For the most part I don’t usually plan what I make. I prefer for the inspiration to come to me organically. It doesn’t always work and can mean I spend quite a bit of time just reading cookbooks. The only exception is when I have an ingredient that I need to use. A few weeks […]
Category: Food
Chocolate-Honeycomb Biscuits
If you happen to try your hand at the lemon slice I posted recently, you will find yourself with half a can of sweetened condensed milk left over. Aside from it eating out of the tin in front of the TV, another excellent use of that leftover condensed milk is to make these delicious biscuits. […]
No-Bake Lemon Slice
Update: Last minute Christmas ideas for gifting/bringing-a-plate. This slice is an absolute God-send, especially at Christmas time. Easy, economical, fast and, best of all, very moorish. This is the recipe for last minute homemade gifts, cake stalls, drop-in guests and generally giving the impression of great baking and organisational skills. Even if you happen to […]
Lemon Madeleines
I’m Mel and I simply adore madeleines; I’m enchanted by the soft sponge biscuit. The story behind this blog posts actually begins in 2004. I think I’ve mentioned it before, but in addition to owning too many cook books, I also like to borrow them from the library. There’s is rarely a time at home when […]
Mary Berry’s Chocolate Sponge Cake
In honour of International Suit Up day (http://internationalsuitupday.com/) but also because I have been inspired and impressed by Mary Berry on the Great British Bake-Off, I decided to make her chocolate sponge cake to share with my colleagues. I could have also called this post “how I accidentally made chocolate fudge” because I ad-libbed with […]
Jam and Cream Roulade
Today’s post is once again inspired by the Great British Bake Off. Why do I love that show? I think it’s not only because it’s about baking, or that I adore Sue Perkins; it’s that it is such a sharp contrast to Masterchef Australia. Where the contestants in the latter are locked up for 6 months, in the […]
Spaghettini con le Melanzane (Spaghettini with Eggplant)
Pasta, is a food I take for granted. My grandparents emigrated to Australia from Southern Italy. My paternal grandfather in 1921, and my remaining grandparents in the 1950s. I sometimes think about the difficult choices they made; I discovered when I visited Ellis Island in 2006 that my paternal grandfather John had originally lived in New York […]
Easy-Peasy Peanut Butter Hummus
Growing up, peanut butter was a staple in my house; tahini not so much. So, stumbling across this recipe for Peanut Butter Hummus in Nigella’s Kitchen*, I jumped at the chance to try it. And honestly, since I started making it in April, it has become a go-to recipe for all bring-a-plate occasions. I’ve lost […]
Grandma’s Raspberry Slice
Having lived in Brisbane for a good 6 months now, I was, naturally, missing Melbourne a little. Luckily I had two of the best cures to hand last weekend; a visit from a good friend (Mel) and the recipe for a favourite childhood treat. My Grandmother’s raspberry slice is delicious, easy to make and keeps well. […]
Cheese and Olive Scone Bake
As I mentioned in my previous post I recently started a new job. After going to Brisbane for work, I ended up staying the weekend with Alex. It was only natural we spent part of it in the kitchen. After making Alex’s grandmothers delicious raspberry slice, we decided what we needed was cheese and olive […]
A Tale of Two Kitchens 