Food wars...

It has to be said - because it's true - that although I adore food, I am less enamoured with the process of cooking. Somehow and somewhere, over the last 16 years, my desire for cooking has eroded - to the point of having panic attacks when considering the evening meal. No. Let's be honest. It begins in the supermarket when I'm making decisions on what ingredients to buy. It really is enough to make a sane person crazy.

I think the fact I have fussy children has done it. It's soul destroying to spend hours lovingly baking knowing it will be largely unappreciated. There really is only so many "oh yuck, I hate mushrooms/it's too spicy/too salty/contains onions (even though you've minced them I can still taste them)/contains meat (and today I've decided to be vegetarian!)" one mother can take.

Even so, I have made a new pact with myself, that I will - inspite of all objections - cook food that I desire. Enough is enough. If they don't like it they can starve. And let's face it - they aint going to want to do that!

So recently I found some recipes on this handy site and yesterday dedicated a few hours to preparing a delicious beef pie, some gozleme and a banana cake.

The beef pie was a resounding success. Kalamata olives were, of course, swept to the side of the plate. That's ok, more for Mr and me. The gozleme was also a hit - but only if warmed! And the banana cake satisfied the most scathing of critics.

delicious spinach, feta and sundried tomato filling...



a small stack of gozleme, to feed the hordes...well, perhaps only four.


I will continue to assault the family with delicious home cooked food until they surrender. Victory will be mine!

give us this day...

our daily artisan bread.

In the beginning was a gooey bowl of no-knead dough.

Safely stashed in the fridge for moments of need.

Which occurs daily.

Carefully, with flour aplenty, pulled from it's receptacle.

To be shaped, allowed to rise and placed into a pre-heated vessel for baking.






and then came the aroma...










not just the aroma but the insatiable desire...














to satisfy the palate and nurture the soul.

Warm, buttery toast with a spread of blueberries.

Oh yum. Oh heaven.








All credit to Zoe and Jeff, the authors of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. You have created something that even a lazy cook like me can take pleasure in.