Matt's 3 course dinner

My Matthew, 14yrs, has an ambition, to be a chef in the airforce.  Tonight he decided to make us a special 3 course dinner.

We had:
*Prawn Cocktails*
*Chicken Pie*
*Cheesecake*

He pored over the cookbooks and eventually produced a lovely meal...Didnt he do well!

Free Food....Rabbit and Crayfish

Nothing better than food you didnt have to pay for at the supermarket.  This Easter weekend we have had some treats indeed, first Rabbit Pie, then Crayfish Thermidor.

Rabbit Pie
Take your rabbits (2 will feed about 4 people), and simmer gently in water on the stove for about 4hrs till the meat is soft and will come away.  Saute several onions and lots of garlic.  Add a few tablespoons of flour and some of the rabbit stock, then some milk. Add   Bring about 5 large sprigs of fresh thyme and some salt and pepper.  Bring back to the boil and let it thicken.  Take the rabbit meat off the bone and add to the sauce.  Put the whole lot into an oven dish and top with Flaky Pastry.  Cook till browned (about 1hr) on a high-ish heat.  Enjoy with your favourite friends and family!

Easter Eggs, thanks to our remaining chooks

Here is Montana-Rose proudly showing off her coloured Easter Eggs.  When our German student, Franziska, stayed with us her mum sent her some egg dye, and although we didnt use it then, we hung onto it and now, this year, have put the dye to good use.

Along with the coloured ones, I also made "Tea Eggs"!

Tea Eggs: take your eggs and hardboil them.  Then crack them all over, be pretty ruthless.  Put them back into the hot water they were boiling in and add 4 or 5 tea bags.  Boil for about 20 mins.  Then cool and take off the shells....voila pretty marbled eggs with a delicate flavour.

Luan, our current student, who is from Brazil, said "eewww, yucky!" (a new word for him!), but I think they look gorgeous :-)

Walnuts and a Zundapp Sewing Machine

Just look at this beauty!  a 1950's styled machine, made in Germany by a company who were better known for their motorbikes.  That is real eye candy.  I havent yet put it to use, but I'm hoping it will be sturdy and a good choice for basic quilting.

It is in going order, and actually had rows of sewing in it.  It has its own case, a lovely set of extra feet, some screwdrivers etc and someone even wrote out some instructions on how to load the cotton and bobbin.

I'll let you know how I get on.

As an aside, I have some walnuts now drying......another job to come, that of shelling.  Oh joy!

Feels like frost, pulled out Basil

Well, the nights are colder, and there is a distinct autumny feel in the air.  I pulled out the last of the basil last night before going to bed, as I was worried about getting up in the morning and finding it all gone brown overnight.

Here's my pesto recipe...I often substitute parsely for basil in the winter, with great success

PESTO
Pick all the parsley or basil that you can.
In the blender put 1c oil and 3 cloves (or more) of garlic.  Whizz till you have garlicky oil.  Add the pesto, 1t salt, 1t pepper, and 1/4c of walnuts (if free even better) or pinenuts (not so free at about $17.00 per oz).  Whizz till you have a thick paste.  Scrape out of the blender and stir in 1c or more of grated cheddar cheese.  Stir through hot, drained pasta.

I know this is not a "traditional" pesto, there's no parmesan!  but it is made with staples from the pantry and is much easier to rustle up when it doesnt call for hard to get, or expensive ingredients.

Just checked the Wine

Somehow the grape wine hasnt quite finished fermenting.  There is still a lot of fizzing going on, even though I have now "casked" it.  When will it stop?  if it doesn't stop do I bottle up "sparkling wine"?  Oh, my technique is so vague that its impossible to know what is going to happen.

Ferret 1 - Chicken 1

One dead ferret, and unfortunately one dead chook.