Back to work...almost

I couldn't face going back to work today. Thankfully I realised this on Friday and my wonderfully understanding boss didn't press the point. (If you're reading this, you're the best!) Having had two weeks off work, I'm more tired than when I started! Why? I suspect it has to do with too much holiday spirit, the lurgy, and not enough cooking. On the weekend I took steps to rectify this by mucking about in the kitchen. 

The first thing I made is a sort of 'getting back into the swing of normal living' comfort type dish. I'll share that later this week. After all the richness of holiday feasting, I just felt like something simple and normal and unfussy. Still tasty and good, but without the intricate flavours and heaviness that sometimes creeps into Christmas food. Last week we attempted lots of salads and simple pastas, but still managed a few bbqs with friends and on one occasion my mother cooked one of her favourites. Nobody complained. I think this week we need to return to utter simplicity and since I will have to go back to work at some stage, lunches will be a priority.

But back to the new recipes, the one I'm sharing today is a sort of left-over thing you can do with your Christmas goodies, if you have any left. A friend mentioned something along these lines on Friday night, and I just had to come up with my own recipe on Saturday because it sounded so good. Basically, it's a variation of cookies and cream ice-cream. Instead of cream filled cookies, you use fruit mince pies. 

This may sound weird but it really works. I can't actually eat it, but I have it on the authority of both Tim and my brother Sam that it's good. It's also totally simple to make and literally takes a few minutes.

Fruit mince pie ice-cream

Ingredients:

1.5 lt good quality vanilla ice cream

4 mince pies

1/2 cup fruit mince (see my earlier recipe)

1/2 cup frozen pitted cherries

Plonk the whole lot in a food processor or mixer (I cut up the cherries roughly first and used the mixer) until well combined. Put the mixture into moulds or into a single container and freeze until firm. 

Serve with whatever you like, but I used some more cherries blended with Cointreau into a thin sauce. You could also drizzle white chocolate over the top. 

NB. Tim's not happy with this photo, but you can't have everything.