Kurth Kitchen Bread

The original K U R T H  K I T C H E N Bread.

There is a story behind this bread recipe is close to all our hearts here at Kurth Kitchen. A loaf of bread is the first thing Mr Kurth gifted me before we even started dating. Yes, a loaf of bread! No flowers or box of chocolates from this romantic — bread was a quick way to my heart! You can see why we hit it off straight away. The original recipe is still on a little recipe card tucked away in his mother’s recipe card box in the back of the antique kitchen cupboard.

BBQ Pork Ribs

“Heidi, can you bring the coleslaw?” – this is the go-to answer if I ask the question of what can I bring to a weekend BBQ with our friends, BUT I know that after tasting these amazing ribs – next time it will be ‘Heidi, can you pleeeaaase bring those ribs?” followed by “and make sure you double, or TRIPLE the recipe!!!!”

I know you can buy those already pre-marinated ones from the shop, cut open the packet and – boom – they are ready to cook. But there’s no fun in that!! Plus, I’m not a big fan of any preservatives, artificial flavours, blah blah blah. If I can make it myself, I normally will.  Plus, because these cook in the slow cooker – there’s not much too it. These finger licking ribs will have everyone coming back asking for more!

Fluffy Chocolate Avocado Mousse

I’ve been trying to find a way to get my little one to eat avocados … FOR-E-VER.  I wanted to introduce avocados back into her diet for the monounsaturated fat content (good fats). Functional Medicine doctor and educator Chris Kresser notes that interestingly, monounsaturated fats seem to be the only fats that typically fat-phobic groups like the AHA and fat-friendly groups like Atkins and other low-carbers can agree are completely healthy. Little Miss ate Avocados as a baby, then went right off them for a few years, and through perseverance and continued taste testing, different recipes and food education, they are back on the menu. But before she’d joyously scoop into half a raw plain avocado we’ve been through a myriad of recipes that include hidden avocado and dessert avocado. And this is one of them.

Sweet Potato Waffles

So, sweet but savory and full of yummy deliciousness. Sweet potato waffles… mmmm. The new year needed a new breakfast sandwich. Non negotiable.

The new year is a time for a fresh start, big dreams and a new story to be written. One of my new 2018 goals is to create weekly opportunities for meaningful time as a family.  We’re now at the end of January when most people fall off the band wagon with goals, but I’m just getting started! This family time goal might sound a bit wafty to some but as a family of two working parents, weekends full of chores, grocery shopping, birthday parties and more work with a second job, I have found that we have just been dragging ourselves sleep deprived and overworked from one year to the next, and [blink] — rinse and repeat.

We can’t wish for more time, time is finite. We can however control what we do with our time and whether we are really present and mindful, or just ‘there’ in body with mobile phone attached to our hand. It’s all about the BIG rocks, right? (Steven Covey, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People!) Work will always be there, but the kids won’t. I read somewhere that there are only 936 weekends between the time your child is born and the time they leave for college (or Uni in Australia!). According to my rough calculations, we are already down 376 weekends, and the last 260 weekends will be teenage years spent probably wishing not to not be seen in the same room as their parents, so that leaves 300 weekends left to make dreams, memories …. AND WAFFLES that we will all look back on fondly — kids included!

Welcome 2018

Happy New Year all.

It’s all about big goals this year – in 2018 you can expect more regular recipe posts, more recipes that integrate into family life and a more interactive blog! 2018 is about working with different communities and bringing healthy cooking to more people. I’m taking it live and making it real 🙂 Make sure you SIGN UP (over on the right side there) if you want to hear about these live events and be the first to know. Forgive the lack of technology with embedded link to sign up, (ahem) that is also one of the 2018 goals!!

Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one. Bye 2017, Hello 2018! I’m ready – are you?

Reply below with any recipes, tips or topics you’d like me to cover this year. As usual, it’s about #cookingwithkids #cookingforkids #busymums #healthyfood.

From our kitchen to yours, Happy New Year all. xx

 

Chocolate donuts cure the world!

My heart always skips a beat when I see the school number light up on my phone. Today it was the school nurse calling to say that one of my girls has fallen flat on her face. Oh dear! Cancel afternoon activities. Cancel school pick up arrangements. Cancel a productive day in the office before the weekend. Cancel afternoon exercise me-time.

So… HELLO chocolate covered pumpkin donuts! Isn’t it funny how something as simple and cute as a mini donut can forgive and forget, washing away the day’s troubles and ‘cure’ a 6 year old with a fat upper lip.

Red Seafood Rice

“Mummy, there is an octopus in my dinner!!”

This statement is not a lie and led to an interesting dinner time conversation followed by a meal of seafood trading around the dinner table … which in my books is allowed as long as you try a little of everything. It occurred to me as a mother I have assumptions on what my children will and won’t eat and I need to try more often testing and disproving these assumptions. A friendly chat with other mums recently confirmed that it wasn’t just me presuming and preselecting the tastes, textures and cuisines that I think (or hope!) my kids will eat. Continuing to offer the same flavours time and time again may lead long term to a limited palette and closed mind on food choices, but yes there is no argument that at least they will have something in their body before bedtime!

Gluten Free bread that’s a winner!

I’ve recently removed wheat and dairy from my diet in a bid to sort out my skin and hormone related issues. And while it is working miracles (for me) and my body is feeling so much better, I’m not going to lie – I miss bread. And don’t even mention cheese on toast! I am a HUGE fan of The Life-Changing loaf of Bread as a fab wheat free option packed full of goodness, fibre and good fats, BUT it’s just not the same for making sandwiches or a special weekend soft poached egg and wilted spinach on toast.

After a bit of searching, I came across this recipe with the bold title “GLUTEN-FREE, VEGAN HOMEMADE BREAD (THAT DOESN’T SUCK)”  

You are my Sunshine…

…my only sunshine, 

you make me happy,

when times are grey. 

You’ll never know dear,

how much I love you.

Please don’t take,

my sunshine away!

The simple things like “mummy can we pick some carrots” and then breaking into song when she wants to wash them and eat them … it, well, makes my heart sing. 

  
This year has been our first year planting carrots in our garden, and low and behold they actually grew edible viable fruits of our labour! Our home garden has been a bid to get our children to learn where food comes from and appreciate the time and effort to produce it, as well as supplement our growing grocery bills as the kids keep growing. It’s been an enjoyment for all of us as well as a lesson in life, time and patience. 

I recently shared a carrot soup recipe and talked about 101 ways with carrots. What is your favorite carrot recipe? 

From our kitchen garden to yours. Xx

Carrot Soup with Bunny Ears

“What’s for dinner mummy?” asks Amelia. “Orange soup with bunny ears!” I reply.

A little nose edges up to the side of the kitchen bench and then on tippy toes, two big eyes peer over the top of the bowl. A smile breaks out on her face when she sees a vague bunny nose & eyes (natural yoghurt drop), bunny ears (homemade sourdough bread) and a big bowl of orange soup (carrot & ginger soup). It helps that she is in orange class this year at school so the more orange in her life the better!

A good friend recently asked me how to get her 2 year old to eat more variety of foods. I don’t pretend to have all the answers, but I do hope that people can learn from what we’ve had success with in our house.