nest

TAFE

Second semester has started at TAFE (actually, now called an Institute of Technology. La de da). Subjects have been chosen, the timetable has been established and juggled and balanced against family life. It all fits in and we're off on another busy 6 months. Busy, yet satisfying.

After taking last semester off, starting back on monday night was a welcome distraction and SO what I needed. At TAFE I am just me, not Tom's mum or Juliet's mum or 'that woman down the street who wears socks with her birkenstocks' *cough*, ummm... I'm just me, a fellow student in an eclectic group working towards a common goal. Oh, how poetic. I try my UTMOST not to initiate any talk about children or schools or parks or playgrounds or kid friendly food or juggling kids with life, or poo or vomit or washing or housework... etc. So basically I try not to talk about my life. Unless asked, and even then I am quite restrained. 18 to 24 year olds without children either don't care or don't get it, probably both, and finding other things to talk about is wonderful.

My first class back was with a group of people I don't know. All are mature aged (!!) like me (!!!) and had come to class straight from work. I thought about how different our days would have been while silently pretending I'd come straight from work too. My cover was blown, however, when I pulled my scarf out of my bag and this small collection of items were scattered over the floor...

It got a few smiles.

When I first started at TAFE Juliet was only 9 months old, Tom was two and my one night a week at TAFE was a God send. I didn't have time to think about what I was going to wear or if my hair needed a brush or a wash, I'd just walk out the door at 5pm, and in the empty car sing happily and loudly to the radio the whole way there.

One night, I remember, after a particularly full on day with baby and toddler, I sat in class and realised that I was still in the clothes I'd put on that morning to go to the park. Then I thought through what had happened since then and realised that I probably should have changed my clothes...

1. The shoulder of my black top was smeared with white stuff which was in fact a mixture of milk, tears, spit and snot.
2. I had pureed apple on the front of my top.
3. A nappy had leaked on my lap, so there was baby wee on my pants (now dried).
4. Around the same time as the nappy leak a milk vomit had landed on my other leg which I wiped off within the hour (I think)(now dried).
5. I thought I'd washed my hands at some point but couldn't be sure.
6. and there was an unidentified sticky something in my hair.

I wonder what my classmates thought? I would have looked a MESS! That was 3 years ago. These days the only stuff I take to TAFE belonging to my children are inside my handbag, and it's not their bodily fluids or regurgitated food.

Phew. Very pleased those days are over. I've got another kettle of fish on the fryer now. Never a dull moment.

Cupcakes

...or, seeing as I am Australian, Patty Cakes. Everyone says 'cupcakes' these days but as a child we always called them Patty Cakes. I can only remember butter cake Patty Cakes and a fancy Patty Cake was a Butterfly Cake where the top of the patty cake was cut off and cut into two.. then buttery icing... then the bits put back... on then, maybe icing sugar... OH SO BADLY EXPLAINED!!

There, I found a picture... (gorgeousness)

...at one of my favourite blogs, Lemonpi, which is well worth a look if you love food and creative recipes and great photos. And she explains butterfly cakes beautifully!

Anyhoo...

Where was I?

Oh yes. Cupatty Cakes. (sorry)

Gluten free (GF) Cupatty Cakes, no less. I've mentioned before that my Mum can't have wheat so I've experimented with gf flour and know it's capabilities. GF don't scare me!

And it's working. This gluten free diet has changed a cranky, irritable boy into the kid you want to be with. I can't believe it. So yesterday I wrote a bit about how I'm changing the food we're eating but I didn't mention the supplements. Of course, omega3 squirty tablets, how they are eaten (and enjoyed!) everyday astonishes me- I think they're gross, a probiotic to help him recover from the damage gluten has been doing to his tummy (apparently) and a zinc supplement. All are being consumed except the zinc which is in the form of a powder that you mix with water or juice and it tastes like Tang. He eats chocolate flavoured fish oil but won't drink a Tangishly orange cordially drink, I live and learn.

When I make cupcakes I always use Nigella's recipe from her book 'Nigella Bites'.

It's just a chuck-it-all-in-the-food-processor-and-whizz recipe. In fact I use it so often that the book falls open to the page on it's own. And, I'm ashamed (proud?) to say that it's become one of those 'scratch-n'-sniff' recipes due to splatters of cake batter and flour dried to the page. I do love a well used recipe.

See that flour there? I'd better wipe it off AS IT MIGHT NOT BE GLUTEN FREE!!!!!!!

I've changed this base recipe many times but do adore the latest incarnation which is an orangey, syrupy tastebud delight... if I do say so myself....

GF ORANGE CUPATTY SYRUP CAKES

Preheat oven to 180 deg C.

These are all gram measurements so I just put the food processor bowl, with blade, on the scales and weigh the ingredients straight in.

So, weigh the following into the bowl of the food processor:

60g gluten free plain flour

60g ground almonds (no nut allergies in this house)

1 teaspoon baking powder

125g softened butter

125g caster sugar

2 eggs

rind of one orange, finely grated

Whizz this until all combined and then whizz it a bit more until light and smooth. Add a tablespoon at milk and whizz a bit more.

Spoon into 12 medium sized patty cases and bake at 180 deg C for about 20 mins or untill browned on top and a skewer comes out clean.

While they are baking make the syrup. In a saucepan put the juice of one and a half oranges and 1/2 a cup of caster sugar. Put on the heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved then let it bubble for 3 mins. Take off the heat.

When the cupatty cakes come out of the oven and are still hot pour a tablespoon on the syrup over each of them and sprinkle with cocoa. Let them sit in the tin for about 10mins then take them out to cool on a rack.

 

Oi! Hands off! 

 

They have this deliciously smooth, creamy top on a soft, light, slightly mealy cake. And the orange and chocolate combo is always a winner.

 

Yummo.
 

 

Beige

I haven't been writing to nest this last week. I've had other things on my mind... and chest. You'll have to excuse me if I don't share the details of what's been on my chest. It hasn't been pretty but I'm on the mend, thank goodness!

The thing on my mind CONSTANTLY this last week has been a family diet change to gluten free foods.

Yikes.

This has been introduced as a way to try and resolve some behavioural 'issues' we've been experiencing. We're also limiting dairy and reducing foods high in salicylates. So hard. I'm planning a whole new family mealtime menu with new dishes and different looking food. Not good for my picky one, who is also the reason for this change.

Times have been tough around the dinner table this week. Oh, and the breakfast table. And while we're talking about mealtimes, lets not forget lunch. Or snacks.

Two good things have resulted- actually three- from this glutenless household. No wait, four.

1. Before I had children I naively and ignorantly stated that 'NO CHILD OF MINE WILL SMOTHER THEIR FOOD IN TOMATO SAUCE!' Haaaahaaaahaaahaaaaaa, oh, stop, that's TOO funny. It ended up that for Tom to eat anything on his plate a generous fart of tomato sauce had to accompany his meal. And every fork full was dunked. 'Would you like some chicken with that sauce, Tom?' I turned a blind eye but watched with a sick tum and sad heart. I hate tomato sauce. So here's the first good thing to come out of the diet change- tomato sauce is high, high, HIGH in salicylates! HOORAH! A reason to ban it from the house! Surprisingly, there has been no significant backlash. Dinner has been eaten (or not, as the case may be) with the same lacklustre reception as before.

2.  I had always pondered the amount of dairy my kids eat and drink. We go through litres and litres of milk per week and large blocks of cheese just disappear. So I've never worried about their calcium intake, but everything in moderation, right? It was suggested that I try them on rice milk. OH YEAH RIGHT, THEY"LL COME AT THAT! Little did I know that rice milk is naturally sweet so makes great tasting smoothies and is quickly downed when served straight up! Honey milk. We call it honey milk.

3. Taking the gluten out of my diet has reduced my waist line- yes, in one week. I still weigh the same but, what I now realise was a bloated belly, has somewhat shrunk. Yay.

4. The fourth, last but by no means least good thing to come out of this is an increase in 'good' behaviour and a decrease in unacceptable, crazy, uncharacteristic behaviour. We smile more and cry less. Good thing, VERY good thing.

It has only been a week but I can see changes already.

The only thing is that lunch plates look particularly bland.

Beige, yet eaten.