Sponge Drops and Winter Garden

Sponge Drops.  Somewhere between a scone and a sponge cake.  A sort of cupcake-sized sponge cake arrangement.  As easy as anything, and a perfectly delicious sweet treat on a dreary Winter day, with a cup of tea.  Tabitha calls them 'dot cakes', and can eat a vast quantity in once sitting.

Sponge Drops

From How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

2 large eggs

75g caster sugar (I use my vanilla-infused)

50g self raising flour

25g cornflour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

150ml thickened cream whipped

Excellent jam

Berries, optional

Lightly whisk the eggs, then add sugar and whisk until pale and voluminous - thick ribbon stage.  Sieve in the combined flours and baking powder, then fold through with a large metal spoon.

Drop scant dessertspoonfuls of mixture onto baking sheets lined with baking paper, allowing room for spreading.

Bake at 200 degrees for 5 minutes, then remove them onto a wire rack to cool.  Sometimes, it's easier to yank the piece of baking paper, puffs and all, off the hot tray and onto the wire rack, then to gently peel them off the paper once they are cool.

To serve, sandwich with plenty of cream, some jam, and crushed berries if you have them to hand.  Nigella recommends blackberry jam with crushed blackberries and this is an absolute winner.  But today, raspberry jam!

Apart from sitting eating sponge drops and drinking tea, I have also been getting out in the garden.  Each season seems to bring its own special mood to the garden, and I appreciate them all.

The Spring garden is moist and pretty, colourful and sweet-smelling, with mild blue skies and bulbs competing for space.  The Summer garden is relentlessly hot, carrying the smell of tomatoes and basil, crunchy mulch helpfully blanketing the cool, moist soil from the harsh sun.  The Autumn garden is my least favourite - leggy, overgrown relics of Summer begging to be tidied up, cool-weather plants in but not yet growing.

But Winter, what a glorious garden you bring.  Everything covered in delicate dew drops, green bulb tips poking through the soil already, and beautifully rich green plants growing robustly.  Plenty of colour thanks to marigolds and potted plants, and the pea straw keeps bring up self-seeded, pretty purple pea shoots and flowers in forgotten corners.

In the mornings, the sun comes up over the gum trees that fill the park behind our house.  Here is a hanging basket of dward sweetpeas.  I planted them months ago, and they did absolutely nothing - I thought they'd died - but have suddenly sprung to life.  The cooler weather seems to agree with them.

So many self-seeded peas from the pea straw.  I pull out most of the shoots (and toss them to the grateful, clucking chooks), but I provided a climbing frame for a few that grew next to the decking.

Love the flowers.  So chic.

Tabitha's little fairy garden sits nestled in between spring onions and carrots.  We actually had some real mushrooms spring up amongst these ones, the other morning - perhaps some fairy magic?

We have a couple of small pots of flowers, different colours of pansies, which keep things looking cheerful at this time of year.  They seem to thrive as long as they get lots of sunshine.

The Daddy build large cages over the raised veggie beds, to keep the chooks out.  They are cheeky ladies, and will devour entire plants in minutes if given the opportunity.  The cages are not particularly glamorous, but they are incredibly effective.  The sides come off for access.  At the moment, in the caged beds, we have Brussels sprouts, bok choi, carrots, lettuce, coriander, leeks, rainbow chard, chilies, and some nasturtiums, sweet alyssum and marigolds.

Garlic cloves - from my aunt's beautiful biodynamic hobby farm in Tasmania - were flung out on a chair, and promptly forgotten about.  They sent out green shoots to remind me they needed planting.  So I've popped them in.  Never grown garlic, fingers crossed!

Truly, there is something magical about the tiny beads of dew that cover the garden in the mornings.  Even the neighbours' ancient Hills Hoist looks gorgeous, like a gigantic dew-covered spiders web.

Ginger Biscuits, Party Invitations and Watercress

One of my favourite cookbooks - actually, books in general - is Jane Brocket's Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer.  In it, she combines recipes inspired by meals and dishes from classic children's literature with nostalgic discussions and observations on food from this 'golden era' of children's books.

These ginger biscuits are slightly adapted (just for more spices) from the book - the recipe inspired by the ginger biscuits that the Famous Five ate in Five Go On Kirrin Island Again.  In the book, after being presented with a plateful of these by Joanna, their beloved and plump cook, says, "I say, aren't these good?  You know, I do think that good cooks deserve some kind of decoration, just as much as good soldiers or scientists, or writers.  I should give Joanna the OBCBE."

So, Brocket has called these quick-to-make biscuits:

Joanna OBCBE Ginger Biscuits

120g soft butter

120g golden caster sugar (often called raw caster sugar)

1 dessertspoon golden syrup

1 egg yolk

200g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 very heaped teaspoon of ground ginger

Pinch of salt

Very generous pinch of mixed spice

A good grating of freshly ground nutmeg

Small pinch of ground cloves

Cream butter and sugar, beat in syrup and egg yolk.

Sift together all dry ingredients, then work them into the creamed mixture until the dough comes together.  Do not overwork, or you will get tough biscuits.

Break off small pieces and roll into balls (around two dozen), place them apart on a lined baking tray, and press down slightly with the fingers to flatten a bit.

Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until they are just golden brown and smell incredible.

Transfer onto a wire rack and leave to cool.

Tabitha and I are growing watercress on some damp cottonwool in a dish on the kitchen bench.  I have fond memories of sprouts growing on the kitchen windowsil as a child, so decided to give it a go.  They have just started to sprout today.  Next time, I am going to try growing them in an eggshell (as 'hair') or sprinkled on damp cottonwool to form a word or picture.

Tabitha waters them each day by misting the dish with a spray bottle.

My friend Michelle is an incredibly talented (and lovely) graphic designer.  If you need any sort of invitations done, you must check out her work at Berry Blue Designs.  I believe she is also planning on launching some ready made / template style invitations soon.  I hope she hurries, because I have not seen anything nicer around!  Here is her blog Oh So Lovely - you must go and check it out, if only to gaze in awe at her daughter Ava's spectacular curls!

Michelle / Berry Blue Designs created these invitations for Tabitha's upcoming fairy party.  The paper is a beautiful matte textured card, and the colours are divine (the photo absolutely does not do them justice.  I really must learn some basic photo editing!  I would like to have lightened this one up:

Zach is such an easygoing baby.  He happily lays on a quilt on the back decking and watches me garden.  He has, however, started to crawl (just a couple of 'steps' at a time), so this won't last for long - soon I will be chasing him around, trying to keep him from eating all the soil!

Most of our veggie gardens are set in sturdy chook and possum-proof cages.  Otherwise everything gets gobbled up!  Whenever I want to get into one, I need to use a cordless drill to remove the side screen frame.  I am looking into some sort of latch, instead!

A few new bok choi plants poking their leaves through the mulch, in and around the alyssum:

Cheeky chooks - they all tore out onto the decking while their gate was open and my back was turned, and started gorging on my lettuces planted along the sides of the decking.  I flapped my arms at them and they retreated.  One would think I starved them!  In fact, they had 3 half-eaten corn cobs and loads of silverbeet to munch on.  From left to right:  Dolly, Sweetpea, Lacey, Nugget and Edith:

Brussels sprouts edging out a sneaky marigold.  I really hope the sprouts grow well.  They are the most fascinating plant, and nothing beats really fresh sprouts, in a very hot pan with plenty of butter and bacon!

Do you like sprouts?  Or do you consider them a terror of childhood, to be avoided at all costs?  Are there any other traditionally 'unpopular' foods that you adore?

Toadstools, Pretty Paints and Hot Dogs

Now that the weather is becoming cooler, the garden is starting to die back.  The last of the basil has been slashed to the ground and turned into 1.5kg of pesto.  Many of the flowers - including my beloved 'ribbons and bows' petunias - have withered away.  But the new plants in the ground are thriving beautifully in the damp soil, still with plenty of strong morning sun.  Carrots are poking beautifully feathery, vibrant tops through the soil, leeks and spring onions are glossy, decorative kale, bok choi and Brussels sprouts seem to grow an inch a day.

We bought some colourful toadstools at the Byron Bay markets.  I had my eye on a set of 5 red ones, of varying sizes, but of course Tabitha wanted multiple colours, so we have rainbow faux fungi out back!

Pretty little violas and pansies are putting in a solid effort, keeping colour sprinkled around the garden.  I love their 'faces', which always remind me of the floral chorus from Disney's Alice in Wonderland.

Some bumblebee bunting along the weathered back fence is cheering on even the dreariest days:

The cool weather breakfast of choice is porridge - cooked slowly on the stove, with plenty of full cream milk, sliced banana, chopped pecans and a little maple syrup sloshed on at the end.  Cooked with a spurtle of course!

We have two new chookies - hatched from tiny bantam eggs in November.  Here is Nugget - gold nugget, not chicken!  Not sure if she will be sticking around, as s/he is possibly a rooster.  Only time will tell.

We have another new pet as well - a caterpillar.  It's a cabbage moth, I believe, so I was about to toss it to the chooks as a treat, but then I thought Tabby might like to take a look.  It's been living on mint leaves for a week or so on the kitchen bench, and Tabitha has been very good about 'looking not touching'.

Can you spot it below?  You wouldn't believe how much it eats!

Tabitha was given these beautiful powdered paints last birthday.  They are made from plants and herbs, smell like delicious jelly, and mix into gloriously rich colours.  The brand is GLOB.

Painting on the back decking in a cosy oversized hand knit from her 'Great Grand Godmother'!

Comfort food season.  The Daddy and I love hot dogs (in natural casing, grilled in a buttery pan, with a bun steamed and toasted, face-down, in butter).  Shhhh, it's our guilty pleasure dinner!  I made mac'n'broc'n'cheese as a side:

To make the mac'n'broc'n'cheese, make a roux from 20g butter and 30g plain flour, whisk in a cup of milk to form a thick white sauce, add 1.5 cups (firmly packed) of grated cheeses - I use a mixture of Gruyere, cheddar, mozzarella and Parmigiano Reggiano - and stir through to melt.

Meanwhile, boil 200g macaroni or penne in generously salted water, and throw in a cup of broccoli florets in the last few minutes.  Drain, and  stir through the cheese sauce.

Spread into a greased shallow baking dish, top with panko breadcrumbs and extra grated Parmigiano.  Bake in a hot oven for around 30 minutes.

Bendigo, Blondies and Basil

I haven't been blogging much lately - I am working on a pretty exciting new project, which is taking up a bit of time, and hopefully I will be able to reveal more later next month!


We escaped to Bendigo for the long weekend, visiting dear family friends on their beautiful property.  My parents and sister came to, and we all had the most relaxing few days.  We played with the animals (horses, cats, dogs, chooks, guinea fowl!), we swam, ate, drank, toasted marshmallows on their outdoor fireplace, and watched some spectacular sunsets over the bushland.  I have posted photos of their lovely property before, HERE - there are also some very sweet photos of Tabitha with the chooks.


Tabitha adores their larges dog, an ever-patient golden retriever, Jem:

Jem is licking her tummy!

It always makes me laugh that chooks will all crowd in and lay their eggs in the same nesting box, instead of using the others on offer:

Back home, made a delicious and relatively healthy dark chocolate and rolled oat Blondie (recipe HERE):

Tabitha and I are spending as much time in our little back garden as possible, as the sun puts in a fine effort despite the beginning of Autumn.  The hammock is in full sun, the basil and tomatoes are still thriving, the cats are loving the warmth.  


Here is Tabby in front of the basil:

And eating cherry tomatoes straight from the bushes:

I love her hair so much - soft and straight as cornsilk:

Eww!  Ate a stem by mistake!

One for you, Mummy!

Disturbing the napping cats:

This is a little patch of miniature violets which grow along the edge of the decking - Tabitha often picks them all for me, offering them in her chubby fists.  Melts my heart!

Enjoying a bowl of walnuts (along with a whole raw carrot, her favourite snacks).  A bit of an evil look on the face - "don't even think about eating my walnuts!"

Lovely girl, offering her beloved walnuts to Possum:

The days are long but the years are short.  Lately, I have begun to occasionally feel slightly panicky, watching this incredible little girl, where just yesterday I was watching a baby.  When I hold her at night, feeding her before bed, my heart overflows with love, and I cannot believe how perfect and warm and delicious-smelling she is.  I pat her hair while she has her milk, and her hand tangles gently in my own hair.  There is no greater moment, and I am blessed to sit here with her, like this, three or so times every day.


It seems like just weeks ago that I was cradling a tiny, soft, chubby, pink-cheeked little baby.  She is now the sweetest, most hilarious, kindest, prettiest little girl, and her constant wonder and interest in all details of life are so thrilling to me.  I desperately want to freeze time, to keep this fascinating, fascinated child, her hand in mine.  But it is not to be, so all I can do is treasure every moment.