I really despair of my brain some days, and today is one of them.It is of course, Wednesday morning tea platter day - I love to make something hopefully interesting and tasty to take each time. They are the best test tasters ever.I'd decided to try a recipe from someone else's cookbook - an orange … Continue reading Lemons and The Accidental Cake

Here at lovely Molesworth, it's just a little wet (understatement). The rain today was the heaviest we have experienced since we have lived here. There were great claps of thunder also. All in all, with the roar of the creek close by, the sound and sight is beautiful beyond measure. The sheep are perhaps not … Continue reading Molesworth (Very)Rainy Day

I bought myself a present a week or two ago (it had been my birthday after all) - a lovely 5kg box of best quality dark chocolate buttons (Chocolat de Couverture Noir). Bliss. Not to be resisted either was a 1.6kg box of chocolate batons. Last evening, time for a little chocolate play. A piece … Continue reading Chocolate Time!

It's taken about 4 days in all, just grabbing a bit of time here and there to do this.Our lime tree bears prolifically, but there were a number of tiny ripe limes left in a bowl. What to do with them? Hmmm - couldn't be bothered with making lime cordial by the usual method (grate … Continue reading Fresh Limes – a little bit little

My goodness, seems I must have missed preserving over the last couple of months. Really on a preserving rhubarb high here. Today presented the opportunity to incorporate some of yesterday's preserved rhubarb into various dishes. For the morning tea platter, a rhubarb tart of sorts. A butter sponge flan base, brushed lightly with chocolate ganache, … Continue reading The Rhubarb Saga continues ………

Now ain't that a pretty sight? Fourteen jars of rhubarb almost ready for the preserver, just need to have their clips put in place. So colourful. Of course I know the rhubarb could have been stacked in the jars more neatly (I used to be more fastidious about that in the past), but it's all … Continue reading Rhubarb continued…

"There's a bit of rhubarb there if you would like to pick it." said kind son-in-law yesterday. "You can take it all." More than a little bit, loads. Fantastic! Into the preserving bottles it will go today. Preserved rhubarb is so delicious, one of my favourites. It will be used for breakfasts (with cereal and … Continue reading The Rhubarb of Spring

And so ... back to the air fryer experimentation, it's been a while unfortunately. I'd been very dubious about cooking a roast, how good could it be minus the lovely lashings of fat (oil) that ensures crispy roast vegetables, most especially potatoes? As the meal was just for the two of us, instead of a … Continue reading Air Fryer Experimentation continues ….

The apricot jam ran out, oh no!!   Actually it's not a great problem as last summer I stewed some ripe apricots and bottled them.   They'd held their colour well, and in a comparative trice the jam was made, just add sugar and boil for a bit.   Once you start, you know how … Continue reading When the unthinkable happens – the Jam Runs out!

I approached with significant skepticism the cooking of (homemade) chicken schnitzel in my new air fryer. Surely it wasn't possible that they could live up to the regular version - that is, shallow pan fried in a little olive oil. Wrong, I admit I was so wrong. The chicken breast meat was moist and delicious … Continue reading Air Fryer Schnitzel