After a lazy morning in my pj's sipping my pot of tea, I rugged up and headed off on a gorgeous long walk, discovering new places I never knew existed, right around the corner from where I live. Who knew I had an amazing community garden just steps away. Filled to the brim with stunning vegetables and flowers. The bees liked it also!
Read MoreChasseur means "hunter" and is a term used for dishes that include mushrooms, shallots, tomatoes, wine and brandy and is most often served with game/poultry. To me, when I see the word Chasseur
I instantly refer to Chicken Chasseur. A dish I haven't made in years and a dish that I've fallen back in love with. Why did it ever go out of fashion?
Read MoreI've never been to Normandy.
However, in a couple of months time the above sentence will no longer be true.
I'll be cycling around the local villages, visiting Monet's garden, shopping at the food markets and basically eating all the French food I can get my hands on. I'm salivating as I think about it.
For me, this holiday is all about immersing myself in French life. I've seen the tourist sights, so now I simply want to wander around and shop at the food markets and then cook with all the amazing produce, and to help get me inspired I've been pouring over all of my French cookbooks. Geez, I've got loads of them!
One in particular is At My French Table by Jane Webster.
Read MoreIl est dix heures.
It's 10 o'clock Sunday morning. The sun is shinning and I'm sitting in my local park with a coffee. I love mornings. I love the fresh start they bring. Anything is possible.
I also love knowing that I have a big bowl of hearty French soup waiting for me at home. All I need to do is pick up some fresh bread from my local bakery and I'm all set. Parfait!
Read MoreAutumn has well and truly hit my kitchen and last Saturday the aromas wafting through my home were the pure essence of Autumn. Baking, cinnamon and apples = deliciousness!
With the long weekend ahead of me, I was in the mood to bake and God help anyone standing in my way! I wanted to make some munchies to take with me down the coast when we headed to Flinders for the Piers & Pinot Festival, and I knew exactly what I wanted those munchies to be -
Read MoreNormally when I'm looking for simplicity and comfort I head automatically towards pasta. Just a quick and easy bowl of wholemeal pasta topped with a flavoursome napoli sauce is all I usually want. However, for some reason these past few weeks, all I've wanted is rice. Simple, yummy rice.
Read MoreI love busy weekends catching up with family and friends, but I love, love, love weekends when I actually get time just to potter.
After working down at the Sydney Road Festival and then feeding my face at Paella in the Park on Sunday, I was then able to come home and spend the afternoon in a state of bliss, pottering away in the kitchen.
Read MoreFor the picnic I was heading off to last Saturday night (see here), I had only an hour in which I needed to quickly organise some food, and with a fridge and pantry full, I couldn't bear the thought of picking up 'ready-made' food from the shops, albeit a much easier and quicker option.
No, not me! I'm a glutton for punishment, and with the minutes ticking by I managed to whip up (and work up a sweat at the same time) some rice paper rolls, a roasted cauliflower and chickpea cous cous salad and these little nectarine tarts....
Read MoreThe sun was shining through the bedroom window when I woke up and the birds were chirping - such a gorgeous Spring morning here in Melbourne.
Something about this type of weather makes me want to potter in the kitchen and bake. Nothing too heavy, and my taste buds usually want something fruit based with a fresh zing. Not too much to ask for, especially once I've had my morning coffee. My problem when I get into the baking mood is that like for most people I'm sure, I tend to want to eat lots of it. In hindsight (and for the sake of my thighs), I really shouldn't make them but I just can't help myself.
So with some St Germain playing in the background and the doors and windows open, I set to making....
Read MoreWhen I initially thought about the combination of the colour green and food, I couldn't think of anything - don't ask me why I couldn't think of anything considering the vast amount of vegetables that are green. Vegetables I love and eat daily!!
I have no answer for my initial stupidity, but I did come out on top in the end with something I've never made before. I spotted this recipe when I was cooking last fortnight's theme for Roast. I bought Sophie Dahl's cookbook quite a while ago after watching a couple of episodes of her TV cooking show. I'm not usually one to buy cookbooks devised by celebrities, however I actually fell in love with her show. I found her surprisingly personable, and reading her cookbook you get a further insight, through her stories, into the interesting life she's lived to date.
Read MoreBonjour!
If heaven is me being surrounding by French food (and maybe a French man or two) then I've got my bags packed and I'm ready.
As you can see, I'm loving this fortnight's theme - European (although when I saw the word European, I really saw the words French Food).
Read MoreI have a new addition to my family.
A new cookbook to be precise.
It's French, and I love it!
Flicking lovingly through my brand new baby I found my dish for this fortnight's theme -
Read MoreThe coconut and coconut cream added to a simple pumpkin soup is a wonderful addition and, I think a winner.
It seems to add depth to the soup. A rich creaminess that makes the soup feel luxurious and very, very special.
Read MoreWhat is it about soup that can instantly make you feel better?
As I wasn't feeling 100% well earlier in the week, I was craving simple flavours, something easy to prepare, and of course, easy to eat. It's not often I can't be bothered chewing but this was one of those times, and there is just something magical about holding a warm bowl of soup in your hands whilst curled up under a blanket.
Instant comfort.
Read MoreI don't know about you, but I always crave comfort food when I'm not feeling well. Even a simple head cold has me reaching for a bowl of home-made soup and something sweet that I can munch on whilst curled up on the couch under a blanket watching old movies.
My current head cold is no exception, so when I was flicking through the pages of April/May 2011 issue of Donna Hay between blowing my nose and generally feeling sorry for myself, this popped out to me - literally!
Read MoreOne of the rituals of where I work is that when it's your birthday, you have to provide the morning or afternoon tea for the team. Unfortunately we have almost 50 team members so it can get a bit expensive.
So as it was my birthday I made -
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