What would Scarlett O'Hara Do?

I admit that I haven't actually seen Gone With The Wind, but I remember reading years ago in...a Sweet Valley High book (oh the delicious juxtaposition between high and low culture) that she was particularly resourceful. Incidentally, is it worrying that "Johanssen" not "O'Hara" is the first thing that pops into my head upon hearing the word Scarlett?

Anyway, what S'OH might have done, if she found out that her boyfriend had deleted the photos of roast pork and the ensuing stir fry (when of course, she should have uploaded them sooner so the blame is on both sides)...is shown the world some photos she prepared earlier! This year, before I started this blog, I was taking photos fairly regularly of recipes (usually Nigella's) that I'd made. In fact, it was in pondering why I took these photos that I first considered starting a blog.

So; with a flourish to distract you from the empty promises of previous posts- a trip down memory lane! Disclaimer - these photos were taken before I started this blog and so aren't that great - not that the rest of my photos are - but, well, this is what our food looks like under the light of our kitchen.

Above: Custard Cream Hearts, from Nigella's Feast. The custard buttercream filling is quite, quite addictive. I'm lucky there was any left to fill these beauties!

Above: Chickpea and Zuchinni Filo Pie, from Nigella's How To Be A Domestic Goddess. It sounds much more like something you'd buy at a cafe and not ever contemplate making at home, but it isn't tooooo fiddly (despite the word 'Filo' in the title) and tastes soooo good, all fragrant with cumin and tumeric. I recommend this if you are ever needing to seduce a vegetarian.

Above: Chocolate Fudge Cake, from Nigella Bites. It is an old fashioned, solid chocolate cake and the icing is just ridiculously good.I made it for Tim's birthday in September.

Above: Pasta from my impulse-bought pasta machine. It is more delicious than any pasta I have ever had...definitely worth the effort! I used the pasta recipe from Nigella Bites (1 egg to every 100g flour, which feeds one person - an easy equation) and got Tim to help me crank the machine. It cooks in literally seconds, in boiling salted water, and I dressed it simply in butter and nutmeg. If I had the time, I'd probably eat this every day.

The roast pork, by the way, was from Nigella's Feast, and was an Italian recipe for New Years called "Roast Pork Cinghiale." The marinade involved marsala fine, pink peppercorns, garlic, allspice, olive oil, brown sugar, and a few other bits and pieces. Once roasted, the sugar and the wine caramelised it wonderfully while the pepper and spices provided a densely earthy flavour. A seriously great way of treating pork.

In honour of the New Years Pork: I resolve to be more organised!