This is not just a birthday cake but an amazing red velvet checkerboard birthday cake with luscious cream cheese frosting. It was made by my nephew for A's 21st birthday dinner. He is not a chef but a paramedic student - maybe he is in the wrong profession !! Continue reading

These are the party shoes my daughter is wearing to her 21st dinner tomorrow. Not for the likes of her very middle aged mother but if you are a beautiful young thing, then why not ?? Continue reading

Foodies, I have sinned !! I took a cake to our Mother's Day afternoon tea that I did not cook and what's more I felt no guilt. I constructed a fabulous and delicious Citrus Torte from 4 store bought ingredients. It was so easy and so yummy I may well do it again too ! I drained a tin of mandarins and layered them on one half of a supermarket sponge cake, sliced horizontally. Over the fruit I generously slathered whipped cream mixed with a big swirl of lemon curd then put the on second sponge layer . I added... Continue reading

I have a lovely friend who is a chef who has had years of professional experience. Even though he no longer works in this field he still cooks extensively at home in an innovative and health conscious way with the best and freshest ingredients, often bringing me samples. Lucky me !! We train together at gym with other foodies and in between squats and chest presses discuss food endlessly. He gave me this sublime slice of pork terrine yesterday, exquisite and perfectly formed. A fine layer of thin potato slices run through the middle and pistachios stud it like jewels.... Continue reading

I realize this will cause consternation if you are an authentic Italian cook !! Hey Presto and this fabulous polenta cooked in the microwave in a matter of minutes . It set enough to slice or scoop depending on your preference. I scooped and added cheese !! Continue reading

I found an incredibly handy recipe today to make my own spice blend. It is called Scottish Mixed Spice Blend and was recommended to sprinkle on porridge. I think its uses go way further than sprinkling. I think it will be a great time saver as when baking cakes, loaves and crumbles this one stop blend can be used instead of locating a variety of small jars that may well be close to empty - in my house anyway !! The ingredients blended together are the usual old favourites of nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and ginger with an interesting newcomer... Continue reading

My lovely old Pepper, aged 17, has gone to heaven. He lived with me for 15 years and then his holiday dogsitter adopted him . I received the very sad news from her today. He was part standard poodle and part border collie , was as stubborn as a mule and really had it in for cats , possums and postmen. But he loved a pat and would back onto the couch beside you and perch there in a perfect patting position. RIP Peppy, we all loved you so much and you have given us so many funny memories and... Continue reading

Mismatched retro couches, kitsch artwork and cheap meals and drinks are all staples of 1000 £ Bend. A venture of Jerome Borazio, owner of former bar St Jerome’s, 1000 £ Bend is appealing in the unpretentious, shabby-chic way Melburnians love so much. via www.broadsheet.com.au There was a homemade goods market at this venue at the weekend. There were some fabulous stalls with gorgeous jewellery, scarves and even an "ice your own cupcake" stand. The market was held in the warehouse-y area beyond the red curtains in the photo. After our wander we sat in the cafe for coffee and I... Continue reading

A friend of mine has a farm property up in the Mansfield/Howquadale region. Recently they moved some bee hives up there and this week I received a jar of their "homemade" honey. The texture, colour and taste is sublime. I used some of it in this golden Honey & Polenta Cake. The cake was lovely and not a bit dry. Often my use of cornmeal in cooking is a bit disappointing. If I make cornbread it is wonderful warm, right out of the oven but after that is tends to be like chomping on sandpaper !! But not this time... Continue reading

I replace my dog beds every year or so and as dog bed buyers know, they can be very, very expensive items especially if you go in for the very plush varieties. I shop around online trawling for plush dog bedding at a reasonable price. I found two wonderful ones, new on Ebay, located in New Zealand. They are fabulous and were incredibly cheap even considering the airmail postage rate. But then when I repeatedly see two dogs snuggled in one bed I do wonder why I just did not buy the one, just a single would suffice it seems... Continue reading

My daughter set off yesterday very early along with dozens of others/ Their aim is to walk 100 kms in 24 hours. She set out after an endless amount of training walks and preparation. She also set out carrying an injury, a stress fracture in her foot. She called me at 5.30 this morning and after walking all day and all night, after covering 75 kms , she had to retire due to this injury. What a mammoth effort on her part !! Needless to say she is exhausted and every bit of her body hurts but she walked a... Continue reading

Isn't it funny that when big, shady trees are covered in lush, green foliage , we eat salads full of a variety of leafy greens and now when when the trees are losing their russet, yellow and orange leaves , we are tucking into root vegies and soups of the same colours. Continue reading

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Anzac Day is April 25th so there are lots of promotional recipes around. I decided to try one so went ahead and purchased a pack of commercial Anzac cookies. The cookies become the tartlet shells after being softened in the oven . I made a caramel filling on the stove top using sweetened condensed milk and then topped this with melted dark chocolate. A sugary, decadent treat was born, not for the faint hearted !! Continue reading

click here - there are such clever people in this world !! Continue reading

Today is our last long day. Tomorrow heralds the start of the evenings closing in too early for my liking and that very specific autum chill will be in the air. The sun will be low in the sky and the central heating will be turned on. The only plus for me is that it is the time for comfort food and the smells of baking will be wafting and the oven will be warming up the kitchen . So there is no time like the present to get into warming and rustic food like these glistening, baked cinnamon and... Continue reading

For the last 18 months I have had a steady stream of glorious blooms left on my porch by my lovely neighbour, a flower buyer for a florist. Now he has left this job and is heading off on some extended travels. I have been so spoilt and have loved every single stem and stamen and will miss this privilege immensely. Thank you Zac and bon voyage. Continue reading

Suddenly , we are wearing jackets and eating soup !! The Easter break is now behind us sadly and the dreaded winter is looming, early I fear !! Autumn seems to have been almost elusive. I have barely seen an autumn leaf. Luckily our summer seemed to linger but the dour greyness of winter has shrouded our Easter and seems set to stay. Tonight's soup was a rustic melee of pumkin and minestrone, very autumnal !! Continue reading

Easter celebrations differ from family to family and community to community but ours here is about eating. We all show total disregard for any diets we may have been following and rejoice in our Easter eating. We start early on Good Friday with hot cross buns, warm and buttered with butter, yes the real deal. Ratatouille on polenta is a warming meal as our autumnal chill sets in and is so easy to prepare that is it perfection as a holiday meal. And Easter eggs abound - not huge ones but lots of the little versions - they make you... Continue reading

I made this as a trial for Easter but while it was really nice it had too much pastry. If I was to repeat this recipe I would double the caramel filling and halve the batter or dough bit. It was lovely on the day I made it and not too sweet but you would need to warm it if there were leftovers as I think it would be dry and crumbly after day one. It did look rustic and pretty and was a tasty experiment. Continue reading

Here we are mid March, early Autum and my cherry tree has blossom on it. It must be terribly confused but for no apparent reason. Our summer has been hot as expected, so far autum has been warm to mild which is normal. What is not normal though is the appearance of the blossom. Should I expect fruit in winter ?? Continue reading

We had a birthday dinner last night with 11 guests . The birthday girl chose the menu. We had dumplings from "Aunties", our favourite Asian takeaway. This was followed by 2 varieties of self saucing pudding made by moi, choclate and banana butterscotch. The night consisted of much chit chat, a dog walk and a bit of tv watching. The Block final was on in one room and MKR in another. Perfect family celebration. Continue reading

Good reason to miss the gym this morning !! I found my window smashed in and gym bag stolen !! Continue reading

I know I am odd but I way prefer cooked bananas [ baked or pan fried or microwaved] to the plain old peeled one straight from the fruit bowl. When sprinkled with a little cinnamon and served warm you have a quick and healthy dessert, add yoghurt and you have breakfast or an anytime of day wholesome snack. I think years of opening my school lunch and seeing a sad banana, battered and bruised, from being lugged around school put me off them for life. These days you can purchase a nifty container, a banana guard, to stop this exact... Continue reading