Behind Our Blue Gates 2

The days have been warmer here though Spring is still officially another month away. Spring looks like it's arriving in the garden too as there is much in bloom. As you enter, through our little front gate, a sweet scent greets you, released by the masses of flowers on the Michelia Coco hedge. As you walk past, you'll hear the buzz of honeybees and see the specks that are native bees, working away industriously among these fragrant flowers. Around the back, masses of beautiful blue Lobelia and snowy, honey-scented Alyssium border the main vegie patch. The bees love these too! The delicate scent of Sweet Pea, all pink petals instead of the pure white of last year, and the yellow sunshine of Calendula intermingle with the veg planted there. Our patch is a riot of colour and homegrown food that just simply makes me happy. Come on in, through our blue gates, and see what's been happening of late...

Beautiful & blue ...

bee-friendly Lobelia is in flower in the garden. 

Blooming Blue Lobelia and white Alyssium edge our vegie patch.

 Two varieties of homegrown lettuce are ready to eat. 

Simple salads, like this one, have featured in weekend lunches.

 Many lunches have been packed up at the kitchen bench.

Some simple slices have been baked.

A new washcloth is forming on my knitting needles. I love this new-to-me pattern!


The first sweet peas are in bloom. A delicate fragrance beyond compare!

A new oven was installed in our kitchen.
(After 14years of constant and reliable service, the old one went kaput!)

We are now preparing our house for a major Spring clean. The verandah has been cleared and the timber boardwalk swept ready for washing down. Windows are being washed. When Spring does officially arrive, our home will be sparkling clean. Ready to greet a new season!

What's been happening behind your gates lately?

Meg

Simple Pasta Salad

Although we are in the last month of Winter, the days here have been reminiscent of Spring.  Daytime temperatures have been in the low to mid 20Cs and, while the mornings have still had some chill to them, the afternoons have been quite balmy. Perhaps this is the uniquely Australian season that Dr. Tim Entwisle calls "Springer". Perfect for such warmer weather, and a move away from the heavier and more hearty foods of Winter, are salads like this one:

A simple homemade salad.

Simple Pasta Salad

1 packet of "bow-tie" pasta (or other suitable pasta such as fusilli)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion

4 rashers bacon

1 small red capsicum

1 medium zucchini

1/3 cup frozen peas

Dressing:

4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon seeded mustard

1 -2 teaspoons honey

1.  Cook pasta according to packet directions.  Drain well and place in a large salad bowl.

2.  Peel and chop onion finely. Remove rind from bacon and cut into cubes. Wash and 

     remove seeds from capsicum. Chop capsicum and zucchini into small pieces.

3.  Heat olive oil in heavy-base frying pan and gently fry onion and bacon until onion has

     softened and the bacon has browned slightly.

4.  Add capsicum and fry gently until this begins to soften. 

5.  Add zucchini and frozen peas. Fry gently until peas have defrosted.

6.  Remove from heat and add fried vegies and bacon to cooked pasta. Combine well & chill.

7.  Whisk together ingredients for dressing and have at the ready to pour over this salad 

     just before serving.

This salad can be "jazzed up" with some toasted pine nuts or some crumbled feta. It's perfect for a weekend lunch, to pack for a picnic or to take to a barbecue. Perhaps it will fit in with your weekend plans.

Have a lovely weekend.

Meg

Simple & Sweet Chocolate Slice

A sweet chocolate slice, made from a few simple pantry ingredients and some butter, is quite a nostalgic treat here. My mother made this, from her trusty and somewhat splattered "Day to Day Cookery" book, when we were small and I remember it being one of the first things I learnt to cook. I make it rarely now, but when I do, it's a happy treat that disappears very quickly!

 Pieces of deliciousness!

My Mum gave me a copy of the "Day to Day Cookery" book when I left home and, I'm proud to say, my copy is now just as splattered as hers! I've tinkered with the original recipe to reduce the sugar in the slice by half so it's a little less sweet ... that's just my way. Here's how I make it now:

Sweet & Simple Chocolate Slice

1 & 1/4 cups white spelt flour (or plain flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons raw cacao powder (or cocoa)
3/4 cup dessicated coconut
1/4 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
125g butter
1 egg

1.  Preheat oven to 180C.
2.  Sift flour, baking powder and cacao into a mixing bowl.
3.  Melt butter in a small saucepan.
4.  Beat egg.
5.  Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the melted butter. Begin to 
     combine with dry ingredients and then add the beaten egg. Mix well.
6.  Press mixture into a slice tray.
7.  Bake for 15 minutes.
8.  Cool before topping with a simple chocolate icing and a sprinkling of coconut. ❤

 Simply yummy!

You can make a simple chocolate icing by mixing together 1 cup of icing sugar and 1 Tablespoon of cacao powder (or cocoa) with a little hot water. Just sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl so there are no lumps and then mix with hot water, a little bit at a time, until you get the consistency you want. You can then flavour with vanilla essence too before spreading thinly over your freshly baked slice. 

Disappearing quickly!

There is nothing fancy about this slice. Just simple ingredients and a little icing and you have a delicious treat for afternoon tea! 

Meg