DSC_6354

Mum’s chicken filo pasties

My mum is a great cook but when it comes to sharing the details of her creations she's a bit frustrating. She never really follows recipes and is very good at instinctively adding this and that to get the perfect balance. The problem is that she never knows what went into something. It's also pretty rare that something appears on the menu more than once. Chicken filo pasties were mum's invention for Easter and they were so good, with a bit of … [Read More...]

DSC_6317

Hummingbird cake with lemon cream cheese icing

I heard something horrifying on the news last night. Along with all the other terrible stories there was one about the cost of raising a child. The report said that from birth to age 24, it will cost $800,000 to raise two children. That's not actually the part I was horrified by. What shocked me was when they interviewed a lady on the street. She said something like this: 'yes it's really hard at the moment. Money's tight so we've had to cut out things … [Read More...]

Mexican chocolate brownies

Mexican chocolate cinnamon brownies

'I'm going to turn into a burrito soon.' That was Will last night. I'll admit, I have been on a bit of a Mexican roll lately. We had it last Tuesday, then twice on the weekend and again last night. In the last 10 days I've made 48 tortillas! Last Friday night's Mexican feast (the largest of the dinners) for Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Day was a rip-roaring success (well I think so anyway). I thought I'd over-catered as I usually do but in the end … [Read More...]

Australia's champion cheeses

Australia’s best cheese and dairy

Cheese cheese as far as the eye can see. I was in a little bit of sensory overload walking into this room. I'll admit, when I received an invitation to the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show’s Cheese and Dairy Produce awards (what a mouthful!) I wasn't going to go. I thought it would just be a lot of announcements but then I saw 'please let us know if you have any food allergies.' Well if I'd be tasting the produce as well then I was … [Read More...]

FLIP SIDE - ricotta hotcakes with salted caramel, ice-cream, chocolate & berry garnish $18

Shucked Newstead

To my mum, walking into Shucked Newstead was like entering the house of her aunt in the 60s. To my grandma it was a bit of a hotchpotch but to me it was eclectic. Everything old is new again is a bit of a theme at the moment but I never really thought about how it must appear to people who were around when the type of decor was actually new. They must think we're all quite odd and nowhere near as creative as we think we are. I still love it though. I … [Read More...]