The best ever Crusty Bread!

I have always been intimidated by baking. Especially bread. I have watched River Cottage in awe so many times determined to get over my fears and take it on with gusto! That never quite happened. 

But, in my many random Pinterest travels I came across this amazing recipe! I read through the instructions about 15 times before I decided to jump in. That's me. Research, memorise, then go. Well, most of the time. Otherwise, known as procrastination. 

But I did it! My first loaf was ok. Second loaf was better. By the 5th, aced it. Lucky I like bread! Lucky that even though Jacob doesn't like bread, he loves this! And the boys love it as well - especially with cottage cheese or covered in hummus.

So, my version of it after a few tries goes a little something like this...

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 1 1/4 cups additional water

In the 1/4 cup of lukewarm water, sprinkle in the yeast and let it stand while you get the rest of the ingredients together. 

In a big mixing bowl, whisk together the flours and the salt. With a handy dandy rubber spatula, slowly add in the yeasty water. Then slowly add the rest of the water. It will be a messy looking hunk of dough, but that's fine.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave overnight on the kitchen bench, at least 12-18 hours. Of course depending on the temperature of your kitchen overnight, it might be best to bring it to bed with you. It's an attractive move - coming to bed with a bowl of dough. Actually, just leave it on the night stand or a dresser. Trust me. 

In the morning, the bread should have risen to at least double. 

Pop a enamel cast iron oven friendly covered pot into the oven and crank it to 230 C (450F). I use one of our Le Creuset pots, but apparently you can use a variety of things. Just think Dutch Oven. (No, not THAT kind of Dutch Oven...) Check out the FAQ's for more info on the Simply So Good blog on the pots you should be able to use.

As it's heating, I pop the dough out onto a floured surface. It will be stick as, but it usually stays together nicely. So, with very floury hands, shape the dough into a good looking ball and put the plastic wrap back over it. 

Once the pot is hot, take it out of the oven, CAREFULLY and with good oven mitts! I finally burned my index finger just on Friday for the first time, and it hurts like a you-know-what! Pop the dough into the pot, put the cover back on and back in the oven it goes. 

This is when I have all of my not-so-reliable kitchen timers set to 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes, take the lid off (CAREFULLY) and cook for another 15 minutes. 

And that's it!! 

The hardest part is waiting for it to cool down. Seriously!

I've had it as sandwich bread, toast, french toast, with olive oil and balsamic. It's really lovely. And of course, the boys love it!

Enjoy!!

xx

It's been a week of..

Over a week has gone by since Bruce moved in with his new family. I chatted with them Friday and it sounds like he is doing well. We are all having to adjust I guess. Timmy has been a slightly different dog since Bruce left. I think he's just happy to be the only-dog-child. For example, we all went to pick up Jacob from work, me, the boys and Timmy. Timmy walked with us slowly up the steps, off lead, followed us to the car and happily jumped into the boot. I don't think he would have done that if Bruce was tagging along. It's an adjustment, but we are getting on slowly.

It's also been a week of Willem crawling! He's taken a few days to get the hang of it, but is rocketing around the house now. Now that he's moving as well, he's been following Hendrik from room to room, Hendrik's little shadow. But they are starting to play together which is awesome! I've been sneaking in on them playing and chatting to each other, kicking their feet in sync to crazy little tunes on their toys.

Strangely, with only one dog and the boys keeping themselves busy, I'm actually finding time to do things around the house and finishing them! Cooking has stepped up a notch! I'm loving it more than ever. Mexican pumpkin soup, potato and onion frittata, and my new love it bread making!

Well, more on that soon!

X

 

Bitter-sweet Goodbyes...

I'm never a fan of goodbyes. Especially when it's someone you know and love and looked after for the past 4 and a half years. But I think we are all ok with it, as sad as we are...

Bruce has found his new home! A lovely family has taken him in with open arms! And yes, they are perfect for each other! We're are so happy he will get the one on one time he needs. So happy, but still so sad.

We'll miss the sound of him running down the hallway when he hears someone in the pantry and his inspiring optimism. We will be visiting them again soon to make sure it's all going well. But at least for now, knowing he is the happiest dog he possibly can be is making this all ok.

That and the knowledge that he will always be a part of our family, no matter what.

We love you, Brucie!

xx

Naptime Cooking - Wild Pork Enchiladas

Some days, being a Stay-at-home-Mum is not much different than being a project mananger. You plan your day based on what available time and resources you have. Somedays it's the only way to get through it!

I'll admit it, I love it when the boys are napping! Ahhhh quiet... Ahh the serenity... And then about 5 minutes later, it's a mad rush for me to eat lunch, tidy up quickly and get dinner started, or at least some prep done. (Unless, of course, Jacob is keen to cook, which has been a lot lately! Thank you, dear!)

I have a handful of go-to recipes that I use. I tend to change it up here and there, but the basics remain the same. This is one of my favourites because of how flexible it is...

• About 1 tsp (or to taste) of each of the following : Cumin, coriander, dried chilli flakes, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper
• 1 can of tomatoes, chopped or whole, whatever is available
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 400 grams wild pork mince
• 1 1/2 cups of grated cheese
• 6 tortillas (store bought is totally cool. I struggle to make my own tortillas most weeks)

In a mortar and pestle, bash all together until mostly crushed and combined.

Put all the spices and the tomatoes into a pot, stir and simmer through. Once it starts to cook through a bit, add more spice if you like. I usually add a bit more chilli... We like it hot!

While the sauce is simmering, get the meat on!

For this instance, I used about 400g of wild pork mince. I usually use about 350g of chicken thigh cut into small bite sized bits, but you can use whatever you have available. For a vegetarian option, black or refried beans are awesome!

Cook the onions in a well oiled pan until they begin to soften. Add the mince and brown off. If the meat has too much grease, drain on a paper towel and pop back into the pan then add half of the sauce.

Let the flavours combine and then take off the heat.

At this point, I divide the meat in the pan into 6 even portions. Now fill up those tortillas. I add a little bit of cheese to each before I roll them up and pop them into the baking dish.

When all 6 are rolled and in the dish, cover with the remaining sauce and cover the rest of the cheese.

So now it's ready to go. When this goes in the fridge for later, there is that moment of pride, you know the one - oh thank goodness I accomplished something today moment...

Anyway, pop this in the oven for about 20-25 minutes at 180C. Let stand for a few minutes before dishing out, top with some avocado, sour cream, and jalapeños and dig in!

 

 

Heartbreak called Bruce.

Beyond heartbreak. Beyond sad.

We have, so sadly, made the descion to re-home our beloved Bruce. Even just writing that sentence has made me break down in tears. I think it's the hardest decisions we've ever had to make.

We found Bruce, then known as Henry, at the Lost Dog's Home when we lived in Melbourne. We needed a playmate for Timmy when we worked during the day and not long after Jacob found Bruce on their website. We were stoked to see that he was part Baseji like Timmy and his photo really made me smile.

Riding to the beach!

We went to see him at the Home and I totally fell in love. He was so cute and soft and such a nuggety little dude, he was perfect. He and Timmy got on like brothers do. Adventuring out together at the dog parks, going for walks, sleeping next to each other and rumbling like true siblings.

He was 7 months old at the time. And still such a puppy.

Cooking lessons

4 years later, he is still the Scrappy-Do he has always been. After moving to NZ, we started going to a new dog park where he is a hit among the dogs. Everyone loves Bruce and remembers his name.

Timmy & Bruce

Now, with Hendrik and Willem here with us, sadly we are unable to give him the amount of attention he actually needs. Timmy has adjusted, but Bruce struggles.

Loving the sunshine

If you know of someone in Wellington or somewhere close that would be able to give Bruce the love and attention he craves, please let us know. He needs to go to the right person/family.

Sylie & Hugo helping Bruce with his wardrobe

He is about 5 years old now. He's a Basenji and Jack Russell mix. Chipped and up to date on all of his vaccinations. We is registered with the WCC until next year.

I am so unbelievable heartbroken having to write this. But we have to do what is best for our beloved Bruce...

xx

 

Adventures for Springtime

Jacob's Amazing Gardening Skills. And building skills.

 

He knocked this up in one day! Yeah, he's a legend.

Let the planting begin!

These little men.

Some days they melt my heart. Others they break me in two.

Teething is the bane of our existence at the moment. The mood swings, the crying, not eating, not sleeping. Sadly, Pamol is my best friend right now. I hate medicating my children, but as soon as that orange flavoured syrup hits the lips, there is calm, there is quiet.

It's not that bad when it's only one boy. The last week it's been Willem, but now it's Hendrik's time to shine. And there is always a few days of overlap. So not only are we dealing with 3 weeks of hell, one week of that is both boys in agony.

On the plus side, I can't wait to see those new pearly whites! Fingers crossed - not long now!

Nine. Months. Seriously???

Unreal. Time is just flying by! Yesterday, I had the amazing privilege of holding wee little Lewis, just over a week old. He's newest addition to the already lovely Burns' family (love you guys!) and it was the first time holding a baby younger than our boys since they were born. I almost cried! Not for being clucky, but I barely remember our big guys ever being that small! Just so tiny and helpless... Wow...

It's such a different story now. Our once wee boys are turning into such little men. Yesterday, afternoon we spent a bit of time sitting on a blanket, in the sunshine, watching their Dad trimming a few trees around the house. There they sat in their sun hats, clapping and crawling, giggling and keeping a keen eye on the local tuis. It's so cool to see them change so much in such a little amount of time.

I can honestly say, this has been THE most difficult thing I have ever done. EVER. I know that, yeah, someday it will get easier, someday I may regain a sliver of sanity, maybe catch up on sleep, but for now we go on day to day, just scraping by, just surviving. Everyone said it would be hard, no one said it would be easy. But not one person ever actually warns you of, sadly, how much you're going suffer. All completely worth it, don't get me wrong. But be prepared to suffer and be tested at ever single turn.

Hendrik on the move.

 

With Hendrik now commando crawling, and Willem not too far off, I'm starting to feel a sense of relief. But I'm sure that won't last. They'll soon go from crawling to walking to running - in completely different directions I'm sure.

Duets with Willem

Our wee mover and shaker, Hendrik

 

In all of this chaos, one of the most rewarding things at the moment is food. They love it. They can't get enough of it and will scream at you until they are completely satisfied. I must say, baby led weaning is the way to go! Well, for us at least. I love watching them try new foods. Textures, hot, cold, flavours, they are curious about it all!

Some of their favourites are omelettes with spinach, parsley, and cheese. Chicken and pesto. Peas with mint and ricotta. Kiwi fruit. Mandarins. Oranges. Garlic hummus. Porridge. Greek yogurt. Apples. Roasted chips. Fruit bread. BBQ chicken and BBQ pineapple. The list goes on...

 

So, this bread, (yummo) was based off of this recipe from a great blog. We switched it up a little bit since strawberries aren't quite in season here, but a cup of frozen raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries did the trick. It bakes up quite nicely. Because we have a fan-forced oven, foil over the top of a perfectly browned bread helped it not to burn. The boys loved it. I loved it. Win win!

 

As our little nuggets become their own people, I love seeing all of those things that people say twins do. They are becoming good little playmates. They are babbling amongst themselves when I'm not in the room. They sing together. They cry together, which is a killer for me and appropriate of an entire blog post all it's own. And while, they are stealing each other's toys, they are also starting to pass them back and forth to each other. It's pretty damn cool.

On that note. I'm keen to start writing about a lot of our experiences with the boys. Pregnancy, feeding, sleep, dealing with stress, marriage, etc. Twins affects everyone differently. There are a lot of books and a lot of other blogs and websites about it all, but I think it's good to gather as much information as you possibly can in the early days. So for my therapy, and so other people can take what's worked for us and what's not... Consider this my challenge.

Happy 9 months, my dear darling boys, Hendrik and Willem... xx

A lovely Sunday with my wee boys!

What a lovely day.

While Jacob built an amazing new garden bed (in ONE DAY!!! Photos soon I hope!) and I actually got to do something that I've been wanting to do for ages... Take photos of the boys! I know I have a damn good excuse, but feel pretty slack for not taking as many photos as I hoped I would.

After doing this today, I think a day in the life of editorial is in order!

 

Happy Spring!

 

First BBQ of the season!

Well, the weather was warmer for about 2 days and hopes for an early spring warmed the hearts of all of us here in Wellington, then reality struck. The temp has dropped back down to a lovely 3C overnight. Oh well.

I finally feel like life is slowly coming back into control. Our boys are sleeping through the night, sometimes. But for the first time in 9 months, maybe longer including pregnancy, have I felt somewhat human again! Amazing what 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep can do for the soul...

We've had quite a journey the last year. We've made it this far, amazingly, just by doing what every other new parent in history has done - winging it! Yes, research helped. Books, chatting to other parents, classes (some that paid off in the long run, some not) but most of the time we just go with our gut. You figure out what's best for them as you go. And as we didn't have any children before these two and didn't have ANY prior experience, sometimes you question yourself, which is probably the worst mistake.

But for now, here is to surviving the winter and looking forward to seeing more tulips in our yard along with warmer sunny days. Hello Spring!

 

It's been 8 months?

Time flies when you have twins! X

Willem

Hendrik

Yep. Life is a changin'...

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! And especially to Jacob, my awesome husband and soon to be dad! Yep. That's right! Our little family is growing with the addition of two boys! Yep, twins! They'll debut around Christmas time! Looking forward to the madness!! xx