Whether it be the result of moving into my own abode with a lovely kitchen, or my ever-increasing age, I have turned to the domestic ‘arts’ and they are making me darn happy. It started with a garden in our small patch of dirt that has thrived and grown in such a manner that we are having trouble making use of all the bounty. The grape tomato is particularly large, and we have a constant supply of chilli’s (various varieties), rocket (or roquet as some like to say), silver beet and herbs. We also have a cucumber plant, as well as a dwarf lime and lemon tree that are growing noticeably by the day; hopefully they bear fruit soon enough because they are causing Dan so much excitement I am afraid his head might implode.

Not only does the garden provide wonderful food, it also allows us to recycle our food waste. We purchased a kick-ass tiered worm farm that is a hive of activity and also gives us wonderful natural fertiliser for the plants. That is the fucking circle of life if I have ever seen it in action.

The food bounty has led to me taking a very strong interest in cooking. I have always had it, hiding somewhere deep in the bowels of my unconscious nature, but it has really come out to play in the past few months. I get such an awesome thrill out of making various meals (usually of the baked, sugary variety) and seeing my friends and family eat them. Dan is particularly grateful and this makes it all the more worthwhile (at this point I am reminded of my friend Laura reciting lines from a home economics book at the weekend such as “put a coloured ribbon in your hair and it will delight your man when he arrives home” and “greet him at the door with your make-up on and dinner waiting – he will appreciate it so”).

Honestly, the shift toward domesticity has scared me a little. I felt like I was selling feminism short and taking a path of lameness. That was until I realised I can be a female head-kicker as well as an awesome cook. I can be ballsy and make soufflé. They aren’t mutually exclusive and I am going to take full advantage of this new found state of being. I think I want to employ it as a tool of confusion; lure people into a false sense of security with some spicy pumpkin soup and chocolate cup cakes, only to rant at them about religion and politics while their mouths are full. I figure I can pretty much enjoy world domination with this tactic.

I am going to start posting some particularly yummy recipes on here in the hope that a geek, somewhere out there in the series of tubes, will pick up a wooden spoon and get on it. The recipes I post are all adapted from magazine and internet versions, which to me means they are officially now mine. If I change an ingredient or add something, it is mine. MINE. The first recipe is Chilli Con Carne. Be aware that it requires a lot more tomato puree (I used paste) than they advocate – I put in something closer to half or 3/4 of a cup, which made it far richer and tastier.

Enjoy!

P.S. That is a cinnamon stick, not a turd.

P.P.S. I have also been knitting. It looks like a scarf, but it can also be used as a torture device. It is all coming together nicely.