Happy Australia Day!  What could be more Australian than lamb on Australia Day?  You could add a breakfast of Vegemite on toast.  Chug back a few VB’s on the day, even with breakfast if that’s your thing.

My mum and Mac adore lamb, Josh is quite fond of it too, even Ms Lily has a bit of a love affair going with lamb.  I have a secret, I don’t like lamb, actually like is too soft a word, I hate lamb.  I do like lambs in their living form, they are so cute as they frolic around the paddock.  Butcher one, cook it up and my love goes out the window.  I’m not too fond of Vegemite either, and detest beer.

Some would consider that I am very un-Australian for hating the big three; lamb, Vegemite and beer.  But what really makes you a dinky-di Aussie anyway?

I think I am the perfect example of what makes you an Aussie.  I was born here, so instantly have my papers in order.  My mother’s side are Irish/English and came out here when Australia was discovered/stolen/overtaken/settled (not getting into that mind thought right now) to start a new life.  My father’s side came to Australia a little later to escape the horrors of World War 2, settle and make a new life.  Unless you are native Australian, you were either born here or came here to better your life and that of your family.  Actually those we consider native Australians also came here, and we have to assume their agenda was also to better their lives. Read more →

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Amongst the sophisticated hors d’oeuvres that may grace your Christmas table, it is always nice to have something for the kids.  The only thing that really makes these sausage rolls festive is the use of cranberry sauce in the filling.  I feel it is enough of a ‘Christmas’ ingredient to slide these in to my Christmas recipes, just.

As easy as this recipe is, the sage and cranberry sauce does take the humble sausage roll to a new level.   The beauty of this recipe is the sausage rolls can be made in advance and frozen once they have been assembled.  If not used for Christmas day, they really are great to have on hand in the freezer to pop in the oven when unexpected guests pay a visit.  Trust me, big kids will devour these just as quickly as the little ones. Read more →

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The warm wooden interior of Churrasco is extremely inviting on this cold winter’s night down at Coogee Beach.  Upon entering  the first thing you notice are the rows of long swords holding various meats being rotated over hot BBQ coals.  It smells fantastic.  We are shown to one of the long wooden communal tables by a smiling staff member.

Churrasco is an all you can eat Brazilian BBQ where a selection of barbecued meats, vegetables, salads and antipasto items are served rodizio style at your table.  For $44/person you can eat as much as your heart desires.  It is wise to come on an empty stomach. Read more →

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Did you watch the opening ceremony for the Olympic games last weekend?  Were you up bright and early to watch it live from London?  Not me, it would have to take something a little more special to rob me of a sleep in on the weekend.  Instead I decided that watching the replay in the afternoon was a far more sensible option.

The sensible option also meant I could try out a recipe which I thought would be perfect snack material for watching television.  Perfect for Sunday football or any sport watching, perfect for a movie or movie marathon, and hit the spot while watching Olympic games opening ceremony.  Fish and chips may be very British, but who needs fish when you can have BACON! Read more →

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When I make chicken stock I do it army style, en mass, I use a large 16L pot.  My stock recipe is a very simple one.  One whole chicken, quartered, 8 chicken legs, 8 chicken wings, 3 carrots and stalks of celery (chunkily chopped) and one onion peeled and cut in halves.  I then add around 10L of water, the elephant sized pot left to simmer, simmer and simmer some more.

I end up with about 9L of stock.  Which is then frozen in 1L and 1cup (250ml) portions .  The chicken gets divided two ways.  Prime bits for us for sandwiches, frozen to be added to soup at a later date or turned in to all sorts of goodies.  The rest of the chicken is shredded up with the veggies and becomes meals for Sally.  Sally loves stock making days.  She doesn’t leave my side in the kitchen while I divvy up the chicken.  Eagerly awaiting a tasty morsel to be gently tossed for her to delicately catch in that soft labrador mouth.  She knows that dinner that night will be one of her favourites.  Sally also has a penchant for Peking duck and BBQ chicken.

It was this very large batch of chicken stock that enticed me to making these pies.  I had never made individual pies before, even though they have been on my ‘to do’ list for quite a while.  I admit, I wanted to have a go at making chunky beef pies, but with all my excess chicken meat from stock making, it seemed the perfect time to whip up some chicken pies.  It was also a miserable cold day in Sydney, perfect pie weather. Read more →

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When you think of pear recipes, does your mind tend to wander towards, cakes, muffins, crumbles, poached pears?  I know mine does.  When I was contacted by Kellie from Impact Communications in regard to a competition they were holding during National Pear Month, I originally hummed and hawed about participating.  The reason for taking my time to say yes was basically due to being flat out.  I decided to participate, but I made the decision to push myself and come up with a savoury recipe using pears.

I do have one staple savoury pear recipe I whip up on the odd occasion.  Is perfect for lazy Sunday nights.   A thick slice of pane di casa toasted, topped with thinly sliced prosciutto, pan seared pears, drizzled with balsamic vinegar and them finished off with shaved parmesan cheese.  Sounds good, doesn’t it?  It is, regard that as your bonus recipe of the day.

Deciding I wasn’t going to use my good old staple recipe, I searched my brain to come up with something a little different.  Marry some flavours together that I thought would work well.  Guess what?  The recipe I developed rocks!  The filling works so well with the chicken, not over powering, and the flavours meld well together.  The addition of lemon in the butter and sage sauce adds the perfect amount of acidity to cut through the rich butter and lift the dish. Read more →

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Our Daring Cooks’ December 2011 hostess is Sara from Belly Rumbles! Sara chose awesome Char Sui Bao as our challenge, where we made the buns, Char Sui, and filling from scratch – delicious!

Sara….. Belly Rumbles…. well hello there, that would be me!

What an honour and privilege to host this month’s Daring Kitchen’s Daring Cooks’ Challenge.   It was also quite nerve wracking with months of recipe testing and trying to make everything perfect. 

A quick explanation for those of you that aren’t familiar with the Daring Kitchen or how the Daring Cooks’ challenges work.  Each month the challenge is hosted by a member of the Daring Cooks’ Group.  The host posts the challenge on a specific date in the members area.  It is kept a secret from the public.  The members participating in the challenge all reveal how they went on a specific date,  through their food blogs, the 14th of the month. 

It is a global community and, to be honest, I was nervous oh what people would think of the challenge.  All feedback was positive, but I can’t wait to read how everyone went.  A big hug and thanks to those who participated this month.  Also a big hug to Lis and Audax for their help. Read more →

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“The October Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.”

Thank you Shelley and Ruth for giving us such a great challenge.  I must admit I am not a stranger to Moo Shu pork, it is something I have made before.  We eat a fair bit of Asian food in our household,  I enjoy the flavours and find it quick and satisfying on a weeknight.  Sure there are many dishes from around Asia that require hours of preparation, and I enjoy making those too, but nothing beats a stir fry or noodles mid week.

Moo shu pork (moo shi/mu shu or mu xu pork) originates from Northern China, possibly originally from Shandong.  It is served with warm moo shu pancakes (mandarin pancakes) similar to what is served with Peking Duck.  Actually the recipe that was provided is nearly the same as the one I use to make my pancakes to accompany Peking Duck.  Sauce is also served, usually hoisin sauce. Read more →

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