raspberry & orange cake....sticky and sweet

preheat oven 160.

grease and line 22cm cake tin, fill base with 300g box frozen raspberries( no need to thaw)
Sprinkle with a tablespoon castor sugar and squeeze 1/2 orange over ( zest first and reserve for batter).

In mixer cream 1 1/4 cup castor sugar with 250g butter and 2tsp vanilla extract
add rind from the orange, 3 eggs, 1 cup almond meal,1 cup self raising flour and 1/2 cup milk  to make batter.
Pour over raspberries and your tin will look really full but it works out.

Bake for approx 40 mins til golden and set. Don't overcook I always prefer to err on the side of undercooked rather than dry cakes out. This cake also gets better the next day( great for entertaining make it the day before) it's the almond meal- it makes for a moist dense delicious texture. This could be adapted for any fruit to make a delicious upside down cake even mixed berries...scrumtious. Tex just loves raspberries....any way they come, just keep them coming.

Tuesday's dinner.....Kasir

Pan fry one chopped onion with a clove of garlic in olive oil for approx 5 minutes, then add 1/2 cup tomato puree and one big glass of water  bringing to the  boil, Turn off the heat , add one cup coarse burghul, two fresh chopped tomatoes, one teaspoon cummin (ground),1/2 teaspoon chilli powder or fresh chilli , 1 lemon juiced, a tablespoon of pomegranate molasses and chopped fresh mint. Serve at room temp. Can scatter with fresh pomegranate seeds when available. Most of all - Enjoy....

loving this...

My friends laugh at my love of religious icons but when I see  groupings such as this I want to see it in my bedroom. Particularly the one that is missing his head....he adds that quirky touch. Add to wish list.

Chocolate Fudge cake with ganache'

Preheat oven to 170 degrees

Melt 100g Butter with 150g dark melting chocolate,

In stand mixer or food processor blend 1 and1/2 cups brown sugar ,2 tsp vanilla extract, 3 eggs, 1/2 cup good cocoa powder,3/4 cup sourcream( I mix natural yoghurt and cream) and 1 cup self raising flour ,1/3 cup almond meal.

Mix and add melted butter choc mix  and combine pour into greased and floured tin and bake for approx 60 mins- a knife should come out clean.

This cake is best eaten the next day as it becomes moist ,dense and delicious.

Ice with chocolate ganache  made with 300ml cream melted with 250g melted choc let this sit for two hours before icing cake serve with double cream as pictured and or ice cream.

Enjoy it's veryjoe.

Drunken Chicken Dinner

Delicious combination of poached free range chicken in Asian broth and served with a salad of snake beans and dried shrimp with lime and peanuts amongst other tasty ingredients, prepared and photographed by Rowena Naylor. Eaten and enjoyed by veryjoe.

Just another great food moment on my recent Melbourne trip.

more melbourne

How cool is this tower of kitsch articles. It would be a cool way to display collections or even Christmas decorations. It could be done in many manner of ways. It was in this florist homewares shop in High St , Northcote. I actually love the religious icons, lets just say I  have a hankering for them.(something to do with school I believe)








Melbourne was a blast, so much crammed into five days- but so satisfying to the soul...great food and visual overload. Still enjoying as I replay scenes in my head.

New Purchase

This my new Coffee Table couldn't resist it's rustic charm and can see it in the new house with the farmers feet resting on it whilst watching TV.

Scenes from the city trip.

 Melbourne isn't a place I go to a lot, but this week I have shared it with the fast growing ten year old Tex and seen things through his innocent eyes and he is delighted as  he see's ,tastes and experiences  things for a first time. It makes me proud to be his mum....not that I'm ever not proud.If you get what I mean.

French Style Lemon Yoghurt Cake.

preheat oven to 160 degrees

Mix three eggs with 1/2 cup natural yoghurt, rind of two lemons, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and one cup of castor sugar.

Sift 11/2 cups flour( I mix spelt and white flour) with 2 tsp baking powder.
Combine the two mixtures and mix by hand into a pale yellow batter. Pour batter into prepared pan. I used a bundt tin sprayed and floured and baked for 20 mins, fan forced oven 160.
As it comes out hot and delicious I pour over 1/2 cup castor sugar and 1/4 cup freah squeezed lemon juice mixed and let it cool and soak up the sugary juice in tin.
Turn out and ice with 1/2 cup icing sugar and juice to make desired consistency.

Smells delicious as it wafts it's lemon scent warm and homemade and oh so comforting through the kitchen.

Check this out....

Check out this website our Rowena is a fabulous photographer.


ROWENA NAYLOR : PHOTOGRAPHY

rowenanaylor.com

Chocolate Plum Cake.

preheat oven to 180.
3/4 cup of brown sugar with 1/4 cup of plain flour add 3 tablespoons of butter and rub together to resemble bread crumbs. (set aside this is the crumble topping.)

Sift 2 cups of plain flour into mixing bowl and add 2 teaspoons of baking powder and 3 tablespoons of cocoa.

Cream together 1 cup castor sugar with 150g butter and add three eggs beating in between each addition.
Add half the sifted flour and cocoa mix and add 3/4 cup milk and then the last remaining flour mix incorporating all together.

Pour into greased and lined 25cm tin preferably spring form.Place approx 16 plums on top of cake these can be fresh, canned or stewed.

 Sprinkle over brown sugar mix and bake for approx 40 - 50 mins.

See the blog title for photo of the  finished product.

Enjoy.....we certainly did.

Photos by ROWENA NAYLOR.

a new day.

Today is a new day and with sunny skies and crisp almost spring air I look towards our soon to be new home. I dream of cooking in the kitchen and sharing meals around our family table with friends. There's still away to go, but I can see it appearing gradually and each step closer I get that little bit more excited.

The farmer is working his magic.....

Grow old with me the best is yet to come.