Thornburywitch

Party pies! And dead horse to eat with franks and pies and mini sausage rolls. Best put on table in bowls so the sauce bottle doesn't get used as a weapon or smashed on the floor. Ask me how I know this (no, don't - it's embarrassing).

Stir fried fillet of greeble please. And a passionfruit milkshake.

I like the idea of a home cooked pub steak but fancier. With the ingredients spiffied up according to budget. Spend money on a good red wine to go with. So, good steaks - fillet or wagyu or whatever for pan cooking. Marinate these overnight in your favorite rub. Bring to room temp before cooking. While steaks are resting after cooking, make Sauce Diane to go with, which is the pan residues dissolved in brandy with some cream, salt & black pepper added to taste. Plus chopped parsley if you can be bothered but this isn't necessary. Very yum and very simple. Mashed spuds - do this ahead of time. Pipe the mash into heaped spirals about the size of the palm of your hand and half that in height on parchment paper, sprinkle with grated parmesan and chill in fridge overnight. Bake in medium oven until outside is crispy and golden (about 30-40 mins) just before serving. These are called Potatoes Duchesse. Quite an old fashioned recipie, but the unbaked spirals can be frozen for later if you end up with a lot more mashed potato than you thought you'd need when you made the mash. Better to have too much than too little. Warning : these are addictive.
Maybe add a halved large tomato to the oven with the potato spirals for a fresh flavour blast that's hot if you don't want to put tomatoes in the salad.
Green salad of your choice. Maybe some butter lettuce leaves, chopped avocado, halved cherry/perino tomatoes, and a simple vinaigrette dressing with some crushed garlic in it.
Dessert - purchased apple pie with ice cream on top. Heat apple pie by popping it into the oven when the potatoes come out until heated through or you finish the first course. Adjust oven temp if required.

Estimated cooking time (not including potato mash prep and steak marination) will take maybe 1 hour, which is quite easily done while conversing with your guest and holding a glass of wine in your hand.

Double check on dietary requirements, then ask us again. Lots of good cooks here, so you'll likely get some good suggestions. Also budget requirements cos cost of living. For example, if you want to spend more than $100 or less than $50 to feed how many people.

Cucumber boats filled with a little of what you fancy?

Blinis are drop scones made with buckwheat - and delicious with smoked fish. And even more delicious with cream cheese & cranberry jam/sauce. Yep the same stuff that goes on turkey. I say go the blinis!
Don't judge the homemade ones by the horrible little puddles of crud that caterers serve up under that name.

Update on the diverse lifestyle magpies in my street, as of last night. Old Mrs magpie has moved 3 streets over and found a new (male) mate known to all as the Admiral (a long term resident), but still enjoys rolled oats from my hand. She hasn't built a nest yet. Young Mrs magpie has taken a young male mate (as yet unnamed by us), and has built a nest just over the road in a street tree. It's too far up to see if there are eggs yet, but we can hope. The young male, who is a complete dill and alternates between doing his duty by feeding young Mrs magpie, and begging food from her. He doesn't take food from humans yet, though young Mrs magpie has started doing so for the first time just a week ago. We think he's still learning how to do husbanding properly, but as he's less than 2 years old that's not surprising. Young Mrs magpie is also about 2 years old. Will keep you all updated on this teenage romance.

Good morning, good morning, its ................... cornflake time!

Booktopia is trading again - link

Dunno how long this will last.

Thanks!

Lamburger with the lot and blue cheese dressing and coffee please.

If there's any sign of redness around the injury site - go see a doctor FAAAST. You might need a tetanus shot or antibiotics to stop infection. A blister is not a good sign.