It seems like quite a while since I shared any food photos and I can assure you it's not from the lack of eating- lots of that goes on here! 

The last few tomatoes are now red ripe and juicy from our humble plant in the garden and they have been possibly the best tomatoes I have ever tasted.  Next year I intent to increase my stock as I quite like the idea of a glut of them to make chutney and fresh tomato sauce to freeze for the snowy winter months. 


Simply sliced with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and some basil from the garden.  The perfect nibble whilst cooking tea for the troops.


Roasted tomatoes ready to be made into pasta sauce with Italian sausage meatballs.


Just a few nibbles, taken with a gin and tonic in the last dregs of the summer sunshine.  Tomato and basil salad, marinated mushrooms and olives and green beans (from the garden) with a balsamic reduction. 

Life tastes pretty good at the moment! 

 

1. Granny Makinson's Sugar Cakes (Recipe)
2. Discovering Iced Coffee- strange but nice!
3. Tomato Brushcetta for lunch
4. Kids Strawberry and Chocolate Waffles- I really want a Waffle Maker, but cannot decide if I would actually use it?
5. Afternoon Tea- Chocolate Cake and Banana & Blueberry Muffins (Recipe coming soon!)

 

We have had a fab Easter Weekend.  It involved lots of work on the garden, lots of bouncing on the new trampoline and lots of yummy food!

Diets are a funny old beast!  What works for one, won't work for another.  For me, simple is better.  I keep a watch on my calories and have a big old list of free foods (mainly green ones) that I can eat till they are coming out of my ears!  Nothing is off limits and exercise is optional not mandatory. 

The one thing I have never understood is this business of trying to make something lower in fat and calories, when it was never designed to be that way.  Take for example Tiramisu.  I love it's kick up the but caffeine and fat hit- it translates as "pick me up" and with that amount of calories it can pick you up and keep you up for a week.  It's not low fat, it's not low calorie and it should not be made with quark, Greek yogurt or any other diet product! 

I stick to things that are naturally low in calories and fat and if the need for Tiramisu pops up, just eat a small portion (ha, like that happens!) and be good for the rest of the day to make up for the extravagance.  So it's Thai food I gravitate to most when in diet mode.  The chilli and fish sauce combo that underlines most Thai food makes up for a lack of fat in most dishes. 

This is a taste of what is making it's way into my pre- summer diet plans at the moment:

Now I just need to keep away from those DAMN chocolate almonds lurking in the cupboard!