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 […]
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creamy orecchiette | a family favourite
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 […]
everybody’s favourite chocolate chip cookies
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 […]
israeli (pearl) cous cous salad | with sweet potato + cranberries + walnuts
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 […]
12 ways with mince | best ever mince recipes
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 […]
‘love a long lunch’ | grilled lamb salad ~ as featured in the spring 2018 edition of graziher magazine
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 […]
san choy bow | easy + fast + oh so tasty
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 […]
singapore noodles | packed with veggies
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 […]
chicken + chorizo tray bake
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 […]
the ultimate roast dinner | mustard crusted roast beef with a horseradish sauce + yorkshire puddings
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 […]
chocolate buttermilk layer cake | the ultimate birthday cake | a donna hay recipe
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 […]
cauliflower with saffron + pine nuts + sultanas | an adapted recipe from ‘moro, the cookbook’
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 […]
hungarian beef goulash
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 […]
lo’s satay chicken | made in the slow cooker
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 […]
nee’s white chocolate + macadamia nut biscuits
Does anyone else get that 3 o’clock urge to put something in their mouth; to pop the kettle on and go digging through the pantry/desk drawer/glove box to find something, anything that’ll satisfy that sweet craving? These white choccie and macadamia nut cookie’s certainly hit the spot for me. A recipe passed on to me […]
jamie’s spiced lamb shanks
Cork Daddy’s Pa would no sooner eat a lamb shank than fly to the moon. The ‘shank’ was always thrown to the dogs, and as a sheep farmer lamb was on the dinner table more often than not. So it’s ironic that I spent $12.50 on a bag of dog bones at Knights today for […]
grilled asparagus with poached eggs + feta + almonds + lemon
My father-in-law cooks the best poached eggs. It’s one of the many reasons why I love visiting Nee and Pop in Boorowa so much. There isn’t anything better to wake up to than a couple of perfectly poached eggs on toast to be washed down with a hot cuppa on a cold and frosty morning. […]
the joys of moving house
There is one word to describe moving house and that is ‘takeaway’. Gosh have we gone through some of it this week. Chinese on Tuesday, pizza delivery Wednesday and Indian on Thursday. We finally have a fridge plugged in at our new digs which means there is not only somewhere to put all the leftovers […]
slow cooked chicken + leek + mushroom pie
There’s nothing better than a home cooked meal and this chicken, leek and mushroom pie is one of my all time favourites. Comforting, rich and deliciously creamy, it’s easy to make and goes perfectly with some mashed potato and steamed veggies when you’ve got friends or family round for dinner. I make the pie filling […]
tuna patties
If there were zombies coming to take over the world, I’d be doing one thing. I’d be buying up every tin of tuna I could get my hands on. Surely stocking a cupboard full of non perishable goods such as my beloved tuna would be a productive thing to do? I’d happily eat tuna every […]
