Memories in a bowl, with cream

Many years ago, probably 15 or sixteen, my friend Janice and I were at uni. Janice went to the University of New South Wales, doing Arts/Law and I went to Macquarie Uni, or Club Mac as we called it, 'doing' Arts. Janice's parents went for a long visit to South Africa and I moved in with Janice to keep her company. There must have been a day in the week when she didn't have any lectures because I remember getting up early, showering and dressing for uni, having breakfast and just when I was about to go Janice would pad down the stairs in bare feet and tracksuit pants and head into the lounge room. I would look at her and say "All right", as though she had asked me something, "I'll stay home today" and go into the lounge room myself. I don't suggest anybody else spend their uni days like this, remember I did not end up with a degree from Macquarie, just an awful lot of cool haircuts. Thankfully I grew up in the end.

Anyway, back to the early 90s. Janice and I fancied our twenty year old selves overweight (oh that I was that 'overweight' now!) and were always filling out Weight Watchers sheets. In those days you were allowed a certain number of serves of particular types of food like bread, vegetables, protein, fat etc. We used to buy the most delicious almond cake from the supermarket in Westleigh and would call a slice of it one serving of bread. As soon as it was 11.30 we would start preparing lunch so that we could eat it on the dot of 12 - legitimately lunch time. It has always been about the food.

We went on a number of food safaris where we would find exotic or complicated recipes and drive all over the place locating ingredients. Once, I think we were making some type of noodle dish, we bought sesame oil (it was exotic back then!) which spilt in the back of my car. It smelt like cat wee.....for weeks, in the middle of summer. Another disaster was pumpkin pie, not something we eat in Australia. Maybe we had a bad recipe, I don't know, but it was so revolting. I think pumpkin is just meant to be savoury or you need to be American and be used to eating sweet potato with marshmallows on the top!

One thing I remember us making a lot is golden syrup almond dumplings. The recipe called for some rum, but Janice's parents didn't have any, so we used port. I know that we made them a lot because I think we ended up using an awful lot of their port. They are perfect, winter comfort food and today is a perfectly wintry day and I have a cold and a sprained ankle so am in need of comfort. So I've made some. I hope, sort of, that someone helps me eat them.

This photo comes from taste.com.au because I can't take a good photo of mine. My recipe is a bit different, but these ones look good too don't you think? Better than that pumpkin pie we made!