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: main meals
creamy salmon + broccoli pasta
I can’t think of many recipes I make that don’t call for “browning an onion”. Isn’t ‘the onion’ just the absolute king of flavour? If we run out of onions in our house, we’re in trouble. I panic in the same way I would if we ran out of toilet paper or milk (or chocolate). […]
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 […]
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 […]
pizza pasta
Although food generally fills my constant thoughts, I too, have those days where I’ve zero idea what to cook for dinner. Sometimes, with no motivation, I find deciding what to cook can actually be harder than the cooking itself don’t you think? Especially on busy weeknights; if I make one more batch of spag bol, […]
beef mince stroganoff
Don’t get me wrong – I like spag bol. It’s just that yesterday afternoon I caught myself standing at the fridge staring at the packet of beef mince I’d bought for dinner, thinking “gosh I can’t possibly cook spag bol again!” So off to Google I go.. typing ‘beef mince recipes’ quickly in to the […]
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 […]
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 […]
one pot chicken + rice bake | the ultimate kids dinner
The thing I love about cooking is that you can cook things depending on your mood. One day you’ll lose yourself in making a trendy Vegan chickpea stew (thanks to Soph for the inspo) and the next – you’ll feel like throwing everything in a pot and chucking it in the oven. Tonight’s mood calls […]
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 […]
standby spaghetti | bacon + onion + chilli + garlic
Standby spaghetti… for those nights when you’ve got something better to do than cook. Take tonight for example. Saturday’s in iso – we’re burning a few snags on the fire with the kids for a late lunch and then I’m challenging Cork Daddy to a pool comp tonight. So far, Meemar and Grandad AND Gen […]
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 […]
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 […]
sweet + sour pork meatballs | the ultimate family meal
Sweet and sour pork, honey chicken, beef with black bean, Mongolian lamb; don’t forget the spring rolls and our all time favourite – fried rice of course! Does any of this ring a bell? Growing up – going to our local Chinese restaurant was something we always looked forward to; just as exciting as seeing […]
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 […]
chicken marbella | easy entertaining
You really won’t believe me until you try it – but there has never been a simpler recipe to cook for a crowd when entertaining. This Chicken Marbella comes from ‘The Ignatian Table cookbook’ – a fabulous book that’s filled with so many good and hearty, tried and tested recipes. My sister in law, Lou […]
pork tenderloin | simple + delicious
My sister Elles has always had a way with words. You could say that she’s a real wordsmith; I know, I know – sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. Now all the Thomas girls are pretty good at talking; Cork Daddy will attest that it’s often hard to get a word in when we’re […]
mim’s good old fashioned corned beef silverside
I know there are a lot of people out there that turn their noses up at corned beef. You might have memories of eating some poorly made stringy corned beef back in the day; whether that be at school or at a grandparents house. And if you’re one of those people – I’ll tell you […]
slow cooker thai green chicken curry
Thai green chicken curry is one of my all time favourite meals – I make it a lot. I’ve adapted this recipe for the slow cooker. Simple, tasty and comforting, you’d be hard pressed to find a more satisfying meal for a busy weeknight or a lazy weekend at home. Similar to my Thai red […]