Time of reckoning this morning - would the loaves come out of the jars and what about the texture and taste? Getting the bread put the jar was simple, no problem at all. The texture was good and it tastes delicious, albeit a little 'yeastier' than usual, but not too much. It made wonderful toast … Continue reading The Bread that the Preserver Cooked

Well, what do you know! It actually worked, despite the overflowing of the dough. After the excess had oozed out, the jars sealed as usual. The loaves appear to be light and fluffy and none the worse for wear for their slight over-yeasting. I am very pleased indeed - this idea and method has great … Continue reading Surprising Success

Sleepover with Charly and Jacob last night, great fun. Charly and I talked and planned for some baking this morning - much discussion until 11pm. We decided to cook the cakes in the old wood fired stove, Carmichael. What a difference in texture it makes to the cakes, compared to when they are baked in … Continue reading Sunday Morning Baking

Finally, finally today the grass dried out enough (well, almost) to make it feasible to do the mowing. I was hoping the resident mowers (aka our 6 sheep) would come to the rescue, but with full bellies and a complacent look in their eye after eating a large amount of leaves from the olive tree, … Continue reading Grass, raspberries and freezer garden gooseberries

So here we are, back home from a ten day cruise. I always thought such travel would be more than a little boring, but we had a wow of a time. After all, what's not to like about total relaxation, incredibly beautiful ocean and being waited on hand and foot? Then of course more food … Continue reading Just Cruisin’

Lots, lots, lots of paperwork to do, but meanwhile I'm at last, and at the same time, finishing off the green tomato chutney. Only trouble is that I've lost concentration and caught it twice. I wonder if the apricot jam's 6 fork trick would work. I find this chutney is inclined to catch at the … Continue reading Chilly Day

Lovely misty morning here - how good is it to see everything turning green again? Can but hope that the rain will continue. Here are a couple of photos from the front deck this morning - old Tom in the dog's bed surveying his domain, and the chooks and ducks contentedly foraging their way around … Continue reading Misty Day at Molesworth

Fun in the (Mother and Daughter) cooking class this morning. From rustic apple tarts to pretty stars and fun Kiss biscuits, through to beautiful hearts and butterflies. In the theme of pink, there were savouries of salmon sausage rolls, salmon pate with buckwheat blinis and plenty of smoked salmon of course. Oh yes, and ham … Continue reading Mother and Daughter class

Meanwhile,as the pets peacefully slept, it seemed like a good idea to use up leftovers in the fridge. I had thought it was a good idea to freeze labna. It seemed fine, and it would save having to use all that olive oil to cover them. Defrosted a container, went to ball it up and … Continue reading Rainy day play – leftovers

Best indicators of rainy weather on the way are twofold. Firstly, and not at all pleasantly, are Huntsman spiders, one of which shared, uninvited, my shower this morning. The other is old Tom the ex-feral. Most days he loves to sleep in the dog's bed on the front verandah surveying the paddocks in front of … Continue reading When rain is on the way