Stuck on Repeat and Honey Jumbles

My current food status is a bit boring and stuck on repeat. With a toddler in the house I’ve found myself having to resort to very simple foods, mainly consisting of meat and 3 veg to get him with eating with us. I am just now getting to the stage where we can occasionally find…

Great Scones

Unfortunately my kitchen isn’t seeing much creativity at the moment.  It consists of fairly basic fare trying to entice my toddler to eat something beyond strawberries and plain pasta.  We’ve hit the fussy stage and as a foodie, its driving me nuts that he won’t even try some of the foods I put in front…

Basil Pesto

Pesto is an incredibly versatile thing to have in your kitchen.  It is perfect for the busy household when you need a quick meal, and in my experience, kids love it as much as adults do. And if you’re keen to make Pesto from scratch and love the idea of gardening, basil is possibly one…

Thai Barbecued Yellow Chicken

I’m a big fan of chicken. I cook with it at least twice a week, sometimes more. I love its versatility and it’s natural pairing to fresh healthy flavors.  With the temperature being up over 30c every day at the moment seeking recipes that don’t require too much time in the kitchen is essential and…

Cucumber and Sesame Salad

Sometimes the simplest of ideas are the ones that resonate as being the best.  Such is the case with this Japanese inspired salad that I made from Bill Granger’s Simply Asian Cookbook. Simply make the dressing, cut your cucumber and combine to serve.   This recipe generously serves 2 people but can easily be multiplied…

Blueberry & Lemon Pikelets

The first day of the new year is a good enough reason to treat ourselves to a special breakfast and this year pancakes loaded with fresh seasonal fruit were calling out to welcome 2017, particularly when it’s 30c at 8am here in Brisbane. Grabbing the nearest reference to hand for a guide, these pikelets (thick…

Chocolate Hazelnut Crunch

  So much of my food experimentation these days is spent trying to get my little man to try new things and keep food in his mouth.  He has a strange love of baby tomatoes that involves sucking the guts out of them and then spitting out the skins.  I’m hoping one day he’ll take…

Peanut Butter and Strawberry Muffins

Strawberries are in season at the moment in Brisbane and I’m finding myself buying them by the kilo I’m eating that many.  The price is right so I’m not holding back.  It does mean at times there is a few too many hanging around so I’m happy to throw a few into my baking if…

Baked Sicilian Sausage with Tomato and Fennel Seeded Potatoes

Sausages are quite an underrated thing.  In my kitchen they are often relegated to the BBQ in summer and only then when I find some that are of great taste and quality.  It’s one of the few things I grew up not liking, and given my flexibility at dinner time, Mum let me have this…

Sicilian Sausage and Orange Risotto

Winter is here….and it’s a cold one, even here in sunny Brisbane.  Whilst we are not freezing ourselves like our friends down south in Victoria and Tasmania, we’re still experiencing single digit temperatures overnight and craving comfort foods like slow cooked meat, pasta and risotto. Risotto is particularly a favourite of mine, which I really…

The Easiest Cake You’ll Ever Make

This is possibly the easiest cake you’ll ever make.  As easy as using a packet mix but with the pride of knowing you made it from scratch and know each and every ingredient in it.  I’m pretty sure its the best foundation cake I’ve happened upon and will certainly be getting a work out to…

What Katie Ate: Blood Orange and Rosemary Cake

I love an interesting and unusual combination of flavours that sparks the imagination.  When I saw this cake in What Katie Ate, by Katie Quinn Davies, and it happened to be blood orange season I knew that I should give it a try as part of this month’s The Cookbook Guru.   Using the whole orange…