Our annual pilgrimage to the Granite Belt for New Year’s always inspires me to cook, as our dear friends who live there love food, own a winery, and are great fun to be with. The area is the main stone fruit and apple growing area in Queensland, and so apples, plums, peaches and cherries are…
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Wishing you a happy Christmas with precious family and friends. I look forward to sharing more recipes in 2014 and learning from and being inspired by the wonderful food writers and cooks I meet online. Bless you. Margaret Here’s a roundup of some of the recipes that made it onto our summertime Christmas table. We…
Read MoreI’ve been thinking a lot over the last week or so about what to feed my family this Christmas time, experimenting with ideas and recipes old and new. We need joyful, bright food this year, to counter the almost savage sadness of another empty place at the table. My sister-in-law Lesley died quite suddenly in…
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Onions are an integral part of my cooking, and their sweet, aromatic flavour adds depth and intensity to so many dishes. But in this dish they shine on their own. I saw something like this on Nigella Lawson’s Nigellisima Italian themed cooking show, and have been itching to make a version of my own ever since.…
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When I decided to make my own granola I looked at lots of recipes and found several that I liked, but they all seemed far too sweet for my taste, so I made up my own recipe that was loosely based on one by David Lebowitz via Nigella Lawson via Andy Fairfield with a large…
Read MoreOh, to be in Queensland in the springtime. Warm days; long, sunny afternoons fading to soft twilight; jacarandas smudging the landscape with purple; and the garden full of new growth. I wanted to make some fruit waters as a refreshing alternative to soft drink and this combination is one that I love. The apple, cinnamon…
Read MoreSome people might look at a recipe for risotto on this blog and rage at me, “This is not simple food! Risotto is complicated” But, at the heart of the matter, risotto is a simple dish – rice, stock, flavourings and love. People get all caught up is how to make the perfect risotto and…
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Crisp, cinnamon scented, buttery pastries and excellent coffee were what was called for at our place today. Treats are most needed when exam season begins. The wickedly rich chocolate ganache we had with them might have been a little too indulgent, but then chocolate always makes studying easier! Palmiers are a traditional French pastry, often…
Read MoreSummer is on its way in my part of the world, bringing with it warm days, still-cool evenings, and life bursting out in the vegetable patch. It’s the most marvellous time of year to be in the garden, where every small effort of planting and watering brings excellent returns at the table in the form…
Read MoreAfter ten days in Papua New Guinea spending time with some amazing women who live and work with the local people there, I came home to my family ready to do one of the things I most love, cooking something delicious for them. Sweet potato is common in PNG so I was inspired to make…
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Simple food 