i'll be ready for masterchef any day now

[sideways]

I've never been a very committed cook, so it's always nice when I manage to get into at least a temporary routine of doing more home-cooking, trying a few new recipes, wheedling some extra nutrition in there. Recent successes include:

• My mother's recipe for florentine slice (oats, dried fruit, sweeteners) which has become my staple for lengthy client visits. It doesn't take long to make, the output is very reliable (unlike my many attempts at perfecting brownies), and it's always a hit with whoever I'm visiting. I used to just buy store-made Anzac biscuits or cakes, but homemade goods are the undeniably superior option when you're trying to build a connection. The office also seems to hoover up the leftovers with a speed that suggests the clients aren't just being polite.

• Mucking around with my recipes for beef & veg stew and spaghetti bolognese. With the former I've mostly been experimenting to see how much I can dial down the beef portion to pack more veg in, and with the latter I added some veg, played around with spices, and accidentally used lamb instead of beef mince, and it turned out so nice I'm inclined to do it again. They're of course ideal bulk meals too, so plenty of leftovers for the freezer.

• I don't remember what suddenly inspired me to try overnight oats. Possibly the bag of oats in my pantry? Anyway, that's been fun! I'm not terribly creative with it yet, but I like adding chia seeds and it's a good way to get some berries in my diet... at least whenever I can find berries for less than nine dollars, oh my god. I feel like the maple syrup I use as a sweetener is doing a bit too much heavy lifting, but I'm hoping to try and taper it off a bit, and find a few other nutritional additives. Mostly, though, I like that I can put it together in under five minutes and have a bit of breakfast ready for the next three days.

• I also finally, finally broke the seal on my blender and made myself a banana smoothie today. Delicious! The trick is using frozen bananas. As with the overnight oats, I don't think I can call this a terribly healthy meal, but it at least scratches the itch for a smoothie without forking out $14 at a cafe. I'm contemplating seeing if adding dates to the mixture works, hmm.

• Going to try making some gluten-free coconutty cheesecake balls tomorrow, as we're having a Biggest Morning Tea at work on Tuesday. Not something I'd risk in the heat of summer, but now that things have cooled down some I think I can serve them up without worrying they'll dissolve the second I put them out on a platter.

Comments

[pauraque]

I've never heard of florentine slice and had to look it up. I love dried fruit so I would probably like it! Anzac biscuits are new to me too, but they sound like what we'd call oatmeal cookies?

[sideways]

Mum's recipe dials down the amount of fruit and ups the amount of baked good compared to most web recipes, I think, but it's definitely a recipe that's easy to play with until you find the mix you like!

Oatmeal cookies are a close cousin, I think, but the golden syrup is an essential Anzac component.

[pauraque]

Golden syrup isn't normally sold here, but I'm sure I could get it online. I love baking and I'm always up for a new cookie/biscuit recipe!

[chocochipbiscuit]

Hurrah for overnight oats! I've been trying this premixed oat/chia/freeze dried berry blend, but adding more chia or oatmeal from my own pantry to make it more to my own tastes. I've not yet graduated to making my own mix, but like you said... it comes together in 5 minutes and gives a make-ahead breakfast for a few days, so can't beat that!

[sideways]

Is it a special overnight oats mix, or just packet oats that you 'cook' using the overnight method rather than cooking it up hot in the morning?

It really is easy to make oneself! And I am learning that one small packet of chia lasts a really long time, good grief.

[chocochipbiscuit]

It's the Prana oat and chia mix! I scoop it out of the bag and pour milk over it, let it sit overnight. It's a bit sweet for me, so I like to add plain oats and chia for a little more bulk (and makes it proportionately less sweet).

[merit]

The traditionalist in me still likes porridge. I suppose cinnamon and nutmeg are fairly safe additions and might help with cutting down the maple syrup?

It isn't the season but adding a white peach to a smoothie always upped the taste so much.

[sideways]

Porridge is SO GOOD but the overnight oats advantage is it takes me exactly 2 seconds to spoon several mouthfuls in and run off to work, and that seems to suit my weekday breakfast routine.

Ooh, that's a good point about using spices. And a white peach you say... I'm listening (and taking notes)...