I remember going to the Dural butcher years ago when staying at Mum and Dad’s for the weekend. Determined to crumb some lamb cutlets for tea, I recall counting out in my head how many I’d need to feed everyone. “I’ll get 20 lamb cutlets thanks”, I said convincingly as I happily watched the beautiful […]
Category: friends for dinner
homemade potato gnocchi with burnt butter + sage
We didn’t grow up eating potato gnocchi. My sister Casey can attest to that. During high school she was in a public speaking competition. Dad reckons she “had it in the bag” after absolutely killing her prepared monologue and of course without bias thought she was a shoe in for a place. The contestants were […]
homemade focaccia
Homemade focaccia. Sounds like an effort. Can I let you in on a secret, it’s actually not. This is simple and easy cooking, one for the novice cook. And after making it a couple of times you’ll be able to do it in your sleep. I know for the ‘focaccia first timers’ you might read […]
baked ricotta
I have the memory of an elephant. Oh hang on. No I don’t. Do they have good memories or bad? I forget. I have the memory of whatever animal is really bad at remembering things. Take this recipe for example. I have been racking my brain to try and remember which friend of mine introduced […]
prawn + asparagus spaghetti
It was my birthday yesterday. I had the most magical day, being absolutely spoilt rotten by Cork Daddy and the girls. The day started with a delicious hot breakfast of perfectly poached eggs, sautéed mushrooms and spinach, topped off with what I call ‘bacon sprinkle’ and hot buttered toast, all made by my incredibly capable […]
incredibly tender osso bucco
It’s a myth that osso bucco is difficult to cook; I don’t know why, but there seems to be someone going round telling people that it’s hard to make. Same goes with polenta. How many of you haven’t even tried it because you think it’s too fiddly or chef-y? Well I’m here to tell you […]
tarte tatin
I was pulling this out of the oven tonight when Timbo got the phone call from his mum; his grandma Lyn had sadly passed away. Lyn, more commonly known as ‘Nin’ to her 6 grandkids, 10 great grandkids (and counting), was an absolute larger than life character. Always with a huge smile on her face, […]
lamb + vegetable tray bake
It’s getting colder and if you’re anything like me – you’re looking for something ‘winter-ey’ to cook. Something new and a bit different, that’ll have you feeling satisfied and all warm inside. Something to make when you have friends or family popping over for dinner. So many comfort food recipes end up in the ‘slow […]
broccoli soup | simple + delicious
My favourite soup in the whole wide world is Mum’s pea and lettuce soup (or green soup as Charlotte calls it). This broccoli soup is nearly as good. So easy to make, simply whack it all in a pot and let it cook until the veggies are nice and soft before giving it a whizz […]
cork daddy’s chorizo pasta
Cork Daddy’s been making this chorizo pasta forever; since his flatting days in Randwick and he’ll freely admit that it was the only dish he knew how to cook back then. My sister and brother in law, Lou and Matt (who are both really good cooks) make this pasta all the time too, having made […]
armah’s caramel cake
In some ways I feel a little funny writing about ‘Armah’s Caramel Cake’ as I never met her myself; I never met Armah. I never met the lady who was famous for her caramel cake. So famous in fact, my friend Em (one of Armah’s many beloved grandchildren) tells me that her recipe was shared […]
a crusty loaf of bread | seriously easy to make
I went through a stage of making my own sourdough a couple of years ago; almost at around the same time I started writing the blog. I was inspired by my sister Elles, who gave me the Gail’s cookbook for Chrissie one year – sent all the way from London. And talk about satisfying! I […]
easy apple + berry crumble
In times like these… drink coffee. I’ve been drinking lots of coffee. I’ve been feeling helpless;I’ve been laughing at memes;I’ve been picking flowers from the garden;I’ve been browsing through my cookbooks, my endless number of cookbooks;I’ve been doing anything to try and take my mind off what’s happening in the world right now. I’ve been […]
chicken + artichoke casserole
Soph came to visit on the weekend. Best friends for over twenty years, we never learn; it’s always the same thing. Friday night, we get so excited to see each other that one bottle of wine quickly turns in to two and then three and then… well you can see where this is going. And […]
oven baked chicken thighs | easy + delicious
All credit goes to Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats for this recipe. If you don’t follow this blog already, do yourself a favour and do so now! It’s the only food blog you’ll ever need (!) and my personal favourite. Full of delicious, no fuss recipes and packed with fabulous videos – needless to say it’s well […]
easy + delicious caramel pudding | a tambea kitchen recipe
When I started the blog over a year ago, the ladies over at Tambea Kitchen in Wagga sent me this recipe for their great aunt Lorna’s caramel pudding. And boy oh boy is this my kind of cooking. Talk about easy! Its old school, home cooking at its best – just the way a family […]
seafood paella | as featured in the summer 2018 edition of graziher magazine
Lo Corcoran talks all things Christmas ham, New Year’s resolutions, seafood paella and the beloved game of cricket. How good is Christmas ham. Cork Daddy’s favourite food, I have to admit I’m a bit fussy when it comes to the carving. I love it really finely shaved – please no ham steaks for me! Frequenting many a […]
chocolate brownies
I saw something on Facebook the other day that said “Find out what Donna Hay’s favourite kitchen utensil for under $20 is!” Of course I couldn’t help but click on it and for some unknown reason, the page didn’t load. Bugger. Anyway, I then got distracted doing something else and annoyingly, I still don’t know […]
lo’s coffee cake
Let’s talk mix masters. Do you have one? I was lucky enough to be given a Kitchen Aid as a wedding present (sorry, correction ~ “we” were lucky enough to be given a Kitchen Aid as a wedding present) by my grandma, Mim. It stands in pride of place in our kitchen, is constantly covered […]
spinach + ricotta cannelloni
So often the hardest thing about midweek cooking (or any type of cooking) is trying to figure out what to cook don’t you think? I’m always looking for inspo in the kitchen and I haven’t made cannelloni in ages! When browsing the aisles of Woolies this arvo, I came across a shelf with half price […]