Espresso and Pedro Ximenez Christmas Pudding

There are ghosts at Christmas. Everyone has them; they’re not just in cartoons and stories. For most they are the shadows of childhood; from the way that Santa trampled a piece of fruit cake with his fingers, to the way he made sure the snifter of whiskey was drained of every last drop. Then  there’s the steeped  traditions that can’t be shaken; a glazed chequered ham as the centrepiece of lunch and the incessant playing of Robert Downy Junior’s  ‘River‘ while you string tinsel on a tree.

For me the linking thread of my adult festivities are the two Christmas decorations that I have given The Hungry One every year. I …

Chicken, Kale and Quinoa Braise (aka a Hipster Stew)

I worry about what has happened to our beloved Bondi.

This iconic curve of Sydney sand has changed since we’ve been gone. Some for the better; the most recent advent of Gelato Messina and Sensory Lab coffee down the previously dead end of Hall Street is a boon.

But the hipsters. Oh; the hipsters, I lament. You can’t meander down to the water’s edge without winding and wedging your way past throngs of  mid-twenty-year-old bemoaning how hard it is to afford rent on neighbouring Blair street on the stipend they get from their stockbroker parents- all the while cleaning their thick rimmed glasses, wiping the residue of last night’s party from the …

Steak Tagliata with Lentils and Mushrooms

 

This is a meal for modest celebrations. It’s about that time. I think I’m officially on maternity leave. Well, at least until January, when the edits for the book come back. It’s strange to be starting your maternity leave when your baby is 15 weeks old- right about the time when others are slinking back to the grind.

I have to say; I like it.

When baby Will wakes 4 times a night (cold? hot?  hungry? bad dream? just aching to stretch his face and grin at someone?) I don’t dread the arrival of the light so much. Maybe we’ll take a nap later on; sleep when baby sleeps. It’s much easier …