Author: emma@cookfasteatslow.com

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Meal Time Madness

True Confessions.

Dinner time is no longer my favourite time of the day. It once was, but then 3 gorgeous blessings entered our world and dinner time became, let’s just say, ‘interesting’.

A year or so ago we were going through a particularly challenging season of dinner time antics. “You sat there last night, it’s my turn/Why is there broccoli on my plate?/He’s looking at me/I’ve spilled my drink/He’s kicking me under the table/You know I hate this meal/Something smells funny/Mum, the tomato sauce is all over the chair/I spilled my drink again” and so it would go on……

One especially bad evening, when I wanted to lay my head in my mash and weep, I had a thought. I ordered everyone to stop eating, go and get a pen and piece of paper and we began to set out some meal time rules for our family.

Here is the list of 10 we came up with. No edits or additions.

1. Be thankful to God for the food even if you don’t like it.
2. Try everything on your plate, you just might love it!
3. When you hear ‘Dinners Ready’, come straight away.
4. No screens allowed- iPhone, iPad, iPod, DS etc
5. Try and listen to the person talking and wait your turn to speak.
6. Ask to leave the table, otherwise, stay seated.
7. Use your cutlery.
8. No stinky farts.
9. Keep your arms and legs to yourself.
10. No rugby balls or soccer balls to be kicked in the house at dinner time.

I must say we did in time add number 11 – if you cannot sit still, you may go outside and run 5 laps of the house and then return to your chair where you need to finish your dinner. (I can hear all the parents of boys out there shouting ‘AMEN’ to that)

Despite the madness, we have decided to keep persevering with meal times as a family around the table. When they were really little, the kids ate so early, there was no way Dad could be home from work in time, so we would make more of an effort on weekends. As they get older, the kids actually get busier in the evenings, but we still set the table, light a candle and eat dinner together as many nights a week as possible. What keeps us persevering through this season is picturing the end game.  We want our boys to grow up valuing the coming together as a family at the end of the day.  It is often over a meal that some of our best relationship moments happen.  I was privileged to have this modelled as a priority in my home growing up, and still to this day, I love to gather with my parents and siblings and their families and share a meal. It’s crazy, messy and loud at times, but it’s worth it.

So, if you are in the early years of parenting – persevere with meal times, however they look in your family.

Just the other week, we sat down at the table, and after saying ‘thanks to God for our food’, my 3 year old looked up at me and said ” So how was your day mum?”  Again I wanted to weep, but this time with happiness, that they just might be getting it after all.

 

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Simple Fresh Apricot Cake

“Let’s eat cake…….just not every day” is a pretty good motto to live by I think. We need ‘special foods’, ‘sometimes foods’ and ‘celebration foods’ and nothing says celebration more than cake!

This recipe is celebrating the summer that we have enjoyed and what better way to farewell the season than by using the last of the fresh summer apricots?

This basic butter cake dotted with golden apricots is made entirely in a food processor. So for all of you ‘I don’t bake’ people reading this, if you have time this weekend, I encourage you to give it a go!

The recipe is from one of my favourite Australian cooks and cookbook authors, Belinda Jeffery. Her cookbook “Desserts” is one I reference and cook from often.

Ingredients

8 medium sized apricots, washed and cut into wedges

150gm castor sugar, plus 2 1/2 tablepsoons

150gm self raising flour

50gm almond meal

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

160gm unsalted butter, softened or at room temp, cut into chunks

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

icing sugar for dusting

Serve with vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream.

Method

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celsius (or 160 degrees for a fan forced oven)

Grease and line the base and sides of a 20cm round cake tin with baking paper.

Gently mix the apricots with 2 1/2 tablespoons of the castor sugar in a bowl and set aside.

Place the flour, almond meal and baking powder in a large food processor and whiz for 10 seconds. Tip into a bowl and set aside.

Now put the eggs and remaining castor sugar (150gm) into the food processor and whiz for 1 minute. Add the butter, whiz for 40 seconds, scraping down the side of the bowl occasionally. NOTE – it will look curdled at this stage, but that’s okay!

Add the lemon zest and vanilla and whiz briefly.

Tip the flour mixture back into the food processor, and pulse together till it’s all combined. Add the milk and whiz until you have a creamy smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared tin and using a slotted spoon, take the apricots out of their bowl and scatter them over the top of the cake.

Bake the cake for approximately 1 hour. The fruit will sink into the cake as it bakes. Test it with a skewer to make sure it’s cooked in the middle. The skewer should come out clean.

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack.

Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice-cream or cream.

 

 

 

 

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Homemade Fish and Chips

Who doesn’t love a hot, crispy and salty chip? One of our favourite things to do in summer is head to the beach for Fish and Chips.

Trying to recreate that feeling at home is a little harder to do, but mastering a good homemade chip or ‘wedge’ isn’t.

I usually do potatoes for the boys and sweet potato for my husband and I.

IMG_4423

Serves 5

Ingredients

1 medium sweet potato, washed, skin on, cut in half and then into wedges.

3 medium potatoes, washed, skin on, cut into wedges.

Olive oil, salt and pepper

4-5 firm white fish fillets or salmon fillets

1 tablespoon (approx 20gm) of butter

Serve with salad of choice and a lemon or lime wedge.

Method

Before you do anything else, turn your oven to 220 degrees celsius.

While it’s heating, line 2 trays with baking paper – this saves washing up later!

Place the cut sweet potato and potato wedges in a microwave safe dish, add a little water, cover and microwave till soft, approx. 4 minutes. If not soft, place back in the microwave for another minute or so.

Drain and dry the wedges with some paper towel (this will help them roast better)

Place on trays, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and throw them in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Get your fish of choice out of the fridge. Lightly oil and season both sides.

When there is 10 minutes to go on your wedges, place a frying pan on medium heat and add butter to the pan. Once melted, cook for 4 minutes on each side or until cooked till your liking.

Serve on plates with your favourite salad and a wedge of lemon or lime.

FISH COOKING TIPS –

If your fish has skin on, cook the skin side down first.

White fish fillets will flake apart easily with a fork when they are cooked and will be opaque in the middle.

Salmon will also flake apart easily when cooked and will still be slightly pink in the middle.

 

 

 

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Caramel Salmon and Steamed Greens

Well…it’s not actually ‘Caramel’ Salmon, but for some reason it smells a little like caramel when it’s cooking and I also found that in naming this dish that way, my boys ate it with no questions asked. Whatever works I say!

Now, I know we all have different budgets restrictions when it comes to our groceries, and fresh salmon fillets are not the cheapest option when it comes to seafood. Buying enough salmon for a family of 5 may cost you around $15 for one meal. But to put it in perspective, if you don’t plan any dinner and end up taking the family through McDonalds drive thru, you’ll probably spend more than $40.

It is by far one of the best foods you can eat and introduce to your kids. Full of ‘good fats’ like Omega 3, Vitamins A and D, minerals like calcium, iron and zinc and easily digestible proteins, eating salmon is great for your heart, brain, eyes and metabolism among many other things.

Serves 5

Ingredients

400-500gm fresh salmon fillets, (bones and skin removed is usually more child friendly)

1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste

1 tablespoon sweet chill sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

Juice of 1 lime (or lemon if you don’t have one)

Serve with steamed greens like Bok Choy, Snow Peas, Green Beans or Brocollini

Note – if you want to add a carbohydrate to this meal, Brown or Basmati rice works perfectly.

Method

Cut the salmon fillets into small cubes and place into a bowl.

Combine the ginger, sweet chilli sauce, soy sauce, garlic and lime juice and pour over the salmon. Leave to marinate while you prepare your vegetables for steaming.

Cover the grill tray with a piece of foil and turn on grill to high.

Place salmon cubes under the grill and cook for 4 minutes, then turn each piece using tongs and cook for another 2 minutes or until cooked to your liking.

While the salmon is cooking, steam your vegetables.

Layer the salmon and vegetables in a bowl to serve.

 

 

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Vegetarian One Pot Pasta

You can hardly call this ‘cooking’, as all you need to do is a little chopping and then bung everything in a pot, stick a lid on and let it simmer away. By the time you’ve argued with the kids about whose turn it is to set the table, it will be ready!

Serves 5 large portions (or smaller portions with enough for leftovers for lunch the next day)

Ingredients

1 x 500gm packet of fettucine or spaghetti

1x 400gm tin of diced tomatoes

1 spanish onion (red), thinly sliced

1 red capsicum, sliced

2 clove garlic, crushed

2 teaspoons dried oregano

A handful of baby spinach leaves

A handful of fresh basil leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock

Parmesan Cheese and extra basil leaves to serve

Method

Place all ingredients, except the cheese and extra basil, in a large pot, put the lid on and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. You will need to check it and give it a stir every once in a while as the pasta can tend to stick to the bottom of the pot. When you think the pasta is almost cooked, leave the lid off to let some of the liquid evaporate.

Divide amongst bowls and top with grated parmesan cheese and some more basil leaves.

Original recipe idea from www.apronstringsblog.com