The best muesli slice...ever

I cannot believe it has been nearly 2 weeks since my last blog....shocking! It has been a very busy couple of weeks, The Boss' Great Grandmother came to stay and we went on a road trip up north to Keri Keri, I love Northland so it was a real treat. I suspect Great Grandma left with a bleeding tongue due to the number of times she had to bite it, as she witnessed my attempts of 'modern' parenting. The wonderful thing about my Grandmother is she makes her own pastry and bread, she could not hide her disappointment when she caught site of my frozen bought pastry and bags of bread. So while she stayed she made us a wonderful bacon and egg pie, which nearly had me converted to making my own, yet to be truly converted though. She also made us a Yorkshire pudding, which I am going to have a go at asap, so watch this space. Yorkshire pudding is not for those threatened by heart disease, but is a delicious treat with a slow roasted piece of beef and gravy.

Onto this super slice I made for Mr Hoopers lunch box this week. You need a few ingredients, but things are flexible with this recipe so feel free to mix things up a bit. You may recall a previous blog for a muesli slice, well this one has similar ingredients, but is naughtier, and doesn't need cooking, fabo!

THE BEST MUESLI SLICE...EVER

125g crushed BISCUITS such as malt, arrowroot or wine (not too fine, a chunky rubble)
25g shredded COCONUT
100g SULTANAS
25g PUMPKIN SEEDS
50g CHOCOLATE CHIPS
100g chopped HAZELNUTS or WALNUTS
125g ROLLED OATS, toasted (about 7-10mins spread on a tray in a hot oven)
50g chopped DATES
100g chopped DRIED APRICOTS
100g melted BUTTER
200g SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

ICING
150g CREAM CHEESE
about 100g ICING SUGAR
zest and juice of half a LEMON

Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour in the melted butter and condensed milk, mix very well. Line a 25cm x 30cm (approx) tray with some baking paper. Press the mixture into the tray and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.

You can either mix the icing ingredients by hand with a vigorous stir, or throw everything into a food processor. Spread icing on the slice and decorate with a sprinkling of nuts or pumpkin seeds if you so desire.

Some variations you could try out...
-replace the rolled oats with you favourite muesli
-replace the choc chips with currants, dried cranberries, or crystallised ginger
-use macadamia or pecan nuts

I hope you enjoy this slice, it is so easy and a fabulous sweet treat to fill the 3pm void, and quite frankly who can resist cream cheese icing!

I am planning a baby shower at the moment, so if you have any hot tips on throwing the best shower ever, please share them.

Fat Free Apricot Bran Loaf

I stewed beetroot last night...it was weird. I am not sure what compelled me to give it a go, but before I knew it I was peeling and dicing. Mr Hooper detests beetroot, and picks it out at every given opportunity. There is something about this that inspires me to cook with beetroot as often as possible, I am determined to try and convert Mr Hooper into a lover of all things vegetable related. Unfortunately what started out as a delicious beef stew, turned a sharp corner into yuckville! Even after 4 hours in the oven, the beetroot still held onto its crunchy texture which I didn't really like and it went a strange pale pink, which wasn't very pleasant either. I tried stirring some sour cream into the stew in an effort to improve things, which helped to provide a moderate improvement. So the morale of that story.......don't stew beetroot!

So on to more interesting things, a recipe that will please both your taste buds and your bowels (sorry that's really gross, but it is true!). This recipe contains All Bran which is high in fibre, and also provides a good source of B vitamins, Folate and Iron. There is no fat, and it still tastes pretty good....can you imagine such a thing!!

APRICOT BRAN LOAF (make a day in advance as there is soaking required, don't be put off as it is still super dupa easy)

1 cup packed ALL BRAN (care of Kellogg's)

1 cup firmly packed BROWN SUGAR

1 tbspn HONEY

1 cup FLOUR

1 tspn BAKING POWDER

200g DRIED APRICOTS, chopped

1 cup MILK

pinch of SALT

Oven temp 180C.

Mix thoroughly together the All Bran, brown sugar, honey, apricots, milk and salt. Cover and leave to sit for several hours or overnight. I left it on the bench because it is damn cold here at the moment, but best it goes in the fridge for really warm climates.

Stir in the flour and baking powder. Stir well.

I used three mini-loaf tins. But you could also use a small circular cake tin or loaf tin. Be careful when using a loaf tin as this can take a while to cook in the middle, so you can get a bit of burning on the top.

Grease the tin well, and shake a little flours all over, or use baking paper.

A full sized loaf will take about 1 hour. My little tins took about 35-40 minutes. So depending on what tin you use, you will need to keep an eye for the first time you make it.

I like slices of this loaf served warm with low fat margarine (well to be honest I like it with butter, but as I have already mentioned, I jiggle). It is dense and chewy and helps to fight those chocolate urges come 3pm!

Perfect Pikelets

The Boss has lost his roomy, Grand Mama left this morning for the sunny Hawkes Bay, so I now sadly have to return to the reality that washing does not do it self. But all is not lost, as it just so happens to be the school holidays, so we have Mr Hooper home for two whole weeks, how fabulous! Since having a baby I have a new hobby, it involves drinking cups of coffee and eating multiple offerings that are dense in butter and sugar...I am referring to the exclusive world of mothers groups, I LOVE it. We get together once a week to talk babies and all things in between. A few months ago I could not have imagined ever entertaining the thought of sitting around for hours of baby talk, but I now consider it a form of therapy. My coffee group was established after we all went to the same antenatal class. As strangers we awkwardly examined graphic footage of labour, and found our favourite 'birthing position' together, it did not take long for the barriers to break down and for friendship to evolve. Nothing like watching a 'natural' birth filmed in 1982, to bring people together.

I like to take along a treat every week, and last week I took some perfect little pikelets. This is another NZ classic, and again I began with the Edmonds cook book. But by accident I have modified the recipe, with great results. Pikelets, as opposed to pancakes are sweeter and have a denser texture. Cooked in melted butter, these are just splendid served with some jam and cream. As our wee ones get bigger this recipe will be perfect for toddlers to enjoy, spread with a little butter and sprinkled with 100s & 1000s.

PIKELETS (12-20 depending on size)

1 cup of self-raising FLOUR (or plain flour with 1 tspn of baking powder)

1/4 tspn SALT

1 tbspn GOLDEN SYRUP (if you don't have any just add an extra tbspn of sugar)

2 tbspn SUGAR

1 EGG

1 tbspn BUTTER

1/2 cup of MILK mixed with 1 tspn LEMON JUICE (or buttermilk)

extra BUTTER for the pan

TOPPINGS

Whipped Cream, Jam, 100s & 1000s, Butter, fresh berries....etc.

Measure the golden syrup and butter into a saucepan. Warm to soften, and then mix in the sugar, milk and egg. (Using a warm spoon helps with managing golden syrup).

Sprinkle in the flour through a sieve, then mix briefly with a whisk or electric beater.

Using a paper towel smear a frying pan with some butter. Using a dessert spoon drop a dollop off the end of the spoon into the pan, so they are nice and round. I cook about 4 at a time. As soon as you have small bubbles bursting on the surface flip them over. When the centres spring back you know the other side is done. Place on a clean tea towel, and bundle them up while you cook the rest.

They are best served warm, but its not essential. Pop them in a container and warm when you need them, if desired. I served them with some whipped cream and Plum Jam, our very clever Grand Mama had made for us.

Feel Good Muesli Bar....the consequences of too much Pain!

So The Boss and I have just returned from his swimming lesson, it was rudely cut short by an 'incident' in the pool, nothing to do with us, thank god! I refrained from expressing my disgust, as I am guessing this can happen to any parent at any time. Its a bit like when I use to board planes and see children getting on, I am not a religious person, but I truly use to pray that the children would be sitting far far away from me. I am guessing I will be punished for my intolerance, at some point in the future, although I suspect we are a long way off jet setting by air.

Anyway, onto a more savoury topic...food. We managed to devour the bulk of the pastry's, I snuck two into the freezer, a pathetic attempt at self control. As a result of our unrestrained gluttony, I have made some muesli slice. This is not just regular muesli slice, there is so much goodness in this recipe, I don't know where to begin. A friend of mine kindly delivered a mountain of it when I first had The Boss, and she said it was a life saver for those moments when you have never felt so hungry in all your life. Breastfeeding seems to suck every calorie from your body, something I am very grateful for of course. But to avoid turning to a packet of Tim Tams, I found this muesli slice has been fabulous! Mr Hooper even agrees, and gobbles it up with glee (well maybe not glee, lets just say he will eat it).

So you need to get to the supermarket and head straight for the bulk bins as they will have pretty much everything you need, aside from the pantry staples:

125g butter

200g raw sugar

1 egg

125g wholemeal flour

1/2 tspn baking soda

125g rolled oats

30g pumpkin seeds

30g sunflower seeds

30g sesame seeds

30g slivered almonds

25g ground linseed

25 shredded coconut

50g dried apricots

50g raisins

Melt Butter. When cooled add sugar and egg, mix well.

In separate bowl mix all the other ingredients together.

Mix dry ingredients into butter mixture. I get my hands in there to make sure everything is mixed well. It might seem quite dry, but once it is all mixed, and pressed firmly into a 25cm square tin, it should be ready for baking. I use an expandable tin, to make things easier.

Bake at 180C for approx 10-15 minutes, depending on depth of mixture and how chewy you want it.

Turn it out of the tin before it is completely cooled and cut into pieces.

I mix things up with the dried fruit, I have made batches with crystallised ginger instead of raisins, and that was really good.

So with this slice of goodness you are getting all the great things LSA has to offer, such as digestive regularity, B vitamins, Omega 3 and fibre. As well as a great Zinc fix from the pumpkin and sesame seeds, which is essential in a good diet. Most importantly I have been loading up on Zinc as I started loosing hair by the handful when The Boss hit the 3 month mark. So if you are suffering from breastfeeding baldness, then this is the slice for you! I am encouraged by the knowledge the hair loss is not permanent, but right now my hair is a disaster site, thank goodness for elastic bands and headbands.

Make this slice for your friends who have had babies, its a good excuse to pay a visit, or make it for yourself, just because it is yummy and makes you feel so good.

Have a fab wednesday.