Kipfler Potatoes With Roasted Garlic & Tarragon

I had never tried kipfler potatoes until a few years ago when I stumbled upon this recipe by Donna Hay in the weekend newspaper.  A little harder to come by, they are well worth tracking down for this side dish where they are paired with the sweetness of roasted garlic and the aniseed-like flavour of tarragon.

I made them the other night to go with our evening meal so thought I would pop the recipe up on my blog for anyone wanting to try a dish with simple ingredients that combine together to deliver maximum taste...


Roasted Garlic & Tarragon Potatoes

800g kipfler potatoes, halved
1 head garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
¼ cup tarragon leaves, chopped


Preheat oven to 200°C.  Place the potato and garlic on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for 40 minutes or until golden.  Squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins and place in a bowl.  Add the mustard, vinegar and remaining olive oil and mix until well combined. Place the potatoes, tarragon and garlic dressing in a bowl and toss before serving.

(Serves 4)

Settling Into Full Time School

The first term of full time school for Grace has come and gone and we are already nearing the end of the second...  sixteen weeks of settling into a new environment and routine for us all. Before any more time passes, I thought I should record my thoughts and experiences here of how we've found the 'settling in process'...

Term one for Grace began on a teary note.  She was very nervous about all the changes associated with starting at a new school, as well as the first time experience of a five day school week scenario. Leaving her in tears each day and walking with Sophie back to our car was horrible.  To be honest, at the beginning of the year, I felt lost... not without things to do or ways to fill my days, but battling to find my feet and to wear the ‘school Mum’ hat.

As the term progressed though, we adjusted to our new norm. Getting ourselves ready quickly in the morning and constantly watching the clock became things I stopped trying to fight. I learnt to accept that slow mornings lingering at home were no longer possible on weekdays.  Whether I liked it or not, the school routine was now a huge part of our lives, waking Sophie each afternoon from her nap for pick-up time was inevitable and getting out of bed when my alarm rang in the morning was essential for a smooth start to our days.

For Grace, we kept out-of-school-life as simple and free from obligations as we could. Apart from the odd call in to the local grocery store for a needed item, we came straight home after school. Tummies were filled with afternoon tea and free play was enjoyed until dinner time.  On the one or two occasions we did have to be somewhere after school, Grace fell asleep in the car on the way there within minutes. Bedtimes were also made slightly earlier, allowing plenty of leisurely time snuggled up together for a story and a chat.

For myself, being on top of things in terms of school days and dates was important.  The state of organization in our home was seriously lacking, but I ensured my calendar was well-used and kept me on track with all things pre-primary related. Socially, (not being naturally extroverted), I made an effort to chat to the other mothers around me at school drop-off and pick-up times and in the process made friends with a lovely fellow Mum and have gotten to know a few others. I volunteered for canteen duty and helped out in Grace's classroom. Paul joined the class on an excursion.  Sophie and I started going along to the assembly each fortnight. We became part of the school community.

Now, well into second term, as hard as it still is to get out of bed when my alarm rings each morning, the whole full time school caper is beginning to feel more 'normal'.  Grace is happy and loving every aspect of school life and Sophie and I have adjusted to our new pattern of days together.  One day, I know I will look back on these primary school years with fondness.  I will miss the paintings decorating our fridge, the school bag and shoes dumped by the front door and the afternoons spent searching the house for an interesting object' to bring for news. Knowing this, I have done my best to embrace this new phase so far as best as I can... for all of us.

Grace's 5th Birthday Party

I can still remember the excitement I had as a little girl surrounding my birthday parties each year. Choosing a cake for my Nanna to make from the Women's Weekly cookbook.  Coming up with party games with my Mum.  Helping to put together goodie bags.  It is perhaps due to all these fond memories that I get so much enjoyment now out of planning birthday celebrations for my own girls.

During my blogging free month in May, Grace turned five and we celebrated with a Saturday afternoon birthday party, her first party with school friends which turned out to be a lovely gathering with good old-fashioned party food, games and fortunately, plenty of beautiful sunshine.

As the guests arrived and gifts were unwrapped, the girls began working on a butterfly craft activity which they loved... sequins, sparkles, glitter glue and textas were all used to embellish butterfly cut-outs which they later took home. Party games involved a butterfly treasure hunt, musical statues, an egg and spoon style race (with bean bags on heads) and the traditional pass the parcel. In between, there was plenty of time for playing chasey around our backyard and for fun on Grace and Sophie's new swing set.  

I love that birthdays are another opportunity to create memories and form our own little traditions as a family. Hopefully one day, Grace and Sophie will look back on their parties with the same fondness that I have when I think back to my own childhood birthday celebrations...

Over the past few weeks, Grace has been making thank you notes for friends and family, something I feel is sadly a bit uncommon these days.

To me, it is a great opportunity to demonstrate gratitude to little ones, plus it provides a meaningful creative activity for art-loving Grace.

2014: May Portraits

"Portraits of my girls in 2014"


Sophie: Every week, we get comments galore on her curls.  "Blue eyes and ringlets, what a combination," said a lady in the queue at the newsagent yesterday.  "Some women would spend hours trying to get their hair like that," commented another old dear not long after.

Grace: If she isn't drawing or crafting lately, she's getting stuck into her Lego... watching and playing with her brings back such fond childhood memories of my own...

Joining in with Jodi

Back After An Online Break

A month ago, I decided I needed some time out from the online world... it felt as though I was juggling one too many things and so I cut out my use of technology and social media pretty much altogether.  A handful of minor health issues one after another left me needing some time away and space to take things easy... I stopped writing blog posts or reading other favourite blog reads.  Weeks passed without me logging into Instagram or sharing photos of my own. Emails were checked on the weekend only and left sitting unanswered in my inbox.  My laptop remained shut and I didn't go near the iPad for weeks. Photos taken were few and far between (especially when our camera decided to play up).

My self-imposed hiatus was so refreshing.  I focused on myself and my little family, on restful days and simple pleasures.  And while there were no pretty photos to browse through and no inspiring words to soak up, there were other benefits to be gained from my screen free break... disappearing for a little spell filled my days with so much more in so many ways.

With June on our doorstep, I'm looking forward to finishing off the first half of this year in a more balanced way... and hopefully continuing to do so over the coming months, focusing on what really matters in our days and what really matters to me...