It’s that time of year when I start getting into clean and healthy salads. This pretty salad might look light but is really substantial with a decent amount of protein and is packed with grainy quinoa, fresh, sweet tomatoes, crisp spicy radish, smoky tuna and salty feta. I also added a creamy lemon dressing which topped off an[read more…]
Well it’s just not Christmas without some sort of trifle so this year, I made a lemon flavoured trifle with my favourite berry, raspberries. You don’t have to make this only at Christmas either, it’s an easy yet pretty summertime dessert which you can make ahead and also, anything with layers of different things looks like you went to[read more…]
So here’s a festive little drink using pear flavoured vodka I made last Christmas (eep, a bit late posting); the cherries are gorgeous soaked in the cocktail then eaten, so decadent. And I know it’s not really a martini … devotees of traditional martinis would be scandalised no doubt, however I can’t handle the real deal, a bit lame I know.[read more…]
Jelly beans aren’t usually an addition to baked goods however I bought some Christmas jelly beans (red, green and white obv) and thought they’d look pretty studded into some white chocolate blondies for the season. You could, of course, add whichever candy you prefer if jelly beans aren’t your thing (they’re my lollies of choice usually ) but[read more…]
In support of Nigella, whom I love (and I won’t hear a bad word about her, or read it for that matter), I thought I’d make one of her classics on the weekend. I really enjoyed the combination of chocolate and lime in this! Also, this recipe is pretty basic in that there’s no flour or sour cream[read more…]
Although I love fruit (not a fan of the no sugar/fruit trend currently), I’m not overly keen on fruit with savoury meals although certain fruit works really well; apricots, figs and currants in Moroccan cooking, for example and our lovely Queensland mangoes which go perfectly tossed through salsa. So for a lovely warm weather meal today, I[read more…]
I don’t know who decided soft, white bread with lashings of butter and 100s & 1000s sprinkled over tasted good but there you go, it does. I, like a lot of Aussie kids, grew up with this sweet snack for morning teas and birthday parties. They’re perfect if you have kids or have small friends visiting as[read more…]
One of my favourite things to eat on the weekend is a sandwich or roll made with fresh, seasonal ingredients (and is there anything much better than fresh bread?). So we usually go down to the grocery store and bakery and pick up some nice stuff, come home and put it together. Of course, this often means we[read more…]
My latest flavour pancake uses a classic combo of peanut butter and banana. These are quite high, fluffy pancakes with a lovely peanut butter taste and chunks of banana rather than it being mashed. Oh and if you make too many (can you though? Can you ever make too many pancakes?), they can always be stored[read more…]
In warmer weather I love to make salads for meals and as I’m a bit of a pasta fan, I whipped up a pasta salad the other day with only a few simple, on-hand ingredients and it was really satisfying in that healthy, yet hearty pasta way; I loved the crunch of the raw vegies and walnuts[read more…]
Sarah from Keep Left recently contacted me to ask if I might be interested in supporting Ski Yoghurt for Breast Cancer Awareness month this October. Ski Yoghurt has pledged to donate $350,000 to fund a McGrath Breast Care Nurse and have turned a selection of their 1kg tubs of yoghurt the colour pink for a limited[read more…]
Although I make ye olde basic curries quite regularly (chicken stock, coconut cream, chilli paste), I don’t do fancy Asian cooking very often because although I love it (Thai, Indian, Chinese and Japanese cuisine are among my favourite foods), I can’t do this type of cuisine justice in the same way they’re traditionally cooked by those folks[read more…]
A while back I made scones using cream which worked out really well and yesterday, a breezy, sunny Saturday morning which was marred only slightly by having to vote in our federal election, I thought I’d use some leftover Greek yoghurt to make some scones. Happily it had the same effect as the cream did;[read more…]
It seemed like a chocolate day so I made some chocolate cupcakes for absolutely no reason at all. Is there anything better than biting into a soft, squidgy cupcake and getting icing all over your face? I don’t think so! The batter in this recipe is very thick but it somehow results in a soft crumbed, tender,[read more…]
I felt like something super lemony the other day, you know? So these little cakes are fluffy, soft and citrusy with a buttery streusel topping; they’re perfect with a cup of coffee. I just love lemon desserts with coffee, it seems a perfect match. Of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone so I made lemon butter to go with[read more…]
I love new and different things in cocktails! And because I have a fondness for flavoured vodkas, when I spotted a wild tea flavour recently, I was really intrigued and impulsively purchased it without knowing exactly how I was going to prepare it, other than using lemon in some way. So I made a zesty lemon syrup which[read more…]
I’ve made no secret in the past of my liking for Mexican food so I thought I’d throw some Mexican inspired ingredients on top of a pizza base and it was delicious – easy, yet spicy, crunchy and full of flavours and textures. This rustic pizza has it all; spicy beans, corn, creamy avocado, zesty sour[read more…]
I baked this pretty, tender-crumbed, berry studded, lemon scented bundt cake a few weeks months ago and loved it. Let’s face it, lemon is the new chocolate; chocolate will always be my first love however lemon has become so much a part of my cooking repertoire, it’s hard to imagine life without it. The first time I made[read more…]
I didn’t realise that chocolate oats were a thing until I searched recently and found quite a few recipes. I think it’s inspired! This cacao flavoured, nutty, creamy breakfast dish is also very timely considering Easter’s just about upon us. I love hearty, healthy oats and will always try something a bit different with them. Inspired by this[read more…]
The toasted walnut crunch combined with soft little sweet berries is a delicious, if unusual combination in this loaf cake. It tastes fantastic toasted under the grill and served with butter (but doesn’t everything really?) and it has a lovely soft texture. I toasted the walnuts after tossing them through a little maple syrup for some added crunch and sweetness,[read more…]
Erin from Keep Left very kindly contacted me recently to ask if I might like to participate in Bakers Delight’s current campaign to develop a lunch recipe using my choice of their lovely, freshly made bread. My immediate thought was the ciabatta because I love it, however I also really wanted to make something healthy and fresh, using some late summer produce, so[read more…]
Hee hee. I’ve always wanted to bake a giant cookie. A few years ago, in lieu of a birthday cake for a good friend from uni, I purchased a giant chocolate chip cookie with Happy Birthday iced over the top. I remember sitting on the steps outside a bookstore in the city waiting to meet up with him holding the[read more…]
This rich, creamy, no-bake tart was gorgeous on our very hot Christmas day however you do only need a small slice (I’m really not being judgmental; you’ll think you want a big slice because it’s so sweetly creamy and comfortingly childlike yet darkly chocolate, get halfway through it, feel full yet keep scarfing it down then feel[read more…]
Is it wrong to say my favourite part of Christmas Day, after the hectic usual lunch, was lying down on our old yet much loved lounge in the air con drinking ciders, eating Japanese rice crackers and watching Community with Ant? (if you haven’t seen the Modern Warfare ep, you have to, it’s fall-about-on-the-floor funny). Anyway, I’m ashamed to[read more…]
Earlier this week, I posted the first of 3 reviews for Tassal salmon. Today’s recipe uses Tassal’s lovely, rich, thinly sliced smoked salmon inspired by a breakfast trend I spotted recently, the F.A.T. (aka feta, avocado and tomato), the latest breakfast offering in cafes, which is so cool right now, it’s ridiculous. I kid. It’s a really delicious breakfast and[read more…]
Recently I was contacted by Natalie from Keep Left on behalf of Tassal, who very kindly asked if I would review some of their beautiful Tasmanian salmon products. Naturally I was super pleased to do this, as I love salmon and Tassal is a brand I buy regularly. Atlantic salmon is an extremely healthy variety of fish (all[read more…]
I was thrilled to be contacted by Kat from Keep Left PR to do a review for Bakers Delight, one of my favourite bakeries. Anyone who knows me is aware of my obsession for bakeries, and I usually find it difficult to walk past a Bakers Delight without stopping and staring like a little kid[read more…]
Blackberries are my new favourite berry; I just love their lush darkness and how purply sweet they become after baking. Sprinkled over this soft, fluffy cake with a crunchy streusel topping they were lovely. When I first made this cake, I was all about the full fat sour cream (and it is a sour cream[read more…]
This simple French dish is one of my favourite things to make. I’ve learned not to skimp on the oil and also, that the vegetables need to be cooked down really well on a slowish but longer heat, to encourage intensity of flavour, sweetness and also for a soft, silky texture. And this dish is even better the next day as[read more…]
Greek yoghurt is so much a part of my daily diet, I don’t know what I’d do without it. I tend to buy unsweetened Greek yoghurt rather than the flavoured kind as it’s far healthier and you can add whatever you like to it. It’s also a wonderfully versatile ingredient for cooking and baking. I loved this version[read more…]
