Getting my cooking groove back

I love cooking as much as I love eating.  Now that I am not at my parent's home as often, there has been some pros and cons.

Cons - I don't get the opportunity to eat both my Mum's and Dad's cooking everyday.
Pros - I am starting to get creative in the kitchen again.

The first meal I cooked at home was a pretty basic t-bone and mash dinner.  The second is a little more exciting... home made pie.

Well it is not really rocket science to make though it is one of those dishes that you have to be prepared to wait for.  Being patient is not really a great attribute of mine.  So whilst cooking dinner I also snacked on cheese and crackers and of course red wine.

To make a home made pie, the filling takes around twenty to thirty minutes to prepare (especially when you do not own a proper knife set as yet), about an hour and a half to cook and simmer and then another forty-five minutes to bake in the oven.  During which time me and my dinner-mate made a second trip to the bottle shop and returned with a bottle of vodka.

Here is the end result - my first attempt at beef and mushroom pie.

I served it with mash, and it was one of those really buttery and tasty mashes that you just can't get enough of.  I am pretty sure that the right choice of butter played a big role in the mash success.  The t-bone mash was made with a spreadable sort-of-a butter and it didn't have the same texture or taste as this one.  Note - just use the block butter and try and forget about the calories or where it will end up on your body.

I had planned to make mango and cream crepes for dessert, but with the pie being ready to serve at ten-thirty at night and the bottle of vodka opened after two bottles of wine, I wasn't about to embark on the crepe journey that night.  And luckily I didn't as my dinner-mate did end up confessing she didn't like crepes or mangoes a few days later.

What I love about this current groove is looking forward to making the next dish.  With a nose to tail degustation on the cards, a quarter of a cow being bought at the markets with my foodie buddies, and with my newly found Saturday morning hobby at the growers markets, I am constantly brianstorming what to cook next.

Yours truly,

Miss A.