to set before serving. 

Strawberry Daiquiri Caketails

Alcohol to use: 100ml White rum

Icing additions: lime zest

Special instructions:
1. In step 1, hull and chop the strawberries into small pieces, then soak in the rum and sugar reduction for 30–40 minutes.
2. Drain the strawberries after 30 minutes and separate the liquid and strawberries. Place a few pieces of strawberry in each cupcake case with batter in it prior to baking. Keep the strawberry rum mix for coating on the cooked and warm cupcake prior to icing.

Mojito Caketails

Alcohol to use: 100ml White rum

Icing additions: Lemon zest, lime zest and freshly chopped mint.

Cosmopolitan Caketails

Alcohol to use: 50ml Vodka and 50ml cointreau.

Additional ingredient: Add 40ml of pure cranberry juice in with the sugar and alcohol before boiling

Icing additions: Lime zest.

Printable recipe

Knee Pads for Dads!

So we have a bit of a routine. But only in the sense that its an order of things we do, not a set time or strict schedule, but just a general pattern. I feed Baby M her dinner, and when my hubby gets home from work he gives her a bath, reads her a story and then I give her a little milk feed before putting her to bed. It works for us. It does mean our baby goes to bed around 9, but I could never take her Daddy-time from her, so for now, I wouldn't have it any other way.

But, on the weekends, we kind of switch it up a little (apart from the pre-bed-feeds, because hubby just aint got the goods!) and so Mr M will give her dinner and I'll give her a bath. Ever since we started bathing her in the big girls bath, this has become marginally much less enjoyable. It hurts your knees like all buggery! And, now that I am involved in the weekend bath routine, something must be done!!!!

So, I had a wee look around the baby stores at what they propose as a solution to this problem, and mostly it was a $20 kneeling pad in garishly ugly prints that would clash with our bathroom. Gasp. No thank you. So I bought some sweet PVC fabric online for $5 and used the foam from her old baby mattress, and felt pretty certain I could make a far better knee pad, that wouldn't require you to wear sunglasses to look at it! 

It was easier to sew PVC than I was expecting, and took about an hour in total, so I kind of wish I hadn't put it off for so long. I made it a little bigger than I should have, but thought I'd just leave it that way, which definitely makes it easier to get the foam in an out of if I need to in the future. 

I have one end closing with velcro, for ease of washing and re-foaming if needs be, and attached a ribbon loop to hang it to dry at the end of each bath time. 

I presented the finished product to Mr M last night and he said...."aaah that's so nice, now my knees don't hurt anymore...." which is great, but is he angling for a foot pad......elbow pad......adjustable day bed....

Migraine-fighting cocktail

I am lucky. Really lucky. I met the boy I was going to marry when I was 15 and we've been together ever since. We have a beautiful and healthy little girl together. She has all four grandparents who skype with her every Sunday. We have five gorgeous nieces and nephews, and two on the way (one due TODAY!). I know how lucky I am. But, if I could be selfish and picky and change just one thing, I would cure myself of migraines. They are awful.   And make caring for my little family very difficult.

And no. They are not bad headaches.

The kind of migraines I have been getting since I was 9 are the kind that knock me off my feet for a day or two at a time. It starts with an aura (if you want to see what I see, this video is really similar, but warning, if you have sensitivities, its bloody awful!) and so then I have 10% vision for an hour or so. Next is the tingling sensation/numbness, which starts in one finger and spreads to one entire side of my upper body. I lose feeling in an arm, one eye, one side of my nose and even half of my mouth and lips go numb. I used to whack my arm on a brick wall just to stimulate feeling in it again, but, the bruises were hardly worth it! I often get nausea a little then too. And THEN comes the headache. They're the type that means if you move your head away from the "level" position, the giant brick inside your head will slip forward and damage your skull.

Perception vs Reality, has never been my forte.

I wanted to write about migraines. I don't know why though.

Maybe someone reading will have a magical cure that I haven't tried and I can get rid of them once and for all.

Maybe there are other mama's out there breastfeeding and unable to medicate against them that wants to wallow in self pity with me for a moment.

Or maybe I just wanted someone to whimper to for a little, because my 10 month old can cry louder and for longer and sometimes I need to be heard too!!

I am drinking gallons of this Migraine Cocktail in the hopes that it will help me out, because getting 2-3 migraines a week is just getting really hard to handle. The ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory, which should help constrict the blood vessels around the brain. Blueberries are number one in the world of antioxidants and help neutralise free-radicals. Fresh basil reduces tension and fatigue. Heck, it's worth a try right?!

Mix fresh ginger root (minced), muddled fresh basil leaves, fresh blueberries and hot water together. Leave to steep for half an hour and sip throughout the day.

And when all else fails, even in the worst of it, a little cuddle from this sweet little girl always, always make me feel better. I know I have so much to be thankful for, but thanks for letting me have a little bit of a whinge too!

Naked Baa Baa Burger

Oh. My. Goodness. 

Every now and then I eat things that are meant to have wheat, such as a burger with a bun, but they are so delicious that I don't even notice that something is missing. This was definitely the case with this Naked Lamb Burger that I made myself for lunch last week. 

I love lamb. It's in our blood. It's Un-Australian not to. You know it makes sense... 

Whenever lamb is on special I always buy some and pop it in the freezer (we don't seem to be able to get much Aussie lamb in the UK, but we do get some wonderful Kiwi lamb which is just as good). I was really hungry the other day and so decided to make myself a lamb burger for lunch.

I made the pattie using lamb mince, a small amount of finely chopped onion, dried tarragon, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce and almond meal. I cooked some onions in the pan first and then placed the pattie in amongst the juicy onions, which then all cooked together. Once the meat was cooked through, I spread two teaspoons of marscapone and two slices of cheddar cheese on top, and placed it under the grill for minute or two, until the cheese had melted. 

All I had with the burger was a simple salad with lettuce (incidentally, it was lambs lettuce!) and cherry tomatoes. The flavours of the burger and cheeses with onions were so intense that it didn't need anything else. I find lamb is always more tender and juicy than beef, and this was no exception. The meat was tender, the cheese added a luxurious creaminess and the caramelised onions gave it some good crunch. 

It seriously was the best burger I've had in a long time!

Bun, what bun...

Joyful Honey Joys

Sometimes simple is best! 

I don't know whether Honey Joys are an Australian thing or not, but none of our friends over here seem to know of them, so perhaps so! At every birthday party growing up, there was always Honey Joys, Fairy bread (sprinkles on buttered bread) and Chocolate Crackles (rice crispies with chocolate, basically!). I feel like we can't just crack out fairy bread for afternoon tea as adults, and I cannot eat chocolate, so, the honey joys, they're all mine. 

They are so simple, but so tasty! Probably not substitutable for breakfast food even though they're all basic breakfast ingredients, but they make one hell of an afternoon tea snack.

Ingredients:

90g butter (3.17oz)

1/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons honey

4 cups Corn Flakes

Method

1. Melt butter, sugar and honey together in a saucepan until it is frothy. 

2. Add cornflakes and mix throroughly. 

3. Divide between patty papers

4. Bake at 150C/300F for 10 minutes

5. Cool and enjoy! 

Simple right! The honey forms a crust around the corn flakes so they're crunchy and sweet, with a chewy gooey base. Mmmmm...

And to make them a little more luxurious, you can use Crunchy Nut corn flakes, (which are the second type in this photo), where the addition of nuts and lets be real, more sugar, is always a welcome addition to any afternoon snack.

AND, I have Gluten Free corn flakes so this is totally doable as a GF snack too! Winning!

I think the thing I like most about them though, is the memories that they stir in me whenever I eat one. Such happy times running around my friends' yard having tea parties in the cubbyhouse. I hope my baby girl likes them one day too!