Custard Squares – Thank-Fully

Our darling Ronnie, who has been with The Fellowship for years now,  observed to me yesterday (In the comments lounge where all the best conversations of my day happen except the ones with Sheila of course) that my blog had changed over the course of time.  I used to do more food.   I had not realised it but I suppose there are less recipes.  In fact lately there have been none at all.  How did that happen? This change.  What an excellent observation. My original premise was to grow food and then cook with it. Showing how easy it is to feed oneself.

Interestingly the personalities of the animals, who are players in this gathering of food, have begun to speak louder in the pages.

I thought about this yesterday as I struggled through yet ANOTHER attempt at making Custard Squares (slight failure but getting closer) and by the time I got to making the meringues with the left over egg whites, I had worked out why.

I make the SAME stuff over and over again. My day by day meals are really pretty repetitive.  And I have already documented all those recipes. When I get busy I fall back on tried and true foods. Like lasagne, or steak and onion pie,  or roast chickens, roast pork. I roast a lot. Meatloaf or spaghetti.  With piles and piles of whatever vegetables I am picking (either from the garden or the freezer or the shelf).  Or I just make stuff up as I go along and sometimes it is edible. (I went through a stage of burning and over cooking food but I recovered). Sometimes I don’t bake anything for weeks (frankly these are good weeks for my health) other times the house is cold (like yesterday) and I cook for an excuse to turn the oven on to warm up the kitchen.

I am an exceedingly deliciously dull repetitive cook. And like many cooks who create food from whatever is to hand I love my own food.  And like many cooks who grow the food they eat we eat the same food over and over again. Over the blogging years I have also consumed recipes from other cooks of good food. Making them a part of my weekly repertoire.  For example I could cook Misky’s roast potatoes every day. Or Chicago John’s pasta. All summer we had panfried kale with butter and pumpkin seeds and garlic. Almost every day actually.

Now isn’t that interesting. thekitchensgarden has evolved, and you with it. However it is sometimes a good idea to look back and make sure we are still on the right track. I hope this winter I will challenge myself a little more. And try some of your favourite  recipes.

It is the day for giving thanks. I am thankful that I can cook and that I can fail. And that I can learn.  And that we are all open to the change that is essential to life. And I am thankful for blog friends like Ronnie who can sit down with the blog and her cup of tea and say “Look at that. You have changed. Hmm. I like it. ”

For the custard squares I made a regular egg yolk  custard fortified with 1/4 cup of cornflour (cornstarch), sandwiched between two cooked pastry sheets.  Then into the fridge to set.   Next time I will make twice as much custard and half as much pastry, work out the thin icing that you dribble on the top and I will not step away from stirring the hot custard to take a photo of a cat.

And when I get it right I will write the recipe for you. I am trying the cake again today, the moist one. As a contribution to the Thanksgiving dinner.  So I am hoping to share that recipe with you tomorrow.

I love the Comments Lounge.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Your friend on the farm,

celi