food talk

Dear friends

I confess food and cooking is my biggest weakness.   I’ve tried to work on them,  and I have improved – though this evening my husband and children may feel differently.

A couple of things I learnt this week: 1. baking powder is not a substitute for flour in bechemel sauce if you’re avoiding wheat and 2. sugar, oil and syrup heated too long becomes toffee when cooled (that was Daur1 but I didn’t know the consequences when she asked,  do you think the sugar has melted now?  So we had rather dark fish tonight – Son1 confirmed there must have been a chemical reaction with the fish! – and yesterday, very crunchy flapjacks in the packed lunches!! 😉 Daur2 lost a bit of tooth was the claim!

Dont misunderstand me, I’m not a terrible cook; I can do jollof rice, rice and peas, chicken & rice – you see the connection?  🙂 And I generally cook from scratch – none of us like the taste of preservatives (does anyone?).  And our children are healthy.  (It’s only recently that Daur1 is trying a wheat free diet).  But it takes effort, and I know my limitations – sweet/ dessert stuff,  I must follow a recipe – I cannot throw things into a bowl and produce a palatable cake!! I have a small repertoire of meals and recipes which has kept our family going for 17 years – it’s when something changes (e.g. wheat free meals) that I have to start again!

The bottom line is that I’m not really into food and never have been – I could probably live off granola, fruit juice and mackerel fillets in sunflower oil!!  I do not have a refined palette.  My dear husband feels I’ve definitely lost touch with my African roots when it comes to food!!