Welcome once again to my kitchen.

After a recent trip away the first thing I wanted to do once we had arrived home was refresh the sourdough starters and bake bread.  I set aside a Friday afternoon, lit the wood oven and made white loaves and pita bread. This really is my ideal afternoon and a perfect way to feel settled again after being away from home.

We have a big mulberry tree in our garden which usually produces far more fruit than we can use.  One way I put this soft and tasty fruit to use was in an easy mulberry frangipane recipe from Lizzie.  Perhaps it would have looked more attractive in a round tart or pie dish but I cooked this in the wood oven which required a heavier baking dish. As Lizzie said, any berries would work perfectly in this.

After waiting impatiently for the recommended two years I am finally harvesting asparagus.  I made this simple lunch with homemade sourdough, asparagus and salad from the garden accompanied by our own olive oil.  No matter how simple the meal is it always tastes better when it is entirely homemade or home grown, excluding a little black pepper.

 

Our first little harvest of Kipfler potatoes.  Previously I have harvested all of my potatoes at once but this year I plan to dig them up as I need them.  I am hoping they will store better in the soil than they will in my pantry.

Kind and generous Celia sent me this bread stamp which I am looking forward to testing soon.  The robust chopping board was a recent lucky find at our local Lifeline shop for $3.00.  The elderly volunteer lady behind the counter asked me who I was going to whack with it!

Years ago a generous aunt gave me the recipe for these Monte Carlo biscuits.  I don’t often make them as I find the icing a bit fiddly and it also adds an extra layer of sugar that we don’t really need.  However, recently I have been thinking about the strong women in my family and their unique and individual characters.  They all have a story to tell as they navigate farm life, town life, health issues and life in general.  The time seemed right to make a batch of these delicious biscuits.  Annabelle declared them the best biscuits ever, I couldn’t argue with that.

Do you cook sentimental recipes sometimes?

What is happening in your kitchen at the moment?

Joining in with Celia and her friends as we take a tour of some interesting kitchens from around the world.