Almost baked
She’s growing up fast. Not so long ago Little Missy was taking her first adventures into food, relishing an early taste of wild blackberries; now she’s getting stuck into baking and, as you can...
Category: Life
New kitchen taking shape
It might feel like a long time but thanks to my wonderful builder (on time, on budget, fantastic to deal with), the cottage is finished – all, bar the painting. And the flooring but,...
An antidote to packing? O’Brien Chop House
On Saturday evening, fed up with a day of boxing and hefting various items around, I decided that Sunday was going to be treat time. Before anyone could protest, there was a phone call and a booking made: we were going to our favourite local-ish restaurant, O’Brien Chop House, for Sunday lunch.
Final countdown: Cranberry, Orange and Port Relish
href=”http://www.bibliocook.com/2010/12/christmas-bakin.html”>baking is done, there are jars of homemade mustard sitting on the counter alongside Lemon and Passionfruit Curd and the second turkey is almost ready to go. We’re due to leave the cottage tomorrow, abandoning our iced up windows – it’s just not melting these days, and that’s inside – for a few days of central heating and living with the family at my parents’ place.
Christmas baking: Mincemeat and Polenta Shortbread
Although I made mince pies for the Christmas Cookalong, that was the night I realised why I don’t normally make them. As I fiddled with the pastry and Little Missy stuck her hands, once again, under my rolling pin – difficult to avoid when she’s standing on her wee stool directly in front of me so she can “help” with the stars – I kept thinking that there have to be easier ways to make things with Christmas mincemeat.
Pickin’ spuds: Spiced Lamb and Homegrown Potatoes
This has been a rather mixed year in the garden. Despite all my busy sowing early in the year, there wasn’t a whole load to harvest after those pesky rabbits got stuck into all the tasty green shoots. Still, the arrival of four cats (and the occasional extra stray or two) has put a stop to the dozen or so rabbits that we used to see in the mornings, carvorting in and around the raised beds, and we have managed to get our hands on some of our own garden produce.
