Preparation is the key

It's my Bro's birthday this weekend. A significant one at that. There will be cake. Oh yes, there will be cake.

Likin' lichen

Cheesy title, hey? I couldn't help myself. I'm quite enamored by the colours and textures.

Starting the week easy

I tend to ease into cooking for the week. Monday night is usually the simplest of them all. Particularly the case this week as I'm still reeling from Saturday's draw. We've got to do it all again next weekend!

The ricotta stuffed shells are inspired by a Donna Hay recipe.

Ingredients
Pasta: 5-6 shells per person. I cook a couple extra, because if you're not careful the shells tear or stick rendering them almost useless. These are pricey at my local deli, I'm going to try and stock up at Mediterranean Wholesalers when I finally get there.
Sauce: Onion and garlic sauteed with 400g chopped tomatoes (canned is fine), a pinch of chili flakes and a couple of anchovy fillets (optional)
Ricotta mix: 400g ricotta, sprinkle nutmeg, salt & pepper, two small squares of defrosted frozen spinach
Extras: Handful tasty cheese for the top and a pinch of pesto for each shell (again optional)

Cook tomato sauce.
Cook shells - I suggest plenty of gentle stirring to avoid sticking.
Drain shells - doesn't matter if they're still a bit wet.
Spread tomato sauce on base of baking dish, arrange shells and stuff with ricotta mix.
Sprinkle with cheese and pesto if using and bake in 200C oven for 15 mins.

I serve mine with some par boiled broccoli, toasted almonds, plenty of lemon juice and a bit of butter.

Serves 4 and is easy to scale.

Fingers crossed

This, this is the ticket to my weekend. It will be punctuated by a bit of cycling, gardening and for the first time since May, enjoying double digit temperatures that start with a 2!

May the best team win.
May that team be us.
Go Pies!

It ain't pretty

It doesn't get much better than a call from Mum asking me if I want to cross cooking a whole fish off my '10 things in 2010' list. Hell yes I do. Even better when she'll be supplying the fish.

It was 1.1kg of ocean trout, marinated with Chermoula, wrapped in baking paper and cooked in the oven, served with smashed potatoes and bok choy. The four of us devoured it all.

This week in the garden

... I came out to discover someone had stolen one of my olive trees! See that stake, there used to be an olive tree tied to that. Some opportunistic individual couldn't part with $9 at a Nursery for their own tree and decided to take mine. Dug it out of the bed on Sunday night. A great way to start the week, no? No!

At least I'm getting to enjoy the flowering ranunculus.

The weekend

Pretty happy we made it to the Garden of St Erth on Saturday, because after five hours on the bike on Sunday we were fit for nothing!

Still going strong

A perfect start to the weekend with the Pies making it through to the Grand Final; easily at that. Then breakfast with my girlfriends with an announcement involving a pregnancy with twins! Just about to head out for a little drive to the country. Good times. Hope they're happening where you are.

My creative space

A small start on the embroidered bunting. Not perfect, but good practice!

Plenty of spaces here.

Smoked fish salad

This is a keeper, from a relatively recent Donna Hay magazine. I like to start it the night before, by boiling the potatoes. It's almost impossible to find smoked trout in our poorly stocked local supermarket, so I almost always use a fillet of smoked salmon instead. The brackets indicate my deviations from the recipe. This one's for you R.

Salad ingredients:
800g baby potatoes (regular work fine too) • Olive oil • 2 bunches baby beetroot (or 2 medium beetroot) • 400g smoked trout (or salmon) fillet, flaked • 1 bunch watercress, leaves picked (or rocket & spinach mix) • 400g broad beans, blanched and peeled (I usually forget these)

Dressing ingredients, combine:
• 1/2 cup whole egg mayo (low fat) • 1 tbs grated horseradish (Yumi's is good) • 1 garlic clove crushed • 1 tbs white wine vinegar • salt and pepper • (and sometimes a dash of water to thin out the dressing)

Heat the oven to 220C/425F.
Boil the potatoes until tender, then smash/squish on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and bake until golden. Bake the 2 beetroot at the same time, wrapped in foil. ~30 mins. If you have baby beets, it's suggested that you just coat them in oil and bake.
Once tender, peel the beetroot (gloves are handy here) and chop.
Assemble salad and spoon over dressing.