Recipes from my Old Notebook

After a wonderful summer holiday I am ready to start working on my CakeFare website more consistently. I will be hoping to add some more delicious recipes from my tattered exercise book I
started way back in 1971 when I was travelling. Some of the first recipes were from flatmates in London. Roman Chicken is the very first recipe, created by my flatmate Leonie. We are still in contact, although she lives in Australia.

Then there are several recipes from my few months in Philadelphia, where I looked after a small boy. His grandmother, of Italian descent,  was an amazing cook and spent each Sunday cooking. Homemade Italian bread, homemade pasta and her lasagne which I have in my recipe book, is still the best I have ever tasted!

Next came some recipes devised with what we could find on a camping trip overland through Africa. We had to make do with what was in the "coffin" as we called the big locker at the front of the truck, and what we could buy in local markets.... which sometimes was not a lot. We had to cook creatively...and I recorded  I enjoyed.

One I didn't record was a stew I cooked. I had never seen real chillies and thought the lovely shiny red things were capsicums. As everyone dug in with great anticipation....we only had meat every few days, there was much gasping and fanning of mouths. Eyes watered and much water was drunk. That stew lasted several meals. I don't recall if it was all eaten.....but it was not the most popular meal on that trip!

Many cake and biscuit recipes were made regularly when my children were young, and we often had visitors. I recently recalled one I hadn't made for many years but used to be a good standby. It has proved as popular now as it was then.I have made it several times in the last few weeks. It is a caramel square rather than a cake. But I will share the recipe with you soon.

The Chocolate Custard Cake was a recipe my now ex sister-in-law gave me. I always think of her when I make it. I love looking at my old Recipe Book and remembering who gave me the recipe, and where I first tasted it. Do you have a book of memories like that?