Herbs and macarons

This is possibly the world's worst looking macaron. I have made them before but feeling a bit adventurous decided to try a different recipe and they just wouldn't form a 'skin' before baking and didn't have the right lift during cooking either. I have had a few problems with recipes from this source so I think I will steer clear of this magazine in the future. My sister, Kelly, has also experienced a few issues with the recipes too so maybe it isn't just this cooks fault.


Herb bed 1 had some attention today. I would really like to be able to make lovely drawings of the garden bed to map out where and what everything is... maybe next week. I looked at a couple of free online garden design programs but they weren't suitable. There are still a few empty spots but it is lush enough right now. Not a very culinary bed but lots of useful plants.

• curry plant


• Turkey thyme


• lemon balm


• lemon scented geranium


• fennel


• Avonview lavender


• garlic chives


• catnip x 2


• cherry tomato


• chives


• foxglove


• common thyme


• chamomile


• rosemary


• southernwood


• oregano


• santolina


• peppermint scented geranium

The list has surprised me with its length, I really didn't realise that there were so many different plants in this bed but herbs are really my favourite plants. It feels like a good time to be taking stock of what is in the garden and what can be added. New plants will have an easy time settling in while there is moisture in the gound and warmth in the air.

Advent calenders opening up tomorrow so it is excitement all round here.

Tracy

The party is over

We are not quite back to normal life yet as we have a visitor staying until Thursday. Then the three adults, Tim, Tom (who is officially an adult today) and I will head to Wagga Wagga for an interview at the university. It isn't his first choice of university but he is keeping his options open and we will find out for sure in a couple of weeks. The rain has passed and the sun is back out with a vengence . The path is so weedy after the rain. The cheeky cosmos and some rather stubborn parsley seedlings have emerged and it is times like this when spraying is very tempting. I'm not going to though. A couple of hours and the hopefully the path and garden will be back in order.

As you can see we had the dinner inside even though the sun started shining at around 2pm. We had about 200ml/8 inches of rain so it was much too soggy to be outdoors. The artichokes in the vases were quite a nice addition(once the ladybugs were relocated) especially for a dinner for a male.

I made Tom a simple mud cake for his birthday cake. The chocolate ganache icing, cherries and chocolate curls lifted it though and it was quite rich.

For my sister, Jody's 40th birthday cake, I made a little tower of patty cakes. Plain vanilla cakes with pretty icing. These were my pick of the three cakes.

I also made a cheesecake with a fruit topping. Not enough butter in the biscuit base meant it was a little crumbly but nice just the same.

Today for Tom's real birthday dinner, it is lasagne as always. It is his favourite and we have rarely missed a year. Just a humble cinnamon teacake to hold the birthday candles, we have indulged a little too much over the past couple of days.

Until dinner time though I will be busy replanting my tomatoes and pulling weeds while the ground is still giving.

Tracy

More wet weather

We seem to be right in the middle of a weather system that is producing rain, rain and more rain. Although it is hard to be grateful for it right now, in a month or two we will be thankful for the soaking of the soil that is happening now.

Today I had a full trolley of shopping to buy and bring home for tomorrow nights dinner. Before I went shopping though I did a little procrastinating. Whilst packing up my parcel for Chooky's SSCS, I located some charms I got for Christmas last year. That led me to a little jewellery making. I had some earring findings and in two minutes I had a new pair of earrings. I wore them to town and felt a little special all day.

Wet weather and dinner parties don't mix though. I had planned an elaborate outdoor extravaganza. Well there were going to be fairy lights, candles and a long table. Now I have to set up inside and the guests will get to watch me cook and plate up...aargh. It will be just like a cooking show only not. Anyway I may be absent from the world of blogging tomorrow but I do hope I have a few minutes in the day to spend catching up with online friends.

Tracy

A little damage

After much rain and the nasty weather of last week, the warm days have returned. The days do have that threatening storm feel though. When I could finally get back out into the garden to check how things faired, not everything was rosy. The pods are bruised from the hail but the peas inside are ok.

The artichokes are looking a tad sad and I am now going to save the tops for a table decoration for a dinner I am having on Saturday evening.

There were no berries left on these strawberries but some others were better off. I think it is often the newest and most cosseted of plants that suffer the most. Or perhaps that is just how it appears.

I am very happy that it is so early in the season to have this damage because I lost 30 tomato plants last Tuesday and as there are still months of warm weather, I can replant and expect a decent crop.

I am in the midst of preparing for my son, Tom's, birthday dinner on Saturday night. It will double as a 40th birthday dinner for my sister too. That means two birthday cakes and twice the fun.Tim has been putting up fairy lights and I have been dreaming up menus that hopefully everyone will enjoy. I'm excited about it now that I have been bitten by the entertaining bug.

Tracy

On My Mind

Most Fridays I join in with Rhonda and quite a few other bloggers with what's "On My Mind". This week as with every week there are many things on my mind but as I was heading out this morning for my jog, I got to thinking about fitness and finding a rhythm and thought I would share a picture which I probably should not. My back side in my running clothes. I think I am being quite daring and perhaps a little foolhardy but so far I haven't met a nasty blogger so I feel safe.

Running isn't something that I am good at but I am finding myself really enjoying it now that I have developed a rhythm that suits me. In the beginning I tried to run too quickly and was out of steam too fast. Now I have learnt to slow down and I can cover much more ground and do it without feeling like I might just be breathing my last breaths.

It is much like life in general. When I try to do too much, too quickly and overextend myself, I quickly lose focus and end up not achieving much of anything. Though I do like the challenge of multi-tasking and having a few things on the go at once, it is good for me at least to test my mettle and stay on my toes. It can take a while to work out what is the right rhythm for yourself and your family but when you do, life seems to run more smoothly. And when there are times that require a bit of extra effort, the knowledge that the normal rhythm of life will return helps too.

Tracy

Rainy Days

We are having some rather wet weather. A wild night of hail, wind, rain and lightning on Tuesday dawned to the morning above on Wednesday. The sunshine was very short lived however and I spent the day indoors and without power. The electricity was out for 11 hours which really does make you think. It made me realise how much I rely on the power coming in for so many things. Cooking, lighting and even just to get water into the house we are reliant on an electric pump. The day was good though. I made a start on some crocheting I wanted to do for Christmas, made some lists (because I love lists), I tidied up some cupboards which needed it, cut out some sewing patterns and fabric (no sewing though). I even had a siesta in the afternoon.

If the meteorologists forecasts are accurate, and sometimes they are, then we have a wet summer ahead. I now have an area in the garden which is prone to becoming a bit boggy after a downpour. It then dries out cement hard. I am thinking that it needs a little creativity to get it right especially with more rain on the way. Perhaps Phoebe's swale idea could work here. I'll ponder it a little more. Anyway, it is another crocheting kind of day along with orchestra and an art show this afternoon.

Tracy

Bottling- Capsicum Jam and a Porter

The last few days have been busy and hard work with shearing the sheep. The weather has been hot and sunny and the wool is coming off just in time for the summer heat. We usually shear earlier but with later lambing this year, we have held off. Although they didn't say anything and their actions implied the contrary, I'm sure the sheep are happy to have their wooly coats removed. When there has been a break in outside farm work, I have been busy sewing, making jam and Tim has been bottling up a home brew. Sometimes it feels like we get a lot done. Capsicum Jam

Ingredients

4 red capsicums

6 tomatoes

1 onion, chopped

2 teaspoons grated ginger

chillies (according to your heat preference)

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

Method

Cut the capsicums so they sit flat and remove the seeds.

Place the capsicums skin side up under the hot grill and grill until the skin is charred.

Remove the capsicums from the grill and wrap in foil until cool.

Once the capsicums have cooled, peel and chop them.

While the capsicums are cooling, make a cross in the top of the tomatoes and place in boiling water for a few minutes.

Drain the tomatoes, peel and chop once cool enough.

Place capsicum, chillies(I use 5 dried chillies),tomatoes, onion, ginger, sugar and vinegar in a saucepan.

Bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer until the mixture is a thick, jam-like consistency.

Pour into hot sterilised jars and seal.

This is a sweet and savoury type of jam and works well with eggs at breakfast or even meat with salad. My preference is to have it with a cafe style breakfast.

The dining room right now is bottling central. I am a teetotaller but Tim likes to make his own beer. The latest is a Porter style brew and next on the list is mead which I am really looking forward to. The mead sounds simple enough so hopefully all goes well and I will blog our progress.

Tracy