Weekend Cooking: Sunshine, Lemons and Sea Salt by Donna Hay

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was going to try to start cooking along more regularly with the Lamb's Ear Cookbook club. The February cookbook is Sunshine, Lemons and Sea Salt by celebrated Australian cook Donna Hay.

As you might note from the photo above, I actually own quite a few cookbooks by Donna Hay, and yet I don't often cook out of them. Part of the reason is that everything looks so beautiful that I am intimidated by it. And because it always looks so good, I assume it must be complicated. When I cook I do tastes good, I don't often do looks beautiful! I am therefore often guilty of using her books as though they are coffee table books. I mainly just look at the pictures. 

I am not only talking about the food. Even the book is beautiful, with great pictures, a nice layout, and a ribbon! I love it when a cookbook has a ribbon. It instantly makes it a better book!

The book starts with a chapter on styling where she gives tips on how to make your lunch or dinner settings look amazing by saying things like "consider those vintage copper pots, ceramic saucepans and teapots in your cupboards the unsung heroes of your table." I don't really have any of those in my cupboard**, but I get her point. The styling tips continue throughout the book, especially in the menu sections 

The book is then divided into a pretty normal structure with chapters called

Sunrise: Win the morning, win the day (yes, I suspect Donna Hay is a morning person! lol)

Light lunching

Summer nights, simple dinners

Sunny sides that double as snacks

Sweet and sunny treats

Anything-but-basic basics

From there the structure of the book changes into a section called Coastal Celebrations where we get four suggested menus for entertaining from starters to mains and desserts, including the aforementioned styling suggestions. The four menus are called

Sailing into lunch

Summer in bloom

There's no party like a taco party

Coastal 

I have already cooked quite a few things from this book, but there is more I would like to make including the recipes below.

Tomato and mascarpone tart - This was so delicious and would be super easy if you bought premade shortcrust pastry

Crushed potato galette - We served this when we had family for dinner, and it was a hit. Soft on the inside, crunchy outside. Will definitely do again. 

Crispy lemon and garlic roast chicken - A bit unusual with the use of miso paste but definitely tasty and we plan to make this one again.

Thai chicken in lime and coconut - It's always good to have another tasty meatball recipe. I am thinking about having a whole week of different meatballs but I am not sure the rest of my house would agree

Korean fried chicken burgers - Making this tonight!

Sticky soy and miso chicken

Passionfruit powder puffs

Lemon and elderflower bundt cake

Passionfruit meringue tart

Crispy meringues with poached vanilla pears

Originally, I borrowed this book from the library, but we have already cooked quite a lot out of the book, and some of the recipes could end up in our regular recipe rotation, so I did end up buying it!

When I was thinking about recipes to share, I originally had something else in mind, but when I said we had made this recipe in my Weekly Meals section last week, Jackie mentioned that she was curious about this recipe so I decided to share this one instead. 

Thai chicken in lime and coconut (Donna Hay)

750g chicken mince
6 Thai lime leaves (also known as kaffir lime leaves)
2 tbspn finely grated ginger
2 tbspn finely grated lemongrass
2 tbspn finely chopped coriander leaves (also known as cilantro)
1/2 cup (30g) panko breadcrumbs

Lime and coconut sauce

1 tbspn grapeseed or vegetable oil
1/3 cup  (100g) store-bought Thai red curry past
400ml coconut milk
1/2 cup (125ml) good quality chicken stock
1 tbspn fish sauce
1 1/2 tbspn lime juice
1 tbspn caster (superfine) sugar
2 Thai lime leaves, finely shredded, extra

To serve

Extra coriander (cilantro) sprigs, shiso leaves (optional) and lime wedges

Place the chicken, lime leaves, ginger, lemongrass, coriander and panko in a large bowl and mix to combine. Roll the mixture into 16 balls and place on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or until firm.

To make the lime and coconut sauce, heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and curry paste and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant.

Add the coconut milk, stock, fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and extra lime leaves and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and reduced. 

Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes, turning halfway, or until cooked through.

Serve with the extra coriander, shiso leaves (if using) and a squeeze of lime. 

**I have asked my husband to rejig the storage in one of the spare bedrooms so that I can reorganise to see if I have any of things I could use for smart styling. The challenge then will be to fill it up, right?

Weekly meals

Saturday - Scrambled eggs on toast
Sunday - Mexican Chicken and Rice
Monday - Pork Schnitzel, mash, mushroom sauce and broccoli
Tuesday - Nasi Goreng
Wednesday - Chicken green curry pie
Thursday - Chicken, mushroom and broccoli pasta bake
Friday - Takeaway

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page

Blog Tour: The Wartime Affair by Victoria Cornwall

 

Elsa Kalbach is a young woman who has grown up in the 1930s in Germany. She remembers what life was like in the barren years that followed the end of WWI. As a teacher, she follows the rules, even the ones that related to allegiance to the Fuhrer. However, slowly, she begins to realise that maybe it is wrong to just follow him blindly and this is reinforced when she witnesses the events of Kristallnicht in her home town of Gollnow in the Pomerania region.

Sam is a British soldier who is injured during the Dunkirk evacuation, and he is captured and becomes a POW. 

Fast forward several years, and the war appears to be coming to an end. For Elsa, her home is right in the path of the Russian invasion into Germany and everyone is terrified about what they will do as they pass through, especially to women. Her family decides to leave, but her elderly grandfather doesn't want to go. Elsa stays behind until the last possible moment to leave but unfortunately he doesn't last long, and she is left to travel along with a young girl named Klara in her care. 

At the same time Sam is being marched across the country from one camp to another. He feels guilty for having been a POW for so long and for having survived when so many of his fellow prisoners have not, including some of his friends.

Fate brings Sam and Elsa together. Initially they do not trust each other at all. After all, they are on opposite sides of the war and they see the actions of both sides very differently. However, it makes sense for them to travel together and so they begin to walk. Sam is hoping that he is walking towards home, and Elsa is walking towards the city of Bremen, where she hopes to be reunited with her mother and sister. 

Of course, after that initial distrust, their feelings for each other begins to change and to grow. But what hope can there be for a German woman and a British man in this world torn apart by war. Elsa, Sam and Klara have to endure a lot during their journey, most of which is on foot. But reaching their destinations may not be the end of their trials. 

There are a couple of big jumps in time in this story, which was a bit disconcerting. While I did like the book overall, I did find the story and dialogue a bit stilted at times. I guess the real gauge is was I emotionally moved, and the answer is yes, particularly as we moved forward into the 1950s. 

When I read the author note it mentions that one of the questions Victoria Cornwall was trying to answer was how did the ordinary people of Germany remain bystanders as a dictator came to power, and his control continued to grow until he become one of the biggest villains in history. And it is a question that is relevant even today. How do leaders get people to follow them blindly? For me, one of the most powerful moments in the book is when Elsa is farewelling a woman who says "Heil Hitler" and Elsa realises that she can't do that anymore. 

It is always nice to discover a new author, and I have already bought one of her other books! I would classify this book as a solid read. It is worth checking out, if only for the relatively unusual situation of a German female main character. 

I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Blog and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here.  Thanks to the publisher and Zooloo's Book Tours for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.

Rating 4/5

About the Book

A love that dares to hope when everything seems lost.

Germany, 1945. Elsa Kalbach was once the perfect daughter — loyal, obedient and proud to serve her country. But years of lies and fear have opened her eyes to the terrible cost of blind obedience.

As the Russian Army advances, Elsa flees her ruined hometown with an abandoned Jewish child in her care — and no one left to trust.

When she discovers a wounded British soldier hiding in a barn, she knows she should turn him in. His uniform makes him her enemy.

Instead, Sam becomes the only one she can trust as they seek safety away from the frontlines.

As Elsa and Sam travel across a land torn apart by war, a fragile bond begins to grow — one that defies everything Elsa was taught to believe.

And when the guns finally begin to fall silent, Elsa and Sam must decide whether their love can survive the wreckage of all they’ve lost.

This sweeping story of hope, humanity and the forbidden love that defied a world at war is perfect for fans of Soraya M. Lane, Kate Quinn, Rachel Hore and Kristin Hannah.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/245501352-the-wartime-affair

Purchase Link: https://mybook.to/wartimeaffair-zbt

About the Author:

Following a career in nursing, a change in profession finally provided Victoria Cornwall the time to write. Her books have subsequently reached the finals of the NEW TALENT AWARD at the Festival of Romantic Fiction, the RNA's JOAN HESSAYON AWARD, the 2021 RNA's Goldsboro Books HISTORICAL ROMANTIC NOVEL AWARD and have twice been nominated for the RONE Best Indie or Small Published Book Award by InD'tale magazine.

Victoria grew up on a farm in Cornwall and can trace her Cornish roots as far back as the 18th century. It is this background and heritage which is the inspiration for her Cornish based novels. She is married, has two grown up children and likes to read and write historical romance with a strong background story, but at its heart is the unmistakable emotion, even pain, of loving someone

Social Media Links

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/victoria_cornwallx/

Threads - https://www.threads.com/@victoria_cornwallx

Website - https://www.victoriacornwall.com/

Blog Tour: The Silent Resistance by Anna Normann

 

There's no doubt that there are a lot of dual point of view WWII novels out there and some of those books are average, so it brings a lot of satisfaction when you find one that stands out from the crown. The Silent Resistance by Anna Normann is one of those books. It's such a great read!

Anni Odland is doing the best that she can to keep what remains of her family together in German occuupied Norway during WWII. Her husband, Lars, is a merchant sailor. He left Norway years before, not knowing that he would not be returning home, leaving Anni to raise their young daughter Ingrid. Along with her mother in law, Guri, she also is doing what she can to resist the Germans.

One day, there is a knock at the door. Ingrid hides in her hiding spot, knowing if there is danger she needs to hide until she can run to her grandmother. However, it is not imminent danger. It is a German civilian who has come to inform Anna that her house has been requisitioned and he is going to be boarding in her house for the foreseeable future. This is going to make it difficult for her resistance activities to continue.

Whilst war brings out the best in people but it also brings out the worst. It doesn't take long for people to begin to gossip about the fact that Anni is a single woman with a German living in her house. 

I mentioned that this is a dual point of view, as opposed to a dual timeline. The reason I make this distinction is that Ingrid's story starts from when she is a young girl being bullied by her schoolmates and wondering when her family is going to be reunited. We then follow Ingrid across the decades as she move to England and then tries to find out exactly what happened to her mother in the days immediately following the end of the war, facing silence and obstacles at every turn.  I was very moved at several points in this book, particularly towards the end.

I do have a little familiarity with the WWII history of Norway through a couple of books, plus the movie Number 24 and some documentaries but I wouldn't call it comprehensive! In this book, there were some particular aspects that I hadn't heard of before. I found myself wondering how the government in exile expected women like Anni to manage when they made the laws. 

Anna Normann is a pseudonym for two authors who write together, Natalie Normann and Anan Singh. They have been writing together in Norwegian for years, but this is their first book writing in English. I was very impressed. There were a couple of idioms that had me wondering but other than those minor moments this was a fantastic read. I would definitely be interested in reading more from these authors, either together or individually. 

If you are looking for a really compelling read with a rare setting, an interesting story, fascinating history and an emotional payoff then give this book a go! I loved it and this is a 5 star read for me! 

I am sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here.  Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.

Rating 5/5

About the book

The Silent Resistance

Occupied Norway, 1944. Anni endures the war alone, aiding the resistance while longing for news of her sailor husband. Her daughter, Ingrid, is her joy, and Anni is determined to keep her safe. But when a German official is billeted at their home, danger escalates, and Anni faces an agonising dilemma.

London, 1952. Ingrid has been trying to understand her mother’s mysterious disappearance at the war’s end. Clinging to Anni’s promise that she would always come back for her, Ingrid sets out to discover what happened all those years ago.

Purchase Link - http://tinyurl.com/2n6sr5b6

About the Author 

Anna Normann is the pseudonym of authors Anan Singh and Natalie Normann, and it all happened because of a bet. Sometime in the nineteen eighties, while watching a movie with a so-so plot, they started arguing about improving the plot and how they could write a better story than that mess. And then Anan’s wife said ‘I bet you can’t’ …

Since then, they have published seven books together in Norwegian, exploring different genres. Their first novel, set in WW2, won a competition in 1995 for ‘Norway’s best entertainment novel’.

Social Media Links – https://linktr.ee/NatalieNormann

Top Ten Tuesday: Armchair Travelling

 Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Books for Armchair Travelers (Submitted by Laurie C @ Bay State Reader’s Advisory). I love armchair travel and books where people make a new start. I can and have done posts about specific destinations like Paris and Greece. My take on the theme this week is choosing books where the travelling is an integral part of the story, and I am using all different forms of transport!

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells - I have gone big with my first form of transport - space travel!  And the transporter is actually a key character in the book. 

Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson - I have read a number of books where travel on the Ghan is featured. The Ghan is a train that runs through central Australia from Darwin to Adelaide and vice versa. (my review)

Last Stop on the Winter Wonderland Express by Rebecca Raisin - This is another train book. This time the train goes through Europe ending up in Lapland

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles - This book probably have a bit of a different feel to most on this list, but at it's heart this is a road trip as a young man travels from Nebraska to New York.

The Road Trip by Beth O'Leary - This is the story of an uncomfortable road trip to Scotland when two sisters give on their exes and his mate a ride to a wedding. 

A Wedding in the Sun by Leonie Mack - Speaking of road trip to weddings, this book features the ex wife and the ex husband of the happy couple who are thrown together at the last minute and have to make it to the wedding in Spain in time! (my review)

The Croatian Island Library by Eva Glyn - Our characters spend the summer sailing between Croatian islands providing a library service. (my review)

The Arctic Cruise by Caroline James - I have read a couple of books set on cruise ships by this author. This was my latest and saw the characters chasing the Northern Lights. (my review)

Golden Girls on the Run by Judy Leigh - When two older women borrow one of their grandson's red Ferrari, they travel from Ireland to the south of England. (my review)

Where the Birds Call Her Name by Claire van Ryn - The modern part of this dual timeline features a mother and daughter travelling from far north Western Australia to Tasmania (my review)

This week...

I'm reading

Another week where I just didn't find a lot of time to read! I did finish The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters which I loved, and then I started Sophie Green's book Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon but I am probably about a quarter of the way in...maybe. I am not sure when I will be able to get back to this book now.

The problem I have is that I have multiple blog tour books this week and I have only read one which is The Silent Resistance by Anna Normann which was really good! I am going to be feeling the pressure all this week!

I was supposed to go to three bookish events over the last week but in the end I only went to one, but it was a really good one. I went to an author talk at our Shrine of Remembrance for a non-fiction book called Survival in Singapore by Tom Trumble. It is a non fiction book about some events in WWII Singapore. After the talk we attended the Last Post ceremony which focussed on the fall of Singapore which was 84 years ago yesterday.

We were also a bit nerdy. We caught the train through the new Metro Tunnel and got out at all the new train stations for a look around on the way! It was a fun day!

I'm watching


We've pretty much only been watching the Olympics ranging from curling to ice dance to moguls and the other events that the Aussies have won medals in!

We did catch most of the 2025 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo when it was showing on free to air TV last week. It bought back such great memories of when we were there live 18 months ago. There is a military tattoo happening in Brisbane this weekend and we gave tickets to my step daughter and her partner. I am a bit jealous that they are going although the weather isn't going to be that great. 



Life

My husband isn't one for the big gestures but we have always done something for Valentine's Day. This weekend we went to lunch at a winery which is about 15 minutes away from home. We have been meaning to try this winery ever since we moved into the area. It won't take us another 3.5 years to go there for a meal again!

Posts from the last week

Top Ten Tuesday: Library Love!

Us Against You by Fredrik Backmann

Weekend Cooking: The Golden Spurtle

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: January Statistics

I've linked this post to It's Monday, what are you reading? as hosted by Book Date, Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and the Good Book and a Cup of Tea link up hosted at Boondock Ramblings

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge: January statistics

 Every month I share some of the statistics related to the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge. I try very hard to visit every post which has been linked (time permitting) and I find it interesting to see what are the books that people are reading and reviewing! I often end up adding a couple of books to my never ending TBR list.

In terms of the books read in January, there were 49 reviews linked up for the challenge, shared by 17 participants. There were 47 individual titles reviewed, written by 44 different authors. There were 5 reviewers who reviewed more than 4 books each. There were also a couple of people who contributed their first reviews for the challenge! Welcome to you all. Thank you to everyone who shared their links whether it be 6 or just 1.

So which books were reviewed more than once in January?

Cape Fever by Nadia Davids was reviewed by both Tracey from Carpe Librum and Bree from All the Books I Can Read. Nadia Davids is a South African author so it is interesting that both of these are Australian. I think the book was released here in Australia in late December which probably explains it!

It is probably not really a coincidence that Bree from All the Books I Can Read and I both reviewed Flashlight by Susan Choi. We bought it on the same day, although we didn't buy it together.  It was kind of a buddy read although I finished it much later than she did. You can read her review here and mine can be found here.

In terms of other authors who were reviewed more than once in January, we had quite a few classic authors featured this month. 

Agatha Christie is reviewed quite regularly for the challenge. This month Laura from Laura's Reviews read both A Caribbean Mystery and Cat Among the Pigeons. 

Deb from Readerbuzz (reviewing on Goodreads) shared two reviews of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder - Little House on the Prairie and On the Banks of Plum Creek. 

Interestingly Rosemary Sutcliff was reviewed twice this month. Hers is not a name we see very often despite having written some pretty famous historical fiction books. This month Helen from She Reviews Novels reviewed The Silver Branch and Deb reviewed Warrior Scarlet over at Goodreads. 

What else did I find interesting? Jinjer shared both a German and a Japanese book. In terms of setting we had a book set in New Amsterdam (which eventually became New York) plus a book set in Switzerland. I was pleased to see Jean Plaidy get a mention. I also read a Jean Plaidy book in January but haven't written the review yet.

You can find the list of all the books shared in January here

I am sharing this with Sunday Salon hosted at Readerbuzz and A Good Book and a Cup of Tea hosted at Hopewell's Library.

Weekend Cooking: The Golden Spurtle

 

When we visited Scotland a couple of years ago, we visited the border town of Jedburgh on our way to Hadrian's Wall. We wandered through the town and made our way to visit Mary Queen of Scots House which was very interesting. Of course, whenever you visit tourist attractions you have to exit via the gift shop and while we were there we bought a spurtle. The woman in the shop insisted that our porridge will taste even better than it normally does. To be honest, we have had many bowls of porridge since then but I don't think we have ever used the spurtle. What is a spurtle? Apart from being a fun word to say, it is a wooden implement that is used to stir porridge. I was intrigued when I saw that there was a movie coming out called The Golden Spurtle and so I dragged my husband to see it with me. He only came under sufferance but we both enjoyed it!

When you travel, you often come across small towns that are making big claims like home of raspberry jam, or best tomatoes in the world. Back in the 1990s the small town of Carrbridge in the Scottish Highlands was looking for something to differentiate itself. They wanted something very Scottish and so the World Porridge Championships were born.

Sometimes people get obsessed with something unusual and this movie is testament to this. I would never have expected people to get obsessed with porridge. Now when I think of porridge, I think of winter mornings, creamy oats, made with milk and topped with little blobs of butter and sugar. But for the people who take porridge very seriously, they would probably be horrified at that description. For the purists, porridge consists of just three ingredients - oats, salt and water.  

This documentary focusses equally on both the organisers of the competition but also the competitors. Among the competitors we meet an Australian chef, Toby Wilson. We follow him from Sydney as he practices his technique through to the community hall in picturesque Carrbridge where the competition is held. We also meet returning champions, the ultra competitive health food shop owner, other international competitors and the man who is returning to the competition after a 15 year break. We hear about their dedication to finding the perfect oats to cook, and the techniques they practice at length to get the texture and taste just right. There are rivalries and friendships, secrets, obsessions, controversies and ceremonies. 

As interesting as the competitors and the competition are, if you had to pick just one of the stories, it is probably that of the chieftain Charlie Miller. He has been leading the organisation of the event for 30 years but this is his last time as he is retiring due to ill-health. He is ably backed by the rest of the organising committee who grapple with the logistics of an event that seems to have almost outgrown the venue. Other members of the committee include the woman who is charged with washing all the pots (not my favourite thing to do after cooking porridge) to the person organising all the flags of the competitor's nations, sound and video links, dealing with the Scottish weather and so much more. 

It's probably a bit of cliché, but the word charming absolutely applies. This documentary is funny, heart warming and offbeat, and definitely worth checking out. Just finishing this post makes me wish I could watch the movie again! It comes to streaming here next week so maybe I could make that happen!

Oh, and our spurtle is only made of wood, not gold! What I did learn from this movie is that we need to make sure that we stir our porridge in the right direction. Apparently, if you stir in an anti-clockwise direction. you let the devil in!

Here's the trailer

Weekly meals

Saturday - Roast pork, crispy potato galette, cauliflower cheese
Sunday -  Honey Chicken and Rice
Monday -  Beef and Broccoli Noodles
Tuesday - Thai Chicken Meatballs with rice (new)
Wednesday - Japanese Pork Curry
Thursday - Takeaway
Friday - Takeaway

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page