I am not Australia's next MasterChef

I like to think of myself as always being open to the many possibilities that life presents. However, I am aware, and have come to terms with the fact, that I will never be Australia's next MasterChef.

As you may know, I like to shop where a MasterChef shops, but I am under no illusion that this actually helps me cook like a MasterChef cooks.

If I could shave 10 years (or so) off my age, I might qualify for Junior MasterChef. But, even if I did, let's face it, those kids would totally own me.

Despite my limitations in the kitchen, I do like to eat. I like to eat very much. And, in order to have things to eat, I must cook. Mr. B also enjoys eating, and he is a joy to cook for as he enthusiastically embraces (almost) everything I produce from the kitchen.

A new feature of my life is the weekday, day-time visitor. It  seems that my lovely visitors are aware of my limited kitchen-related skills and rarely expect me to feed them. However, I have found that it is very satisfying to feed people who come to visit.

So, for others who may also like to eat or to feed others, I would like to share my adventures in the kitchen.

Earlier today, I prepared Nutty No-Oven Required Muesli Bar Slice and I would like to share that with you.

Things You Need:

• 4 cups of cereal/nuts/seeds/dried fruit/coconut (whatever you can find really)
• 125g butter
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter
• 4 tablespoons honey

Things You Don't Need:

• Sugar (Mr. B is very health conscious so I make this slice without adding any sugar).

What You Need to Do:

Step 1 - Find a mixing bowl and slice tray. Dig out whatever cereals/nuts/seeds you can find in your pantry. At this stage, the slice will look something like this: 

Step 2 - Measure out four cups of whatever you found in the pantry and put it in the mixing bowl. This morning, I used 1 cup of Rice Bubbles, 1/4 cup of Guardian crumbs, 3/4 cup of pepitas and sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup of crushed peanuts, 1/2 cup of Carmans muesli (I love Carmans with a passion but we're on a budget so I am restrained in my use of it), 3/4 cup of dessicated coconut and 1/4 cup of sesame seeds. That should add up to 4 cups. At this stage, the slice looks like this:

Step 3 - Melt the butter, peanut butter and honey. Trying to measure out 4 tablespoons of honey is annoying. Take deep breaths. Bring it to the boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes. It will look a bit like this:

Step 4 - Combine the melted stuff with the dry stuff in the bowl. Mix it together. It will look like this:


















Step 5 - Grease your slice tray with margarine or butter. Whack the mixture into the slice tray. It will look a bit like this:

Step 6 - Put it in the fridge. You have to store it in the fridge because the butter is holding it together. If the butter melts, it is all over for this slice. It will look a bit like this:

My three key points:

1. When you're tired, it's hard to concentrate to measure out four cups of anything. Try to maintain your concentration to count to four. From there, the recipe is pretty easy.

2. When the butter, peanut butter and honey are melting it is easy to get distracted by a) iPhone b) Facebook c) e-mail d) sleeping baby e) texting mum/husband/sister/mothers group buddies f) all of the above. Try not to get too distracted. You really should stir it a bit. It can burn. Trust me.

3. Use sugar. I know some people (e.g. Mr. B) are health conscious but it really is tastier with sugar. Just don't tell them about the sugar. Use this recipe. It uses sugar and it really is nicer. As I said, I am not Australia's next MasterChef.