Fork to fork, garden to gob, or how I dug up my dinner

Below is the basis of last nights dinner, which had been dug from the garden not thirty minutes earlier. 

Creating, tending to, and reaping the benefits from our vegie garden has been so satisfying, and even therapeutic this year.  Doubly so, as it has actually been successful.  While it looks like a jungle, there is some kind of order, and (almost) everything appears to be thriving.  

We know that amongst the tangle of leaves, and lettuce and herbs that have bolted, heirloom tomatoes lurk; ripening slowly.

We know that if we brave the thorns of the raspberry canes, the rewards are there, multiplying every day. 

We also now know how corn grows.  What we mistakenly thought were the beginnings of corn, were actually the seeds.  

We now see where the corn is!

So the garden has also taught us a lot.  Who knew that seed potatoes would sprout and produce beautiful offspring, after being barely buried in the soil and covered in pea straw?  

Not me, although I did know once the plants above the ground started dying off, these dutch cream spuds were destined to become crunchy on the outside, yet fluffy on the inside, delicious chips!

Christmas Gingerbread House v3.2

This years gingerbread house.... I have to admit, this is actually Mk II.  The first one ended up basically flat after the royal icing didn't set properly!  After some quick googling, I found out that royal icing was more finicky that I had thought.  It has worked flawlessly for the last two years, however I think the weather was too humid yesterday.  This one is still standing - for now!

Mexican Bean Wraps

I love this meal because it has all that great mexican flavour, however it is also quick, cheap, and the beans also make a great meal for the babies. 

Mexican Bean Wraps

2 onions finely diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teapsoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon smoky paprika
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
3 tins of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tin tomatoes
Approx 1 cup of chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Gently fry the onions and garlic in a large frypan with some oil.  Once the onion has softened and is translucent, add the spices and cook gently for a few more minutes.  Add the beans and tomato, and enough stock to cover.  Simmer until the beans are softened and cooked through.  To make the mixture a little thicker, and suitable for wraps without spilling out and burning your hands, I stick the bamix into the pan and whizz around a third of the bean mix into a puree, then stir this back through the rest of the beans to thicken.  

We like these in wraps, with sour cream, crispy lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, fresh red chilli and cheese.  Not what you would call authentic by any means, but delicious nonetheless.  If you are after a recipe for tortillas, click here.  This recipe also works well if you don't have the maize/corn flour.