More cooking for pleasure

My friends R and S spent last weekend working moving their book shop to another location. I volunteered to make sunday night dinner as I knew that they would be exhausted.

I arrived just after the dogs had been walked and they had both had a good hot soak in the tub. Ready to eat.

I made celeriac remoulade to start.

This doesn't look good to start with

But when grated, plunged in boiling salted lemon water for 2 minutes and then mixed with mayonaise flavoured with mustard, parsley, red wine vinegar and a polish dill pickle it is wonderful.

Lots of grating, plunge in boiling water and then dry

Left overs made a lovely lunch

Lasagne is always a favourite and can be prepared way ahead.

Ultimate comfort food-lasagne

R loves a dessert. I have never cooked with quinces before and they are always eager to try my new recipes.

Preparing the quinces

I was nervous making the syrup

Keeping the pieces whole while making a syrup

But it all turned out well

Excellent with yoghurt

I have also just made my orange syrup cake for a dinner tonight at my neighbour C's house. Her neighbours are off on another European jaunt for 2 months so we will be wishing them well with good food and wine - fun times ahead.

Again served with yoghurt

Autumn mornings

The sun has been shining and the skies are so blue. I have been having breakfast on the back patio to sit in the early sun. Not something that we can do here in Brisbane most of the year - it is just too hot.

I made my breakfast and went back inside to get a napkin and something to read and found this bird trying to eat my food.

Not at all concerned when I caught him out

He just sat and stared at me and when I sat down just moved a little.

Moved to the chair to wait for snacks

The cats were too busy sun baking to worry about a bird on the table.

Two cats on a mat

The start of minestrone

I used some left over speck, bacon rinds and end of the leg of ham from Christmas. Grand daughter G had to cut the end off the ham bone so that it would fit in the oven.

Such a lovely lunch

I stir a big spoonful of pesto through the soup and top with parmesan.

My flowers are lasting well because of the cooler weather.

Cheap and cheerful

I cooked pickled pigs trotters this week, and made them into a brawn. I remember pigs trotters from my childhood. I just love them.

Lovely with a polish dill pickle

My next food experiment is with quinces.

New Recipes and a Sunday lunch

The cooler weather really inspires me to try new recipes.

I decided to try pork rilettes. A very french peasant dish I imagine was devised to use up the fat belly pork. It is cut into small pieces and popped in the oven for 3 hours with garlic, bay leaf and a big sprig of thyme, plus half a cup of water.

All cut up

Then blended together and then traditionally put in bottles and bought out to be served with hot toast and cornichons.

Served like this

A good pot full

My sons call this the 'pate pot'. We always used this for chicken liver pate their favourite snack. The recipe was a perfect fit for the 'pot'.

Bendigo Pottery

This was purchased from the pottery direct in the early 1980's.
We had the rilettes for lunch when son M and daughter in law C visited. I also made a 'salt cake'.

This has feta and yoghurt in it

A savoury cake that I have wanted to make for a couple of years.

Served with tomatoes

This was very popular.

We also had salad

Neighbour's flowers cheered up the kitchen