Simple and smokey oven baked meatballs

Hello readers!

We are back in the swing after my quickie trip up north.  I got to have lots of newborn cuddles of my newest niece and catch up with her big sisters - have to say it's wonderful being able to just be the fun aunty rather than a Mummy too - because usually when I see my nieces I spend most of the time hosting/parenting rather than just having fun with the adorables.  Lovely times.

Of course it was excellent hanging out with my parents and my sister. I cried when I said goodbye to her because I really miss not bringing our kids up together - seeing each other a few times year if we're lucky just isn't enough... but that's life isn't it - to persue our dreams means at times we have to move a little further afield.  Geography sucks sometimes.

So onto our meatballs.

Yesterday I was feeling a little blah so I wanted something simple and something to involve my two almost-five (going on fifteen) year olds.  This fit the bill perfectly as they love touching food and it kept them busy whilst I prepared the rest and washed up.


Ingredients:
500g lean beef mince
1 large onion, finely diced and divided in two
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 clove garlic, minced
1 egg
2/3 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup tomato sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tb honey
1 tb liquid smoke

Method:
Preheat oven to 200 degrees c

Mix beef with garlic, 1/2 the onion, chilli powder, oats and egg.

Roll into balls about the diameter of a 50c coin.  For the kids I lay out a sheet of baking paper, draw a circle for each child and they will measure their balls on it! Easy!

Place balls on a baking tray with at least 1 inch lip.

Make your sauce my mixing in a small bowl or container the other 1/2 onion, tomato sauce, brown sugar, honey, liquid smoke and 2 tb water.  Mix well and pour over the meatballs.

Bake for 40 minutes - serve as canapes or with some salad or mash and vegetables!

Pasta all'tonno (Italian tuna pasta bake)

Well yesterday Eloise and I made dinner.  Hubby took the little frills out to do the massively exciting task of renewing his driving licence so we took advantage of lack of interruptions and set to work.   I used to make this on a fairly regular povo-student days so gradually as she learns to make it again and again, at least I know she'll know how to cook something decent when she moves out of home (I clutched my chest as I wrote that).

(serves 8)

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 stalk oregano, stalks removed and chopped finely (or 1/2 tsp dried)
5 large basil leaves, chopped finely (or 1/2 tsp dried)
400g tin tuna in springwater, drained and flaked with a fork
800g tin diced tomatoes
2 tb tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
1 cup mixed frozen peas/corn (add vegetables of your choice)
4 cups cooked pasta, drained
150g grated mozzarella or tasty (I used combo)


Method:
Use an oven-proof dish that can go on your stove (or have a large saucepan + oven-proof dish if you don't) in the saucepan/dish heat your olive oil on a medium high heat.   Add onions, garlic and herbs and stir until onions become transparent.

Add your tuna, continue to stir until tuna becomes hot and then add the tomatoes, tomato paste and red wine. Lastly add peas and corn and allow this to reduce over a simmering heat until it becomes thick and rich.

Add pasta and then sprinkle over the cheese and place in the oven under the grill for about 5 minutes or until the cheese melts into a warm brown colour.

Serve with salad.. (leftovers are yummy cold too!)

5 ways your child can help with dinner without driving you mad

It's not often Eloise and I get alone time these days.  With her being at school and her sisters not having afternoon naps anymore I miss those times where it would be just me an her time.  I think it's important so when opportunities arise where I can spend time with any of my girls one-on-one I grab it.  Whether it be just a walk to the local shops or hanging out the washing - giving my frills that one-on-one attention is not only good for our individual relationships, it is fun !

Eloise being 6.5 is starting to have a real interest in cooking.  She's always loved food but she asks questions about how I cooked something, what herbs go with what and 'Mum, is there xyz in this?'  it seems she's inherited my forensic eating skills..

So I'm starting to teach her how to cook.  I mean really cook.  Simple recipes that we can eat on a regular basis that bit-by-bit she can assume more responsibility in making.  Obviously I'm doing all the knife work and stove to oven stuff but I'm explaining how things are done and involving her in the preparation.

So here's some of my tips to introducing your kids to cooking in the kitchen and ways you can get them involved that actually means they are helpful rather than hindrance in the kitchen - whilst also gaining some skills!

1. Measuring.   

Kids love to measure.  Start off with dry goods - pasta is good - 5 scoops, cups etc.  Move onto measuring cups and spoons, measuring using scales.  Kids LOVE this.

2.  Sifting

My little frills in particular love to sift flour.  Even if your recipe doesn't call for sifting your flour, do it anyway!  It is a great time waster when you're busy sometimes!

3.  Understanding and picking smells

This year with Eloise I've got her more involved in herbs - she can identify most now and I can just ask her to grab me this and that whilst I'm cooking.   We sometimes play games 'guess that herb'.  She also tries to identify them in food for fun too.

I also get her to take the leaves off, and she's just learned to use a herb mill.

4. Washing up

My girls loves to wash up and we're getting better at not drenching ourselves and the kitchen floor.  It's actually great to have the dishes washed whilst you cook.   When I was growing up as one of three daughters I would be detailed to the washing up most nights.  I would ask my parents (read whinge to my parents) why we didn't have a dishwasher.  My Dad would say: 'I do - I have three dishwashers in fact...'  I can see that line making an encore in this house.

If you had a real dishwasher nothing stopping you from teaching the kids how to at least stack the top shelf is there?

5.  Stirring. 

This is their favourite.  It doesn't need to be at the stove - it can be whisking eggs, stirring batter (even if it really doesn't need it

So what little jobs do your kids do whilst you cook?

I can bake a rainbow, bake a rainbow....

I know this in the parents' manual of no-no's but I've gone food colouring mad.

Today with a wet backyard, I decided a better use of energy would be to make a cake rather than let the kids get caked in mud (and do MORE washing tomorrow!).

Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup flour
1 cup white sugar
food colouring

Method:
Preheat oven to 175 degrees celcius

Grease a small springform, round, loaf or heartshaped tin
Beat eggwhites until firm,  add baking powder and vanilla.
(you can't see much, even my little ones are mesmerised by the kitchenaid!)

Put the mixer on low speed and  slowly tip the egg yolks in.

Sift your sugar, then add a tablespoon at a time until all combined

Lastly sift your flour, and do the same as sugar, remove bowl from mixture and give a final gentle mix to ensure all is combined.

Divide mixture into as many bowls as you would like colours

Add about 1/2 tsp of liquid colouring into each mixture (personal taste of course!)

Pour into baking tin one by one by dropping into the centre, one after the other, they will spread.

Bake for about 20-25 mins,  Cool and slice (ice if you wish)

Spaghetti Fusion

Had a lovely cooking experience yesterday. I was craving one of my old, old favourites from when I was a single gal and thought I'd give the kids a try at it.... so I cooked up some Spaghettini (really thin spaghetti) and whilst it was cooking got my girls to help make the rest.

Ingredients: (serves 1 adult and 3 hungry kids or two adults for lunch)
roughly 2x50cm bunches of spaghettini, cooked aldente.
5 anchovies, 1 stick of fresh thyme or 1tsp dried (Eloise's job)
60grams parmesan or grada pardano, shaved/grated finely (Laura's job) Zest of 1 lemon + juice of half (Olivia's job)
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tb garlic infused oil or 1/2 clove garlic crushed/finely chopped, 2 tb olive oil


Method:
In a mortar and pestle, bruise the thyme, add the oil/oil+garlic and mash until combined. Combine into the spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, put on heat for 2 minutes just to combine and infuse. Toss through parmesan and serve.

Seriously the whole thing takes 10 minutes or 15 minutes tops. There's nothing quite as magical as something that's quick, easy, healthy and absolutely yummy.

Here are my little cooks explaining how good it is and how they helped make it: