Mango Hill Cottages & Hill Of Promise Winery

ciao tutti! Wednesday and brilliant sunshine is on the menu here on the Hill.
Time for Pumpkin Soup. The Little Cellar Rat made a batch on the weekend from Pietro the Pumpkin. She isn’t a fan of gadgets but the Breville Soupmaker is so quick and easy Don’t sniff at the humble large saucepan though. Recipe??? pumpkin, potato to total 700 g, green Thai curry paste, garlic, coconut cream, liquid (water or stock) 750 ml. If using Mr Saucepan, whizz with a stick blender at the end.
buon appetito!! alla prossima.

ciao tutti!  Tuesday are on the Hill and there’a bit to the wind.

The Little Cellar Rat came across these mango leaves during a raking session in the garden earlier this week. In the topsy-turvy world of CV 19,  the cycle of the seasons provides a stability and constancy.  Once green and shiny they are now beautiful and lacey.  Before long they will enrich the mulch heap, reminding us that nothing in nature is wasted but moves to another stage of usefulness.

All around us there is universal beauty to behold.

grazie!   alla prossima!

ciao tutti! How are all the Working From Homers and Schooling from Homers faring?
there’s a chilly wind blowing here today on The Hill.
A change of pace: time for an Italian idiom based on food.

In English we say ‘ That wasn’t my idea!;..the Italians don’t miss an opportunity to bring food into the equation so their expression is ‘non è farina del mio sacco!’ Literally: that’s not flour from my sack.

Stay safe, stay smiling and remember we are getting through this together.
alla prossima!

It’s a glorious May morning here on the Hill.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL MOTHERS, including those who aren’t our biological mothers but who ‘mother, nature and care’ for us, especially those wonderful aunts.

Ciao tuttti! It’s Saturday, the Weekend. What’s lined up for the tribe at your place?
TLCR is calling today’s post ‘Waste not, Want not’ or ‘Good to the last drop’ Take your pick. It was standard practice in previous generations and has been in ours. Get the kids on board and see how much is left in tubes, plastic containers etc. when you think they are empty. It might be your tube of Vanilla Paste, Lemon Grass, Minced Ginger, toothpaste, handcream…. There are many options but a little spatula is essential: cut the end off the tube, use Mr S to scrape the contents together. If there’s enough for more than one use, employ a paper clip to seal it, especially if it needs o go back into the fridge. If it’s hand cream or the like, have that empty plastic vitamin / tablet container ready. You get the drift. For toothpaste use the head of a toothbrush to work every last bit to the cap end, then roll the tail up and sticky tape to secure in place. There are probably 4-5 more portions left. If you and your tribe have been doing this for years, congrats!!

ciao tutti! It’s Friday. You’ve made it to today. Lunch has to be something very unfussy, quick, easy and tasty.
Try saying avocado on toast + grated tasty cheese + slices of ripe tomato. Bless with S and P. delizioso!! It even ticks the ‘nutritious’ box.
That was lunch today for TLCR. The avocados? Gorgeous creamy, buttery ones from a friend’s garden. buon appetito… alla prossima!

Pumpkin scones using GF flour.
buon appetito!

This beautifully textured Kent pumpkin was delicious roasted, skin on for easy prep AND steamed made for some really tasty GF pumpkin scones.
Pumpkin Soup with a touch of chilli and nutmeg will be on the menu today.

buona cucina!

ciao tutti! With the re-calibrating that CV19 means for all of us on the planet, having a go at growing your own fruit and vegetables looks to be up there at the top of the list. The Little Cellar Rat has not dabbled in growing pumpkins before, but a vine came up in compost taken over to the winery herb patch. TLCR is learning a lot about the sex lives of pumpkins! May I introduce Pietro the Kent Pumpkin, weighing in at 6.7kg, circumference 89cm, diameter 36cm.
There are 5 or 6 more little Pietros coming along. TLCR will keep you posted. How did he taste? DELIZIOSO!!!

alla prossima!