Saturday 28 April 2018

Home Food

Our kitchen is often a hive of activity! There seems to be always something being chopped, grated, mixed, stirred, fried, blended or baked in what is the heart of our home. Up at the island bench I love, which looks out to a distant horizon, I make the food we love to eat. Home food! There are so many benefits to cooking and eating this way. Benefits way beyond the deliciousness and naughtiness of a big bowl to lick ... 

A very lick-able bowl.
(That's chocolate pudding mixture in there!)

Each morning, starts with a nourishing breakfast. Perhaps an omelette or toast with egg and bacon or mushrooms. Perhaps warmed slices of a nutty, breakfast-y bread made days before and frozen for those busier mornings when someone has to be out the door a bit earlier than usual. Granola in the warmer months and porridge, with warmed blueberries, when it's colder. Always a fulfilling start to the day no matter what's on the table.

A slice of  nutty banana bread for breakfast.

An omelette with spinach and leftover roasted veg.

Weekday lunches are prepared and packed in a mini production line upon the kitchen bench (I have never quite mastered the night before packing of lunches). Leftovers from dinner the night before or fresh salads and always a sandwich or two! Weekend lunches are more leisurely, rounds of toasted sandwiches or fresh Turkish bread, if I've been to the little local shop that sells it, spread with each of our favourites. Weekend lunches are made whenever we are hungry and eaten with noses in our local paper or a good book.

Leftover roasted chicken and salads for lunch.

Snacks for morning and afternoon teas are mixed and baked on the weekends for the work and school days ahead. This week, it was Anzac Biscuits and a simple cereal slice. Often it's muffins, pear or banana, studded with little chocolate chips. 

A batch of little muffins ready for the oven.

Each night, at our little wooden dining table, we sit and share a home cooked meal. Nothing fancy, just simple food we enjoy. Over these meals, the highlights of our days are shared and the things we are thankful for are voiced. If we are cooking for a crowd, we still keep it simple and just increase the quantity!

 A quick macaroni & cheese bake.

A stir fry with lots of healthy vegetables.

A nourishing salad with lots of greens.

Many homemade pizzas!

Home food is real food! It's the way we eat most of the time. Cooking and eating this way doesn't mean that we never have takeaway or that I've never resorted to opening a packet of very convenient biscuits. Of course we do and I have! These are rarities though and not our normal, everyday way of preparing and eating food. 

Home cooking not only fills our tummies, it nourishes our bodies and our hearts. Beginning with the breakfasts that provide sustained fuel for the day ahead through to the homemade meals around our table at night, that bring us together and over which we talk and laugh, I know what's in this food. I know what ingredients I've used and how it's been cooked. I know those lunches made with leftovers prevent waste and save us money. While there's more washing up involved (Let's be realistic!), I also know there's a lot less food packaging and plastic too. I know that the birthday cakes I make my boy and the cheesecakes I make my husband are  baked with all of my love. I know the meals we cook and contribute to share with friends are made with a fondness for those we hold dear. In so many ways, home food is good for our family, our bodies, our wallets and our planet. 

Chocolate pudding to share.
(Imagine generous scoops with dollops of cream!)

Now, back to that big bowl in which I mixed this chocolate pudding. I absolutely did lick that bowl! I was home all by myself so there was no-one to see me really...except Sir Steve dog who knows that chocolate is no good for dogs:D

Have a lovely weekend. What will you be eating at your place?

Meg


























24 comments:

  1. All that food looks delicious Meg and I agree home cooked is the best.

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    1. I don't think you can beat home cooking, Jan. Simple and delicious! Meg:)

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    1. Great for feeding a crowd and hungry, growing boys! Meg:)

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  3. Your kitchen sounds like my kitchen Meg. Home food all the way. Did you cook all those pizza's at once? I can only do 2 at a time....

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    1. I can do three pizzas at at time in my oven, Clarissa. There's a fellow gardener just down the road who has built a cob oven in his garden...I'd love one of those to do pizza in! Meg:)

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  4. That all looks so yummy Meg!
    You have a similar palate to me, homestyle cooking...can't be beaten!

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    1. I agree, Cheryl. Home cooking is just the best! My Mum did a lot of home cooking when I was growing up and those simple, homecooked meals she made are ones I now cook in my own kitchen. Meg:)

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  5. You can’t beat home cooked food, yours all look good. We stopped purchasing ready made food and jars of sauces, the best bit is always the leftovers lunch the ne t day.

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    1. I think leftovers are the best bit too, Marlene. We regularly have leftovers for lunch and it's great because they save money and time and are delicious too. Meg:)

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  6. Wow Meg, you are a good cook as that food looks delicious. I cooked a stirfry tonight and tomorrow will be leftover from last night's meal. It is nice to be able to go out and pick some of your own veggies to cook up for a meal.

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    1. Thanks, Chel. I love picking food from the garden and using that in meals here. I picked a lettuce this morning for salad at lunchtime and I thinking of using some very young cranberry hibiscus leaves in another salad I've discovered - roasted sweet potato, pear and cranberry. I'm dying to try it! Meg:)

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  7. Wonderful post, Meg. You sound so enthusiastic and happy. I am harvesting artichokes. They are such a treat!

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    1. It's lovely that you are harvesting artichokes, Stephenie. How do you like to eat your artichokes? Meg:)

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  8. Hi Meg,
    This week we have been eating quite a few pasta meals as the weather cools down. Yesterday I made two Salmon, Potato and Pea frittatas (one for dinner and one for the freezer) and today I am making another batch of Chocolate and Banana Muffins and a Beef Stroganofff will be going into the slow cooker this morning. We just had the leftover frittata for breakfast and lunch will be leftover Cheesy Pasta Bake from Thursday’s dinner. Love leftovers❤️ Have a lovely Sunday,
    Fi

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    1. I love leftovers too, Fi. Yum! I must look in to getting a slow cooker as I don't have one and people seem to make the most lovely meals in them. I love stroganoff but make a chicken version rather than beef. Meg:)

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  9. Glad you have the thermomix to make the turkish bread.....by the way have you made the bread rolls yet. I discovered the recipe 2 years ago and they are like soft bap rolls from bakers delight. A little bit hard on the outside and soft on the inside these are 100% fool proof. You need 2.5 hrs from start to finish so if you want them for lunch at midday just start at 9.00 am. I've got a link in the turkish bread post where I mention bread rolls or just search on my blog. Seriously soooo easy and doesn't taste yeasty like some recipes. Best ever bread rolls. Give them a go if you haven't and it's a thermomix recipe too. Kathy

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    1. Thanks, Kathy. I seem to have a problem with getting my bread doughs to rise properly. What brand of yeast do you use? Where to you put your dough to rise when it's cooler weather? I am keen to try the Turkish bread and I had forgotten all about those rolls. I am working all this week but will give these a go over the long weekend coming up. Meg:)

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  10. Thanks for the great post Meg. I so agree with your point that home food is good for families, wallets and the planet. The kitchen is always a busy place around here too.
    These days I have to share my bowl/spoon/spatula licking with the girls - unless they aren't home of course ;)
    Cheers,
    Laura

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    1. I don't get anywhere the bowls or spoons if my boy is home, Laura. He seems to know when I'm making cake! Meg:)

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  11. Hello Meg, your blog is just delightful! I have enjoyed my visit today & shall certainly be back for more visits! Thank you so much for the lovely comment you left me over on my blog. Have a great week Meg. Julie Xx

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    1. I enjoyed visiting your blog very much too, Julie. It's lovely finding new blogs and reading posts that are inspiring or that resonate in some way. Meg:)

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  12. What a lovely blog post to read. The love in your household sings out of every photo. That chocolate pudding would go down very nicely with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream.. and I would have enjoyed licking the bowl too.

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    1. Hi, Cherie. I think love is an important ingredient in food and a quality that distinguishes home cooking. The pudding was delicious and its richness does really need that cream or ice-cream. Licking that bowl was quite a joy, something my sisters and I got to do as children and which still feels quite fun and indulgent. Meg:)

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