Gnocchi with red wine, lentil and olive sauce

It's getting longer and longer between posts! I've been absolutely swamped with work at the moment and am starting to realise this weekly-post business is somewhat unrealistic! But we've still managed to squeeze in a bit of time with friends.

On Friday night Elliot's best mate Sam came over with his new and wonderful girlfriend Emmy. There are many wonderful things about her, but high among them is that she loves board games (I'm not sure if things would have progressed otherwise!). So after a delicious dinner of Mexican black bean and pumpkin pizza with lime, coriander and yoghurt, we opened up the Taboo! box and got started. The highlight was definitely Elliot's protracted attempt at describing the underground cave-like places in Zelda: The Ocarina of Time that sometimes had secrets or monsters hidden in them. It wasn't until he expanded his description to 'BDSM!' that I immediately got the answer: dungeon. Maybe it's because I never got past the goddamn Water Temple.

After a full eight-hour day of work for us both, on Saturday night Elliot and I went to Siriphen Thai in Bay St, Brighton to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. Things got off to a rocky start when Uber prices began their Saturday-night skyrocket after I had suggested walking, but the score was evened when I left our $8 bottle of champagne in the cab. Still, after a quick trip to Liquorland and a chance to remember Dad's words from his speech at our wedding – 'Be kind to each other, and be kind to yourselves' – we got back on track and had an outstanding meal. Probably the best Thai I've had outside of Thailand. With full bellies, lying in bed listening to Pink Floyd was the perfect way to round out the night.

Finally, on Sunday night we went over to Anna and Sean's. They'd been away for a week or so in New Zealand visiting family and were excited to show us the video Sean had made of their stay with a new $3000 camera chosen especially for that purpose. Sean was bashful as ever but it really was a stunning first attempt with a perfectly chosen soundtrack, and I can't wait to see how good he's going to get. He'll get plenty of opportunity – Anna has already locked him in for three weddings! I love seeing my friends do so well and get the chance to express themselves in creative and fulfilling ways.

For dinner I brought over the ingredients for my newest concoction. I've fallen head over heels for this meal. The rich flavours of red wine, kalamata olives and tomatoes meld beautifully into a zesty, hearty sauce. And with a bottle of red wine open and only two ingredients requiring any kind of prep, it's a highly relaxed cooking experience! Using the little 'Chop 'n' Prep Chef' in the photo below gets the job done in a flash – it's great for herbs, onions, olives, sundried tomatoes or anything else small enough to fit. It was a gift from my best friend Rosie many years ago and I use it all the time.

I put together this recipe only a few weeks ago and it's already on high rotation whenever we can't be bothered going to the supermarket. Literally every ingredient is something we keep on hand at all times. If you've got a few of this year's tomato crop that are starting to look a bit worse for wear, this is the answer. And it's an easy vegan option, too, if you leave the parmesan out.