Michelle of Flourchild is my new best friend! Or perhaps Melissa, the author of the Sweet Melissa Baking Book should be! Either way, I am loved by everyone in my house this evening!

I studied French all through high school and apart from the amazing trips I was so fortunate to go on, I remember two things- the Alliance Français competition and cooking in French Classes. I only remember a few recipes from these classes- chocolate mousse, croissants (a bit of a flop!), soufflé and clafoutis.

Years ago clafoutis was my desert of choice. I had a low fat recipe that used skim milk and honey in place of the milk, cream and sugar in this recipe and I would usually make it in Summer with stone fruits- peaches, apricots and the like.

But cherries have always been my favourites, especially when it comes to memories of French class! Traditionally the cherries weren’t pitted, however I did pit them. Well, er, almost as I ended up with pips in the first three cherries I bit into! Oops!

This was an easy recipe to put together and easy to adapt- plums aren’t in season here and I didn’t fancy using tinned plums. So I used imported US cherries. As you do!

I have said up the top how much this was loved by all, but I am not only a sucker for cherries, but also for almonds. This was a marriage made in wherever happy marriages are made!

The pic at the top is it straight out of the oven- see the pool of butter on top, yes I know- a long way from my skim milk and honey version!

This shot gives an idea of the height of the hot clafoutis:

Yes, it has settled now in the pan!

And perhaps I should have waited for it to cool before cutting as this was the finished result:

However it looked, it tasted amazing! Thanks so much Michelle for choosing this one! Head over here to check out everyone else’s results! I might just head back for another slice…

I should have blogged this a few weeks ago, but as the title says I can now ride any motorbike I want. In 12 months I will even be able to carry a pillion on a non LAMS approved bike.

I am glad I have done this. I get immense joy from going for rides. It gives me time to think and when I am riding along the open roads I tend to sing!

So even though I have my open licence, I’m still riding the Suzuki GS500 as I really can’t afford to upgrade yet and why would I when the fuel consumption on the GS500 is superb- I am averaging 18.75km/l, usually over 20km/l. Around 5 litres per 100km.

So now I have done something I have wanted to do for ages. Crossed off the list!

This week’s theme is the last thing you bought yourself.I wasn’t going to play along because I couldn’t think of the last thing I bought just for me. I have gotten into the trap of buying things for me, but also for other people- my new veggie garden will service everyone. My new kitchen gadgets will help me cook (actually, I don’t know when the last time was I bought a kitchen gadget!)

But yesterday, I decided I needed a new earring for my cartilage piercing at the top of ear. I went in to the place I had it done over 12 months ago. I ummed and ahhed and then decided to go for a bit of bling (I have been wearing a hoop for ages!) The piercer put it in and then asked if I had considered having another one put next to it. I hadn’t and she put a dot where she thought would be nice. As an aside, she said that I should consider a conch piercing as that would suit my ear. And she put another dot down!

So I just said go for it! I decided on the conch yesterday and will have the other top cartilage done in 6 months or so. I may even get a tragus on the other side and perhaps a nose piercing- MIML™ has suggested a chicken bone through my nose

So spur of the moment and all and yes, it is a little painful, but it looks pretty cool! And I am really happy with it!

Head over here to check out everyone else’s submissions this week!

I am so glad we have political freedom in this country. I had friends and family from many shades of the political spectrum. I also see many people who are ambivalent with the political process or simply can’t see the point. I have been involved with campaigning this election, not because I like every single policy from the party I am voting for, but on the whole I believe their policies to be the better ones to govern our country.

Yes, I have hated the negativity from all sides. Yes, I hate the idea of a filtered internet. No, I don’t believe in offshore processing of Asylum Seekers. But I do believe in costed election promises, the abolition of the ABCC, increased funding for hospitals and schools and infrastructure projects that will provide jobs.

I know there are people who are undecided. I know there are people who have chosen not to be informed. I just hope the following helps:

On Saturday think about what matters to you. Think about what effects you. But also think about what effects others.

Finally, before you cast your vote in the senate, see where the party you wish to vote for is directing its preferences- for all the Liberal Party scaremongering that a vote for the ALP could elect a Greens senator, Liberal preferences are going to Family First- and that is scary! Go here for more information!

Here endeth the lesson!

The thesaurus on my computer gives me this:

happiness
noun
trying to rediscover the happiness we once knew: pleasure, contentment, satisfaction, cheerfulness, merriment, gaiety, joy, joyfulness, joviality, jollity, glee, delight, good spirits, lightheartedness, well-being, enjoyment; exuberance, exhilaration, elation, ecstasy, jubilation, rapture, bliss, blissfulness, euphoria, transports of delight.

But I don’t think that encapsulates it. Yes there is a sense of contentment and good spirits. But I suspect it is not something that one can really put into words. And it is not saying everything has a  happiness all the time, but rather over all it just is. I wonder if this is mindfulness at work- living in the present. Whatever it is, I kinda like it! It’s a little strange. It’s a little new. It’s a lot nice!

Well it is a mild autumn night here but the warmth is coming from this week’s Sweet Melissa Sunday bake!

This week we are baking Melissa’s Cherry and Almond Granola thanks to the lovely Wendy of Pink Stripes. Granola is not something I have grown up with here in Australia. I have always been an untoasted muesli type of gal and have at times thown oats and fruit and seeds together to make my own mueseli, but never toasted it.

Nigella has a granola recipe that I have been meaning to try, but never had the courage to do. I am not sure why this is because granola is fairly simple it would seem! To me it seems like toasted muesli. Mine hasn’t clumped together as such, but it does have a lovely colour to it, even if you can’t really see that from the above photo! I decided to follow the recipe pretty religiously (only substituting sultanas for raisins) even though it did mean traipsing all over town looking for dried cherries! I adore cherries! This Winter I have even bought some imported from the US, even though I try not to. My reasoning is that I buy imported chocolates from Europe so why not fresh cherries which are better for me? Anyway I found some and handed over my left kidney in lieu of payment. Well I didn’t, but it did seem like that. Still better than chocolate. Still better than chocolate… And they are from the US as I don’t think anyone in Australia has thought about drying them.

Whilst it looks like toasted muesli, it doesn’t really taste like any muesli I have eaten before. The spices add a warmth and depth to it and it is not super sweet with the cherries adding a gorgeous tang. And now I have a mountain of it! I will try and find time this week to bake the granola cookies in the Sweet Melissa book, but also plan to have some on yoghurt for breakfast.

This week is looking totally manic for me. I have looked at the recipe for next Sunday and made up my mind that I will make sure I take an evening or two to knock it together as I think the therapeutic nature of baking will be just what I need.

When I first entered the world of teh intertubes, I found a number of sites that offered budget recipes. One of them, Steph’s Kitchen, has since closed, but I did find it archived somewhere last year. The most common recipe I cook from there is Chilli Macaroni- a dish where you fry off some mince, add tomato soup, tinned tomatoes, some herbs and spices and quite a bit of water then simmer and stir in uncooked macaroni and kidney beans.This has become one of my most regular dinners. I now vary it- a few weeks ago I used roo mince. Sometimes I halve the mince and add lots of mushrooms and zucchini.

One of the other places I have received emails from over the years is Peak of the Market, a Canadian site. Some of these recipes give inspiration. A lot I ignore. One that I received Saturday reminded me of Chilli Macaroni and I adapted it for dinner tonight. According to MIML™ all my meals are lovely and all my meals are special, but I think this one is extra lovely and extra special! And it falls into my budget meals, leftovers for work, ways with mince, and lower fat and reduced carbs categories! I know- most boxes ticked!

The kids love Stroganoff. I think it would be one of Im’s favourite meals and she is forever finding new recipes to try. I am not convinced this is a Stroganoff as it has no mushrooms, but that is what it was called and who am I to argue! I did adapt it a little (added more water during cooking as it was getting really dry) and next time I will add more veggies, but wow! It is a winner!

Southwestern Stroganoff

500g mince (I used beef)
1 onion diced
500g salsa (I used 2 x 300g jars- one mild, one medium)
1 cup water (I ended up adding at least another cup of boiling water as it cooked)
2 cups uncooked pasta (I used macaroni as I had it on hand!)
1/2 cup sour cream (I went the lite way with this!)

In a large non stick frypan with a lid, brown onion and mince until onion is soft and mince almost cooked- around 5-8 minutes. Stir through salsa, water and pasta and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, stirring regularly. I’m glad I kept checking as it needed the extra water! When the pasta is cooked, stir through the sour cream. Serves 4-6.

See- how easy is that! Oh and here…

How good does that look! And I can guarantee it tastes better than it looks! Now as for the carbs- I used about half a pack of macaroni. That adds carbs, but it is less than if I made Spag Bol and use the whole pack between 4! Next time I will add more veggies and less pasta I think…

Oh and one of the reasons for blogging about food… I actually don’t want to turn this into a political blog! It is my escape from the election. I know I have my views and they are different from other people’s. I share things on my facebook page and on twitter, but I don’t need to do it here. Except, perhaps direct you here as it is too funny not to share! (See, I could have embedded it but didn’t!)

A number of bloggers I follow blog at least twice a month with recipes from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book. A while ago, this book was chosen as a cook-along book- each week a new recipe is baked until the book is cooked! I am starting part way through, and although I have missed the cook-along of several recipes I want to try, I am pretty sure I will try them as they seem just lovely!

This week’s recipe is courtesy of Jennifer of The Rookie Baker. Catch the recipe over there, or other people’s efforts over here!

What a recipe to start with! I am glad I checked at the SMS site during the week to see how others had gone with this one. If I had pulled anything else out of the oven and it still wobbled I would have put it back in for another 20 minutes! But on cooling in the fridge it has developed a beautiful consistency!

I used frozen raspberries in the middle and did worry that not defrosting them may have had an impact, but indeed not! This is a winner! If I didn’t want to rush over and blog it I suspect I would be finishing off the entire cake in a sitting! I can see this becoming a dinner party standard recipe for me- it really is a winner!

I have a bit of a confession. I actually don’t like wearing shoes. I would so much prefer to go around bare footed. But to pick a favourite pair of shoes… I actually couldn’t decide between the following two:

1. My runners.

2. My bike boots

Yes, both of these pairs of shoes are comfortable, but it is the function they serve when I am wearing them and the activities associated with them that makes them favourites as without them I would not be able to work out at the gym, nor ride my bike.

You may note a stain on the left runner… I ride my bike to the gym most times and a few months ago I had a small oil leak through the gear stick! All fixed now and I should thrown them in the washing machine!

I know it is not rejection, but more a time when he needs to be by himself to collect his thoughts and chill.

My space time tends to lead me to just being lazy. I faff online, or lie in bed, or watch the cooking channel. Yes, I zone out, but I don’t use the time to my advantage.

One of my tasks I set for myself on my 101 in 1001 days (too tired tonight to link it in, but it is up there somewhere for you to click!) is to find 5 indulgences that aren’t food related. I think this ties in with space. I need to find things that refresh me. That reinvigorate and re-energise me. That help me be a better person for me. Perhaps I do need to be selfish at times and say no.

So tomorrow (er today now!) when MIML™ has his space I will be cleaning and decluttering upstairs and down. And I will be involving the kids! I think maintaining an ordered house will help me maintain an ordered mind.

And if anyone can think up any indulgences for me, I would be grateful!