R is for Rusks

Some of you will now be in a very happy place thinking about rusks. In fact, I suggest that before you read any further you make a hot milky beverage of your choice to enjoy with a rusk while you read.

The rest of my readership will fall into the category of uninitiated in the way of the rusk and are probably thinking "why is she writing about baby teething biscuits that do nothing but cause a mess and turn to musk" right now.

Well, prepared to be enlightened.

Rusks are the anglicised term for beskuit a traditional biscuit in South Africa that you have for breakfast, they are designed for dunking...nay... soaking in your morning tea or coffee.  You definitely cannot eat them dry or you are likely to break a tooth and that will really spoil your day. Of course you don't just have to keep them for breakfast either, they are great as a snack with a hot drink any time of the day,

So why am I eating rusks? Well, here comes a bit of background for those that don't know me so well.. my dear husband is from South Africa I have been enjoying rusks for a good 6 years now, and whilst you can buy the big brand Ouma Rusks over here in the UK they are massively marked up so they became a bit of a treat that we would always bring some back after a trip or visiting family would cram packs into their suitcases.

But then I realised that actually, maybe it was time it was only after our visit in December 2013 that I decided to step out, be brave, and make my own.  And you may not think it, but it is a big deal as the rusks that we buy when in South Africa aren't a mass produced product but something that a ladies bake up at home and sell at the local corner shops to supplement their income and they are faultless...and delicious...and when they hold such a central place in your families heart, trying to replicate them is quite a daunting task.


But what is a rusk in baking terms? Essentially they are is a bread based dough that is baked twice so in a way very similar to biscotti.  Some recipes call for yeast, some don't. It really is totally dependant on the type of rusk you are after. Once you make and prove the dough you separate it into balls, pack it into a tin and bake. Once baked you tear the pieces apart and put them back into the oven at a very low temperature to dry out (preferably overnight)

So I returned home with a few cut out recipes from magazines as well as looking up a few online recipes to see what they had to say and then every Sunday for about 4 weeks, I made rusks.

Now some batches were much more successful than others, the one I tried to make with yeast was alright but possibly in trying to be clever and cook it in my large square stone baker it didn;t quite work. I should have rather used several smaller loaf tins so the dough in the middle wasn't undercooked...if they were judged on Great British Bake Off they would definitely get the Paul Hollywood prod of disaprovement.  I also used 100% whole wheat flour in an attempt to make it healthier but that also didn't quite work. In subsequent batches I still used it but only as 30 or 40 % to plain white flour.

I then moved on to the more breakfast type rusks, the ones where one or two will set you up for the morning but a third would just be too much. With these I really could go to town on what when in; seeds, ground nuts (like almond and coconut which in turn reduced the wheat content), museli. They were also a simpler bake as there was no proving to do it was very much a case of mix the wet and dry ingredients together and bake. These proved to be much closer to the ones that we bought when in South Africa and are still my favorite ones to make, the recipe was from another blog called Under the Blue Gum Tree and I highly recommend following the link if you want to try it.

 Due to our moving house in March I started packing up the kitchen in late February so my weekly stashes of rusks came to an end.  I also have to admit to getting a little frustrated with my Little Giant as he had just started walking and had a tendency to like turning the oven temperature knob....so two batches instead of "drying" actually got baked to a crisp and burnt raisins are really not nice.  Thankfully the oven in our new kitchen is higher and I also have a baby gate to keep the Two Monkeys out while I am cooking so I really have no excuses not to start making them again.

So put away your Rich Teas (or Marie Biscuits), hide the Hobnobs and ditch the Digestives, when it comes to dunking biscuits in your tea or coffee...you need rusks in your life.  I know that writing today's post has made me quite hungry for some so I am making sure the ingredients have gone down on my shopping list for this weekend!

Q is for ...

to be honest I am not entirely sure. Lets be honest there was always going to be a letter or two for which I couldn't come up with a decent title!

So what do I use in my kitchen that begins with a 'Q'?

Well for a start there a 'quince'. A pear like fruit found in central and southern Europe and featured in the poem 'The Owl and the Pussycat'. I know of quince jam but can't  say I have ever tried it...so that is the end of that. Q is not for quince in my kitchen

Q is also not for Qinoa in my kitchen. I have seen it on the shelves, I have seen it named in recipes but I have yet to be brave enough to try it...even if it is a "complete protein" containing very good amino acids...its just not for me. Yet. 

I guess for me the most obviously choice in my kitchen is that Q is for Quick.

Cooking that is quick (and easy!) makes a whole lot of difference in any mummy's kitchen. And I am not talking about Jamie Oliver's meals in 30 minutes because, lets be honest, realistically they take 90 minutes. I am talking about those meals where recipes don't apply and that you can just throw on a plate in minutes (preferably less than five) in order to feed the hungry and occasionally angry hoards.

There are times (say 4.45pm most days) when my Little Giant is moaning because he is hungry and his energy levels are low and The Bug isn't helping things by either winding him up or deciding now is the best time to try out playing the keyboard at full volume. It's at these times when the only way I am guaranteed any silence is to tell them that dinner is ready and its like flicking a switch and as soon as the food is in their mouths they are quiet, happy and very content children.

On some days it's super easy as I may actually be prepared and already have something lovely in the oven or something to pull out the fridge and reheat from the day before. But there are days when waiting for the oven to heat so they can have fish fingers and smiley faces or cooking some sausages to go with a can of beans just won't cut it. It's these days when fresh tortellini (we call it surprise pasta)with a bit of pesto or cream cheese stirred in is your friend...that or eggy bread (which means I can have a nibble too) or an 'its and bits' tea. 

This last one is great for using up the last little bits of things, I basically put out a tasting plate of things for them to nibble on like olives, beetroot, gherkins, cheese cubes, chorizo or ham, crackers or bread soldiers, a spoonful of coleslaw or other raw fruit and veg. If you want to be really fancy you can make it into pictures. Now some of you may be thinking that they are very strange or strong flavours to be giving to children but they eat them because they have first seen us eat it and have tried it off of our plates. It really is one of the quickest meals they have and also keeps their diet varied and allows me to introduce new things in very small quantities.

P is for Pampered Chef

Pampered Chef...what is it? 

Let me be very clear, it isn't me standing in the kitchen with a face mask on whilst I cook.

It is a lovely range of kitchen ware and gadgetry that can make cooking and baking and doing what you do in the kitchen much easier. If not a lot more fun.

I first discovered the pampered chef products about 4 years ago whilst still pregnant with The Bug. My sister had become a Pampered Chef consultant and I dutifully hosted a party at our wimbledon flat, describing it to my friends as like an Anne Summers party but with stuff for the kitchen and a bit cooking to see how things work.  This was the first of 4 parties that I would end up hosting and I enjoyed every one of them.  In fact, by the last party my sister didn't even have to bring any of her demo kit as I had about a third of the catalogue in my kitchen cupboards already. 

Admittedly I didn't have to buy EVERYTHING that I had, some I got free as a bonus for the amount spent at my party and some bought with the points I earned from hosting the party or bought with the host discount.

Out of the various bits and pieces I have, I do havea few favourites and have listed them (complete with links to The Pampered Chef website) so you can pop over and have a nosey.

• My stoneware, in particular the pizza stone and medium bar pan get used pretty much every day. And for all sorts, I can cook meat on there then do some pizza or chips and then fish and there is absolutely no residual smell. They are amazing and naturally non stick so you don't have to cook with much oil, for example, the muffin pan I also turns out the most perfect and tall yorkshire puddings with only a brush of oil under the batter. I have five stoneware pieces, the three I have already mentioned along with the square baker and the large rectangular baker. In the states they also do a stone bunt tin which looks fantastic but they don't have that over here yet.
• The food chopper. I don't have time to finely dice ingredients for some recipies, and others i just want to cram as much veg in without The Two Monkeys paying much heed. The chopper is a great way of chopping up veg quickly and into really fine pieces...and its child safe too. The bug loves having a go with it.
• The knives. My dear husband got a large Santoku knife for Christmas about 3 years ago and he loves it. I don't use it as it is rather large for me but I do have the utility knife which I wield every day. It is so comfortable and comes with a life time guarantee but the quality is so good that I doubt we ever will have to use it.
• The large scoop. When it comes to baking cupcakes or muffins or individual cakes, there is nothing like the scoop to ensure that the batter makes it into the case without making a mess AND the final cakes are identically sized
• Prep pots. I have a set of 6 little glass prep pots that all come with plastic lids. They can be frozen, they can be heated (without the lids) and are just the bees knees for storing left overs for The Two Monkeys. 
• The brownie pan. Now I don't know about you, but to me when you make (and eat) brownies or banana bread the corners are the best bit. This little piece of magical bake ware means that you can  have 4 corners all to yourself with every piece you make. Also, the cooking time for your brownie is shorter as its in smaller portions...so you get to eat it faster. Win/Win situation all round really.

There are lots more products that I could rave about (the garlic crusher is just brilliant) but I thought I would stick to the ones that have proven them selves most useful and do get used everyday.

I have to admit there are a few items and gizmos that have barely been touched but mostly because I got them as a gift or because I bought them in order to use up the points...the egg slicer springs to mind, but I am thinking of reviving it for the boys to use with playdough. 

However, the biggest white elephant has to have been the trifle bowl. It was a free gift for achieving so many sales at one of the parties I had  but it sat unopened and unused for 2 years after I got it...in fact I first used it one weekend not so long ago after our move. It also happened to be the first trifle I had ever made but that is mostly because it has never been my favourite dessert. However, this particular weekend was fathers day and I had promised my dear husband that I would make him a trifle (with extra love mixed in) and not only did it look great in the stunning bowl that FINALLY got used but it tasted wonderful too.  Now since that weekend it has only been used a further two times BUT it is getting out of its box more frequently and I have no doubt it will put in a regular appearance during the Christmas season when we will have a full house of family visiting from South Africa.

I also have to add that along with such fabulous products The Pampered Chef team also produce some fantastic recipes to go with them.  One of our favourites  is the Mexican Chicken 'Lasagne' that we make in our square baker (more stoneware), it's a  total genius recipe that is always great to do when we have guests but can also be made mild enough for the little ones to eat too.

And that about wraps it up for this post.

The only thing I have left to say is that I was not paid for this post or given any products for it and I am not a sales consultant for Pampered Chef. This post is totally my own opinion of the products and I totally agree that what may work for me might not work for someone else.  If you want to find out more about The Pampered Chef you can find them on twitter and facebook or if you want to have your very own cooking show go and take a peek at this page to find your local consultant. 

O is for Ooops

I failed! I didn't make my self assigned Friday deadline last week...oops in a major way! 

I do have a very good excuse though, The Two Monkeys and I were away for a few days visiting my sisters and her family to celebrate my nieces 4th birthday and so I wasn't actually at home to write and too busy to put my thoughts onto the screen of my phone.  I will be doing some writing on birthday cakes in the future and I did deconstruction of the pink castle cake to write up on here for you all.

However, I am here now and thought I would share with you a few of  my kitchen "ooops" moments...because lets be honest, unless you are Mary Poppins there will be times when things just go wrong.

My most recent ooops can actually only be described as a complete disaster and happened just yesterday. The boys and I were off out to a friends for a play date and I thought I would be super organised and take over some fresh baked danish pastries. I am going to be totally honest and say they weren't my own pastry, rather the lovely bake-it-fresh range from Jus-Rol

They look lovely don't they.  

Really delicious.

Just perfect with a cup of something and a natter with my friend whilst our children played on the trampoline or ran laps of the garden.

But I got distracted.

First up was the nappy change that needed doing, but having sorted that and taken a quick peek in the oven and I thought I still had plenty of time.

Then the laundry needed hanging out on the line and as the sun was out for the first time in days I wasn't going to waste the opportunity. Half way through the basket of wet clothes I come across a shirt, which meant a quick dash inside and upstairs to grab a hanger or two out of the wardrobe. Back out to the garden (passing the oven on the way but not checking this time...error!) I finish pegging the last t-shirt and odd sock up on the line and head back towards the house, but not before I pick up all the various plastic toys of the lawn and put them in a pile for later. I feel a real sense of achievement, I am winning, in that moment I am a domestic goddess.

As I get to the back door I smell it...the unmistakable smell of burning food.

I run to the oven and pull down the door to be greeted with the most unfortunate and charred sight and with various muttered expletives I pull the stone tray out of the oven for closer inspection. Could they be saved? Was it just the corners?

No.

No such luck for me. 

What should have been delicious morsels of yummy goodness were now well burnt offerings fit only for the food waste bin. They looked bad, smelt bad and tasted even worse.

Ooops.

Needless to stay I stopped by a mini supermarket on my way to our playdate and grabbed some much better looking and very scrummy maple and pecan danish plaits.