Peach and Nectarine Relish

I found a recipe for a Peach and Nectarine Relish a couple of years ago. I clipped out the recipe and put it away until the stone fruit season. When the season came around I could not find the recipe anywhere.

2 years later I found the recipe tucked into a 'safe' place in a hand written recipe book.

Ready in the pot

Just as I expected this is just delicious. Great on chicken, cheese anything - just fabulous.

Great as a gift

So colourful

This salad is one of my favourites. Just had to photograph it as it looks so good.

Houses on Coochiemudlo

On the recent Coochie sojourn we walked almost the whole island. The houses were a delight. I didn't expect so many pretty houses and gardens.

Nestled into the trees

More modern house

Lovely bottlebrush

Lovely Queenslander

Even attics

I loved this one

A very grand Dame

We did hear that this building is going to be a hotel. On one of our walks we saw a sign again a wall of a house that said 'No hotel for Coochie'. Will be interesting to see what happens here.

Love the fence

If you look carefully, the top of the fence it cut to look like waves.

Traditional colours

Looks lovely in it's setting

Weeds to the rescue

Summer in Brisbane is not the time to invest money on cut flowers. They barely last a few days. A potted flowering plant is a better option.

However I have been using the flowers 'I find' on the footpaths - thanks to the council's flowering tree programme, and just stuff in my garden.

My friend R gave me a russian tarragon plant. Smells good looks good and is useless for cooking - only the french one will do for me. It doesn't grow here so have to be content with dried.
However -

Looks great in jug in the kitchen

I follow a blog called 'Slim Paley'. Recently she travelled to Patagonia and there was a vase of flowers in one of her images like this:

I thought they were weeds

I have lots of this growing in my garden. I leave some as the flowers give colour but often I pull them out. This is how the flowers were arranged and placed on a table in a very lovely hotel.

Now seen in a different light

The following is not a weed, but in the found and discovered concept - the terrarium was found on the side of the road on my way home a couple of weeks ago.

No damage

I bought a little maiden hair fern for it.

Inexpensive delight

I have used chive flowers previously in my decor and lots of dried berries and shells. I am going to open my mind to lots more options so save money on cut flowers.
Flowers give a house a feeling of home.

A big cooking week

It all started when Nev bought over a packet of bread and pizza flour. I decided to bite the bullet and experiment with 'yeast' cooking.
I tried this once in the 60's and was so discouraged with the result I didn't try again.

I started with a yeast pastry and made a salami and eggplant torte.

Looks amazing

I was so excited with the look of the finished product I didn't want to cut it.

Lovely layers

This will be great for a picnic

The next night I made a pizza. I used to make pizza for the boys when they were young on a savoury scone dough. This time I used the yeast.

Ready for the oven

Yes I ate half

The base was a little too think for me but G said it was good for him. He also liked the pastry on the torte.
On a roll - the next day I made my first ever Focaccia.

Olive and rosemary

This was wonderful

I have eaten it hot and fresh, toasted with tomato and cheese, and then yesterday I made croutons with it to put in a salad with goats cheese. This is going to be a staple for me.

Anzac biscuits

I will take some of these to the Historical Society meeting on Tuesday night. I made them with shredded coconut instead of dessicated and it worked just as well.

I saw a Greek walnut cake being made on MKR on Wednesday night and decided to find a recipe. I remembered the Greek cook book that I won at a Panyiri Festival one year for answering all of the correct ingredient for a particular recipe.

It needs 2 cups of walnuts

A lovely mixture

Another success

When the cake comes out of the oven it is soaked in a sugar syrup flavoured with lemon juice and cinnamon. There is nothing better that a syrup cake I have decided. I am serving this with yoghurt.  I will make another for a family lunch at Palm Beach next weekend.
A GOOD WEEK…...

Soothing walks on Coochiemudlo Island

Every afternoon of our little sojourn on Coochie we took a long walk. Firstly because we had just slept/read for approximately 3 hours and then had afternoon tea.
The next project was dinner and wine so had to do something in-between.

Built in the mid 1800's

This causeway was built through the mangroves to access a jetty and a sea pool. No signs of either left but the causeway is still solid.

Stone steps

These steps go down from the road to access the causeway and the track through the mangroves.

Walking track

This track was so lovely in the late afternoon. So cool and quiet with the smell of the sea and mangroves.

Golf course

Each time we walked near or on the gold course there were people playing in the afternoons. So relaxing to watch them in such a lovely quiet setting.

View from Red Rock

This is called Red Rock. From the water it is a high cliff face in the Redlands area RED soil and rock. This shot was take from the top at low tide.

The tide was way out in the afternoons while we were there. We walk around the perimeter as far as we could go in the space of 4 days.

A short break on Coochiemudlo Island

C and I decided that we should have a swimming in the ocean, walking, relaxing holiday before the cold weather comes.
Coochiemudlo fitted with our budget and C could bring 'Val' the dog. He is a very good holiday companion. Always ready for a swim a walk or a little lie down in the afternoons.

The car ferry

It is not a long trip

The 'Cow House' was a little scary. Everywhere there were cow cushions, ornaments etc.

This was the signal that we were in the right place

Yes, we knew it was a 'cow obsessed' place that we stayed. But it was in the budget. After a while we were so relaxed we didn't notice. In the end I took very few pictures of the house.

A little example of the decor

Val on the couch

Yes i know 'on the couch', but really - it was purple plastic. What could he do to make it worse. Surprisingly it was comfortable! Note the cow cushions.
My room had 52 images of ornaments, cushions, fluffy toys in either the shape of a cow or a gerbra. The curtains had giant orange pom pom fringe.

This is where we ate breakfast and lunch

Cow print on the railings and up the posts.

The only bowls that were not cow print

The best paintings were on the outside wall

Yes - on the outside wall

Our private beach- Morwong Beach

The water was cool and fabulous.

We swam for over an hour every day, walking to and from the beach. After lunch we slept and read for a few hours and then walked for at least another hour in the cool of the afternoon.
All in all a wonderful relaxing break.
As usual we prepared all of our food ahead each doing a prepared menu.

Polenta

I really love polenta. Excellent comfort food. I am planning to make it often this winter. Especially with cheese and parsley. I also want to try it with blue cheese.

Cold ready for cutting into shapes

I love it cut into diamond shapes but have a problem working this out. Intricate math problems are not my strong point.

Assorted shapes

Fried in olive oil and butter it can't help but taste good. I will work on the even shape thingie. I think that I could eat this with just a salad. But of course delicious with braised beef cheeks, Osso Bucco, or any slow braised meat with lots of gravy.

Looking forward to cooler evenings.