Sweet dreams are made of these

With my own father out of the country, this Father's Day allowed us to lavish our affections solely on my husband's dad. How do I lavish affection? Mostly with hugs, but secondly with food. Taking inspiration (and direction) from the September edition of 'Delicious', these chocolate meringues were just devine. I had never made meringues before (I've since made these twice), but they were surprisingly easy. 

I think the killer here is the butterscotch sauce. While ultimately a delight to the taste buds, for me it was just a little too much (Aaron wholeheartedly disagreed with me on this one). 

I made these again last weekend, for my own parents home coming, and they were just as good with just the cream, strawberries and blueberries but with no sauce. They were also delightful with lunch the next day with ice cream, strawberries and a little strawberry syrup. A great all rounder, and I'm sure they will be a permanent feature in my repertoire.

Returning to the kitchen

I will need to apologise for my blogging silence the last few months. In response to a slightly exhausting first trimester of pregnancy, I have struggled for both the motivation and inspiration to cook or eat much of any real interest, and I somehow doubt that all the crumpets with cheese, or bowls of tinned peaches, would make for very stimulating reading.
However, I now feel we're coming out the other side and my appetite for being in the kitchen is returning and, after several weeks of blandness, I felt that we all were well in need of a veggie fix.
This spaghetti is a favourite that my mum has made before, and when I can justify creamy pasta to myself I love it. I have also cooked it when I've made gnocchi and it's a great combination.
Zucchini, snow peas, green peas, broccoli, and mushrooms in a sauce of cream, chicken stock, Parmesan and basil (I used mint basil this time as we had some fresh here and it was a great addition). The little gem here lies in the tomato garnish. Vine ripened cherry tomatoes, lightly cooked in oil, garlic and parsley, until they just burst open a little, provide a burst of flavour and freshness that works really well with the creamy sauce. I love those little guys.