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Category: Foodie

Gardening can be fun. Umm, are you sure?

You hear people who have a liking for terry towelling hats go on about the therapeutic wonders of gardening. Generally, it has the opposite effect on me, primarily because of the state of the seedlings after I’ve had my way with them. I did not inherit my mum’s green thumb.

However, I still can’t help but have this desire to want a vegetable garden abundant with fresh produce for the kitchen – every Spring. And so the planning has begun. I’ve weeded out (pardon the pun) which plants won’t grow and which we have moderate success with here on the North West Coast of Tasmania.

Here’s what works:
Lettuces – usually more than we can manage
Cucumbers – each year I vow I’ll use them to help the bags under my eyes, but somehow eat the lot.
Zucchinis – Zucchini slice is eaten till we turn green.
Corn – only if in a certain spot in the garden
Peas – usually don’t make it to the kitchen
Beans – as above, but not usually with the same degree of enjoyment from small children.
Carrots – they don’t really look like carrots. The last lot looked more like deformed Barbie dolls.

With the weather soon to warm up, we’ve started to explore the new dirtgirl scrapbook. It can basically be used for whatever you wish, but we’ve decided to make it very much focused on gardening and the recipes we create from those veggies – if they grow, of course!

Ella has already drawn pictures of what she’d like in the garden (although, I’ve had to explain, we can’t grow chocolate) and used some of the cut outs of dirtgirl, pumpkins and flowers to glue onto one of the blank pages.

As part of the Grow Garden Journal Expansion Pack (sold separately), there are dedicated “in my garden today’’ pages, which inspired our gardening focus, along with recipe pages and a sheet of weather stickers. As part of the scrapbook itself, we also have 64 blank pages and pretty craft pattern pages to use for dried leaves, to paste photos to and write in information we glean from the internet to help our gardening become a little more… fruitful. What I love most about the scrapbook is the fact it grows with you – you can add pages as you fill up the existing ones.

The scrapbook certainly oozes quality, style and will have longevity – this is something to treasure many years into the future. I can’t wait to look back on this journal and see what we produced together – with our bare hands and a bit of sun! Priced at $39.95, I think it’s going to be particularly popular with the grandmas out there. I see a lot of grandparent and grandchild projects happening over the coming months.

Now go get grubby!

The dirtgirlworld scrapbook is available through selected Stockists and online at shop.leafjournals.com.

DISCLAIMER: Cath Connell from Leaf. Paper and Journals is a Mum PR client. However, I genuinely love this product. Hence the reason for feeling compelled to blog about it!

How does your garden grow? What vegies do you have the most success with?

August 10, 2012
2 ingredient pizza scroll dough recipe

Princess Ella is only going to school three days a week, but already I’m struggling with what to pack in her lunch box. When she comes home and tells me about all the processed, packaged goods the other kids have, it’s hard to know how to get her excited about her own homemade… treats. Although, apparently her friends are envious she gets carrot sticks. Who needs a meat pie and a mini can of Sprite. Does anyone else remember the mini cans? Anyway…

During a playdate with my cousin the other day, she shared this recipes with me and I’ve adapted it slightly to suit us. But I just love the fact it has only two ingredients for the base. Strangely, the more “adult’’ fillings are more popular with the girls than the child-friendly ones.

2 ingredient pizza scroll dough recipe

BASE:
1 cup of Chobani Greek-style yoghurt
1 cup of self raising flour

FILLING OPTIONS:
– Vegemite and cheese
– Italian tomato cooking sauce (passata), bacon, Italian herbs and cheese
– Ham, pineapple and cheese
– Pie apple, cinnamon and chopped pecans
– Baby spinach and cheese

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Combine the Chobani yoghurt and self raising flour and mix until it forms a ball.
Turn it out onto a floured bench and knead for five minutes. I found the dough to be sticky each time, so had to keep adding additional flour.
Roll out into a large rectangle with a rolling pin until even thickness. Sprinkle or paste ingredients over the dough, being careful not to tear it.
(TIP: You may want to melt the Vegemite and stir it in with the cheese before spreading on. Ingredients, like the bacon mentioned above, will also need to be cooked first.)

Roll the dough up, starting at the short side. Cut into 3cm pieces and place them cut side up on the baking tray.
Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes.

What other fillings have you tried or heard of?

June 29, 2012
{Foodie} Be Natural Homemade breakfast bar recipe + giveaway

We spent yesterday in the kitchen cooking. Well, I cooked. Ella licked. We were given all this glorious Be Natural cereal, which many of you know I’m already a fan of. Crunchy clusters… ahhhhh!

So, instead of telling you how far the drool is progressing down my chin as I eat another bowl, I thought we’d go all MasterChef on you instead and create something for snack time.

We wanted to create something like this:

So here’s our version of the Be Natural bars – the Homemade Breakfast Bars.

HOMEMADE BREAKFAST BARS

INGREDIENTS:

3 sachets (35g each) of Be Natural Pink Lady, Apple and Raspberry Porridge

4 ½ cups of Be Natural Manuka Honey and Spice Clusters with Flakes cereal

½ cup shredded coconut

125g butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

½ cup honey

METHOD:

Line a 26cm x 21cm baking tin with baking paper.

With a mortar and pestle, crush the cereal into smaller pieces. In a frypan, cook the porridge, cereal and coconut until light brown. It should take about 5-7 minutes on low to medium.

Meanwhile, melt the butter, brown sugar and honey in a pot until the sugar has dissolved. Let it simmer for about 5-7 minutes. When you drop a small bit of mixture into cold water, it should form a small ball. This is when you know it’s ready.

Combined all ingredients in a bowl and then transfer into the baking tin. Be sure to push down the ingredients tightly into the tin. Let it cool.

The girls were impatient to eat it, so we ended up putting it into the fridge for a little while. Then cut into squares.

Plus, there’s more… We’ve teamed up with Be Natural and Kellogg to give one lucky reader the chance to score a year’s supply of Be Natural and Kellogg products. The prize includes:

– 4x Be Natural Pink Lady Apple and Raspberry Porridge,

– 4x Manuka Honey and Spice Clusters with Flakes

– 4x Be Natural Four Pink Lady Apple, Flame Raisin, Almond & Pepita with a hint of spice

– 4 x Be Natural Seasonal Blend Strawberry, Cranberry and Flame Raisin

– Special K Chocolatey Bar Caramel

– Special K Dessert Inspired Bar Berry Cheesecake

– Special K Dessert Inspired Bar Lemon Meringue

– All Bran Fibre Toppers

– LCMs

– Just Right

– Sultana Bran

– Sultana Bran Buds

– Crunchy Nut

– Mini Wheats 5 Grains

– Corn Flakes

– Rice Bubbles

Phew! Now we’ve made our way through that lot, here’s how to enter. Simply tell us why you want to win a year’s supply of cereal.

Terms and conditions: The Be Natural competition will be judged on creativity and originality. The competition opens Friday, June 1, 2012 at 7am AEST and closes on Friday, June 29, 2012 at 7.30pm AEST. One entry per person. Australian entries only. There is one prize winner, who will receive the product in one delivery. The winner will be notified via email and name published here. Entries remain the property of Three Li’l Princesses and may be republished.

If you would like to learn about more of our giveaways, make sure you sign up to our eNewsletters. You’ll also find more giveaways in the Aussie Giveaway Linkup.

DISCLAIMER: I received Be Natural cereal and bars to try. I have not been paid to write this post. All opinions expressed are purely my own.

June 1, 2012
Chewy chocolate mousse surprise with #AllBran Fibre Toppers

Just like some people are folders and some are scrunchers (we’re talking fibre, right?), others like foods that are chewy and others like crunch. Maybe the real beauty of Kelloggs’ newly released All Bran Fibre Toppers is that it’s pretty versatile in its ability to provide recipes that are sweet, savoury, crunchy or chewy.

So, since we’ve covered savoury and crunchy, my second attempt at what I’m calling the All Bran Mystery Box Challenge is to create something that’s sweet and chewy.

We’re again pulling out the Tasmanian foods as part of our new Tasmanian food series (inspired by Kelloggs itself) and have created a Chewy Chocolate Mousse Surprise. The chewiness comes from the addition of a cup of Kelloggs All Bran Fibre Toppers (providing 66% of your daily fibre requirements) and the surprise is in one cup of juicy craisins. There’s also the little addition of Fibre Toppers sprinkled atop the decadence.

While there are a few ingredients in here likely to rule me out of the trip to BlogHer in New York as part of the Kelloggs cooking competition – the brief was for “healthy’’ recipes – this still at least shows you what’s possible. Plus we all need a “well rounded’’ diet, right? Right?

Chewy chocolate mousse surprise with #AllBran Fibre Toppers

Ingredients:

300g Cadbury cooking chocolate (dark chocolate is the healthier option, lowering blood pressure and fighting disease), broken into pieces

3 eggs

1/4 cup (55g) caster sugar

1 tbs good-quality cocoa powder, sifted

1 cups of Kelloggs All Bran Fibre Toppers

1 cup of craisins (original flavour)

300ml thickened cream

Extra whipped cream, All Bran Fibre Toppers and craisins to serve

Method:

Place the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water making sure the bowl isn’t touching the water. Stir as it is melting, it won’t take long. Set aside to cool.

Place eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with electric beaters for 5 minutes or until mixture is pale and a thick volume. Fold in cooled chocolate and cocoa powder until combined.

In a separate bowl, whip cream until thickened (be careful not to overdo it).

Sprinkle in the All Bran Fibre Toppers and craisins into the chocolate mixture. Don’t mix in just yet.

Use a large metal spoon to carefully fold the cream into the chocolate, All Bran Fibre Toppers and Craisins mixture now, trying to keep the mixture as light as possible.

Spoon into six glasses and chill in fridge for at least one hour. Remove from fridge 15 minutes before serving, then top with extra whipped cream, All Bran Fibre Toppers and craisins.

Do you like crunchy or chewy foods?

February 26, 2012
#AllBran and Wakame crusted Petuna Ocean Trout

Before the princesses came along, there used to be quite a lot of experimenting go on in the O’Brien kitchen. There was even a bit of competition as to who would be in control of the oven and “who’s meal reigned supreme’’ at the end of the week. And yes, sadly we’re Iron Chef fans.

When Kelloggs submitted a challenge to a host of mummy bloggers to create a dish using its newly released All Bran Fibre Toppers, a spark was reignited in me. Not more so because the carrot dangling from the end of the Fibre Toppers box was a trip to New York to experience BlogHer (one of the world’s biggest blogging events). Now there’s an idea, Fibre Toppers Carrot Cake…

Of course, I wasn’t about to pull out any Iron Chef-style shark fin dishes. And yes, I can hear a chorus of mothers right now saying I shouldn’t knock something before I try it. But shark fin? Really?

However, I did decide two separate studies revealing children don’t eat enough seafood and fibre was enough reason for this Taswegian to pull out the seafood/All Bran card. Just half a cup provides 33% of your daily fibre requirements. Not than No. 2s are an issue around here.

I might not be Tetsuya Wakuda, but I sure know how to create a healthy winner for the O’Brien dinner table. The hungry devils loved the crunch of the All Bran Fibre Toppers and flavour from the herbs and wakame. And just wait till you see what was for dessert.

All Bran and Wakame crusted Petuna Ocean Trout

Ingredients:

2 cups of All Bran Fibre Toppers

1 cup parsley leaves

1 cup basil leaves

Sprig of thyme

5 cloves of garlic

3 sheets of wakame (dried seaweed, washed and chopped)

4 Petuna Ocean Trout portions, skinned and boned (Tasmanian seafood really is quality)

1 egg, beaten

Method:

Wash and dry the herbs with paper towel and combined with the garlic and wakame in a food processor until finely chopped.

Stir in the All Bran Fibre Toppers.

Seal the Ocean trout portions by frying in a very hot non-stick pan. This should take no more than a couple of minutes for both sides. Dip one side of the Ocean trout in the beaten egg and then into the All Bran and Wakame mixture.

Bake the Ocean trout in a moderate to hot oven (200C) with the crust side up for a few minutes.

Serve with vegetables (in our case, some beautiful new potatoes).

PS. You can check out all the recipes submitted for the challenge by searching the #AllBran hashtag on Twitter.

PPS. This has ignited a fire in me and reminded me of my love of Tasmanian food – and good food in general – so I’m starting a Tasmanian food series here.

Do you have any favourite recipes you could incorporate All Bran Fibre Toppers into?

February 25, 2012
Guest Post: Entertaining the idea of pot luck
Handing over the blog today to the lovely Dr Bron Harman. Now this is an idea we should all try.

I HAVE a very extensive group of girlfriends who I have met through my children. I guess this is like most mothers in some respects; that when your children go to school, you meet other mums who have things in common. In my case, it’s a little different in that there are about 50 of us who are friends still, after first meeting 14 years ago. I guess we were lucky that we all stumbled on each other at the same small primary school.
We have stayed in touch even as some of us have moved out of the area and/or changed schools. One of the ways we do this is through a “pot luck”. It has occurred to me that this is a tradition we kind of made up and where the “rules” have evolved over many years, and you have no idea what pot luck is.
Here’s how we do it. Maybe you can, too!

Christmas Pot Luck 2004
- The hostess calls the date. If it is dinner, it is 7pm, if it is lunch it’s 11am. No need to clarify. We all know this. The date is not negotiable. That’s when it is. If it clashes with something in your diary, too bad for you.
- The hostess sends an sms to about ten people. The sms would read something like “Pot luck dinner, Bron’s house, 13 Jan”. No need to write the time. It’s dinner, so turn up around 7pm. No need to write the address. We all know where everyone lives.
- If you receive such an sms, pass it on to five people if you remember to. Because of the informality, you may receive three invites, ten invites, or none. It’s pot luck if you hear about it. Don’t be offended if nobody tells you. It’s nothing personal.
- Do not RSVP. Turn up or don’t. If you don’t go, no need to explain. If you are going, it is usually wise to organise your car pool early, though. Of course, the hostess has no idea who is turning up. Could be five. Could be fifty. It’s pot luck. For the record, we usually have around fifteen to twenty turn up. Once everyone turned up at Kate’s, ha ha. It was packed!
- Paper plates are acceptable, but we want real cutlery.
- Here’s the fun bit. You have to take a plate, without conferring with anyone else (plus take your own drinks). It can be nibbles, main or dessert. You can escape with buying something pre-made once or twice, but then we will notice. And we’re all pretty good cooks, so don’t be lazy. Because we don’t confer, we have no idea what will be on offer. Once we had one nibbles dish, one main and twelve desserts, ha ha. Oh well!
- Children may come to lunch, but not dinner. Husbands may never come to pot luck. Once the girlfriends have served themselves at dinner (always set up buffet style), the hostess’s husband and children may serve themselves. But they eat somewhere else. Not with us.
- At the end of the pot luck, you must take your dish as is. It may have leftovers, it might not. If it has been a pot luck that is well attended, your dish might be virtually untouched. Do not be offended. It is not personal. However, the important thing is that the hostess is not left with a sink full of dishes. We use paper plates, and you take your dish home, as is. She has cutlery to deal with and if she is smart, her husband washes it.
- There’s 50 of us. Someone else do pot luck next time.
And there you have it. An easy stress-free way to enjoy a meal with up to 50 friends. Enjoy!

Dr Bron Harman is a psychology lecturer and researcher. Her research program is on various aspects of parenting and resilience, which she has been studying since 2002. Bron first became interested in the “good mother syndrome” when she had her own children. They are older now, but she is still passionate about “keeping it real” for Australian mums and dads. Bron blogs at The Modern Family.
January 18, 2012