of bread, braises and cow manure

There was quite a lot of cooking going on this weekend. With twelve family members when we are all together, and the littler and not quite so little ones getting bigger appetites every year,  there is always lots of cooking and eating involved with our Italian side of the family.

I made my first batch of ciabatta bread (and had to laugh at this video, as well as my need to watch said video) from this book. (Recipe online here). As well as a braised beef in red wine, from Angela Hartnett's Cucina, replacing some of the not so good quality wine with marsala, which seemed to even out the flavour nicely.

Not photographed, but worth mentioning as is it is now officially Luca's favourite dessert, was the semifreddo, also from the Cucina book. I found the recipe online here. Luca has requested it to be his birthday cake this year, despite the slightly adult taste. It really was delicious and quite easy, which says more for the recipe author than for this cook who has never made ice-cream in her life before.

Sunday was a little quieter, and after our breakfast of leftover semifreddo, we headed out to the paddock behind our house, where the lady owner had kindly given us permission to take as much cow manure as we wanted. The manure was several months old and had begun to compost beautifully. I never thought I would get excited about manure, but there you have it. All hands helped with the gathering, and bucket carrying to the trailer, and I think the littlest of us may have even taste tested it. Old timers around here tell us that this paddock was once an orchard, and there is a few remaining old blossom trees, with one old white one that I find particularly beautiful, which also provides an idyllic scene framed by our bathroom window.

So it is was with rather full tummies and an abundantly piled compost heap, that saw the weekend, and the school holidays, draw to a close. Quicker than usual, and perhaps feeling just a little more tired, with our loss of an hour due to daylight saving. It feels a little too early and cold for this yet, don't you think? This Monday morning our wood fire is burning again and I'm blogging here in my favourite wool jumper and old faithful ugg boots (that desperately need a good clean!). The house is so, so quiet with school starting up again.



How was your weekend? Did you enjoy a good meal? Any crafting done? Was it an indoorsy one for you with the rain? Is your house a little quieter today than it has been?




Wishing you all a wonderful start to the week.