wintering

Its school holidays this week and last. For the first time in so long we haven't gone anywhere. (This time last year we were at the snow, do you remember?)

This year we are at home, in front of the heater, or cooking, or eating, or playing board games. We're having a quiet and lazy holiday. Actually we've all been sick so the timing is good. We were all really tired when the term ended so its a luxury to not have to go anywhere or do anything.

We did venture out to Yum Cha to celebrate my little sister being in town, and the great news that she's moving back to Sydney after ten years. The boys also finally got a run at soccer after the grounds have been closed for a month.

I am trying to work in between it all and not succeeding very well. But that's the way of holidays. I did clean up the huge tomato plants that have been covered with green tomatoes that are very slow to ripen. In a fit of spring cleaning I hacked them back and picked all the green tomatoes to make my mother in law's green tomato pickle, a staple round here. Its delicious and the perfect thing on cheese sandwiches. I threw a chilli in with mine to give it a little bite.

I also made this 'magic cake' which I found on pinterest. You mix the ingredients in one bowl and pour the liquidy batter into the cake tin. Somehow by magic it comes out with three layers, a cakey top, a custardy centre and a firmer base. Yum. Will definitely be making this one again!