A Gourmet Cook: Only on Wednesday!

A day of good cooking yesterday. Firstly the gluten free chocolate cake that I often make. It is such an unattractive cake, fortunately it tastes pretty good.

Secondly a chicken pie. This is a good one as it can use frozen chicken. If like me you only think about dinner fairly late in the piece then this is handy.... I do not thaw chicken out of the fridge so this method is good.

Take frozen chicken and poach in a pot of water with herbs and leeks/onion. Once cooked, remove bouquet garni if used , bay leaves etc. Remove chicken and cut. Strain the liquid and retain some. Add some flour (premixed into a paste) with a little milk. Put back on the stove and stir in an attempt to make a white sauce. Pour over chicken. Add mushrooms/frozen veg whatever. Cover with pastry and bake in the oven. The inspiration for this recipe came from an old "Better Homes and Gardens" magazine I had. They made individual chicken pies and topped with a herb dough (scone mixture) and then baked.

Master of the House.

Winter Water.

One night away in the middle of Winter. Digging, paddling and water.

Holiday Reading.

I am hosting bookclub here next week and as the host have to provide some new books for the collection.

I have read these two books, "Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married" and "Vintage Alice".

Two books randomly chosen and bought months apart. Two books that had the same theme; young girl works in dull job and is short of cash. Horrible boyfriend. Meets knight in shining armour. Description of London at its coldest and dirtiest. Let me just say, not books that offer lovely escapes or joy to read. I must take more time in my selection in future.

In the Kitchen.

A new pot that can brown food on the stove and then go to the oven to cook delicious things!

Salad spoons from Aunty L. who brought these back from Fiji for me.

Caramel Shortbread.

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/2009/07/caramel-shortbread.html

This blog has excellent recipes, and today I am making the caramel shortbread.

Trust me, the recipe looks good. I have already tried her choc chip cookies.....

View from the Kitchen.

More blue really, lovely irises that my mother brought to us yesterday.

A Day of Blues.

Lavender from the garden and blueberry muffins.

I just added a tin of drained blueberries to a basic cupcake recipe. I find that a cupcake recipe is nicer than a muffin mix.

Bread and Butter Pudding.

Bread and Butter Pudding:

About 8 slices of raisin bread (buttered and crusts removed for a nicer pudding.)

Mix a custard-4 eggs and 500mL milk with a sprinkling of sugar.

Pour over and let sit for 30 minutes.

Bake in a bain marie for 40 minutes -ish.

For a yummy twist: pour over some blueberries (tinned best as they are very moist) and glaze the pudding with lime marmalade before baking.

Sydney's Weather.

The weather changed within minutes on our Sunday outing into Sydney.

The Perfumed Promenade.

A recent Sunday outing to the Promenade. There was such a lovely perfume in the air.

Passing By.

Husband E has been in the U.K. and left home last Saturday afternoon. His Aunt only has hours left now as she has liver cancer. Three weeks ago she was tending to her garden and caring for a friend. She has lead a rich life and knows that her next stop is heaven.

We have been thinking of all the lovely times spent with her as we stayed with her in England and she has come out here (her country of birth) often. The Lake house is hers and is her favourite place.

A year and a bit ago, we celebrated her 80th birthday. Much fun, with purple everywhere. She died her hair purple for the occasion and painted her finger nails purple.

Her neighbours in England have been so wonderful and have helped all our family who have gone to be with her.

Healthy Action 3.

Green Tea.

Healthy Action 2.

Rolled oats and nuts for breakfast.

Healthy Action 1.

OK, the scales are not happy.

Healthy Action 1: Change to child sized portions at dinner time as invariably I end up finishing little childrens' dinners.......Dish up a small portion of dinner for the following day's lunch. This is the first step!

Looking.

This green juice is spinach, apple, carrot, ginger and açai berries. The above library bag is for 7 year old daughter.