This will hurt me...

All of a sudden the question 'Who wants to lick the spoon' has taken a very competitive turn...

Eat your heart out Gordon Ramsay!

Henry’s idea of an ideal hors d'œuvre is a stuffed vol-au-vent . At home, Geilston Bay. February 2011. Henry made the tasty treat that you can see above all by himself , proving that at four, he’s already a better cook that 43 percent of the population. All of these fruit ‘n custard myrtille, fraise et crème anglaise vol-au-vents were gobbled up within seconds of their completion. Indeed, there was barely time for photographs… Which brings me to today’s all important Sunday Top Five , The Top Five Tasty Treat Desserts That Have Some Level Of Effectiveness In Getting My Two Very Loud Sons To Just Sit Down, Be Quiet And Stuff Their Mouths ! Custard : plain and simple, fraise et crème anglaise is a favourite of all in the household! Semolina Pudding : heavy on the cream and raisons, semolina sans salmonella is a huge hit. Golden syrup dumplings : although initially treated with some trepidation, this humble ocker treatie is now a firm fixture on the winter menu. Ice Cream : I sc...

Nothing beats a good, old-fashioned, homemade chocolate self-saucing pudding. Well, Ezra agrees with me anyway…

Ezra, as seen by an unsuspecting freshly made fruit loaf.

Here's something different for today's photograph: an Irish stew I made a few weeks back. Modesty prevents me from waxing too lyrical about it's excellent taste. I can, however, share with you a little secret in the cooking. Half the amount of water or stock you put in, and double the amount of stout! I use Cascade Stout , a fine, creamy brew with a hint of chocolate about it. Just the tonic for a shocking winter.

Crikey, check out that... [ahem] microwave . A fabulous... [ahem] idea here, microwave and conventional oven together. [Adjusts seating position.] [Ahem] The thing that I admire most about this advertisement is its use of an enormous pair of breasts subtlety .

Henry loves mashed potatoes. So I get him to mash them. I usually fancy the Dutch Cream , which is a superior Tasmanian speciality. The Dutch Cream is like the Henry and Ezra of the potato world, smooth, sexy and world class. I rank it as top of the class. However, a new pretender to the throne has emerged with the flash American-bred Innovator . This brash, yet versatile little beauty (mash it, boil it, roast it, fry it) is kind of like a plain Russet with a creamy undertone. I won't lie, it's drawn my eye. My name is Kris. I am a spudoholic.

Henry and I had a big task before us today: Playgroup hosting duty. This is not a responsibility that we take lightly, so before the crack of dawn we were out of bed and up to our elbows in flour. Scones were on the agenda, enough to feed a whole battalion of ravenous kids. For many people, a scone is a foreign concept. If you don't know what a scone is, think of quick bread . Easy to cook and tasty to eat. Sweet or savoury. The scone is a versatile beast that is enjoyed by toddlers and adults alike! Now some of the Yanks will know the humble scone as a biscuit, but for our friends in the Commonwealth, a biscuit is a biscuit, by which I mean a cookie, which is nothing like a scone. If we're going down the biscuit [U.S.] route, think of the softer variety and not the hard, Southern variety enjoyed with gravy and squirrel ragout. For those pirates or veterans of the British Navy amongst us, this southern biscuit is really tack, specifically hard tack. A bannock might get you clos...

The Henry faction were upset that the Ezra faction were treated with a video last week. Here is the square up, with Henry doing his best Nigella Lawson impression.

I realised that I have failed to post anything regarding Henry's birthday presents and his new found vocation. Let me correct that immediately! As you can see in the above photograph, on the morning of his birthday, Henry awoke to find his father almost complete in the construction of his very own stove! Inspired by the work of Jamie Oliver, although much more similar in temperament to Gordon Ramsay, Henry (or Henri as he now insists on being called), has turned our living room into his own little Hell’s Kitchen . Barking orders left, right and centre, Henri has been churning out some rather fine examples of the culinary arts for the past week. As any follower of haute cuisine will doubtless already know, the stakes are high in the modern, ultra competitive world of cookery. After less than a week, La maison de Henri has already picked up not one, but two Michelin stars. He’s been invited to compete in the world famous 料理の鉄人 (more commonly known as the Iron Chef) and has two...

Being Monday, today was Pregnastics day again, which meant that Henry and I had to decided what to do for the evening. After a long and vigorous debate (we nearly came to blows), we finally settled on making ANZAC biscuits. That way, Jennifer would have a treat ready when she came home, and also have a bribery option should mini-Mussolini play up tomorrow. Thus, the photo that you see above are the fruits of our labour (minus a few that had to be taste tested prior to the photo session). Some of you would no doubt be very familiar with the ANZAC biscuit, but I would wager than even more are not. For the benefit of those who haven't heard of - or tasted - them, I will give a bit of back story. Even better, I'll give you a 100 percent guaranteed easy peasy recipe! Now, there are a few theories on the origins of ANZAC biscuits, but what we do know is that they emerged in their present form during the First World War. For the REAL beginners, the term 'ANZAC' originated as a...

Personally, I don't think that the lady was likely to have uttered the above phrase, but the distance between her lifestyle and that of the wretched masses did not win her any sympathy. Pay heed, residents of the Silo Apartments ! The cake featured above is a little strawberry tea cake that Henry and I managed to cook this afternoon. I knocked off early today as Jen had an obstetrician appointment today. Well... at least Jen thinks that it was an obstetrician that she saw, they don't really introduce themselves, part of an obnoxiously superior [ahem] socially dysfunctional interesting manner whereby the patient appears a mere obstacle to a big fat paycheck a secondary concern. But enough doctor baiting! I was talking cake, and today in order to satisfy the eager el duce I opened up the cupboard, grabbed the flour and had a think about what we could whip up. Recipes? Pfft! Amateur hour. Working off an apple tea cake variation that I know well, we got some strawberries, qua...