Roxanne "Nigella" Fry

...at least that's what a friend called me in a comment on one of my Facebook pictures!

My love of food - my real love, a love beyond a Big Mac and fries, truly began when I was a teenager. It all began when I discovered the beautiful Nigella Lawson. She simply embodied everything I wanted to be - intelligent, beautiful, a fantastic cook and, using the phrase that she herself coined - a domestic goddess. If you don't know what I mean, just watch one of her cooking shows and listen to how she describes her ingredients. One of my favourite quotes from her whilst incorporating chocolate into a dessert: "Sooner or later everything gives way to chocolate, which is after all the natural order of things."

So here are some pictures of my recent kitchen creations:

Brioche French Toast
(with maple syrup and powdered sugar)

Sablé Breton (Breton Biscuits)

Mini-meat Croissants
I cheated and used ready made puff pastry

For the mini-meat croissants, stir fry mince meat (I think I used veal mince I had in the freezer) with one chopped onion and a couple of cloves of garlic, any herbs of your choice (I used fresh parsley) and salt and pepper. Cut a puff pastry square into small triangles - if I remember correctly I cut the square into 16 first then halved each 1/16. Place a blob of meat in the centre of each triangle then roll into a croissant shape, tucking the "feet" around to form crescents. I simply used water to seal the edges. Bake at about 200C until golden brown (using a beaten egg wash before baking helps the browning)

Smashed Meringue for Making Eton Mess

Eton Mess with Meringue, Raspberry Jam,
Chantilly Cream and Home-made Custard

Cheap and simple food here! Salmon
with mi goreng instant noodles
and salad with a red wine vinaigrette

Always fry salmon or other fish skin-side down first to avoid curling of the skin.

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Paul made some suggestions - I added rolled oats and
sesame seeds!