My answer never wavers. Through food. After raising 31 children I have a firmly cemented belief that food – the preparation of it, the cooking, sharing and all that comes with it – is the foundation of a well-connected and happy household.
As a child of the 80’s, I grew up in a household where food traditions were the uncompromising ethos. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for this. I have implemented this simple but highly effective practice in my home. The consistency and predictability this creates makes for a solid sense of security and belonging.
Pancake Sundays wins the prize, hands down, as my favorite all time food tradition. Over the years the ‘Sunday’ has become rather flexible and school holidays open the door for daily pancake fun. Everyone, of any age, gets to use their own mixing bowl and the adventure begins. For those of you who may be unaware, the perfect pancake does not rely on the batter but depends solely on the butter! That’s right, the success of a delicious pancake is attributed 100% to the butter in the pan! Let me explain. Once everyone has made their pancake batter to the consistency they like, heat a large fry pan on relatively high heat and throw a large chunk of butter in the pan. The butter must become a beautiful nut brown before you add your batter. This makes for a flawless, crispy edged pancake, which is golden on each side.
To add a few more giggles to this, see who can make the weirdest shaped pancake in the pan. A personal favourite of ours was to see who could make a pancake that resembled the Australian flag. Not an easy feat but definitely made for a lot of laughs.
The other joy I discovered with my children, whilst in training for the TV show MasterChef was the endless variations in cookies. Choose your basic cookie mixture, preferably one with a lot of butter, for butter is love in a cookie, and add any crazy addition. Let your kids chose what they want to add. If it’s for the lunch box you may add some dried fruit. As much as we are a healthy household, we are not immune to treats and I’ve discovered the joy of various chocolate additions. You want to see the look on a child’s face when they bite into a chocolate chip, popping candy cookie. It’s priceless! To make these please see the recipe below!
The beauty of these simple pursuits is that they are creating and maintaining connection in disguise. Your children see the food as the motivation, oblivious to the subconscious rewards of staying connected to those around them. This practice has no age limit and can start at the age of two and last a lifetime. In my extensive and yet humble experience, the heart of the home is the kitchen and the love can be found in the sharing of this magical space.
Chocolate Chunk, Popping Candy Cookies!
As a busy Mum I am all for simple, great recipes that use few ingredients but still taste great. Your kids will absolutely love these as a delicious after school treat and, as far as I know, they are a world first!
INGREDIENTS
125 g Western Star Chef’s Choice Cultured Unsalted Butter
125 g CSR Caster Sugar
250 g self-raising flour
1 egg
200 g milk, popping candy chocolate broken into chunks
extra popping candy for sprinkling
METHOD
1 Melt butter and sugar together, allow to cool.
2 Add self-raising flour, egg and chocolate chunks. Mix well.
3 Roll into balls and place onto baking tray 3-5 centimeters apart.
4 Bake at 180C for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Tip: Serve with fresh fruit or a glass of milk
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This is a sponsored post by Western Star. All opinions expressed by the author are authentic and written in their own words.
