Spring babies!

So this is a post from inside the circle of The Machine. I am not outside the window, looking in jealously or attempting to copy its mastery over food. I am inside, a partner, a member of the team - and today's position was Assistant Stork in a delivery.

S and her 3yo let me join them on a road-trip an hour north with a precious package for dear friends M & R. The weather was divine and the trip peppered with happy conversation. When we got there, M & R were constructing another toy for their eldest baby who turned ten today. [Fancy that? Baby 1 and Baby 6 (counting the cat) arriving on the same date!] They had been struggling a bit with the instructions so it wasn't hard for them to drop tools and unwrap a more complex, yet very uncomplicated appliance!

Isn't she gorgeous? (And M is pretty cute too.)

The plan was for S to train M using a basic recipe for lunch. Basic. Using each of the functions of The Machine.

We had a warm Moroccan chicken salad, starting first with a dip made from garlic, Parmesan, capsicum, cashews, olive oil and vinegar. Half of that dip was stored for later, and the other half was softened and pureed into a salad dressing with more olive oil and lemon juice. Chicken, pumpkin and cous cous were then steamed. The entire salad was tossed together with baby spinach, cranberries, dried apricots and chickpeas. [Gals - please let me know if I have missed or added anything!]

The little ones in the house weren't so keen on the salad, as it was a very adult flavour. Even one of the adults was testing the flavours through a second serve, just to see what it was he liked and what he loved. The kiddies were won over by the chocolate custard which followed - you know the kind that is piped into profiteroles? Phenomenal.

"Do you like it, J?"
"Yes."
"What does it taste like?"
"Chocolate. And custard."
"Great."

Time savings:

Do I care? No.

Money savings:

Huh?

Post-Script:

Baby 5 tried to get a taste of the custard but since she hadn't proven in the last week to be anywhere near as useful as Baby 6 had been in one hour, she was pushed away. (This was not how she landed.)

[This is the first time I have publicly identified The Machine. It's no secret, but I didn't want to come across as an official supporter or critic. This is all just a bit of fun.]