Jamie Oliver's chorizo & tomato salad

My days seem to be getting longer. 

The little one has begun teething again, something which has made me seriously question the necessity of having teeth. As much as I wish I could take her pain from her, I just offer unlimited cuddles, a string of chilled toys that soothe the gums and a basket of reassuring smiles and kisses to get her through till nap time where she happily wanders off to dreams and sleep, drunk on mummy's milk.

In these moments, where the house becomes eerily filled with the silence of a sleeping baby, I head to the kitchen to whip up something to satisfy my hunger and give me energy for another round of baby-soothing. Sometimes I am lucky enough to share lunch with my husband, this was one of those days.

ease: 4.5/5.
prep time: 5mins.
cooking time: 15mins.
total: 20mins.


taste: 4/5. Rather tasty.

As expected, hubby loved the chorizo component the most, but he did eat all the tomatoes, something he hardly does. I served ours with toasted Turkish bread and marinated goat's cheese.

would I make it again: Yes.

Nigella's chocolate cherry trifle

We stood in the darkness, the cool blades of grass peeking up from between our toes, our eyes fixed upon the city-skyline as we counted down this year's final heartbeats.
The sound of our captured breaths filled the spaces between us until the sky was painted in dancing lights and flickering fire. The park became filled with the cheers of strangers and friends as we hugged and kissed those close to us, babes in arms, dogs panting happily at our feet. As we made the journey back to a friend's house for final toasts and warm goodbyes we held each other close, excited by the thoughts of what wonderful possibilities this year new year may hold for us and our new family of three.

Along with the traditional resolutions of health and happiness, I have assigned myself two core resolutions that I hope I can achieve by the year's end. The first;

listen more, say less

I find that I do not listen very well when I am eager to speak. This year I want to allow others to tell me their thoughts without needing to add my own. My-two-cents are getting in the way of me really knowing those I speak to.

and the second, well probably the one I want to achieve most is;

be present

Too often I am reminiscing about moments past, or planning and imagining things to come that I end up missing the moment I am in. For instance, when I am breastfeeding my daughter I drift away to thoughts of chores needing to be done or ideas needing to be transcribed instead of allowing myself to hear the softness of her breath, or feel the featherlight touch of her fingers as they flutter along my chest as if stroking the keys of a piano. Before long she will no longer be at my bosom and I know it will be something I will miss, so I am endeavoring to savor each nuance as much as possible, in all aspects of my life. NO MORE AUTOPILOT - I am plugging into the present.

What are some things you wish to accomplish or change this year?

And now I shall leave you with the dish I served up on Christmas (please excuse the photo, it was snapped in a flash and therefore less-than-sharp). 

Happy New Year!

ease: 5/5.

prep time: 2hours (I used store-bought cake as suggested but you could also make your own).

cooking time: 2hours to overnight to soak. This was even the day after Xmas.

total: 4hours - 12hours, depending on how long you let it sit before eating.

taste: 4/5. Loved by many.

This was a surprising hit for me. I actually thought the simplicity of the chocolate, cherry and cream would be too simple for my guests but every single one of them thoroughly enjoyed it. My brother, who is beyond picky, proclaimed it to be his favourite dessert I have made. 

The scrumptious cake doused in liqueur and smothered in syrupy dark cherry jam is a beautiful base for the tart cerise tang of the Morello cherries which soften the sweetness of the creamy chocolate pudding and fluffy whipped cream sprinkled with shaved, bitterly kissed chocolate. If you want to make it alcohol-free I would recommend soaking the cakes in the juice of the bottled cherries instead.

To make it even easier you could also use store-bought chocolate custard, or vanilla custard with some good quality melted chocolate mixed in - that way there is zero cooking and all you need to do is layer!

would I make it again: Yes - for it's ease (and you can make it the night before!) and appeal.

recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-feasts/chocolate-cherry-trifle-recipe/index.html

Jamie's bloomin' brilliant brownies

It's hard to surprise me.

I am quick to spot a falter in someone's speech or an inconsistency in their behaviour, I blame this sleuth-like quality on my star sign, the mystery loving Scorpio. It is due to my inquisitive, suspicious nature that almost all of my husband's efforts to surprise me are foiled by yours truly, most often unintentionally. I can't seem to help going on the chase if I smell a rat, whether the deceit is well-intended or not.

After guessing last year's intended birthday surprise R finally gave up and has not tried anything since. That is probably how he managed to sneak out of the house for a supposed business shop visit (the fact that it was pouring outside and quiet at the office should have piqued my intrigue, but I was too absorbed in my Spring cleaning to bother probing) to return with a bunch of vivid roses and tulips. I was not merely shocked by the surprise gift, but also that he bought me flowers, which has only ever happened on the occasional birthday or Valentine's Day (my girlfriend's are the usual flower givers).

Not only did I not mind that he had successfully tricked me, but I was girlishly thrilled to receive a completely unexpected bunch of flowers. I must have said thank you a dozen times as I happily stared at the flowers throughout the day, they truly do put a smile on a woman's face. I couldn't help but marvel at the tulips in particular with their watercolour streaks of Byzantium purple and cornflower blue, simply a masterpiece of floral beauty.

To show my thanks I baked a tray of 'chocolate only' brownies I spotted on this blog as per hubby's request. We were both equally happy with our gifts :)

ease: 5/5.
prep time: 15mins.
cooking time: 23mins.
total: 38mins.

taste:  4/5 - fairly brilliant.

For me the taste was very earthy with an almost coffee-like depth; the cocoa gave them a rich chocolate intensity. Flour's minimal attendance allowed the brownies a lovely soft, toothsome fudginess but it had a slight graininess towards the end.

Hubby gave these a 4.5 but for me they were a 4; they were a touch too dark and heavy for me, but nonetheless they were quite addictive.

I have a query, I use different percentage callebaut chocolate, in this instance I used a 70% dark callebaut, I read recently that callebaut chocolate may change the consistency and outcome of recipes that call for bitter-sweet or 70% dark chocolate - is this true?

would I make them again: No, there can only be one brownie recipe, and I have yet to find it.

recipe: Jamie's bloomin' brilliant brownies

Sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce & almond praline

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Now, I don't see lemons as a bad thing, but I do understand the optimistic message - it all depends on your perception. They say that optimists live longer, and generally happier lives; a pretty good incentive to be optimistic.

As Autumn wakes us up to chilly mornings, instead of complaining, I turn to my husband and we snuggle to warm up - it has become a really wonderful way to start the morning. During my school years I loved debating, as an adult I have put my ability to argue any side of a debate to good use by finding the positive side of something I would prematurely judge as negative, such as cold weather or waiting for an appointment (I use the time to read the magazines I no longer have to buy) - and now I find that instead of being surrounded by a plethora of negativity I find my life is full of positivity and wonderful things.

One such perk of cooler days is that certain heavy desserts suddenly become appealing again.  All of those rich, satisfying puddings that you kept putting off because the weather was too hot become the perfect dish to wrap your fingers around and warm your belly. 

ease: 4.5/5.
prep time: 20mins.
cooking time: 38mins (make sauce and praline while puddings cook).
total: 58mins.

taste: 5/5 - perfect pudding.

Yes, this dish is perfect if you love moist puddings that warm your belly with their wintry essence.

If you want a great sticky date pudding with all the decadent trimmings, then look no further, you have found your recipe. The pudding itself is both moist, dense, soft and deliciously sticky - slathered in lashings of creamy butterscotch sauce only improves it further. The praline adds a wonderful crunch and deep caramel - if you must add another element, then let me suggest a cool vanilla ice cream to soften the sweet, hot pudding.

A wonderful winter dessert.

would I make it again: Yes!


recipe: Sticky date pudding with butterscotch sauce & almond praline

Quickly scaled Mont Blanc

Dessert in under 10mins - no problem.


ease: 5/5.
prep time: 6mins.
total: 6mins.

taste: 2.5/5. Everybody found these too rich to eat more than 3 spoonfulls. I only used 300ml cream to make 3 dishes, and it was still too much. Once the cream dissoves you get a hint of the puree and then the sharp, solid dark chocolate. Nothing really melds together at all and it's just too sugary without any substance.

would I make it again: No.

recipe: Quickly scaled Mont Blanc

Savoury tomato bread pudding with basil cream

Logophile: LAW-guh-fahyl; noun:
A lover of words.

Nose deep in paperback books, with a hot chocolate or some other nondescript saccharine snack in one hand, was how I spent most of my childhood. I only ever used barbie dolls to act out scenes I'd read or written myself. My passion for reading helped me greatly in school, and now it is my favourite solitary indulgence, although I imagine I will love it even more as an activity shared with my children at bed time, or any time for that matter.

I must credit my mother for sparking my interest in literature. I looked forward to bedtime with the utmost ferventness. It would signal being tucked into bed with my mother picking a book from the shelf. My mother is a wonderful storyteller; her ability to portray each characters voice and inject absolute magic into each word delighted my imagination and was my favourite childhood experience. It wasn't long before I learned to read and set off on journeys myself, whether it was eating Moonface's delectable Honey Snap biscuits up in the Magic Faraway Tree or visiting the word marketplace in Dictionopolis from one of my absolute favourites, The Phantom Tollbooth.

I would also search out new words in the dictionary, adding them to my textual treasure chest. Instead of digging through endless pages, I get one new word emailed to me each day, just to get my fix.

My passion for food has also led me to discover new names for new ingredients never tasted. I remember 'Balsamic' was something I had not heard of until my teenage years when I tried it at an Italian cafe, needless to say I was hooked on the first bite. And whilst my husband had tried Balsamic Vinegar when we met, he had never tried it reduced, which we both prefer. There is just something about that sweetness with a large acidic kick that takes some meals above ordinary into wonderful. Especially when paired with its best friends tomato, bread and basil. An absolutely awesome foursome ;).


ease: 4.5/5.
prep time: 15mins.
cooking time: 1hour (includes 45mins resting period, which is when I made the basil cream).
total: 1hour & 15mins.

taste: 3.5/5. I had high hopes for these little orange-red pudding which is maybe why they let me down a little in taste. The puddings needed another 10mins as I used normal muffin tins.

They were extremely soft and spongy. The first flavour you get is the sweet, vinegary balsamic (I highly recommend using a reduction/glaze as it is the only sweetness in this dish) followed by the incredibly strong thyme and basil cream and finally the tart, bitter tomato pudding. I would have loved some crunch as it is all incredibly mushy and soft, perhaps staler bread would have been better. It was lovely, but with that classic flavour combination I expected more, the bread could definitely use a little more tomato flavour. Perhaps a tomato tart tatin with the basil and balsamic accompaniments would have been better - with some goats cheese thrown in for good measure.
would I make it again: No - nothing special.

recipe: Savoury tomato & bread pudding with basil cream

Baby BLT breakfast sandwich amuse-bouche

Surprises - unexpected ones I do not like, planned surprises however I revel in.

I am one of those annoying people who like to plan everything and always know what is going on or what we are going to do - right down to each meal we eat. I don't know why I am so averse to the unanticipated and spur of the moment, but I just am.

Yet, I love planning surprises for others, whether as small as bringing home an unanticipated sweet treat or something larger like skydiving as a 21st birthday gift. As my husband, brother, father and myself all work from home, I make them lunch everyday, most often consisting of a fried or pressed cheese and meat sandwich. Nothing special but it fills the spot and it takes me only 5mins. As you can imagine though, it does get a little boring after a few days so every now and then I surprise them with something different. Although this recipe is in the 'bread' field it packs a whole lot more flavour, nutrition and excitement into a work lunch.

ease: 5/5.
prep time: 5mins.
cooking time: 10mins.
total: 15mins.

taste: 4/5. Everyone would have preferred this on a Turkish pide or some other much-easier-to-eat-bread - the french stick was just too awkward. Flavour wise this delivered. For me I first tasted the deep savoury sweetness of the balsamic followed by the garlicky bread and soft egg which was then washed away by the tartly sweet tomato before finishing with the garlicky spinach and then the sweet basil to round it all off. The boys also had salty bacon in that mix.

I used a store bought balsamic reduction glaze.

would I make it again: Yes - with a different bread and perhaps a shaving of Parmesan.

recipe: Baby BLT breakfast sandwich amuse-bouche

Mirin glazed salmon

"No red meat week." This will be the first whole week Ryan will go without eating red meat. I thought I would ease him into it with a salmon dish before the rest of the vegetarian dishes. He's a little unsure that he will feel full and 'satisfied' but I think he'll be fine.

Sourcing mirin turnd out to be harder than I had initially thought. Three supermarket's and 5 liqiour/wine stores later I was still empty handed. Coming home all hot and bothered (from the weather and running around) I vented to my dad about my unsuccesful hunt for wine. Mid sentence he stopped me and said, 'I think I might have some left at my place'. Those were probably the sweetest words I had heard all day. At last, I would have some mirin and it wouldn't even cost me a dime.

ease: 5/5. prep time: 7mins.
cooking time: 6mins.
total: 13mins.

taste: 4.5/5. Everyone really liked this, I felt there could have been a little more glaze so that the rice could have gotten some flavour so I will probably increase everything by half next time. I used 2tbs of brown sugar, thought 50g might be too much.

would I make it again: Yes. Super quick and tasty. Everyone liked it as well.

recipe: http://www.nigella.com/recipe/recipe_detail.aspx?rid=92

Ricotta Hotcakes with Honeycomb Butter

Lavish Sunday Morning Breakfast's have started to become routine. As Sunday is my day off, I have plenty of time to cook up something a little special. Today I wanted to use up a container of ricotta which was never used for a recipe I decided I didn't want to make. I did a quick search and thought this one sounded the best. It's a recipe by Sydney's celebrity chef Bill.

Some Facts About HONEYCOMB:

• A honeycomb is a mass of hexagonal wax cells built by honey bees in their nests to contain their larvae and stores of honey and pollen.
• Fresh, new comb is sometimes sold and used intact as comb honey, especially if the honey is being spread on bread rather than used in cooking or to sweeten tea. Honeycomb is edible all by itself, and has been called "the beekeeper's lunch".
• 
  

EASE: 3/5. Not hard but a little more time consuming than a normal pancake recipe.
Prep time: 15mins. 5mins to mix most ingredients and 5mins to beat egg whites and then fold through. 5mins to make the honeycomb butter (you have to let the butter come to room temperature so take out at least 20mins before starting.
Cooking time: 12mins. To make 6 pancakes. You have to be gentle when flipping as they tend to break easier.
TOTAL: 17mins.

TASTE: 3.5/5. The pancakes themselves are probably a 3. As there is no added sugar they can be served with either savour or sweet accompaniments. Ryan found that they were a little too fluffy to his liking. The honeycomb butter was gorgeous though - would give that a 4/5. I used organic butter and actual honeycomb (as in honey from the hive). I used about 1/2 cup of butter and 1/4cup of honey.

WOULD I MAKE AGAIN: No for the pancakes. Yes for the butter.

RECIPE: http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/recipe.asp?id=44

Homemade Muesli

Decided to make my own muesli based on a recipe by Bill Granger: http://www.lifestylefood.com.au/recipes/recipe.asp?id=27

I used:

• 3 cups oats
• 1/2 cup sunflower kernels
• 3 Tbl sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup dessicated coconut
• 1/4 slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup dried blueberries
• 1/2 cup dried raspberries
  
• 125ml apple juice
• 2 Tbl Oil