My Monday

It’s kind of a cold night today. I suppose it was kind of a cold day today too. But it was sunny. I had intended to walk through Hyde Park to Marble Arch and pick up a fluffy white bathrobe but got an appointment to see the ‘geniuses’ at the Apple Store Genius Bar and decided to visit my friend’s new apartment in the gorgeous neighbourhood of Prembridge Villas. As I left the sunlight streaming through branches and leaves was gorgeous. Tomorrow’s forecast is rain and milder temperatures. I wonder what it’s like in New York now?

Sometimes when I’m down even I forget that I love baking. Lydia reminds me. It’s really hard to get started when you’re feeling down even though you know in the back of your mind that you’ll feel better about yourself. On Saturday I made the black sesame cake. Today I made orange chocolate chip muffins and brought some over to Rana’s. I didn’t have enough buttermilk though and topped it up with plain milk but the texture’s changed. I am going to make two more black sesame cakes tomorrow, for friends and for a sales call.

I also made dinner tonight that I didn’t take a picture of. I made bacon & courgette carbonara with penne. It’s the easiest thing and so yummy - fry up the bacon, once it’s cooked and as crisp as you like, add in the courgette slivers (I used a vegetable peeler to get really thin slices). Separately add eggs (one egg person) to creme fraiche or double cream and mix well. When the courgettes are cooked, add the cooked pasta and two tablespoons of the pasta water to the main pan. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the egg and cream mixture. Season to taste and add Parmesan (I used fresh) either grated or shaved.