Oh... Hello There!

Hello there Blogosphere... I'm sorry I've been away.  I've missed you horribly.

Ooooh man!  I wasn't kidding when I said back to school = less fun in my kitchen.  It all promptly stopped as soon as term started.  I went from "Feijoa Fun" and "Feijoa Frolic" to "Those Bloody Feijoas" in a matter of weeks.  They're littering the front yard, and I just don't have the time or energy to gather them up to make one last batch of loaf.  I really should though.  It was really yummy.

Today, I tiptoed my way back into the kitchen.  Thought I needed to ease myself back into it... so I made some bread.  I have a love/hate relationship with this bread maker.  My bread never rises.  I was quite discouraged for a while and stopped making bread, but I gave it a go today.  Mostly because I felt too lazy to leave the house to get bread (and I forgot we had a loaf in the freezer) so I thought I'd bake some.  This time, I tried the recipe in the Edmond's Cookbook.  All I have to say is:  I freakin' love the Edmond's Cookbook!

Success!  My first loaf that wasn't thick and dense!  It's risen!

Soft, fluffy, airy, bready goodness.  The crust was the perfect golden - not too hard and crumbly, but not insipid and soft.

Still warm, with a scrape of butter and some homemade apple and feijoa jam. (After trying all my jams, this one is my favourite, as the flavour is the most subtle.)

The house smelled of that beautiful, yeasty bread smell this evening... such a comforting smell on a cold, grey afternoon.  The bread was equally as wonderful with a bit of homemade garlic butter to go with the lasagne I made for dinner.  Bready bliss. 

Back To Work Tomorrow = Less Feijoa Fun

I had to make up for the lack of feijoa-related activity yesterday, so I went wild this morning!

I baked this recipe for a feijoa, ginger and coconut loaf (my love affair with ginger continues).  The only thing I'd do differently next time is a touch less ginger (I used 2 tbsp - I'd use 1 1/2) or a heaped cup of coconut.  I can't really taste the coconut, and the ginger is super strong (but I do like it!)

Mini-loaf lovin.

I made 6 mini loaves + 1 almost loaf - the recipe makes a lot!  Cooking time was about 20 minutes less than the recipe called for.

A small slice with a dollop of Greek Honey yogurt.  Divine!

See?  Div.  Ine.

And because that wasn't enough, as it baked in the oven and I chatted on the phone with my mum and sister-in-law, I just whipped up another batch of the amazing feijoa, vanilla and ginger jam (as you do.)

I think I'm a bit in love with the combination of feijoa and ginger... How sad I have to go back to work tomorrow!  There are still so many recipes to play with!