I have had 3 comments!!!

Can't believe it - went in today to discover 3 people have read my blog (1 I already knew about, but the other 2 were a surprise). More to the point, they read it and actually left a comment, so I am feeling very priveleged.

At the request of one of the commenters, I will now talk about my love affair with food / cooking. I love food - I will eat anything put in front of me (I do draw the line at rollmops for some reason, so I am very careful never to have them put in front of me), but other than that, absolutely anything - I am a "try anything once" kind of person in the food department. I do like to try new fruits or vegetables that I see at the grocer - this week's acquisition was black sapote, aka chocolate pudding fruit (other than the colour, I fail to see the analogy). Something I won't be rushing out to buy again, let us say.

My adventuresome nature also extends to my cooking. I read somewhere once that most people only ever cook something like the same 10 recipes, so I vowed to buck the trend. My main speciality is baking and desserts, but do also like cooking savoury, and in that department I do have repeat favourites. I make a killer lasagne and to-die-for osso bucco; tuscan bread soup; baked beans; ham hocks, cabbage with apple and caraway, the list goes on. Basically things I can put together without a recipe (not to say I don't use one if I want it to be 'just right', but often tweaked), usually requiring long, slow cooking, with a kick-ass result.

On the baking front, I make the absolute best brownies in the world (not my opinion, as it happens, as I am not a chocolate cake fan - though even I will concede they are amazing). I discovered the recipe years ago, and it has been a zealously guarded secret ever since (you know I really like you if I let you have my brownie recipe, and only then only if you promise never to give it to anyone else on pain of death). It is neither a cakey or fudgy brownie (for those brownie afficianados who classify their brownies) - it is in a league of its own. I am, however, happy to direct you to the second best brownie recipe in the world (although I do have a fabulous recipe - [BTW, did I also mention my brownie recipe is the easiest in the world - the hardest part being lining the tin and there is also next to no washing up afterwards, which makes it a triple winner as far as I am concerned ]. I am never loathe to try other brownie recipes. Most of them are truly abysmal...) (back to second best brownie recipe...) It can be found on the blog site of one of my favourite authors, Robin McKinley (I will try and put link in here - not sure if it will work....http://www.robinmckinleysblog.com/recipes/?p=34) (if you don't know her already, and have the inclination, do try her books. It is one of my missions in life to tell everyone what a fabulous author she is, oh, and while I am at it, check out Diana Wynne Jones. Feel free to email me if you would like title recommendations).

And just to tempt the knitters out there - I hope my next blog will include a gallery of some of my latest yarn acquisitions - some of them are truly truly gorgeous.