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IM001672
Originally uploaded by Osmom.

This is a double chocolate raspberry tartlet I made for our anniversary yesterday. (Actually, I made four of them.) A bittersweet chocolate pastry filled with a white chocolate and mascarpone cheese filling and topped with some organic raspberries I picked up at Whole Foods.

IM001670
Originally uploaded by Osmom.

Oliver gets mad when I say “macaroni and cheese.” It’s “mac ‘n’ cheese. That’s what Grandma calls it.”

So here’s the Martha mac ‘n’ cheese we had for dinner Friday night. Unfortunately, I only had an extra sharp cheddar on hand, which was tasty for me, but O didn’t like.

I said I would stay away from the computer this weekend, but here I am. Thinking about dinner tonight … I’m making macaroni and cheese (rather, penne and cheese) for Oliver, along with Parmesan chicken. The mac & cheese is from Martha — I got the recipe from one of those direct mail pieces she sends, and this, supposedly, is her most requested recipe *ever*. The chicken recipe is from a fabulous cookbook called Barefoot Contessa Family Style by Ina Garten. Back in the 1990s, I used to spend a lot of time in East Hampton, Long Island, and frequented Ms. Garten’s store. Mmm, they made the best salsa — this intense tomato-ey dip with the merest hint of heat (I’m not a chili head). And I recall there being a lot of cilantro, which is odd because I was watching “The Barefoot Contessa” on the Food Network last week, where Ms. Garten said she disliked cilantro. Hmm. But I digress.

We’re off to Whole Foods (Deb, that’s a natural foods supermarket) to buy asparagus, shrimp, lamb chops, and other assorted goodies. I’m making a custard tonight with some rhubarb I had tucked away in the freezer. And maybe a monkey bread for DH in the a.m. (it’s our wedding annversary tomorrow).

Pictures forthcoming ….

Ok, my earlier blog dissapeared into the ether somwhere, but I think I’ve got it down now.

Now I really want a digital camera!

Dinner tonight is a warmed white flatbread, made earlier today for article recipe testing purposes, served with peppered lamb mince, homemade hummus, caramalised red onions, kalamata olives and a big mixed leaf green salad. The lamb mince (that’s ground lamb to you all. ground beef = ‘mince meat’ here, fyi) is something I just saw in Cuisine magazine - a very good NZ food mag. You fry the lamb mince in olive oil, chopped garlic, allspice, cumin, cinamon and salt and pepper until it’s dry and crumbly. It reminded me of one of my favourite dishes at a local cafe, where similar stuff is served on top of hummus with caramalised onions, so I just have to make it. In fact, I’d best get cooking or we’ll be eating late!

Man, I’d so take pics of all my breads if I had a camera. Soon … soon …

So, what’s on everyone else’s dinner menus?

When life hands you lemons …
Originally uploaded by Osmom.

Well, guess I f*cked up on the blog name. There’s gonna be a little cooking, as well as baking, going on around here.

This isn’t exactly cooking. I was craving lemonade this morning, so I made Jordanian Lemonade (doesn’t that sound lovely?) from a book called Good Day for a Picnic by Jeremy Jackson. My version:

6 lemons, juiced
4 oranges, juiced
1/2 cup sugar (I like my lemonade tart)
4 to 6 cups water
Crushed mint

Mix everything together, et voila! Even the picky DH liked it.