528/1038 - Molly cake

Given that one of my very favourite (but now deceased) pets was named Molly, making this cake was a little bit special for me. 

I opted to fill the majority of the tree fruit quota with dried figs, which turned out to be an outstanding choice. I also included chunks of dried apple and the leftovers of a packet of mixed peel for a touch of added sweetness. 

Molly cake is a bit like a regular fruit cake, but moist and very sweet. So far we have enjoyed it three ways; as is, with cream and also with ice-cream. I can confirm that each iteration was equally fabulous! x

My little Molly atop a VERY young version of my husband!

527/1038 - Robert's beans

Two things happened when I cooked this recipe; I completed my sixteenth chapter (only 109 to go!) and I conquered artichokes.

Artichokes have always been a bit of a mystery to me and so I have largely avoided them. When I have cooked with them in the past, to be honest, I didn't really know what I was doing. A few You tube videos later and I was ready to give these little beasts another go.

I adored this recipe and the artichokes were an absolute hit with three quarters of my family. My teenager was not convinced about the taste or the texture but by the third serve of beans (this recipe makes quite a lot!) I noticed that he cleared his plate without question. 

For somebody who loves food as much as me it is amusing to think that I have only now added this crazy little thistle to my repertoire x

526/1038 - Chickpea salad with the remains of roast lamb

Is there anything better than leftovers and a game of chess? I think not! 

This lovely little dish became the central element of our dinner the night before the leftovers session pictured above. We cheated and did not serve the salad with leftover roast lamb, but instead actually baked a roast lamb for the sole purpose of serving it as leftovers. Crazy, hey?

The salad is lovely and sweet, as you would expect from a dish that is loaded with fabulous caramelised onions. It is also quite substantial and alongside said roast lamb, served four very comfortably for dinner.

Another great recipe and I won the chess game too. Double win x

525/1038 - Mussels in coconut-milk curry

This was another lovely catch from our most recent trip to the Queen Victoria market. It was mussels for dinner last night and my goodness, this recipe was delicious! 

I will confess to using red instead of green curry paste, purely because I could not justify buying more curry paste to add to my fridge collection. Red is a staple in this house and I am happy to report that the taste was still wonderful.

Sadly, due to the time of year, I could not add basil to the final dish and it was definitely missed. What a shame, we will just have to make this again in the summer months to see what the complete dish tastes like! x

524/1038 - Quick strawberry jam

My little one and I ventured in to the Queen Vic market again this morning; a gorgeous weekly ritual we have been undertaking since the end of April. We found some beautiful Queensland strawberries and, inspired by our weekly purchase of jam doughnuts, I decided to make a jam of my own. 

I am SO pleased to report that I have just checked on my jam and it looks as if it has set! I wasn't sure if my inclusion of coconut sugar (around 100g) was a good idea, but all seems to be well.

I couldn't wait to try it out and so enjoyed my bowl of yoghurt with a good dollop on top. I also have plans to make a big, fluffy loaf of bread today so we can enjoy PLENTY of jam on toast. I will be having mine with tasty cheese; a combination my dad introduced me to many years ago and one I adore to this day. We all like fruit on our cheese platter, so jam and cheese together makes sense if you think about it. 

After a very slow period of blogging, it appears I am back with a vengeance. More to come in July! x

523/1038 - Date and chocolate cake

To finish off the world's most relaxed dinner party, this cake was not only ridiculously easy to make, but also a joy to eat.

Although a very simple recipe to execute, I must confess to a lapse in concentration which almost saw our dessert relegated to the scrapheap. 

Whisk egg whites with sugar - check

Add chocolates and dates - check

Bake and then leave to cool in the oven - check

Turn oven back on with the cake still inside - whoops...

Luckily I opened the oven within a couple of minutes of turning it on and rescued my already reheating cake. Crisis averted! 

The resulting cake/meringue was delightfully chewy and lovely served with cream and fresh strawberries. 

Definitely a go to recipe for a time poor host x

522/1038 - Glazed onions

Many, many dinner parties have been hosted in our modest dining room. They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but last night I learned a new one! 

As I planned the menu, it occurred to me that it would be lovely if I didn't have to leave the table AT ALL during dinner. Crazy, hey?

Cooking like a demon throughout the day paid off and with my husband preparing the final dish, dinner was truly a relaxed affair. The menu was as follows;

• Glazed onions
• Slow cooked tomatoes with green beans and chorizo
• Silverbeet and blue cheese tart (with melt-in-the-mouth homemade pastry)
• Flatbreads
• Beetroot and parsley dip
• Baked potatoes and garlic
• Date and chocolate meringue cake with strawberries and cream

...and champagne of course! 

These glazed onions were such a revelation that I simply can't believe I have always skipped over the recipe. The result of quite a simple cook was onions that were soft and sweet and worthy of eating on their own. 

There are a few left and I am thinking that they might go really well with my election sausage x