Food, Finds & Forays
Hey there....
Hey there…are you having a good week? Mine’s been productive though busy and definitely cold. Soooo very cold and wet. Spring has not sprung at all indeed spring has barely budded. But special projects for mates have definitely budded and are coming into bloom. Yesterday I finished off some work for a wonderful project with a beautiful pal I met online that I can’t share too much about yet but am super excited to share with you next year. Our final shoot together was at the end of a drive down the coast to one of my favourite parts of Victoria requiring an early start. The only way for me to get going early and get going well is to have some brekky ready to go with a strong coffee. My Almond Spice Granola, that also happens to be gluten free, served with Greek yoghurt and fruit is always a good idea on such days and stood me in good stead for a productive and creative day.
Last weekend I found myself home alone and found a fab little series on streaming you might like to try. And while we might all be trying to live in quiet denial Christmas really is coming at us fast. Yes I’m broaching the subject of the silly season touching on some ideas to help get your plans started.
I hope you enjoy today’s read and have a lovely weekend ahead. Thanks again for ‘lending me your ear’ on a Thursday morning.
Have a great day,
S x
Food
The alarm gently trills from my watch. It feels loud this morning ‘til I realise its right next to my head. I fumble for the button to quieten it and snooze a few more minutes. It trills again, I know today I can’t hit that button again. Magpies warble at my window sill, I hear my husband moving around getting ready for his day, run through the day in my head, I fumble for the button and turn off the alarm. Blinking a few times forcing sand from eyes I reach for my glasses check my phone (I know) and surrender to the inevitable. The day begins, showered ready to go. After squeezing in an early morning appointment I’m off for a jaunt down the coast to work on a wonderful project, it’s going to be a big day. With my photographer’s hat on, my mind is ticking through all the wonderful possibilities for today’s shoot, the creative joy of working with a like-minded soul on a shared passion coursing through my veins. I wander downstairs very grateful for yesterday Sally who prepared brekky for today Sally. What a clever gem she was, because no matter how invigorated I feel I’m still not a morning person. I try, I want to be, I make plans to reach that goal, but I never quite make it. I’m also a brekky lover, indeed it’s the only way to get me fired up, that and a strong almond milk flat white coffee….very strong. The delicious spicy crunch of nuts and seeds held together with honey burnished in the oven to crisp the mixture up to little clusters atop creamy thick Greek yoghurt and the tang of fresh berries is one of my favourite ways to start the day.
Whilst I’m lucky enough to not be a coeliac sometimes a brekky heavy in grains can still feel a little heavy in the morning for me. With that in mind I’ve leaned on gluten free ingredients for a satisfying and nourishing mix to top my yoghurt with a little crunchy sprinkle. A nice little handful of clusters also makes a great snack or even a lite sprinkle over ice cream to almost give a feel of a crumble type dessert. If not with fresh fruit this compote is perfect alongside the granola both at breakfast with yoghurt and of course at the other end of the day over ice cream.
And if you love the idea of preparing grab and go brekky's the night before you can try this one too, it's a big favourite here.
1 ½ c raw buckwheat
2/3 c whole raw almonds skin on
2/3 c slivered raw almonds
½ c raw macadamias either halved or roughly chopped
¼ c pumpkin seeds
¼ c sunflower seeds
2 Tb sesame seeds
1 c coconut flakes
2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cardamon
1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp brown sugar
Preheat oven to 160c (140c for fan forced).
Line a tray large enough to hold the ingredients in a single layer. Use two if you need to.
Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl, set aside. Combine Olive oil, honey and vanilla in a bowl whisking until combined. You can zap in the microwave for ten seconds if you need to loosen it.
Pour over drive ingredients and mix well to combine. Spread evenly on the tray in a thin layer. Bake 15 minutes taking out to stir and turn well half way through cooking.
Remove and cool on bench. I like to slide the paper off the hot tray onto the bench. It’s coolness shocks the granola and stops the cooking process.
Once completely cool, break into clusters and store in an airtight container. Serve with yoghurt, fruit, chia pudding or even ice cream.
Finds & Forays
I was home alone in the evenings this last weekend. Hubby hit the mountains camping, in the rain, crazy man, and the boys were both out and about being young. While I normally just watch tv or read this time I decided to see what I could find on streaming channels. I binged a new to me series ‘surprisingly’ from the food genre. I’m now desperately attempting to refrain from buying the book. We all know how that’s going to end don’t we?
As with many of us I’ve started thinking about Christmas food, as opposed to all the other time I spend thinking about food. If you’ve been here a while you may recall from last year me telling you about our little cul de sac's little Christmas eve tradition of a drinks and nibbles party which usually kicks off early evening. This year because it falls on a Sunday we’re going to have a little family Christmas lunch of our own before heading to our neighbour’s house. I haven’t settled on a main yet but I will be pulling out a plum pudding made at a cooking class I’m attending with a friend next month. We’ll make a weekend of it staying locally and perhaps a little lunch as well. I’m probably crazy squeezing in a weekend away in December but we both had gift vouchers to use up and a Christmas cooking class seemed the perfect excuse.
On the subject of that Christmas eve drinks do, I’m often asked to bring a pavlova. Ironically I’m actually not a pav fan but I do love the culinary challenge of mastering what amounts to an exercise in science. Though always appreciated I’m never 100% happy with mine. Every recipe I’ve tried fails to replicate the voluminous cloud like creations we all see in books. Mine always end with a soggy bottom and unable to be easily moved from tray to serving plate. I think I’ve narrowed it down to rushing the addition of sugar so I was excited to see this new take on the classic. I felt so seen, like Adam wrote this one just for me, I think I’ll need to give it a practice run this weekend, maybe serve it with this delicious find that I'll stock up on before the holiday season.
Finally the first instalment in a series of xmas present suggestions otherwise known as things Sally wants for Christmas/Sally may or may not have bought herself for Christmas/is trying to resist buying herself for xmas. Cheese!! Need I say more? This offering can actually be left at your door anywhere in Australia (within reason, I mean I’m pretty sure an outback cattle station may be a stretch) like reindeer and santa have been for grown ups. This was one of my favourite places to visit on last year’s holiday. Their products aren’t easy to get in Melbourne so a little indulgence with their annual Christmas offering would be a most perfect gift. Or maybe you want to impress a cheese loving loved one (who'll share), they really would believe in the big guy to find this waiting for them at the door.
