It is raining today. What in Europe is called a soft grey day. Not the usual sub-tropical downpour that comes with a blast and goes quickly. The ocean looks a lake in Switzerland on 'a soft grey day'.
This is the slowest quietest day that we have had since arriving in mid August last year. Almost feels too decadent. I finished my latest book, made Asian chicken soup and not much else.
We are always on the go with cooking, laundry, general cleaning, gardening, and renovations to the Tina Ave house and apartment. Not to mention the shopping for building materials and food, that all has to be carried to the ferry then off and home. No wonder we get tired by early evening.
On Easter Sunday Libby and Arabella came out for lunch. I cooked roast lamb with an assortment of vegetable dishes.
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| Italian Easter pie |
I make this every year. I love it.
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| Cheese, egg and flakey pastry |
What is not to love with this combination.Simone at Pretty Produce gave us some lovely egg plants just before the Easter break as they would be too large for her restaurant customers after the long weekend.
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| Straight from the garden |
I roasted these on the bar b que and made my favourite honey and harissa eggplant dish
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| Honey,spices,garlic and ginger |
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| Baker's potato |
That is the English translation. Such a forgiving dish when feeding a crowd. Make it bake it take it out of the oven when you need space for something else then just pop it in again. It doesn't mind at all. Left overs taste just as good, when ever there is any.
The stuffed zucchini's are another good stand by dish. So easy to prepare ahead and they don't mind waiting around. The beans are another favourite. Blanch, roll in slightly cooked bacon make the sauce and pop under the grill at the last minute.
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| Arabella had a good day |
She says coming over the water in a ferry to an island is 'leaving Australia'.
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| Vegetable Tagine |
This is a good dish to use up the remains of a pumpkin and sweet potato
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| Blossoms on our apple tree |
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| Rosella flowers |
Pretty Produce invited us to pick rosella's last week. We picked the largest once from the bushes. They only use the leaves for the sour salad leaf mix. If the flowers are cut more young leaves will grow.
I made 10 pots of jam. I have never made this before but remembered the flavour from Slack's Creek.
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| This will be great with scones |
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| Mark calls him Flea bus |
I love the way this cat has taken to Mark. He waits for him to come home like a dog would. From our gate he can see down 2 streets so he has the best view.
This little cat has the loveliest expression.
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| Vegetable soup |
When you don't have easy access to a supermarket etc you learn to be creative with what you have. Vegetable soup is always a good way to use up everything in the bottom of the crisper.
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| Retro garage sale buy |
We went to a garage sale on the island. Jonelle bought a queen sized bed for the apartment for $50 - in excellent clean condition. I bought these for Mark for $5 each plus a brand new ice-cream maker for $15.
On the way home on the ferry on Saturday I saw that most boast I have ever seen fishing and pawning. This photo really doesn't do the scene justice. It was amazing.
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| Saturday's fishermen |
