PINK OR BLUE AT THE LAKEHOUSE

 

The weekend hosted the perfect weather to be sitting by the large bay windows at The Lakehouse with a room bursting with beautiful ladies and an assortment of delicious bite sized treats and hot pots of tea. We were here to celebrate the welcoming of baby number three for a very dear friend of mine. She has two handsome and healthy young boys and we were all there to share the excitement of finding out the gender of baby number three. 

The table was spread with towering tiers of assorted macarons, mini slices of orange and chocolate cake, cute little cups of chocolate and orange mousse, scones, freshly whipped cream and shallow dishes of blackberry jam. Long sandwich plates were delicately topped with sandwiches and mini quiches, exactly the type of food you hope to fill up on at an afternoon tea. The tea menu itself boasted an impressive assortment of deluxe tea leaves which would satisfy even the most pickiest of tea drinkers and perhaps even lure in the most die-hard coffee fans with the availability of the such distinct and diverse flavours.

The real jewel of the crown was the cute and unassuming little cake which sailed high above the tiers of sweets and plates of sandwiches. We were all so eager to see whether the cake was bestowing a pink or blue filling. You can only imagine the excitement and disbelief at seeing a pink sponge cake hiding underneath the white buttercream frosting. It looks like they used a different recipe this time around and I am just so beyond happy for my darling friend and her beautiful family. This pink little sponge cake is the first of lots and lots of all things sweet and pink. By far, this is the best way to welcome in new life is with an abundance of sweet treats, friendship and love.

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ROASTED CAULIFLOWER AND CURRIED COCONUT & LEEK SOUP

This recipe came into existence from a matter of praticality. I was roasting the cauliflower in the oven and prepping the other ingredients when I realised that I had no onions. I called my neighbour and she only had a quarter of one inside of her fridge. Home alone with two kids at witching hour, there was no way I was going to risk bundling everyone into the car to buy one onion. Inside of my fridge I spied two flat leek tops sticking out from the bottom drawer, they would do. I usually use vegetable stock, but today I used a beef stock just because it was found inside of my pantry during my search for an onion and I had dreams of making a bacon dust to top the soup, but I got impatient and just diced and fried the bacon and placed it on top of the soup in a heap.

CURRIED ROASTED CAULIFLOWER, COCONUT & LEEK SOUP

(Serves 4 - 5, prep 10 mins and cooking time 30 mins)

A dollop of coconut oil

A splash of olive oil

1 head of cauliflower

**1 can of coconut milk

1 litre stock

1 leek, sliced
***1 potato, diced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1 heaped tbs dried cumin

1 heaped tbs dried corriander

1 heaped tbs tumeric

large pinch of salt

pepper to taste

4 - 5 rashers of bacon

1. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees

2. Cut cauliflower into chunks and lay out onto a baking

 tray and drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt 

3.  Roast the cauliflower in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until it is lightly browned. 

Remove from oven and rest on the bench

4. Heat coconut oil on a medium heat in a large pot, then add the sliced leek, diced potato and sliced garlic and stir around for about five minutes and then add the spices and coat the leek and garlic in the spices, keep doing this until the spices become fragrant, about 3 - 5 minutes

5. Toss the roasted cauliflower into the pot with the curried leek and garlic, 

add the stock and bring to the boil and then lower the heat to a gentle simmer, 

then add the can of coconut milk

6. Stir to combine, and then either blend with a handheld mixer or blender

7. Heat a small fry pan on a medium high heat, thinly dice the bacon and then add to the hot fry pan,

stiry fry until browned and crispy

8. Serve soup in generous bowls and top with handfuls of fried bacon.

**To make it a creamier soup, half the amount of stock and add an extra can of coconut milk and a half a cup of water.
*** A potato is used to thicken the soup, this can be replaced with 1/4 cup of any type of cooked bean 
or uncooked lentils or rice

 

This recipe was adapted from one of my favourites from when I used to be strictly vegan, just leave out the bacon and be sure to use a vegetable stock, or just plain water with a bit of extra salt if you are making this for your vegan friends.

 

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GENEROSITY

Gotta love it when lunch is a no brainer. A yummy chunky vegetable soup dropped off by my generous neighbour which I paired up with a delicious pumpkin cob from the Green Tangerine which I picked up earlier in the day.

How often do you share recipes and food swap with your neighbours?

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WELCOME SPRING

A transition happened today, people were splaying out their egyptian towels and waxing their boards on the beach without a wetsuit. Warmth blew across the seas todays and the water was unbelievably inviting. The heaviness of winter lifted and the timing was perfect. This year has been exciting and full of changes, I have been through some personal struggles which have cast a slight darkness on some of my days, but I have been learning to let go and transition forwards and I feel as though Spring has come at perfect timing. Today I met up with a friend and we both soaked up the fresh salty air and some sunshine while our babes sat happily in their strollers chewing on their teething toys. Afterwards, I took off to do the school pick up and on the way I was in a thought bubble of what to cook for dinner tonight. But I found myself thinking about dessert instead. Arriving home with my kids and two bottles of fresh cream and a jar of Bonne Maman caramel spread, I got to work making some "No churn condensed milk ice-cream" which I spied here. This recipe had me at condensed milk. It's currently in the freezer, freezing - so I will post photographs of my efforts tomorrow. Tomorrow I will celebrate the coming of spring with ice-cream at breakfast.

How will you be celebrating the coming of Spring this week?

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DOWN AT THE JETTY

During the weekend, I had two hours to myself. I got in the car and drove over to Long Jetty to do some op-shopping and to grab some bread. Last time I was here I saw the Green Tangerine from across the road and I ran out of time to duck in and take a peek into the bakery/cafe/shop. Today I had the time, but somehow I still found myself rushed as time escaped from my watch and I had to scoot out of here to make sure I had time to browse around the op-shops for vintage finds. But oh my goodness, this place is vibing with amazingness. I love it! I just want this place to morph into being my kitchen, with all of the spices and sauces and pastries, and another set of enthusiastic hands to cook with - that would be amazing!!! Kath, the beautiful owner extraordinaire got me at, "next time, bring your kids". I will be back. And with my kids. I took a piece of Green Tangerine home with me; a fruit loaf, a pumpkin cob and some ground coffee. The pumpkin cob was inhaled by my family and friends within minutes of slicing. Delicious!

We are so lucky to have places like these popping up all over the central coast. Where is your favourite place?

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