I can still remember the first time I tasted spaghetti vongole*; Cork Daddy and I were on holidays in the Amalfi Coast. Sitting in a little trattoria, not a care in the world and making our way through a carafe of wine, I think we were on to our second (or third) bread basket whilst […]
Christmas decorations are in the shops – already! They seem to be creeping in earlier and earlier each year. At the beach for the school holidays, Mum and I’ve been discussing how exciting it is to have Elles Belles and Jez home for Chrissie. Which got me thinking about our Thomas family Christmas. Mum’ll have presents […]
I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a cookbook. A compilation of my favourite recipes from the blog. I’m pretty confident I’d be able to get rid of a couple of copies. Mum would probably buy one (or ten), Cork Daddy could palm off a few to his workmates maybe and if my grandma […]
The Betoota Advocate recently posted an article with the headline “Monday Breakfast of Acai Berries Makes Up For 97 Schooners Consumed Over Weekend”. If you’re unfamiliar with The Betoota, do yourself a favour and check out their website. A hilarious satirical newspaper, they never fail to get a laugh out of me. The thing about […]
Lizard asked me ages ago to write about the perfect cheese board which got me thinking. What does make a good cheese board? I’m not talking about a board that consists only of cheese that one enjoys at the end of a meal in a flash restaurant. I’m talking about what we call the “cheese […]
Cork Daddy and I used to go to Bar Italia in Leichhardt every Friday night during rugby season. Back in the day when we were footloose and fancy free. When our only worry in the world was being invited to two 21st’s on the same Saturday night. Being creatures of habit, without fail we’d order […]
My birthday’s two days before Cork Daddy’s. Born in the same year, it makes me the older woman, even if it is only by a couple of days. It’s become a bit of a tradition that he buys me a new cookbook as a birthday present (one can never have too many cookbooks in my […]
To say that Cork Daddy and I had a big night last night would be an understatement. In Sydney for one night only for a work function, we had a great time, making full use of the open bar (thanks Delta). And let me just say, we don’t bounce back as well as we used […]
I don’t have a massive sweet tooth but gee do I enjoy one of these cookies with a hot cuppa every now and then. They’re so easy to make but please do me a favour. Please don’t burn them. Don’t leave the kitchen to go and put a load of washing on or to peg […]
My friend Jules sent a text last week. She wanted to let me know that her husband George was off to Albury for a couple of days on a work trip. “Do you know what that means?” she types. Um? Is this a trick question? In my head I’m thinking ??? lucky Jules gets to […]
Mince. Every home cooks best friend. Easy, affordable, oh so versatile and talk about tasty. A flavour carrier that is perfect for making quick and easy midweek meals, it’s always a staple in my trolley. Beef, pork, chicken or sausage mince. There’s a recipe below for every occasion and to suit everyones taste buds and […]
Does anyone else have a thing for rearranging furniture? I’ve been known to rearrange the entire contents of our living room from time to time, a task that involves dragging round the couches (oh the mess I find underneath) which generally results in a stubbed toe courtesy of our coffee table – ouch! The real […]
This recipe for San choy bow marks the 14th mince recipe on the blog. And I have to admit, I think this is the pick of them. The ultimate midweek meal, this is one that the whole family will enjoy. It’s so quick and easy to whip up, it’s packed with hidden vege and you can […]
I remember eating Maggi two minute noodles loads as kids. My brother Pete was the two minute noodle king. It also used to be a ‘thing’ to eat them raw. Something about the crunch really did it for me. If you had a packet of Maggi noodles in your lunchbox at St Mad’s you could […]
I love it when you’re on a plane and the hostie hands you one of those little packets of Jatz and cheese. Score! It’s so important to get the snack food right. It not only passes the time but is the key to an enjoyable flight. Same goes with a road trip. You simply can’t […]
I’m such a dag. Do you want to know what I did last night after everyone left our place for Ali’s birthday dinner? I wrote Jamie Oliver a private message on Insta. It reminds me of the time years ago when I facebooked Leonardo DiCaprio after he missed out on getting an Oscar for his performance […]
I was 10 when the ‘twinnie bubbies’ were born. I can still remember seeing Dad walk through the school playground at little lunch searching for Pete, Elles and I to take us to meet our new little sisters in hospital. We drove the whole way to the ‘San’ with the windows down, honking the horn […]
The River and Wren markets were on in Wagga over the weekend. Cork Daddy and I took the girls for something to do and were really impressed. So many stalls selling local, homemade goodies; there was something for everyone. From sweet treats and health foods to wall hangings, baby clothes and jewellery, the show ground […]
Whether you’re in to AFL, NRL, union or soccer, you need to know how to make this beef goulash. It’s the ultimate one bowl dish to eat off your lap on one of those nights when friends are over to watch the footy. Tonight was one of those nights. A good friend of ours turned […]
It was going to be apricot chicken for dinner tonight. Until I remembered that my good friend Lizard has a weird thing about fruit being cooked with meat. Another friend Jules also confessed yesterday that she doesn’t like apricot chicken. “You what? How can anyone not like apricot chicken!?” was my reply. We grew up […]
