Red pesto in the rain.

As I write this, the sun is shining right on me. Even though it's raining and the trees are dancing in the breeze, the sun is warming my body and making me squint my eyes to see the computer screen. If you stand outside, in a sheltered and sunny spot, you'd hardly know it was the coldest day all September. You might even remember that it's supposed to be spring.

I like days like these because I don't feel guilty if I don't go outside. I could stay inside, lounging around, baking things, for days before I felt like I needed some fresh air and to speak to someone that wasn't Brent or Rooney. I'm happy on my own, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I think it's important to be able to enjoy your own company.

The only problem with being at home is that I feel guilty if I'm not studying. Studying is probably important if you're at uni. But there are ways to banish that guilt. To send it to some dark corner and forget about it. Like, for instance, by watching season upon season of some (possibly trashy) tv show that you love. Or by baking and cooking. Or you could do both at once, if you're that clever. Yesterday I felt guilty for not studying so I did three things: I made a batch of chocolate biscuits; I went to my friend's house for coffee and gossip; I made red pesto.

I always have red pesto when I go to my parents house. For some reason, they always have some in the fridge. I like to eat it on crackers, but I could totally just eat it straight out of the container. I've never made red pesto before, but it's super easy. This one has more basil in it than the one from the shop, but I like it that way. That's probably the best thing about making things at home, you can have them exactly how you want them. This red pesto is good anyway you like it. On pasta, on chicken, on crackers, on a finger straight from the bowl...

Recipe:
Adapted from Epicurean

1 Cup semi-dried tomatoes

1/2 Cup Pine nuts
2 Cups Fresh Basil
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
3 Garlic cloves

1/2 Cup Parmesan

salt & pepper to taste.

Put the tomatoes, basil and garlic in a food processor and blitz until roughly chopped.

Add the pine nuts, parmesan and some oil and mix.

Add the rest of the oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Sausage rolls & an Australian tradition.

Ah, the AFL Grand Final day. A great Australian tradition. Meat pies, sausage rolls, drinking beer before 12o'clock. And some footy, thrown in for good measure. I've never really gotten into the footy before, and honestly, I've only watched the grand final once before. I'm not very patriotic, and I don't really know anything about footy. I started watching it because Brent really likes AFL (he's much more patriotic than I am), and I like any good reason to eat pies and drink beer.



I didn't actually make any pies this year, I made mini quiches instead. I only have one problem with mini quiches: they're not really meant for tomato sauce. I'm not going to give you a recipe for the mini quiches, because I'm sure you can work it out. All I did was cut up some bacon, mix 2 eggs with a splash of milk and pour it into the pastry circles, topped with cheese and paprika.

So grab a beer, grab a sausage roll and answer the all important question: Who do you barrack for?

Recipe:
Oven- 180

250g beef mince
250g sausage mince
1 carrot, grated
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp herbs
1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 sheets puff pastry, (ready rolled is fine) cut in half.

Fry the onion and the carrot until soft and starting to be translucent.
Put everything, including carrot and onion, into a bowl, and mix together (I like to use my hands here, but you could use a spoon, if you prefer).
Place a suasage shape of mince mix onto the top of one sheet of pastry, roll up and place on tray, sealed side down. Cut up into desired size, I like mine little.
Brush with egg wash.
Bake for 15-20 mins until golden brown.

Pasta with bacon, lentils and silverbeet & a snow story.

At about 9:00 this morning, my Mum rang me to ask if I wanted to go to the snow. Of course I wanted too.
It snowed so much yesterday. It was the coldest September day ever. And here I was thinking it was spring. Silly me! And after a cold morning walking through the snow, all I wanted to do was eat pasta. (The above photo was taken on my phone, thats why its so baaad).

Pasta is my go-to meal when I want something quick and homey. This dish reminds me of something that Dad cooks - black-eyed peas with spinach and bacon. I love spinach and bacon together (I always forget that spinach and silverbeet are different things), they're a perfect couple. Like coffee and cake. This recipe had heaps of left-overs, which is perfect when you're studying, because you don't have to cook lunch. If you're like me, you'll just eat the cold leftover pasta straight out of the saucepan. What? You don't do that? My friend Leah and I used to do it all the time. We'd eat cold spaghetti straight out of the tin when she first moved out of home and none of us had jobs. I don't really eat tinned spaghetti any more, but I do still like to eat cold pasta.

Recipe:
serves 2 with leftovers
Adapted from delicious. Magazine

3 rashers of short cut bacon, diced
4 big leaves of silverbeet, chopped
1 250g tin brown lentils, rinsed and drained
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup chicken stock
500g short pasta, i.e. penne
knob butter, optional
parmesan to serve

Cook the pasta in a big pot of boiling, salted water for 12-15 mins, until al dente.
In a fry pan, heat some olive oil and cook the onions, bacon and garlic until garlic is soft.
Add the silverbeet, lentils, tomato and stock and cook until spinach is wilted and soft.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Drain the cooked pasta and stir in the knob of butter.
Add pasta to the sauce, stir and serve with parmesan.

Fight for your right to birthday party - Gin and Tonic Jelly.

I made this Jelly for Brent's sister, Kirby's Birthday. She likes gin a lot.
Unfortunately it didn't look as pretty as I'd hoped, but it tasted good and Kirby and her boyfriend, Arie, seemed to enjoy it.

Nigella Lawson suggested putting white currants around the jelly, but I've never seen a white currant before, let alone know where to buy them. I used cucumber instead because Kirby and Arie often put it into their gin and tonics, and it looked pretty.

I was so excited about the jelly when I was making it. I told everyone at work about it, and I was so excited to give it to Kirby instead of a regular cake. I waited until the very last minute to unmould it, because I didn't want it to collapse from sitting around for too long. Unfortunately, the jelly wasn't firm enough and after I put the jelly on a plate, one side of it slowly, ever so slowly, fell away. Like a cliff crumbling after a storm.
I thought this was the last of it, and I turned away to get the cucumber and lemon out of the fridge. When I came back, a little crack had appeared in the middle. As I watched, the crack got bigger until it had split the whole way across. Luckily this part didn't fall away from the rest, but it didn't look good, and golly I was worried.
I perservered and cut up thin slices of cucumber and lemon and lovingly arranged them, hoping to distract from all the cracks.

The car ride over to Kirby's house was definately an interesting one. Brent thought it was hilarious that the jelly wobbled around so much. It looked like a little translucent squid, covered in cucumber. Thankfully he drove carefully and the jelly didn't crack any more.
In the end, I think I'd file this one away as a success and I'm planning to make lots of different flavours. Imagine the possibilities! Vodka and Cranberry! Rum and Coke! Martini! Man Panda!
I'm excited just thinking about it...

Recipe:
From Nigella Lawson's 'How to be a domestic goddess'.

300ml water
300g castor sugar
zest and juice of 2 lemons
400ml tonic water
250ml gin
8 sheets of leaf gelatine

Put water and sugar into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 mins.
Take off the heat and add lemon zest. Let sit for 15 mins.
Strain sugar syrup into a measuring jug. (If you don't strain the jelly, you'll get all those little zesty bits that are on the top of my jelly.)
Add lemon juice, gin and tonic. This should reach 1,200ml
Soak gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 mins.
Put 50ml water into a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
Take off the heat and whisk in the gelatine leaves (squeeze excess water off the leaves first).
Pour some of the gin mix into the sauce pan, then pour it all back into the jug.
Pour mix into a 1 1/4 L greased jelly mould and leave to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours.