The challenge was issued... and accepted

Today a gauntlet was thrown down by Miss Miller at 'Project Elegance'. Start from scratch she says... make something new she says... while ensuring one uses that single magic ingredient that takes the mundane to the sublime - fun!

With a smile of glee I accepted said gauntlet and wondered what I could create. Mmmmm, there are so many things I love to make.

I am a fanatic (or should that be frantic) corn chip eater so that was an obvious choice having never made corn chips before...but.. sadly... I didn't have the ingredients on hand when the cooking muse took me, so decided - after much deliberation - on lamb kofta instead. HoM voted quite strenuously for the kofta!

Now, I have made lamb kofta before, so perhaps this was not strictly keeping within the bounds of the challenge, but I have looked longingly at this yummy looking recipe with pistachios and apricots in it for many a day.

Surely Miss Jenn and Miss Miller wouldn't quibble too much over such trivialities - would they?? ;-)

Firstly I had to mince the lamb steaks... it is a challenge about starting from scratch after all!

I do love my Kitchen Aid and it's very nifty attachments ;-)

The obligatory onion and spice frying came next... I have found that there are few meals in my house that don't start with chopping up an onion! This recipe uses three of my favourite spices, cumin, coriander and cayenne. What glorious fragrant spices they are!

Next came the extra fruity/nutty bits. As promised, chopped apricots and chopped pistachios. Interesting choices to put in a kofta I thought, but so middle eastern.. no?

Next step was to mix it all together with an egg to bind! I love when I must mix all the ingredients with my hands. It brings me such satisfaction ;-)

Seriously the spatula is there only for putting ingredients in the bowl - I promise!

Then again, using the hands to make small sausage like shapes of the mixed ingredients.... voila...

And then under the grill for 10 minutes or so in each side to turn a lovely dark brown colour!

I served my lamb koftas with a quinoa tabbouleh like salad, hummus and pita bread. I would have liked to use tzatzikki too, but it seems the antipodeans in this town have yet to embrace those particular flavours. I guess the next challenge will be to make my own tzatzikki

...from scratch ;-)

Sorry, I don't know why some of the photos are on top of each other. I'm still learning this blogging thingme

Aaaah the excitement!

Guess what arrived at our house today.... more of our stuff!!!

We have made very good use of storage facilities over the years, but we have finally got everything we own in one place - of course, that is apart from the stuff that is at our holiday home in OG ;-)

I forgot to photograph everything before I started to unpack, but here's what my room looked like part way through:

The biggest thrill was when they finally unloaded my antique crystal display cabinet. I have owned this cabinet since 1995 and have had it with me in my house for approximately 12 months in 2004! The rest of the time it has been in storage! Hence my excitement!

Here it is - filled with the enormous amount of Waterford crystal we received for wedding presents (don't ask my why?!)

We also took repossession of a dining table. Now we already have one of these with us in this house, so this one becomes a vehicle to show off my gorgeous family! A girl can't have too many photos right???!

Now if I can just find a home for all the books that came out I'll be happy ;-)