Cooking Up A Storm...

well, okay, let's not exaggerate. Cooking a meal for some friends this evening...pasta in a chicken, bacon and basil sauce. Light, simple, just what's needed for a warm evening and a good bottle of wine... I haven't been cooking much, this summer, too hot. But serving up a salad to visitors, no matter how well made, just doesn't do it for me. Besides, I needed an excuse to make chocolate mousse...with a raspberry and Cointreau sauce... yummmm... and me on a diet, too!

Most female quilters seem to add cooking in with the rest of the housework, and avoid it, judging by the many jokes and stories on the subject. Personally, I see it as part of my own creativity. The pasta recipe is my own, developed from an idea I saw on a restaurant menu; it now has two or three variations. The mousse recipe is idiotproof, from a book, and the only thing that has been adjusted is the amount of alcohol in it. Yes, upwards, of course! Actually, now that I think about it, that's not true. The recipe stipulates double cream; I use creme fraiche, and/or sometimes plain yoghurt. That gives it an underlying sharpness that cuts through the richness of the mousse...it's a surprising but enjoyable combination.

Now to go do the boring bits, the tidying up, hoovering and cleaning...sigh. I know they're coming to see us, not the state of the floor...but all the same... I do find it difficult to see anything creative in cleaning, nonetheless. If I did, I might do more of it. Or there again, maybe not.

The image today is a computer generated pattern (paintshop pro...not, as I just typed, painshop pro...); originally, I took a picture of some autumn leaves. Playing about with it, I found this pattern, which reminded me of a tartan. So I kept it...though I don't expect I'll ever do anything with it, not really my kinda thing...