Step one- don't forget the memory card! 2 recipes today!

I'm having a wonderful time on our 'at home' holiday this year.  All of the insane 'to-do lists' of December are ticked off, Christmas is done and dusted, now it's time to enjoy the days off.   Hubby is home until next Monday and we've been busying ourselves with pleasurable things - homey things and today, we had our besties over to chill out and enjoy this glorious (albeit short-lived) weather.

We haven't had time to catch up properly for ages - and it's a shame but we are all so busy with every-days.

I had planned to cook, and I did - three new glorious things to share - and had it all organised, took photos - and then realised after my first drink hours later - there was no memory card in my camera!

So let me give you the layman's recipe and photos for 2 recipes I made today - and the last I managed to get all the pictures, so I'll share that one tomorrow!

The first one is a good ol' Greek salad.  Nothing too formal about his one but I love it.  Eloise is a huge olive freak so needless to say this is her favourite!

You'll need to combine:  4 large tomatoes, diced, 2 lebanese cucumbers, diced, 1/4 large red onion, finely diced, 200g feta, diced and 1/2 tsp dried or 20 or so leaves of fresh oregano finely chopped, plus lastly 3/4 cup kalamata olives - drizzle some olive oil over bowl and crack some pepper on top... couldn't be easier!

The one that I'm really kicking myself about the photos on is this Nigella Lawson London Cheesecake. It's honestly delicious - and if you're a bit of a cheesecake snob like me I'm sure you'll love it.  I prefer a baked cheesecake and Nigella's New York is my favourite but I didn't have 4 hours to spare so I made the London one - and it's still baked, just takes a portion of the time.

I have 'aussiefied' it a little with a few changes..

1 packet 'rich tea' biscuits
75g butter, melted
500g cream cheese
2/3 cup caster sugar
3 whole eggs and 3 extra egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tb lemon juice

plus, 150ml sour cream, 1/4 cup caster sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract.


Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees, non fan forced.
• Process or crush biscuits until fine crumbs, mix with butter and press into springform pan - place in the fridge
• In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese until soft and fluffy.  Add sugar and combine well.
• Add eggs, one at a time, and then egg yolks, vanilla and lemon juice, whip until fluffy.
• Remove the springform tin from the fridge and wrap from the bottom up around the sides with aluminium foil - two layers should be fine.
• Fill the springform with the cream cheese mixture and place the whole tin in a roasting tray.  
•  Pour boiling water from a kettle in the baking tray until it reaches about 1/2 way up the tin.
• Bake in oven for 40-50 minutes - it should be a little browned on top and spring back when you touch it.   Having the water around the pan ensures that the cheesecake stays moist.
• When cooked, remove from oven and carefully remove the spring form outer - you may need to put a knife around the edges to dislodge it.  Allow to cool for 20 minutes
• Meanwhile combine sour cream, vanilla and sugar in a bowl.
• When cake has cooled, put the outer back on and pour the sour cream over the top.  Return to the fridge until ready to serve (at least 30 minutes).
• Cut with a hot knife

So after a lovely early dinner, dessert - we got down to hanging out in the garden and I managed to get some shots of the lovely J, L and C - L and C are the same age as our girls - so they are like cousins - their Mum and I were pregnant together both times... lovely how life works after 26 years of friendship.     J was our flowergirl - and well I have a soft-spot for her.  I used to love shopping for clothes for her before my frills came along!

Beautiful kids no?

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