Yes folks, I've been sort of missing in action recently and apologise. It is so hard to feel inspired when the winter seems to have gone on and on for far too long. Down here, the rain never seems to stop. Food Critic Andrew and I have moved, changed jobs (well me, Food Critic Andrew has taken up a second job to supplement writing) and we are finally settling into the new climate, and the new place! We are now in a slightly smaller place, closer to town, and has a manageable lawn. I have convinced Food Critic Andrew to dig up a bit of lawn so that I could have a little vegetable garden. It has started to come along quite nicely as well. I think we will have to expand it further - it is full though I still need room for tomatoes and capsicum that I have growing in a little greenhouse (apparently down here they cannot be planted until after Melbourne Cup day - for all of you overseas that means the first Tuesday in November).
I have sadly put on a little weight over winter so I am working really hard at controlling my portion sizes and have laid off the chocolate (it is funny - after a few days you barely notice that it is gone). It seems to kick-start my passion for cooking all over again. I am also getting back into some serious running and swimming. I am starting to feel healthy and summery again!
And of course I've been finding plenty on the Internet - Jim's pancakes is really fun! I am not sure I could dedicate a whole blog to pancakes, but I sure love them, and looking through the archives, I have to admire Jim's dedication to his art. I am totally amping up my pancake making in the future. I have subscribed to his newsletter so hopefully will be able to try some out soon.
Also, I made an amazing pasta for lunch yesterday - it was sort of based on a recipe I found at taste.com.au - Mushroom and Pancetta spaghetti. I am pretty sure I had 100gm of pancetta though, and I added quite a bit of chili as well since the recipe sounded slightly bland. I might try adding different types of mushrooms as well next time; but this really is one of those "cupboard love" recipes you can make out of stuff you'd hopefully have in your cupboard/fridge. I suppose you could use bacon instead of pancetta if that was what you have, but the pancetta give the dish a nice little kick! Now I only wish my picture was as nice as "tastes"!
