Great Aussie Camp Out and Chiminea Cooking

Saturday was the Great Aussie Camp Out.  A perfect opportunity to dust off the tent we purchased second hand on Ebay months ago. Actually it seemed a little less than perfect, chilly, grey and drizzly, but our big Bowerbird was not deterred.  It was with some relief that we found all the pieces were there, and that the tent is waterproof and can withstand winds - we have discovered (with disastrous results) that these basic features are not a given.

Here she is, pegged out in our yard, hilariously it is meant to accommodate 6 + 2 people, not 8. I think that number of people inside would be seriously squeezy, however our family of 5 should fit cosily. The big Bowerbird and her friend helped put it up, mostly girl power, with a little of dad's input at the end.

 We lit the chiminea for some added camping atmosphere.

 There were wonderfully toasted marshmallows and scone dough cooked on sticks.

  

  

 A few tasty scones cooked old school, in the oven, as well.

 Christine at Slow Living Essentials has been using her Chiminea to cook up all sorts of delicious creations.  It made ours seem positively neglected, so we had a go at making some pizzas.  Rather than find all the proper equipment for cooking in a Chiminea we've gone with the Buy Nothing New spirit of things and used the junk lying around our backyard.

 We found the bottom was cooking a little too quickly so an old shovel helped create an extra heat barrier. After about 8 pizzas (just the pita bread type) we had the technique down pat. They were smoky, crunchy deliciousness, just as a wood fired pizza should be.
 Only the big Bowerbird and her friend camped in the tent, and they actually came inside at 3am as someone's car alarm disturbed their peace. It was still a lovely outdoorsy weekend, "just like a school camp" the middle Bowerbird exclaimed with delight. The smaller Bowerbirds are very keen  busting to have a sleep out in the tent so I may be camping with them sometime soon.

Ricotta Gnudi

That gorgeous daughter of mine is taking cooking for the family to new heights.

These are called Gnudies and are a delicious mix of ricotta and polenta. I am not sure if there is any room to improve from this point. Gnuuuuudiiieees. And everyone liked them.

I have my mum staying with me at the moment and we are cooking up a storm from the latest issue of the ABC delicious Magazine.

The Ricotta Gnudi with pine nuts, currants and oregano is our favourite so far.

My daughter's version (served six with bread)

• 500g fresh ricotta
• 1 cup grated parmesan and some extra to serve
• 2/3 cup plain flour
• 1/3 cup polenta (because we had no semolina and I have enormous stockpile of polenta)
• 2 eggs lightly beaten (from our neighbours chickens - so delicious

Sauce

• 75g butter
• 1/2 cup oregano leaves
• 1/3 cup currants soaked in 1/3 cup of a mix of red wine and balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• 2 cups wilted silverbeet

• Mix cheeses, flour, polenta, eggs and season. 
• Roll into walnut sized balls
• put water on to boil
• toast pine nuts - set aside (put on table for self serving)
• Make sauce - melt butter, when foaming add oregano, sizzle for 20 secs, Add silverbeet cook until just wilted and tender. Drain currants, add to pan, season.
• Cook gnudi in batches in boiling water until it rises to the surface (few minutes).  Remove with slotted spoon.
• Serve gnudi with sauce, nuts and parmesan

The Big Bowerbird's cooking skills were recognised recently by some masterful ladies.The CWA gave the Big Bowerbird first place in her schools show day cake competition, it was a wonderful rainbow creation that she made with a good friend. Could their be any greater compliment than a CWA first prize?

The school goes all out for show day - even the teachers dress up. The kids had some wonderful creations in the show hall, I'll have to get mine better organised next year.  The Middle Bowerbird didn't enter anything then was filled with regret, awwww.

The Big Bowerbird's guinea pigs went along to show day (kids are encouraged to bring their pets or a soft toy). When I saw the crowd of excited dogs around, and thought of the terrible possibilities, I think this may be a once off affair.

Show Day at school - so much better than the Royal variety.

August Cooking and Teeth

August Cooking

A new Friday tradition (stolen from Christine at Slow Living Essentials). The Big Bowerbird is cooking us dinner for pocket money.  Her first meal - vegetarian Thai green curry with rice and garlic chicken (for little ones that don't like curry).

It was pretty spicy but she and her friend were determined to eat it, and soldiered on with a glass of milk to kill the burn beside them.

French toast makes a perfect after school snack and does a great job of using up all the little bits of left over bread.

Finally using our humongous pumpkin, Blue Ballet, came in a Diggers Pumpkin mix. It's totally delicious and a wonderful rich  colour. Has been eaten roasted, in pasties, and in quiche.

 The little one likes to munch on it raw while I'm chopping.

Potato Latkes from a winter potato harvest, delicious served with smoked salmon, chives and sour cream.

 Some yummy cinnamon scrolls the Big Bowerbird made from a new cookbook.

Making Julie Goodwin's tasty Flat breads was a big hit with the kids, lots of kneading and rolling.

 You would think with all this good eating that our children would be thriving.

Unfortunately behind those gorgeous smiles is some serious tooth decay.  I'm suffering from  terrible mother guilt about it ,after a visit to the dentist yesterday.  "That is some of the worst decay I have ever seen in a 3 year old" is not what you hope to hear from your dentist, parenting fail. I'm really not sure why they are so bad, but all the kids have had major problems with their teeth. We eat biscuits and cakes, but in moderation, we rarely have lollies, and water and milk are the main drinks in our house. We brush teeth, we eat lots of home grown vegies, cook most things from scratch, and our town water is fluoridated. I am so sad for the little Bowerbird, as I know it's going to mean lots of dental visits, and a road that her big sister went down of teeth being removed, fillings, and infections. Sigh, there are worse crosses to bare, but I feel terrible for them. The big Bowerbird has a new molar just coming up that is already getting some decay in it.

We now have tooth mousse to use and were told the little Bowerbird needs a sugar free diet. Making  a concerted effort to rinse with water after all eating as well. Any other suggestions?