November

Books read recently:

A pile of Dick Francis; mostly entertaining.

Between Husbands & Friends by Nancy Thayer; so-so.

On-Off by Colleen McCullough; terrible! A huge disappointment. I used to like her books.

Peter Hoeg's Borderliners; frightening and fabulously written.

Quiet Your Mind by John Selby is full of interesting insights.

Michel Faber's The Apple was a pleasure, must look for Petal book.

Now reading Being Wrong.

Monday, October 18th

My sister lent me four books that she read on a recent holiday; Second Sight by Amanda Quick, a bodice ripper, Even Money by Dick & Felix Francis, Submarine by Joe Dunthorne, that I enjoyed, and Ocean Boulevard by David Baboulene. I find Bryson funnier and more interesting.

Lamb and Mushroom Soup

Spray a large pot with olive oil.

600g Free range leg of lamb, cubed, place in base of pot

10ml Lemon salt, sprinkle over lamb

10ml Garlic, minced, sprinkle over lamb

250ml Pesto, spread over lamb

1kg Tomatoes, quartered, on top of pesto

800g Mixed mushrooms, chopped, on top of tomatoes.

500ml Cold water, pour into pot, put lid on.

Bring to the boil without stirring or removing lid. Lower temperature and leave for two hours.

Tuesday, October 12th

Gifted by Nikita Lalwani is a good read. A frightening account of child abuse.

The Architecture of All Abundance by Lenedra J Carroll is somewhat interesting.

PD James' Private Patient is too full of inconsistencies and angst for me, but still vaguely entertaining, I finished it.

The Happiness Hypotehsis by Jonathan Haidt is wonderful. He explains beautifully why happiness is found between.

Peanut beigies

275g butter

500g smooth peanut butter

Melt together

530g sugar or vanilla icing snow

6 large free range eggs, beaten well

15ml cinnamon

Beat together & stir into peanut butter

250g flour

2ml salt

300g peanut chips

Stir in with other ingredients

Pour into lined baking tin & bake @ 175° C for 45 minutes.

Friday, October 1st

I have 150 recipes, enough I think for a book. Should I could or bake anything fabulous enough to include in the next three months, I will post it. For the rest I plan to work on the book the remainder of the year.

Wednesday, September 29th

Artichokes

Boil artichokes in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain. Return hot artichokes upright to warm pot.

Pour salad dressing into each artichoke.

Leave to cool down completely before eating.

Tuesday, September 28th

Dense, dark cake

400g Dark chocolate

250ml Water

50g Cocoa butter

400g sugar

Melt together on low heat in large pot.

9 Free Range Eggs, beat for at least 10 minutes

15ml Orange liqueur

Stir beaten eggs into chocolate mixture, add liqueur. Pour into oiled or lined pan. Bake at 140C for 1 hour. Switch oven off, leave cake in for half hour more. Cool down completely before removing from tin. Top with condensed milk mixed with freshly squeezed lemon juice and serve with fresh berries.

Monday, September 27th

Adrian Fisher's The Amazing Book of Mazes is rather fun, but I was sorry to see the nasty Rosamund/ Eleanor of Aq story included. Lack of index always a black mark.

I initially disliked The Philosopher's Cookbook by Martin Versfeld, mainly because of the immense amount of footnotes, but it grew on me. I agree with his food philosophy; a meal can never really be recreated and so cookbooks are futile...

Aubergines in yogurt

250g Baby aubergines, boiled

250ml Salad dressing; pour over hot, drained aubergines and leave to steep

1kg Bulgarian yogurt, pour over cold aubergines

15ml Garlic, minced, add to yogurt mixture

30g Mint, minced, add

100g feta, finely crumbed, add

Check flavourings, add as needed. Serve at room temperature.