mosaic road

Soup, Glorious Meatball Soup.

Warming and perfect for a winter weekend is this incredibly easy Meatball and Rice Soup. It is healthy and filling and versatile. Versatility in a recipe is what I always look for. I use a recipe as a blue print and then add or substitute as I go. Admittedly that's where things can become a little hit and miss or even undone ! Also I am often rushing which never helps if perfect presentation is required . A case in point is this soup recipe as it says to make the meatballs the size of hazelnuts. Well as you can see my meatballs look like hazelnuts on growth hormone and raggedy ones at that. Luckily I love the rustic look.

A Rustic Scene

This is just one of the pretty sights seen by daughter21 as she walks to work each day, 30 minutes through the Cornish fields. If only I could see such sights on my way to work. She says the horses whinny as she passes, saying hello. I am sure  if I could walk through the countryside each day to work I would face my job in a different frame of mind. No traffic snarls, no blaring horns - just pastures and ponies. lucky her !!!

A Non-Event for Me.

Whilst everyone is waxing lyrical left, right and centre, staying up late, buying big screen tv's and hanging flags from their cars, I find it hard to summon much interest in this event. Call me a pleb, make me a social outcast but come what may, I just find it hard to understand the frenzy surrounding this sport. I did love Bend it Like Beckham and I certainly admire sporting prowess but ball sports just come in low on my list of interests. The sports that I am keen on are swimming and er, sorry but that may be the extent of it !!!  Can Masterchef be considered a sport ?? I do follow keenly the Olympic and Commonwealth Games though and look forward to India hosting the Comm Games later in the year.

Blancmange, but not with chicken !

This delicious dessert originated in the Middle Ages and was made with chicken or capon. Today there is still a Turkish version made with shredded chicken. I grew up with a sweetened version, sans chicken. I can't, in my mind. quite come to grips with "chicken custard". The blancmange I made yesterday was a perfect success story, although the cooking technique was a little different and not one that originated in the Middle Ages, that's for sure !! I used 5 cups of skim milk, 1 cup of raw sugar, 1 cup  of flour, a knob of butter and almond essence - all dumped in big pot. When stirred together, boiling and just thickening, it goes into a  food processor for 15 minutes !  Then pour it into a dish to set. What a delicious and great way to bring this culinary aspect of the Middle Ages into the 21st Century !!

Delicious and Nutritious

Last night we really needed a quick meal. Scrambled eggs with feta mixed through them plus less than a handful of crispy bacon, added just before serving, was the perfect answer. Nothing could be quicker and eggs are much maligned but so good for you, in moderation , of course. I actually could eat this meal most nights of the week but rarely think of it as eggs are labeled "breakfast" in my mind. Note to self here, change mindset !!!

On a Countdown !

Two weeks to go till I depart for a short but tropical sojourn. Daughter18 and I and a friend of mine will make up a vacationing trio, enjoying the delights of Vanuatu. It will be with enormous delight that I depart wintry Melbourne and spend 6 days thinking and doing very little. I may paddle in the shallows, I will certainly turn the pages of a novel or two and I will languish languidly in the infinity pool. As for thoughts, well, I may well pass a brief thought for those left freezing at home. It will only be a brief one though, maybe between sips of my evening cocktail or maybe as I wake, knowing it will be 27 degrees and hot and balmy all day long.

LAST NIGHT AT THE SUPERMARKET - I walked up to Coles at about 5.30 in the early dark just to get a few items. I had collected most of my groceries when the whole place was plunged into darkness. It was eerie, spooky and a bit nerve wracking to be in such a huge, dark place with a whole lot of strangers, weirdly lit up by a few cash registers. I headed to the checkout where some aisles were open and some had shut down . I just got through in the nick of time as after my transaction the girl said her program was about to crash. As I walked home all the street lights were out and it was black and cold. I was in a slight panic thinking there may well be no electricity at my house which would mean most importantly no heating !!! What I was glad about was that we were having salad for dinner - no electricity needed !!

Baboushka Doll Measuring Cups

Baboushka dolls really are 'flavour of the month' if not the year. I see them on everything - tea towels, aprons, earrings, charm bracelets, cushions etc etc. Here they are in all their glory as the cutest set of measuring cups imaginable. There are lots of babies of differing sizes in this mama, almost too nice to use !!

Cardamon Apple

Here is a gorgeous little concoction that is so, so easy to do. Cook apples with a weeny bit of water and sugar, also add some lemon juice. Puree roughly with a stick blender, adding a very generous sprinkle of cardamon beforehand. This makes a delicious bowl of fruit that can be eaten alone or added to muesli or used in a pie or crumble or cake or added to rice pudding. Swirl it with berries or plums or rhubarb for a ruby dessert and crown with a snowy peak of cream to make a reasonably healthy treat in a bowl.

Gardening Advice Needed !!

I still have lots of green peppers on the plants but they are little and the days are bleak and cold now. What to do ? Do I pick them ? I can easily cook with them even though they are just babies. Do I pull out the plants then or do I live in hope that there will be further growth, which I seriously doubt seeing winter is upon us.