Happy Mother’s Day - A few words from me and some nostalgic recipes.

Happy Mother’s Day - A few words from me and some nostalgic recipes.



Mother’s Day is such a special day of the year and one I treasure greatly. I feel fortunate to still be able to physically celebrate my Mum, while also being able to reflect upon what a privilege it is to be able to raise my own children. However, for so many, Mother’s Day is not an easy day - as it’s a reminder of what they have loss or maybe not had the joy of experiencing and it’s with deep sincerity my heart goes out to you.

Last year I asked two of my close friends about their motherhood journey’s and so this year I thought I’d share mine through the same lens I asked them...

 

How have you found the journey of motherhood? 

Often I have heard of motherhood likened to a roller coaster, but I probably more see it as a drive up a beautiful mountain - sometimes there are sharper corners, but there are also long stretches where you enjoy the view - it truly is a journey. I found such joy in becoming a Mum, I naturally find children enjoyable and have had a lot of time for the children in my life before becoming a mother myself. With that being said, motherhood is completely different to enjoying someone else's children. It requires so much more of you and at times - everything.

How did you find the adjustment to becoming a Mum?

There have been many days where I have felt overwhelmed by the constant nature of nurturing young children, and the emotional energy it requires of me. Intially, I found this hard to adjust to, I was used to my to-do lists and ticking off my tasks - and motherhood felt nothing like that to me. But in time, as I surrendered that way of life I’d known for so long I started to enjoy the long winding road a lot more.

What has been the most challenging thing for you in your journey?

The most challenging thing for me has been leaning into the different seasons - even though over time I feel like I have learnt to do this quite well, I wouldn’t say it’s been an easy thing for me to do. There have been many times when I have had to let go of my pursuits to be mentally present with my kids, including simple tasks like cleaning.

What has brought you the most joy?

Probably each time my kids have met one of their siblings for the first time, watching their little faces light up. And a close second is watching those relationships grow and develop.

What has been one of the most valuable things you have learned?

Patience, slow down, and not rush.      


  

If you could share one piece of advice with a new Mum, what would it be?

Gosh, one piece of advice is hard, motherhood is so layered...

But the newborn days go quickly, so try embrace it as much as you can (something I always remind myself of when I’m in it!)

Buy nipple cream.

Nature fixes a lot of things. 

But my biggest piece of advice would be is motherhood is a marathon not a sprint - you’ll learn a lot along the way, be kind to yourself and go with your gut, the world is noisey with opinions - but your world doesn’t have to be.

(Images taken at Port Arlington Pier - the beach always provides so much calm to our days)

 

    

(My Mum and Lexi enjoying a game of memory together on a recent visit)

Mum instilled in us growing up that if you can make it from scratch, you can eat it - which meant we learned to cook from a young age. And it was my Mum texting me one evening about the cauliflower soup they ate for dinner that inspired my Roast Cauliflower Soup recipe.


 Roast Cauliflower Soup 

 

Ingredients

A whole cauliflower
1 litre of stock or broth
1 onion
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp of turmeric
4 rashes of short cut bacon
Small bunch of thyme or lemon thyme
Sesame seeds
1 lemon
Olive oil
Sea salt

Method
1. Drizzle olive oil over baking tray and place cut up cauliflower on it. Cover cauliflower lightly in olive oil, sprinkle turmeric and half a tsp of salt on top. Place in the oven to roast for 30-40 minutes at 180C.
2. Dice the onion and crush the garlic, sauté on the stove in olive oil until translucent.Add roast cauliflower to the sautéed onion and garlic, pour broth/stock and place on the stove to cook the cauliflower down further.
3. While the soup reduces on the stove - prepare the bacon topping - dice the bacon, finely chop the thyme and add to a lightly oiled pan to fry down.
4. Remove the soup base from the stove and add 1 1/2 cup of milk and blend together.
5. Remove the bacon and thyme from the stove when it’s lovely and crisp. Add sesame seed to the sizzling pot and the zest of one lemon, stir through.
6. Pour blended soup into a bowl, add a sprinkle of salt if needed, top with crispy bacon, some fresh thyme and a decent squeeze of lemon.
7. Enjoy!

   

This Chicken Pie Recipe was a staple for us growing up - we all LOVED it. Chicken Pie is Mums go-to recipe for anyone in her community that needs a meal, and as her saying goes - ‘you just can’t kill it!'

Chicken Pie  


Ingredients

Whole chicken
Carrot
Onion
Garlic
Celery
1 Tbspn Apple Cider Vinegar
Peppercorns
Bay leaves
Puff Pastry
White sauce
50-60 Grams of Butter
1/2 Cup of Plain Flour
1/2 Cup of Chicken Stock
1/2 Cup of Cream
3/4 Cup of Grated Cheese 


Method

1. Preheat oven to 200C. Place chicken in a pot and cover with water, add roughly chopped carrot, onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, peppercorns and celery.
2. Bring to the boil and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 1 1/2 hours (depending on the size of the chicken).
3. Take the chicken out of the water an allow fo it to cool on a plate, until it is cool enough for you to work with. 
4. Remove the chicken from the bones, shredding it as you place it into a bowl to use when the sauce is made. 

White Sauce

5. Melt butter slowly in a saucepan and add the flour, mixing together forming like a dough.
6. Remove the mixture from the heat and gradually add the stock, slowly. Stir continuously - making sure the sauce gradually thickens.
7.  Once all stock has been stirred in add 1/2 a cup of cream and mix through to create the sauce.
8. Add grated cheese and allow it to melt through. 


Bringing the pie together 

9. Line a pie dish with pastry.
10. Stir shredded chicken into the white sauce and pour into the lined dish.
11. Place a pastry lid on top and pinch the edges down, you can brush with milk or egg, but not essential.
12. Place in the oven for approximately 45 mins to 1 hour, until nice and golden on top.
13. Stand for at least 15-20 min before cutting to serve.
14. Enjoy! 

Note - You can also add mushrooms and thyme cooked in butter to this recipe or leek cooked in butter, to make it extra delicious!
 

     

Much love to you this Mother’s Day,

Phoebe

 

 

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