I wish I was in Italy..

...because sometimes nothing beats an enormous bowl of bolognese. And because I went to see Eat, Pray, Love last night and it made me desperate for a bit of travel and culture. It was beautifully shot, and there were so many close ups of delicious Italian food, that if you love your food then you should go see this film! (not forgetting the equally delicious Javier Bardem.)

So tonight we pigged out on pasta, and pretended we were in Rome. Although I doubt the Italians would put extra mature cheddar on their bolognese. In fact, I think it would really piss them off.

"Me Time"

I'm a huge fan of homemade soups. As soon as I first realised how easy and cheap it was to make soup yourself, I vowed never to buy it ready made again! This is mostly true...although sometimes, when your 3 year old decides to get up at 6 in the morning, and steal your purple nail varnish to paint his chest of drawers (true story-this happened this very morning), you just lack the enthusiasm. It is on such days that I will turn to a ready made soup, but only in the form of Covent Garden, Heinz Cream of Tomato, or quality organic soups such as the one I had today.

So Toby went to nursery for a few hours and I put my feet up with a big mug of comfort....I love you, darling, but you are exhausting!

Sweet Potato and Sausage Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Do you ever get into one of those conversations with someone, when you're so hungry, that you just start to list all the meals you fancy eating? Well that's how Rene and I spent most of the afternoon at work today. I honestly couldn't wait to get home and cook myself something delicious and hearty for dinner! So I made this salad, based on something similar I saw ages ago in a magazine and, for some reason, was craving it tonight.

Basically you need to wash 1/2 a medium sweet potato, then cut it into bite-sized pieces (no need to peel). Put onto a baking tray, drizle with olive oil and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Add your sausages to the tray after 10 minutes, to cook alongside the potato (or you can grill the sausages, if you'd rather).

Arrange some salad leaves on a plate and add 1/2 a red onion, thinly sliced.

Make a quick dressing by mixing 1 tsp wholegrain mustard, 1 tsp honey and a good glug of olive oil. Season.

Add your sweet potato (which should be deliciously sticky) and sausages to the salad, then pour the dressing all over.

Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes

Today, Toby and I learnt a very important lesson about baking. If you don't thoroughly mix your cake mixture until it's smooth and has no lumps, terrible things will happen. Well, basically the lumps of butter won't just melt in as you might think, they'll create a heavy middle which means you'll be left with a hole in each cake!

I really should have known better, but was in a hurry to finish these as we were picking up my friend Steph who came to visit.

I'd like to mention this was Toby's messily paper case filling, not mine!

Here you can see the holes mentioned. Actually for this recipe it ended up working quite well, as the lemon drizzle filled the hole and created a kind of gooey, lemony centre. So it's up to you-stir thoroughly and have a better crack at it than me, or try my very own creation of melt in the middle lemon drizzle cupcakes!

Either way, here's the actual recipe:

For the sponge

125 g softened butter

125g caster sugar

2 medium eggs

finely grated rind of 1 lemon

125g self raising flour

For the icing

Juice of 1 lemon

Approx 50g icing sugar

A splash of water, if needed

Preheat oven to 190'C/Gas 5.

Beat the butter and suagr in a bowl until it is light and fluffy.

Add the eggs, lemon rind and flour and beat the mixture thouroughly UNTIL SMOOTH.

Divide the mixture between 12 paper cases in a muffin tray.

Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the cakes are risen and just firm.

Remove from the oven and leave to col on a wire rack while you make the icing:

Mix together the icing sugar and lemon juice in a bowl, adding more sugar/a touch of water, until you have the right consistency.

Pour the icing over the cooled cupcakes, then leave to harden and dig in!

Chickpea and Leek Soup

Leeks are in season now, and are so versatile. Here's a great little soup recipe from Jamie Oliver. It's easy, quick and costs practically nothing. This is just the thing you need for lunch to keep you going on a chilly Autumn day. You'll thank me for this one!

Makes 6 portions

340g chickpeas, soaked overnight then rinsed, and boiled for about 1 hour

(or use tinned, as I did. Sorry Jamie!)

1 medium potato, peeled and chopped

5 medium leeks

1 tbsp olive oil

knob of butter

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

salt and pepper

850ml/1 1/2 pints vegetable or chicken stock

parmesan cheese, to taste

extra virgin olive oil for drizzling

First, prep your leeks. Remove the outer skin, slice lengthways, wash carefully and slice finely.

Warm a heavy-based pan, and add the tbsp of oil and the knob of butter. Add the leeks and garlic to the pan, and sweat gently with a good pinch of salt until tender and sweet. This will take about 5 minutes.

Add the drained chickpeas and potato and cook for 1 minute.

Add two thirds of the stock and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Now decide of you want to puree the soup, or leave it chunky and brothy. Or do as Jamie suggests, and puree just half the soup, leaving the rest whole- this gives a lovely smooth feel but still retains a bit of texture.

Now add enough remaing stock to achieve the consistency you like, check for seasoning, and stir in some grated parmesan..be generous!

Serve in a big bowl, with a drizzle of olive oil, a grinding of black pepper and an extra sprinkling of parmesan.

Miss P's Top tip: Buy the best butter you can afford! I'm not one for spending a fortune on food, but quality butter and olive oil will really enhance the flavours in your cooking. Especially in soups or dishes where there are few ingredients used.

Cupcakes for Granny

Well it's a bit belated, but I couldn't not show you these pictures from Margaret's birthday last week (Tim's Mum). Toby and I made her some chocolate cupcakes, and Toby made her the cutest birthday card. By the way, check out the cupcake boxes I purchased from Morrisons! They come in a pack of two and each hold six cupcakes. You assemble them yourself, fill with your homemade cupcakes, et voila! A perfect little gift. Hope you enjoyed the rest of your day, Margaret! x

Fig and Ricotta Tart

So here's what you need to know... figs are in season right now. They are so cheap (I got a pack of 4 for £1), and this tart is a great way to show them off at their best. Now you know.

The original recipe is by James Tanner, and the tart will serve 4-6. I served it for just me and Alice (with leftovers I must add!) so I halved the vegetable accompaniment to serve 2.

First, heat the oven to 200'C/Gas 6.

Roll out a 375g pack of shortcrust pastry (if you're a serious cook you can make it yourself).

Line a flan/quiche tin with the pastry. Ideally, it should be a loose bottomed tin.

Fill with baking beans or rice, and blind bake for 20 minutes.

Take out and leave to cool. Reduce oven temp to 180'C/Gas4.

Meanwhile, prepare your filling. Beat 3 eggs in a mixing bowl, add 500g ricotta cheese, and mix until smooth. Season. Pour the mixture into the cooked pastry case. Bake for 30 minutes.

Now remove from the oven, arrange your quartered figs on top, then put back in the oven for 10 minutes whilst you prepare your chargrilled veg to serve alongside.

Slice 1/2 a courgette,1/2 a small aubergine,1/2 a yellow pepper and 1/2 a red pepper. Place in a bowl, then pour over 1/2 tbsp balsamic and 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Mix well to coat the veg.

Heat a grill pan, then cook the veg for approx 2 minutes each side.

When the tart is ready, remove from the oven. Serve with the vegetables and some salad. We also had some garlic bread but, on reflection, this was a tad excessive! And don't forget to drizzle some honey all over before serving. Don't ever say I'm not good to you guys...x