Tuesday 1 August 2017

The Power of Homemade Food

So with my very first post, I thought I would share with you one of the topics that makes me "Truly Content".  This is a big one, homemade food.  And I have come to realise how important it is, in the last 10 years.  Having my daughter and enduring some years of ill health has made me so much more aware of the impact of what we put into our bodies. 

The Famous No Knead Bread

 Around this time, was also when I realised how much I actually enjoyed cooking.  Following a recipe (sometimes changing things here and there) and being able to create simple, delicious meals, snacks and treats for my family from scratch, was very, very satisfying.  I felt so much better that the food we were eating was unprocessed and didn't contain preservatives, colours, numbers and ingredients that were really not needed (think sugar in store bought stocks and pasta sauces).

Pumpkin, Brown Rice and Chickpea Patties
I guess my foundations were laid, coming from an Italian family, where lots was always cooked from scratch and good food was truly appreciated.  But my interest really peaked in the last 5 years.  I have learnt so much and I continue to learn.

My Famous Jam Drops

Mmmm....Melting Moments
I borrow recipe books from the library and I read them for fun!  I read blogs about healthy whole food and I am constantly trying new recipes. I watch cooking shows.  I try to plan holidays or day trips around food. I once had a job teaching children to cook.  I designed and the children made healthy vegetarian food from produce we grew in the school garden. I am toying with the idea of a home business based around whole foods.
My husband was interested in vegetable gardening, so we set up some patches, which then got me interested (I may have taken over a little bit!).  But now that we have moved into our new (old) house, we are planning out our vegetable gardens together and it has been something we both spend time doing together.   As we grow more produce, I need to use it in wise ways and that then has me cooking different recipes with lovely organic produce from our own backyard.  Wow!  And that led me to cooking for family and friends, sharing it and also having them come to our place to enjoy that food.  The power of homemade food!

Baked Ratatouille with Green Olives and Parmesan
It has opened my eyes to the fact that this is something that really makes me content.  A warm pot of soup bubbling away on a winters day.  The smell of a homemade cake or biscuits baking in the oven.  The excitement in my family's faces when I tell them, "yes" I've made your favourite dish for dinner tonight.  Even coming home from a late afternoon walk and smelling someone's dinner cooking in the house I am walking past. That smell wafting into the cool afternoon air.  Mmmmmm.

Family Christmas Lunch 2016
When I reflect back and see what cooking from scratch, has really done for me, I am quite amazed.  It has brought so much more into my life, than I really thought possible.


 






18 comments:

  1. You're right, Belinda, good homemade food is important. Yours looks delicious.

    You've done well on your blog too. :- )

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    1. Thanks Rhonda, that means a lot coming from you! I am so glad I pushed myself to do your blogging course. I am learning a lot along the way.

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  2. Your table looks beautiful. The food looks delicious, too.

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    1. Thank you! It was a delicious Christmas Lunch.

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  3. You have just said it so beautifully. I'm with you all the way. I had to laugh about planning trips around food as I do that too. Wherever we stay it has to have a full kitchen and I also know exactly where to stock up if needed before we leave.
    I also love walking past homes and smelling something bubbling away, so comforting.
    Love your blog.
    Kylie

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    1. Thanks for commenting Kylie. Sounds like you are a true foodie too!

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  4. Mmm jam drops are one of my go to recipes when cooking for shearing.

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  5. Well said Belinda. My favourite saying is "What we cook with or eat should be recognisable by my Grandma".

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    1. So true. It is sometimes hard to look past all the packaged food at the supermarket. Another good one I have heard is, on a whole, we should only be shopping around the edges of the supermarket. All the isles in between are full of processed, packaged foods. But like everything, we do the best we can, most of the time. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

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  6. Love your blog and I just love jam drops and melting moments.

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    1. Thank you so much for visiting! Homemade biscuits are definitely my weakness!

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  7. The bread looks so good, makes me wish I ate bread. I used to make 'jam drop' biscuits when my kids were at school and yoyo's or yo's as we called them if we didn't 'glue' them together with icing. It all looks so delicious.

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    1. My daughter loves my biscuits so much, she won't eat store bought ones. She says they don't taste very good anymore! Thanks for taking the time to comment.

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  8. I enjoyed reading this and will visit again. Can't wait to try the Snickers recipe!

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    1. Thank you Dianna for visiting, it is great to have you here. It is such a great recipe!!

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  9. A lovely first post. It is wonderful to see proper family food cooked from scratch. You know exactly what has gone into each dish. This is something I have always tried to do for my family. So good and so much better for you and cheaper than the supermarket once you have a store cupboard of basics.

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    1. Exactly! Couldn't have said it better myself.

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