My photos from the 2017 Bream Creek Show, it was a brilliant day, lots of families out to enjoy all the attractions of this country show. The giant pumpkin growing competition set a new record 450 Kilos, and there was also gum boot throwing, lawn mower races, pie eating competitions, oyster shucking races and others plus  all the competitions for cooking, preserving, home industries and art and craft in the hall of industries . Sands Family circus and Make believe had a few shows on each during the day for children and families and as well as other bands and musicians. Plenty of food and drink choices too, the usual volunteer group sausage sizzles around the show grounds  but also, a growing each year, number of Tasman Peninsula and other Tasmanian food producers so it is not difficult to find a lovely glass of Tasmanian wine, fresh oyster, gourmet burger or some other street food, I always love the lunch in the hall prepared by the show committee voluteers, it is always fresh and local.

we didn’t have a huge amount of time to prepare our entries when we got home Friday night, but the kids had lots of fun and we all left  with a few prizes each, Oscar (2) did the best with 2 Firsts!

Garlic and herb Pull apart

Bread
500 grams plain flour
1 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon bread improver
300 ml luke warm water

for the garlic butter
4 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch fresh parsley
1 tablespoon dry oregano
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper.

to make the herb and garlic butter whip all ingredients together in the blender.

Bread Method

Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
knead all the bread ingredients together to create a smooth dough. I do this in the thermomix
Let dough rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Roll onto a floured board into large rectangle and spread herb butter over dough.
If necessary, sprinkle dough with flour first to prevent butter from sliding off.
With a butter knife, cut 3-4cm wide strips. Fold each dough strip in half  lengthways and place cut side up in a 26cm springform tin until all the strips are pressed in together. leave to rise in a warm spot for about 20 minutes, at this stage it doesn’t need to rise to much but it needs to relax again before baking.
Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes. Serve hot.

 

I know that I am a chef and its easy for me, but I really can not believe some people do not know how to make pancakes, they have obviously not been taught the most basic cooking techniques.  The most popular recipe in The Real Food for kids cookbook is the simple recipe for how to make pancakes.  I think it is a shame that we are losing the ability to cook and people don’t know how easy it is to make pancakes, clever marketing by food companies has told us that we are too busy, that the packet/jar they are selling  will save you time and packaged pancake and cake mixes are a really good example of how this really isn’t the case, and people purchase them regularly as they don’t know any different. Most cakes and pancake recipes are just a base of a few simple ingredients that need to be mixed together such as: self raising flour, eggs, butter, milk & flavouring such as cocoa or vanilla. That is it.. When you buy a mix you still need to add butter and eggs. So what is left to be in the mix that you purchased, in yet another package to toss out? Self raising flour, sugar, milk powders and flavouring. Yes, packet mixes are handy if its something you will only cook once and you don’t want all the different ingredients in the pantry but they are not going to save you any time, and the packets are not economical to purchase.

Pancakes are a popular regular weekend treat in our house, I serve them with a homemade berry coulis, fresh berries when in season and a lower in sugar full fat natural or fruit yogurt, we like Jalna Brand if we haven’t made our own yogurt. So for a special breakfast they are not all that high in sugar or fat at all! The girls chose pancakes at a popular fast-food restaurant a while back, and the girls actually said that the pancakes were too sweet, and they are, it was like eating a lolly.

One day (soon hopefully)  I’ll get around to doing a full comparison fat content and sugar content on home-made verses fast food and packaged food.  We all know home-made tastes much better, and have you seen how much sugar is in a jar of a tomato pasta sauce? Is it really that hard to chop a garlic clove, some onion whack them in a pan and add some tomatoes and herbs??  You need to be organised but it is not hard or time consuming!!  I have no qualifications in nutrition but I am thinking that surely, pizza that is a thin home-made base and lots of toppings, including plenty of vegetables and a sprinkle of cheese, as it should be made must be a better choice than the pizza you find at a fast-food shops that is a thick base soaked in fat, topped with lots of cheap fatty meat and lots of cheap tasteless cheese!  I would consider a lean homemade burger with lots of salad and a small wholemeal bun a healthy family meal, but the reputation of burgers has been destroyed by fast food chains and burgers are now thought of as “sometimes food”.  The Real Food for Kids Cookbook is full of simple recipes to encourage families to eat less processed food.

Anyway I am sharing my Pancake recipe from the book, as the Pancake making conversation recently came up again with some parents, and I think everyone needs to know how easy it is to make pancakes!!

Pancakes

2 cups self-raising flour
¼ cup castor sugar
2 eggs
2 cups of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 tablespoon butter

 

Sift the flour into a bowl.   Add salt and sugar. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and whisk. Next add the milk and vanilla essence, combine and then whisk until smooth. The mixture should have the consistency of a silky smooth batter (or consistency of double cream) without any lumps. If lumpy continue whisking until the batter is lump free. Allow the batter to stand for 10 minutes before using.

 

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Brush the pan with a small amount of butter. Using ¼ cup of mixture per pancake and making two pancakes at a time, pour two ¼ cups of batter into the frying pan (if you prefer to cook one pancake at a time use a smaller non stick frying pan). Cook the pancakes for 2-3 minutes or until bubbles appear on the surface.

 

To flip, gently push a fish slice under each pancake, then with one swift movement, flip the pancakes over. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Repeat with remaining batter. To keep pancakes warm stack on a plate in a low temperature oven (approx 50°C)

 

Serve with seasonal berries and honey or banana and maple syrup with a generous helping of yoghurt or cream.

My kids love helping in the kitchen making their own lunch box food such as scrolls, yogurt muffins, chocolate balls, kiss biscuits and pizzas and helping roll out pasta for dinner and making Nuggets, all these recipes and more in The Real Food for Kids Cookbook!

You can now get your copy of The Real Food for Kids Cookbook for $19 or buy both my books for $50 (includes post in AUS) If you like the recipe please share it so your friends can enjoy it too! Thanks Eloise Xx