tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42231665139616325162024-03-05T17:54:14.751+11:00From Nana's Recipe DrawerUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-16260557443726482632009-02-08T20:29:00.005+11:002009-02-08T20:45:33.500+11:00Two-tone lasagne (pics to come!)<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Being Sunday, and with a little time up my sleeve, I decided to attempt my first lasagne. I hit the cookbooks and <a href="http://www.tastespotting.com">Tastespotting</a> in search of a vegetarian lasagne that would fit the bill, but was disappointed with the samples I found. In the end, I found a great bechamel recipe in <a href="http://www.deliciousmagazine.com.au/">Delicious</a> mag, and made up the rest as I went along.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The boy wasn't in the mood for a meat-free meal, so I decided that rather than doing 2 lasagnes (a bit OTT even for me) I would split the dish in half with a layer of baking paper. The bechamel (another first) smelled fantastic as it was cooking, and thankfully turned out perfect. While I prepped the rest of the veges, Neil cooked his mince. Then, from our selection of toppings, we each created our perfect lasagne.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The result was absolutely delish - especially with the sneaky glass of John Grima Cab Sav (from John's Stag Do in Nov. '06) we had on the side.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Enjoy!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Two-tone Lasagne</span><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Bechamel</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1L milk</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">½ onion</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1 clove garlic, bruised</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 sprigs fresh thyme</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">100g flour</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">100g butter</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Salt & pepper to taste</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">½ tsp nutmeg</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">800g mushrooms, sliced</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">800g pumpkin, cut into 2cm dice</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">½ onion, sliced</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">½ red capsicum, thinly sliced</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">440g tin crushed tomatoes</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 cloves garlic, finely chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Small handful basil, chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Good splash of Tabasco</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">8-10 fresh pasta sheets</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Grated cheese</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Preparation:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1. For the béchamel, put milk, onion, garlic and thyme in a saucepan and heat until just below boiling. Remove from the heat and cool for 30 minutes.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2. Strain the milk to remove the infusion ingredients.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3. Clean the saucepan and, over low heat, melt butter. Add flour and stir for 3-4 minutes to cook out flour taste. Gradually whisk in milk. When all of the milk has been added, cook for 3-5 minutes until thick and smooth. Stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cover tightly with baking paper to prevent a skin from forming and set aside.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4. Place pumpkin in a baking dish with a little olive oil and bake at 220 degrees C for 20 minutes or until soft. Sprinkle with a little nutmeg and mash.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">5. Saute mushrooms with a little butter and set aside.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">6. For the tomato sauce, combine the tomatoes, basil, garlic and Tabasco in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes until reduced, then set aside.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">7. Saute onions and capsicum over a low heat until soft.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To assemble:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2. Grease a large baking dish (25cm x 30cm) and layer with lasagne sheets. Spread over a layer of béchamel, then a thin layer of tomato sauce. Top with a layer of mushrooms/mince, then sprinkle with a thin layer of cheese.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3. Top with another layer of lasagne sheets, béchamel and tomato sauce, then spread a layer of pumpkin. Top with onion and capsicum and a thin layer of cheese.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4. Top with final layer of lasagne sheets and béchamel sauce, then sprinkle with cheese. Top with a little fresh thyme.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">5. Cover with baking paper and foil, then bake for 1 hour. Remove foil and baking paper, then grill for 5-8 minutes, or until cheese is browned and bubbling.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">6. Leave to ‘firm up’ for 10 minutes before cutting.</span><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-52850771770359882982009-01-06T10:23:00.002+11:002009-01-06T10:28:32.311+11:00Orphan's Christmas '08<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMAixUu1QX2HrMpQHLSGLQC-IlViuAw2eFrzKrkvK2hpwHa-biGdwH4iz8jsybQPUSTE1ER7ImZ5QYHGGVRcrtFj0GyEXQVdAddIXslYehkSg4rEj2SoD7zJ31sEjluOQYFd6lyJcToFn/s1600-h/Mango_salad.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287955369879490754" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFMAixUu1QX2HrMpQHLSGLQC-IlViuAw2eFrzKrkvK2hpwHa-biGdwH4iz8jsybQPUSTE1ER7ImZ5QYHGGVRcrtFj0GyEXQVdAddIXslYehkSg4rEj2SoD7zJ31sEjluOQYFd6lyJcToFn/s320/Mango_salad.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">My favourite dessert was this one - made by Ivan from a recipe I found online. This was the only Christmas leftover I didn't mind eating!</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><strong><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"><a id="myphotolink" href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1837023&id=643262493"></a>Mango, Lychee & Passionfruit Salad</span></strong></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Serves 8 </span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">40 lychees, peeled, seeds removed (or 4 tins, drained)</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">4 mangoes, cheeks scored </span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">1/4 cup mint leaves, torn </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Passionfruit Syrup</span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">125 ml passion fruit pulp (1/2 cup or 5 black passionfruit) </span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">2 oranges, juice of, strained </span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">1 lemon, juice of, strained </span></div><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">¾ cup caster sugar </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>For the syrup</strong>, pulse the passionfruit briefly in a food processor to loosen the seeds. If you have plastic blades us them so you don't cut the seeds.</span></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Transfer to a pan with remaining ingredients and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until syrupy. Cool completely.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;">Place lychees and mango on a platter. Scatter with mint and drizzle with the passionfruit syrup. Serve immediately.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-64381178794470955822008-03-02T14:03:00.001+11:002008-12-06T12:12:53.435+11:00Nana's Custard XX<span style="font-size:85%;">As I was sifting through the leaves of handwritten and cut-out magazine pieces from Nana's Recipe Drawer the other day, I spotted a familiar pattern - the blue and white bag of the bookshop she always gets her magazines from. Written on it, in Nana's scrupulously tidy handwriting (cough), was a recipe for Cudd xx... which I have translated into Custard Kisses!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24QyD43O7vu6qL2dynUQT3_f6H1ogTZQQ0iNocnBf28CB58_H9POS267VuSy1k02s2vWhHHO8mYs_FMBXjcf3hUunmOEkXUAuNSGhZ8Bbp5nU0110uTkeG0ADgEP0wx9C9KjRSCDX7urE/s1600-h/Img_xx.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24QyD43O7vu6qL2dynUQT3_f6H1ogTZQQ0iNocnBf28CB58_H9POS267VuSy1k02s2vWhHHO8mYs_FMBXjcf3hUunmOEkXUAuNSGhZ8Bbp5nU0110uTkeG0ADgEP0wx9C9KjRSCDX7urE/s320/Img_xx.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276477860959725250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSp9BlKEihtZ2sSiJ-Csz_ROAFvKCLe8dpNXWdwSgTwNyA2Yzl9UBoNLJ2YVg-RLhfsRuPexCl9tDMWWi4pqbgvIipd57RXkPPIqFf8V0zuSbQvUyIkzdU_zy_4UhFcOwulnnr9-4G1JJ/s1600-h/Img_2342.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 255px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjSp9BlKEihtZ2sSiJ-Csz_ROAFvKCLe8dpNXWdwSgTwNyA2Yzl9UBoNLJ2YVg-RLhfsRuPexCl9tDMWWi4pqbgvIipd57RXkPPIqFf8V0zuSbQvUyIkzdU_zy_4UhFcOwulnnr9-4G1JJ/s320/Img_2342.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276477973089754850" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The recipe was a little hard to decipher in places, but in the end I had two dozen gorgeous little golden cookies with (almost flouro) yellow custard filling.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-2657211387531072312008-02-07T11:48:00.000+11:002008-12-06T12:03:20.901+11:00Gnocchi...<span style="font-size:85%;">My friend <a href="http://craftyllama.wordpress.com/">Sarah</a>, Sarah II and I whipped up a tonne of gnocchi last night for a group dinner, and I was feeing all inspired by my first steps into pasta making. We had a tonne of sweet potato, so I took Sarah's recipe and got to work!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYoX7k2xt1xRxeUi-Q7jeEAPay_Qpm5131gop71_TLdsfONshfMFI54amnQMDls7wSkqretA5GzUOYxc9OzRzlfjHA8jmIg8PHNelh-fitkWynaALVzDZRD42vGKJN-NfAZfCUPN3lXUt/s1600-h/Img_2323.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTYoX7k2xt1xRxeUi-Q7jeEAPay_Qpm5131gop71_TLdsfONshfMFI54amnQMDls7wSkqretA5GzUOYxc9OzRzlfjHA8jmIg8PHNelh-fitkWynaALVzDZRD42vGKJN-NfAZfCUPN3lXUt/s320/Img_2323.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276476136522606386" border="0" /></a><br />I enlisted Neil to help with the blanching... he was very helpful up until about halfway when he started to tire of fishing the bobbling balls out of the boiling water. Honestly... some people just aren't willing to work for their dinner!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-33217722404660755672007-12-26T18:12:00.003+11:002008-12-06T12:26:38.184+11:00Boxing Day with the twits<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrpTtwIsq9_yB2QLOP2hChBzWcUC-eRnsJ1ShGZtVbPFG-wEI6KliA8fN2p8bgO78YPDWs9lT1WBNl4tjk0HKvw08jAPDiRM7acohut-8HsHoIDui-9FvkW_VkpCnE1nv_TxNfnfnCUNx/s1600-h/Img_1932.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGrpTtwIsq9_yB2QLOP2hChBzWcUC-eRnsJ1ShGZtVbPFG-wEI6KliA8fN2p8bgO78YPDWs9lT1WBNl4tjk0HKvw08jAPDiRM7acohut-8HsHoIDui-9FvkW_VkpCnE1nv_TxNfnfnCUNx/s320/Img_1932.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276481588058801234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">We had o</span><span style="font-size:85%;">u</span><span style="font-size:85%;">r orphan's Christmas lunch food marathon this year with the usual suspects this year, which left my sisters (aka The Twits) to their own devices for the day. To make up for the fact that we "Ruined their Christmas" by not spending it together, Neil and I had them round for Boxing Day lunch.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;">We knew stra</span><span style="font-size:85%;">igh</span><span style="font-size:85%;">t a</span><span style="font-size:85%;">way what we were going to serve:</span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Cherry tomato, bocconcini & pesto tartlets</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Neil Perry's succulent chicken with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">tzatzik</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">i</span> (from</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> <a href="http://www.cookbooks.com.au/book/Good-Food/isbn/9781740459235.htm"><span style="font-style: italic;">Good Food</span></a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Spinach, walnut, goats cheese and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pome</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">granate</span> salad with lemon <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">vinaigrette</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">And Lee bought around her specialty - vegetarian couscous salad.</span></li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BbnYFIhQPpID834WKOaokmhh8q5ZJBSuFRl6BKQpgnQlCPPWhXg7ihUWJ4fY4rqWJEdgQJvQrjaXxgOzN8rMd7qKnyQHmaqxoAe5yPPxsl7QZhkfwEsGHthDV3c-FnIlN9GIhr8zjuuI/s1600-h/Img_1945.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2BbnYFIhQPpID834WKOaokmhh8q5ZJBSuFRl6BKQpgnQlCPPWhXg7ihUWJ4fY4rqWJEdgQJvQrjaXxgOzN8rMd7qKnyQHmaqxoAe5yPPxsl7QZhkfwEsGHthDV3c-FnIlN9GIhr8zjuuI/s320/Img_1945.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276481807080715858" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">And what's Christmas (or Boxing Day) w</span><span style="font-size:85%;">ithout a decadent sweet treat like Blueberry cheesecake!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Post-dinner (and once the food had settled a bit) we headed down to Double Bay for a kick </span><span style="font-size:85%;">around with Neil's new football. </span><span style="font-size:85%;">It w</span><span style="font-size:85%;">as a great day!</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-55124744075500586242007-12-01T11:34:00.000+11:002008-11-14T08:41:29.989+11:00Gingerbread: Take 2<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'm stubborn when it comes to cooking and wasn't about to be beaten by something as simple as <a href="http://nanasrecipedrawer.blogspot.com/2007/11/i-really-am-my-grandmothers-grand.html">gingerbread</a>... so the first thing I did when I woke up this morning was to make the liquid base. Then during our weekly trek to the supermarket a few hours later I picked up a lamington tin... this was a round I was going to win!</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Since gingerbread batter is so thick, I made sure that this time when I tested the cake for doneness I put the skewer in horizontally through a crack in the top. I found that even with the shallower pan, it still had a bit more to go, and I ended up adding 15 minutes to the cooking time.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 1 result vs</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Round 2 result<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7kieOUmYZTHO0V3g8UBZ2p54SmEQdcx0cWJceIXtWS2_SO861OTQYwqYGC75TWk7aJApF_YT4XMCjUwd9v9FA0AqiCi6mt_zBlOdvbKtalvwOoX1kTIj9IBI4iuKDMqCxYN-f3zERQ-k/s1600-r/gingerbread.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-f8ix3qdAeql_ILcad2RjnR8v2QA_UdaoBqqQ1jsiZf0nHk6iLYJlH3nYft8mhaLg9UORXScVKE8hkTPYOoQs_E-WV6liF-johhJbfda3a2QoSWfI-MBvLhSCBJmGjvJrfeMbMNqSdn5w/s320/gingerbread.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5139172211888474434" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >The cake was lighter than expected and the cinnamon sprinkled on top (which I was going to leave out) was 'the icing on' the icing on the cake. I don't think this is going to last long in the tin...</span><br /></div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-85961432830647898342007-11-25T22:32:00.000+11:002008-11-14T08:41:30.154+11:00I really am my grandmother's grand-daughter<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">For my 21st birthday, Nana as always, took charge of baking the cake. The request was for 'the usual' - chocolate - which Nana could churn out whilst sleepwalking with both hands tied. I arrived home from Auckland (where I was studying) and a few nights later we had a big dinner at Mum's. The end of the meal came and out came the cake - two layers of Nana's signature chocolate cake sandwiched with mock cream and topped with a thick layer of chocolate icing and coconut. It was perfect as always... but Nana was first to point out it 'wasn't the cake she had been planning'. </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">You see, Nana had tried not one, but FOUR different recipes to make the perfect birthday cake and each attempt had ended up in the bin. It was too dry, </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">or didn't rise high enough, or an ingredient was omitted... Mum was shocked to hear she had thrown away completely edible cakes because they weren't up to Nana's very high cake standards and we all had a good laugh at Nana's kitchen perfectionism.</span><br /><br /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well, after last week's icing disaster (which was very close to being a 'bin' moment), I've just returned from throwing away an attempt at Gingerbread with Lemon Glace Icing from the August 1986 issue of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >The Australian Women's Weekly</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwWMmZj610JE9ITt7mYi-5gzgFpidB8ADwaWD1vhV4OhIpJkZES-WRAKnlJiCOzN77cY9V0ygvIYT2NpBKncw0Srwu7sV0zPjKrMYhBA7-s2p0to2Gf4XePUTi2b7zOrSDf_PTxe96CjF/s1600-h/gingerbread.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwWMmZj610JE9ITt7mYi-5gzgFpidB8ADwaWD1vhV4OhIpJkZES-WRAKnlJiCOzN77cY9V0ygvIYT2NpBKncw0Srwu7sV0zPjKrMYhBA7-s2p0to2Gf4XePUTi2b7zOrSDf_PTxe96CjF/s320/gingerbread.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136745340911096114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My first mistake was to substitute the required pan size. The recipe called for a lamington pan, which I didn't have, so I just lined a round tin. My second (and most fatal) mistake was not adjusting the cooking time to suit a deeper baking tin. As with all gingerbread batters, this one was quite 'dry' so when I tested the cake, the skewer came out nice and dry and I pulled it out to cool. It took almost an hour for it to sink, but I blamed it on a careless transfer to the wire rack. I went ahead and iced the cake thinking all would be okay... but instead of cutting out a photo-worthy piece, I ended up with a 'cooked on the outside raw on the inside' slice worthy of nothing more than the wheelie bin downstairs.<br /><br />So I took my lead from the original kitchen perfectionist and bundled the whole lot into a plastic bag and into the bin. if there was any doubt I was cut from Nana's apron cloth it's gone now. I just hope my next attempt(s) don't end up in the wheelie bin as well!<br /></span> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-48617797638817568012007-11-19T11:35:00.000+11:002008-11-14T08:41:30.349+11:00A 50/50 success on the biscuit front<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I bought some new kitchenalia this week - two cookie cutters (a dog bone and a foot), a rolling pin and some measuring cups - so I was looking for a new-old recipe to try them out on. I figured biscuits were the way to go, and found a recipe for Vanilla Glaze biscuits in Nana's recipes. I stayed true to the biscuit recipe, but did do a small modification to the glaze... adding pure orange essence just because I hadn't used it in a while.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5doqbBxY9vswKNs-lECbsxG6v0cUkgbRxgzDlDpLkuLFmdy3tpXtVMUptsV4O-Kdrxah2GXO-xmD8ocHh7Fw3_9NzbF359sAK4xy5kT85jBy3ANAeI_QUvs9qKQxO3_NwVdFNPyulQ_yw/s1600-h/vanilla_glaze_bics.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5doqbBxY9vswKNs-lECbsxG6v0cUkgbRxgzDlDpLkuLFmdy3tpXtVMUptsV4O-Kdrxah2GXO-xmD8ocHh7Fw3_9NzbF359sAK4xy5kT85jBy3ANAeI_QUvs9qKQxO3_NwVdFNPyulQ_yw/s320/vanilla_glaze_bics.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5136665579073442082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The baking part was easy, but when it came to the glaze things came a little unstuck with the first batch. As you can see, the glaze cracked while it was firming in the oven. I put too much faith in the timer and wandered off instead of watching their progress... ooops. </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The second batch went a lot better, with the glaze firming in two minutes (rather than the four that made the other lot ugly). </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The taste test (still warm from the oven... the only way I'll eat biscuits) was passed and I was forced to go in for a second - just to check the cracked ones were edible of course.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-73021023077052001062007-09-03T12:03:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:30.686+11:00Banana-na Cake<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Nana's a prolific banana cake baker. Every time I stayed at nana's she'd always have one sitting on the bench to be taken home to Auckland. Most of the time it made it back intact, but once or twice we'd get hungry on the way home and eat a slice. Work lunches that next week were the best!</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I delved through Nana's recipes positive I'd come up with at least one banana cake recipe, but on my first pass I came up empty handed. Then... success! I'd put a pile of recipes aside in my 'to try' pile and 'Bella's Favourite Banana Cake' was among them.</span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogibJ_bWcRmgQg54jciBVvwG1r38YjZdANA8ku9IQSa0Vz8vpiIw26gjliZqe3Mxcnc0NoKhdSN6TeJfUW-pjYLd0Eb9M75ffj_BMi6hpN2JKLSL9aLlr5LDlmwgJBDv4WLmAP58YFDaL/s1600-h/banana_cake_recipe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiogibJ_bWcRmgQg54jciBVvwG1r38YjZdANA8ku9IQSa0Vz8vpiIw26gjliZqe3Mxcnc0NoKhdSN6TeJfUW-pjYLd0Eb9M75ffj_BMi6hpN2JKLSL9aLlr5LDlmwgJBDv4WLmAP58YFDaL/s320/banana_cake_recipe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107649316074864194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Our hopeless oven did cause a few problems, with the cake taking 1hr 15 rather than 45 minutes to cook. I was a bit worried about the result, but it turned out perfectly! It was a high, moist cake that wasn't 'soggy' in the middle or on the bottom.<br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5wA4xMBybc9i61Q40fxVmQUZZAWH9McK4Eq5ktKMfrdm0jGYhhw7rHBvY5Kf77ieamWhjP5h4TMbgomXi_iQZSI4ygxUn3-3JRYhXern4K6dLLMBWOZZxbwWwymtutdwe45AJbEXhCKt/s1600-h/banana_cake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5wA4xMBybc9i61Q40fxVmQUZZAWH9McK4Eq5ktKMfrdm0jGYhhw7rHBvY5Kf77ieamWhjP5h4TMbgomXi_iQZSI4ygxUn3-3JRYhXern4K6dLLMBWOZZxbwWwymtutdwe45AJbEXhCKt/s320/banana_cake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107651059831586386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I had a few limes left over from dinner the night before (mmm Frangelico and lime on ice), so made a tart lime icing with the zest and juice of two limes.<br /><br />Delish!<br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-39925295748080373062007-09-02T11:41:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:31.366+11:00Cooking a "decent dinner" for the twits<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The twits (aka my beloved sisters Amy & Lee) made the mammoth journey from Manly into 'unsafe' Surry Hills just to eat my food today. I was touched... really!<br /><br />I was told it had to be a 'decent meal otherwise we're not coming'. With such expectations to live up to I got up early and hit the <a href="http://events.smh.com.au/view_event.asp?intid=11">Pyrmont Growers Market</a> with Sarah & Joh. The m</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">enu came to</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">gether pretty easily as we explored the stands. A big bag of the most summery tasting vine-ripened tomatoes and a large bunch of basil were quickly earmarked for bruschetta.<br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshyphenhyphen7FRfILf7-4gEEFhF4nUvSyq2k_4cUnphktl_6KdY7pamzwxLkyU4OrYdYcGyuR_PMeC-Z2gbIrP2YkMp_wqni64x-dF9ZcAGeBSt7wlSTvdT9NaF6h2Ge0MZ__m6AEIN1mIPrvekLs/s1600-h/bruschetta.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhshyphenhyphen7FRfILf7-4gEEFhF4nUvSyq2k_4cUnphktl_6KdY7pamzwxLkyU4OrYdYcGyuR_PMeC-Z2gbIrP2YkMp_wqni64x-dF9ZcAGeBSt7wlSTvdT9NaF6h2Ge0MZ__m6AEIN1mIPrvekLs/s320/bruschetta.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107643960250646050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A few stalls along I found some green beans and bright, firm capsicums, so they were put down for the veg part of the meal. A huge ciabatta loaf and some creme fraiche also went into my bags. Neil scored some beautiful smoked shortcut bacon, and I also got a huge bag of broccoli and some Lemon Myrtle pasta. Yum! Breakfast was a hard choice, but I managed to narrow it down to a large, sultana-filled snail from the patisserie.<br /><br />A trip to the fishmonger with the cripple (aka Neil) in the afternoon yielded four nice red snapper fillets which would be steamed with lime wedges and a basil leaf for the main.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />I wanted dessert to be something a bit special that I hadn't tried before, so I decided on a chocolate and apricot tart that Sarah had made for Andre's birthday dinner in June (pic below). We hunted high and low for the recipe in her vast collection of mags, and finally found it in <a href="http://www.taste.com.au/page/delicious/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Delicious</span></a>.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEnlTigGR7nZYwqVQM6nCf2TQSOGN7_wei7y7WLLZXeAwHjQID-rCiYVeJJKjEkYOyLPpjpLSFV1XspIh5IIDh4lbBw79r45qwEBKODOZr1BXmxpP2bQ5D6CRR3EIyze2DpJXFCDsSnje/s1600-h/choc_tart.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwEnlTigGR7nZYwqVQM6nCf2TQSOGN7_wei7y7WLLZXeAwHjQID-rCiYVeJJKjEkYOyLPpjpLSFV1XspIh5IIDh4lbBw79r45qwEBKODOZr1BXmxpP2bQ5D6CRR3EIyze2DpJXFCDsSnje/s320/choc_tart.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107647198655987250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So the menu in the end was...<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tomato bruschetta</span> (ciabatta brushed with leftover roasted garlic, diced tomatoes, shredded basil and Horopito oil)<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Red snapper with capsicum sauce</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Green beans, red & yellow capsicum and cherry tomatoes<br />Chocolate & apricot tart with creme fraiche<br /><br /></span>And the twits ate every bite!</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-46114142417599749672007-08-05T20:57:00.000+10:002007-08-06T12:08:30.282+10:00The pasta disaster that turned into a winning dinner!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We've had a packet of </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.barbushco.com.au/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Barbushco</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> Lemon Myrtle Fettuccine sitting in the cupboard awaiting the perfect sauce since our June excursion to the Good Food and Wine Show. This weekend I searched high and low for the perfect sauce recipe that would show off the flavour of the lemon myrtle, but everything I found was either heavily oil or cream based. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This pasta called for a light sauce and just a few veges to let the subtle lemon myrtle flavour shine through.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So here's what I came up with....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Lemon Myrtle Fettuccine with <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Broccoli</span> & Mushrooms<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">250g lemon myrtle fettuccine</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1/2 onion, diced</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4 garlic cloves, sliced</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1 medium head of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">broccoli</span>, chopped</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">4 large mushrooms, sliced</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Zest of 1 lemon</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1 cup vegetable stock</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1/2 cup white wine </span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">100ml cream</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Salt & pepper to season</span><br /></span><ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Saute onions and garlic in a large frying pan until soft. Add <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">broccoli</span> and mushrooms and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Add stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle over zest and add wine. Stir to combine and leave to simmer for a further 10 minutes or until the liquid reduces by half.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Cook the pasta in boiling water until <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">al</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">dente</span>.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Add cream to the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Season to taste.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Drain pasta and return to the pasta pot. Pour over the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">broccoli</span> and mushroom sauce and stir to combine.</span></li></ul><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To be honest, I thought it was going to be a disaster, but it was REALLY, really good. So try it... </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-21446444098803060792007-07-25T20:42:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:31.712+11:00Leek and black pepper risotto<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We had a pile of leeks in the fridge and I was itching to turn them into something tasty. Leek and potato soup was out because I'd just made a big pot of red lentil soup... so the next thing to come to mind was - surprise - risotto!<br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW26G-oZ4MPTPA8fitmTFo4xdJB7AYmcWOkN_d9Gx3ZVEDvYQYur4cEq0zetfRGn5cucl9-YI2IQ6dPbXoJKxoloyGcQFDM59GksmSn_AEVckJNQ7MvEO9wmK31ICR1RCZLsrHRrZAFuQo/s1600-h/leeks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW26G-oZ4MPTPA8fitmTFo4xdJB7AYmcWOkN_d9Gx3ZVEDvYQYur4cEq0zetfRGn5cucl9-YI2IQ6dPbXoJKxoloyGcQFDM59GksmSn_AEVckJNQ7MvEO9wmK31ICR1RCZLsrHRrZAFuQo/s320/leeks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095166385787213298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I wanted to keep it simple, so sauteed up a huge pan of leeks in some butter, then got onto the risotto. I used white wine and decided to spice things up a bit with coarsely ground black peppercorns.<br /><br /></span> </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJuq1fThN8GX9OGYltoK7T_KrHGWD-vex9G9umt8XItsBuiWnSHiUR2gb72BG7nh2VN6pkwMHT3vRpdpY5UsHNC7ucO2yTX4XxrjshWiA_vnWjkhiA8ceaGjsN0LVlEf01do_G906PIJm/s1600-h/leek_risotto.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVJuq1fThN8GX9OGYltoK7T_KrHGWD-vex9G9umt8XItsBuiWnSHiUR2gb72BG7nh2VN6pkwMHT3vRpdpY5UsHNC7ucO2yTX4XxrjshWiA_vnWjkhiA8ceaGjsN0LVlEf01do_G906PIJm/s320/leek_risotto.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095166884003419650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The result was an extremely tasty leek and black pepper risotto which was topped with parmesan and some delicious truffle oil from our trip to Italy last year.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-53889170029799721502007-07-24T20:51:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:31.973+11:00Spicy apple cake<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A pile of apples in the fruit bowl resulted in another excuse to delve into my trove from Nana's Recipe Drawer - and the winning recipe was a Spicy Apple Cake from </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Woman's Day</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkGxuKU3oV5TDjhrxPm3AOgFskaQkwYV3BxsO_MvOWMtMlaXzXhlkZYhpc-XPe4Oo48RzV2Xk10UjVNEHjd99G-0c22mpIjOUQg-gmHbTKBEM6XhGezmer0gKMUfSmZWPAB-FXmhXXCBt/s1600-h/apple_cake_recipe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVkGxuKU3oV5TDjhrxPm3AOgFskaQkwYV3BxsO_MvOWMtMlaXzXhlkZYhpc-XPe4Oo48RzV2Xk10UjVNEHjd99G-0c22mpIjOUQg-gmHbTKBEM6XhGezmer0gKMUfSmZWPAB-FXmhXXCBt/s320/apple_cake_recipe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095167807421388306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The recipe was very quick and easy, but the cooking time was blown out to 1 hour 20 mins by my cursed oven! Damn you landlord and your ancient cooking device.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07t4Ljf8QEkTCRxfizY9Kqdo9TgqQJLtLgvaQMoNO3s5dXhyphenhyphenLV1cqajV1L3GdrsUrlmdwKFRXuhaWHPCRyPBYhK0HCEA29m6Mm1GkjGQHS0o5OC9SSrw1KLBZawr5UI86Uoz6_jm9wvib/s1600-h/apple_cake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07t4Ljf8QEkTCRxfizY9Kqdo9TgqQJLtLgvaQMoNO3s5dXhyphenhyphenLV1cqajV1L3GdrsUrlmdwKFRXuhaWHPCRyPBYhK0HCEA29m6Mm1GkjGQHS0o5OC9SSrw1KLBZawr5UI86Uoz6_jm9wvib/s320/apple_cake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5095168601990338082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The result was a slightly dry cake (slightly saved by the fresh apple). Next time I think I'll pre-cook the apples to compensate, but Neil had no complaints so it can't have been too bad.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-25610198688549604082007-07-14T16:24:00.001+10:002008-11-14T08:41:32.151+11:00The Russians are coming!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDufPLY7w8_COhewTA209I886wWHACaF1Bbr2EEmtzDsnBJ4wAtOJWYbydy1pDZw7MVugcYqrjS-z1zCtSHDvF5lgrEN5X9f02SJIY_WjWwKJMBozkKOxndjroxS8k_y58-BWgdYj-uNh/s1600-h/russian_Slice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDufPLY7w8_COhewTA209I886wWHACaF1Bbr2EEmtzDsnBJ4wAtOJWYbydy1pDZw7MVugcYqrjS-z1zCtSHDvF5lgrEN5X9f02SJIY_WjWwKJMBozkKOxndjroxS8k_y58-BWgdYj-uNh/s320/russian_Slice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086935798984299954" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >After having it in practically every lunchbox from the age of about 10 to 17, I never thought I'd ever eat Russian Slice again... let alone bake it myself!<br /><br />Looking for something a bit different for Neil's 'elevenses' and 'fourses' this week I found myself thinking back to the baked treats that Mum used to make. Coconut Rough was out because Neil doesn't like coconut, chocolate chip biscuits have been done to death, and he had <a href="http://nanasrecipedrawer.blogspot.com/2007/06/neils-birthday.html">birthday cake</a> the other week, so that left the Russian!<br /><br />Surprisingly it came out exactly as I remembered it... kinda cakey and full of juicy sultanas. I'll have to check with Mum what sort of icing she used to use, because the thin layer of vanilla just seemed too sweet.<br /><br />I can see this one returning to my repertoire.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-54411025036633793142007-07-12T14:22:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:32.289+11:00Flowers for Nana!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDa6LY9Xmsb83Hd4Fa7pgZmYiIq84fdcuHp7GTdrppgfEcyAy9UefqKtYu1Sjd9a0m2btS5Ox1Y5js63xaco-4uQWJPF8HiNHzhpSGo6U1lCEepHIQJSmJPNUR-7KkSqSHzknSWXfhW2pL/s1600-h/flowers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDa6LY9Xmsb83Hd4Fa7pgZmYiIq84fdcuHp7GTdrppgfEcyAy9UefqKtYu1Sjd9a0m2btS5Ox1Y5js63xaco-4uQWJPF8HiNHzhpSGo6U1lCEepHIQJSmJPNUR-7KkSqSHzknSWXfhW2pL/s200/flowers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086161605359392098" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;font-family:georgia;font-size:85%;" >Well, flowers for me from the lovely Neil because Nana is in hospital! My beautiful, wonderful invincible Nana...<br /><br />We hope she makes a speedy recovery and is back in the kitchen whipping up a storm VERY soon.<br /><br />xoxoxox</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-21201722650011440162007-07-09T15:54:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:32.753+11:00Get Stuffed!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqS6MsuAaI-Vi_WkKwp3rQC6iVfxeDswLFVFEkkmCcWT1cS0l9WW_6eCMnPsTbQTF5PqWoSWaFOQW41KiKQ4BloLaWQsfz-xi2m30Rw_7e_qpufWp8HhuRSKDQQCur6Ea2kqlolXiM3LRa/s1600-h/scotch_Filet2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqS6MsuAaI-Vi_WkKwp3rQC6iVfxeDswLFVFEkkmCcWT1cS0l9WW_6eCMnPsTbQTF5PqWoSWaFOQW41KiKQ4BloLaWQsfz-xi2m30Rw_7e_qpufWp8HhuRSKDQQCur6Ea2kqlolXiM3LRa/s320/scotch_Filet2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086933621435880834" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Any meal that includes steak and bacon on the same plate makes for a very happy Neil, which is why this week's Nan</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >a's Recipe Drawer creation had to be her Stuffed Scotch Fillet.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEnuGEqy1QzylYTXiacLQet_Ey8f9Ob4xpkzxvYav-pXildaFle3uspXMDih1l0M-3FiPn-CXr1vWydPzxB_6j2Xjuh2emY7HSBct15B_pzX3V3MLDn2f19ZWYjQj1kA5ijTSiPEMYWk9/s1600-h/scotch_filet_recipe.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEnuGEqy1QzylYTXiacLQet_Ey8f9Ob4xpkzxvYav-pXildaFle3uspXMDih1l0M-3FiPn-CXr1vWydPzxB_6j2Xjuh2emY7HSBct15B_pzX3V3MLDn2f19ZWYjQj1kA5ijTSiPEMYWk9/s320/scotch_filet_recipe.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086934033752741266" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Handwritten (and slightly hard to read), the recipe was fairly quick and easy to recreate. We teamed it with some golden polenta batons (made with plenty of parmesan) and sauteed green beans.<br /><br />For me, it was another version of mushroom ragout (spot the mushie freak!) with fresh shitakes, oyster mushrooms, dried Chinese mushrooms and good ol' buttons from our trip to Norton Street Grocer. I added some nice peppery rocket rocket too.<br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFG3DBUppvnn_IcuLKYurrmb_1yHMIIbuTpaqBzPkvjhSFMEPafa6u4n_Q83YtT2EpxvZeBgQDCxhbzVJaDAX5Cd2eEga8UQdzwhVdalZc56kxB2LaNlzPI8Rwayu8WScYwftQnvmro1w5/s1600-h/polenta_mushrooms.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFG3DBUppvnn_IcuLKYurrmb_1yHMIIbuTpaqBzPkvjhSFMEPafa6u4n_Q83YtT2EpxvZeBgQDCxhbzVJaDAX5Cd2eEga8UQdzwhVdalZc56kxB2LaNlzPI8Rwayu8WScYwftQnvmro1w5/s320/polenta_mushrooms.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086934201256465826" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Next time we'll probably cook the meat for a little less than the hour recommended as Neil prefers his cow medium-rare, whereas way-back-when the preference for meat was well done.<br /><br />Roll on next time (and I may even try some).</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-14625402286088015522007-07-01T17:49:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:33.040+11:00Birthday High Tea at The Observatory<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUReusEja6ci2rgFrnczie6nsU-qZ7Jz3s5HzqPsz2l3suSPX1zicIBClU_St6V8r4WLlsZHtEwGH22U-E6DgnmDF4xURGuuLGufIo06FVGWabEo_lCH6FmujK01K87li7raDYkLJQWBD/s1600-h/Observatory_high_tea.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKUReusEja6ci2rgFrnczie6nsU-qZ7Jz3s5HzqPsz2l3suSPX1zicIBClU_St6V8r4WLlsZHtEwGH22U-E6DgnmDF4xURGuuLGufIo06FVGWabEo_lCH6FmujK01K87li7raDYkLJQWBD/s320/Observatory_high_tea.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086939209188333074" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >The Oliver sisters are on a quest to sample every High Tea offering in Sydney. This month it was the turn of The Observatory Hotel's Globe Bar. We even had an occasion this time - Lee's 24th birthday - so we ordered champagne... a glass each of Moet Rose. Mmmm.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br />We'd been looking forward to High Tea at The Observatory for a long time, and they didn't disappoint. We started with mini sandwiches - cucumber & mayo, salmon & mayo, egg and wholegrain mustard and cheddar & tomato.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br />Next up were the scones, and thank God they weren't anything like the solid hockey pucks we had at the Stamford Circular Quay! Creamy, soft and still warm from the oven, we covered them with lashings of double cream and strawberry conserve (with real chunks of strawberry). The conserve was so tasty Amy took to it with her spoon and finished the bowl... class</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >y!</span><br /><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br />Saving the sweets till last, we were very excited about the mini creme brulee, chocolate mousse with gold leaf, mini fruit tart, almond florentine and mixed berry cake. The almond florentine was crunchy with a rich toffee centre and definitely my highlight, followed closely by the creme brulee.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Being the good sister, I sent the sisters home with a birthday cake (not that they needed anything else to eat), this time a carrot cake with lime cream cheese icing. The recipe was a combination of two I found online - on </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/5185/carrot+cake+with+lime+icing">taste.com.au</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> and the other on </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/102155">epicurious.com </a><br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TKTQIlLQvR4sFqoWud5lUaYTuTMxt8hOPyuCvTkCyITuxb_5hiwft13gEZRiEcvfnMdqzMY4G5RuJ97U5MHHBxYjSFF5mQub5_Myj7WotPBmqUMrcSio3R-4ZoF471E5O102n0k3VENQ/s1600-h/carrot_cake_slice.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TKTQIlLQvR4sFqoWud5lUaYTuTMxt8hOPyuCvTkCyITuxb_5hiwft13gEZRiEcvfnMdqzMY4G5RuJ97U5MHHBxYjSFF5mQub5_Myj7WotPBmqUMrcSio3R-4ZoF471E5O102n0k3VENQ/s320/carrot_cake_slice.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086939041684608514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Unfortunately it wouldn't all fit in the container, so I did manage a small taste test. The verdict? Moist, crunchy from the walnuts, the sharp tang of the lime icing... delish!</span><br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-3064360609009038742007-06-26T18:09:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:33.416+11:00Neil's Birthday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkg3Du7WeiWQBj1hFCjKyDx97aosUpmY6IU0FCMw6IC5CzeKgtnuZlaoJCtG2dS_fdy-l2QIQnbLVhnnvSt41wual0p-XzgaTO6gMtaMsnweAKoTUEjexJbDGOn_92i86o42_t6JLMaCBK/s1600-h/devils_food_cake.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkg3Du7WeiWQBj1hFCjKyDx97aosUpmY6IU0FCMw6IC5CzeKgtnuZlaoJCtG2dS_fdy-l2QIQnbLVhnnvSt41wual0p-XzgaTO6gMtaMsnweAKoTUEjexJbDGOn_92i86o42_t6JLMaCBK/s320/devils_food_cake.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086940072476759602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Neil's birthday was on June 26 and this year's cake was a Devil's Food Cake. Unfortunately I couldn't find my regular recipe so I turned to </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/13415">epicurious.com</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> for help.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I was a little concerned at the amount of sugar listed in the recipe, but I trusted the authors and the result was a very large food cake that was rich without being sickly. I decorated it with chocolate icing and Maltesers a'la Nigella Lawson. Despite the fact we were heading to a friend's for a pot luck dinner an hour later, we did the candles and wish thing and shared a slice as we got ready.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Dinner at Andre and Pierre's was a combined birthday for Andre (who was of</span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MEgIUDwU8p1Yy8QhmJhpffNYoUttO17MdEkxgJ9Qx0v3dviiPcOlJmpSe-1-knaG1mvSjxvKT_MxBctrmgdiIApFG854c2hOguau3S7rxue5T7igAJ5X_mdyWNhmjvow9wH-NpJIZHiC/s1600-h/bday_dinner.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8MEgIUDwU8p1Yy8QhmJhpffNYoUttO17MdEkxgJ9Qx0v3dviiPcOlJmpSe-1-knaG1mvSjxvKT_MxBctrmgdiIApFG854c2hOguau3S7rxue5T7igAJ5X_mdyWNhmjvow9wH-NpJIZHiC/s200/bday_dinner.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5082140898224057762" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">f overseas to celebrate) and Neil. The usual suspects were there and we were each responsible for a course (and several bottles of red wine.</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >On the menu:</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tomato and basil risotto (Me)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Warm roasted winter vegetable salad (Jackie)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Roast ram (Joh & Pierre)</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Followed by Chocolate and apricot tart with rhubarb ice cream and marscapone (Sarah)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Boy was I feeling rotund after that meal!<br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-41484503973721637312007-06-18T21:19:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:34.108+11:00The day I ate chicken and other food tales...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1whTNhrGkPQkOu5xsUoqRpa03aS-yUtBjw49PTKWKnV5eQhYRGE998GLaUcCZAX7Gn-4fUSS5aD4TP9j06QNcT189KIE7nygYrhJBf2oq_hbnKbpDM7WBx-iDtQIot89N8Izrboh5kb8O/s1600-h/parmesan_chicken.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1whTNhrGkPQkOu5xsUoqRpa03aS-yUtBjw49PTKWKnV5eQhYRGE998GLaUcCZAX7Gn-4fUSS5aD4TP9j06QNcT189KIE7nygYrhJBf2oq_hbnKbpDM7WBx-iDtQIot89N8Izrboh5kb8O/s320/parmesan_chicken.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086938156921345490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well, Sunday June 17 will be a day my parents rejoice and I feel kinda weird about. After 7 years as a vege I ate chicken. Two mouthfuls and yes it was premeditated.</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The recipe was Parmesan Chicken - torn by Nana from the March 1995 issue of Australian Women's Weekly. The making of this dish has been several weeks in the planning (or is that psyching) and a wet, rainy day was the decider.</span><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprT0iq-YSs0SYJTweWscB1VkNyIhpzezcAJgRsQhKBZLS2yh4OFskarc2C0XsEbE-HZ3sZHIjGJggli0W6AoTwsIgGQdrgxM41zzZpaFVceN5iedsoEDrfw1S7m7gS4CTPESt852WiNC7/s1600-h/mushroom_ragout.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiprT0iq-YSs0SYJTweWscB1VkNyIhpzezcAJgRsQhKBZLS2yh4OFskarc2C0XsEbE-HZ3sZHIjGJggli0W6AoTwsIgGQdrgxM41zzZpaFVceN5iedsoEDrfw1S7m7gS4CTPESt852WiNC7/s320/mushroom_ragout.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086938384554612194" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Neil made mash (being English he's something of an expert) and I made some Mushroom Ragout to supplement my foray into cannibalism.</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZchwZvywKW4wHNpzAo3vX_Ot8mShGJzHwSJOitMXcaWal4ntejl7Ry2boJYGFHB-5gv3gQoItgAYkqXRyz5C_LGmvOm775OGPQfOAll1ymSJws0VTGiQhXQPj6Xaghun8LUBRFUITWVI6/s1600-h/eating_chicken.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZchwZvywKW4wHNpzAo3vX_Ot8mShGJzHwSJOitMXcaWal4ntejl7Ry2boJYGFHB-5gv3gQoItgAYkqXRyz5C_LGmvOm775OGPQfOAll1ymSJws0VTGiQhXQPj6Xaghun8LUBRFUITWVI6/s320/eating_chicken.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086937955057882562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And the verdict? Chicken tastes like... well, nothing really. The crust was tasty though.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It was a perfect end to a day in the kitchen in which Ginger Kisses (so-so) and Red Lentil Soup (a new regular) played the role of amuse buche.</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMxNI8M7Ij4fODJn3CIhCYZEodlgrweWUkhS-bT3-tV8lWOK-ZI3ZdUAyO4tUrMptZweb92sRgyDUiGtPd3-habjjayuSKWmQbi-zu2wpTJXyjlw2dM5QFD52GiUT1pamh57zm4a_7jj_f/s1600-h/ginger_kisses.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMxNI8M7Ij4fODJn3CIhCYZEodlgrweWUkhS-bT3-tV8lWOK-ZI3ZdUAyO4tUrMptZweb92sRgyDUiGtPd3-habjjayuSKWmQbi-zu2wpTJXyjlw2dM5QFD52GiUT1pamh57zm4a_7jj_f/s320/ginger_kisses.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086938595008009714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-25137388740678499682007-06-04T21:48:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:34.255+11:00Everyone has a specialty... mine is:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNUny8okzamkX1hs5cWe7sQLYk5sIs9M7AWEsMOPe2kclBHbqjOL4QvCEmh6t5TRFzcv4tlF3KylEon3fZYLOwf6TZPFR_YgJs1b9VPYsaD0gJrdaZ3NgSVEU-o4sU2x8RKUzxDderfFX/s1600-h/tomato_risotto_0406.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNUny8okzamkX1hs5cWe7sQLYk5sIs9M7AWEsMOPe2kclBHbqjOL4QvCEmh6t5TRFzcv4tlF3KylEon3fZYLOwf6TZPFR_YgJs1b9VPYsaD0gJrdaZ3NgSVEU-o4sU2x8RKUzxDderfFX/s320/tomato_risotto_0406.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5086939398166894114" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Risotto!</span><br />This incarnation is a Trio of Tomato Risotto with King Prawns & Basil (I ate it sans prawns). Yum.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-32392688733609421872007-06-03T20:58:00.001+10:002008-11-14T08:41:34.631+11:00A Gluttonous Sunday<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59QNpQM9bR-nTU6uVG01C-1UpNAAoQH2KCitNNHA9ZohM3oOVq5xbVw_AV2GFmJ_QJFkWY5Nt_1uXhSFJmzMws0l5CPApjqPwev0YnFVq6Be4HzMXtDlTgbBOwXcAJgUmOUo1o9gZcXln/s1600-h/Img_0911.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh59QNpQM9bR-nTU6uVG01C-1UpNAAoQH2KCitNNHA9ZohM3oOVq5xbVw_AV2GFmJ_QJFkWY5Nt_1uXhSFJmzMws0l5CPApjqPwev0YnFVq6Be4HzMXtDlTgbBOwXcAJgUmOUo1o9gZcXln/s200/Img_0911.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071794587517758258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today started off badly and turned out to be one of the best Sunday's I've had for a while. I was rather hungover after a night out at the football so started the day with a big bowl of my homemade muesli topped with kiwifruit. </span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">From there it was off to Primo Italiano 2007, a food festival which was part of the </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.sydneyitalianfestival.com.au/">Sydney Italian Festival</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">. It was really busy and a bit of an assault on my still-recovering senses, but a trip to the </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://www.beppis.com.au/">Beppi's</a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> stand for a plate of polenta with wild mushrooms and </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">parmesan and a bottle of San Pellegrino Aranciata sorted me out. (Tamzin had the </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">eggplant parmigiana which was also delish!).<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Next up was a chocolate, almond and ginger filled sweet shortcrust pastry</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvTjf1DLFoACeNDcR20RiyeIGaj0ijq1DRPu8omf7P6-usa5HTltbMJbfh68l3BZsd6vIYSXKE4us9QGQ0EOhM6135Fu7lLhS058XQI9V6yvX_gj0XaKucMg2ka8B8PiXnFFfPwRV5If5/s1600-h/DSC00009.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvTjf1DLFoACeNDcR20RiyeIGaj0ijq1DRPu8omf7P6-usa5HTltbMJbfh68l3BZsd6vIYSXKE4us9QGQ0EOhM6135Fu7lLhS058XQI9V6yvX_gj0XaKucMg2ka8B8PiXnFFfPwRV5If5/s200/DSC00009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071794273985145618" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> (started with s...). It was melt in the mouth heaven!</span> </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Feeling more than a little stuffed, we moved on to the second part of the day's activities... rollerblading! Tamzin is a bit of a pro these </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">days but I'm a </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">complete novice again after many years with my feet</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> firmly planted on the ground.<br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We did a couple of laps of Centennial Park and despite a few hiccups with stopping </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">(i.e: I couldn't) I managed to finish the afternoon without stacking once. Well done</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"> me...</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Dinner was a rather boring affair (soup) so I decided to whip up an old family favourite - Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding. As if I </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvY0xPBLZgtIYnc0YQM4SSniNvAmusrSjGWcnsoTHUOpTKuHdKL-RSE6LhXQ9lm_VXTazyO0P80lXLC6JcUm979LdjxnKggAIKEoUh2TaEIbWMQRzCs1ewzXFsIYr134Jm1gFvWffD7f8G/s1600-h/DSC00010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvY0xPBLZgtIYnc0YQM4SSniNvAmusrSjGWcnsoTHUOpTKuHdKL-RSE6LhXQ9lm_VXTazyO0P80lXLC6JcUm979LdjxnKggAIKEoUh2TaEIbWMQRzCs1ewzXFsIYr134Jm1gFvWffD7f8G/s200/DSC00010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071794381359328034" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">needed an</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">y </span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">more food today!</span> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Mum's Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92gJ4ySWX3Gg4BN5CPYv7VpAVXo-7fV1Onsqqq5Y_rt4aJgm49x_JAw6B9zv1JVRDlIteEhRDeBh3Y9CG5r3v_w0CrxqgSca5G2ZxoAwX3d1FdnYgc42Y7jxHfRt6TydiuKONk1Jguy7k/s1600-h/Img_0956.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92gJ4ySWX3Gg4BN5CPYv7VpAVXo-7fV1Onsqqq5Y_rt4aJgm49x_JAw6B9zv1JVRDlIteEhRDeBh3Y9CG5r3v_w0CrxqgSca5G2ZxoAwX3d1FdnYgc42Y7jxHfRt6TydiuKONk1Jguy7k/s200/Img_0956.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071800243989687122" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1 c flour</span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1 tbsp cocoa</span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 tbsp melted butter<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1/2 c sugar</span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1 tsp baking powder<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1/2 tsp salt<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1/2 c milk<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1 tsp vanilla<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Topping:<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">3/4 c brown sugar<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 tbsp cocoa<br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">1 3/4 c hot water<br /></span></span><ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Sift flour, baking powder, salt sugar and cocoa together into a large ovenproof dish.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Add milk, vanilla and butter and beat until smooth.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Sift over combined cocoa and brown sugar and gently pour over hot water.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Bake for 55-60 minutes or until spongey.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Serve with a dollop of organic unsweetened yoghurt.</span></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-21707778928086614342007-06-03T20:32:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:34.739+11:00Mmm cookies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrzUJc6rIU25RUcp9s2jbiwMCy4HhljBBbTlM1on8NjmNBB13roT-xj2wup8B84VctZToPxhIHO33Wb2JUzNeZRDwIrZE3Juh_zpI-mtC6S78CXX2V4tB3XbH0e8SANIZbfHEJup6GwOA/s1600-h/Img_0893.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhrzUJc6rIU25RUcp9s2jbiwMCy4HhljBBbTlM1on8NjmNBB13roT-xj2wup8B84VctZToPxhIHO33Wb2JUzNeZRDwIrZE3Juh_zpI-mtC6S78CXX2V4tB3XbH0e8SANIZbfHEJup6GwOA/s320/Img_0893.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071789386312362690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">I know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach because my early attempts to woo Neil (baked goodies for his lunches every day) obviously succeeded. An unfortunate side effect of this is having to drag myself into the kitchen every weekend to whip up a new batch of treats for 'elevenses' and 'fourses'. Pfft, who am I trying to kid... I LOVE those hours spent baking.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The latest treat was bill granger's Chocolate Peanut Chunk cookies. Now, after not one but two bill granger scone recipe disasters I was ready to avoid his baking recipes and just stick to the savoury meals... but I gave him one more chance. Glad I did... these were so good I even took some for my lunch.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-60825074807105668982007-05-31T20:54:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:34.865+11:00The Biggest Morning Tea<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrPiTSjP9kdirZQ3RJ4dFGFT_1pr7vi-6P4WeDZFzX0nqo58li7dTTtam12PW9mXPlRroGjVJ_A_2DX06jCUExW74ChaSxMAJLg-e3F784dYbk_GOub5obHHRundmvSSk3G8GKHBuEJWw/s1600-h/Img_0952.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTrPiTSjP9kdirZQ3RJ4dFGFT_1pr7vi-6P4WeDZFzX0nqo58li7dTTtam12PW9mXPlRroGjVJ_A_2DX06jCUExW74ChaSxMAJLg-e3F784dYbk_GOub5obHHRundmvSSk3G8GKHBuEJWw/s320/Img_0952.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071790524478696146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">Work held its Biggest Morning Tea cancer fundraiser on Wednesday 31 May and after the success of my cupcakes at my bosses bbq earlier this year, I couldn't resist whipping up another batch. I use the </span><a style="font-family: trebuchet ms;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia_Bakery">Magnolia Bakery</a><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;"> recipe with a few slight adjustments as the originals are just too sweet for this side of the world.</span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-46242378741453600102007-05-20T16:26:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:35.039+11:00Bored and Baking<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwhQ4JNHV6ZCDf8-ae-tw4aH2zL7pxuKsPpSG9pJ3dnjBe3iBHM0lEX4sQlbZPt4a69oQRs-M4TIHGk4NnhSd-P6D0_hqUe906S-UaSPVhMdgKJOZ0YE6deAYf_iBtxznMf1gyztyh3Pd/s1600-h/ginger_crunch.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwhQ4JNHV6ZCDf8-ae-tw4aH2zL7pxuKsPpSG9pJ3dnjBe3iBHM0lEX4sQlbZPt4a69oQRs-M4TIHGk4NnhSd-P6D0_hqUe906S-UaSPVhMdgKJOZ0YE6deAYf_iBtxznMf1gyztyh3Pd/s320/ginger_crunch.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066529116526652082" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I've had a hankering for a good hunk of ginger crunch for a while. Auntie Pauline used to do a good crunchy GC, but since then every piece I've come across has looked the part, but has ended up too base-y, not ginger-y enough or just plain disappointing.</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />During my trawl through the contents of Nana's Recipe Drawer I found this little gem of a recipe that ticked all the boxes. </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" ><br /><br />GINGER CRUNCH</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />Base:</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />125g butter</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />1/4 c sugar</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />1 tsp baking powder</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />1 c plain flour</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />1 tsp ground ginger</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><br />Icing:</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 tbsp butter</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />3 tsp ground ginger</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">2 rounded tbsp golden syrup</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />1 tbsp water</span> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />2 c icing sugar</span> </span><ul style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line an 18x28cm slice tin with baking paper making sure to have enough at the sides so you can pull the slice out when it's cooled.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">For the base: Cut the cold butter into cubes and place in a food processor with the flour, baking powder and ginger. Pulse until the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Press the crumbly mixture into the slice tin firmly and evenly.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Bake for about 10 minutes or until evenly and lightly browned. While hot, it will still feel hot. While the base cooks, prepare the icing.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">For the icing: Place the butter, ginger, golden syrup and water in a saucepan and heat without boiling until melted. Take off the heat and stir in sifted icing sugar. Beat until smooth.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">When the base is cooked, take it from the oven and pour the warm icing over the hot base. Spread evenly over the base.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">Leave the slice in the tin to cool and set. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:85%;">When it has cooled completely, remove from the tin. Slice into large squares and store in an airtight container. Do not refrigerate!</span></li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4223166513961632516.post-74599360505838300952007-05-19T17:50:00.000+10:002008-11-14T08:41:35.138+11:00Fat Pancakes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5alzocTMfhwfGLfuChrdfqsRPywd1hT6GBLKHryptmNyOgjrUIPqkaAqgU8SMlzZufQjFHBBcKB3amO3ZCvbJSUTWmzV3QvolzVqOB-hRNdtF0DPVLUwqyMay8eMZ8Wr2JYWSwls5K1C/s1600-h/pancakes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5alzocTMfhwfGLfuChrdfqsRPywd1hT6GBLKHryptmNyOgjrUIPqkaAqgU8SMlzZufQjFHBBcKB3amO3ZCvbJSUTWmzV3QvolzVqOB-hRNdtF0DPVLUwqyMay8eMZ8Wr2JYWSwls5K1C/s320/pancakes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066470606187178658" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >It wasn't until I started reminiscing about my favourite childhood food memories that I remembered Nana Brownie's Christmas morning breakfast. We'd arrive at 8am with a pillowcase of presents from Father Christmas clutched in our hands all sugared up from eating Chocolate Santas.<br /><br />Nana would be in the kitchen stirring pancake batter and checking the progress of the bacon, and Grandad would be in the lounge on his chair with a glass of ginger ale.</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Christmas morning breakfast was always the same: fat, fluffy American pancakes, crispy bacon (coated in flour before grilling for extra crunch), orange juice and gallons of real maple syrup sent over from Canada by Uncle John. </span> <span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >I used to call them "Fat Pancakes" and still do...</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br />FAT PANCAKES</span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;"><br />250g plain flour</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br />2 tsp baking powder</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br />4 tbsp brown sugar</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >2 free-range eggs, beaten</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >250ml milk</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br />50g butter, melted</span><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" ><br />Butter for frying</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span><ul><li><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Sift the flour, baking powder and brown sugar into a bowl.</span><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >- In another bowl, mix the eggs and milk.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Combine wet ingredients into dry and add melted butter.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Whisk with a balloon whisk until the batter is smooth.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Heat a frying pan on a medium-high heat, then add a little butter.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >When butter is foamy, pour in a large cooking spoon of batter. Circle pan to spread the mixture.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Cook for 1 minute or until golden, then flip to do the other side.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Keep pancakes warm on a plate in a low oven</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Nana used to put a sprinkling of sugar between each layer.</span></li><li><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:85%;" >Serve in stacks with your choice of crsipy bacon, caramelised bananas, fresh fruit, real maple syrup, golden syrup or lemon and sugar.</span></li></ul><span style="font-size:85%;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0