An Easy Dinner...

This recipe is one I've adapted from an issue of Good Food some time ago, it has evolved into a super easy but elegant meal that I have been known to serve at a dinner party but also for a quick dinner after work.

I started by cutting a Red Onion and a Large Pear into wedges, I tossed these in a splash of Balsamic Vinegar and a splash of Olive Oil. These were spread onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and put into a hot oven for 20 minutes.

I tossed some Baby Spinach Leaves into a bit more Oil and Vinegar and divided the leaves between the serving plates.

In the meantime, I heated a griddle pan and cooked a well seasoned Pork Steak for each plate.

I piled the cooked Pear and Onion onto the Spinach, added a Steak to each plate and it looked and tasted fantastic!

Tarty Tuesday...Jam Tarts...

We had some really good Pot Pies last night for tea, I cooked the filling on the weekend in the slow- cooker and all I had to do was cut the tops out of some Sheets of Pastry and bung them in a hot oven, too easy!

The only dilemma was what to do with the left over bits of Pastry, I just hate to waste food! I cut out a few discs, put them into a pan and stuck them in the freezer for 10 minutes. After they were nice and cold, I stuck them in the hot oven and half cooked them.

I plopped a bit of Mixed Berry Jam into them and put them back in the oven until they looked ready.
They were lovely! Just the thing for Supper!

A bit of Weekend Baking...

I haven't been doing much baking lately but I visited my Grandmother on Sunday and thought it would be nice to take some Cake to share with her. This Cake recipe is the easiest one I know of but it's also one of the nicest!

I put into a mixing bowl 125gms Butter, 1-2 Tablespoons of Finely Shredded Lemon Rind, 1 cup of Castor Sugar, 2 Eggs, 1 and a half cups of Self-Raising Flour and 3 quarters of a cup of Natural Yoghurt.

I mixed it all on low speed until the ingredients are combined and then on medium speed for about 3 minutes, it should look paler and smooth.

I divided the mixture into 3 small tins, I love these tins, the 3 of them will take a full size cake mixture, they look really cute and can be very practical.

One for Saturnight Dessert with some Custard, one to take visiting on Sunday and one for the freezer for when I don't have time to bake...Perfect!

Another Tarty Tuesday...

I love Home Grown Tomatoes so much that when they're not in season I hardly bother with the shop bought ones. Yesterday, however, I had a hankering for a fresh Tomato Tart.

 I made a very simple shell using bought Puff Pastry, baked it and filled it with a mixture of Ricotta, 1 Egg and a good handful of Chopped Parsley.

I covered this with slices of Fresh Tomato and more Parsley as well as some left over Blue Brie. Popped it it the oven for a further 10 minutes and patted myself on the back! It looked amazing and tasted fabulous!

August Food Swap...

I went to Food Swap on Saturday, it was a lovely sunny morning and there was plenty of people there, it always surprises me just how much produce people have to swap at this time of year. There was loads of Citrus and also a great variety of Greens and Herbs, also a couple of different types of Pumpkin. I took;

• 1 Jar of Lime Marmalade Jelly
• 2 Jars of Grapefruit Marmalade
• 2 Thyme Plants and
• 1 Greek Oregano Plant

I came home with;

• 6 Small Red Onions
• 2Redcurrant Plants
• Silverbeet
• Tuscan Cabbage
• Pumpkin
• 3 Small Red Chillies
• 1 Lemon and
• 3 Limes

I always look forward to Food Swap, it's great to get together with other people who are passionate about growing things to eat!

In My Kitchen...

In my kitchen this month is a lovely new set of red saucepans, I'm enjoying using them so much! Don't know why it took me so long to replace the old ones!

A big bowl of Citrus, I feel like I've been using them and using them but the bowl never seems to be empty!

Yet another batch of Marmalade! Food Swap here I come!

And a postcard and some gorgeous Cupcake Papers from my fabulous friend Fleur who has recently been to the U.K.









If you'd like to share what’s been happening in your kitchen this month or to see what's happening in other kitchens all around the world, scoot over to  Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.