Have you seen Horton? I mean, have you really taken a long, good look at him? Beside the fact that he is the cutest animated elephant I have ever seen, he also manages to resemble Jim Carrey a bit. I have been eagerly awaiting the release of "Horton Hears A Who" for a while now. I will have to curb my excitement and continue waiting patiently for the DVD release as it is Nick's turn to take our firstborn to the movies while I babysit our little one. I have also been reading Dr. Seuss to my older son in the hope that he warms up to it and sees the hilarity it presents. Not yet though, I think he might not be old enough to grasp the madness that ensues in the books.

With Dr. Seuss so much in your face everywhere, it can become very hard to ignore it. So continuing along those lines I decided to do a dish which honors his stories, at the same time trying to entice my fussy eater to brave something out of the story book ..... "Green Eggs And Ham"!! It is a simple dish and has been done a million times before. But I believe that every person who cooks it can make it his own. I have used spring onions for the "green" and honey soaked ham for the "ham". I baked the eggs in the oven and then grilled them with the cheese browning on top to add crunch. They tasted just right, soft on the inside and browned on top with a dash of barbecue sauce.

GREEN EGGS AND HAM
[Prep Time : 10 mins/CT : 30 mins/Serves : 3]

Ingredients
4 eggs
1/2 cup honey soaked ham, finely diced
1/2 cup spring onions, finely sliced
1 small brown onion, finely sliced
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
barbecue sauce to serve
olive oil

Method
Heat oil in a medium, oven proof frying pan on low. Swirl it around gently to coat. In a medium bowl combine eggs, onions, spring onions, ham, salt and pepper. Beat well. Pour into the frying pan. Cook for a minute till slightly set. Remove and sprinkle with cheese. Place in a preheated oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes at 160 ^oC. Remove and place under the grill for 5-8 minutes until browned on top.

Cut into wedges and serve hot with barbecue sauce.

Note : I have decided to submit this entry to my first ever Weekend Herb Blogging hosted this week by Kel at Green Olive Tree. Thank you White On Rice Couple for directing me there and suggesting I enter!! Here goes ...

Roses grow in abundance in India. The concept of using fresh roses in cooking is probably as ancient as Indian cooking itself. A favourite ingredient to spike delicate desserts for the Rajahs and Maharajahs, rose; its aroma and flavour were explored by the Ayurvedics and Naturalists to concoct everything from plain rosewater for skin remedies to the fragrant "gulkand" [rose petal jam] to be used for stomach ailments. The fragrance of rose is unlike anything you will ever smell, it lifts you up and fills you with visions of beauty and etherealism.

When my summer garden exploded in roses this year, I started toying with the idea of using it to cook something unique. I gave rose jam a miss since I have plenty of that stocked in my fridge [and you should try it at your health store next time because it works miracles for your skin].

Dessert!! I thought. But what?

Every single dessert idea that popped into my head would need infusing with rosewater or making rose syrup. These sounded very superficial, tried and tested numerous times before. What i was looking for was more guttural, not just skimming the rose plant but exploiting the very essence of it ... its petals! Now what could I do with rose petals that would be totally fantastic?? Kulfi [a creamy, milk based Indian ice cream chockful of chopped nuts, delicately flavoured with saffron with a hint of rose], my mind suggested. No! admonished my heart. We want more flavour, we want more texture! Rose Petal Ice Cream would be perfect then, i decided. No artificial essences, no whiffs of fragrance. Just an abundance of pure rose petals through and through.

So I went to my garden and plucked two of the rosiest blossoms, one red and one baby pink. Then taking care so as to not destroy the stamens, I sat and began an exercise of "He loves me! He loves me not!" [well not really, but it felt like it when I was gently pulling out the petals]. Once the petals were plucked, I gathered the ingredients I would need. Within half an hour the ice cream mix was ready and cooling in the fridge. Later that evening I churned it in the ice cream maker and froze it for several hours. At night, just a day after the roses began their journey to the ice cream maker, we had the most delicious ice cream that wove an exotic web between our senses, tantalizing us with the beautiful creamy and grainy texture of crushed nuts and the loving aftertaste of endless tiny crushed petal pieces.

ROSE PETAL ICE CREAM
[Makes 1 litre | Preparation Time 25 mins | Cooking Time 20 mins | Chilling Time 6-8 hours]

Autumn is officially here since the onset of March. So while most of the rest of the world gets ready to pack away their woolens and potter out in their spring gardens, we in Australia are dreaming of chilly evenings and warming broths. I have a lot on my mind. Amidst infusing the blog with some design elements and improved photography, I am constantly browsing new cookbook releases and bargain hunting for interesting props to photograph with. I am also trying to venture out to our Thursday farmer's market eager to score some great fresh produce to cook with. On my list of things to do is acquire some prized Martin Boyd or Guy Boyd pottery, explore the new tea parlor at the mall and sample their endless treats, propagate some new rosemary cuttings from the overgrown bush in my garden and test out some more fun ice cream recipes before the chill really sets in. Some other things that have me excited ...

Piri Piri Starfish by Tessa Kiros
If you are a fan of Tessa Kiros and her brilliant books that warm your soul and draw you right in, then you can't miss her latest offering. Piri Piri Starfish, her latest book is about her experience in Portugal .... about family, old traditions, fresh food and slowing down your pace. The beautiful, duck egg blue toned cover with a picture of a glass with a fish sticking out just calls you to pick up the book. I had a browse at our local bookstore and have ordered my copy. I can't wait to explore it.

Produce Bible by Deborah Madison and Leanne Kitchen
Mine is named Grower's Market but is the same book. Produce Bible is a brilliant addition to your cooking library. It is an invaluable source of information with almost 200 recipes accompanying fresh seasonal produce categorised cleverly. Who knew that undressed, raw and totally natural food could look so good? The photography is brilliant!

Scalloped Edges
Scalloped edges have an old worldly charm about them .... whether it is a lace or a plate or just plain paper. I have been experimenting photographing with cute little Robert Gordon patty cases with polka dots and scalloped edges. They look very naughty! I also have a few dinner plates in solid colors with scalloped edges distressed with a dusting of gold. Very elegant, these make the simplest of dishes appear very special. So if you don't have scallops, get one today and feel the Victorian charm come over you.

Ramekins
I am thinking ramekins .... perfect for individual little serves of hot puddings and poached fruits topped with crumble. Ramekins are autumn's little helpers. Just like cupcakes, there is something very satisfying about having your own little dessert rather than digging into a communal plate of sweetness. I recently got some vintage Raynham pottery square ramekins in pastels. They make even the blandest of desserts [not that desserts are bland really] look gorgeous.

Artisan Bread
They are crackling, they are comforting and they are addictive. They make you want to explore more farmer's markets in the hope of finding more advanced textures and all sorts of wholesome nuts and grains embedded in their sourdough greatness. Artisan is such a wonderful word. Like the bread it is used to describe, I can't get enough of just rolling it off my tongue every chance I get. There are heaps of websites, dozens of books and even more blog excerpts on the joys of artisan baking. One could get lost in all the intriguing information. I would recommend Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking and the blog Zoe Bakes. Artisan Baking and The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread are also worth checking out.

Maxwell & Williams - Stoneware that looks like cast iron
Can you say cute? On my day of retail therapy last weekend I chanced upon these gorgeous Maxwell & Williams oven ware in brilliant reds and muted blues. When I touched these Le Creuset wannabes with their pretty handles and cute lids, my heart skipped a beat! Could it really be, I asked myself? For they were not cast iron at all, but pottery at it clever best. The size, shape and tint would have you believe that it was a heavy, cast iron utensil. But it was light and extremely pretty stoneware at bargain price. I got 2 small red cocottes and a square baking dish. Another brand that I swear by for beautiful and elegant dinnerware is Casa Domani. See the lovely, handpainted Portofino pebble bowl and you will know why. I have been collecting exquisite pieces from their Chantilly and Baya range for a while.

It is the age of artisan breads. They are quite the rage among food bloggers all around the world. I too seem to have been bitten by the bug and want to badly to bake my own loaf, but more about that later. I scored a handsome, rustic ciabatta loaf at the organic farmer's market today. Yes the crust crackled and the yeasty loaf dusted with fresh organic flour was baked to perfection. Ciabatta [pronounced cha-BAT-ta] happens to be my favourite type of bread ever since I first had a chicken sandwich made using a mini version of this loaf at Deli France in Singapore. I love the shape, love the taste and don't even get me started on the texture..

I had been thinking about trying to assemble an antipasto platter for a while and this loaf was the perfect excuse to do so. When I got back home, I sawed off a few thick slices [ no perfect thin slices mind you, a loaf as rustic as this deserves to be eaten in a similar fashion ] and popped half of them in the oven after drizzling them with olive oil. The remaining half landed in a pan heating up slowly with a good dash of olive oil and a generous sprinkling of dukkah. I slowly pan roasted the bread making sure that the dukkah was nicely toasted and sticking to one side of the slice. The olive oil not only speckled the slice with nice bits of golden brown but also helped bring out the gorgeous aroma of the dukkah. While the slices were cooking, I thickly sliced some red capsicum and sent them to brown in the grill with a spray of canola oil. Taking multitasking to new heights [ I love this about assembling platters] I neatly diced some spring onion and chilli cream cheese and popped open a bottle of kalamatta olives. A trip to my backyard was fruitful in producing a handful of homegrown cherry tomatoes. Some seaweed crackers, carrot sticks and tatziki dip landed on the plate and I was good to go. The bread was pan toasted to perfection, the capsicum charred around the edges and heavenly. I also did another batch of pan toasted slices, this time with pizza sauce. Presto .... we had a delightful vegetarian antipasto for lunch.

The star of the show was the ciabatta and the stall I got it from belonged to Brasserie Bread. With a motto that says "honouring the traditions of artisan baking", Brasserie Bread specializes in sourdough organic baking and is the brainchild of Tony Papas of the Bayswater Brasserie fame in Sydney and Michael Klausen. Their fantastic range of sourdough breads is sheer delight and it is always a pleasure to shop at their stalls, chatting with their friendly staff.

In 2007 I had my first taste of the "Whisk & Pin" products when I came across their stall at the 2007 Sydney Good Food & Wine Show. It is not everyday that you come across an artisan business that has become famous on muesli alone. Their handmade gourmet muesli and cookies have fast become a rage amongst serious foodies here in Australia. With a whisk and pin for a logo, the stress on organic handmade products and a fabulously simple yet kitsch packaging, owner Kerry Caloyannidis strikes all the right cords. I can rave about their organic muesli range till kingdom come but their baking mixes are what really gets my cooking juices flowing. I bought a couple of their organic baking mixes at the food show and have loved them. They are simple to make and have a subtly rich flavour riddled with spices and organic fruits. If you follow the instructions on their glazed white packaging to a T, you will end up with exactly what was promised to you, which is a great thing as most instructions on read-mixes don't know what they are talking about. Loved the scones, loved the cupcakes but the pancakes ... oh my, you should really try them. The Blueberry pancakes I made turned out to be light and fluffy, the texture just right and the taste so breakfasty. I topped them up with some gorgeous blueberries and maple syrup.