Weekend Happenings

February 13, 2012 by Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial

Some photos from last weekend…

I baked a batch of Nick Malgieri’s supernatural brownies for our neighbours Shaun and Michelle. Poor darlings have had a hard week, and chocolate always helps…

My friend Dave convinced me to buy Andy Harris’ A Month in Marrakesh. This simple breakfast recipe of boiled egg, chopped boiled potato, olive oil, salt and cumin was a delicious start to the weekend…

Remember my new baking stones from this month’s In My Kitchen post?

They worked so well that I bought two more for the bottom shelf. Now I can bake looong loaves! These ones are filled with roasted garlic…

…and these are a high hydration ciabatta dough…

A simple birthday cake for Pete’s brother, Uncle Steve, made by baking the yoghurt cake recipe in a 20cm/8″ round pan, sandwiching it with Pete’s raspberry jam, and topping it with a vanilla buttercream frosting. The nasturtiums are from the garden…

Our bishop’s crown chillies are ripening! These gorgeous bells are sweet with a medium heat. They were perfect in our eggplant curry last night…

And finally, a new cartoon resides on our fridge, taken from today’s Sun Herald…

Any exciting happenings at your place last weekend?

Posted in Food & Friends, In My Kitchen | Tagged Andy Harris A Month in Marrakesh, baking stones, bishop's crown chili, bishop's crown chilli, long sourdough loaves, Nick Malgieri supernatural brownies | 76 Comments

76 Responses

on February 13, 2012 at 12:13 am Pam

Your bishop’s crown chillies are amazing! I might have to hunt these down for my garden, just because they look so lovely.
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:29 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Pam, they’re hard to grow, but the chillies are such a treat to have in the garden. Hope you track some down!
on February 13, 2012 at 12:15 am Choclette

Yes, yes chocolate always helps as I’m sure the very kind thought you had would have hugely helped. Those brownies do look supernaturally good Celia. You’ve been having a very busy baking weekend and it all looks so good. Such gorgeous colours, your nasturtiums and such a lovely shape, your chillies.
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:36 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Choc, we’ve had a frantic couple of weeks – baking is my way of staying sane. I’m just grateful the neighbours are willing to help us eat! :)
on February 13, 2012 at 12:24 am Debra Kolkka

I love those chillies! I am freezing to bits in Bagni di Lucca! Not to worry, perfect weather to stay home and embroider my new curtains for Vergemoli.
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:36 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Deb, I hope you managed to go out and buy food! It sounds sooo cold over there at the moment!
on February 13, 2012 at 12:29 am frugalfeeding

Awesome looking food, Celia. You do eat well. Looks as though you had a good weekend :D
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:37 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Nick! We had a fun but exhausting weekend!
on February 13, 2012 at 1:00 am heidiannie

Such beautiful bread.
I’m willing to believe in the supernatural to get one of those brownies!
And those chilies would make a great poster!
Bright and sassy- I love the color!
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:38 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Heidi, they’re like cheery red bells, ringing in the damp and rainy outdoors! I think the brownies are so named because they’re just so darned easy, yet sooo good. They’re my standby emergency brownies, especially as they don’t require me to drag the mixer out!
on February 13, 2012 at 1:48 am emily @ wellcookedlife.com

Bread recipe, please!
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:41 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Of course! :)
  
  Here are the ciabattas in the bottom photo:
  
  https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/03/23/ciabatta-con-semola-rimacinata-di-grano-duro/
  
  And roasted garlic loaves:
  
  https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2012/01/28/roasted-garlic/
  
  The garlic was worked into a slightly lower hydration dough:
  
  https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/08/24/playing-with-bread/
on February 13, 2012 at 2:13 am Suelle

Love the chillies – worth growing just to look at. I need a milder one for this year – the one I grew last year was too hot and too prolific! The dried chillies from that plant will last all year.
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:41 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Suelle, for some reason the really hot bullet ones are the ones that seem to grow the best, and they’re almost too hot to eat! We’ve got cayennes and serannos in the garden as well, but they’re yet to ripen.
on February 13, 2012 at 3:03 am C

Love the look of that bread! Those chillies are great – such a fun shape. If I liked chillies those would definitely be ones to try out!

Hee hee, great cartoon :-) Have a good week, looks like you’ve had a good weekend to set you up for it!
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:42 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks C! The weekend was a blast – we had family over on both days, so it was hectic!
on February 13, 2012 at 3:16 am Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide

I love the look of those peppers. I mean the brownies are truly supernatural, but I want those peppers!
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:43 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Greg! I think they’d grow well where you are – we haven’t had quite as much sun as we normally do, so the chillies aren’t doing particularly well, with the exception of this one bishop’s crown bush! :)
on February 13, 2012 at 4:16 am Joanna

Lovely ! All lovely! Brownies, chillis, cakes,breakfast, yum :)
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:43 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thank you! Thank you! I wish you could have been here… xx
on February 13, 2012 at 4:55 am Just A Smidgen

I think I will just have to move in for one weekend.. I can’t believe what you’ve accomplished! (don’t tell my family or they will expect more from me!!) I love the look of those brownies with their shiny crinkle tops:)
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:44 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Smidge, the brownies are a cheat – I once timed myself and they only under 14 minutes to make! :)
  
  https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/03/11/gin-rummy-and-brownies/
  - on February 14, 2012 at 12:55 am Just A Smidgen
    
    Seriously? That’s my kind of recipe!!
on February 13, 2012 at 4:56 am Lizzy (Good Things)

Love the ciabatta! Baking stones do help, don’t they. Hmmm, must look into those chillies… I think they are so pretty.
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:45 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Lizzy, thank you – I don’t know what we’d do without the baking stones!
on February 13, 2012 at 5:25 am cityhippyfarmgirl

Wonderful weekend happenings at your place Celia!… Although, you’ve just made me want brownie for breakfast… that can’t be good.
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:45 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Brydie, you’re allowed to have anything you want for breakfast at this stage.. ;-)
on February 13, 2012 at 6:16 am InTolerant Chef

Sounds like a very productive weekend Celia!
I love that cartoon, and surely the answer isn’t that hard… We all know its YES !
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:46 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  I didn’t include the second panel, because it wasn’t going on my fridge, but it was all the trees saying, “of course, yep, uh-huh..” :)
on February 13, 2012 at 7:17 am Kitchen Butterfly

Gorgeous chillies and I LOVE the sound of the boiled egg, potato and cumin…sarnie. Your kitchen is always on the move x x x x
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:47 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Oz, it was surprisingly delicious! I didn’t think it would be! It would have been slightly better on a softer roll though…
on February 13, 2012 at 7:37 am Amanda

Those chilli’s look gorgeous – the colour has come through on the photo’s brilliantly.
And your new cartoon has started my day with a big smile – thanks.
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:47 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Amanda, thank you – the colour came out well, as they really are that red! :)
on February 13, 2012 at 7:43 am promenadeplantings

The more I see those chillies, the more I want to grow them, they are gorgeous!
And the cartoon…. sooooo funny :)
Sounds like you’ve had a great, busy, weekend!
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:48 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Claire, thank you – it was a packed weekend full of friends and laughing. A great joy!
on February 13, 2012 at 7:56 am Claire @ Claire K Creations

Oh Celia I love the cartoon it’s hilarious!

Your bread looks amazing. Yet another post that makes me wish I was your neighbour.

I’m thinking of adding some of those baking stones to my wedding register. People will think I’m strange but that’s what I love!
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:49 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Claire, they’re not really that expensive – from memory each of the rectangular ones was $15 each, and the round ones are often under $10! But if you and I were neighbours, we’d be the size of barns! :)
on February 13, 2012 at 8:58 am tania@mykitchenstories

Oh the bread. What a lovely and productive weekend. Chillis are looking glorious
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:49 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Tania! The bread was shared around the neighbours! :)
on February 13, 2012 at 10:31 am Rose

Those chillies are so cute I’d be keeping them as a dried decoration!

Your loaves are very inspiring Celia, my own err on the side of ‘decidedly rustic’, never mind practice makes perfect.
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:51 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Rose, ciabatta is a very forgiving shape once you get a handle on manipulating wet dough. I wrote about it here, in case it’s of interest:
  
  https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2011/06/22/pane-de-casa-a-tutorial/
  - on February 13, 2012 at 7:41 pm Rose
    
    Wonderful woman, thank you for pointing me to that tute.
    - on February 13, 2012 at 8:16 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
      
      Most welcome! I hope you find it useful! :)
on February 13, 2012 at 11:11 am hotlyspiced

What a busy weekend in your kitchen! I love everything – the bread, the beautiful and vibrant Bishop Crown chillies (are they mild?), the birthday cake and that breakfast bun. All delicious. And the comic at the end is priceless! Glad you had a good weekend.
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:52 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Charlie! Hope yours was brilliant too! :)
on February 13, 2012 at 12:19 pm sallybr

Celia, not sure what would be my favorite “thing” of all your weekend, you are soooo productive!

I might go for the supernatural brownies, I’ve made them once and never blogged about them, my pictures turned out horrible (sigh)…

but the cartoon cracked me up…. I showed to Phil, he was a bit too quick to say it is absolutely perfect… :-)
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:52 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Hehehe…well, we know what the answer to the cartoon is, right? ;-) Hope you and Phil had a great weekend too! xx
on February 13, 2012 at 2:14 pm Diana

Hi Celia,

those chillies are so cute. they make me giggle :))

Wow you always make so many breads. Do you know the best way to store homemade bread? We are a family of two.
I normally bake 1kg or 750gr worth of bread. cut in half and freeze the other half. Homemade bread goes stale very quickly :(
- on February 13, 2012 at 2:54 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Diana, we always freeze any bread we don’t eat on the day it’s baked. I really think that’s the best way – it tastes nearly as good once it’s defrosted. We do bake a LOT of bread – usually once a week – and it’s stashed in the freezer for school lunches and weekday eating. About a third gets given away!
on February 13, 2012 at 3:52 pm teawithhazel

all that on one weekend!.. i feel exhausted but also hungry just looking at all your wonderful creations..
- on February 14, 2012 at 4:09 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Jane, it was great to take photos, made me feel like I’d been productive! :)
on February 13, 2012 at 5:29 pm Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

Those chillies are amazing! :O I’ve never seen ones quite like them before :)
- on February 14, 2012 at 4:10 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Aren’t they beautiful? They really are my favourites…
on February 13, 2012 at 7:22 pm Anne

LERVE the chillies! never seen them before and they look fantastic.
- on February 14, 2012 at 4:10 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Anne, they seem to be the only chillies that are growing in the yard at the moment. The cayennes are struggling badly with the wet…
on February 13, 2012 at 9:07 pm David

As usual that bread looks fantastic, you are one hell of a baker. You are also a hoot. I let you know that A Month in Marrakesh is one of my top cookbooks for the year and ergo, I have convinced you to buy it. I know what ‘convincing’ is; I have to do a lot of it around here and that ain’t it! ;-)
- on February 14, 2012 at 4:11 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  What can I say, Davey? I’m suggestible…but you know that, so it is absolutely your fault.. ;-)
on February 13, 2012 at 10:16 pm Tandy

love the peppers! and the cartoon is soooo funny O)
- on February 14, 2012 at 4:11 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Tandy! It made us all laugh! :)
on February 13, 2012 at 11:43 pm Melanie

What a lovely cake! Raspberry jam is the best between cake layers, especially chocolate cake. I love nasturtiums, but I’ve never been able to grow them very well. Its too bad those bishop’s chilies are difficult to grow, as they are so fun to look at. I wonder if they sell plants for those over here. I’ll have to ask at the plant nursery in the spring.
- on February 14, 2012 at 4:12 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Mel, nasturtiums grow like a weed here! We have a whole bed of them – we eat it in salads, make pesto from it, and feed it to the chooks!
on February 14, 2012 at 2:10 am Misk Cooks

I’m going to try making this cake today for P using “Half Spoon” sweetener. Fingers crossed!
- on February 14, 2012 at 4:12 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Misk, I was so happy it worked for you! Yaay! :)
  - on February 15, 2012 at 4:15 am Misk Cooks
    
    P absolutely loves the flavour. Me, too. I might need another go at this recipe though as it has an unusual amount of air bubble holes in it. Maybe I whisked too much air into it?
    - on February 15, 2012 at 4:46 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
      
      Misk, might have something to do with the different sugar you’re using?
on February 14, 2012 at 3:24 am Sous Chef

You have been busy! divine looking brownies, bread and chillies, I have been very slack in comparison.
- on February 14, 2012 at 4:13 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  No comparison, Sue, I never meant to invite it! Some weekends are lazy and relaxing, this one was just hectic! :)
on February 14, 2012 at 4:06 am Marilyn

I have serious baking stone envy. We have a pizza stone but I haven’t had much success with it for baking bread and pizza. I’ve had better luck with cookie sheets and steam or a cast iron skillet.

Yesterday, we planted herbs in pots, strawberries out front, and pansies and impatiens in the back flower beds. Getting ready for a glorious Spring.

Hugs, Maz
- on February 14, 2012 at 4:14 pm Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Maz, I wonder why you don’t have luck with the stone? Hmm..will drop you an email! :)
on February 14, 2012 at 6:07 pm Tes

Your are a busy bee! Look at all those goodness!
- on February 15, 2012 at 5:59 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Thanks Tes! It was a fun weekend! :)
on February 14, 2012 at 7:54 pm thecompletecookbook

Oh what a lovely weekend in your home Celia.
Pete and I went on a 20km ride on the beach to the river mouth over the weekend – was brilliant! Cooking wise, very slack!
:-) Mandy
- on February 15, 2012 at 6:00 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Mandy, that was probably the one thing I didn’t get into the weekend – exercise! :)
on February 18, 2012 at 9:42 am Melissa

I have several bushes of those red hot bullet chillies and they won’t stop fruiting. I’ve given away kilos. The secret is to find an Indonesian friend!
- on February 19, 2012 at 5:20 am Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial
  
  Melissa, they’re sooo hot! I find anything more than one in a dish to be overwhelming! I have great admiration for people who can eat them by the bowlful.. ;-)
on February 29, 2012 at 6:08 am Jess @ flying on jess fuel

Love those peppers! Never seen anything like them!