It has already been a year since I posted my first entry on Cabinet of Cookery. That’s a whole 244 recipes and over 32,700 page views later. Within that time I’ve tried and tested recipes from published cookbooks and magazines and made up several of my own. I have dished up countless dinners, lunches, breakfasts and snacks for my family of enthusiastic eaters and made a menu of memorable meals for special occasions. I’ve whipped up batters for cakes, muffins and slices, dough for biscuits and bread batters, and enjoyed sampling everything … in moderation of course!

My most ardent foodie fans and honest critics are my children who will often walk in the door and guess what’s cooking by the aroma wafting through our house. My husband is always appreciative of every meal I make, whether it is sautéed mushrooms and garden herbs on toast, decadent duck fat roasted potatoes or a traditional lasagne with a zesty salad. My youngest child Maksim was born four months into launching this blog and now even he is enjoying my cooking alongside his five older siblings.  

This food blog is for EVERY home cook. Manageable recipes and moreish meals in an accessible and easy to read format. My food is not “chef’s hat” material. This is home cooking and home cooking that I am proud to share with others. Although most meals are planned ahead of when they are needed, sometimes the day throws a curve ball and I need to be flexible … like today. 

We had planned to go on a family picnic in the park, with fish and chips at my request then rounding off with a game of cricket. However the sudden downpour at noon shelved our picnic plans. Instead, we laid out my favourite French oilcloth over the outdoor table on the back verandah and the children set the table, complete with the very pretty bunch of flowers that my husband had delivered on Friday as an early Mother’s Day gift.  By the time lunch had been prepared the rain had cleared and sunshine streamed in under the verandah roof lighting up the carefully laid table and providing a beautiful setting for lunch. 

We enjoyed plates of what I am calling, Mother’s Day Pasta, which sounds a little corny but I’m sticking with it. This is such an easy dish to prepare and has wonderful robust flavours from the bacon and organic chicken along with the sweet flavours of cauliflower and French beans. It’s just a matter of frying together in a wide pan about 250 grams of sliced bacon, 500 grams of bite sized diced organic chicken breasts or thighs and 3 cloves of crushed garlic with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add half a teaspoon of dried thyme and rosemary and cook over a medium heat for about 15 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked through. Pour in 300 mls of cream, season with sea salt and pepper and cook until little bubbles start to form on the surface. At this point remove from the heat and set aside. 

While all this is going the pasta should be cooking. I used 750 grams of spaghetti to feed my family of 8. In the last 3 minutes of cooking the pasta, throw in half a small head of cauliflower florets (these need to be broken up into mouthful sized morsels) and 200 grams of sliced French beans. Drain them with the pasta and toss the entire lot with the creamy chicken/bacon/herb sauce. 

We also polished off a deep bowl of Deep Green Leaf Salad with Vino Cotto and Sweet Grape Tomatoes. Baby spinach, watercress and peppery rocket are a truly tasty combination – try it!

My husband made a batch of my very favourite Buttermilk Pancakes for dessert and stacked them up with fresh berries, maple syrup and ice-cream. Eating beautifully prepared food with the people I love is a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.