A cookie kind of day

Happy last day of Summer!  Although, you would never guess that it was, with the dark clouds lingering and rain falling steadily outside for most of the day.

Happy leap year also! It seems that baby BBB does not wish to only celebrate her birthday every 4 years, as she well and truly stayed put today. Looks like we will still have a March baby on our hands…

Perhaps it was an attempt to brighten up the dreary day, or perhaps I just had a sugar craving, but I declared today a “cookie kind of day”.

Spelt chocolate chip cookies to be precise.

Any excuse to turn on the oven and make our house smell like a bakery too.

They were not perhaps my finest bakery creation…

But were a tasty treat nonetheless.

Sampled while still hot, straight out of the oven!

Recipe to follow… it just needs a little more work.

What about you? What is your favourite cookie?

Wheat-free char siew (bbq pork)

Canberra gave us such a dark and dreary day today, although it was perfect weather for what I had planned.

A movie day!

OK - I did have to get dressed to venture out into the rain for a morning obstetrician appointment, but aside from that, the rest of my day was spent cuddled on the couch with my two favourite fur balls watching some fairly tragic chick flicks I had stored on the DVR.

(bump cuddles)

Although, on reflection, given that baby BBB is still posterior (and not looking like making her appearance anytime soon), perhaps I should have spent the day standing rather than sitting?

My lazy day also looks like turning into a lazy night, owing to a tasty pork dish that I cooked up yesterday.

A dish courtesy of Adam Liaw’s cookbook – Two Asian Kitchens (a cookbook that is coincidentally Mr BBB’s favourite at the moment).

Char Siew pork neck.

aka BBQ pork. 

aka one of my all time favourite Chinese dishes.

Before I was diagnosed as being wheat intolerant, I wasted no time in ordering a big plate of this spiced pork whenever we went out for yum cha. Or chowing down on a container-full from our local Chinese BBQ restaurant almost every other week for my Friday night dinner.

Sadly in recent years, however, its soy sauce (and therefore, wheat) content meant that store bought versions were no longer possible.

So, when I came across Adam’s recipe for char siew, and it appeared that I could adapt it relatively easily to be wheat free, I was most excited indeed.

And, what better time to create said dish that when on maternity leave and looking to fill up the day.

I did encounter a small glitch in ‘the plan’ when the first two Asian butchers I visited were closed. Starting to panic a little, I kept trying other butchers, until I came across one on the other side of town that was not only open, but also had some pork neck on hand.

Success!

All I had to do was put together the flavourings…

Garlic, ginger and Chinese five spice..

And some other liquid lovelies…

Pour, cover and marinate...

And wait patiently for 8 hours for the flavours to develop.

Then into the oven for 40 minutes or so…

And the aromas wafting through our kitchen soon became undeniably familiar.

Homemade char siew pork neck!

Caramelised in rich spices on the outside, filled with juicy tender meat on the inside.

Served on brown rice and steamed Asian greens…

And finished with a  drizzle of the leftover char siew marinade that we reduced on the stove after removing the pork.

I cannot express enough how much I enjoyed every mouthful of this dish, and how it brought back so many fond memories of yum cha indulgences and char siew dinners past.

Both Mr BBB actually had to stop ourselves from going back for seconds, for we were not hungry – just enjoying the flavours of the dish so much that we wanted to eat more. (I am glad that we did, though, as we now have leftovers for tonight’s dinner).

I see this dish making many more appearances in the BBB household.

A homemade wheat-free yum cha brunch perhaps???

What about you? Are you a fan of char siew?

Nacho Sunday

Its been another productive day in the BBB household, with more things being crossed off my ‘waiting for baby’ to do list. By afternoon I was starting to feel a little stir crazy being cooped up inside, however, so I was very grateful when the rain stopped allowing me to get outside for a walk.

Gotta stay active!

And, while I have a very tasty dish marinating in the fridge for tonight’s dinner, I thought I would share last night’s carb fest with you.

aka. Nacho Sunday!

But not just any nachos…

Herbed, bean and tomato nachos.

(chopped tomatoes, coriander, parsley and kidney beans).

So very simple to make. Just layer….

On layer…

On layer…

And into the oven…

Eaten picnic style from the coffee table, of course,  while watching the latest episode of Homeland.

A perfect carbed up Sunday night really  

What about you? Do you have a favourite nachos topping?

Pregnancy Update – Week 38

Walking, movies, shopping, chatting…that has been my day today. And, with only 10 days until baby BBB is scheduled to arrive, I can’t help but wonder how many more of these weekly pregnancy updates I will get to do…

How far along? 38 weeks, 4 days. And the countdown continues.

How big is baby? This week baby BBB has grown to the length of a leek.

How I'm feeling? Tired. Like first trimester tired. And, as I am trying to consciously slow down and enjoy this time to myself, afternoon naps have been a welcomed addition to my day recently!

Weight? Up from last week – although I suspect that has more to do with a pretty hearty appetite this week (and some not so great food choices…)

 

How I'm changing? I seem to float between feelings of excitement, and feelings of curiosity. Will my waters break? When will I go into labour? Will she come early? late? For someone who loves to plan in advance (and who usually reads the last page of a book before making it very far through the beginning), the suspense is killing me!

What I miss? With an abundance of Italian food crossing the dinner table recently, I have missed red wine.

Oh how nice a glass of shiraz would be right now…

Symptoms? I have been trying to keep fairly active over these last few weeks with daily walks (perhaps better described as ‘waddles’).

I have noticed that during and after these walks I develop some fairly annoying pelvic (?) and hip pains, however.  I suspect the hormone, relaxin (responsible for loosening everything up in preparation for birth) as well as baby BBB’s (hopeful) descent are the culprits.

So, in one way, its nice to know that my body is doing what its supposed to (it just doesn't make moving any easier?!).

Cravings? Nothing in particular, although I have generally been rather ravenous this week. And, although I wish I could say that it has been all vegetables, wholegrains and lean proteins, the emergence of cadbury chocolate easter eggs in the supermarket has been a calorific distraction

Highlights this week? Enjoying week one of maternity leave, finishing our ante natal classes and generally enjoying life. It is really quite surreal to know that in a few short weeks life as we currently know it will be changed forever!

Banana maple spelt muffins

Slowly but surely I am getting used to being on maternity leave. Although, truthfully, it has taken the better part of the week for me to really start to settle into my new routine. 

I guess going from working 10+ hours per day over the past 8 years, to working…well…. zero…does require a certain adjustment.

I’ve found that my mornings remain fairly productive…breakfast, blog reading, checking work emails (*I confess*), chores and any little house projects I feel like tackling. After lunch, however, I try to spend my time doing very little. An afternoon walk to the shops, nap time on the couch, some baking perhaps, and a healthy dose of reading or tv watching. Mr BBB arrives home shortly thereafter, and I pounce on him for conversation and “news” from his day. Poor guy doesn’t get a moment to himself (hey a gal needs conversation after spending the day alone!)

During one of my many ‘potters’ around the house today, I came across a very sad sight.

Well sad for my morning breakfast porridge, but perhaps not so sad for my baking mojo.

For what better way to use bananas that have reached the end of their life than by using them in a baked treat?

Banana maple spelt muffins to be precise.

The thing I love about muffins is not only how versatile they are, but also how quick and easy they are to make.

Just take your dry ingredients, mix them with your wet ingredients…

Pour and bake.

Then around 20 minutes later, not only does your house smell like a bakery, but you have a tasty treat to enjoy warm straight out of the oven…

Or let them cool, pack them up, and send them along with your husband when he heads to the rugby (while you dine with the gals!)

Either way, they never really last long  

Banana maple spelt muffins* – makes 12

• 1.5 cups spelt flour
• 0.5 cups GF plain flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup caster sugar
• 2 overripe bananas, mashed
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk (I used vanilla soy milk)
• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• 2 tbs maple syrup
• 2tbs rolled spelt (for topping)

1. Preheat oven to 180C, and line a 12 muffin tray with paper cases.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl, then make a well in the centre.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Pour into the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined.
4. Divide among the muffin cases (about 3/4 full), and sprinkle with rolled spelt flakes.
5. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool on a baking rack.

* these muffins are not gluten free, as they contain spelt flour. I am, however, able to tolerate spelt flour quite well, and opt to use it in my baking quite often. If you wanted to make a GF version, I would substitute the spelt flour for a GF baking flour mix.

What about you? Do you have a favourite muffin variety?