A little hip Italian dish

Today I made pizza for the 'hips' dinner. Wow, what an achievement (not) I hear you say. But, for me, it was. You see, I made my own pizza dough, and you know, I am not sure if I've ever done that before. And then, it got me thinking. Of course, as we all know, pizza is Italian, and as I am always on about learning languages, and absorbing yourself into the culture before visiting the destination, I thought that perhaps I should add a few recipes from different parts of the world, to go with the travel / learning about cultures / languages and places, posts. The idea is to make them fairly simple, so that not only can I cook them, but you will be more inclined to cook them, and perhaps involve the kids aswell. Should anyone have any much loved childhood dishes from your home, or know of any international specialities, then, I would love to hear from you too.

Best to add a tomato based sauce from either tinned tomatoes, or a tomato paste mixed with whatever you choose (I added garlic, fresh herbs, salt, pepper and a bit of Worcester sauce.) Top with whatever you have available in the fridge. I got the kids to add their favourites which ended up being mushrooms, pineapple, ham and alot of cheese.

So here's the very first recipe - Italian Pizza with topping of your choice.  

Egg free, Nut free.

Great budget meal as mixture is enough for several pizzas, so I popped excess dough into the freezer for another day.

• 500g plain flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 11/2 teaspoon dry yeast

• Pinch sugar

• 11/4 cup warm water

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Add yeast and warm water into a bowl, add a pinch of sugar, and stir with a wooden spoon quickly then leave to activate (approx 5 min).

With either a hand mixer with dough hook, or Kitchen Aid, add the flour and salt, and mix. When the yeast has activated (starts to foam) pour it in the flour and mix on low speed adding 1 tablespoon of oil at a time until it forms into a ball.

Remove from bowl and kneed for 3-5 minutes, until the dough is soft and pliable. Get the kids involved...they'll love it.

Sprinkle a little bit of flour back in the bowl, and add the dough, cover with glad wrap and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes. (We left it in the garden as it was a super hot day today!)

It should double in size, so then cut the dough in half, and roll out to make your pizza base. Place dough onto your oven tray and add a sauce and topping.

Best to add a tomato based sauce from either tinned tomatoes, or a tomato paste mixed with whatever you choose (I added garlic, fresh herbs, salt, pepper and a bit of Worcester sauce.)

 Top with whatever you have available in the fridge. I got the kids to add their favourites which ended up being mushrooms, pineapple, ham and alot of cheese. Cook on 200 for about 25 mins.

that little hip 'camping' packing list...

Do you really need to pack the kitchen sink when heading off on a holiday with kids? Not at all, but you know, when you are off camping, it feels like you should pack that sink just in case....after all, you'll need some sort of running water, or at least a boiling saucepan. Look, its not "Survivor" so you don't need to panic, so don't be afraid to load up your car, but remember, you can make do without some luxuries too....its actually rather fun not to have to blow dry your hair from time to time etc.

Well, here's a list that should help you decide what you should take on a camping trip with kids. (Kitchen sink is certainly not included):

To sleep:
Tent , groundsheet, pegs, poles, mallet (yes, all rather important).
Sleeping bags and liners
Sleeping mats (blow up ones are good) and pump if necessary
Pillows, blankets, duvets to keep kids comfortable as possible
If room and you think necessary, a portacot (which can also double up as a playpen during the day)
Torch/lamp and batteries
Check out the following outdoor stores for some excellent ideas: Kathmandu, Anaconda, Millets,
Snowgum, Snow and Rock.


To eat:
Camping stove and gas bottle (unless you are going open fire?)
Waterproof matches
Can and bottle opener
A few pots and pans
A few cooking utensils - BBQ tongs, cooking knife etc.
Esky (or for those Kiwis...a chilli bin!)
Paper towels, foil, containers for storage, rubbish bags
Plates, mugs, bowls and cutlery
Tables and chairs or something to sit on / blanket
A thermos flask
Dishwashing liquid and tea towels
Food and drink

To wear:
Warm and cold weather clothes. It does get cold at night...pack a fleece.
Flip flops (thongs/s) and Wellies (gumboots)..We love these Bergstein Gumboots from Little Elk. We love Little Elk!
Beach towels, and swim wear.

Extras for you and the 'hips':
Swiss Army knife
Washing line
First Aid Kit
Bucket and spade
Board games, books
Camping shower or we love the super fold up Flexi Bath and we have a review coming up very soon.
Toilet Roll
Insect repellent
Wet wipes
Potty (especially for night time) - we love My Carry Potty. We have a review AND fab giveaway coming up very soon...watch this space.
Sun Screen and hats

All those extra bits and bobs required for travelling with young children if necessary (nappies, stroller, wipes etc)

So, thats all I would pack....(perhaps a bit less, as I love to try to travel light and I know that my hubby and 'hips' will keep on adding to the list!). What about you? Any suggestions or must have extras?

Should unaccompanied little 'hips' sit next to strangers?

I grew up travelling between Switzerland and the UK. As my Mum is from Switzerland, and Dad from the UK, we had lots of family to visit, and I was quite often sent as an 'unaccompanied' flyer by myself. I used to think this was terrific, and would chat away to the person next to me (poor person), and have a brilliant time. I can certainly say this is where my love of travelling stemmed from.

However, in these dark days of 'stranger danger', is it acceptable for an unaccompanied minor to be seated next to an adult stranger, or should all these little ones sit in a special "i'm travelling all alone and perhaps I'm a little scared" area?

What happens if the cabin crew are ridiculously busy, and poor little 'hip' starts to feel a bit scared, sad, or god forbid, sick? Should there be a nanny service on board (like Gulf Air).

Air France already state that "unaccompanied children should not be seated next to adults", however surely this could put their safely at risk in the event of an accident?

A British business man was asked to move away from a 12 year old boy. This business man then decided to take British Airways to court accusing them of treating male passengers as "potential male molesters"

Are we all going slightly over the top here, or is this a sign of the times?

More hip rainbow walnuts...love them

Mr left hip often gets missed out when it comes to retail therapy...its so much easier to buy precious things for the little Miss right hip. But today, I couldn't leave the shop without these fabulous rainbow Walnut Melbourne shoes. I love them and I hope Mr left hip loves them too (they have a pink rainbow stripe on them...bit girly?). Perfect shoes for being out and about in...

A hip mums camping tips with her little 'hips'

So, we are once more heading back to the fabulous world of camping. Yes, this is the camping season (even though the weather here doesn't seem to think it is), however camping is often notorious for either a spot of rain, or a ridiculous heatwave, so its good to be prepared for all.

Today we are meeting a friend of mine, Lisa, who recently went camping with her hubby, plus 3 year old and 7 month old. How brave I hear you say...I totally agree, so felt it only necessary that we quiz Lisa on how she coped camping with two very little people. 

Here we go - over to you Lisa and family..

So tell us a bit about your family?

We are Lisa 39, Jem 41, Nell 3, Caity 7 months. We live in Woodend, country Victoria, and are recent converts to the country lifestyle, keen gardeners and outdoorsy types.

And where have you been of late with your little 'hips'?

Rose's Gap Folk Music Camp, The Grampians National Park. This is a special camp for music lovers with lots of workshops and performances run over a long weekend during the school holidays in September. Plenty of kids and young people, beginners and more experienced musicians. The emphasis is mostly on celtic-style folk and traditional music. This year there was a special feature on Indonesian and Javanese music. I did singing workshops and one for beginner ukelele (along with about 130 other people - it was the most popular workshop!), and hubby did beginners guitar. There was toddler music and singing every morning from 9 - 9.30 and a kids zone in the main hall with lots of activities. The whole experience was very left of centre, welcoming, warm and open-hearted.

How did you get there?

We jumped in the car and drove from Woodend. 

Where did you stay?

A camping site in a recreation ground. There were toilets and washing facilities, a communal hall with a fire and kitchen and a camp canteen offering lunch and dinner.

Your biggest challenge?

Keeping tabs on Nell who was intent on getting to meet every person there! Luckily the atmosphere was very child-friendly and whenever she wandered too far or too intently into other people's space, someone always brought her back!

Any big recommendations?

If you love music, this is great fun for everyone! Even if only some people want to do the music stuff, there is so much to do in The Grampians. Jem went off for a long bike ride one day, and we all went for a bushwalk to Beehive Falls another day. 

So what are your main tips about travelling with kids?

You don't need half of what you end up taking. But do take snacks and make sure that little one's blood sugar levels don't drop. Nell ended up grazing throughout the day rather than having set meals. Always be flexible and try to remember that you are supposed to be relaxing and having fun!

We all slept in a giant tent, probably much too big, but I envisaged being shut up in rain/cold and wanted extra space. Nell slept next to us on a mat on the floor. She had a sleeping bag, but we realised after a couple of struggles in the night that she wasn't used to it and just wanted to be under blankets like she is at home. Thank goodness for packing extra fleecy blankets! Caity was more of a worry. She's too big for her bassinet now, but not really big enough to sleep on a mat like us. In the end I had an old change table foam pad that I wrapped securely in yet another fleecy blanket (you can see how indispensable they were!) and then she had a gro-bag and blanket over the top of that. It kept her off the ground and secure in her own space. In all honesty, the tent was big enough for her portacot and next time I would take that, but hey  - we managed!

As for quality of sleep... the first night was bad for everyone after being all discombobulated by the long journey and new environment. The second night Caity slept through like an angel but Nell had a huge tantrum in the middle of the night. On the last night we all had a good night's sleep - but it was very windy and that kept the grown-ups awake and worried about the tent falling down!!

As usual, the simple things with the kids made all the difference. Making sure that they ate regularly and had access to food that they would like. The camp provided meals, but they were a bit spicey and not always child-proof. So on the last day we went into Halls Gap and had fish & chips which meant we knew Nell had eaten a good amount. Sure enough she went to sleep without a problem and didn't wake up hungry in the night. 

What would you not have left home without?

The pram. It was ideal for putting Caity in for a sleep, and carting tons of stuff from the tent to the activities. Plus we could take it almost all the way to the falls on our bushwalk! Also, lots of cheap fleece blankets. They were great for wrapping up cold, tired and cranky toddler and baby at various points in the day. 

And finally, anything else you want to add? 

We'll be back next year, and most certainly go camping again!

Many thanks Lisa for a fabulous camping review, and some really great tips.

Coming up - what to pack on your camping trip...

a hip trip to Fairy Floss market...

On Sunday, my little right hip and I went to the Fairy Floss Markets in Williamstown for some retail therapy and an attempt to buy some christmas presents. It was a lovely morning, but I have to be honest...we didn't buy any christmas pressies for anyone else, but us! Naughty. We had a lovely time talking to all the fabulous stall holders and of course, ate a few naughty but very nice goodies from the Windsor Deli - wow, best peanut butter cup cakes around (not to mention the fabulous lemon slice at the Deli itself!!!)

We got chatting to Tiny & little - little right hip had been fortunate enough to win a fabulous bunny from them some time ago, so it was great to put a face to a name. Check out this new little bunny looking for a new home...we love it.

Other stand outs for us were the fabulous and very hip t-shirts from Melbourne made, Gavin and Archie, and also the very cool clothes from Who Wears The Pants, another Melbourne business.

But the creme de la creme for us was to finally get to pick out our very own Miss RubyMay dolly for lucky little right hips' christmas present. Fortunately little right hip was consuming a rather large vanilla cupcake (thanks Windsor Deli) so didn't notice the selection process that was going on, so Miss RubyMay will make it under the tree for christmas (and not in said sticky cup cake hands before christmas!) We finally chose a fabulous red head with an orange flowery dress.

Thanks to Fairy Floss Markets for another joyful morning out and about with my little right hip.

A little hip giveaway...we have a winner!

 The little hip traveller is excited...we have a winner!

Thanks to all those who entered, and fear not, there are plenty more giveaways coming soon.

The lucky winner of the Retro B.Box Travel Bib is...................

                                                                Delice

Congratulations Delice. Please email me on info@thelittlehiptraveller.com.au with your details....