I have no idea where this recipe is from and it’s in my own notation, so sorry if it’s confusing. Welcome to MY life. Sheesh.

225 g leeks (”one”)
225 g mushrooms (~5 smll field)
3 cloves crushed garlic
oil, salt, pepper

• Wash leeks
• Cut lengthwise into halves
• Chop roughly
• Wipe mushrooms
• Chop roughly
• Heat 2 tsp oil
• Cook garlic, 1 min
• Add leeks, mushrooms
• Season well (salt & pepper)
• Cook til soft & browned, ~10 mins
• Set aside

25g butter
1 large onion
350 g arborio rice
1.2 L / 5 cups stock (chicken or vegetable (my pref))

• Melt butter
• Cook onionuntil soft & golden, ~ 5 mins
• Stir in rice, cook for 1 min til translucent & coated
• Add a ladle of stock, stir until absorbed
• Repeat for all the stock, ~25-30 mins

Vegetables (from above)
50 g butter
Grated rind of 1 lemon, 45mL juice
Splash of white wine
50 g grated parmesan cheese
4 tbsp chopped chives & parsley

• Just before serving stir in vegetables
• Add butter, lemon, half the parmesan & herbs
• Serve, topping with parmesan & herbs (and lemon wedges, optional)

My Notes

I use vegetable stock over chicken as a personal preference, but also because I serve it with chicken quite often – and with chicken all through it the meal becomes very same-same.

The chicken I tend to serve cut into strips or small chunks, and pan fried.

This dish goes really well with a big ol’ glass of white wine (duh).

Well! It looks like one of the peeps I was terribly concerned about has been given a reprieve – he’s responding really well to treatment, far far better than I expected or was led to believe was even possible at this juncture.

Whew!

In other news, Grandma is very much in the “do those last few things before you die” phase. She just left to fly to Tasmania, I think, and will be back in a week or two. Then she’s off on a cruise after Christmas. I find this phase both elevating and painful. How can I even say that with such nonchalance?? I suddenly sadden myself. I have to see her soon, but I’m not sure I can do it alone. Not just now. That’s not like me. =\

~V

Makes 20. Prep time (unsure). Cooking time: 15 mins. Pics to follow.

Even when these cookies have cooled the fudgy centre stays soft, giving these rich chocolate cookies a delicious chewy texture.

• 140 g unsalted butter
• 175 g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 175 g self-raising flour
• 55 g Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 85 g milk chocolate
• 1 tbsp melted unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp golden syrup

Preheat the oven to 175 C

Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl beat the  butter and sugar together until smooth. Beat in the egg. Sift the flour and cocoa over the mixture and then work in with a fork until a firm dough is formed. Divide into 20 portions and roll into balls. Arrange the balls well spaced apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and make a dip in the top of each cookie with the back of a spoon.

Put the chocolate, butter and syrup in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and heat until melted. Stir until smooth. Spoon a little of the melted chocolate into the dip in each cookie. Transfer to a wire rack to set.

Store in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.

~ from 500 Chocolate Delights by Lauren Floodgate

Variations

• White Chocolate Puddle Cookies – replace the 85 g milk chocolate with white chocolate.
• Minty Puddle Cookies – replace the vanilla extract and 85g milk chocolate with 1/2 tsp peppermint extract and (opt) 85 g mint-flavoured chocolate.
• Chocolate-Orange Puddle Cookies – replace the vanilla extract and 85g milk chocolate with 1/2 tsp orange extract, 2 tsp grated orange ring and (opt) 85g orange-flavoured chocolate.
• Maple Chocolate Puddle Cookies – replace golden syrup with 1 tbsp maple syrup and press a toasted pecan into the soft chocolate on top of each cookie.
• Coffee Puddle Cookies – replace vanilla extract and 85g chocolate with 1 tsp coffee and chicory essence and 85g coffee-flavoured plain chocolate.

My Notes

Pretty easy to make, I’ve done them a few times with great success. They don’t go wrong easily – undercooked = squooshier, overcooked = crispy. Heaps of simple variations on the puddle composition, stick a nut or a lolly (jaffas, smarties, candied orange, whole truffles) in the puddle for novelty.

I’ve been on a bit of a “sort your shit out” bent lately, need to get my life in order … I have things like email, SMS, partial blog posts (lol), unsorted piccies, “to do” notes, half read books, etc, etc coming out of my … ears.

I’m actually making a huge amount of progress on it, just as a point of interest – I’ve got the drive to do it properly this time despite the intimidating quantities (2.2k SMS, 1.5 / 1.8k emails, 3.5k photos, etc). From this weekend alone I’m down 700 SMS, 500 emails, and around 800 photos.

In the course of clearing out my SMS – I should point out that there are a lot of snippets of information I need from them, staff taking days of, network configs, passwords, event logs – I’ve discovered an interesting trend. Over fifty percent of messages in my inbox are thanking me for something, and around twenty-five percent are apologising for something (running late, last minute cancel, thanks but booked). Sorted by content, alphabetically, the most common headers would be “Thankyou so much”, “Thanks Chris” and “Oh my god”. I’m thinking that maybe I do a little too much for people? Ha. Perhaps not unsurprising to some of you, but it is a bit to me. Yes, yes, you told me so, don’t heckle. I’m not necessarily unhappy about this, just observing that it’s/I’m clearly unbalanced. ;P

~V

Chinotto

Originally uploaded by Vagrant Imp

I love this stuff. Living in Fremantle all the local shops used to sell it – I’d get it instead of a coke at the lunch bar, for example.

Since moving a bit afield I don’t tend to see it very often except for in Italian restaurants, cafes, or Italian-owned mini grocery stored … Today I noticed that the Stuzzico in Perth CBD carries this big-ass bottle for a paultry $5- (cheap because it’s uncommon, the price goes up =\).

I was a very happy camper when I got back with my lunch – toasted panini, big bottle of chinotto and a fresh loaf of crusty Italian bread. It felt like old times.

JK’s Short Macc

Originally uploaded by Vagrant Imp

I’ve recently found this little alleyway lunchbar on Hay St, JK’s, that makes awesome (but simple) food and coffee. Nice folks that run it, great place to chill..

I miss these kinds of cafes and relaxed lifestyle. Things are moving so fast now-a-days, I’ve got so many responsibilities, it can be hard to slow down and just sit for a minute. Whenever I get up the west end I drop in here, even if it’s just for a couple to have a coffee and stare out the open door at people striding past.