Mini Baguettes

Once upon a time, making bread, without the use of a bread maker, used to scare me. Not anymore. It is rather easy, but I don't knead the dough by hand, my mixmaster does that part, which I guess why bread making doesn't scare me anymore! If the recipe states to knead the dough for 2 minutes then yes, I do it by hand then.

This recipe is delicious and is very crusty. The bread freshness doesn't last too long (an afternoon), so don't expect to make this with the aspect of keeping it for another day, as it won't last. It'll all be gone anyway, so no need to worry.

*Taken from the Murdoch Book 'The Essential Baking Cookbook' published 2000*

Ingredients

7g sachet dried yeast

1 tsp sugar

3/4 cup (90g) plain flour

3 cups (375g) white bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs polenta, to sprinkle

Method

Place the yeast, sugar and 1 1/4 cups (315ml) warm water in a small bowl and mix well. Leave in a warm place for 10 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface. The mixture should be frothy and slightly increased in volume. If your yeast doesn't foam it is dead and you will have to discard it and start again.

Mix together the flours and salt and transfer half the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture. Using a large metal spoon fold the flour into the yeast mixture. This should form a soft dough. This forms the 'sponge'. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and set aside for 30-35 minutes, or until frothy and risen by about one third of its original size.

Mix in the remaining dry ingredients and add up to 1/4 cup (60ml) warm water, enough to form a soft, but slightly sticky dough. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. If the dough sticks to the work surface while kneading, flour the surface sparingly, but try to avoid adding too much flour. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a large lightly greased bowl. Cover with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size.

Lightly grease two large baking trays and sprinkle with polenta. Punch down the dough and knead for 2-3 minutes. Divide the dough into 3 portions and press or roll each into a rectangle about 20 x 40 cm. Roll each up firmly into a long sausage shape and place seam-side down, well spaced on the prepared trays. Cover loosely with a damp tea towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to a hot 220C. Lightly brush the loaves with water and make diagonal slashes across the top at 6 cm intervals using a safety blade. Place the trays in the oven ans spray the oven with water. Bake the bread for 20 minutes (I baked for 15) spraying the oven with water twice during this time. Lower the temperature to moderate 180C and bake for another 5-10 minutes, or until the crust is golden and firm and the base sounds hollow when tapped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

Baguettes are best eaten within a few hours of baking.

Lumberjack Cake

If you ever want to taste just a divine homemade slice of deliciousness, this is the cake. It seriously felt like I was sitting at some fancy cafe eating a slice of cake, rather than in my home environment. It was soooo good!! The element in my fan-force oven has died so I had to bake this the 'conventional' way so it burnt a little on top, but it still tasted that good. Lovely and dense and moist. Everything a good cake should be.

*Taken from 'The Essential Baking Cookbook' a Murdoch Publication, 2000*

Ingredients

200g fresh dates, pitted and chopped

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

125g unsalted butter, softened

1 cup caster sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, grated

1 cup plain flour

1/2 cup self-raising flour

icing sugar, optional, to dust

Topping

75g unsalted butter

1/2 cup soft brown sugar

1/3 cup milk

1 cup shredded coconut

Method

Grease a 20cm round springform cake tin and line the base with baking paper. Preheat the oven to moderate 180C.

Put the dates in a small saucepan with 1 cup water and bring to the boil. Stir in the bicarbonate of soda, then remove from the heat. Set aside until just warm.

Cream the butter and sugar in a small bowl with electric beaters until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Stir in the date mixture and the apple, then fold in the sifted flours until just combined and almost smooth. Spoon into the tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine all the topping ingredients in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until the butter is melted and the ingredients well combined. Remove the cake from the oven and carefully spread the topping over the cake. Return the cake to the oven for another 20-30 minutes, or until the topping is golden and the cake is cooked through.

Remove from the oven and leave the cake in the tin to cool completely, then turn out and place on a serving plate. The cake can be dusted with icing sugar just before serving.

Neighbours. Everybody needs good Neighbours...

I live approximately 2500 kilometres (in a straight line) from my parents in country Victoria. My sister lives approximately 12,500 kilometres (in a straight line) from them. We can't be there if they need us at the drop of a hat or generally just be there. That's where their neighbours step in. And I'm grateful they have such terrific ones at that.

My dad is currently on the long flight haul back from visiting Kimbofo in London and arrives back on Australian soil later on tonight.

As my mother only drives around the country town/area they live in, she wasn't keen on battling city traffic to pick him up this evening. It has been many (many) years since she has driven from our home town to Melbourne, even though when we were younger she often would. I guess it is a case of not doing it often enough which makes you scared. I understand that.

So a dilemma was rising of how dad was going to get home from the airport tonight. Would he stay at one of the hotels at the airport and catch a bus into the city tomorrow and then another bus home tomorrow? (Could you imagine doing that after a 24 hour flight?) There would be no doubt in my mind if we were still living in Melbourne I would have greeted him and driven him home. But we don't.

That's where my parents neighbours stepped in this week.

Since my mother has been home alone, (though one of her sisters from Melbourne stayed for a few weeks to keep her company and help potter around the garden), for the 6 weeks my dad has been away in Morocco, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, England and Scotland, their neighbours have been popping in.

On one side of their property, is a family with 4 young children with the parents in their late 30's/ early 40's. Behind them is another young family with 3 young children with the parents in their late 30's. In a way, these neighbours are like my parents surrogate families with non-related grandchildren! I'm grateful that these families are there and are a great support for my parents, who, by the way, may be in their early 60's but are not old and frail like it probably sounds as if they are. They aren't.

On Monday, Pete, the neighbour from behind my parents acreage, popped in to say that he would go and pick up my dad tonight. The airport from the little hamlet my parents live (and where I grew up) is some 2 - 2 1/2 hours away by car. What a terrific neighbour. He is the same neighbour who has been mowing the lawn, helping chop the firewood etc., whilst my dad has been away. His wife has invited mum around for tea once or twice. (My parents spent Christmas lunch with them as both Kimbofo and I were obviously absent!) These are the type of neighbours you would love.

If they ever read this post, I want to thank them publically. I do. But I doubt they ever will.

Unlike my experiences with neighbours. The woman who lives next door to us now, is one rude old b***h who we never see (which is good), but if you do see her down the street or at the pub (where she works) she doesn't even acknowledge you. I don't have time for people like that.

The lady who lived next door to us in Cairns city was wonderful and very lovely. (Unlike her son who was rude too - would ignore you if he saw you!) She was really sorry to see us 3 move on.

When we lived in Melbourne there was a lovely elderly couple who lived a few doors down who were very, very lovely and adored baby Monet. They were friendly and they knew if they needed anything to knock on my door (though they never did!)

Neighbours. Everybody needs good Neighbours...

What are your neighbours like?

Incredible Baked Lamb Shanks

Incredible alright! I made these ages ago and hadn't posted the recipe so here it is. They were simply delicious and very easy to make, though they take a while to bake... I served mine with creamy mashed potato. What lovely comfort food!

*Taken from Jamie Oliver's 'Cook with Jamie'*

Ingredients

6 sprigs of fresh rosemary

150g cold butter

15 fresh sage leaves

2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

4 lamb shanks, crown or French-trimmed

12 cloves of garlic, unpeeled

2 large carrots, peeled and finely sliced

1 onion, peeled and finely sliced

1 leek, washed, halved and finely sliced

olive oil

2 wineglasses of white wine

Method

Preheat oven to 200C. Pick the leaves off 2 sprigs of rosemary, whiz them with the butter, most of the sage and the thyme in a food processor and season with salt and pepper. Using a small knife, take one of the lamb shanks and cut between the meat and the bone from the base of the shank upwards. You want to create a hole big enough to put your finger in, making a sort of pocket, Do this to all the shanks and divide the flavoured butter between them, pushing it into the pockets. This will give a wonderful flavour to the heart of the shanks.

Tear off four arm-lengths pieces of tinfoil and fold each in half to give you four A3-sized pieces of foil. Divide the garlic and veg between them, making a pile in the middle of each square. Rub the lamb shanks with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then put one on top of each pile of veg and a sprig of rosemary and a few sage leaves on top of that. Carefully pull up the sides of the foil around the shank and pour a swig of wine into each. Gather the foil around the bone, pinching it together tightly. Any excess foil can be torn or cut off with scissors. Repeat for all 4 shanks, then place the foil parcels on a baking tray with the bones facing up. Put in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is as tender as can be.

Serves 4

Old-School Pork Chops with Apples and Sage

I made these a while back and remember they were very delicious and went well with Savoy Cabbage with Worcestershire sauce and crispy roast potatoes, which is what is suggested by Jamie. With the cabbage it was as easy as using a Savoy cabbage and frying it with some Worcestershire sauce for about 8 minutes and finishing it off with a large knob of butter after it has been removed from the heat. I need to make these again.

*Taken from Jamie Oliver's 'Cook with Jamie'*

Ingredients

4 x 250g pork chops

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

olive oil

2 good eating apples (I used Fuji) unpeeled, cored and each cut into 8 wedges

a knob of butter

a handful of fresh sage leaves

Method

Preheat oven to 200C. Lay the pork chops out on a board and using a sharp knife, cake 2cm/1 inch deep cuts all along the fatty side of them, about 1cm apart. It helps render out the fat and will also make the skin crisp. Sprinkle the chops with the salt and pepper.

Pour a glug of olive oil into a hot pan. Carefully place your chops in it and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until they are golden brown. If you need to, open out the little pieces of fat along the edge so they don't stick together.

When the chops are nearly done, lift them out of the pan and put them on to an oiled baking tray. Add the apple wedges and a knob of butter to the pan and fry until lightly golden. Lay 4 wedges of apple on top of each pork chop. Dress your sage leaves in a little olive oil and top each apple stack with them. Put the baking tray into the oven for 4-6 minutes until everything is golden.

Serves 4

The Apprentice

Lyndon has been busy for the past few weekends building an outdoor BBQ area on our balcony. It is looking rather splendid and Lyndon's carpentry skills are really shining through, as he is a qualified carpenter!

He got his hands on some gorgeous 'latte coloured' stone which was measured and cut and carefully put in place. He has been cutting boards to put underneath the bench space and our BBQ now has pride of place in the center of the benches. It's looking really good and when it is finished I'll make sure I post a photo for you all to see.

But this post was named 'The Apprentice' for another reason. And no, it has nothing to do with Donald Trump and his hair.

"You've made lots of crumbs daddy!" Monet told Lyndon on Sunday afternoon, as Lyndon was busy pre-drilling holes in the timber slats.

"You want to help me?" Lyndon asked his daughter.

She was very excited to be sitting there, not only watching her daddy doing some blue-collared labour, but she helped him by handing him the correct screws as he put the slats in place.


It was a very important job.

I think Lyndon was tickled pink having his 2 3/4 year old daughter out there helping him, because, well, I wasn't going to do it... I'm just looking forward to the finished product!

Food For Thought...

...now I feel hungry!...

Spoilt

I got a big surprise on Friday afternoon when Lyndon came home earlier than usual presenting me with these...

They are very gorgeous and I felt very lucky to receive such a beautiful bunch of flowers!

We decided to go and have a couple of drinks down at our local pub, which overlooks the Coral Sea with an outlook of palm trees when you sit out on the huge enclosed deck. You need to get there early to actually get a table on a Friday night so we considered ourselves fortunate to actually get a table on the deck!

When we left, some 1 hour later, we went home via the 'Bottle shop'. We needed champagne didn't we? After all, it is not everyday you celebrate 11 years of togetherness is it?

And for those of you who wondered, yep, we bought a bottle of Moet. And enjoyed it. Immensely.

And what do you do when you polish off a bottle and feel like just one more drink? You go and buy another, but shh, don't tell anyone!!

In case you were wondering, we both woke up feeling 100% so my theory of drinking expensive champagne not giving you hangovers is true. In our case anyway!! Also, the 2nd bottle survived being open for 24 hours (we only had another glass each on the Friday night) and on Saturday night when I poured myself a glass it had retained its fizz and was just as nice as it was on the previous night, so of course it was worth every cent!