What a cooking frenzy looks like

In our house, the trigger for a cooking frenzy is usually the opportunity to cook for friends… but as I start thinking about what I might cook, other random ideas jump into my head.  So a couple of weekends ago, we had Mr Hunter-Fisherman and his son Mr Fiveandahalf coming for dinner (Mrs H-F and daughter were away).  A Sunday night roast was the plan.

Sunday morning was sunny, cold and relatively wind-free (in Wellington this is anything less than a screaming gale).  Bread, I thought, I need to make bread.  This is not an entirely random thought, as we’re planning a sailing holiday, and the logistics may include the need to make our own bread.  So the bread making was underway [recipe here].  While the bread was having its first rise, I took Miss Nine and Miss Seven for a quick jaunt up Mt Kaukau to stretch our legs and build up an appetite.

As they say, you can't beat Wellington on a good day...

Back home and the bread knocked back into shape and rising happily and the fridge revealed some crosscut blade steak which needed cooking.  Man Of The House (MOTH) and daughters were provided with some lunch.  One casserole underway [recipe here]. Pause for lunch and some fresh bread at 2.30pm (yes, a bit late, but that’s what happens in cooking frenzies).

The roast.  A lovely leg of lamb was on special, so roast lamb it is.  I introduce the lamb to its friends, garlic, thyme and anchovies [recipe here].  The MOTH prepares vegetables.  Dinner is cooked, wine poured, gravy made, we have a lovely evening and there is very little lamb left.  The MOTH cleans up a tower of roasting pans and the day is over.