Salmon Soup... (It's SO Good!)

I promised to put up the recipe for this soup. Its really yummy and simple. Hope you enjoy it.

Salmon Soup

You will need:

• One big piece of salmon
• one onion
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 cobs of corn
• 2 carrots
• 500ml cream
• 4 washed potatoes
• vegetable stock
• one small tin of canned salmon
• Half a cup of cheese (Any you like really. You could just use tasty or parmesan, or maybe some brie?)
• 1 tsp of dried coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon of chilli flakes

What to do:

1. Lightly fry your onion and garlic in a large pot.
2. Peel and dice all your vegetables and add to the pot. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring all the time so it doesn't stick
3. Add enough stock to cover all the vegetables and bring to the boil
4. Turn down to low heat, add the herbs, and simmer until vegetables are soft
5. Dice salmon
6. Add cream and tinned fish to soup
7. Turn the soup down very low and add salmon and cheese. Cook for another 2 minutes and then serve right away. Don't forget to taste it for seasoning... It will need some salt and pepper. (Also make sure the soup is down very low when you add the cheese, or it will go lumpy)

So thats what I had for lunch today guys... It's really yummy! I hope you enjoy it.

Girls Night In!

This week I was invited to a dinner party by a lovely lesbian girl that sometimes comes into my work. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to make it with all the moving and packing and what not. Actually this is a lie. All my unpacking is done. I'm on holidays and I have loads of free time. Its just that... well, I've been a little down lately about this whole 'single' thing and going out would require me actually getting out of bed and stop eating easter chocolate. I've been feeling very apathetic lately, and to be honest it's hard at times moving to a new city alone and having to turn up at parties where you know no one. In my state of singleness and self-loathing things were snowballing fast... I decided that I'd probably never meet a nice man. I'd probably never even leave the house for that matter except for school and work. I was being a huge wimp.

I have learnt in life that the most exciting and enriching things happen when you run after, instead of away from, your fears. So off I trotted to the train station with a bottle of very good merlot (I hate to turn up at people's houses empty handed.)

I had a lovely time! We drank wine, talked, and ate some really yummy food. It was nice having someone else cook for me for a change. The host made a whole roast chicken (I love it when people roast chickens. To me its like saying, "I love you enough that I would stick my hand up a bird's bum and put crumbs in it, and then worry about it for an hour and a half desperately hoping it doesn't dry out." True dedication to a meal.)

It was a really fun night. Here's the funny thing about it though... everyone there was gay. As in everyone. I felt so out of place in my sea-foam green silk dress when all the girls were in shorts, and tee's and vests. I was so glad I decided against heels that night. I think the boy sitting next to me was move likely to own a skirt than any of the girls there. (This is not a joke, as he did mention he owned a corset.) It was actually really nice though. I think I made some good friends there. (And I was worried about never leaving home and having a boring life!!!)

I woke up this morning with a killer hangover. It really has been a while since I've drunk that much red wine. I decided to officially have a bed day. I have been so good lately getting all my jobs done, but today it was time to just rest. I cooked up a huge breakfast, and got back in bed with a cup of tea and watched movies. It was lovely. Hope your having a really good saturday too.

The Vegie Bar

Last night I took a little trip down to Brunswick street to visit one of my favourites.....The Vegie Bar. I have so many fond memories of the place, so I was quite excited to go. I've had some wonderful and terrible dates at this place. This however is besides the point.

The whole place looks like a converted barn and its covered in posters and information about gigs and events. Its a really indie/arty scene and the people watching is great. The menu is perfect if your vegan as no meat is served and they also cater for people with gluten senstitivites.

I had the gado gado which was nice (if you like vegetables... which I do.) The peanut sauce was really yummy and the vegetables were all cooked well. I went with my mum and dad and they ate a pizza and a salad, which were average.

The drinks list is great as you can choose from a range of organic wines or juices. I had a merlot that was made just out of melbourne and it was delicious.

I really like the place, and I want to love it... but I just cant. As nice as the food is, its really lacking something. Its a bit like the scene there... very cool, but lacking a bit of substance. Considering the prices you do really get what you pay for as the serves are huge and the meals are cheap. It's good but not great. I recommend a visit there, just because its fun; but don't expect an amazing vegetarian meal. The place is continually packed, and I get the feeling that the chefs are just too busy to put much love into the food.

What to do about love and ice-cream making

Today is my first real day off I've had these holidays. Mainly I have been spending my week working, packing and moving houses, but today I had nothing I had to do. I've been so utterly worn out this week its good to have a rest. I feel so tired I find myself starring into my computer screen not knowing why, and avoiding all social events (you mean people want to meet up after 7pm? But what about bed?)

So I treated myself to a 'me' day. I went to the library, the vic markets, explored the city and now I'm out to lunch. I found a nice little cafe in Hardware lane where I could eat a huge place of chilli prawn linguini and have a good think.

Why am I so tired? (apart from moving to a new city, starting pastry school and working on top of that) I keep wondering? The truth is... love is wearing me out. Its exhausting. The constant "yes, no, on and off" of it all has worn me to a small wisp of a girl and I am learning that I am not a strong tower unmoved by storms. I too can get blown over by the wind and crushed by the hail. To some I'm sure this is very obvious, but to me it came as a surprise. Me in my naive youthfulness truly believed that I could date four (yes i said four) boys in the space of one term, end all those short relationships/flings/whatever they where (because I'm really not sure... still), neatly in time for holidays and not feel a thing! Well, I will just take a moment to tell you now... THIS WAS A VERY STUPID THING TO DO!

Your heart (I have learnt over the past 3 months) is like angeles sauce (the bace used to make ice cream).....very fragile. It needs time and warmth. Too much heat however and you will scramble the eggs in it. Not enough heat and it will never cook. I have scrambled the eggs (of my heart) and I'm now left with this yellow, lumpy, useless mess. So now I must start again from scratch, whisking my sugar and eggs, heating the milk, and this time only cooking it over slowly simmering water.

So for the next few days i will rest and cook and write, until I work out what is to be done about all this. I have some lovely fresh ingredients from the markets (this I must admit cheers me a lot.) I'm going to cook a big salmon and potato soup for dinner tonight. If it works I'll post the recipe up for you.

Tomorrow is Saturday (I'm sure your aware of this) so have a lovely weekend... and be gentle with your hearts!

Starting Fresh... again... and again.

Day one of being completely single...again. I woke with that sad heavy hearted feeling of knowing something is wrong but not remembering what. Slowly it filtered back through my consciousness that there was a reason for the dull pain in my heart, and on top of that I had to move houses today. I hit snooze on my alarm three times and then realised I really did need to get up and get organised.

I started to pack up, my boxes, my heart, my thoughts, my ideas. So much beauty had taken place in this little room. I'd done some deep thinking here, worked on assignments for pastry school, started this very blog, spent a wonderfully beautiful week laughing and eating with a friend all hours of the night, and spent so many lovely mornings in bed reading the paper and drinking coffee.

It's always hard saying goodbye to another town. I had packed up all my food so I took a short walk into town to buy some coffee to brew and a few other ingredients. After a chocolate and raspberry sandwich life didn't feel so lonely. I was so thankful though when my parents arrived to help me move. They had come to stay at just the right time.

We moved all my things and then went out to a lovely little organic cafe for lunch. I had a big serve of salad and it was so so yummy! There seem to be a lot of these lovely little organic places all over the city where you can find really healthy food quite cheaply.

My new room is lovely. I can imagine me cooking some beautiful cakes in this kitchen. I cant wait to settle in and explore the new town. Hope your day is lovely.

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!