Almond and Mint Chicken with Polenta fingers

Please excuse me, I can't remember the actual title of the Chicken dish....and couldn't be bothered getting up and shuffling into the kitchen when I'm oh so comfy where I am right now.

Oh, and while you're at it, excuse the crappy iPhone photos too. My camera battery is flat.

But, onto the cooking....

I love that this book is full of little side dish ideas. Crispy Polenta Fingers. I love Polenta. But, I usually cook it very differently to this, so I was excited to try a different recipe. My usual recipe calls for a mixture of water and milk and that keeps it nice and creamy. I add cheese and butter and we eat it soft, as a bed for a stew or slow cooked Lamb Shanks. So, to cook it in stock makes sense, but just a different technique for me. Add a knob of butter, to keep the creaminess. Add Olives then set. I'm already thinking of other things to add. Sun dried tomatoes. Bits of cooked veggies. Sweet Corn. Cut into long strips and bake till golden. Then top with cheese and grill till there's more gold. Oh, the possibilities!


Anyway, I made these with the Almond and Mint Chicken recipe. I'll be the first to admit....I overcooked the chicken. I was sitting there thinking, it'd be great with a bit of yogurt or sour cream, but then, if I just cooked it well it wouldn't need that! I got distracted sitting with my little man out the front and it got left in there a few minutes longer than necessary. It was a bit dry, but the almond and mint sauce that you pour over while it's still hot made a big difference. A bit of lemon. Bit of sugar. Bit of garlic. Then some good ol' olive oil.

Lemony Peach Cake

OMG, I have followers!! So I 'd better get a start on.....

Lemony Peach Cake. I LOVE that peaches are in season. Oh yum. Biting through the...well, peachy, coloured skin and into the sweet and juicy flesh to have it dribble down my arm so that I end up leaning over the sink. This recipe calls for three ripe peaches, but I only used two.

I ate the other one.

I made this cake for a birthday party for my local mothers group. Monday afternoon was spent with my son slung on my hip so he could watch everything while I poured butter, sugar and flour into my mix-master. I think becoming a mother should come with getting an extra arm and a mix-master. Otherwise nothing would ever get baked.

I loved the very subtle hint of lemon that's in the cake, so that people have to ask 'what's that other flavour....I can't quite pick it?' And, just to be healthy, I served it with Vanilla Yogurt instead of the recommended Double Cream. The yogurt seemed to keep it really light and moist. In fact, I'm sure there's a slice left in the fridge.....

Cook Book Challenge

So in my 101 Things in 1001 Days I've set myself a challenge to cook every recipe out of one cookbook. I loved this challenge when I saw it in the movie 'Julie and Julia' and think it's a great idea. AND, I'm giving myself longer than her 365 days to cook them, so it's got to be at least a bit achievable....right?

The only dilemma is....which cookbook do I use?? I'm a big fan of Jamie Oliver, but half the things he uses are unavailable in Australia and there's no way I'm eating Black Pudding. So, after going through some of my books, I've decided to use Donna Hay's 'Seasons'.


I love that she's an Aussie, so her recipes use products that I'm more able to buy (even out in whoop-whoop, where I live) and I LOVE seasonal food. Pumpkin Soup in winter, Peach and Pear Salads in summer.

Her recipes are easy to follow and yummy to eat, and that's the main thing!!

So that's 194 recipes in 1001 days. That can be done.

Oh, and no, I won't be posting the recipes from this book step by step. I'll be cooking my interpretation of them. I completely respect Donna Hay and her team and won't rip them off. If you like what you read, go out and buy the book for yourself.