Special food for my special boys

It has been a very hectic few weeks for us, hence my blogging absence (although I don't seem to be a diligent blogger anyways).

Part of the reason has been a small home-renovation that's been going on, but more so all the party preparation for Little Man's 1st birthday in a couple of weeks.  It's now in full-swing and I hope to find a minute to upload some photos next week to show where I'm up to (and perhaps get a bit of advice...).

In the meantime I am busy busy busy testing out new recipes.  You see although Big Man has some food allergies, we've known about these for a while and have been able to make the necessary changes at home with minimal fuss.  When it comes to parties it's his allergy to dairy that causes a little strife as almost all sweets have dairy in them, as do pastries, biscuits and many savoury crackers. 

Since starting our Little Man on solids we've noticed the same symptoms appear as those in our Big Man, except there seem to be more foods that trigger them in Little Man.  And now that we know that Big Man is anaphylactic we have been extra cautious this time around.

Our current no-go list is as follows:

(Are you ready for it...)

Egg white

Egg yolk

Dairy Milk

Soy Milk

Goat's Milk

Sheep's Milk

Fish

Crustaceans

Bananas

Peanuts

Tree nuts

As it is absolutely essential for Little Man to have some cake at his own party I have been on a frantic search of egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free cakes and sweets.

I've started with testing out some of my own recipes and simply replacing butter with dairy-free spread, and using egg replacer for the egg.  I've stuck to recipes that use liquids other than milk such as cocoa for chocolate cake, coconut milk for coconut vanilla cupcakes and all have been as delicious as they were before.  My taste-testers couldn't even tell the difference!  

I'm really pleased with the results and can't wait to show you the final party product!

Have a lovely weekend.

Another favourite dinner

Here is the recipe to another family favourite of ours.  The only variation is that instead of the maryland I'd rather have the butcher cut up a whole chicken into six pieces and use that instead.   The reason being that Middle Man and I love the leg, Big Man and his father like the breast and the Big Man also likes the wing... I'm sure you know the drill.  Anyway, it works just as well and makes everybody happy.  The recipe comes from one of my old Notebook: magazines, May 2009 I think.

Thyme Roasted Chicken and Cauliflower

Preparation Time

10 minutes

Cooking Time

40 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 4 (about 800g) chicken marylands
• 8 kipfler potatoes, washed, halved lengthways
• 1/2 (about 600g) cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• 1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine
• 1/2 cup (125ml) chicken stock
• 1 tbs grated horseradish
• 1 tbs Dijon mustard
• 1/4 bunch thyme
• Steamed green beans, to serve

Method

1. 
   
   Preheat oven to 200°C. Heat oil in a roasting pan over medium heat. Add chicken; cook for 2-3 minutes each side or until golden brown. Transfer to a bowl.
2. 
   
   Add the potatoes to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, for 1-2 minutes or until golden. Transfer to bowl. Add the cauliflower and onion and cook, turning occasionally, for 1 minute or until golden. Return chicken and potatoes to the pan.
3. 
   
   Combine wine, stock, horseradish and mustard in a jug and pour over chicken. Sprinkle with thyme sprigs and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Roast in oven for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven. Serve with steamed green beans, if desired.

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

As I cook dinner I think to myself, "I really must share this recipe on my blog."

It is a family favourite in our home, so here it is.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
½ cup (125ml) dry white wine
1 pinch saffron threads
2 chorizo sausages, thinly sliced
4 (600g) chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2cm pieces
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 red capsicum, seeded, finely chopped
2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
2 tsp sweet paprika
1 cup (220g) calrose rice
1 cup (150g) fresh or frozen peas
Flat-leaf parsley leaves, to serve

1. Combine the chicken stock, wine and saffron in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat a large frying pan or paella pan over high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, turning occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a plate. Add half the chicken to the pan and cook, turning occasionally, for 2-3 minutes or until brown and heated through. Transfer to the plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
3. Add the onion and capsicum to the pan and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until onion softens. Add the tomato and paprika and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic. Return the chorizo and chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle over the rice and pour over the chicken stock mixture. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is almost absorbed. Scatter the peas over the rice and cook, covered, for 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

Photography: Chris Chen

Published in Notebook: Magazine

Issue: September 2008
It's super-easy and super-yummy.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

A Special Request

When I was a little girl I was an early riser.  It was not unusual for me to be up anytime between 5 and 6am requesting a delicious breakfast, usually pancakes or porridge.

One of my special favourites is now a favourite of my sons'.  And they too are early risers.  My mum regularly reminds me that it's Karma.

This morning my 4 year old has put in a Special Request for one of his favourite breakfasts (and one of my childhood favourites too).  Semolina Pudding.  Perfect for a cold winter's morning.

I found my particular recipe here but my mother's recipe was very simple: milk (as much as you want), a tablespoon of sugar per person, and enough semolina to thicken it slightly (usually about a quarter of a cup).  

Just like many other families of young children, we have 'food issues' too.  Our 4 year old is anaphylactic (to dairy, crustaceans and tree nuts) and our almost-3 year old is a Failure to Thrive.  As a result one can't drink cow's milk (or soy, goat's or sheep's milk) and the other must have full fat cow's milk.  I am forever preparing two breakfasts, which used to be a pain but is now just a part of life for us.  To make matters worse, it seems our 7 month old also has food allergies.  We suspect dairy, bananas and the dreaded peanut, but won't know for sure until he's 12 months old.

Anyway, the recipe above is delicious, whether you make it with dairy milk or rice milk (which is actually quite tasty).  Luckily for us almonds aren't tree nuts but in fact seeds.  We're over the moon about that because they are so so good for you.  I hope you like it.

Raspberries

Now that I have three little boys to look after (and for whom I need to fill the fridge every few days) grocery shopping is not as simple as it used to be.  


Personally, I love doing my groceries online.  My local green-grocer delivers for the price of a coffee and gingerbread man, and they always choose better fruit and vegetables than I would pick in their store.  Every now and then, however, I love to walk through their shop and do my own shopping and today was one of those days.


Boy am I glad I did!  They had the most gorgeous raspberries on special and I immediately thought of one of my favourite recipes: Nigella's Chocolate Pavlova.  It's one of the easiest and most delicious desserts I can make.  Just take a look at it!

I love all of Nigella's desserts.  They're exactly what they should be: rich and comforting.  You can find the recipe on her website here.  It's easy enough to make for the family but delicious and attractive enough to make when entertaining.  The choice is yours.

Now, I must clear something up.  When I started this blog I intended to write about my journeys as a wife and mother: all the things we do each day and places we go.  A sort of memoir, I guess, for my children to read one day.  Obviously food would be a part of it, but I didn't intend to post two blogs back-to-back about food.  Obviously I'm a hungry, breastfeeding mum who just can't get food off her mind.

Come to think of it, my next post should be about exercise.  Or perhaps some lite recipes.  Yeah.  That's what I'll do.  In the meantime, however, it's off to the kitchen to separate some eggs, whip the cream, grate some chocolate...

Nikki's Chicken Soup

The last week's journey has taken us through the world of tummy bugs.  My pet hate!  


Thank goodness for Nikki's chicken soup.  We've all been surviving on toast, rice, ice blocks and jelly so it was a special treat for us all tonight to enjoy this dish.  Here is the recipe if you want to try it too.  I must admit that I've tweaked it a little (sorry Nikki) but it's still good and very close to the original.

INGREDIENTS:
6 corn-fed chicken thigh fillets
Half a bunch of celery (including some of the leafy bits), sliced as thinly as possible
3 medium carrots, grated
1 brown onion, finely diced
2 packets Continental chicken noodle soup
Large pinch of salt
1/2 a cup of rice


METHOD:
Fill a large saucepan with 6L of cold water.  Add the chicken and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Take the chicken out with tongs and roughly chop.  Return the chicken to the water along with all the other ingredients and stir well to mix.  Bring the soup to the boil again, then reduce the head and simmer for another 10 minutes.  And, as Nikki says, "Your soup is ready!"


The best bit about this soup is that the quantity is huge and it's suitable to freeze.