Thanks to one of the wonderful people from our wonderful twins group, I now have this recipe for some very easy, no bake muesli bar slice. Let alone recipes, we also get loads of support from the group, as well as lots of twin friendly activities. Our local AMBA (Australian Multiple Birth Association) group has certainly made our introduction to twin-life a whole lot easier!
This recipe is great for a few reasons - it's fairly healthy, and it's super quick to make... which is especially handy when you've got double the toddlers to chase around.
Here's the recipe:
1 packet of mixed nuts and dried fruit (500g-ish), blitzed in the blender until the pieces are small enough for little people
Stir in 3 tablespoons of honey, and 4 tablespoons of peanut butter.
Yep, that's it! All you need to do now is either roll into balls, or press into a lined slice tin, and refrigerate.
You could make the dry ingredients whatever you want - we swapped out some nuts for rolled oats and coconut. You could even add chocolate chips if you like! If the mixture is too crumbly, just add some more peanut butter or honey, or if it's too wet simply add some more dry ingredients.
Thanks to Marisa for the recipe!
More information about AMBA is available here - http://www.amba.org.au/
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Custom made Weber skewers
I finally got the chance to test out my handmade, Weber-size skewers... and they worked a treat! Thanks Mum and Speedy!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Garlic, rosemary and orange pork cutlets
We made this great recipe by Karen Martini last night, which tasted amazing. It packed a huge flavour punch, and it has reminded me to use oranges more to flavour dishes. Too often I seem to reach for the lemons or limes, while forgetting about poor old oranges. The orange flavour, combined with the ground fennel seeds seemed a lot richer and fuller than the usual lemon/fennel combination.
While the pork was delicious, it was great to cook using so many ingredients from our own garden - the corn was a highlight, along with the potatoes I dug up, and the rosemary, 'foraged' from a park nearby!
I simply grilled the corn in it's husk on the weber, slathered it with aioli, and sprinkled with paprika and parmesan. It's a kind of cheat's version of the corn served at Mamasita - recipe here. It works well with haloumi or kefalograveria instead of the parmesan.
While the pork was delicious, it was great to cook using so many ingredients from our own garden - the corn was a highlight, along with the potatoes I dug up, and the rosemary, 'foraged' from a park nearby!
I simply grilled the corn in it's husk on the weber, slathered it with aioli, and sprinkled with paprika and parmesan. It's a kind of cheat's version of the corn served at Mamasita - recipe here. It works well with haloumi or kefalograveria instead of the parmesan.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Dinner at Rosetta
Being a public holiday, it was a bit of a struggle to find any decent restaurants that were open on new years day. A drive up and down of Gertrude St, Smith St and Johnston St proved fruitless, as did driving through the CBD. However a quick call to Crown confirmed that all of their restaurants were indeed open, so we happily drove there, knowing that we would be easily able to choose between the likes of Rockpool, Atlantic, and Bistro Guillame amongst others.
While I usually try to avoid Crown like the plague (expect for the restaurants), it actually wasn't too crowded for once. A quick walk down the main row of restaurants along the river confirmed that this would be a hard decision. Most of the restaurants were only half full, and I forgot just how many nice places there were along there. We were pretty set on French at Bistro Guillame until we reached the 'suite' of Neil Perry restaurants at the very end. Having dined quite a few times at Rockpool, and more recently Spice temple, I was quite excited at the prospect of eating again at one of the aforementioned restaurants. However I had forgotten that Rosetta, the Italian offering, had recently opened here. After a quick look at the menu (and the restaurant) we quickly decided this would be our dinner venue.
After entering and getting a table at Rockpool, Spice Temple, and now Rosetta, you notice a common 'vibe' as you walk across the dining rooms of all three. These restaurants feature some of the most personal and friendly service in Melbourne, not to mention incredible fit-outs that transport you to another place entirely. Gone is the noise, riff-raff and flashing lights of the casino; instead you are enveloped in opulent textures and colours that feel luxurious, yet comfortable all at once.
After a few minutes we had forgotten that we were sitting next to the murky Yarra, instead, it was feeling distinctly 'Mediterranean' - mostly I think thanks to the ingenious ceiling and floor heaters that line the outside dining area, and the rosemary growing in the planter boxes next to us. The white and blue colours of the furniture, and the rattan of some of the chairs added to the effect. Most of the people walking past, and all bar the brightest lights of the city across the river were blocked out by the trees separating the restaurant from the river path. The city lights reflected back off some low cloud enhanced the sky colour, and it was a pleasant, hazy, purple/orange hue that filled what I could see of the city skyline.
The menu, while not as expansive as Rockpool, still had many delicous sounding options to choose from. Our fantastic server recommended picking and choosing from all sections of the menu, and sharing - taking the 'journey' in her words. We started with 'Manzo' - beef carpaccio with anchovy dressing and parmesan - I could have happily eaten a huge plate of this, it was simply divine. Vitello tonatto was on the menu - this is something I had been dying to eat again for a few years now, and it did not disappoint. Strangely enough after being plied with house made bread, grissini, delicous wine and these two amazing starters I was feeling quite full already!
After a short break our pasta was served - delicious pillows of roast rabbit, veal and pork agnollotti with sage, covered in a creamy, buttery sauce. The main we chose, the veal cotoletta, while hardly pushing the envelope of culinary imagination, was spectacular - every part as delicious as it was simple. To accompany the veal we chose sides of crispy potatoes, and carrots with ricotta, which were superb.
I should point out at this point that the service (as it always is at a Neil Perry restaurant) was just superb. Every time we began to think about something else, whether it be parmesan for the pasta, or simply some more water, seemingly telepathically our waitress would appear! That said, the service was definitely not obtrusive - there was no constant asking 'how is everything?'. The bread and water seemed to be magically refilling themselves, and the pacing of the dishes coming out of the kitchen was perfect. The staff were all so friendly and accommodating, and we also spied Neil Perry coming out from the kitchen several times to one of the inside tables to talk to the diners seated there.
There was no way we were going to skip the 'dolci', no matter how full. We chose the sumptuous Ciocollato torrone, while also indulging our inner child with the gelati. The pistachio flavoured gelati was simply divine. I have not tasted it's match anywhere (and I have eaten a lot of gelati).
Despite the pain inflicted on our bank balance, it was worth every last cent, and we walked away happy. Happy that we had eaten a meal while being transported halfway around the world, happy for a night away from the kids, and happy to spend some quality time together at such a nice venue. Whilst the expense may keep us away for a while, I would happily go back any time to try out other parts of Rosetta's extremely tempting menu.
While I usually try to avoid Crown like the plague (expect for the restaurants), it actually wasn't too crowded for once. A quick walk down the main row of restaurants along the river confirmed that this would be a hard decision. Most of the restaurants were only half full, and I forgot just how many nice places there were along there. We were pretty set on French at Bistro Guillame until we reached the 'suite' of Neil Perry restaurants at the very end. Having dined quite a few times at Rockpool, and more recently Spice temple, I was quite excited at the prospect of eating again at one of the aforementioned restaurants. However I had forgotten that Rosetta, the Italian offering, had recently opened here. After a quick look at the menu (and the restaurant) we quickly decided this would be our dinner venue.
After entering and getting a table at Rockpool, Spice Temple, and now Rosetta, you notice a common 'vibe' as you walk across the dining rooms of all three. These restaurants feature some of the most personal and friendly service in Melbourne, not to mention incredible fit-outs that transport you to another place entirely. Gone is the noise, riff-raff and flashing lights of the casino; instead you are enveloped in opulent textures and colours that feel luxurious, yet comfortable all at once.
After a few minutes we had forgotten that we were sitting next to the murky Yarra, instead, it was feeling distinctly 'Mediterranean' - mostly I think thanks to the ingenious ceiling and floor heaters that line the outside dining area, and the rosemary growing in the planter boxes next to us. The white and blue colours of the furniture, and the rattan of some of the chairs added to the effect. Most of the people walking past, and all bar the brightest lights of the city across the river were blocked out by the trees separating the restaurant from the river path. The city lights reflected back off some low cloud enhanced the sky colour, and it was a pleasant, hazy, purple/orange hue that filled what I could see of the city skyline.
The menu, while not as expansive as Rockpool, still had many delicous sounding options to choose from. Our fantastic server recommended picking and choosing from all sections of the menu, and sharing - taking the 'journey' in her words. We started with 'Manzo' - beef carpaccio with anchovy dressing and parmesan - I could have happily eaten a huge plate of this, it was simply divine. Vitello tonatto was on the menu - this is something I had been dying to eat again for a few years now, and it did not disappoint. Strangely enough after being plied with house made bread, grissini, delicous wine and these two amazing starters I was feeling quite full already!
After a short break our pasta was served - delicious pillows of roast rabbit, veal and pork agnollotti with sage, covered in a creamy, buttery sauce. The main we chose, the veal cotoletta, while hardly pushing the envelope of culinary imagination, was spectacular - every part as delicious as it was simple. To accompany the veal we chose sides of crispy potatoes, and carrots with ricotta, which were superb.
I should point out at this point that the service (as it always is at a Neil Perry restaurant) was just superb. Every time we began to think about something else, whether it be parmesan for the pasta, or simply some more water, seemingly telepathically our waitress would appear! That said, the service was definitely not obtrusive - there was no constant asking 'how is everything?'. The bread and water seemed to be magically refilling themselves, and the pacing of the dishes coming out of the kitchen was perfect. The staff were all so friendly and accommodating, and we also spied Neil Perry coming out from the kitchen several times to one of the inside tables to talk to the diners seated there.
There was no way we were going to skip the 'dolci', no matter how full. We chose the sumptuous Ciocollato torrone, while also indulging our inner child with the gelati. The pistachio flavoured gelati was simply divine. I have not tasted it's match anywhere (and I have eaten a lot of gelati).
Despite the pain inflicted on our bank balance, it was worth every last cent, and we walked away happy. Happy that we had eaten a meal while being transported halfway around the world, happy for a night away from the kids, and happy to spend some quality time together at such a nice venue. Whilst the expense may keep us away for a while, I would happily go back any time to try out other parts of Rosetta's extremely tempting menu.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Fork to fork, garden to gob, or how I dug up my dinner
Below is the basis of last nights dinner, which had been dug from the garden not thirty minutes earlier.
Creating, tending to, and reaping the benefits from our vegie garden has been so satisfying, and even therapeutic this year. Doubly so, as it has actually been successful. While it looks like a jungle, there is some kind of order, and (almost) everything appears to be thriving.
Creating, tending to, and reaping the benefits from our vegie garden has been so satisfying, and even therapeutic this year. Doubly so, as it has actually been successful. While it looks like a jungle, there is some kind of order, and (almost) everything appears to be thriving.
We know that amongst the tangle of leaves, and lettuce and herbs that have bolted, heirloom tomatoes lurk; ripening slowly.
We know that if we brave the thorns of the raspberry canes, the rewards are there, multiplying every day.
We also now know how corn grows. What we mistakenly thought were the beginnings of corn, were actually the seeds.
We now see where the corn is!
So the garden has also taught us a lot. Who knew that seed potatoes would sprout and produce beautiful offspring, after being barely buried in the soil and covered in pea straw?
Not me, although I did know once the plants above the ground started dying off, these dutch cream spuds were destined to become crunchy on the outside, yet fluffy on the inside, delicious chips!
Monday, December 17, 2012
Christmas Gingerbread House v3.2
This years gingerbread house.... I have to admit, this is actually Mk II. The first one ended up basically flat after the royal icing didn't set properly! After some quick googling, I found out that royal icing was more finicky that I had thought. It has worked flawlessly for the last two years, however I think the weather was too humid yesterday. This one is still standing - for now!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Mexican Bean Wraps
I love this meal because it has all that great mexican flavour, however it is also quick, cheap, and the beans also make a great meal for the babies.
Mexican Bean Wraps
2 onions finely diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teapsoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon smoky paprika
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
3 tins of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tin tomatoes
Approx 1 cup of chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
Gently fry the onions and garlic in a large frypan with some oil. Once the onion has softened and is translucent, add the spices and cook gently for a few more minutes. Add the beans and tomato, and enough stock to cover. Simmer until the beans are softened and cooked through. To make the mixture a little thicker, and suitable for wraps without spilling out and burning your hands, I stick the bamix into the pan and whizz around a third of the bean mix into a puree, then stir this back through the rest of the beans to thicken.
We like these in wraps, with sour cream, crispy lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, fresh red chilli and cheese. Not what you would call authentic by any means, but delicious nonetheless. If you are after a recipe for tortillas, click here. This recipe also works well if you don't have the maize/corn flour.
Mexican Bean Wraps
2 onions finely diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teapsoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon smoky paprika
1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
3 tins of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 tin tomatoes
Approx 1 cup of chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
Gently fry the onions and garlic in a large frypan with some oil. Once the onion has softened and is translucent, add the spices and cook gently for a few more minutes. Add the beans and tomato, and enough stock to cover. Simmer until the beans are softened and cooked through. To make the mixture a little thicker, and suitable for wraps without spilling out and burning your hands, I stick the bamix into the pan and whizz around a third of the bean mix into a puree, then stir this back through the rest of the beans to thicken.
We like these in wraps, with sour cream, crispy lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, fresh red chilli and cheese. Not what you would call authentic by any means, but delicious nonetheless. If you are after a recipe for tortillas, click here. This recipe also works well if you don't have the maize/corn flour.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Ahhh November...
.... Christmas is coming.... That time of year when I have to explain to confused butchers why I need suet. I am hanging out for fruit mince pies!!!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Death Cake
This cake is named as such simply because it contains copious amounts of cream cheese, cream, snickers, butter, and chocolate biscuits. Adapted from this recipe. Scroll down, then drool!
From our garden, to the table
Beetroot, salad leaves, and thyme from our garden, turned into a delicious salad.....
This is such a simple salad. Some roast beetroot, sliced into segments, and cubed roasted pumpkin, on top of salad leaves. Dress this with red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt, then top with fetta and toasted walnuts. Yum!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Roasted red capsicum pesto
After searching three supermarkets and delis for a pesto I had on the weekend, I succumbed and decided it was time to make one myself. Ridiculously enough, I could have made the pesto in the time it took to search one supermarket! Also, this was I know what's going into it - no sugar, no..t too much salt... Enjoy!
Roasted Red Capsicum Pesto
These quantities were all a bit of an educated guess, but it seemed to work well. A few things however - you may need to loosen it up with either a dash more oil, or even a tiny amount of hot water. I added a little more lemon juice to good effect. I also realised after checking an actual recipe that I probably should have toasted the nuts for a little more flavour.
50g cashews
30g pinenuts
50g sun-dried tomatoes
80g roasted red capsicum (I used some preserved in a jar as I was in a rush, I just rinsed off the liquid)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp finely chopped basil
1 tsp paprika
25g parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp oil
Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a small food processor, and process until all the large chunks have broken down. Add the oil, and combine briefly until a smoothish paste is formed. Add more oil if neccessary.
Another thing you could add would be some red chilli, for a little kick!
We made use of the pesto, and some leftover sausages for dinner last night, simply stirred through some fusilli, zucchini, mushrooms, fennel, and chilli - it was delicious!
Roasted Red Capsicum Pesto
These quantities were all a bit of an educated guess, but it seemed to work well. A few things however - you may need to loosen it up with either a dash more oil, or even a tiny amount of hot water. I added a little more lemon juice to good effect. I also realised after checking an actual recipe that I probably should have toasted the nuts for a little more flavour.
50g cashews
30g pinenuts
50g sun-dried tomatoes
80g roasted red capsicum (I used some preserved in a jar as I was in a rush, I just rinsed off the liquid)
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp finely chopped basil
1 tsp paprika
25g parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp oil
Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a small food processor, and process until all the large chunks have broken down. Add the oil, and combine briefly until a smoothish paste is formed. Add more oil if neccessary.
Another thing you could add would be some red chilli, for a little kick!
We made use of the pesto, and some leftover sausages for dinner last night, simply stirred through some fusilli, zucchini, mushrooms, fennel, and chilli - it was delicious!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
In the letterbox this week
Hot on the heels of Adriano Zumbo's packet macaron and brownie cake mixes, the Willy Wonka-esque genius, Heston Blumenthal appears to have released his own packet mixes just in time for Christmas I spotted these in the Coles catalogue today:
I find it hard to believe you could get the same delight combining some ingredients from a box to create one of his amazing creations, compared to the feeling of accomplishment you would get from hunting down all the ingredients and making it from scratch. I mean, that's the fun part isn't it? Surprisingly I haven't seen any premix boxes with the Jamie Oliver name on it, which is interesting seeing as his name is plastered on everything from mixing bowls, to lounge suites. Okay, lounge suites is a stretch, but you get the point.
I also spotted the gem below in the Aldi catalogue, a pre-boned, pre-stuffed, pre-rolled, and generally pre-fabricated example of that wonderful poultry trilogy - the turducken! For the un-initiated, it's traditionally a stuffed chicken, inside a duck, inside a turkey. Click here to see a pic one under construction my clever Mum made a few years ago. Not the prettiest thing when raw, however once cooked in a woodfired oven it was delicious.
I find it hard to believe you could get the same delight combining some ingredients from a box to create one of his amazing creations, compared to the feeling of accomplishment you would get from hunting down all the ingredients and making it from scratch. I mean, that's the fun part isn't it? Surprisingly I haven't seen any premix boxes with the Jamie Oliver name on it, which is interesting seeing as his name is plastered on everything from mixing bowls, to lounge suites. Okay, lounge suites is a stretch, but you get the point.
I also spotted the gem below in the Aldi catalogue, a pre-boned, pre-stuffed, pre-rolled, and generally pre-fabricated example of that wonderful poultry trilogy - the turducken! For the un-initiated, it's traditionally a stuffed chicken, inside a duck, inside a turkey. Click here to see a pic one under construction my clever Mum made a few years ago. Not the prettiest thing when raw, however once cooked in a woodfired oven it was delicious.
Monday, November 5, 2012
My favourite animal....
Thursday, November 1, 2012
8 signs you're officially a food nerd
I'm pretty sure I can tick 7 of these 8.... it's kind of sad really!
8 Signs you're officially a food nerd via Zagat
While you're at it, these burgers are making me hungry this morning.
8 Signs you're officially a food nerd via Zagat
A serious food nerd (Photo via news.com.au)
While you're at it, these burgers are making me hungry this morning.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Update: Salted caramel brownies
I am fairly sure that this is the first time in the history of this blog I have posted twice about the same recipe. Once you have tried the brownies however, I am fairly sure you will forgive me. You could probably make them any number of ways by combining the base brownie recipe with any sort of gooey deliciousness - I have listed only two ideas.
The date on the original post was June 2010, which was obviously the culmination of years and years of selfless and relentless research Kara and myself put ourselves through. You see we were trying to hunt down that rare beast - the elusive, perfect brownie recipe. Finally, wading through the jungle of the internet, we laid our eyes upon an outpost ran by David Lebovitz - an american pastry chef living in Paris. You can read about his recipes and adventures here. He has since become one of my favourite chefs - not only a published expert in the crucial areas of icecream, pastries, and bread, but also able to mix it up with the best chefs in any other culinary area.
The recipe which I will link to below uses a filling/additive in the brownie of dulce de leche. For the un-initiated, get thee to the nearest South American/Spanish deli (Casa Iberica?) and initiate yourself, quickly. We did make it once, however it was a long three hours of stirring gently simmering milk, and I'm not sure if I can be bothered making it again. You can also make it yourself by boiling cans of sweetened condensed milk in a large pot of water - if you want to take that risk, go for it. Anyway, you don't need to worry with this recipe as I have used salted caramel instead. You can make this yourself quite easily (and safely).
Brownie recipe - click here
Salted caramel recipe - click here - The recipe is about half way down the page
Substitute salted caramel for dulce de leche, and voila! It's ok, no need to thank us for all the hard work and testing involved in hunting down these perfect brownies.
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