This month it is the small, thoughtful, handmade and home grown things that are bringing warmth and happiness to my kitchen.

My friend Sarah made this pretty whole orange cake and gave it to us as a gift.  It looked too perfect to cut, almost!

Sarah also gave me this large piece of succulent and presented it to me like a bouquet of flowers.  Home-grown, hardy and long lasting, this is my favourite kind of floral art.

Before Flour and Fire Day I needed to refresh myself on shaping and baking sourdough baguettes and it seems like this technique is rather like riding a bike…I hadn’t forgotten.

 

A home grown cauliflower and kale bouquet.  I had visions of this being more artistically
arranged but my young hand model was far more interested in catching a green caterpillar
to put in a jar for closer inspection.
Fair enough I suppose.

Bread is funny stuff.
Just recently something came over me and I couldn’t settle until I had
made a batch of sourdough fruit and cinnamon buns, some of which I glazed with
sticky Golden Syrup.  Normally I don’t bake sourdough during the school week because I find it too distracting and
inevitably I end up taking photos which leads to further distractions.  But, on this occasion I had these rolls out
of the oven just before sunrise, while my children were still sleeping.  Inevitably, photos were taken and we may have
been distracted from our school schedule, just for a moment or two.

Happiness is six loaves of white sourdough and a huge batch of
dark chocolate chip biscuits, all cooked in the glorious warmth of the wood
oven.

 

Are you baking or harvesting or practicing a particular recipe?

Wishing you a lovely weekend.

As usual I am linking with my friend Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.