I Feel the Need...

... the need for CHEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!

I shall start by confessing that the idea for this blog was hatched in my head yesterday morning, but now I'm not really in a cheerful and chatty mood because one of my beloved furry kitty children is missing. He didn't come home last night and based on his normal behaviour, that means that something is deeply wrong. I'm staying hopeful that he will come home, but in the meantime, you can imagine that I'm in a really heart sore state. It's times like these though that the subject of my blog can be eerily accurate.

You see, when you're sad or miserable or even just had a crappy day, there is nothing quite like a bit of comfort food and if you were raised in the Western World, a "go to" comfort food is Mac & Cheese! I mean, if you live in India, it'll most likely be something else (most likely involving curry) and in the rain forests of the Amazon it may be bat or bug, but for most of us... mac & cheese! Now, there are many perfectly good "cheats" out there... microwave meals that will get you comfort in mere minutes, but if you have the time... I highly recommend making this one from scratch. Yeah, I know... I'm confusing you all, but I said you could cheat, I didn't say you always should :-)

Now... I'm not going to tell you how to boil pasta. At least, not today. I'm fairly sure that there's an entire blog in that one! So - suffice it to say that you should boil pasta and don't underestimate things and only cook a small amount... you're going to want a second helping (and possibly a third!). So while the past is cooking you need to gather your cheeses of choice. I say "cheeses" because although this can be made with just one cheese - a strong cheddar for example - it is far more fun to play with the flavour and use more than one. I confess (reference store cupboard cooking) that I don't keep varieties of cheese in my fridge, so I bought some specially. I can't really afford some of the more exotic cheeses, but you should experiment with your favourites and try some new flavours and you could be very surprised at the result. I already had cheddar (the big red thing), so I bought some mozzarella (the pale stuff) and a teeny tiny bit of blue. It's pre-packed small like that for lunchboxes and picnics, but works just as well for only needing a tiny bit for cooking :-). NOT pictured is the cream cheese. He was particularly shy and lurked out of camera shot... mostly because he was too heavily branded to appear in the shot!

Now you start your sauce by making a basic roux. What? No. Not a baby kangaroo.... Unless you are a kangaroo yourself and are married to a kangaroo, there is no way you could make a baby kangaroo. And certainly not in your kitchen... with cheese. NO - I will NOT entertain the idea of a turkey baster.... Do you mind if I climb out of the hole of kangaroo genetics and head back to the kitchen? Oh thank you. So as I was saying... you start with a roux. This is flour and butter (or marg or oil). Melt the butter in a pot and stir in some flour until you have a thick paste. Now start adding milk to the mix until your paste has become a thick sauce. Now, you add your grated cheese while keeping the mix on a low heat and stirring continuously. I used about 200g of plain cream cheese to add some richness, about 10g of blue cheese to add a bit of tang and "lots" of cheddar and mozzarella. For the quantity I was making, I also added 1.5 - 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard as well as black pepper and salt to taste.

By now, your pasta should be cooked (but if not, it's not serious... just wait for it to get done). Drain it and then stir the sauce into the pasta (not the other way around, just in case you have too much sauce and not enough pasta lol). Then transfer this to your ovenproof dish of choice, coat liberally with cheese and oven bake for 20 - 40 minutes or until the cheese is a bubbly golden brown.

Now - there are some fun things you can add to this dish. You can fry up some chopped up onions and bacon and mushrooms and stir that into the mix. You could add just about anything to the dish to turn it into a solid and filling meal. Personally though I think that it's good just the way it is.

Unfortunately, it was sooooo good, that it's all gone now. I had some and shared some with my folks and I have to confess that I definitely didn't make enough :-) So. As I don't have any comfort food here to see me through my worry, I'll settle instead for a cup of hot chocolate drunk next to a crackling fire!

Until next time...

Cheat 'n Eat

This isn't a commentary on diets and eating plans, nor is it a suggestion that you go out for dinner with partners other than your own... Far from it. In fact this is about it being ok to "cheat" to get to the food you want to eat :-) The idea came from Ruby, although indirectly to be honest. You see, she has this itty bitty wand with bigga lotta power and when she feels like it - which she often does - she uses her awesome powers to grant me shortcuts around the kitchen! No, unfortunately it isn't as spectacular as going to sleep with the kitchen looking like a bomb hit it and waking up to a perfect and sparkling one. What she does is make sure that stubborn, baked on food washes off quickly or she stops the oil from spattering all over the stove. Little things that make a big difference!

It got me thinking about cooking and shortcuts in the pursuit of food. Let's be honest... unless you're home like Miss Twinset or have staff like the Other One, the chances are that many of us are out at work all day and coming home hungry and hurried. Yes, I can cook a meal from scratch, but if there are shortcuts that exist... why not use them to cut down on the time it takes to get rid of the "hungry" part of my day? Before you all gasp in horror... I'm not suggesting that we live on take-away food (although there is some good stuff out there), what I'm suggesting is that we make use of all those wonderful cook-in sauces & premixed packs (you know the ones... just add 400g of chicken, some milk and an onion). Even frozen pastry or oven chips are a shortcut to getting a meal done!

You see, a real chef would tell you that you should make pastry from scratch because it's simple and it tastes better, but it also takes a while! Yes, you could peel potatoes and cut them up into chips, but that also takes time. When you need to get a hot, tasty meal on the table, there is nothing to stop you from making use of these "time saving devices". Yes - technically it's cheating - but it works!

So - thanks to a mischievous and mostly good natured red sparkly kitchen fairy - the "Cheat" is officially on the list of things TO DO!!

Until next time...

A Wonderful Winter Warmer!

It's a truth that cannot be denied... I am a Winter person! Now, I can hear many of you poo pooing the idea... (What? Of course I can say that. It's a real saying and nothing to do with something yucky and deeply personal... go back to your martini and be quiet)... where was I? Oh yes, with many of you not agreeing with me. You see, I don't like being too hot and after all, even if you're starkers, you can still be totally too hot! Not. That. I. Will. Be. Getting. Starkers. I'm sure that some well-meaning nature types may try to protect the rare albino specimen that will be my untanned self!! But enough about that. Basically, in Winter, you can always grab a warmer jumper (sweater) or sit next to a roaring fire and then there's all the yummy food and drink... like hot chocolate and mulled wine - that got the Other One's attention! Even with rain or snow, it's a far more personally comfortable time of year, but that's just me. If you're a Summer person, you'll have a whole slew of reasons why that is and that is good too. For the record... I like ice-cream in Winter 'cos it doesn't melt so fast :-)

Anyway, this wasn't just an opportunity for me to tell you dodgy personal things or my theories on weather, but actually about food. In particular, a particularly good Winter Warmer that you'll always find in our home throughout the season. Hearty Vegetable Soup! Now... there are some cooking shows that will claim that you can make this by using up whatever is in the crisper of your fridge, but I can tell you for free that I wouldn't recommend trying it with the contents of MY crisper (chocolate, garlic butter and an ostrich egg. It's a long story. No. I said no.). To be honest, I use up my veg for my meals or I freeze the extras, but if you're the kind of person (yes YOU Miss Twinset... I've seen your OCD fridge!) that regularly has these things in your fridge, you'll save yourself the step of going out to buy the ingredients (or defrosting them). For the rest of us and in particular, the Other One, we'll need to go and buy the ingredients. Now, as you can see, they don't look like much, but for those of you who know the story of "stone soup", you'll know that you can make a lot with very little. In particular, we're going to make a delicious and nutritious meal out of just the simple ingredients you see above. Yes, you could use celery instead of the celery leaves, but it's all the same in the end.

What you need to do is peel and chop all the veggies to about the same size. I'm not suggesting that you measure them and draw attention to the under-achieving bits, but as long as they're roughly the same size then it'll all cook at the same speed. Heat up a little oil in a large pot and start by frying the onion. How large? Well, my darling Miss T, that depends on how much soup you intend to make... I use a 5litre pot and make about half. Now, back to the onions. You want them to be "sweated down", but as my Dad often says... if it's brown it's ok, if it's black ... it's buggered! So preferably, before they get brown and definitely before they go black! When the onions are ready, add the carrots, potato, turnip etc and fry them up for a bit. Add the tomato towards the end of your frying period and don't worry if the veg are still crunchy. After all, it's a soup and you're going to be cooking it a bit to get all the flavour to mature (and to give the veg time to soften lol).

Now at this point, it's important for me to make sure that the Other One doesn't chuck a quart of vodka into the pot. I know that many soups and stews incorporate alcohol and I have every intention of trying a few this season, but vodka is NOT an ingredient in my veg soup... although I'm touched that she was willing to sacrifice some of her stock for my meal :-) Anyway. While the veggies have been frying, you need to prepare your stock. You can use fresh or powdered - whatever you prefer. In fact, you can choose beef stock or chicken stock or vegetable stock according to your personal taste. I use a veg stock cube infused with olive oil and black pepper and mix (roughly) as per directions. Pour this into the pot and add tomato paste which will enhance the taste and give it a great colour, along with fresh cracked black pepper, seasoned sea salt, garlic salt and any other herbs or spices that you'd like to add. Just remember that the flavour will mature as all the ingredients cook up, so don't over spice at the beginning of the cooking process! The final touch is to add the celery leaves (unless you used celery, in which case it's already in) and an ingredient that has recently been introduced to the recipe... corn! You can either cut corn off of a fresh cob or you can do like I do and buy a tin of fresh corn and chuck it in! Less clean up :-)

It's important to taste the soup regularly and add more salt or pepper if necessary and equally important to remember not to leave the soup to boil for too long. You bring it all to the boil and then turn the temperature down low and let it simmer gently for a few hours until the veg is soft and the soup is just right. You may ask what you can do while you're waiting for the soup to cook... well, with the Tipsy Tarts around, this is never a question I have to ask and I can almost guarantee it's going to involve alcohol in some form or other. In Winter, a great red wine is never far from Miss Twinset's hands, although she likes to indulge in a warming sherry (or 10). The Other One swears by her spirits (and not the ones that go bump in the night), but she's intrigued by other options like Gluhwein or Irish coffee and the only way to get her to be quiet was to promise to try them with her... so keep a look out!

Ok, so when you've staggered from the drinking side of the kitchen back to the stove and discovered that the soup is ready, dish yourself a large bowl full, grab some home-made seed loaf and curl up next to a roaring fire. Enjoy a little Winter Warming!

Until next time....

From the Heart...

Brace yourselves ladies and gents... we're about to speed right past cooking and baking, detour around gardening and head to towards another of those skills that our Grandmothers kinda took for granted... Fortunately for me, I'm not going to have to explain this one from scratch thanks to the growing popularity of scrapbooking around the world. However, the skill I'm refering to isn't scrapbooking, it's the almost forgotten art of handmade cards.


According to historical records, it's claimed that the custom of sending greeting cards can be traced back to the ancient Chinese who exchanged messages to celebrate the New Year. By 1400, Germans are known to have printed New Year's greetings and by the mid 15th century Europeans were exchanging paper greeting cards and Valentine's. Of course, all this crafty creativity was headed for some industrialisation and by the 1850s printing had made mass produced cards cheaper and easier than the traditional handmade cards. Naturally, many of our Grandmothers still took the time to make their own cards as they had learned from their own Grandmothers and their patience was rewarded when by the 1990's consumers had started to hanker for the individuality of the handmade card... and that is where we come in :-)



In fairness to many of you, the topic of this blog may well be preaching to the choir (as it were), but I'm sure you'll bear with me... after all, there are still millions and millions of people who aren't interested in paper crafts of any kind - and I'm not even including tribes in the Amazon! I've also opted not to include the Tipsy Tarts... after all, Miss Twinset would be far too intense and the Other One - well - we've seen how she is with booze, so imagine how she'd be if she discovered glue?




Now, before I chucked them out for the day (reminding them that they have homes of their own to go to), Miss Twinset pointed out that you're able to buy handmade cards in most good stationery shops now. In fact, they're often really beautiful and well made. The point though is that even if they are handmade, they're usually made in some kind of quantity, which means that they're not 1 of a kind. If you make your own, you'll have the satisfaction not only of knowing that you're giving someone a card that is 100% unique, but the recipient will have the pleasure of knowing that you took the time to make them something that you thought they would like.


Take this birthday card for example... made for my Dad's birthday last year. I used a photocopy of a picture he had from his childhood. Backed onto white card, then chocolate brown card and finally onto grey card for a layered look and decorated simply with a skeleton leaf, 2 feathers and a glass bead. Other detail was achieved using gold leaf. The card was a hit, not only because it was meaningful to him (and featured a very handsome photo OF him), but because he knew that I had taken the time design and make this just for his birthday. There is no other card like it in the world and it made me feel great that he loved it :-)




















Now, of course, it's not only birthday's which are significant or special... there are also many other high days and holidays throughout the year and two of my favourites are Mother's Day and Father's Day... The reason why I love these holiday's in particular is because they're a celebration of only Mothers and Fathers and it's a great opportunity to say thank you to them for everything that they do all through the year.

Above are the cards I made for Mother's Day and Father's Day in 2010. Both of them feature things that my parents love and although they're simply designed, they took hours to make and I have to say, making them is so much fun! In fact, these cards are part of the gift from me :-)


Of course, yesterday (Sunday) was Mother's Day and it wouldn't be the same without a card, so here's a look at this years design...



















As you can see, I even included a tag that says "I love you"... just in case she didn't know :-) A little secret is that the tiny diamante crystals on the tag are actually from a nail decorating kit :-) I'm addicted to stationery and craft supplies, but I also think out of the box and the nail decor kit actually came with 10 different miniature decorations which will work fabulously on cards... so don't be afraid to try something different!


Our Grandmothers knew how to think creatively and how to make people feel special by taking the time to do something meaningful. They also understood that they didn't have to use expensive elements to make a beautiful card, in fact they were the original recyclers! As an example, they would use pictures from cigar boxes (which were often beautifully decorated). They also used bits of lace and ribbon that were left over from their own sewing projects, as well as buttons or beads that no longer had another purpose.

It's not about the money you spend on making the card... it's about taking the time to do something special for someone you love.



So... get creative and I promise that you'll find it rewarding!



Until next time...

Eggsactly!!

Greetings to all the other home cooks out there... I have to apologise for the silence of the past while... it isn't because I don't love you or love sharing with you anymore... it's a combination of 2 things... The first is something all us Kitchen Goddesses can relate to and that is the joy of spending time trying out new recipes and playing with old favourite ones. Of course, if you're in the kitchen, then you're unlikely to be sitting behind your laptop... The other problem that I've been facing is the dreaded ailment L.O.I. You'll be scratching your head and wondering what that is... Well, let me enlighten you... it's Lack Of Internet! I've been suffering ongoing issues with my wireless connection... which makes it hard to blog regularly!

Now, I promised in our last meeting to find something (anything) for The Other One to cook... This has been a big factor behind my kitchen safari's of the past few weeks... After all, things that the average person should be able to conquer with ease would most likely be far beyond her skillset. After all, she has staff for just about everything :-) Eventually, after I had paged through recipe book after recipe book and tried more than a dozen "simple" dishes, I came to the shocking conclusion that perhaps I should start by getting her to boil water! And then... when I had reached the end of my creative rope... inspiration struck. Hard. Hard boiled that is!

The humble egg! I had considered and rejected omelette's, poached eggs, scrambled eggs and even simple fried eggs as being too advanced for our dear lady, but a boiled egg... now that should be something that she could do. Surely? I may have been over-simplifying things of course... after all, it's not that easy to boil the perfect egg. In fact, if you google "How to boil an egg", you'll find that there are 7 360 000 results. From step by step instructions to video tutorials to advice from a thousand Grandmother's kitchen lore. Everyone has tips and tricks and it's much easier if you go and find the ones that make sense to you all by yourself. It's also true that I like my eggs hard boiled, so I can generally get away with letting them boil until there is absolutely no chance of some poor innocent bit of egg having found a way to hide from the awesome power of hot water!

Now though... let me fill you in on what happened the day we decided to teach The Other One how to "Boil an Egg". The day started much like any other, but when the Tipsy Tarts arrived, I knew I was in for a challenge. Miss Twinset had broken out her favourite yellow twinset, which she says is "sunny" but I feel was coloured in by demented toddlers with a set of highlighter pens. I swear that the space station could track her without any equipment at all when she wears it! However, she had worn it in honour of the eggs, so who was I to judge. Cooking in sunglasses is always tricky though... The other one had gone to the trouble of having her favourite designer "throw" together a cooking outfit for her, with the result that she looked rather like a stylish walking check floor with a glop of raw meringue on top. Instead of the usual "chef" outfit of pants and a simple white jacket, she was wearing a layered skirt in three different size checkered patterns. Above this, was a retro 80's blouse with more shoulder shelving than the whole cast of Dynasty put together. She'd had this customised with the words "Top Chic" and secreted away in the voluminous skirt was a secret pocket for her hip flask... Of course, I took that off her as soon as I'd finished putting her through the metal detector :-). Naturally, this wasn't the end of it... perched on her head was the most rediculous Toque (chef's hat) that you've ever seen. You see... the Toque dates back to the 16th century and interestingly enough, the traditional 100 folds are supposed to represent the 100 different ways that a Chef could prepare an egg (ironic huh?). It's even been suggested that in some kitchens the different heights would show your rank in the kitchen... well, if that was the case here, then she was definitely at the top of the totem pole! Unfortunately it did look rather like some giant had dropped some whipped cream or raw meringue onto her head and there was no way to improve it, especially as it started to flop like a limp soufflé. Tipping it back at a "rakish" angle simply made her look like an inflatable nun!

Naturally, sorting out this hideous wardrobe malfunction took more time than I had allowed for the whole adventure and then there was the issue of keeping her away from the booze while the driver went back for something more suitable (and not the glitzy cocktail number that she had told him to collect. I figured that the black silk pants and white blouse that I suggested would be better. She'd be pissed (but sober), but I'd deal with that later). Miss Twinset wasn't much help. Apart from the fact that she was a walking migraine alert, she kept slipping vodka into the orange juice I'd poured for The Other One. You can picture her drinking that neat fruit juice... she thought I was trying to kill her! I don't think she'd ever had neat fruit juice before and it was certainly a revelation. Of course, I then had to wipe down the walls where she spat it out, but in a way it was worth it :-)

So... with most of a morning gone and still forced to wear my shades in the kitchen for fear of being blinded by that twinset, I was ecstatic to see the driver holding the requested items and even happier when it only took 20 minutes and the promise of 1 great martini to get her to change into them. Finally we were able to approach the stove... me resigned to the challenge, her in a state of terror! The first step of course was to select "The Egg" and I was actually quite surprised when the first thing that the Other One asked was how she would know if it was a good egg or not. I was a tad concerned that she might be wondering if it was well behaved, but she surprised me by specifying that she wanted to know if it was good to eat. This is simple... place the egg into a bowl or glass and cover it with water... if the egg floats - it's BAD! The freshest eggs will stay at the very bottom of the bowl or glass.

So... having selected 3 perfect eggs, I had her place them into a pot and take them to the sink to cover them with water. It was then that I discovered that unless it involves booze, she's a bit challenged on the multi-tasking front. 10 minutes later, having stowed the mop, retrieved the pot and successfully picked out 3 more eggs, we decided it was easier to fill a jug at the sink and carefully carry it across to the stove to avoid a repeat demonstration that gravity is still in force. There was one thing that my Gran told me always to do when boiling eggs and that is to put a large silver serving spoon into the pot along with the eggs. Apparently this is to stop them from cracking and as they so rarely do, I'm inclined to believe her. Having added the spoon, the Other One turned the plate up to the required temperature and then? We waited.

Now, there are some people who claim that there are only 4 steps to boiling the "perfect egg". It's based on careful timing... 3 minutes of boiling, followed by 8 minutes of colling in the pot (off of the heat) before being cooled with fresh, cold water and then they're ready to be peeled. It's better to leave the eggs to cool in the fridge for 30 min, but only if you're patient. This method is supposed to prevent any grey or green ring from forming around the yolk (a sure indicator that the egg has been over-boiled). Personally I couldn't care less, but I can understand that it can be visually jarring if you're serving the eggs to guests. So.. the Other One dutifully set her egg timer and released from her booze-less restrictions, she was barely getting warmed up mixing her martini when it "dinged" (the timer, not the martini shaker). Glancing at me from time to time for reasurrance, she turned off the plate and moved the pot to a cold plate and reset the timer for 8 minutes. Of course, if you don't want to worry with timers and such, you could try this gadget which will change colour to tell you if you've got a soft boiled, medium boiled or hard boiled eggs. I haven't used it yet, but sometime soon.... Anyway, Miss Twinset was most of the way through a decent dry white by now and kept chirping instructions and suggestions, but the Other One had put herself completely in my hands and ignored her. Much to the Dayglo Diva's irritation I'm sure :-)

The Other One was so very proud of her achievement and when she had drained & dried the cooled eggs, I showed her how to peel them. She was stunned and it was then that I realised that although she'd eaten eggs in many forms, she'd most likely never seen one raw. I vowed right then and there not to tell her where eggs come from just yet... After all, who WAS the first person to see an egg come out of a chicken's "bum" and think... I'll eat that? I mean... seriously? Seriously! So... I then proceeded to crack a raw egg into a dish to show her how different it is from the boiled item. It was probably best that I hadn't started with this because a dish of clear snot with a weird yellow blob in it is hardly an easy sell to someone who only sees the finished product after her chef has had his wicked way with the ingredients!

We also discovered that although she could now boil an egg for herself, she didn't particularly enjoy boiled eggs, but it was a result none-the-less and I was satisfied that should she ever find herself in the unfortunate position of being staff-less, she wouldn't totally starve. If she were sober enough to find the kitchen.... :-) Anyway, several hours and martini's later, while she clutched a boiled (unpeeled) egg in her hand, she remarked that nature had supplied us with lunch boxes. After all, it was a tough exterior protecting a meal.... And although I had had a glass of wine or 3 by then, I found that on the whole, I couldn't fault her on that.

Until next time....

Julie and Julia...

It's quite amusing to see the different reactions when I tell people that "Julie and Julia" is one of my favourite movies... of course, some of the people I've said this to have never seen the movie, so of course their reactions are simple polite interest. Others have seen it and missed the point completely or hated it outright, so they cannot see why I would like it so much. The last group (for there tend generally to be 3 groups in all these kinds of stories) have seen the movie, have enjoyed the movie and almost all seem to think that my passion for the story stems from my desire to be the next "Julie" and have my blog conquer the world.... I'll admit, it would be an interesting ride and (in case the universe is listening) I wouldn't say no, but that's not why I love it so much. For the record, those who are close to me know that I love most movies, love cook and plan to conquer the world anyway :-)

The truth of the matter is that the movie so wonderfully illustrates that anyone with a little enthusiasm and a fearless approach to a challenge and an ability to read and follow a recipe CAN be a great cook. It's about the fact that food can be fun and a challenge and a conversation starter and a gap filler and a passion... did I mention that it can be fun? It also shows how a woman "back in the day" could find freedom and express herself doing something she loved and excelled at and how a "modern" woman could find the same passion for cooking despite a tight budget, small kitchen and little available time. It just proves that if you WANT to do something, anything is possible.

It may come as a shock to know that I'm not a chef... hee hee. Even Miss Twinset and the Other One are chuckling a little at that as it can hardly be a revelation to you all. The truth is that I cook what I like, the way I like to eat it. I do it because it is fun and I don't cook things that I don't eat. So you're unlikely to find me cooking fish or crustaceans and I will NEVER bone a duck! Excuse me while I wait for the dirty minds in the corner of the kitchen to stop sniggering into their glasses. Done? May I continue?


Miss Twinset would love to actually be Julia Childs.... she figures that she has the pearls already and the "look", but I have had to explain that she's too short :-) The Other One said she would rather hire Julia Childs, but I don't think Julia would've taken slurred direction very well... As for me, I am happy and content to be ME. I admire famous cooks and chefs and feed this admiration by reading and my not too subtle addiction to the Food Network and other cooking channels, but I like being me. And I'm often happiest when I'm busy in the kitchen, toiling over bubbling pots and pans like a demented suburban witch.


I said WITCH.... not bitch. Behave or no more vodka for either of you!


I figure that women fought hard for the right to make choices. The right to have a voice. Well, if that's right, then I choose to LOVE being domestic. I chose to love cooking, baking and making preserves. I choose to love gardening and being creative. I even choose to put up with the Tarts... 'cos Lord knows we all need a little light entertainment in our lives! I run a business and this is a great outlet for me :-)


Now, Miss Twinset has suggested that we challenge the Other One to get into the kitchen and get her hands dirty. I'm sure it'll be highly entertaining, but I need to check if my insurance covers me for that first. Oh... and trawl through my recipes to find something for her to try :-)

So... I guess I'll love and leave you for now!

Until next time....

It LIVES!

You may be forgiven for wondering if I had decided to give up on the whole blogosphere due to my continued silence. You may be forgiven for losing interest in the blog due to my disappearance and you may be forgiven for wondering just what exactly I had gotten so wrapped up in that I seemed to have forgotten all about you. For the record, I never forgot about any of you and held conversations with you daily. Oh happy the day when you can blog direct from brain to internet without first having to find time to boot up a pc, but I digress. As usual.

For those who wondered, I wasn't kidnapped by aliens or locked in the Tipsy Tarts wine cellar (although it would be an interesting way to go)... I wasn't even trapped by an overgrown Venus Fly-trap bent on world domination... I was - to put it bluntly - held hostage by "life". It's that unavoidable thing which lays waste to many a well-laid plan (and dinner table) and leaves you wondering just exactly where the last two months have gone?! I'm back now though and hope that you will forgive the interruption in our regular visits. I know the Tarts have missed you and Miss Twinset has a whole wardrobe she'd like to run past you. The Other One has even managed to master the art of "boiling water" since we last spoke, but chuck an egg in there and she's hopelessly lost!

The garden is looking good, even though the extreme heat and humidity has taken its toll on some of the plants. On the whole, Phin has kept them going nicely and I'm so grateful to her for all her efforts. I bet she's looking forward to Autumn when she can start to ease off a little on her "to do" list :-) I know Ruby's in her element because during a recent baking project (over Valentine's), I found the kitchen covered in edible glitter. I checked and my supply was untouched, so I think a certain romantically inclined pixie had a bit of a decorating lark at my expense. It was very pretty, but as you know, glitter is a devil to clean up!!

Now... you may remember that I got a fantabulous Kenwood mixer for Christmas. I confess that I haven't quite finished jumping up and down in delight over it yet :-) I knew that I loved it when I first saw it in its box, but having used it now for baking cakes, cupcakes and biscuits, I can tell you that I absolutely ADORE it :-) It makes my life so much simpler and to be able to continue with any prep work while the batter keeps mixing is a Godsend! Of course, I don't let either of the Tarts near it... Not only because it's mine, but because they're usually soused :-)

There are so many fabulous projects ahead that I'll be sharing with you, from gardening exploits to the challenging of baking bread that is actually edible :-) but for now, I'm going to head back outside to enjoy the breeze that's finally come up to break the heat. Tonight promises to be another evening where the scent of unnaturally sweet flowers hangs heavy in the air, where a nice glass of wine wouldn't go amiss...

Until next time...