Food, Finds & Forays

Hey there...

Hey there… It’s Spring!!!! Bees are buzzing, flowers budding and birds are chirruping. Getting out of bed in the morning is a little easier and the days are brighter. Can you tell I’m excited? The change in seasons is always a time of farewell to the one closing and one of anticipation for all the new season will bring. A bit like the seasons of life really. Which brings me to today's recipe. Seemingly straight forward Muesli Bars have been something that have drawn on lunchbox filling skills from earlier years of motherhood to this phase of young adults running out the door to work after filling their own lunchboxes. Maybe it’s a metaphor. Have a read, you decide or just make the muesli bars and munch while you contemplate your own seasons.
Additionally I’ve found some delicious spring recipes and one for those with younger children to entertain. Also a little small biz workshop to come hang out at with me and a little appeal for support for my community if you’re able.
 
Hope you’ve been having a great week and enjoy today’s offerings. As always if you think of someone who may enjoy this one too, please feel free to forward it on.
 
Enjoy
S x

Food 

The cheers of my friend's 7 year old screaming “ he’s walking” erupted from the lounge while we adults chatted in the kitchen. We rushed to see what all the commotion was about to find my friend's young son teaching my 10 month old to walk. It was our second wedding anniversary and not only had she brought us flowers to celebrate but her gorgeous boy had helped our son reach one of those much anticipated milestones. He’d rolled early at ten weeks, he’d babbled and chatted on schedule, gobbled up all that was offered and now was on the move. We all cheered and sat on the floor with him reaching our arms out to him encouraging him forward happily rejoicing with every step.
Parenthood is like that isn’t it? Anticipating all those milestones and all the rejoicing when they arrive. Some arriving on time, each one ticked off the list, others arriving on their own schedule sometimes causing anxiety and efforts rallied to help your young ones forward. Each rung of the ladder is exciting and each one marks the passage of time. No matter what others tell us  in the midst of these exciting and busy years,  about not wishing the days away, we do watch and wait with a mix of emotions. 
As each one arrives so too does our own days and routines evolve. Chasing mobile toddlers, taking them to preschool, starting the school days and all that brings including all the educational goalposts and extra curriculars. These milestones all act as building blocks to their lives and in turn our own.
As the early years of our children’s lives unfolded all the parenting moments and milestones of mine emerged. Some challenging me others working to my strengths. As my eldest edged towards starting school I imagined myself creating all the gourmet lunches you could possibly think of. My young fella had a good palette and loved a wide range of foods. I couldn’t understand what other mothers bemoaned. To me I thought it was going to be a creative boon for this food lover. I soon learnt yet another lesson from parenthood. Coming up with variety and emptying picked through lunchboxes at the end of busy days soon became old. Each year would begin with purchases of the latest ‘lunchbox’ cook books and magazine special editions determined to do better and find new ideas. In turn each year would end with vegemite sandwiches and apples as we dragged ourselves to the finish line. 
Then, in what felt like the blink of an eye, the school years were coming to an end and the lunch box ‘grind’ was too. I rolled through that first summer without a return to school and two adult men inhabiting the space formerly consumed by little boys with all the fervour and excitement of a woman released from self-imposed shackles. Until I started to crazily miss it. Was it a metaphor for the loss of the little boys no longer running around? Probably. I’m immensely proud of the strong, self-sufficient and hard working men they’ve become but finding your place in the lives of your adult off spring can be a milestone of it’s own and a tricky path to navigate. But here’s the thing, even adults still need parenting, it just looks and feels different and has a different scale.
At night as the boys prepare for the workday to follow and lunches are compiled, by them now, I still often hear “mum what can I make for lunch?” you’ve read before about this one which has become one of Boy 1’s go to’s for smoko. But he also loves a hand held version, as it were, to munch on in the car on the way to work, as the sun rises over the suburbs and he sips his takeaway coffee in traffic. No longer taking shaky steps in the lounge room to outstretched arms but leaping through life away from the arms that now cheer him and his brother on in awe.

Ingredients:

120gm unsalted butter chopped
2tb honey
¼ c brown sugar
1tb olive oil
1 c rolled oats
1/3 c sunflower seeds
1/3 c pumpkin seeds
1/3 c chopped raw almonds or sliveded almonds
80 gm dark chocolate chopped
½ c dried fruit of your choice (I’ve used currants and chopped medjool dates)
1/3 c shredded coconut
¼ tsp salt flakes


Method:

Preheat oven to 160c (140c fan forced) and grease and line a 19.5cm x30cm slice tin.

Over a med-low heat, gently melt butter honey and sugar together until sugar is just dissolved without letting the mixture bubble. It will need your undivided attention as you may need to hold the pan off the flame a few times and swirl a little to keep it off the bubble. once melted remove from heat and stir through the olive oil. Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature. If you don’t mind an extra dish to clean pouring the mixture into a wide bowl like a pasta bowl to speed this up.

While you’re waiting for that to cool, combine all remaining ingredients ensuring any sticky ingredients like dried fruit are broken up and covered in the dry ingredients.

Once wet ingredients are suitably cooled pour over the dry and stir to mix thoroughly until there’s no sign of dry ingredients. Some of the chocolate may soften and even melt a little. This will depend on how cool your butter was and how warm/soft your chocolate was. So long as the chocolate is still mostly whole it’s fine. In fact it will even help flavour the bars. Press into prepared tin pushing down to flatten. Pop in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes.

Allow to cool almost completely in the tin. Gently lift out of the tin  onto a rack and slide paper out from underneath.

When completely cool cut into the shape and size you desire. The outer pieces will be crispy and the inner ones chewy. The perfect mix for families of various tastes.

***If, like ours, your school doesn't allow nuts, top up the seeds and oats to equal amount.
 

Finds & Forays

I’m not sure if it’s the power of suggestion with the name of the season or the easing of winter weather but there really is a bit of a bouncy spring in the step today as the season changes. I want to glide out onto the patio, pretty drink in hand, soft billowy boho dress fluttering in the breeze and bask in the early evening light…*queue scratching record sound effect.* Those who know me just splattered their morning coffee across their breakfast. I neither own such a frock nor do I glide but I do love a pretty drink. I’ve had this one saved for some time. The patience it’s taken to follow overseas food blogs and accounts at opposing seasons finally paying off. That said I love a dish that bridges the two and uses up late season produce with a new season vibe. This salad has a spring vibe while using the remains of winter pumpkin, definitely adding it to the menu.

Here in Australia we’re edging towards school holidays again. This fun recipe would be a good way to keep the kids entertained when you need a slower day at home free from gadding about.
This chicken dinner came my way this week. It gave me all the ninties feels with the sundried tomatoes and basil. I made it last night and can confirm both delicious and easy. My tip though, give the thick end of the chicken thigh a bash to thin it down before cooking.

I know many of you are small business owners or indeed creatives like me who may have your own websites or social media profiles. It’s easy for our profiles and ‘about me’s’ to become a little tired and need a zhoosh up. Though I love words it’s not easy to write about myself. I’m taking this workshop this month to help me refresh my website bio and thought if you’re like me you may like to join in. I’d love to see some of you there.

Finally, in my procrastiscrolling yesterday I came across a post from a local primary school. They tragically lost one of their young students earlier this year. She was a book worm who made a mark on her community and to honour this the school has started an appeal to commemorate her short life with a new library. I have no affiliation with the school but am very touched by the story and wonderful initiative of locals. If you are able and feel compelled to help here’s the link to contribute. I know you’re all spread far and wide but sometimes we really can be a global community with small gestures that have big impacts.