Croatian vegie stuffed capsicum

A big thank you to SJ, the culinary genius from Chasing the Donkey, who inspired this recipe. Get the original stuffed peppers recipe here and follow SJ's blog if you love food and travel or need a laugh.

After seeing SJs meat filled version on Instagram my mouth wouldn't stop watering for days, which is unusual as I do not eat beef. But I'm always looking for new ways to cook vegetables, so I thought I'd rework this into a vegetarian winter warmer for meatless Monday. Plus I wanted to use up the vegies that were piling up in our fridge and some herbs from our garden. This is really one of those meals where you can just throw together whatever you have on hand.

So Monday comes along and as usual I am super organised, haha yeah right! When I bothered to read the recipe properly (on MONDAY night) I realise it's going to take two hours to cook. Crap! Now that we have a child, eating at 10pm on a school night just isn't an option. So unfortunatly we didn't get to make this for Meatless Monday, it was bumped to Wednesday because that's my day off with Ava and clearly I have heaps of free time on Wednesdays. 

There are a few steps in this recipe - stuffing the capsicum, making the sauce then cooking it for two hours. So SJ's two hours would equal minimum three hours for me. And in addition to cooking and prep time I needed to prepare myself mentally...  

As a general rule I like to make things that are quick and simple. Minimal instructions and zero technique, anything more and I end up rocking in the corner. However I am known to occasionally overextend myself (in time and ability) and this was worth the anxiety and the effort. 

Once Ava was tucked up for her afternoon nap I was ready for battle the challenge. I read the instructions multiple times and reminded myself to breath. 

Ingredients

Stuffed Capsicums:
6 capsicums

2 small carrots diced

2 celery stalks diced 

2 zucchinis diced

2 tomatoes diced

1 tsp Garlic 

1 cup Brown rice
1 free range egg

1 tsp Paprika (optional)

Sauce:

1 Celery stalk

1 Carrot

1 tbs GF Flour

2 tbs tomato paste

2 cups vegetable stock

Salt & pepper

Bay leaf
Mixed herbs (optional)

Instructions

Start with the stuffing:

• Carefully slice the top off the capsicums and scrape out all the seeds
• Wash and set aside - don't forget to keep the lids
• Chop up the vegies and mix together in a bowl
• Mix in rice, paprika and garlic
• Season with salt and pepper 
• Spoon mix into capsicums, don't overfill them as they will explode (like mine did)
• Place capsicums into a large pot keeping them close so they don't fall over, but not too squashed as they will fall appart like mine did 
• Set aside to make sauce.

Make your sauce:

• Throw celery and carrot in a pan. 
• You can add onion, however onion and my sensitive belly don't get along so I left it out.  
• Once the vegies have softened add flour (I use GF) and mix well until browned 
• Add tomato paste, stock and and herbs
• Stir well until sauce boils 
• Pour sauce evenly over the capsicums, making sure they are fully covered
• Put the lids on the capsicums. 

Cook for 2 hours:

• Cook on a low heat for 2 hours
• Check the pot and shake regularly to ensure the sauce is evenly spread so you don't burn them 
• Add extra stock, water or a can of diced tomatos if you need more liquid - don't let it dry out or the capsicums will burn and fall apart
• Allow to sit for a while after cooking - like any good sauce the flavours will intensify
• Serve with mashed potato or rice. 

Initially the multiple steps had me terrified, however I found the process to be more time consuming than difficult. And this is one of those meals you can just throw together whatever you have on hand. Perfect for someone like me who struggles with too many instructions and never remembers to bring a shopping list to the shops. 

The aroma that filled the house was amazing, resulting in the inevitable over indulgence where appropriate portion size is thrown out the window.  And best of all, Ava loved it! Like all new things she did not want to try it at first, but after some gentle persuasion and possibly a little bribery she polished off the lot!  Winning!

What's your favourite winter warmer meal?

An open letter to my future teenage daughter

Happy girl!

The other day I asked you, "Who are you best friends at pre-school?" You proudly shouted, "ME!" That made me so proud. That's right sweetheart. You should always be your own best friend, don't be defined by those around you and always love and be true to yourself.

As a teenager you will have so many friends, probably way more that you even know on Facebook or whatever latest and greatest social site is by then. But your true friends will love you for who you are. You will be tested and pushed to the limits of your own boundaries, but I can see such strength and determination in you to walk your own path and to your own beat. I love that about you, even when it frustrates me to tears!

Yesterday you told me you are clever and very strong. You often say that you make us proud and happy, which you do every moment of every day. Probably more than you could ever know. Sweetheart you are a delight!  You are clever, funny, cheeky, witty, inquisitive, strong willed, independent, loving and divine. You make your Dad and I so proud and we are better people for having you in our life.

As a teenager I can only hope that you see yourself through my eyes. Being a teenager can be tough. I was aweful to your Grandma when I was a teenager, and I guess we are bound to have our moments too.  As a 3 year old your stubbornness and determination both frustrate and amaze me. I am thrilled at how intelligent and quick witted you are. However I often get a hint of teenage attitude from you, it frightens me a little as I know the karma train is heading my way!

Today as I was frantically searching for my keys, cursing how late we were you put your hand on my shoulder and said, "It's ok Mummy I'll help you find them." Then you ran to the lounge and pulled them out of the rocking chair where you had hidden them!! I didn't know weather to laugh or cry, so I just praised and thanked you through clenched teeth.

I wish so many things for you Ava. Childhood, play, innocence, imagination, study, friends, parties (with no boys present...I can only wish right), first kiss (at age 35 please), travel, career, love, passion, family.  But I wish more than anything that you stay true to your heart and follow your dreams, don't let others drag you down and never let your gender, age, sexuality or beliefs hold you back. l hope that you can come to us at anytime, no matter what. We love you unconditionally and will never judge or dismiss how you feel.

You can be anything you want to be. At 3 years of age you are already a confident and articulate public speaker. You are amazing with animals and babies. You are incredibly creative and super intelligent. I have no doubt that whatever you set your heart on, whatever fills you with joy and challenges your mind you will achieve. My daughter, I love you.  

DIY paint for kids

Burnsie found this recipe on Facebook so we had to share it! 

• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup gluten free flour
• 1 cup water
• Natural food colouring 
• Mix together until you get the colour you want

So simple and non toxic, the kids can make it themselves!

Ava's 3rd birthday party

Gotta love a party loaded with sugar!! It's not often that I wilfully feed Ava bucket loads of sweets, but birthdays come only once a year, so why not make the most of it.

Bursie really outdid himself with this cake - although it wasn't gluten free so I am already paying for the cheeky slice I had to have. My contribution! I did the writing and a bit (ok a lot) of micro management of the final touches...poor Burnsie.  

Ava seriously lost her shit (but in a good way) when she saw it before that party this morning. She said it was the bestest cake ever in the whole wide world.

I should also mention that our rather fancy Ilve oven decided to pack it in the night before the party! Seriously???  It's only 4 years old grrrr!  Luckily the cake was done, it just meant that we had less savoury adult food as I had planned on baking a batch of GF mini vegetarian quiches. 

Ava and her best friend Marli had a ball playing together in the park. They have known each other since they were born. 

We didn't invite too many kids, just Ava's cousins and her best park buddies Marli and Emily. She had so much fun running around the park, playing chasing and bossing us all around too!

The kids enjoyed blowing bubbles, playing pass the parcel and snacking on a mix of both wholesome and sweet treats.

These fruit cups were really easy to make and were a hit with the kids and adults. We chopped up watermelon, cantaloupe, nectarines, grapes and berries that morning, put them into a big container, then filled the cups at the park. Simple, beautiful and really healthy!

For a twist on fairy bread, we made wholemeal hundreds and thousands pin wheels which disappeared pretty quickly.

To make these I asked the baker to cut the bread loaf long ways. You should have seen his face, he had never been asked to do this before and thought I was totally insane.

Actually, I think he was worried that his cutting machine would destroy the bread! However he cut the bread perfectly and it was so much easier to make them rather than cutting long ways yourself.

Tip!! Flatten the bread out with a rolling pin before you butter it and sprinkle on the hundreds and thousands. Once flattened out they are so much easier to roll up. Then you cut each roll into three pin wheels. So easy.

Can you spot the dodgy one I made???

The marshmallow sticks are another super easy and very pretty sweet treat. What kid doesn't like marshmallows??

Bunsie insisted on making home made LCMs. I am not a fan, they are sickly sweet and full of sugar. As you can imagine the kids loved them...

So it kind of backfired for Burnsie, he was hoping to have them all to himself.

Inner West Buy Swap Sell

Like most families, we have accumulated a lot of crap over the years. And I mean a serious load of crap, much of it sitting unused and gathering dust in drawers and wardrobes or collecting cobwebs in our carport.

We don't really need much, we have good imaginations and are quite easily amused. Yet I cringe at the many times Burnsie and I have trotted off to the shops for the latest must have product we just know will enhance our lives considerably.

We live in a pretty wasteful society, where most babies have more tiny clothes than a Paris runway show, more toys than Santa's workshop and enough products to keep a small country well moisturised. And while I stand high and mighty on my soap box, I am also the first to admit I love new stuff and have spent a small fortune on much of our treasured crap! Well it's time to offload some good quality crap! And as the old saying goes, one person's trash is another's treasure!

After a particularly gruelling clean out which included multiple trips to the Salvos, a full bin and a lot of recycling, we still have a heap of stuff too good to throw out. And I really hate seeing things go to waste, I really do!

So I decided that instead of wasting my time on eBay or at the markets, I would try to find homes for our unwanted goods locally using my BFF the interwebs. I went searching for an online trash & treasure or buy swap sell on Facebook, but there doesn't appear to be one for the Inner West. So I've set up one myself....it's aptly named Sydney's Inner West - Buy Swap Sell.

Please like and share it with your friends. The more people who like it, the more crap you can offload and the more bargains you can score!!

Please check out facebook.com/innerwestbuyswapsell and list your items, or check out the crap erm treasure up for sale! Share the love and do your little bit for the planet, it might get you a little cash on the side too!

What to do with a 2 year old with all this rain?

What to do with a 2 year old when the rain keeps pouring down and there's no sign of any reprieve?  Simple, grab your umbrella, put on a raincoat and gum boots and get out there!

Miss Ava Mae is completely obsessed with Peppa Pig. And anyone familiar with Peppa Pig will know that Peppa's favourite pastime is jumping in muddy puddles. So when the rain hit this weekend we decided if you can't beat them, join them!!

Little kids truly live in the present, something we should all try to do every now and then. The pure joy on Ava's face as she splashed muddy water everywhere, including all over me, was priceless.  I have to admit, I really enjoyed jumping up and down in the filthy water. After last week's heat, the rain and cooler weather was quite refreshing.

And in saying that, we are lucky that the rain here is enough to be annoying but has not caused havoc like it has in far Norther NSW and Queensland. My heart goes out to the many people affected and we will be doing our bit by donating to the Red Cross Flood appeal.

What do you do to keep the kids entertained when the weather turns to crap? 

Missing my early morning wake up call

Ava is having her first ever sleep over! She is staying with our dear friend Franki who is Mum to Ava's adorable BFF Maxwell.

As you can see from the photo Maxwell's mum sent me, Ava is having a terrible time. Good luck getting those two monkeys to sleep Franki, was my reply! I reckon there was alot of giggling and very little sleeping for some time!!

And thankfully no sign of the usual dinner time tanty here! In fact, I doubt she will want to return to us at all, she looks like she is having far too much fun.

It's funny how kids are so well behaved outside their home and routine. Ava is a good girl, but dinner time is often fraught with vegetable stand offs, I spy something green and debates on whether dessert will be forthcoming or not!!

Being Ava's first night away from hone without us I knew i was going to miss my baby tremendously. But like most firsts, it was a far bigger deal for Brett and I than it was for Ava!

I had all the usual worries! Will she sleep ok, what if she cries in the night, how will Franki cope if she wants to play at 5am???

Despite the worries I was really looking forward to a nice sleep in this morning. Ha, but here I am wide awake since 6am. I'm so used to hearing my darling foghorn screeching out "Mummy, Mummy it's morning time. Get up Mummy."

I miss the sound of her little feet jumping out of bed and running down the hall to us.

I miss her little face appearing at my bedside, sweetly telling me its morning time and I really need to play. That sweet voice getting louder and more urgent, Mummy GET UP!!

My pathetic attempt at begging for just 10 more minutes, please!!!! Come on Ava, Mummy needs more sleep...

Whilst sleep is the panacea for most parents, it's amazing how it eludes you at times like this. Seriously, when there's opportunity to sleep in like a student and even have a relaxing, hot coffee in bed!!! What is wrong with this picture?

I guess as much as I love sleep, I love and miss my little girl more. Does this happen to other parents or just me???