How are you??
Ive missed chatting to you!Heres whats been going down in my world.
Tell me what youve been up to I want to know!
All cookbook action around these parts!!
I really expected (anddeclared as such!)
to be back to my usual routine of sharing 3 new recipes a week by December.
Then inDecember, I declared Id be back in February.
It has to work every time for everyone, and it has to taste amazing!
Its painful to admit that.
But somehow, it feels a bit therapeutic to say it out loud to you.
Its not a time of my life I like to dwell on.
Lets just say December and January were not the best months of my life.
Not to mention all the wonderful messages from readers all around the world!
(Thank you, you guys are so wonderful. )
Do not feel sorry for me.
Its all self imposed!
But when I started writing how things have really been, it just started pouring out of me.
BUT DO NOT FEEL SORRY FOR ME!!
Firstly, I am not saving lives here.
These are not real problems.
The world is battling COVID.
Theres that not-so-little matter of Russia invading Ukraine.
Weve had devastating floods all down the east coast of Australia in recent weeks.
Precious people in my life are battling cancer.
And Kim Kardashian doesnt know what to wear to the Met Gala.
Those are real problems.
Secondly, the workload Ive put on myself is my own fault.
Partly because of the mistakes I made that I talked about earlier.
Dont feel sorry for me.
I dont deserve it, nor asking for it.
I havent talked about that enough.I love what I do.
Shortly after thelast update postin November 2021, I moved back into my newly renovated home!
Also,and never do it again!.Theyll be carrying me out of here in a box!
Many were dubious but everyone is a convert.
I just couldnt do white.
Id have to wear sunglasses in the kitchen!!
PS The stark cleanness of that kitchen is a complete fabrication.
I just hid everything ruining the look how neat my kitchen is!
shot in the sink, from dishwashing things to iPad stands and butter I put out to soften.
Working through the build
I may have moved back in, but that doesnt mean that everything was finished!
I simply worked through it.
This was for a popcorn loving team member edible popcorn bunting!
(PS My marvellous interior designer with the patience of a saint isSue Irvingwho is a Northern Beaches local.
If it wasnt for her, I would have no bed, no couch, no dining table .)
We cook fast, we cook a lot, shoot a lot and we create a lot of mess.
My cosier work kitchen (below) is not cut out for big, fast paced projects like this!
The photo above of the work kitchen is a current WIP.
Cookbook recipes CHOSEN!!
By far the hardest decision for the cookbook has been done CHOOSING the recipes!
But it couldnt just be standard stuff!
It had to beexceptional yet still accessible.
Im happy to say the recipe list is now FINAL!
Apparently the manuscript I submitted would be a cookbook encyclopedia.
PS The binder below is one of two…
6.
Boy did I underestimate the work involved on the writing part….
I write recipes for a living, how hard can it be??
), I really made my life difficult, leaving the writing part until the end.
But, Im happy to report that I got there!
Then to celebrate, I went straight to bed!
The crazy decision I want to do ALL the photos myself!
The next phase after submitting the manuscript was to take photos for the cookbook.
But hear me out!
But the moment I hitsendon the manuscript and I had a moment to breath, it dawned on me.
And the thought of anybody elses photos in it other than my own just doesnt sit well with me.
And so, we arrive at today!!
Heres my typical day in photos.
LOTS of cooking no surprises there!
Yet, yet, yet….
I have the bug.
There is something so satisfying about capturing theyumfactor of a dish Ive created!!
Theres Inordinate amounts of dirty dishes to deal with…. And another thing we spend a lot of time doing scheduling.
And of course, photos fromRecipeTin Meals, my food bank (RTM).
I really hope theres room in the cookbook to include a page on RTM.
Speaking of RTM… an update!!!
Life at RTE HQ (as we now affectionately call my home!)
may be rather chaotic but Im happy to report its all smooth sailing at RecipeTin Meals!
and 4,000 desserts (we started this fairly recently).
Thats a LOT of hungry tummies filled.
For more about RTM,read here!
He also oversees the set up, running and expansion of RTM.
I am still trying to get my official charitable status to be able to legally accept donations.
Stay tuned!!!
Getting back to sharing recipes
I miss sharing new recipes on my website!
Never did I think I would take such a long break from it.
Its been a learning experience.
Certainly a labour of love.
LOTS of delicious food.
(You know I secretly love that you skip down to him first).
But then I realised, nothing much has really changed in his life….
He looks so cute in it!!!
):
He still enjoys working on his tan:
So, in short, nothing new.
Dozer was so chuffed, he insisted on getting a photo of him beside the poster.
Well be back in your inboxes regularly soon.
Thank you for your patience!
In the meantime though,tell me what youve been up to!
I want to know!
!
