Back in the swing of things.

I'm baack... Back on the wagon, back on my bike, back to the future...

After a few weeks from hell I'm finally back to cooking. There is nothing better than the feeling of

chopping up stuff, putting it in a bowl adding a few bits and pieces and voila... something yummy.

My dad's birthday was on Friday, and seeing as I gave him his present at Christmas, I decided to cook him dinner and make a cake.

Dinner was nothing fancy. Good old home made Sheperds Pie. I couldn't actually believe I hadn't

made it before. I think because it seemed too easy. Dad loved it which was a good thing.

Next up was the cake. And not just any cake mind you. Dad's favourite

BLACK FOREST GATEAUX

Now it might sound like a hard cake to make but it's not as

hard as you would think. If you break it down, it's layers of chocolate cake filled with cherries and

cream, then covered with shaved chocolate.

To start with, you bake 2 round chocolate cakes and allow to cool. Once cooled, you slice each cake in half, placing one half on the serving plate.

Then you drizzle the cake with some of the cherry syrup that you've boiled with some cherry liqueur and spread with some whipped cream and add some cherries.

You do this for the next 3 layers.

Once you have the top layer of the cake on, you drizzle with the syrup, and spread the remaining cream over the top and around the side.

Then you pat the chocolate on top of cream. I freeze the chocolate so it doesn't melt while I'm

handling it.

On the menu today is home made chicken stock, made from the bones and carcass from the chooks I roasted last night.

Next up I'm thinking triple choc praline pie.

I'll keep you posted.... xx

Last Year of my Twenties

Today is January 6th.

To some it's known as Epiphany or Three Kings day, others know it as the 12th Day of Christmas. To me it is simply my birthday.

As of today I am officially in the last year of my twenties. I'm not sad or worried that next year it will be the "Big Three -Oh", age to me is just a number.

Do I feel 29??

I don't know, what is 29 meant to feel like? Is there some cosmic list out there that you are meant to be checking off things one by one?? Personally I think that stuff happens in your own time, when you are ready to face them. Not everything has to be all sorted and your life on a plan by the time you get to 30.

So what did I do for my birthday I hear you asking....

Well, not a lot actually. It's a work day for me so it was off to the salt mines as usual, no cake (not for lack of trying, the girls went to the shop but alas it was closed). No balloons, no-one singing Happy Birthday.

I did go home for dinner with Mum and Dad, that was nice, but the present they ordered for me hadn't arrived yet, the pavlova I asked for was un-availvable, and I cooked my own dinner. So all in all, it really was a non-event. Is this how birthdays will be from now on?? What happens to all that excitement you have as a child? The one day that is yours and you don't have to share it with anyone. Does it just slip through the cracks as we all get caught up in life??

Anyway enough about me pondering the value of a birthday. On to the good things. I did get a chance to set up my new TV, I should have my book by the end of the week, and the culinary delights will follow. So all is not lost, it's just driving around without GPS.

Happy Birthday to me!!!!

New Year, New Beginnings...

Well if you didn't already know it's the beginning of a new year. 2010 to be exact and the last year of me in my 20's. That's right folks as of Jan 6 I will be 29!! Shock horror some may say, but personally I really don't care. It's just a number.. Life is what you make it and this year I intend to make it a good one. Full of love, laughter and life experiences.

First new thing of 2010 was starting this blog. I'd been um-ing and arr-ing about it for ages, trying to come up with a name, what I actually wanted to say, blah blah blah. So I just bit the bullet and here I am.

I guess I should start by introducing myself...

Hi I'm Kathy!

What made me want to start blogging??? Well I was inspired watching Julie and Julia. For those who don't know anything about me, I love cooking. Watching Julie Powell cook her way through Julia Child's Mastering The Art of French Cooking and in the mean time find herself, I thought hey I can do this too. Orginal?? No... but something that I want to do?? Yes. So once I get the book away I'll go.

Happy New Year! Let's see what the year brings