Today is the last day of winter and anyone that knows me knows that I totally love winter, I love wearing big coats, gumboots and cooking comfort food.
This winter was so different from any other winter we had lows and highs, this winter we got the Flu, the real flu, the munchkins and I were in Quarantine for what felt like the longest time and even though we weren't in quarantine for long it took a long time for me to recover and to feel like myself.
On the plus our winter vegie patch was amazing better than any other year I guess that's what happens when you spend loads of time looking after the vegies (mainly because we were so unwell to go anywhere the house and the garden are thanking us for it). We had loads of tomatoes, yellow button squash, brocollini, cabbage and my fav snow peas they never made it inside I just sat on the edge of the vegie patch and ate them by the handful.
It was a hard winter indeed but we always have to look at the bright side and that was I got to spend lots of quantity and quality time with the munchkins, we were crafties, cooks, bakers, gardeners and couch potatoes.
On this last day of winter our home looks tidy, we have loads of homemade birthdays cards in the off chance we get invited to a birthday party, our vegie patch was good to us and we are healthy.
Well as I write this I have two boys playing soccer inside the house apparently the chandelier is the goal...some things never change with the seasons.
On that note I better go and referee...... and tomorrow is the first day of Spring I wonder what the next few months have install for us.
Cheers
Karla
We are on our last leg of winter and finally it's actually feeling like winter here in Brisbane, we have had rain the weather feels cold and windy what better excuse than to have some warm hearty food.
I made this soup the other night just with bits and pieces I had from the pantry, fridge and the vegie patch it was a big hit, Farmer Joe and the munchkins could not have enough.
INGREDIENTS
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 litre of vegetable stock
2 x 400g tinned tomatoes
2 medium carrots, diced
2 potatoes diced
1 large zucchini diced
6 yellow button squash
1/2 cup pasta
1 cup of grated tasty cheese to sprinkle at the end.
METHOD
1. In a large pot pan heat olive oil and sauté the chopped onion
2. pour vegie stock and tomatoes into the pot, bring to simmer then add carrots, zucchini, potatoes, squash, pasta and cook on medium heat for approx. 30 -35 minutes until pasta is cooked stirring occasionally.
3. Serve and Sprinkle the grated Tasty Cheese
SPECIAL NOTES:
For a Gluten Free option - used gluten free pasta ( give the pasta a quick rinse under cold water first) or replace the pasta for some tinned cannelloni beans.
If you want to make it healthier replace the tasty cheese with some chopped parsley, I was pushing my luck on that one. Either topping is yummy!!!
IMPORTANT: if you use these items the soup only needs approx. 20-25 minutes cooking time.
Enjoy,
Karla
Our daughter, baby munchkin turned two today, I can not believe how fast these last two years have gone, she is so cute and super cheeky and a good girl, she is loud and loves to smile and laugh.
Her birthday started with her new pink car which she loved, we had the most beautiful dress made by Victoria Blue. We decided to just have our little family to celebrate her birthday with a little tea party, with all her favourite foods, strawberries, quiches, cheese, and hot chocolate. We had so much fun.
Our baby munchkin you made our family complete and we love you so much.
Happy Birthday!!!!!!
Lately I have been sent some photos of people trying my recipes which I am delighted to hear about, one of my instagram followers @blossomcreek send me this photo of one of my recipes she modified from my chocolate gluten free cupcakes, she made into a small cake and how fab does this look.
Why don't you give it a go?
I am off to a fete I hope you are having a fab weekend and enjoy baking.
Cheers
Karla
As a young girl I would spend long summer holidays at my grandmother's farm, they would be my most fond childhood memories. My grandmother would roast Capsicums each morning for breakfast for us children and would be accompanied with some fresh cow's or goat's milk.
Well I don't own a cow or a goat but I have access to capsicums and roasted capsicums are a staple in our fridge but I wanted to preserve them and I have been lucky enough to have a friend like Rosa my favourite Italian nonna, she has been able to inspire me and help me to have our own little batch of preserves.
A couple of weeks ago I preserved roasted capsicums for the first time, they are so delish and Rosa tells me that the flavour will be even better as the weeks and months go by.
These are so easy and delish to make they will make the best present for anyone and for you to eat with anything and everything.
Enjoy.
Karla
ROASTED CAPSICUM
1kg red capsicum
1 cup olive oil
1/4 red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves - thinly sliced
a good pinch of salt and pepper
METHOD
1.
sterilise jars and let them dry
2. cut capsicums in half remove seeds and white bits.
3.char grill them on the BBQ or oven grill until skin becomes black
4. place them in a bowl and cover with cling wrap to allow them to sweat for approx. 15 minutes then remove the skin as best as you can.
5. While the capsicums are sweating prepared the vinaigrette by mixing the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic cloves, salt and pepper whisk them all together.
6. Place the roasted capsicum in jars and fill with the vinaigrette making sure there are no air bubbles and are filled right to the top.
and VIOLA!!!! you have made preserve roasted capsicum
They should last 6 months to 1 year in the fridge.
HOW TO STERILISED YOUR OWN JARS.
I usually sterilise them in the hottest setting in the dishwasher but you can also sterilised the bottles in the oven at 150 degrees for 30 minutes.
make sure bottles do not touch and let them dry fully before placing the preserve in them.
Anyone that knows me knows two things, I love the countryside and winter, the other day when we visited Kalfresh at Kalbar we found out that the Winter Harvest Festival was on at Aratula, the neighbouring town, not soon had they told us that we were on our merry way to the festival, gosh words can not describe how beautiful the setting was ,there were local fresh produce stores ,cooking lessons by the amazing Alastair McLeod, outside the podium there were free rides for the children, live music, and delish food, we had the potato leak and bacon soup, (vegetarians look away) we had the most delish pork ribs, I am still dreaming of them.
Somehow Farmer Joe got roped into the tractor pulling competition, we were cheering like crazy people the munchkins loved playing with the hay bales, while I enjoyed all the yummy food and the scenery.
The Winter Harvest Festival was part of the eat local week that runs through the scenic rim and Aratula was the last pit stop of a week of food and indulgence on local produce from the region, who knew not me! but we are definitely putting this in the calendar for next year.
On the way back home we stumbled upon a farm shed with an honesty box, they had fruit and vegies and I found the most gorgeous potato bag ever, needless to say it came home with us, it wouldn't be a road trip if we didn't get produce from the side of the road right!
How much fun it was, my two favourite things combined winter and the countryside, I was as happy as a piggy in mud.
This past weekend we went carrots picking at Kalfresh at Kalbar near Boonah, I must say it is one of the most fun things we have done in a while.
The people at Kalfresh open their doors once a year for all us to learn all things carrots, and they did an amazing job we got to have a tour of the production shed, we learnt about where carrots are grown, the process it takes from picking to your plate, fascinating, the munchkins had so much fun asking questions, half the battle for me was preventing them from trying to take a carrot or two from the cleaning machines.
After the tour we enjoyed a free sausage sizzle the kids got to enjoy climbing onto the farm tractors while Farmer Joe and I enjoyed a huge piece of carrot cake.
We had a long chat to my favourite carrot farmers Richard and Alice they were so welcoming and friendly and they know all things carrots. Alice is just fab and it's not secret she is living my life she had a wonderful blog where she talks about country life, family, work and carrots Farmer Has a Wife she also has magnificent photo gallery on instagram "FARMERHASAWIFE" check her out.
After the Kalfresh tour we got to get down and dirty, we couldn't control our excitement as we got to go to a carrot field were we got to pick our own carrots to take home and can I say this is SO much fun the kids were running around they were working hard at dislodging those carrots from the ground, they were eating carrots, dirt and all just wonderful to see.
Well we got so many carrots that we now officially have night vision, 20/20 vision, our IQ is super high or we have turned into bunnies.
(according to Me who does NOT have a medical or scientist degree).
Well I don't know if we have all those things mentioned above but two things I know Kalfresh hosted a fantastic day and we are enjoying eating our freshly picked carrots.
Cheers,
Karla
