Nic cooks

I have had a couple days off due to my sister coming to stay for the weekend. I love the fact we now live in the same country and we can see each other more than once ever 3 years. I think Tarsh can agree that we have supplied her with some fantastic holiday destinations- Florence, Chicago, and now Sydney.

The boys get so excited when anyone comes to visit however when Tarsh arrives I end up having 3 kids and the oldest (my sister) always manages to get the boys worked up into a very loud and giggling cyclone of stupor- bring it on Tarsh!

The first night of her arrival, Saturday, I had worked a massive day at the cafe- people kept on pouring in all day wanting eggs Benedict, breakfast wraps and coffee by the gallon. Usually the crowd dies down around 2 and it gives me an hour to straighten things up for the dinner chef, also leaving me plenty of time to pick Tarsh up from the train station. But- it is always the way when you have arrangements that things don't go according to your plan- People kept pouring into the cafe at 5 to three wanting burgers, steak sandwiches etc... In the end I got out at 3.15, flew to the station to find Tarsh waiting patiently for my arrival.

Back at home Nic pops the kettle on for a cuppa, I sit down for the first time since I woke up at 6am and that is pretty much where I stayed until it was time to put the boys to bed. I was exhausted!

I always feel like I should show visitors a 'good time' however the way our life is these days I know I fall short of a standard 'good time' so I try to make up for it with food! For the next few posts I'll share our weekend delights with you from the delicious chicken, corn and potato pot pies, to the rum and raisin slice and finishing with the whole fish I smothered in garlic and pepper.

Nic knew I wasn't going to move into the kitchen and secretly I think he was quite happy about that. I have been cooking so much these days he hasn't even had a look in when it comes to dinner so he nominated himself to cook. Me being me, offered up a few suggestion where I was met with a stern look from the man and given a glass of red to keep me occupied (it really doesn't take much!).

While Tarsh and I were catching up on life events Nic was setting the bar for the food for the weekend. Inspired by a recipe in a magazine he made a fantastic ricotta and spinach pasta bake with hits of lemon thyme to tantalize our senses. It was a delicious meal and we polished off every last bit. I forgot how good he can be in the kitchen and now that he has jogged my memory I will back off and let him in more!

Nic used a smooth ricotta which worked beautifully with the spinach and acted as a wonderful binding agent for the dish- see you must always experiment with food, just because you usually use a smooth ricotta for desserts, it doesn't always mean it can't be used for anything else.

Thanks for a great weekend Tarsh and I can't wait to see what else Nic has up his sleeves!