Making choices

I had one of the most amazing weeks this week.

Filled with lovely catch ups with lovely people.

Some of whom I haven't seen in many many months.

Day after day I smiled, laughed, talked, hugged & cried.

It was so so magnificent.

Inevitably I am left, once the quiet sets in....reflecting & it feels like a little sadness has crept in.

I talked yesterday to a lovely friend about the idea of making choices.

Of being informed.

We were talking of this in relation to food; about the growing of produce, the ethics of it, the journey of the food from the paddock to the plate.  And how we are able to make choices about what we eat because we are informed.

But today I am left thinking about it in terms of my friendships.

I was thinking about how we need to think about our friendships in the same way.

Are the ingredients balanced?

Are they respectful & nurturing?

Are they wholesome?

Are they non-toxic?

Do the flavours complement one another?

Or is the friendship stale & a little manufactured?

Does it require a lot of work to get it to taste right?

Are the ingredients of the very best quality?

I might be taking the analogy a little far but what I am getting at is that as I get older I think more and more about living as the 'true' me.  Living with honesty is very very important to me.

I need to make choices about what is the best way for me to do that.

It doesn't make sense to make a huge amount of effort in sourcing food and produce of excellent quality & cooking gorgeous food to nurture my body if I am not making the same choices in regards to nurturing my soul.  It is vital to have balance.

So last week was a reminder to me of how my choices over recent times have been very clearly about that.

About making choices that are good for me.

I realised then that it was a quiet happiness that had crept in.....not sadness after all.

GOURMET GIRLFRIEND'S CHEESE & BACON ROLLS:
Give me one child who doesn't like these! 
One child in the classroom will inevitably have these in their lunchbox on any given day.
My kids have been nagging me to have them in theirs so we finally got around to making them.
They are really sooper doop easy- the kids did all the work.  If your kids like playing with playdough they will like making these!
When we were eating them my mr8 said to me " I like that we know exactly what is in the things we cook." It made me feel happy- happy that he cares about that. 
Like everything the quality of the ingredients you choose will determine the quality of the final result.
You  make a simple basic bread dough first and then portion it and add the toppings.  You could change the topping to other things if you wished. Just follow the bread dough part and make the rest up! 
If you want to add whole seeds, fruit or olives into the dough itself- add in the last minute of kneading.
This recipe made 8 large rolls.

BASIC BREAD DOUGH RECIPE

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

• 500g strong flour (if you can find bakers flour use that- we used our 00 flour, plain flour will work too)
•  300g lukewarm water 
• 1 sachet yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 20g EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
• 5 rashers of  free range bacon, trimmed & diced
• 1 cup of good quality cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 organic egg, beaten

METHOD:
In a jug add lukewarm water, sugar & yeast and sit until the mix begins to bubble.

On your kitchen bench place the flour and salt in a mound, create a well in the middle and pour in yeasty water slowly as you mix the dough with your hands.  

(You could do this in a food processor if you want- but the kids LOVE to do this bit!)

Knead the dough till well amalgamated. Add a little more flour if it is to wet.

Rub a little EVOO in a stainless steel bowl and let the dough sit covered with cling film for about 25 minutes. This is called- the first prove.

While this is happening you can finely dice the bacon and grate the cheese.  And in a small container beat the egg.

Once the dough has risen, shape into individual  balls and sit on baking paper on the tray that will go into the oven.  Let the kids make whatever shapes they like.  Who said rolls needed to be round?

Brush the tops with the beaten egg and add bacon and cheese as you like

Heat the oven to 180C.
Cover rolls with a teatowel and allow to sit for another 25 minutes or so.  This is the second prove.
Uncover and place in oven for 25 minutes or so.
Transfer to a wire rack for cooling.
Good luck saving some for the lunchboxes the following day!

Todays listening pleasure is the lovely Ane Brun- I have been listening to her Duets album LOADS over the last few weeks since she released her latest song-Do you remember. Do you do that? Revisit artists old songs when they release new ones.....maybe it's just me!