Here at sunny Molesworth the wattles are blooming, such a beautiful sight. Every which way you look, up the road and down and everywhere all around, there's a blaze of bright yellow flowers, simply stunning.    

Here are the two recipes requested from tis morning's Jams and Preserves talkback:  Spiced Pumpkin Soup and from listener Suzanne, Pickled Jerusalem Artichokes. Spiced Pumpkin Soup with coconut cream (Recipe from "A Kitchen in the Valley".) Serves 6 2 teaspoons coconut oil or olive oil 1 large onion, diced 900g pumpkin flesh, cut into 2cm … Continue reading Recipes from today’s ABC talkback

What do you do when you are trying to write an article and the words just won't come together? Bake, experiment with food - hopefully this will kick my brain into gear. Brinjal (eggplant) recipe first and a plan for some over-salted salami, both of these experimental. Only time will tell how they will turn … Continue reading Cooking to Cure Writer’s Block??

Going bananas here. Found a bagful of over-ripe specimens on a specials table at a fruit market. First - a banana cake for the Wednesday morning tea platter. Cream cheese icing of course, but a bit rich for some maybe? Therefore drizzled it with some preserved passionfruit pulp to counteract that factor. As for the … Continue reading Bananas!

The inaugural Literary High Tea was held yesterday afternoon in New Norfolk at Glen Derwent colonial property. Much respected Meg Keneally was the guest author. During her excellent presentation, she related true stories of a number of convict characters, with a special focus on Mary Bryant. She also spoke about (my personal favourite convict) William … Continue reading Inaugural Literary High Tea at Glen Derwent

Very pretty here this morning at Molesworth in the sunny spells between showers. Love the way the raindrops cling to the tree outside the kitchen window. Dear old Tom makes the most of the warmth in the armchair on the verandah. Not that he looks particularly pleased - he's perpetually cross these days. (I've had … Continue reading Molesworth morning

I've had lots of requests for the recipe, so here it is, that indestructible cake of yesterday's post: UPDATE!! - for toasted banana bread, just scrape off the icing and toast slices as usual. Oh my goodness - delicious, spread with butter, yum. For the future I won't ice the loaf, but will have it … Continue reading Banana Bread Recipe

Surely this must be one of the most indestructible cakes ever. In the absence of any biscuits or muffins to serve with a cup of tea, I quickly made up a recipe for a simple banana bread. I started it out in Hester, the wood-fired stove in the house. That oven decided to smoke, so … Continue reading The Indestructible Cake

Seems an age since I've posted anything. So for anyone who thinks I might have hung up my apron and gone AWOL from the kitchen, here's a little baking done this morning. For the Wednesday morning tea platter - carrot cupcakes with lemon/lime/tangelo cream cheese icing, sprinkled with with butter-infused toasted flaked almonds. There's bread … Continue reading A little baking on a chilly Molesworth morning

I have a space available in the Making and Baking Yeast Goods class this Saturday. Loads of bread and other yeasted goods to be made. Please contact me if you would like to book that place.