Cooking with my Thermomix!

So.... my husband is awesome & has bought me the best 30th birthday present ever - AND I got it early, since my birthday isn't until July. We've invested in a Thermomix! What is that, you say? It's a you-beaut cooking machine - and it is all sorts of amazing. It costs a pretty penny, but the idea is that it replaces a whole stack of your other cooking appliances in one machine, and it lasts for a loooooong time.

Since I've had it, I've been experimenting with different recipes and am so happy with how they've turned out. I've made things I would never have normally tried, like my own breads and pastries. It's VERY cool. The first day, I whipped up a garlic & herb pull-apart bread, and some potato & leek soup. Oh, heaven. Over the next couple of days, I also made beef strogonoff, mocha pudding, and veggie soup with some leftover bits & pieces.

They were great! As was the delightful coconut cake I made for morning tea - rough and crunchy and YUM.

I've cooked for a few people {my guinea pigs, haha} since getting the machine, and it's made a great amount - fed six people pretty easily, mostly with leftovers. Since I loved the bread so much, I did it again; this time paired with minestrone soup. Sweet and sour pork meatballs & veggies were our main, followed by sticky date pudding.

It's tough to choose my favourite item cooked, but the lemon meringue pie I made from scratch last night was pretty awesome. The most ridiculously crumbly shortcrust pastry; amazing tart lemon curd; fluffy peaks of meringue.

I'm really enjoying cooking, and the Thermomix is certainly helping me get my mojo back. I've used the Everyday Cookbook that comes with it for a lot of things, but also started dipping my toes into the forums, which are filled with recipes from other owners. Can't wait to see what else it can do!

Have you used a Thermomix before? Any recommendations or favourite recipes that I should try? :)