Finding lovely

1. Glimpses - purple flowers over the neighbours fence

2. Jam day - twice as many jars of homemade Rosella jam this time, and more fruit on the plants. Also loving my new hutch, an ebay find. (The first batch.)

3. Baby things - especially Mama made ones

4. Mini quiche - puff pastry, silver beet from the garden and four eggs, yum

5. Making - I designed and crocheted this piece and set it with glue. It is now on it's way to have a mold made and be cast in sterling silver, in order to become a necklace. I'm nervous and excited. There are more pics and info on instagram. All being well the necklaces will be available for order in the shop soon.

6. Prints - a new addition to my studio walls and an excuse to go op-shopping once I can drive again, so as to find it a frame.

What loveliness have you found lately?

The heart of the home

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Bacon mushroom and cheese on the left, smoked salmon, mushroom, olives and capers, without cheese, on the right (I'm lactose intolerant)

Chicken burgers with home made chips and pickled home grown beetroot

Potato, carrot, sweet potato and rosemary from the garden, with a little olive oil, ready for roasting

One meat and vegetable pie, one vegetarian pie (we freeze the leftovers for quick lunches and dinners)

Muffin mini-pizzas with the left over salmon, olives and capers from the pizza

Parsnip, tomato, carrot, lentil and butter bean soup


Salmon, cou cous and baby spinach leaves with balsamic vinegar

Dairy free banana cake, with eggs from our neighbour

A little bit of what has been happening in my kitchen lately. I'm always trying to find a balance between taste, health, budget, luxuries, seasonal, organic, allergies and time. I write a meal plan each week and we have a budget of $150 for groceries and consumables (like toilet paper, aluminium foil, and dish washing liquid.) Using cloth nappies and making my own laundry liquid have certainly helped stretch our budget further. As has buying in bulk and keeping a store cupboard down stairs. My sister has just copied out some of her favourite recipes for me to try this week.

What have you been cooking lately?