The Klutzy Cook

School is out and the holidays have begun (well for the kids anyway), so the usual ‘routine’ goes out the window now for 6 weeks or so. The final week of school was a mad frenzy of activity as expected but the kids are looking forward to the break and all the holiday activities.

To cap the week off, my little boy Stewart turned 4 on Saturday. He invited a small group of friends to celebrate at a local park (which we had all to ourselves) and had a great party. The highlight was his ‘Lightning McQueen’ birthday cake, which I must say is my best cake making effort yet. It took many hours to make, battling the humidity the whole way, but the end result was certainly worth it. Here is a picture:

Lightning McQueen Cake

Here’s the menu plan for this week.

Monday – Steve is cooking (a nice surprise)
Tuesday – Baked Salmon
Wednesday – Spaghetti Bolognaise
Thursday – Butter Chicken
Friday – Homemade Pizza using Easy Pizza Dough
Saturday – Out at a Christmas Party
Sunday – Barbecue
Extras – Fruit Mince Pies, Fruit Cakes (for grandfathers)

Have a great week!

I’d love to know what your planning this week so please feel free to share your menu plans in the comments section below.

The silly season is in full swing with break ups, school functions and parties going on everywhere.  Throw a few birthdays into the mix and it’s all a little crazy at the moment.   Some days it’s no mean feat to get a meal on the table for dinner, but I think it’s important to maintain this little piece of routine during the busy times.  It’s also a great time to catch up as a family.

I spent a lot of time last week doing Christmas cooking including chutneys, relishes, jams, puddings and sweets (for the teachers).  While there was a lot going on, it was pure heaven for me.  I love to spend time in the kitchen like that with bowls, saucepans, ingredients and basically total chaos all around me.  Usually my favourite music is playing away in the background and time just blends from one recipe to the next.  Here’s a photo of my helper Maggie with the Christmas sweets we made for her teacher (Choc Cherry Balls and Apricot Balls).

The biggest success was doing the Christmas pudding in the slow cooker.  It came out perfectly and the beauty of it was that there is no need to stand over a boiling pot for 3 plus hours and keep topping up water.  Another bonus is the kitchen doesn’t heat up – which in the temperatures we have been experiencing is a good thing.  Some recipes will be coming this week.

Here’s the menu plan this week.  Again pretty simple but I’ll be happy to just get dinner on the table every night with so much going on.  The biggest thing going on this week is my little boy Stewart will turn 4 on Saturday (my baby is growing up).  He has requested a Lightning McQueen cake – my biggest birthday cake challenge yet.  Look out for pictures next week.

Monday – Fish (local snapper), chips and salad
Tuesday –Kumara (sweet potato) pasties
Wednesday – Kangaroo Tacos
Thursday – Sweet Corn Fritters
Friday – Risotto (not sure what sort yet but will include mushrooms)
Saturday – whatever Stewart wants (his birthday, his choice)
Sunday – Barbecue
Extras – Lightning McQueen Birthday Cake (Eek!) and more Christmas cooking.

Have a great week!

I’d love to know what your planning this week so please feel free to share your menu plans in the comments section below.

Christmas has now officially arrived in our house with the Christmas tree going up yesterday.  All I had to do this year was put on the tinsel and lights, the kids did the rest.  It was great watching them add all their favourite ornaments, including ones they have made over the years.  I must say I think they did a great job – here it is:

Our Christmas Tree 2009

Christmas cooking is in full swing and going along nicely except for one hiccup.  When cooking the cake last week, I was also cooking some Nectarine Chutney.  Juggling two recipes and 3 little helpers in the kitchen, things got a little crazy and 1kg instead of 1 cup of brown sugar was added to the Christmas cake.  The 1kg was meant for the chutney but the cake did seem to survive, although it is a little ‘sticky’.  We’ll just eat small pieces at a time otherwise the house could become a hive of hyperactivity!

On the weekend I did an Indian Cooking Course where they covered making Indian breads, curries, samosas and pakoras.  It was really interesting to learn that a lot of the curries start with exactly the same base of ingredients.  From this base a plethora of different curries can be made by adding varied ingredients including meats, vegetables and additional herbs, spices and flavours.

The other great thing was that the Indian breads are really easy to make at home with no fancy equipment required.  Keep an eye on the blog for recipes as I work at recreating them all at home.

With plenty of end of year events and celebrations going on, the menu is pretty simple this week.   We also have another market run so am looking forward to more great summer fruits.

Monday – Chicken Schnitzel Caesar Salad
Tuesday –Mini quiches, honey soy chicken legs (Picnic at School Christmas Carols)
Wednesday – Chicken Pasta Bake
Thursday – Lamb Stir Fry
Friday – Pizza using Easy Pizza Dough
Saturday – Barbecue
Sunday – Butter Chicken and Indian Fried Rice
Extras – Christmas cooking

Have a great week!

I’d love to know what your planning this week so please feel free to share your menu plans in the comments section below.

As predicted last week was a hot one – summer has definitely arrived early this year. Apparently this week is not going to be much better – which is not a lot of fun when you’re trying to bake and cook for Christmas!

The menu last week went well with just a couple of minor alterations. The spaghetti on Sunday night didn’t eventuate, so has been rescheduled as my daughter is desperate for some ‘meat’ spaghetti (we haven’t had it for a while).

After the markets last week I have quite a lot of carrots, avocados, sweet potato and potatoes that will be used in salads and roasting. The first lot of stone fruit was also available and with plenty of nectarines in the fridge, I’m planning some nectarine chutney for Christmas gifts.

Monday – Carrot & Zucchini Slice
Tuesday – Spaghetti Bologanaise
Wednesday – Chicken Stir Fry
Thursday – Roast Lamb
Friday – Homemade Pizza using Easy Pizza Dough
Saturday – Barbecue – Seafood skewers
Sunday – Nachos (with lots of guacamole)
Extras – Christmas cooking

Have a great week!

The weeks are really starting to go fast now that Christmas is looming. Lot’s of things going on at school and sports, plus we have a lot of birthdays in our family between November and February. Just about every other week!

Despite living in Australia, Halloween was a huge highlight for my kids last week – “The best night of my life” said Stewart. Every year it seems Halloween is building more momentum here and I think it’s a lot of fun for the kids. A chance to dress up and of course, get a swag of lollies.

For the first time there was an organised “trick or treat” in the street with anyone who wanted to participate putting a balloon out the front of their house. It was a real hoot and we got to meet neighbours we’d never met before. Of course, there were no tricks in sight but plenty of treats.

We also celebrated Steve’s birthday (I’ll respect his privacy and not disclose an age) with Yum Cha for lunch with his family. This was followed by his favourite dinner – Lasagne and Chips! Needless to say, it was a very satisfied (and tired) family by Sunday night.

From last week there were two great new recipes to emerge – Chicken Stroganoff and Chocolate Banana Bread. Both quickly and eagerly devoured – recipes to come.

Hopefully things will be a little less hectic this week, but I doubt it. Something always crops up. Here’s the plan for this week.

Monday – Chicken Schnitzel Caesar Salad
Tuesday – Hoisin Pork Noodle Stir Fry
Wednesday – Two Mushroom Risotto
Thursday – Slow Cooker Chicken Dish (haven’t decided final recipe yet)
Friday – Nachos with lots of Guacamole and Sour Cream
Saturday – Barbecue
Sunday – Undecided
Extras – Rice Pudding

Have a great week!

I’d love to know what your planning this week so please feel free to share your menu plans in the comments section below.

Last week’s Menu Plan highlight was the Vietnamese Noodles – a super dish in warmer weather with its fresh flavours.  The leftovers were eagerly consumed for lunch the following day – a nice change from regular salads and sandwiches.

This week there is an oversupply in the kitchen of bananas, corn, mushrooms and sweet potatoes from the market run last week which is reflected in the menu plan.  The bananas will be used up in some baking with the corn and sweet potatoes starring elsewhere.

We have Steve’s birthday on Sunday (Lasagne is his favourite dinner), so there will be a special breakfast and a birthday cake (kids to decide on this one) to add to the list.

Monday – Salmon & Corn Tart
Tuesday – Chicken Stroganoff
Wednesday –  Lamb Roast, Sweet Potato & Corn Cobs
Thursday – Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Friday – Pizza using Easy Pizza Dough
Saturday – Barbecue with family
Sunday – Lasagne
Extras – Banana Muffins, Chocolate Banana Bread

Have a great week!

I’d love to know what your planning this week so please feel free to share your menu plans in the comments section below.