Microwave porridge, rants and raves

 

I have many recipes to share.  Yet I have a lot to share about each.  So I wanted to take a break to share a few rants and tell you what is making me happy.  It seemed an ideal post to write up how I am making porridge for Sylvia these days.  I don't think the world needs another porridge recipe but this is what works for me and I want to remember it when winter darkens our doors again.
 

Firstly let me rant about some vegetarian and foodie disappointments:

• I went to a workshop recently where they served savoury muffins.  I was really pleased yet apprehensive.  There were no signs or staff to check if they were vegetarian.  I decided to be brave.  Fortunately I was also wary.  I pulled a chunk of muffin out only to find myself holding a chunk of meat.  I returned to the chocolate muffins.  So much safer.

• I decided to have lunch at a favourite spot on Friday but they were out of pasties so I had curry in roti instead (above).  Very disappointing.  I cheered myself up with some of the delicious date and nut cake (an old fashioned nutloaf) at Threshermans.

• Friday's food woes got even worse when I was tired and decided on "fresh"supermarket ravioli with a jar of sauce.  The pasta smelt terrible when it went in the boiling water (2 days after purchase and a month before the use by date) but I thought it might go away.  I added the pasta sauce before we decided it really was as bad as it smelt.  So much better to make my own dinner than to rely on others.  (Ditto lunch - see above dot point.)

• We went to Northland yesterday for lunch.  I knew it was a mistake.  I hate food halls.  It was horribly busy.  I have recently found that Sylvia will eat hummus and bread while out.  So much better than chips.  The middle eastern place had fried bread with hummus.  I ordered it for Sylvia.  I tasted one.  They were full of chicken salt.  I'm not sure I even want to know what is in that but it just tastes wrong.  I managed to swap it for pita bread and hummus.  So much better.

• I recently bought a filled bagel for lunch.  I asked for one of the combinations without the beef.  They charged me the $8 specified for the beef bagel.  I was annoyed and pointed out I had really just made up my own filling so I should be charged $7.50 for the make your own.  Pedantic?  Yes.  But I had a point to make!

• I also bought a cupcake last week that looked so pretty but was just far too much icing and a dry cake.

• Our retro orange vinyl chairs are falling apart - they are held together with gaffer tape right now.  Does anyone know any good ways to get the vinyl repaired?

Rants over!  Let me reassure you that life is not all bad.  Here are some of the things making me happy.

• Christmas!  I love it.  Even if it always comes too early.  Sylvia and I went to see the Myer Christmas windows last week because I had a window of opportunity (no pun intended).  We always went to see them when I was a child.  I do have a complaint about Myer.  If your child will not go near santa but is interested in seeing him, you can't see Santa's grotto without paying for a photo.  Where is the Christmas spirit?  We went down to the "trim shop" in the basement instead.  It is magical to a child.  E is right into the Christmas spirit looking up quirky Christmas albums and books.  He was most amused by a kids book called Santa does a Wee. 

• Finding food other than chips that Sylvia will eat while out and about.  She is really keen on hummus and bread or bikkies lately.  It must be eaten with a knife to spread the hummus.  We also went to Kenzan @ the GPO on our trip to the city last week.  I ordered their sushi that comes with the nori separate to the rice filling.  She loved the rice filling without nori.  I was even more pleased to finally try edamame and find that Sylvia loved them too.  We podded them and just ate the beans but not the pods - not sure that is the right way to eat them.

• Christmas cake.  It's a tease.  I love cake fresh out of the oven.  I made Christmas cake on the weekend and it smells fantastic.  It is wrapped and hidden away for a couple of weeks.  I will let you know how it goes. (It is different to my previous Christmas cake but still involves chocolate.)  Update: the Chocolate chunk Christmas cake is amazing.

• We bought Sylvia a new bed yesterday.  It is quite plain and unassuming.  Not at all like this racing car bed.  I just couldn't resist a photo.  It looked like every little kid's dream.  Then I started to wonder why cool beds are always racing cars.  Why couldn't they be something else?  A boat, a castle, a sandwich, a jet plane?

• Sylvia.  It is constantly amazing and amusing to look at the world through a child's eyes.  My favourite turn of phrase by Sylvia last week was when she asked for some "magic beans" in the supermarket.  She was pointing to the jelly beans.  She has also taken to calling rice bubbles (rice krispies) "rice crackles".  And she is asking all sorts of questions.  Why is that a man?  Why is there juice in nectarines?  Why does dolly have a dolly?

Enough indulgent chit chat.  More recipes to come soon.  Meanwhile, here is how I do Sylvia's porridge each morning.  I know there are all sorts of other ways I could do it but this works for me.  She loves it and it is quick and the only way I can get any milk into her.

Sylvia's porridge
serves 1 toddler

1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup milk
a shake or two of cinnamon
small amount of honey or other sweetener (about 1/8 tsp)

Place all ingredients in a small microwave-proof mixing bowl.  The mixture will bubble up quite a bit so it should be considerably larger than the porridge mixture.  Stir.

Microwave for 2 minutes on high.  Stir.

 Microwave on high for 1.5 minutes.  Stir.  It is usually quite stodgy by now and even a little dried around the edges before being stirred.

I then transfer it to another bowl and stir in a dribble or two of water to loosen it up a little to a porridge consistency.  

However it differs from morning to morning and is a bit more watery if I use soy milk so you may need to allow for variations.

On the Stereo:
The best of Music for Children featuring Patsy Biscoe (Vol II)