I  feel I need to share a recipe at this point, it’s been quite some time since I shared what I’ve eaten on my blog; today I made some meatloaf. It’s a rich, spicy ‘loaf’ kept nice and moist with the addition of a layer of fresh plum tomatoes. Served with roast potatoes and a green salad... it was just divine! I usually make it in a loaf tin, but this time I wanted to serve it as a ‘wedge’... I found it looked much nicer on the plate...

I've been avoiding my blog for the past few weeks because I've been bombarded with some horrendous spam commenting; having to sift through the spam and spending half an hour deleting all of it I end up feeling 'blah'...and not wanting to have anything to do with my blog! I'm working on a solution at the moment... and enjoying that lovely bout of sunshine that February has brought to Cardiff.

Spring lamb. Tender, sweet, succulent meat. This is a quick and easy dish that you can prepare beforehand and grill right before serving. A fragrant accompaniment to these lamb chops is caramelised basmati rice... Just the food to get me back into a good mood!

Spring Lamb Chops Recipe

Serves 4 (or 2 VERY HUNGRY people!)

Because it's Pancake Day/Shrove Tuesday, I took the opportunity to pretty much 'pig out' at the breakfast table! This day marks the beginning of Lent (the 40 days leading to Easter), and making pancakes is traditionally a way to use up fats, milk and eggs before the 40-day fast; Although I don't partake in Lent, and usually don't eat pancakes, but I made a lovely batch of Orange & Banana preserve yesterday and it was a nice debut for the jar!

Easy Pancake Recipe

INGREDIENTS -makes 8 pancakes

Cloudy, cold, sunny, raining... The weather in Cardiff was so tempermental today that you never know what it's going to be. I haven't seen the weather this undecided in my years of living here. I stopped trusting the weather person... somehow he/she gets it wrong most of the time.

With the weather being so moody, I decided to stay home this afternoon, catch up with some sewing, and prepare a hot and hearty meal for dinner.

I bought a lovely hunk of braising steak on Sunday; although a relatively cheap cut, it's chock-full of flavor. When slow cooked with onions and aromatic spices, you end up with a wonderfully flavored dish.

Most people are under the misconception that 'slow cooking' means hours of laborious work in the kitchen. It's quite the contrary really...you bring all your ingredients together and whack them in the oven for a few hours while you take the time to do whatever you want!

Aromatic Slow-Braised Steak Recipe

INGREDIENTS