Loving Lucy: A Prickle Farm Romance
Page 12
‘No, I’m busy.’
Jemmy rolled her eyes and headed outside to the veggie patch where the lemon tree shaded Gran’s tomatoes from the last of the summer heat.
Gran watched her as she ran across the yard and turned to Lucy with a smile. ‘Where did the fashion model go?’
Lucy grinned. ‘I can’t believe she’d taken up her teaching course again. She’s only got a year to go and she’ll graduate. She didn’t need to, you know. She’s selling her unit on the harbour.’
‘She’ll make a beautiful bridesmaid tomorrow.’
Lucy laughed and grimaced down at her huge stomach. ‘At least she’ll take the attention off the waddling bride.’
‘The beautiful bride,’ Gran said. ‘I’m so pleased you decided to have the wedding out here at Prickle Farm.’
‘And I’m so pleased I’ve got the best caterer in the west doing the catering.’
‘Even with your grandfather wanting Lattice Slice for the dessert?’ Gran laughed as she put the finishing swirl on the top of a huge tray of the creamy slice.
Lucy pushed herself to her feet and walked to the window. Pop was on the verandah issuing directions to Seb, Liam and Garth who were up three ladders pinning fairy lights along the verandah. She caught Garth’s eye and he blew her a kiss and gestured for her to sit down but she walked across to Gran as Jemmy walked in with an armful of lemons.
Lucy pulled her grandmother for a hug and held Jemmy’s gaze as she spoke softly.
‘Listen, Gran. Close your eyes and listen. I can hear Mum, and Aunty Jean and Aunty Carol laughing with us.’
Jemmy’s eyes filled with tears as she smiled at Lucy and walked over to join in the hug.
‘You’re right, love,’ said Gran. ‘I can.’
Coming Soon
Leaving Liam… February 2016
To be followed By Jemima and Seb’s stories soon after. . .
Gran’s Prickle Farm Recipes
A chocolate cake just like Gran used to make...
From the CWA Cakes Cookbook.
Ingredients
2 cups self raising flour
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Method
Sift flour and cocoa into a bowl
Add the sugar, milk and eggs and beat well
Add the melted butter and beat for another two minutes
Pour into a tin (recipe does not specify, use your common sense!) and bake in an oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour
Icing
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
from Donna Hay Magazine
Ingredients
100g butter
500g cream cheese
2 cups (320g icing sugar)
1/2 cup (50g) cocoa
Method
Beat butter and cream cheese until pale and creamy
Add the icing sugar and cocoa and beat for 6-8 minutes until light and fluffy
Ice your damn cake!
Pop’s Favourite Lattice Slice
3 teaspoons gelatine
1/3 cup water
1 cup caster sugar
400g cream cheese, at room temperature
100g butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 lemons, zested
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 packets Arnott's Lattice biscuits
Dissolve gelatine in lukewarm water. Allow to stand.
Beat together sugar and cream cheese. Add softened butter until combined. Mix through lemon juice, rind and vanilla essence. Once combined add gelatine mixture, and beat well.
In a baking dish or cake tin, place 1 packet of biscuits to cover the bottom layer completely. Use only whole biscuits. Pour the filling over the biscuit layer. Then using the other packet of biscuits place them directly over the top of the biscuits from the bottom layer (this will enable easy cutting). Cover and refrigerate until set.
Cut into squares, as per the biscuit layout.
Gran’s Minted Pea Salad
200g shelled fresh peas
200g sugar snap peas, topped
200g small snow peas, topped
100g pea shoots (see note)
2 cups mint leaves
200g low fat feta cheese
1 garlic clove, crushed with salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried mint
Method
For the dressing, combine the crushed garlic, lemon juice and honey. Slowly whisk in the extra virgin olive oil. Stir in the mint and season with black pepper.
In a large pan of boiling salted water, cook fresh peas for 5-6 minutes (3 minutes if frozen), adding the sugar snap and snow peas for the final 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Cool completely.
Place the vegetables in a large bowl with the pea shoots, feta, mint and dressing and toss gently to combine.
About the Author
Melody grew up in the middle of London and met her true love on a farm in Denmark when she was on a study tour. She followed him back to Australia and now lives in the middle of the Pilliga Scrub on a wheat and cattle property, a long, long way from London.
You can read more about Melody and her yummy recipes at http://www.melodyedmonds.com/
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