Eggplant and Tomato Dip

I'm moving houses tomorrow so I have spent my afternoon "packing up my snail shell". By now I'm a professional mover. Over the past few years I have become so good at it that it only takes a couple of hours to shift from one home to the next. Minimalism is the key! Anything I no longer need I through out. This is a concept I am very good at...but only when it comes to things. When It comes to the heart however, I tend to be a hoarder. Letting go of people I love, and have loved is a weak point of mine. For example I still keep in contact with my first boyfriend of nine years ago. Yes this is weird...but its the way I work(or have worked up until now). I have trouble letting go of the people who have helped shape my life so much up to this point and still love to have their input in my life.

This however stops now (apparently). I am sick of watching myself drag a one year relationships into three years. I am tired of breaking up with people I have already broken up with. But mainly I just don't want to hurt those I hold dearest to me....anymore.

So I'm right at the start again. This is one of the reasons I started this blog. To learn to cook as a single lady, and enjoy it. How I loath the title 'single' though.

So its back to cooking for myself again, something I have completely neglected of late. I'll give it another go. I must press on cooking, writing, loving, caring, even when the world feels a little bit empty.

I'm on holidays now and I plan on using the time to practice recipes, do some writing, sit in cafes, catch up on some reading, and go for long runs. I have pages and pages of recipes I want to try out but just haven't had the time. Hopefully I'll be back in the kitchen before i know it and distracting myself from my bruised heart. Im so tired of my own games..... I need to rest and recover.

So while I pack tonight and think, I'm going to cook myself some dinner out of the scraps of my pantry.

Eggplant and Tomato Dip (because thats all the vegetables I've go left)

You will need:

• One eggplant
• One tomato
• One teaspoon of tahini
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 2 tablespoons of natural yoghurt
• 
  

What to do:

1. Prick your eggplant all over with a folk, and place it directly onto the oven racks.
2. Cook for 45 minutes at 180 or until its soft
3. Dice your tomato, and crush your garlic
4. When eggplant is cooked carefully lift in from the oven and scoop out its "guts" (Its such a savage word but I kind of like it) Dice.
5. Then basically just mix everything together.

You could add some fresh herbs to this too. It probably really needs them but as I don't have any I will be going without. Its a pretty rustic dinner, and should be served with corn chips or some yummy turkish. It's probably enough to share between two.....I feel pretty a little low tonight and might just eat it all. Have a beautiful night.

Some Luxury and a Rest for my Heart

The reason there has been no blog for the last few days is because I have been living in luxury. I am now on holidays for two weeks and have been staying in a hotel in the city for the last three nights. When one of my girlfriends found this out she slyly inquired who the lovely man to put me up in a hotel might be......but alas I must confess, I have been staying with my parents. Not that this is in anyway less lovely. Its been really good to see my family and have that support around me.

This term has been an interesting one, and by the end of it I was left feeling worn out...both body and heart. Somethings have worked out so perfectly and somethings have not worked out at all. I feel very empowered at times by the way I made it through such a big move and starting back at study. I feel very strong. At the same time I can feel very small, because one thing that I really really wanted this term, something that made me quite happy, I couldn't have.

All the same I dust of my bruised heart and soldier on (sometimes however all I want to do is through myself to the ground, scream at everyone and have a proper five year old tantrum yelling "Why why cant I have what I want??? why? " Really though imagine if it was socially acceptable for adults to have tantrums. It would feel so damn satisfying). However as one of my good friends once said to me "Cherry you are in Melbourne to cook, who cares about the rest of it. Just do what you are there to do and don't worry." This always cheers me up when things go wrong.

I did a bit of exploring while I was staying in the city this week and found some lovely bakeries. When I have a bit more free time I'll check them out and do some reviews for you. I'll put up some photo's from one I found on little collins st. It's called the Brioche Bakery. I'm yet to try the pastries, but I can vouch for there coffee!

A Rest at Long Last...

I have finally finished my first term at pastry school, and what a crazy term it has been. I feel like so much happened and changed in such a short space of time.

I've made some really lovely friends, and I really like my new job. I had a few really romantic moments (and even if they didn't last very long) they were beautiful.....and we all appreciate beauty. I feel like I've done a lot of soul searching and worked out quite a lot.

My favourite thing I have learnt so far at school is how to work with yeast. Bread and yeast based pastries are such an art form and I really enjoy the process. I love that I'm working with a living organism that must be cared for and treated in a certain way in order to live and grow. I really can't wait to learn more about bread making.

My parents have flown down to visit for my school holidays. Its so nice to see them. We all went out to a restaurant last night in the city to eat mussels and drink wine. It Italian waiter was fussing over us as we were ordering our food, and suddenly I had a revelation. I was not at all charmed by him! Usually I am a sucker for all these lovely European dark haired and dark eyed beauties walking around the city, but I think I have been cured. A short stint of actually dating one of them has put me off for life (ok ok we all know this probably isn't true but let me stay in my little bubble of believing that I'm making progress, and that I wont just melt on the spot when one of them simply looks at me sideways.)

Hopefully over my holidays I'll have a lot more time to cook. I feel bad that I haven't been putting up enough recipes on this blog when it is meant to be a food blog. I've just been so very very busy. Please send in any recipes you have and want me to try out for the blog, or just some you like. Have a lovely weekend.

Chickpea and Roast Vegetable Salad

Tomorrow I have my big assessment day at pastry school for this term. I'm actually a little bit nervous. My cooking partner and I have a few hours to make three types of pastries, one cake, one custard, one soup, two meat dishes, a chutney, a loaf of bread, plate it all up into a five course meal and serve it to the guests. Its so so very much to do. I'm just crossing my fingers that all my doughs rise and bake perfectly.

Its been a pretty hectic day getting ready for all this. My uniform is all neatly pressed so I can get up before six, start school at half past sever, work on my assessment till three thirty and start work at four. After all this (around about seven at night) I'll meet up with my parents for dinner, as they just flew down today for a visit. I'm a little bit overwhelmed to say the least. Throughout the day I called my best friend three times. The first time moody, the second time crying and the third time yelling (not at him, just about life.) I'll be so glad when tomorrow is over and I can have two weeks holidays.

I finished up the last of my homework tonight in typical Cherry style, sitting of the floor drinking a glass of red wine and waiting for my dinner to finnish baking. I made a lovely roast vegetable and chickpea salad out of whatever I could find in my pantry. It turned out really well so I'll write it up for you. Wish me luck for tomorrow and pray I get through the day without any drama's.

'Throw-together' Chickpea and Roast Vegetable Salad

You will need:

• Whatever roasting vegetables you can find in your fridge and pantry (I used potatoes, baby carrots, eggplant, and sweet potato.)
• 10 cloves of garlic
• A splash of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• One teaspoon chilli flakes
• One teaspoon of whatever other dried herbs you like
• Quarter of a cup of red wine
• 1 can of yummy chickpeas ( I love them)
• A couple of handfuls of baby spinach
• Splash of soy source
• 2 table spoons of sesame oil

What to do:

1. Roughly cube all your vegetables and put on a baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and put your hers and garlic (don't peel it) on top.
2. Bake at 200 until cooked (just keep an eye on them.... maybe around half an hour to 45 minutes)
3. Half way through baking splash the red wine over them.
4. Drain and wash chickpeas
5. And then pretty much mix everything together
6. Its super simple and yummy.

Well guys I'm wrecked (something to do with cleaning the house, going to school, doing all my homework, cooking dinner and drinking WAY too many coffees today) so I'm off to bed. have a good night.

Bake Figs

I read an article this week about a new trend for office space in Melbourne. Apparently cafes are starting to cater to the needs of small business's by making the seating space like tiny offices. People who cant quite afford the space to set up there own place for meetings and research are now just meeting for coffees and renting a table for the day. They are dubbing them "coffices." I liked this idea a lot.

At the moment my bedroom is my office. This works fine for me as I have no meetings as of yet and all my research and writing can be done from my bed. So I get under my blankets, eat some cake and play corporate (well my versions of corporate anyway. I think its very similar to how I used to play secretary as a kid.) Really all this involves is writing a few restaurant review, working on my blog and reading foodie magazines. But its a start. Its only a matter of time now before you will be watching "Cooking with Cherry" on your t.v's and purchasing my first cook book (I hope I hope I hope!!)

Today I slept in through my alarm and woke up an hour late on the day of all my theory tests. I ran around the house like a mad woman getting ready, finding something to wear and making breakfast (Toasted bagels with smoked salmon, cream cheese and avocado...yummm.) Normally this would really stress me out because being late is just something I don't do (I hate to look unorganised), but I realised there was nothing to gain by getting worked up over it. I even stopped for a coffee on the way to school (yes I was late, but what would the point of me being there at all be if I hadn't had a coffee yet?)

After the tests we received our marks for the term. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I topped the class! Its nice to feel like I'm getting something right. It can be a constant struggle some days to feel like I'm holding everything together (school, work, paying bills, finding outfits that match, enough exercise, being social, going on bad dates.) My expectations of myself are quite high, and this term has been a little crazy. I'm glad its nearly holidays. I'm really ready for a break. I asked one of my friends today if it was just me finding life a bit challenging at times this term. "Has anyone else found themselves nearly crying on a train and then remembering that they are in public" I asked. She assure me that I'm not alone in that one. Life can get a wee bit 'real' at times.

Here's something to cheer you up if your a bit strung out like me at the moment too.

In the supermarkets and the fresh food markets there are some lovely figs around at the moment. This is a lovely recipe you can use for a desert or a naughty snack. I sometimes find figs a bit intimidating having not used them very often in cooking, but this is very very easy. So give it a go.

Baked Figs

You will need:

• 5 fresh figs
• 40g butter
• 3 tbs honey
• 80 ml of red wine
• A drop of vanilla essence

What to do:

1. Score your figs on the top with a big cross (Kind of like you are going to but them in quarters but don't cut all the way through)
2. Place the rest of your ingredients in a bot and cook on a low heat until combined and the honey has melted
3. Place your figs on a baking tray and drizzle with the source.
4. Place in the oven at a moderate heat and bake for 15 minutes
5. When they are done serve with some vanilla ice cream or yoghurt.

Chicken Soup

I just finished my pastry school homework for the night, and I feel much much dumber for it. Some of the questions were really hard to answer without sounding like I was making fun of the teacher. A prime example would be "explain the preparation involved in a dicing an onion." Now I'm no genius, but I would probably just.....remove the skin and dice it??? Honestly? Really? It was quite painful.

Today was just another lovely day. I worked selling cakes and flirting with customers. A beautiful italian boy came in so I gave him some free cake and promptly forgot how to talk, stand, and breath. When he left the store I fell into a heap of giggles and one of the girls who works at the shop looked at me and said "Cherry I have you all figured out."

I'm making friends with most of the shop owners up and down the street I work on. Its starting to feel more like home here. I'm beginning to form my own little community made up of sushi makers, coffee sellers and chefs. I love being able to walk up a street and know half the people who work there.

I've been feeling a bit homesick for Noosa over the past few days. I miss my friends and family of course, but also all the places I used to go. I miss my favourite cafes, the owners, the staff, and going to beach parties at night. One of my friends said to me this week that if I was still in Noosa we would probably be living in an apartment by the beach, drinking wine every night and sleeping under the stars. How much I miss this! It made me cry to think of the beautiful life I used to have there. Sometimes it was so easy and perfect. But on I push! There would be no career as a food writer if I just lay on the beaches everyday.

Melbourne is starting to get colder and darker earlier. Everyone seems to be getting sick with the seasons changing. So I'm going around to one of my friends houses tomorrow night to make her some chicken soup. Here is the recipe incase any of your friends are sick and you want to cheer them up.

Chicken Soup (for your soul and your sick friend's soul too)

What you will need:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Two chicken breasts
• 4 cups of chicken stock (its best if you make it yourself but if your naughty and lazy use the cubes.)
• 1 cup of cream
• 5 washed potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 2 cobs of corn
• 1 capsicum
• 2 rashers of bacon
• olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• A few chilli flakes

What to do:

1. Place some oil in the bottom of a pot
2. Dice your chicken, onion and garlic (the more garlic you use the better when your sick)
3. Place your onion and garlic in the pot and gently fry until its clear (do this on a low heat)
4. Add your chicken. Stir and cook till the outside is all white (don't worry if its not cooked through because it will cook more in the stock, and you don't want it going tough)
5. Add your bacon, cook till it has some colour.
6. Add herbs
7. Dice all your vegetables
8. Add the vegetables and cook (stir while cooking) for about 5 minutes
9. Add stock.
10. Bring to boil
11. Turn down to a simmer
12. Cook for an hour
13. Add cream
14. Season
15. Serve

And on the Seventh Day He Ate Pastries

At last it is Sunday. I Have been looking forward to this day all week. There is just nothing better than a Sunday, and mine was perfect. I got up and got ready for my day, headed into the city, bought some coffee and a muffin, met a friend for another coffee, went to the Vic markets for a bit of food shopping and then dropped into my work to drink tea and eat cupcakes. The rest of the day I have been making avocado dip, writing, checking out some info on the 'Noosa food and Wine Festival' and reading the Sunday paper. Just lovely!

I'm thinking of taking a little trip up to Noosa in a month for the food and wine festival. It would be a very short visit but just enough to taste some yummy produce and watch a few demonstrations by the celebrity chefs. Normally I would think "oh no no! I cant just fly up to noosa for 3 days for a food festival!" But I've realised after my new 'owning my life' revelation that I had recently, that actually if I want to I can. So hopefully I'll be booking my flights soon and jetting off to see Maggie Beer make some amazing food.

The Victoria Markets were very inspiring as usual today. I bought some bagels and smoked salmon for my breakfasts this week. I also bought some really cheap tahini to make eggplant dip with. I'd really love to be doing some baking with all the peaches and plums that are at the markets at the moment, but our oven is broken!

I hope your making the most of your Sunday. Send me in any recipe's of yummy things your cooking