pumpkin pie

Let's start the week off on a sweet note. I had half a small pumpkin in the fridge for almost too many days and announced I'd make pumpkin and lentil soup. "Why don't you turn it into pumpkin pie?" asked Pete. Hmmmm. Ok. I've never really been sold on pumpkin pie. It's a textural thing.
I was willing though to give it a go and hopefully create a new family favorite.

So, I scoured the net and my cookbook collection for pumpkin pie recipes. I took what I liked from each of them, plussed and minused ingredients here and there and...ta da! Pumpkin pie, sweet and spicy. I've decided that really, pumpkin pie is just like a custard tart only orange.

When I pulled it out of the oven and admired the golden caramel looking top I wished I'd had pecans to press into the smooth finish, they would have been a nice touch visually and added some much needed crunch to custardy texture.

As far as sweet pies and recipes go I am very happy with the outcome of this one. My family though were not. Knowing it was made with pumpkin River wouldn't even try it. Sol spat it out and Peter after eating a generous serve suggested I "donate the rest to the op shop". I do love his humour. Last I checked our local op shop wasn't accepting perishable food items, home made with love or otherwise.

Perhaps northern hemisphere readers, where pumpkin pie originates, may enjoy this recipe. Just because my family weren't keen, perhaps it will become a new family favorite in your house.

Oh and if you are phobic about making your own pastry give it a go. You really do get a feel for it after a few goes and nothing beats the satisfaction of getting better at it.

Enjoy! And let me know if it gets the thumbs up or down.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients


Pastry

2 cups flour (I use white spelt)
100 grams chilled butter cut into small cubes
1 egg yolk, whisked
a sprinkle of sugar (depends how sweet you like it, anywhere from a teaspoon to a tablespoon and if you've quit sugar you can use natvia stevia powder)
2-3 tbsp chilled water
1 tsp ground ginger

Filling

2 cups pureed pumpkin, cooled
1 tbsp honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3 tbsp molasses brown sugar
4 tbsp plain yoghurt (most recipes use cream here which you could use 1/2 cup if you prefer)
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs

Method


Pastry


Mix flour, ginger and sugar in a large mixing bowl and then rub butter in with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre and drizzle in egg yolk and add water 2 tablespoons first, then using a butter knife start to cut the water into the flour until it starts coming together in clumps, you will be able to tell here if you need to add more water, if it is coming together easily then keep going and don't worry about adding more but if it is looking very dry and crumbly and like there is no way all the flour will come together then add more water. Then using your hands lightly bring it together into a ball. And set it aside in the fridge to rest for an hour.

On a lightly floured surface roll out pastry and line pie dish. Line pastry with baking paper and fill with rice or pastry weights to bake blind at 190C for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove rice and baking paper. Return pie case to oven, reduce temperature to 170C and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until base is crisp.


Filling

In a mixing bowl combine pumpkin, spices (you can use any combo and amount you like ie. more cinnamon, no nutmeg, cloves, ginger, whatever your tastebuds like), sugar, honey, yoghurt, flour and milk. Last of all mix in eggs.

Pour filling into prepared pastry case and bake in oven at 180C for 35-45 minutes until set and golden.

Can be served warm or cold. If you're feeling totally decadent, one recipe I looked at suggested it be served with cream whipped with a dash of maple syrup.

village life

I was flying solo in the supermarket last week loading my items from the trolley to the register. I noticed the mother and son next in line behind me, the little boy in his school uniform leaping about all over the trolley, his mother had a great, artist type look about her, wild blonde hair tamed back in a loose low ponytail, no make up save bright red lipstick colour matched perfectly with her wide framed glasses.

As I was paying for my shopping she smiled at me and came forth with a burst of confessional conversation, "I couldn't help but notice all your 'good' food and then look at what I'm buying, we don't normally eat this sort of food (packs of iced cupcakes, frozen salt and pepper squid, chips, lollies etc;) its his birthday tomorrow you see, and well you know you just get pressured into buying all this sort of stuff." She stood looking at me apologetically and then looking at her son who was so excited about all the loot on the counter, said to him "We normally eat carrot sticks and tzatziki, don't we?" 


I smiled and quickly wanted to reassure her that she wasn't doing the most terrible thing in world. I said, "Oh I understand. I have a little boy the same ages as yours, I know how it goes at parties. Don't worry about it, have a great party and you can get back to the carrot sticks on Monday." She laughed and said thanks. I gave her another reassuring smile and walked away smiling to myself at the strangeness of the exchange, that she felt the need to confess to me.


I really liked this lady from the five minutes I spent in her company. It was clear she loved her little boy and wanted to give him a birthday party that he would love, but she seemed torn. Torn between being 'pressured' into buying 'party food' and knowing it wasn't really 'good' (nourishing) food and tying that up with wanting to give her little boy the party he wanted. If I had more time with her I would have loved to have talked about party food that is fun and REAL. And guilt-free. No need to apologise or confess to strangers in the supermarket.

A few days later I was at the organic farm we go to to buy fruit and vegies. I bumped into a friend and we were chatting, as we chatted my attention was drawn to a young mum who came through the door as she juggled her shopping bag, wallet, keys and bundle of baby. I remember those new days so well. The mother and baby looked dreamy, contained in a bubble of love and bliss.

Once fully inside the door she stopped as the baby sneezed and then coughed, she turned him to face her and there was bit more coughing and what seemed like a bit of a milk vomit happening. I was paying for my vegies and still chatting to my friend while keeping an eye on what was happening with mother and baby. Before I had finished paying the new mum had spun around and whisked her baby back out to the car. Sol and I trundled out soon after heading to our car I saw the mum driving past my car. I waved her down. She stopped with a concerned look on her face and wound down her window, probably thinking who is this woman I can't stop now something is up with my baby!

"Is everything ok?" I asked walking over to her car. "I don't know. My little boy was just sick and his color changed a bit and I've never seen him do that before," she said. I looked over her seat to see the baby looking happy enough and pink cheeked in his capsule. "He looks like he is ok now. Perhaps he just needed to get something out to feel better. Is he your first baby?" I asked. "Yes he is" she said looking a little more relaxed, "and I just thought I'd better take him home." "Can I get your vegies for you while you stay with your baby?" I offered. "Oh no. Thanks so much but that's ok. I might come back later. I just feel like I should take him home."  "Ok I don't mind really, you're here now I just thought it might be easier for you." Her face had uncreased and she was smiling, "Thanks anyway." And off she drove.

The distance between me and these women in my village felt wide because we'd not met before, I didn't know their names or phone numbers, the names of their children, but at the same time the distance felt short because we stand in the same tribe as women and mothers going about our day-to-day work nurturing, protecting and providing for our children.

My husband is always talking to me about 'it takes a village to raise a child' (usually when the house is in complete disarray and he is bringing in or taking out washing, or cooking dinner, or washing the dishes and lamenting the ridiculousness of western society where the majority of families live separately rather than communally or inter-generationally). And I agree with him. Reflecting on my exchanges with these women I think it takes a village to raise a family. It takes a village to support parents, and grandparents and aunties and uncles too.

How is life in your village? Are you in a good one? A nourishing, supportive one?

mothers know best

My plans of ice-skating, catching up with kinder friends, visiting my nan in the country have all been thwarted by a very nasty, hard hitting dose of winter ills and chills. Pow. With little warning, River, Sol and I have spent the past four days with fever, chills, hacking coughs, head and body aches. Somehow Pete has escaped the bug and remained well to deal with the mountain of washing that always accompanies sickness and to make us soup and tea.

River and I are steadily climbing our way towards wellness on soup, tea and vitamin C (plus an excellent herbal cough relief concoction by Greenridge). When I placed (pictured) bowl of soup in front of River at 8am yesterday his response was "Chicken noodle soup! For breakfast?!" Yes, today that is breakfast.

Our little buddy Sol's temperature had been hovering around 39.5 for two days and by the third morning even though his temperature had dropped he was still wanting to sleep a lot and was whimpering, I didn't feel at all comfortable with this so I took him off to the doctor who confirmed he has a chest infection. Boo hoo. Poor little man.

As much as I am a food-as-medicine, natural remedy kinda gal and prefer not to give my children antibiotics at the first sign of a sniffle, I do value a diagnosis from a medical doctor for my peace of mind and I am thankful that pharmaceutical medicine exists for times when we need it most. Unfortunately, it is the 'for times when we need it most' part that is lost in the power of advertising and on those driving pharmaceutical company profit lines. 

Like all mothers I find it difficult to see my children unwell and want to make them comfortable and have them in good health again asap. And if I can do that using rest, natural remedies and TLC all the better. If my boys are really unwell and showing no sign of improving, I take them to the doctor. After many years of learning about food as medicine and natural remedies, I trust my judgement and when in doubt I call on like minded friends and family to compare notes and have my trusted natural therapies practitioners I consult too. There is still a lot more learning for me to do and more growing in confidence with caring for my sick children. Making decisions about how to care for your child when they are unwell is one of the many things that there is no preparation for when you become a parent.

Trusting your instinct is of course the most important thing to do. When River was 3 and woke in the night with a cough I had never heard from him before my instinct was to immediately ring an ambulance. And I was so glad I did. He had a severe bout of croup, he had never had croup before, and was taken to hospital in the ambulance with Pete where he had to have oxygen and steroid medication and stay under observation. When I arrived at the hospital later the nurse said never to feel like I was over-reacting, it was always better to seek help than wait and see. This particularly applies to anything to do with breathing!

So, back to Sol and his chest infection. I went to the chemist with a prescription for antibiotics and asked for some children's ibuprofen (brand here is Nurofen). Sol is susceptible to ear infections and in the past when he has had an ear infection if I give him paracetamol he vomits. I talked this over with the doctor and he suggested I try children's ibuprofen if his temperature rose again and he was in pain. An interesting discussion followed with the pharmacist who does not recommend Nurofen for children (she does though stock it) due to the fact is too harsh on their tummies and she has seen an increased incidence Nurofen induced asthma in children, which she said "no one is talking about". Well we are now. The marketing for paracetamol and ibuprofen aimed at treating children is completely irresponsible in my opinion (and that of the pharmacist's), it plays totally on the vulnerability of parent's of sick children. The truth about fever is that it is a natural response to fighting infection and is not in and of itself dangerous, and therefore in the vast majority of cases does not need treating with said products.

If you want to read up on fever in children this fact sheet from the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne provides a good summary of what to look for and what to do or not do, and for a more in-depth article go to this pdf file of Kindred magazine and scroll down to page 20 where you will find 'Fever - your child's best friend'.

If you're still reading I hope it was a helpful post, it turned out to be a long one but there are so many things to navigate out there when it comes to health and wellbeing I always think it is worthwhile sharing experience and comparing notes. Here's to good health and good advice when it comes to health care.

winter daze

Winter light is so moody. And magical. At times dull and heavy, and then crisp and sharp; shades of grey and pink and then a welcome tease of winter sun streaming from a cloudless blue sky.

I interrupted our game of kick to kick (football) yesterday afternoon to take Sol and River out on to the road outside our house and admire the winter sun setting in the distance and the warm golden spotlight it was casting on the moonah trees. For me it was a slice of winter wonder. I am looking hard to find and savour these warming moments.

Today school's out early today. The holidays are here! Must be time to make a list:

- Seeing snow is high on River's wishlist, as is ice skating. Seeing snow means going to a mountain which may happen for a day trip but I have found a cheeky alternative until that happens. The ice skating rink at Docklands in Melbourne holds Ice Fun sessions for Under 8's including ice and snow play. Perfect! For readers visiting Melbourne over the holidays there are other school holiday activities for other age groups on at the skating rink.

-Winter is perfect for long hot baths and as we live about 10kms from The Peninsula Hot Springs this is definitely on our holiday list.

-In the kitchen, I am inspired to make this cinnamon, vanilla and sunflower butter on the fabulous 101 cookbooks site.

-Next to food one of my other great loves is flowers. The colours, flowers, photography I stumbled upon by Amy Merrick is quite exquisite if you feel like gazing at beauty for a moment.

Have a wonderful weekend and I look forward to sharing more winter moments, school holiday fun and some recipes to try with your children, including Jude Blereau's excellent almond, oat, choc chip biscuits - sweet and nourishing. Thanks Jude!  'See' you back here next week.

current pantry favorites

The absolute key to eating well is having good food in your pantry and fridge. It really is one of the easiest ways to make sure you and your family are eating delicious nutrient dense foods and are not being tempted to eat highly processed non foods.

Nutrient dense foods satisfy not only hungry tummies but keep our beautiful brain cells and delicate nervous systems happy too. Non foods do the exact opposite, they keep our bodies hungry as they search for nutrients that don't exist in processed foods and throw in additives, preservatives, artificial colours, flavours and numbers to stress our digestion and upset overall well-being.

For people who are used to buying processed foods, especially snacks, making the switch to eating whole, real foods can leave them wondering what can I eat in place of muesli bars, chips, sweet or savoury biscuits.

Two of my current pantry favorites (in case this matters to any readers, I am going to name brands, I haven't been paid or asked to do so, they are brands I buy and use and I think it is helpful sometimes particularly when starting out on a new path to have some recommendations of where to start) are:

Macro almond spread. 
This is a fantastic alternative to peanut butter of which many brands contain sugar and salt and probably a few other undesirables, this is made from 100% almonds. I know that some health food stores press peanuts into paste and don't add anything, however almonds are a better choice of nut over peanuts and in fact over most other nuts. Almonds are rich in vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, iron and phosphorous and also contain selenium, zinc, copper and niacin. I spread almond spread on toast or on corn thins for breakfast, morning or afternoon tea, it goes well on celery or carrot sticks too. I buy this in the health food section at my local supermarket.

Niulife creamed coconut 
Our beautiful friend Dave who we stay each winter when we go to Byron Bay put me on to this. Dave is a naturopath and owns the Brunswick Heads Health Food Store (do visit if you are in the area they serve the most scrumptious wholefoods lunches and cakes made lovingly by wholefoodie whizz Kristina take a peek here) he is always a wealth of health and information when it comes to good things to eat. Creamed coconut is not the same as coconut butter or oil, it is the actual flesh of the coconut that has had the moisture removed and is then whipped into a creamy paste. When I tried it in the balmy Byron Bay climate is was creamy, in chilly Victoria is sets solid! Either way the flavour is deliciously sweet and surprisingly it is not intensely coconutty. Dave actually doesn't enjoy the flavour of coconut but he does like the creamed version. I have to admit, my favorite way to make a snack of it is to eat a spoonful straight from the jar. It is also a delightful addition to porridge, just stir in a spoonful and it melts through. Dave likes to put a generous spoon into smoothies. Adding it to curries and soups is also a good way to enjoy it. If you want to read up on the myriad of health benefits of the good fat in coconut go here.

I look forward to sharing more from the pantry soon x

what if?

Do you ever allow "what if?" to hold you back? To keep you in your comfort zone, stay surrounded by the familiar. You have an idea, a flash of inspiration or a long held dream and any step of action is thwarted by a negative answer to "what if?" Hard to admit but I am guilty of this and it has taken me until almost 40 to even realise!! I had until recently, told myself that by thinking about the 'what ifs?' I was being a realist, thinking things through. Not so at all.

I have had some fantastic opportunities come my way and on recent reflection I feel like I haven't really lived every inch of them. I've played it safe and small. Ouch, again hard to admit. Why have I done this? Because, what if it doesn't work out? what if people don't like it? what if I lose money and time? what if I start and then don't know how to continue? what if I had to say no to someone? ...what if? what if? what if?

Well, the truth is this sort of thinking is completely crippling. It is also a habit. A habit that can be broken. Thankfully this new found awareness was lovingly brought to my attention by some nearest and dearest and I can make changes to free myself from this affliction starting with returning to yoga to clear my mind and calm my nervous edge, by taking my friend Bron up on the offer of a massage and turning off the negative 'what if?' button in my brain, and then getting on with as the saying goes 'feeling the fear and doing it anyway'. 

For me this feeling has not coincided with motherhood, it existed long before; but I know for some women it does coincide with motherhood, as becoming a mother can simultaneously expand a woman's creative and loving heart and mind in the most wonderful ways and reduce it painfully in others. The reducing can also take away confidence. If you can relate to this, I always find the analogy of thinking about life in seasons so helpful, that you are in a season and the season will change. It is also very important though to seek out and surround yourself with people who will support you to step into the next season when it arrives.

Now if you will indulge me a little further, I'd like to finish this post with the lyrics of a song written and performed last night by River who is one month away from turning six and like most parents do with their children I marvel at his view of the world and how he puts words together. To give context to this song, we are not raising our boys to follow a particular religion or faith, we talk about the spirit world and the natural world, so with that in mind I soaked in River's song when he performed it for the first time last night.

Standing before his audience of Sol and I with his toy electric guitar around his neck he introduced himself, "Hello my name is River and this song is called 'God'". And then proceeded to sing:

God is special

because they are always there for you

and they help you if you are sad

they are in your head when you dream

they are special and bright

they are special because they are there

forever and ever and ever and ever.

I love that God is plural. I hope this post has been a helpful start for those who are wanting to move forward with their dreams and passions. Or even with just folding the washing. What if we never folded the washing again?!

eco-housing

If you're looking for something to do with empty 1 litre juice and milk containers perhaps you could build your own 'igloo'. The fun creation pictured above, shows River and Sol sitting inside the igloo at River's school where students spent the best part of a term collecting the empty containers to go towards this project. One of the grade one teachers, her partner is a sculptor who visited school and with little more than a glue gun and a creative vision joined the containers together to create this very fun igloo style cubby house. Just make certain the containers are well washed and you keep the lids, the lids create the colourful interior and the thorough washing reduces the risk of stale milk making it one very smelly place to play. Clever, huh?

happy weekending

I'm still doing my best to embrace winter, especially because winter has well and truly embraced Victoria. Rain has been falling day and night, the chill factor is high and snowflakes are floating onto the mountains. Sol and I spent this morning watching the ferry sail off from Sorrento to Queenscliff and then wandered around our local organic farm.

I do love a list of links, here is one to inspire you to get crafty, cook and give a big squeeze to your loved ones. Happy weekending x 

-It makes perfect sense I have a thing for books, I am a writer after all but I especially have a thing for handmade books such as the gorgeous ones made by the Hungry Girls. So, I was fairly excited to find this bookmaking tutorial on DesignMom with words and pictures to guide me through making my own!

-If textiles are more your idea of getting crafty visit Prints Charming and then take a look at Imogen Eve's gorgeous embroidered heart quilt

- Researching bread stories and recipes to share with River's class next week took me to this recipe for Ethiopian spiced honey bread. Sounds good to me.

- 'She said YES!' If you're a sucker for a real life love story go here

- I can't let today's post go by without sharing with you some links about my late and Great brother-in-law Peter Malcolm. It is three years today since Pete left this earthly life and I feel really blessed to have known such a vibrant and loving soul. Ah, sigh. We miss you Pete! Read about some of Pete's life work here and here.

bread winner

This month at River's school each class is 'investigating' food. For a couple of hours each week the students are involved in various activities centring on food, where it comes from, how to cook it, how to grow it and so on. The call came home for parents who would like to be involved so next week I will be talking to the prep classes about bread and we will bake some too. I have fond memories of River making bread at his Steiner kinder, all the children loved the tactile experience of kneading the dough, the smell of the bread baking and of course the eating.

Last week I went to Melbourne for the day and called in to Phillippa's Bakery and Provisions store to have a chat with owner Phillippa Grogan about slow fermented sourdough. You see, not all sourdough breads are created equal. Sourdough contains lactobacillus culture, and when the fermentation process is slowed down the culture has more time to break down the grain including gluten present in wheat, rye, and spelt flour. The end result is a sourdough bread that is easier to digest than those that are fermented for shorter lengths of time.

In this article 'Sourdough bread and health' by Mark Sircus writes about the commercialisation of bread baking in the 1950's seeing bakers switch from traditional slow fermentation processes to creating quick rising bread and the correlation with this change and the increase in gluten sensitivity. Sircus writes,

"Very basic sourdough bread that had once been fermented for a healthy 8 hours or more is not to be found anywhere except in ones own kitchen today. In commercial bread yeast levels are dramatically increased, accelerants and proving agents introduced including bromide, a known thyroid poison that was insanely substituted for iodine in the US. Fast-made bread is one of the most destructive implementations into the modern diet. It has become normal fare. Poorly-prepared and poorly-digested wheat is the chief contributor to the current plague of “gluten-intolerance,” obesity, diabetes, Candida diseases and many allergenic conditions all of which contribute to the conditions that cause cancer. 

       Only when wheat gluten is properly fermented is it healthy for human consumption. When not it is potentially one of the most highly allergenic foods we eat. It is similar to the controversy with soy which also can only be considered a health food if it is fermented long enough. Correctly fermented wheat contains 18 amino acids (proteins), complex carbohydrate (a super efficient source of energy), B vitamins, iron, zinc, selenium and magnesium, and maltase."

I left Phillippa's with plenty to think about and research and also a quarter organic sourdough boule made with stone-ground organic flour and local wild yeasts (boule is French for ball), wrapped up in a raw linen teatowel (pictured. I did iron it) plus a loaf of 100% rye sourdough. The dough for Phillippa's boule begins 2 days before the finished bread is sold, the fermentation process is around 30 hours. Phillippa's sourdough starter was first created in 1995, beginning with a mix of sultanas and water in a jar placed in a warmish place upstairs in their Armadale store for 10 days until the telltale bubbles showing fermentation appeared. The starter has been lovingly fed flour and water daily ever since.

Since Pete and I cut wheat out of our diet last year we have been eating minimal bread, when we do  it has been Wuppertaler's organic sourdough rye, which to be honest I don't find very exciting to eat at all. So the real bread from Phillippa's was very well received at home. Pete's comment when he could smell a slice of the boule toasting "It smells so gutsy" sums it up for me. It is indeed dense, sour and yes gutsy. Dare I say, the way real bread is meant to be. The fact Pete used the word gutsy made me smile too because unwittingly he is referring to gut-health which is central to the discussion of fermented foods.

'Bread' that is highly processed and mass produced is just one of the many food items on a long list that would be virtually unrecognisable to our ancestors and that is compromising our health. So in honor of our ancestors who grew their food, hunted and fished, and made real bread I will visit River's school next week to show and tell them just as it says on Phillippa's teatowel:

'Good bread is made from simple ingredients: flour, water, salt and a little yeast or sourdough. What separates good bread from great bread however, is a fifth ingredient. Time.'

For Melbourne readers Phillippa's organic sourdough boules are available whole or cut into halves or quarters at their Armadale and Brighton stores or St Kilda Farmer's Market 1st Saturday of the month or East Hawthorn Farmer's market 3rd Saturday of the month.

snack on

When River tells me, 'Mum I'm hungry' I think, again?!! Keeping up with the voracious appetites of growing children is a full time job. Thinking of and preparing an after school snack has been added to my to do list this year and I do enjoy coming up with food they are excited to eat.

Popcorn we pop on the stove and a warm cup of chocolate made with rice milk, cocoa and stevia is a current favorite with both boys. 


As is brown rice and seaweed crackers smeared with butter and a thin wedge of pecorino pressed on top with a bowl of marinated, pitted kalamata olives on the side.


The beetroot dip with brown rice and seaweed crackers pictured above was a hit with Sol, River not so much. Ho hum.

I was thrilled to discover Sherlyn Palmer's blog 'Wholepromise - wholesome food to live by' and her posts on the wonderful, nourishing snacks she prepares for her young sons. See here and here

And another wholefood blog I stumbled happily upon is Wholesome Cook, worth a visit.

Here is the recipe for the beetroot dip, see how it fares in your house. If you want more of my dip recipes go here. What snacks are current favorites with your family?

Ingredients
1 medium beetroot, boiled til soft, peeled and diced (sorry I didn't weigh it. It was slightly larger than a tennis ball)
200 grams cooked chickpeas
3 tablespoons natural unsweetened yoghurt
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tablespoon tahini
juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt to taste or Bragg's all purpose seasoning

To make
Place all ingredients in food processor and whizz til smooth. Adjust seasoning to suit your taste and preferred texture. You can add a splash of water if it is too thick and then adjust seasoning to suit.