Whoarrrr....curry.

We happen to be a family of curry lovers. Once I start cooking in the kitchen there begins lots of loitering and sniffing around. Cries of "Whoarrr", it really doesn't matter whether it's vegan, vegetarian or a meat based curry...we love it. I had to do this curry twice this week because it is a new favourite.

Tons of vegetables.

Thursday.

A little disappointed as I was supposed to receive two tickets to the premier of the local showing of "The Sapphires" for tonight....free. Never mind.
So, I got busy in the kitchen instead.

I made chocolate chip cookies, requested by certain members of the family. If it's going to be naughty at least I know what's gone into them.

 Then one of my top favourite salads.

The lentils are only cooked gently for a few minutes so they look like this and not falling apart into a great mushy mess.

A friend made it for me a couple of years ago and I've made it heaps of times since. I could gobble the whole lot up but I don't. I don't have her original recipe so I sort of improvise each time.

The basics are the same, lentils, capers, currants and red onion but the dressing (an oil and vinegar based dressing) depends on what I add as I taste it. Today I added cumin, tumeric, coriander, freshly ground sea salt and black pepper, seeded mustard, a dash of cayenne pepper, a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg. Oh and also a little coconut sugar, my sugar of choice at the moment.

Yum.

 

Banoffee Pie.

I have a sister who makes the best Banoffee Pie. I was thinking about her a few days ago and decided to try and make one, it is terribly indulgent, rich and just downright naughty but equally delicious.

It has four main elements. A biscuit base. followed with a layer of caramel ( the offee bit, as in toffee), then sliced banana , topped with whipped cream.

I grated some chocolate on the top, just to make it extra bad.

Luckily there were lots of people to share it with.

Easy to make, it can be done in stages. The biscuit base and caramel can be done the day before and quickly finished the next day.

Loads of oranges.

One of our orange trees.

A few days ago I made some date and orange muffins. Partly because I desired something naughty but also because we have six trees laden with delicous oranges. Sweet and juicy. Unsullied by sprays and picked fresh. Each year we have to give bags away as we cannot eat then all. We juice, freeze, eat and use them in cooking. Maybe I should make some marmalade...

The recipe asked for  1/2 cup of juice, I juiced two oranges. So one batch of muffins used three oranges altogether.

They were good, I think I''ll do another batch tomorrow.

Wimbledon final.

So who's watching the men's final at Wimbledon ?
Me !
 Planning to stay up and watch, it goes live at 10.45pm here.
 I've got some cookies baked and with a mug of milo I shall be set.

Winter morning.

Since arriving home from Europe, I had been keeping odd hours but at last I am back to a reasonable sleep pattern. The upside is that I have been getting up at about 5.30am. I am a morning person. I like the quiet, rekindling the fire, making a cuppa and having a few moments pottering to myself.

A few mornings ago there was a frost !! Very unusual but beautiful. Every winter we get a couple of mornings where there is a frost, locals say it sweetens the oranges.

A view across the paddocks. It was about 3c overnight.

Mango trees near and far.

My plantings from eight months ago still producing chilli's.

Time for a lovely, warming curry.

I planted these just before leaving for Europe, it didn't remember what I grabbed from Bunnings but they appear to be sweetpeas.

I have been eating them but I gather one shouldn't, who knows but I haven't keeled over yet.

The last of the capsicums. Which I shall pick as long as Dusty doesn't get to them first. He is a vegetable loving dog.

Mint seems to love winter. A have a pretty applemint growing nearby.

Breakfast was a home made 5 grain bircher museli.

The grains soaked for ages in water and lemon juice, with grated apple, oranges off the tree and some natural greek yogurt stirred in. Delicious.

Voting on Dusty's birthday competition.

I am just posting a link to a competition I have just voted on. It was very hard to choose, because all the animals were just gorgeous.
Here is the link;
http://lifewithmydogs.blogspot.com.au/p/dustys-celebration-competition-voting.html

The competition is to celebrate Dusty's first birthday. Which is at the end of this month 27th July. The winner gets to choose either a pencil or pastel drawing of their entry. Get voting !

Arrived home.

After a lenghty flight home, we arrived back safely. Our dogs and other animals had all been beautifully looked after, we were so pleased to see them and the welcome we got was ecstatic, which was lovely.
I really don't like "airplane food", it smells terrible and makes me feel gross. I ordered the fruit platter which is a better option for the long flights.  I drank lots of water, slept little, watched lots of movies and felt pretty zonked by the time three flights were dealt with.
Just before leaving Bristol, we went as a family to a wonderful little place in Stokes Croft called "Cafe Keno". If you are ever there, it is reasonably priced and the menu is interesting and delicious. I had the salad tasting plate, of three different salads, with hummus and garlic bread. It is a vegan cafe, full of interesting choices and very yummy puddings.I had a slice of raspberry and coconut cake.

Salads I made today.

I felt inspired by my supper there and have been experimenting with salads since arriving home, which indeed I think have helped combat my jetlag. All raw and freshly made.....colourful and crunchy. Carrot, orange and coconut. Beetroot and pear. Tabbouleh.( Clockwise from the top).

Going home.

Today we head off, back home. Very mixed feelings, a little bit sad about going, looking forward to seeing all the animals again. It will be nice to have the kitchen back, all the spices and recipes I like to create using lots of vegetables. Now you will be inundated with posts about food.

Maybe we will get some chookies again, it's always cheerful seeing the chooks pottering and scratching in the garden.

Beautiful day,in Gruissan.

              We spent most of the day spoiling ourselves in the glorious mediterranean sunshine.

We found one of my favourite shops (after a delicious lunch) and indulged in something naughty.

So many choices..........

So I got a strawberry tart.

Kite surfing.

The marina.

The old part of the town, Gruissan.

Energetic locals.

At the boulodrome.

The lagoon.

Afternoon tea. I had coconut icecream, my favourite at the moment.

There were lots of interesting flavours, including one called Bimbo....whatever that is !

Narbonne Plage.

We arrived at Narbonne Plage yesterday. In the evening we had a stroll along the beach and dipped our toes in the med.

A very interesting menu, that makes me glad I do not partake of meat.

Tonight we walked through the vineyard. There was a beauitful sunset, lots of bird call and the smell of lavender.

Strawberry tart.

So delicious.

Mirepoix

We visited a medieval town high up in the Pyrenees Mountains, it was amazing. I didn't get many photo's as I was busy eating lunch.

It was very well preserved , there was a covered market.

Mill

The mill is on a small island, very peaceful.

The water was raging after all the recent rain but has now settled down.

We have been canoeing on the Charente, There is a canoe pass, very much like a water slide, which is great fun to hurtle down.

The last few days in the very South.

A side on of Poseidon.

Carcassonne.