Since I downloaded Instagram, I’ve become a bit obsessed with taking photos of most meals I cook, buy and eat. I tend only to take photos of cafe breakfasts or if I cook them on the weekends. I just don’t have time to set up a photo of my weekly breakfast – plus my daily smoothie/oats/ fruit yoghurt muesli is pretty boring. And my work lunches are mostly left overs so it’s rare for me to photograph those.

Food gives me so much pleasure – the cooking, the browsing, the sharing. And photographing food helps me remember those good times. For those wondering, I create frames for my photos with an app called Diptic.

Here’s what I’ve eaten in this past week. Enjoy this.

Last Sunday dinner, home cooked. Macaroni and vegetable cheese – cauliflower, orange pepper, squash, zucchini, kale, green chilli, feta and tasty cheeses, béchamel sauce and wholemeal pasta – plus ginger beer. It was a hot night so ginger beer was really refreshing. My Dad gave me that cow plate when I moved to Melbourne. I love it.

Weeknight dinner: home made baked cannelini beans with tomato, capsicum, garlic and red chilli, topped with goats cheese. This would have made for a great breakfast too.

 

 

Lemon and chocolate-raspberry cakes from The The Premises. I had been recommended The Premises by Jentopia and yesterday was the second time I went for breakfast. Last time I went I had the French toast with meringue (really good!). Yesterday I had eggs on toast with smoked salmon. It was average, and to be honest, I think it’s pretty pricey compared to The Auction Rooms and Three Bags Full. As I paid, I was tempted by the cabinet of cupcakes, and chose two to take to Steph’s house for morning tea. The lemon cupcake had glitter on top, which made it even more appealing. Steph and I said as we’ve become older, we prefer fruity cakes over chocolate cakes. We cut the cakes in half so we could sample each flavour. “I don’t want this lemon cake to end” Steph said. I agreed. The cake was so full of lovely lemony flavour, and was rich and dense and I think there was a dollop of lemon curd in the middle. So. Good. The chocolate-raspberry one was good, too, but the lemon stole my heart.

 

Contrary to what it seems, I don’t eat regular meals on the weekend. I eat brunch at around 1030 am and then don’t eat until dinner. Last night I was starving, though at 5 pm, it was hospital/old person’s time to eat dinner. So while dinner was in the oven, I made a platter of goat’s curd brie (if you haven’t tried this, make sure you do – lots of bite, but soft like traditional brie), hot salami, chilli olives and peach. I had a bottle of elderflower cider – I had hoped it tasted more elderflowery, less cidery, but not the case. Maybe I will need to mix elderflower cordial with plain cider?

 

Saturday night’s dinner was inspired by BabyMac – her blog is full of amazing meals and beautiful interiors and cute children – though I varied the recipe a little. It is chicken pieces baked with garlic, onion, tomato, chorizo and sweet potato, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon zest, oregano and chilli flakes. It was really good, and there’s plenty left over for tomorrow’ lunch.

 

I went to the farmer’s market yesterday morning. I love the farmer’s market, especially the barbeque breakfast. I had already done my shopping, so didn’t buy much produce other than grapes and capsicum. I bought a mini cupcake from Play Lunch – they had a huge range of intricately decorated and flavoured cupcakes. I bought a cookie dough cupcake, topped with real cookie dough. So yummy. I loved the animal cakes, and I asked if I could photograph the gift box. The condiments list is what I had on my poached egg and polenta – featured in the bottom right (the best value breakfast in Melbourne I think – so tasty and healthy). And the grapes are lovely too!

I bought a sausage roll for a late lunch. God it was good. Turkey and pork mince, with lots of seasoning and cranberries. The pastry was light and flaky. I could eat these often! I am not sure of the company who makes them – next time I will take note.

Finally – last night’s dinner – salad of roast chicken, tomato and pine nuts with spinach, grapes, corn off the cob and fresh chilli, seasoned with lemon, oil and balsamic, topped with sheep’s cheese. It was fantastic! I kept the chicken bones to make into a stock this week. I may start a catering company. I love food.