Category Archives: Roundup

Food Year’s Resolutions

Posted on by
2

If you’ve been following me on instagram, twitter or facebook over the summer months (or winter months, as it may be for you) then you’ll know that I’ve had a lazy and fabulous foodie time.

Christmas was full of baking and crafting (and good intentions to share recipes with you, which fell by the wayside)…

craft and baking

Since Christmas, I’ve done a spot of preserving.

So far this month, I’ve made: a saucy three sugar strawberry jam, an apricot jam, and apricot infused vodka and a beetroot relish.

I must say, I use the term ‘jam’ loosely, and yes, with pun intended.  These are the type of jams one would use in desserts.  They are not breakfast jams.  When I learnt how much sugar was in jam, I think I came to the realisation that perhaps jam should never really be a breakfast food.  In any case, the consistency of my jams lend themselves perfectly to being mixed through ice-cream or yogurt or being brushed over cake layers.

Jam

I will share these recipes with you in the coming days.  But, today, I want to focus on my food resolutions for 2013.

Last year was a really great food journey for me and I have a feeling that 2013 will be even better.  Highlights of 2013 for me included: learning to cook Authentic Chicken Satay on my spontaneous trip to Singapore, conquering some amazing Middle Eastern flavours (including delicious Briouats, an amazing Chicken Tagine and an Almond Honey Spiced Syrup Cake), and creating the Chocolate Cherry Meringue Pudding Cake.  Oh, and who could forget that health kick stretch I did – which resulted in those Gluten-Free and Sugar-Free Chocolate Cupcake?

There are a few things on my cooking bucket list that I would like to tick off.  So here are my food resolutions for 2013:

  • master pastry (an attempt best left to winter)
  • perfect custard (with the view of making mind-blowing ice-cream)
  • learn to make a cheese
  • make bread
  • cook a whole fish, perfectly
  • experiment with jellies
  • increase my Mexican street food street cred
  • study Italian, German, Spanish, Czech and Austrian food….

Well, that last one is a bit of a clue to a trip we’re planning on taking soon.  I hope to document our food travels and share them with you.  One thing I really loved about our trip to Singapore was that I came home with a souvenir I could really use and share – new skills in the kitchen!

What are your 2013 food resolutions?  I’d love to hear all about them!

Culinary adventures … Exhibition cakes

Posted on by
3

I have been on some very exciting culinary adventures of late.  I’ve been everywhere man… Singapore, Brisbane, and Fiji!  So I have lots to tell you about.

Firstly, I went on an unexpected trip to Singapore!  It was a whirlwind adventure.  I ate some amazing food and attended a fabulous cooking class.  That adventure deserves a post to itself, so more about that adventure will be coming your way soon.

Then I went to Brisbane as a stop over on my way to my best friend’s wedding in Fiji.

There isn’t much to a report on the food in Fiji, because I didn’t really leave the resort much.  Normally I would explore on a trip like this (who doesn’t love Fijian Indian food!?!), but I was too busy having too much fun with my dearest friends (and attending to bridesmaid duties and having fabulous spa treatments).  I can say that the food at the Warwick Fiji Resort and Spa on the Coral Coast was surprisingly good.  I always have low expectations when it comes to hotel or resort food, but all the restaurants in the Resort were lovely.  Service was on Fiji time, but that was fine for us because there were so many people to talk too.  I imagine if it had of just been the hubby and I, we would have gotten a bit bored of each other whilst waiting hours for our food though.  But the food was great.  The wedding reception was at the Wicked Walu, a seafood restaurant, located on its own private island.  The food here was really nice and the atmosphere was spectacular.

When in my beloved home town of Brisbane, the best I ate was my Mum’s lamb rack and my Dad’s chicken wings.  When it comes to food, there’s no place like home.

The Ekka was on when we were in Brisbane.  The Ekka is the Brisbane Exhibition Show.  I hadn’t been for years!

You know you’re an adult when you go to the Ekka just to see the animals and the cake decorating displays.  We didn’t even look at show bags or sideshow alley.  Upon reflection, this makes me feel old.  But, it did make for an awesome Ekka trip!

I want to share with you some of the amazing and inspiring cakes which were on display.  Cake Boss would have been proud (I have a new found obsession with that show!).  Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been in awe of the cakes in competition at the Ekka.  I hope that one day I’ll feel confident enough to enter the competition.  The standards are just SO high!

I apologise for the dodgy photos – they were taken through glass, wrestling with the crowd, and under fluro lights – so they don’t really do the cakes justice.

There was a smurf village made entirely of cake and sugar.

I was a huge smurf fan as a child and had every smurf character to play with… but never in my wildest dreams had I ever pictured a smurf village cake.  It was amazing.

Other special cakes to share included:

If you’ve never been to the Ekka, the above cake may be lost on you.  Strawberry ice-cream sundaes, which look exactly like this, are an Ekka tradition which taste amazing and raise lots of money for charity. 

Some amazing ideas, right?  Makes me wonder what I would make if I ever did enter.  What cake would you enter into a show?  Or have you entered a cake in a show?  I’d love to hear from you about fabulous cakes in the comments section below (or via my Twitter or Facebook).

Stay tuned… more on my most fabulous Singapore food adventure is coming your way soon (think Laksa and Chicken Satay recipes!).

Mother’s Day Roundup

Posted on by
3

 

Mother’s Day is a little over a week away here in Australia.  I, unfortunately, don’t live in the same city as my mum, which often makes me quite sad.  My regular followers will probably have met my mum, via the comments she often makes on my posts.  I’m so lucky to have such an amazing and supportive mum.  No matter what I have pursued in my life, mum has stood strong with me.  From picking up the pieces after many-a-boy broke my heart, through to cooking all my favourite meals when I was sick, to make me feel better.

Over the years, mum has always been a source of strength for me.  She is, and has always been on my side (even when she probably shouldn’t have been).  And I have learnt so much from her.  My mum taught me how to love someone unconditionally.  Mum manages to love everyone unconditionally.  I’m not that generous.  But, I’m so lucky to know how to love the people who matter unconditionally, and that is a gift I will always be thankful to my mum for.

And, knock me over with a wet tram ticket – more and more I notice things in me that are mum all over.  And yes, that does sometime include the wearing of leopard print clothes!  :)

So, with Mother’s Day on the horizon, I thought I’d post a round up of all the great things I’ve seen about the blogger-sphere recently which I think would make great Mother’s Day craft and kitchen projects.  I’d make them all for Mum if I could!

Never ending flowers

Carnations have long represented Mother’s Day.  These beautiful carnations are made from tissue paper and will live on strong.

The Enchanted Gallery Blog has step by step instructions for how to make these cheerful, yet surprisingly simple to construct, blooms for your mum.

Fabric gift pouch

If you’ve got something small and special for your mum, why not wrap it in something as special as this?!

A Spoon Full of Sugar has drawn the strings on this magic little design.  I encourage you to check out this site, which has some great crafting gift ideas!  I’m sure any mum would love to receive a parcel which looked as beautiful as this.

Tee up something special for a tea-loving mum

This is just too beautiful – or to be correct about it - Too Stinkin’ Cute!  This blog, Too Stinkin’ Cute, has gone to town with an amazing collection of mum-loving ideas.   So many ideas that it was difficult to pick a favourite for this post!

My mum is more of a coffee drinker, to be honest.  But this idea could still work, you could make special, personalised packets of your mum’s favorite instant coffee!  Such a thoughtful, yet cost effective project.  If you bought some muslin and an amazing loose leaf tea, you could even make the tea bags.  Shhh… friends and family – look away! I love this idea so much that I think I’ll be using it for gifts in the future.

I know… you are probably wondering why there are so many craft ideas on a cooking blog!  Craft is my second love, after all.  But, now we get to the all important Mother’s Day food!

The ultimate Mother’s Day breakfast in bed

Hungry Happenings has the most delicious Mother’s Day breakfast in bed post this year!  Melon flowers, painted pastries and the sweetest eggs I’ve ever seen! 

Hungry Happenings has so much creativity!  The site is a one-stop-shop for any themed recipe you can think of, and more.

Homemade Nutella for breakfast

Who knew you could make Nutella from scratch? and serve it with sea salt? Genius.  I certainly had never thought of it, but what a great Mother’s Day treat!?

A Cup of Jo has many bright ideas for a Mother’s Day brunch and their recipe for Nutella is amazingly simple.  I can’t wait to try it.

Brush embroidery cakes

I’ve never tried it, but would love to.  Brush embroidery on cakes looks amazing.  Big Hungry Gnomes took a sugar craft class on brush embroidery earlier in the year and I’ve been thinking of trying it ever since.
Description: http://bighungrygnomes.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc03277.jpg?w=300&h=200 Description: http://bighungrygnomes.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc03278.jpg?w=300&h=200

Description: http://bighungrygnomes.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc03280.jpg?w=300&h=200 Description: http://bighungrygnomes.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/dsc032721.jpg?w=300&h=200

I think Mother’s Day is the perfect excuse for anyone to try brush embroidery.  I’m sure my mum would love it.  Heck, who wouldn’t love being presented with a cake decorated in such a beautiful way?

I do hope this has given you some exciting ideas for Mother’s Day.  You still have 8 days to prepare!

I wish I could be back home to spoil mum this Mother’s Day, but it’s just not possible this time around.  This year is also my sister’s first mother’s day.  It’s early days really (less than 4 months in), but I can already see she is an amazing mum.  It seems unreal to me that she just knows how to be a great mum.  But then I think, how could she not be?  She learnt from the best.

 

Easter Roundup

Posted on by
9

Hello and happy Easter break!

Every holiday season brings about a peak of great material in blog-land.  With that in mind, I thought that today I would just share with you some of the great things I’ve seen, which are giving me inspiration this Easter.  Feel free to comment below with links to things you’ve seen and loved in the Easter theme.

Cheesecake Filled Chocolate Easter Eggs

These look so good that I wonder if they could become all-year-round appropriate…

I wouldn’t expect anything less from Raspberri Cupcakes though, because the recipes and photography on Raspberri Cupcakes are always exceptionally inspirational.

cheesecake_easteregg_cups

I couldn’t believe how simple this recipe was when I read it.  I’m definitely going to try making these over the weekend.

Grass and Egg Easter Cupcakes

These Grass and Easter Cupcakes by Food and Whine remind me of Easter hunts in the sunshine.  Isn’t the grass clever?  It must take patience, but I’m hoping to try this technique out soon.

eastercupcake450-2.jpg

Hot Cross Buns

How good do these Hot Cross Buns by Living in the Kitchen with Puppies look?

It was on my list of things to make this year, but I’m not sure I’ll get around to it.

Do you have a favourite Hot Cross Bun recipe?  and, are you on board with this Choc Cross Bun fad?  I don’t know that I am.  I’m a traditionalist at heart, and that’s why I love the look of these Hot Cross Buns.

Easter Crafts

I can’t help myself but to include Easter crafts in this roundup.  While cooking is my first love, crafting is not too far behind.  These ideas are just too good not to share.

PolkaDotEggs1

I love these polka dot eggs by Abbie Living.  When we were little, our family would sit around the kitchen table and blow the contents of a raw egg out of the egg shell through tiny holes at each end.  It was head-lightening work.  We’d then rinse them and paint, sticker, wax or die the eggs and hang them on our Easter tree.  It was hours of fun and Mum and Dad still have some of our eggs (the tough ones which have survived for decades!).  We never did polka dots like this though – how fun!

I love bunting.  And this is such a fabulous idea by Flax & Twine!  I’m definitely going to use this technique in future.  You could cut out all sorts of shapes to suit all different themes.

Liebster Blog Award

On a completely different note, I must send a big thanks to Big Hungry Gnomes for recognising my blog with a Liebster Blog Award.  I deeply value recognition from peers in the blogging community.  To know that people, who are as passionate about their given love-subject as I am about food, enjoy my little corner of the web is heart warming.

Big Hungry Gnomes, not only has some of the best gnome illustrations I’ve ever seen online, it also contains really valuable posts on sugar craft.  Be sure to check it out!

In the spirit of this peer recognition award, I must share with you some other boutique blogs who I’ve come across and am finding a pleasure to follow.  They are (in no particular order):

  • The Librarian who doesn’t say shhh  Yes – sometimes I read books other than cook books, and when I do, I often turn to this great blog for reviews.
  • What about the pie?  A very warm voice lies behind this food blog.
  • Fig and the wasp  The photography on this fashion, travel and food blog is great.
  • Vegetarian Ventures  While I am, by no stretch, a Vegetarian (I know, I’m stating the obvious)… this blog has some great ideas.  Many of my friends are Vegetarian (it seem contagious in Canberra) so it’s great to have this resource on tap for creative ideas.
  • Play a Good Knife and Fork  A very clever food blogger who sometimes posts with videos.

I am happy to pass the Liebster Blog Award love on to the blogs listed above and am sure they too will pass on their recognition to other up-and-coming peers.

I don’t plan on posting tomorrow – so have an Eggggcelent Easter Saturday! and I’ll be sure to share some of my kitchen adventures with you again soon.