three little pigs

Follow the American adventure on Facebook

2011-08-24T06:15:00.000+10:00

Thank goodness there's been pockets of free wifi in most places we've visited. It's been a crazy week and a half of travelling so far; we landed in LA to beautiful, Summery weather (but chilly nights and mornings) and feasted at The Grill, California Pizza Kitchen (known fondly by the locals as CPK) and, of course, In and Out Burger (twice!) before flying over to the cold city of San Francisco where we made the most of Fisherman's Wharf and chowed down on clam chowder, seafood risotto. On our last evening we found an awesome little French eatery on Geary Street (somewhere between Jones and Mason) and had mussels in white wine, and grilled chicken with delactable roasted hazelnuts, sweet corn and roasted potatoes.

I was so glad to arrive in Vegas to a home-cooked meal courtesy of my husband's cousins who live less than 30min away from the strip (marinated chicken straight off the BBQ, sweet corn, mango salsa, strawberry salad and poppyseed dressing and of course... RICE). We ate an Indian feast at the Grand Canyon yesterday and feasted on all day breakfast at Countryside Cafe in The Orleans late last night.

Now it's about midday and it's time to check out some of the hotels, casinos and restaurants we missed on our first visit last April.

If you want the most recent pics of some of the better things to be eating while road tripping to US of A, or just want to follow the adventure as we travel from here to Miami, Orlando and New York - check out the Three Little Pigs page on Facebook (and don't forget to click "LIKE!").

xoxo
The First Little Piggy

The America challenge

2011-08-12T22:59:00.000+10:00

If you've been following you probably noticed that I've been quite for a little while. It's because hubby and I have been busy planning a 4-week trip to the US of A! Internet connection will be intermittent on the trip but I'm determined to keep posting, to track my challenge of finding good, tasty and nutritious food in the heart of deep-fried country. Watch this space!

Pancake (date night) Tuesdays

2011-08-02T10:44:00.012+10:00

Catching up with girlfriends is of utter importance on a regular basis... one to keep my sanity and two because we are often constantly enjoying good food.

On this particular evening we couldn't decide on anything in the city so we decided to head homeward bound and stopped off at Pancakes on the Rocks at Northmead. The following feast ensued... alongside a pretty crazy conversation.

Steak and wedges.

My favourite and my regular: Devils Delight.

Early morning rewards (Breakfast Club Part II)

2011-07-29T08:21:00.000+10:00

For those who work full time, getting up early on a Friday is quite a feat. But when there is the thought of tasty breakfast and great company lures you out of bed, an early start isn't so hard.

I'm pleased to say that our small "breakfast club" group continues to brave the early mornings, despite the unforgiving winter chill that's graced our Sydney streets in recent July mornings. And why not, when you have stuff like this waiting for you?

This is the big breakfast at Ella Cafe, on Abercrombie Street, Darlington. A-maz-ing!

Discovering the Atom (Thai Restaurant, Newtown)

2011-07-27T22:38:00.012+10:00

A few months ago, yet another Thai restaurant opened up on King Street, Newtown. Like every other person in the district, I'm in love with the wide of choice of cheap Thai food available for lunch (and dinner).

This one (Atom restaurant) is a little dearer than the other places (which normally sell a lunch special at $6) but I'll happily pay a few dollars more for these little delights:

Seafood spring rolls, Atom Thai, 130 King Street Newtown

You can add it as an entree to you lunch special. Something about the crispy noodle shell and the tangy sauce keeps me coming back. Oh and their chicken fried rice is delish!

Why you shouldn't knock pub food

2011-07-22T15:22:00.018+10:00

On a corner of Abercrombie Street stands the popular pub The Royal. The place is so often populated by the people I've worked with they've even been kind enough to give it a building code.

They've recently had renovations (there's a new "beer garden" upstairs; not exactly five stars... or three stars for that matter) but it's still a dingy pub - but it's close proximity to our offices and we're frequently there for lunch. Now that that the rain keeps pouring down we're there almost every other day.

As well as their $9 specials (a rotating menu of steak, salt and pepper squid and chicken schnitzel) this is one of the reasons we keep going back: the Greek lamb plate.

Super salad

2011-07-20T13:22:00.007+10:00

I'm quite proud of this concoction - prepared today because I'm working from home and had some time in the kitchen to cook up a slice of lamb rump and use some left-over roast pumpkin (thank you once again to my parents, whose backyard pumpkin patch supplied this awesome super food full of Vitamin A!)

Teamed with butter leaf salad, slivered almonds, green capsicum, sliced carrots and dollops of light Philadelphia cream cheese. Lunch time super food to get fill me up and get some work done. :)

Good Food & Wine Show 2011

2011-07-16T11:00:00.072+10:00

July was a pretty big month for foodies in Sydney; every week has provided some sort of excuse to get out and about for a taste here or a sip there. For me, it all started in the first weekend (the weekend of the Chocolate Making Workshop) where I spent the morning licking chocolate ganache off my fingers and the afternoon at the Good Food & Wine Show, picking nibblies off the trays of dozens of vendors.

If you missed out, here's a peak at what went on this year (so you can convince yourself it's worth going next year):

First up, it was insanely packed. This photo was actually taken later in the day when things had "quietened" down.

Clearly there are a lot of food-lovers in this city!

First up on the taste-testing was a sample of vegetarian burger patties.

And yes... they do actually taste like chicken!

And who can resist Nandos dips & peri-peri marinades?

Nandos green curry chicken. Warms up your insides with its Nando goodness.

To help ease the Nando spice, we had some shots of this stuff. It's insanely sweet
(though apparently all-natural), and strangely addictive. Grape was my fave.

Ok this one was a little strange. Watermelon flavoured jelly made of... wait for it... seaweed.

Hehe gotta love Peterson's Champagne House (we'd passed by there a few weeks ago
during our Hunter Valley road trip). With my $3 wine glass in hand, I found it hard to
balance taking photos AND enjoying a few (dozen?) sips of champagne. Sorry.

But who can have wine without Lavosh and cheese?

Ok... don't judge me... but I actually liked this. I didn't buy any, but I thought
I'd be more likely to eat this for lunch at work than I would canned tuna.
They were quite yummy. But the concept of canned chicken is a little questionable to me...

Now... what would a food festival be without a few celebrity chefs signing some cookbooks?

Oh yes, Gary's a popular one!

And so is Marian!

Now after some chef-spotting, it's time for some oil-sampling.

Guava, pomegranate and fig infused oils were definitely winners for me.

And so were these spices!

Feeling peckish but don't want the fattiness of peanut butter on your toast?
Apparently black sesame paste is just as yummy but a much more nutritious
option. I can't say much about the latter, I can certainly vouch for the yumminess!

Ingham's Turkey burgers (cooked fresh on the spot and served with lotsa love) were insanely popular...

So popular in fact that they warranted a wait in line!

And of course, why not try some dessert as you begin to wind down the tour?
Caution: this is drool-worthy.

And... what a lovely finale; a shot of Nespresso before passing out like a glutton in the car.

Crumbed mushrooms (served with lamb and roasted pumpkin)

2011-07-15T22:43:00.000+10:00

Tonight was all a bit of a frenzy; I got home earlier than usual but had to leave the house at 7pm for a workshop. I had a craving for red meat so the first thing I did when I got home was defrost some lamb. Next thing was take a wedge out of a pumpkin (picked from my parents' humble backyard), wrap it in foil and start roasting it in the oven at 200°C.

Because we'd been lazy this week we had a lot of veggies left in the refrigerator, so I decided to get a little experimental while I was waiting for the lamb cuts to soak in bit of seasoning (nothing fancy; just salt, pepper and MasterFoods Lamb Herbs). The result of my experiment was shallow-fried crumbed mushrooms (seen on the left in the pic below):

Friday night dinner: roast pumpkin, lamb, crumbed mushrooms w/ rice & green beans
(cooked in 30min, scoffed down in <20min) :)

I must say, it wasn't bad for a five-minute concoction... probably one of the unhealthiest ways to serve mushrooms (aside from having them smothered in cream sauce perhaps). But in case you're interested, mushies-on-the-side "recipe" consisted of:

1 egg (lightly whisked) and dash of milk and the juice of 1/2 a lemon in one bowl +
a plate of breadcrumbs mixed with 1tsp of garlic salt or dried, mixed herbs
large button mushrooms

All you have to do is dip your mushroom in the first bowl (coat well), then roll it around in the breadcrumbs on the plate, then toss in a frying pan with some hot oil, and voila - crumbed mushrooms.

Happy childhood memories (easy-peasy Honey Joys)

2011-07-09T16:44:00.000+10:00

When I was a kid, I was obsessed with sweets (ok who am I kidding - I'm still obsessed with sweets). One of the first memories in the kitchen was making Honey Joys with one of my older sisters. If you don't know what Honey Joys are, they're a sweet and awesomely addictive combination of Kelloggs Corn Flakes, brown sugar, butter and honey.

The Honey Joy display at my niece's first birthday. Thank you Kelloggs!

They're so good that when one of my sisters was pregnant last year, she would text me before weekend family gatherings just to ask me if I was going to bring any. They've become a staple dessert table item at Christmas and New Year gatherings and if you're ever going to a kids party (or any party for that matter), this is such an easy thing to prepare. Yes - even the adults love them :)

Ingredients

90g butter or margarine
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon honey
4 cups Kellogg's Corn Flakes

Method

Preheat oven to 150°C
Line 24 hole patty pan with paper cases
Melt butter, sugar and honey together in a saucepan until frothy
Add corn flakes and mix thoroughly
Spoon mixture into paper patty cases (work quickly - this can get sticky!)
Bake in a slow oven 150°C for 10 minutes
Cool

Cupcake City has a free recipe book up for grabs!

2011-07-09T16:05:00.002+10:00

Thinking about filling up the house with the fresh aroma of baked goods? Don't forget to decorate those sweet treats! If you don't know how, visit the Cupcake City Facebook page and click "Like" for a copy of the The Only Seven Cupcake Icing Recipes You'll Ever Need.

Sweet and simple on the side (honeyed mushroom & pine nuts)

2011-07-08T21:17:00.002+10:00

Wine & chilli marinated steak w/ honey toasted mushroom and pine nuts

Something simple on for dinner tonight; mainly because it's Friday and who on earth is ever in the mood to cook something fancy schmancy after a long week of work? Finally got around to frying up the steaks that had been marinating in the Bio Grape red wine and chili sauce for two days. The sauce loses the chili kick after marinating, but - when cooked on low heat and to medium - the steaks are succulent, sweet and the red wine caramelizes nicely. Was going to serve it with the regular steak accompaniments of chips (with a dollop of garlic aioli of course) and some greens, but had the urge to cook up some of the mushrooms I'd picked up during our grocery raid last night.

If you're after something simple and sweet to add to an otherwise ordinary dish, give this a try: it's easy, it only uses three ingredients and, if I was in the mood for a sweet fix, I could probably just eat it on it's own straight out of the frying pan:

Ingredients:

80g pine nuts
6-8 large white mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 teaspoon honey

Method:

Heat a small frying pan (medium heat should do) and toast the pine nuts until they turn brown
Add the mushrooms and heat gently until they soften
Remove from heat and drizzle the honey over the mixture. Toss until fully coated.

Enjoy!

All chocked up (at the Chocolate Making Workshop c/o Red Balloon)

2011-07-08T12:48:00.005+10:00

If you want a day with lots of tasting, nibbling, licking and laughing, sign yourself up for the Chocolate Making Workshop at Kimberly's Chocolates, Lilyfield. The team sure know their stuff and they're willing to share their knowledge (and their collection of delectable goodies) with anyone willing to learn! It's a perfect activity if you're planning a birthday, hens party, date or even a team building experience! Just be prepared to get chocolate all over yourself... and don't blame the teachers if you don't wake from your chocolate comma after you take home your box of hand-made, personalised treats!

Last year I was lucky enough to receive a $250 Red Balloon voucher and, given my recent love affair with all things cooking, it made sense to book myself in for a cooking class. After browsing through all the tantalizing choices on offer via the Red Balloon website I decided the Chocolate Making Workshop was something I had to reward myself with - and boy am I glad I did!

A friend from work joined me for the Saturday morning workshop, which was held at Kimberly's Chocolates, Lilyfield from 9am to 1pm. For a Saturday morning , this was a pretty early start and given my affinity for weekend sleep-ins I surprised myself by being the first student to arrive. Actually... I arrived a little early (I must've been excited)... the tinkle of the shop door sounded at roughly 8.45am and as I stepped in tentatively I was immediately smothered with the beautiful aroma of melted chocolate.

The shop owner (and workshop leader), Joseph, greeted me with a hearty hello and was kind enough to supply me with a disposable apron (pretty sad for a food blogger not to have an apron, I know). I was immediately won over by Joseph's warm grin, greying hair and bushy beard (not to mention respect for both chocolate and coffee) and, his benevolence made him one of the easiest teachers to follow.

Joseph holds up an example of what we're making today

As students began to arrive we packed ourselves into the back of the shop where Joseph began to tell of his love story with chocolate. Less than ten minutes later we were well on our way to getting our hands dirty and making fresh cream chocolate truffles. I'm salivating now, just thinking back to it.

The first step was choosing a flavour to work with, then spooning out the ingredients to make the wonderful concoction of rich, delicious chocolate ganache.

First the melted chocolate...

Then Joseph adds his "special secret ingredient" to add the orange flavouring

And what's a chocolate truffle without a bit of cognac?

While we waited for the ganache to set, Joseph went through the technique he uses to melt and temper chocolate. He doesn't follow the book at all, but his steps are simple, full-proof and easy to replicate at home.

Once the ganache was set, we used our hands to pull pieces out of the bowl and shape them by rolling them around in our hands. This was probably the messiest (but possibly most rewarding?) activity, given just how much joy you get from licking the ganache straight off your fingers once you're done. Needless to say it was difficult whipping out the camera during this particular activity, but here's what the finished product looked like:

Oh and let's not forget that while all this is happening, Joseph and his sidekick Connie were up making us tea and coffee. And this was no ordinary tea and coffee... they served us unbelievably amazing need-to-go-back-for-seconds-who-cares-about-the-caffeine-high coffee:

Fresh espresso with a dollop of cream... and orange-chocolate ganache in the background. Indulgence!

When we'd had our fill of hot beverages and successfully rolled the ganache, it was time to work on decorating, coating and enrobing our chocolates:

Tools of the trade...

Finished product 1: chocolate-orange ganache coated in peanuts, hundreds & thousands and crushed coffee beans

Next: filling chocolate moulds. My look of amazement indicates I don't see chocolate wheels very often...

Finished product 2: fresh chocolate truffles looking all shiny and impressive after setting in the chocolate moulds

Now I've got to say, I got a little giddy with excitement when I saw this next machine. My heart even broke a bit when Joseph told us he'd bought a new one and wasn't going to use it anymore (actually I stuck my hand up and offered to take it off him). Watching the process of moving the ganache on the conveyor belt and the river of fine, melted dark chocolate enrobing each unit into a beautiful little truffle made my heart do a little flutter. Ok, I exaggerate - but seriously it was cool (a chocolate enrobing machine is making it onto this year's Christmas wish list):

Once enrobed you had only a few minutes to play with the coating and get it decorated:

Before you know it you have a box full of amazing, fresh cream chocolate truffles (apparently they have a shelf life of six-eight weeks but how you could resist eating them all before the weekend is through is beyond me). Thanks to all the people I met at the workshop; my work colleague Bhatrina who put up with my wild grins of chocolate-induced insanity, my partner in crime Lucy (I hope your hubby got to enjoy some of those chocolates...!), and all the wonderfully fun and crazy people we met that day that made the four hours fly by.

I'm especially grateful for Joseph and Connie, who are proof that working day in and day out with something you love does not mean you ever tire of it! I hope your love for chocolate and teaching inspires everyone who walks into your gorgeous chocolate store!

The kitchen is my happy place

2011-07-07T14:18:00.000+10:00

I don't know what's causing this icky feeling; it's been stalking me for about a week now. I took a sick day yesterday and spent most of the morning in bed and moping around the house feeling sorry for myself. Even after washing and hanging out two loads of dirty laundry (quite a feat for me; that's not how I usually spend my sickies) I felt so unaccomplished and irritated.

It was mid afternoon - after my stomach began complaining loudly - when I finally took a shower, donned a new pair of yoga pants and entered my kitchen to fix myself a late lunch. From the moment I began cooking I immediately started feeling better. I can't really explain why - steak and chips with garlic aoli is hardly classified as difficult or gourmet - it wasn't like I'd done anything grand in there... maybe it was just that simple feeling that I had a purpose and that I was accomplishing something simple but good?

Whatever the reason, it was the first time I'd really noticed my kitchen as a type of safe haven for me. This is weird, considering that about two years ago, the idea of having to cook anything (for anyone, including myself), would send me into a spin of panic. But yesterday, there was something about knowing exactly what ingredients I needed, where everything was, and what to do with it all, that put me at ease. Perhaps my inner control freak just needed satiating... but in any case - the kitchen is now my happy place.

Churros recipe (the Master-Chef "inspired" donut debacle)

2011-07-03T22:28:00.000+10:00

About a month ago, MasterChef Australia screened an elimination challenge episode where contestants could take anything they wanted out of the pantry to cook a Spanish dish of their choice. The twist was that after planning their dish and carefully choosing each element required to cook it, their baskets were swapped with someone else's and they were left with a mish mash of ingredients and a ticket back to the drawing board. It was the episode that car salesman (and very popular) Jay Huxley was eliminated from the show because of his miserable attempt at cooking churros.

Now I am a sucker for Spanish cuisine - especially the sweet variety - and the very mention of churros had me salivating. As the episode drew to close and I tensed myself for moment when one of my favourite contestants was axed, I picked up my iPhone and Googled a recipe for churros.

The first recipe I used (from Taste.com) was pretty pathetic. The dough was way too eggy, and in the absence of a proper piping kit, I couldn't even really make my churros look presentable. The result: a large plate of bland, airy dough "droppings".

Come to think of it, they were right down there with Jay's version and if I'd served them to anyone other than my husband, they would've probably received two thumbs down. The melted dark chocolate was my only saving grace (coz let's face it - anything doused in dark chocolate's gotta be a winner).

Nevertheless, despite my failed attempt that Sunday night, come Monday I was back in the kitchen for Round 2. So desperate was I to perfect the churros recipe (and get my churros fix!), I even popped into Woolworths after work to buy myself a star-shaped nozzle so I could get them looking right. After posting my "churros fail" photo on the Facebook, I had numerous friends provide links to some of the recipes they (or their family members) had tried and tested.

The best I've found (simple, fail-safe and absolutely delicious) was from Nigella Lawson's website. Much to my delight, these turned out wonderfully!

Alas, Woolies only stock a$5 cake decorating kit and the nozzle was miniscule so what I ended up with was about 50-60 "french-fry" looking churros BUT they were perfect, crispy, sweet bite-sized bits of Spanish heaven!

For the Nigella recipe, click here.

Thairiffic, King Street Newtown

2011-07-01T21:16:00.000+10:00

With classy deco, a chillaxed atmosphere and beautifully delicious food - I couldn't help but post these pics of our most recent lunch at Thairiffic, Newtown. It was an unbelievable feast for the eyes AND taste buds and a great way to say happy birthday to one of the coolest people I work with!

Entree: Chicken Pandans (deep fried chicken thigh fillet marinated and wrapped in fragrantpandan leaves served with homemade tamarind sauce)

Entree 2: Deep fried vegetarian spring rolls with plum sauce

Green papaya pounded in the mortar and pestle with fresh lime juice,roasted peanuts, fresh chilli, green beans, and cherry tomatoes

Braised pork belly with sweet soy sauce, cinnamon and star anise served with stir fried bok choy

Stir fried mixed seafood, shallots, enoki mushrooms and onion with sweet and tangy sauce served on a sizzling hot plate

Crispy soft shell crap with sweet chilli sauce

Beef pad see ew

Back

2011-06-29T20:54:00.044+10:00

I know, I know - this blog was somewhat abandoned in June. Much to my shame, my discipline levels dropped so low I couldn't even bring myself to cook any decent meals, let alone write about them. I do apologise for keeping the pages on this blog so bare; I even have some followers email me, asking if I was sick or dying (or both).

The truth is I've just been distracted: I had a (very) brief relationship with a local gym (a friend convinced me to get a trial membership but - don't worry - that's over now and I can go back to being food-obsessed junk food addict that we all know I am), and I recently bought myself a ludicrously belated birthday / ridiculously early Christmas present (a brand spanking new Canon DSLR camera).

Between cardio workouts, weight training and shutter-happy camera adventures, I've had little opportunity to make time to blog. BUT I have had a few quite successful kitchen encounters, including my Masterchef-inspired attempt at cooking churros and a spontaneous caramelised balsamic chicken concoction I whipped up when a girlfriend came over for dinner. I'll write up some recipes soon, but in the meantime here's a nice little something-something that my hubby cooked up for dinner tonight. :)

Feeling very proud of him right now and a little drowsy form the red wine (and a little guilty for the carb overload... damn you gym!)

Filipino spaghetti c/o faithful hubby, accompanied by a
yummy glass of McGuigan's 2011 Noon Harvest

Breakfast of (sick and tired) champions

2011-06-03T09:50:00.003+10:00

Gah, it's been such a crappy week. Not only was it cold and miserable (why hello there Winter), I woke up on Monday morning with a bust left shoulder and it hasn't really gone away since. Then I spent three out of the last four nights restlessly fending off nightmares and soaring temperatures. So I took today off and lo and behold - the sun is out.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do with myself. I could stay in bed but that seems pitiful. In the meantime I've fixed myself something a little indulgent for breakfast:

2x Nanna's dark chocolate-chip waffles and Campos latte

That's a glorious 72 calories in the waffles alone. :) Really though, on a day like this, who bloody well gives a damn?

An empty kitchen and pantry

2011-05-31T23:00:00.003+10:00

I've been terribly unmotivated lately; primarily because my sister's nuptials have caused me to lose more sleep than I own wedding ever did, and also because it's cold and I've been too lazy to whip up anything interesting in the kitchen.
I'll try to post some recipes up soon... I even bought some mascarpone during our last shopping expedition (yes it seemed like an expedition trying to re-stock after not having bought groceries in three weeks) but I've never cooked with mascarpone.

I've been so lazy, in fact, that I've been munching on Lavosh and brie in between meals, and I've been downing the microwavable soup from Woolworths (there was a four for $10 deal that I wanted to take advantage of). Had the Red Thai Chicken soup today for lunch. Sadly, I didn't really discover much chicken in it (though I'm somewhat grateful for that... do I really want chicken pieces in soup that stays refrigerated for up to a month)?
Admittedly, it was quite nice and the hint of chili kept my insides nice and toasty. But I will admit, that having one of those 300g soups for lunch is simply not filling enough for someone with an appetite like mine...

Chowing down in a formal gown

2011-05-29T09:58:00.005+10:00

My sister got married last Friday and I bought a dress that was too big for me. I would consider myself lucky but to be quite frank I was annoyed. It fit perfectly in the store, and when I zipped it up on the day of the wedding, it would slowly make its way further and further down my torso as the day drew on. And so, at the reception, I made a point to guzzle down as much food as possible... in the hopes that my fulness would somehow aid the "staying on" of my purple maxi dress. Thank you Conca D'oro for supplying a delicious wedding menu and helping me avoid the embarrassment of having to hitch up my gown.

Hand made savoury pastry basket with crispy chicken Caesar salad

The entree was so beautifully presented that I wasn't sure how to tackle it. In the end I broke apart that gorgeous pastry basket so I could mix my salad together. It was served alongside bowls of black olives and platters of salt and pepper calamari.

I missed taking a photo of the mains which were alternating servings of stuffed chicken with spinach, cheese and mushroom served on champagne risotto with Serafino sauce or rib eye scotch fillet served on chat potatoes, seasonal veggies and a smokey mushroom sauce. They were both a 6 or 7 out of ten. The chicken was a bit dry and only had a bit of stuffing, and the serving of risotto was far from filling. The steak was cooked medium (which is how I like it) and I hint of smokiness in the sauce got plenty of good comments. But the meals lost points because the wait staff took our plates away without asking if we had finished (and we hadn't; in fact my brother in law was saving the best bit of his steak until the end and that was rushed away alongside the rest of my chicken by some over-zealous waiter).

The dessert plate, however, made up for that mishap:

Strawberry topped chocolate mousse in gorgeous little dark chocolate baskets, and delicate little sweet pastries and cake. I would have happily devoured all of this myself as it was, by far, the highlight of the menu.

Mussel mania (memories of sunshine and seafood on North Qld)

2011-05-24T15:03:00.000+10:00

The weather of late has been undeniably glorious; he mornings in this final month of Autumn (or Fall, if you're from USA) has been brisk and sunny and it's put me in quite a happy, hungry mood. Today as I drove down the highways of Western Sydney with my family, I was reminded of the road trip my husband and I took while holidaying in North Queensland. It was a overcast day and we took a rented Hyundai Getz up to Port Douglas for an afternoon. As the rain started trickling down we took refuge at Court House Hotel; the oldest pub in town and before I knew it had guzzles down a half-kilo pot of Australian black mussels:

I have no idea why this weather reminds me of this dish; maybe the fact that it's served steaming hot in its white wine, garlic, tomato, lemon & parsley simmer sauce makes it perfect brisk-weather food? Whatever the case, this was undoubtedly delish, and if you ever find yourself up in Port Douglas (the peak season for holidaying in north Queensland is creeping up), make sure you score this for a cheap as chips $15.

Simple, tasty and absolutely satisfying. 8/10

Latina fresh cookbook

2011-05-20T10:43:00.001+10:00

Check it out - Latina have a free e-cookbook available to promote their Latin Fresh range. Pretty cool because the recipes are quick and simple. You can download it in PDF format too, so it's handily accessible on your iPhone.

Gonna give the smoked salmon recipe a shot...

Gnocchi Potato salad with smoked salmon and dill (courtesy of Latina Fresh!)

Forgetting to feed

2011-05-17T18:14:00.000+10:00

I was reminded (more like scolded?) yesterday for not having blogged in several weeks. I blame it on busy-ness; which is terrible, because it is such a sad thing that we in the Western world don't often take time to appreciate food. Clearly I need a kick up the backside, because I have eaten/cooked/experienced a lovely collection of meals in the past month but have not taken time to write about them. Tsk tsk.

This forgetfulness for appreciating mealtimes is so pervasive, in fact, that The Australian published this article about people who spend their lunch time eating at their desk (ie people like me). So apparently people who don't pay attention to what they're eating (because they're working, Facebooking, or playing a video/computer game) probably end up eating more or less nutritional food.

Hmmm.

Check out the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Calzone at Sienna Marina

2011-05-10T23:06:00.001+10:00

Weekly Tuesday date night with my girlfriend Tree found us lazily walking back to the old favourite Sienna Marina. We each devoured the steaming hot pumpkin soup and shared this chicken calzone between us:

When it arrived at the table we both audibly gasped; it looked as though it oozed with flavour and the salad was undoubtedly well dressed. However, I do say "looked as though" because there was something lacking in the dish, which was such a let down because we were both so excited. Maybe more cheese? The pastry was cooked well and the stuffing was hot and hearty but overall it needed a bit more punch.

Still a great Tuesday night dinner though. Thanks once again Sienna Marina!

Fiji feasting

2011-05-03T22:47:00.000+10:00

Oh God, I can't believe it's been almost a month since my husband and I stepped off the plane in Nadi, Fiji. Our brief anniversary celebration was a much anticipated and appreciated retreat from the mundane day-to-day of corporate jobs and suburban banality and I'm already itching for another one.

From the moment I spotted the bright greens of Fiji's lush, tropical landscape, I immediately regretted agreeing to such a brief stay. Five days simply isn't enough time for enjoy the country for what it is - and it only allows one to experience 11 meals.

Fijian weather during the early days of April wasn't particularly idyllic; with no prior warning, rain would bucket down during an evening stroll or in the middle of an island-hopping adventure and cause humidity throughout the day. The wet and the mosquitoes were my only qualms. Everything else - the Fijian men and women who greet you with a hearty "Bula!" every time you walk by, the island sunshine, magnificent coral and ocean life, lazy beach days, and especially the food - was absolute perfection.

Below are some of the meals we experienced on Denarau Island Resort.

Day 1: Dinner at Nuku Restaurant, Fiji Resort & Spa (Managed by Hilton)

Coconut crusted chicken with roasted pineapple, peanuts, salsa and sweet & sour coconut dressing

Ika kei U'ra vakalolo
(reef fish and prawns cooked in coconut milk Fijian style, with crsip dalo and bele)

The entree (chicken) didn't provide a particularly profound experience, but teamed with the lime and pineapple salsa it made a sweet and tasty treat. The main (fish), however, was pretty amazing. I was exhausted from that day's 3.30am wake-up and 4.5 hour flight, but I was determined to consume this masterpiece. Aesthetically, it was such a pretty dish to look at, and it felt even nicer when it was in my belly. The fish was soft and succulent, and when it melted in my mouth a river of creamy coconut milk burst with each bite. This was a great introduction to the Fijian cuisine - I have a fond affection for coconuts and anything cooked in or with them.

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Day 2: Flying Fish Restaurant, Sheraton Fiji Resort

Gravlax of salmon, citris crème fraîche and caviar

I've got to say, I had no idea what a gravlax was when I ordered my entree (actually... I still don't know what a gravlax is), but all I've got to say is that salmon will never ever taste the same after having consumed it with that citris crème fraîche. I will willingly consume gallons of that stuff. In between every bite I would mumble, "Edwin, this is amazing. No, seriously. This. Is. Amazing." It's something to do with the consistency and the right balance of flavour. It was subtly sweet, which complemented the strength of the smoked salmon.

Fijian Mahi Mahi served with hazelnut dusted on salt and vinegar mash and Veronique sauce

Wagyu beef with grilled prawns fondant potato, cafe de Parish butter

Ok I have no idea what this is - but it was freakin awesome! That's chocolate pudding, ice cream and what seemed like the tiniest chocolate milkshake and the cutest little straw I've ever seen.

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Day 3: Buffet breakfast at Nuku restaurant

This is plate one (of three) of my Fijian breakfast. Admittedly, breakfast was a little pricey at the Hilton given it was pretty standard. But I did like the fried rice (What? I'm Asian so I'm entitled to eat rice with every meal). The pikelet/waffle stand and endless supply of maple syrup was a highlight, but (like I mentioned earlier) it was the fresh coconut flesh on the fruit stand that was the standout.

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Dinner at Lomani Wai, Radisson Resort (Denarau Island)

Entree dish: tuna and lime salsa served in fresh coconut

It's not often that one eats dinner in a pool (it would normally be a little risky, actually), but that's how they serve dinner at Lomani Wai. With our feet dangling in the pool and the waiter wading across the water to pour our wine, we were served a delightfully refreshing entree of fresh tuna in fresh coconut milk. Now if only I had a coconut tree so I could replicate this recipe....

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Day 4: Happy anniversary

The hotel staff at the Hilton left Edwin and I a chocolate surprise: a rich chocolate ganache wrapped in a layer of white chocolate.

Dinner at Moo Moo Wine Bar & Grill (The Westin Resort and Spa)

Roasted lamb rump on rosemary semolina gnocchi with sauteed artichoke, eggplant, and caramelised onion finished with roasted garlic jus

Crustacean of the day: lobster served with parmesan & garlic potato mash

Being our anniversary dinner and our final evening in Fiji, I felt entitled to splurge on lobster. I actually have no idea how to eat lobster, and unlike when you order mud crab at Nuku Restaurant, Moo Moo doesn't supply utensils (or perhaps you don't need utensils when eating crab?). The lobster flesh was tender and charged with the crispy, buttery salsa. When it partied with the garlic & parmesan potato mash, my taste buds were in paradise.

Suffice to say, I was licking my fingers with satisfaction at the end all this feasting.