Sunday, June 19, 2011

Cookin' up a storm

I've always quite liked cooking. When I was younger, it was mainly sweet things: cakes, bikkies etc, which I did pretty well - most of the time. I remember once I made a chocolate coconut slice with the recipe calling for 3/4 of a cup of sugar. I read it as 3-4 cups....let's just say it was pretty sweet!

During my teens, I started to branch out into meal-type dinners. Not too often for the family (sorry mum and dad!), but quite often for my friends. My neighbour and old (as in I've known here a long time!) friend Meg and I used to like throwing dinner parties. They were always fun, and occasionally spectacular! (a story for another day!)

As I've said before, by the time Anthony and I had settled into domesticity, I wasn't an amazing cook. I could heat up a meal frozen fish fillet and boy could I microwave peas, but that was about it. I could still make nice cakes, but didn't do it as much.

But over the years I've become much better at it. Mainly because I had to: you know, nutritious foods for my kids; and the fact that Anthony doesn't really cook (again, a story for another day).
But I do like knowing what's going into my kid's mouth. It's not that I go crazy sourcing organic, free-range everything, but the fact that I rarely cook processed meals makes a difference - to my sense of fulfillment if nothing else.


Until recently, the only exception has been school lunches. In the past, I'd occasionally cook a batch of bikkies or something, but for the most part, the kids would take 'snacky' type things for recess. Not chips and lollies, because I never buy those (I know, I'm so mean!), but things like muesli bars and fruit sticks.


But for the last couple of months I've been spending my Sundays (well, at least part of them) cooking up snacks for Anthony and Oliver. Today I'm making blackberry muffins (with blackberries from my garden!), muesli slice and ham/mayo twirls. Last weekend I made the twirls, pizza scrolls, Anzac bikkies, as well as a soup, a spag-bol, a roast lamb dinner and an apple an berry crumble.

It's nice to get back into the cooking thing! I wonder how long I can keep it up??

2 comments:

  1. My mum makes up batches of muffins for me so I can take them to work for morning tea. Beautiful and full of goodness. I very rarely share........
    Just as a side note:The Living End are showing respect for their Canberra fans by including us in the capital city tour starting September. ANU 7/9/11 with the tickets going on sale 30/6/11 (check TLE website) or 7/7/11 for the general public. Dig out you concert t-shirt because this will be worth the effort. See you there. Sue E.

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  2. We should exchange recipes sometime (or even swap snacks so the kids get some more variety during the week). I have been cooking more of those snacky type things from scratch since my nephew was diagnosed with his nut allergy. There are very few things you can give a kid like him without taking a risk, unless you make it from scratch......or maybe it is just my age.. But it is a really wonderful thing to do!

    Esther

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