whats cooking up in Stylish Mama's home...

I have to say, I love to eat.  But what I love to do almost just as much is to cook!  I enjoy learning new recipes or making classic dishes that I have made since I was first married.

This week with having a house guest in our home I did a little bit of both.  But the coolest part about my cooking experience this past week was that I was taught a recipe hands on by my friend who visited.  I do so much better with a recipe if there a video attached to the recipe. (my girl Martha and boy Jamie Oliver usually does this with theirs) However if someone is willing to take the time to show me in person, this is when I feel memories are created with that dish...and it becomes that more special!

My friend Pam has talked about how she has made the dessert Pavlova a few times in the past.  And then one of my other friends had told me how she fell in love with Pavlova at a restaurant in Natick...a little too far for me to travel to just for dessert :)

I will admit, I was intimated at first to try this dessert on my own as I am not a baker.  I can cook a mean meal...but bake? Well I have had my share of failures.  So when we started talking about what we would have for meals...I threw it out there as to why not cook together a meal on Saturday and we could collaborate.  She loved the idea!

And for dessert, we would have Pavlova.  She as well is a Jamie Oliver fan, so we used one of his recipes for a classic Pavlova topped with fresh cream and berries.  WOW!  Not only was it relatively easy to make - it was DELISH!  I am in love.  And I am already planning on making it for my family this upcoming weekend.

Here is the recipe she used...Jamie Oliver - Fruit Pavlova
Pam just added a little lime juice and toasted coconut to that recipe...made it her own in a way.
The only thing is we had to convert some of the measurements to American.  There are plenty of recipes out there, so go ahead and look for some to try.  I have found a few by Martha that I am dying to try.
marthastewart-pavlova-with-passion-fruit

here is how ours turned out:

Lime Coconut Pavlova with Fresh Berries

And it was just as delicious as it looks!

Happy Baking!!

Love, Stylish Mama