From Deb's Kitchen

Date & Nut Protein Balls

2024-10-06T16:25:00.001+11:00

My latest blood test results showed my cholesterol and blood sugars were on the rise. With high cholesterol and diabetes in the family, I knew I needed to clean up my diet. I'd fallen into some bad habits over the last few years, especially during the COVID lockdowns.

Vietnamese-Style Pork Sandwich

2023-09-08T21:50:00.004+10:00

Do you enjoy banh mi, Vietnamese Pork Rolls? This street food is one of my favourite choices for lunch.

However, with a family history of diabetes, I need to be careful with the carbohydrates and sugars in my diet.

Gluten-Free ANZAC Biscuits

2021-04-18T23:43:00.001+10:00

What to do with an open pack of quinoa flakes? 😁

Make a batch of gluten-free ANZAC biscuits.

Christmas Almond and Orange Pudding

2019-12-24T00:10:00.001+11:00

A gluten-free and dairy-free Christmas pudding!

I make a couple of Christmas puddings each year and wanted to try something different from the fruit pudding I normally make. One my friends made an almond and orange cake so I searched the web and adapted a couple of recipes to create a Christmas Almond and Orange Pudding. It's taken a couple of years but I think the recipe is finally ready to share!

Away from Home - Melbourne 2018

2018-04-23T01:43:00.000+10:00

Last month we were back in Melbourne for a flying visit. I was attending a conference and added a couple of days so that Hubby and I could have a mini-break. And of course, that meant discovering new eats and visiting old favourites.

Winemaker's Platter

2018-01-28T18:59:00.005+11:00

A simple meal for a hot day!

These last weeks in Sydney have been hot and humid. Scorching days and muggy nights leave me feeling so drained that cooking dinner at the end of the day is the last thing I want to do!

Zucchini, Orange & Banana Slice

2017-12-27T00:13:00.003+11:00

The ZOB Slice! Another way to use up leftover icing from store-bought cake mixes.

Buttercream Icing

2017-12-26T22:39:00.000+11:00

Many of the recipes for buttercream icing (or buttercream frosting) use icing sugar, an ingredient I don't tend to keep in my pantry. So I was pleased when I came across this allrecipes Creamy Frosting Recipe that used white sugar.

Chocolate Carrot and Ginger Slice

2017-11-13T00:21:00.000+11:00

One way to use up leftover icing from store-bought cake mixes.

I've made the family's favourite apple slice a couple of times now but after purchasing two vanilla cake mixes I ended up with unused packets of icing. I asked my Aunt what she did with the icing, only to be told that I could buy vanilla cake mixes without the icing mix!

However, I can't buy a gluten-free cake mix without the icing so I started to investigate gluten-free recipes where I could use the icing. And this was the result: a chocolate carrot and ginger slice.

Away from home - Orange

2017-06-13T00:20:00.000+10:00

It had been two years since we last had a long break so we decided to take some time out in Orange, 3½ hours drive from Sydney.

Orange has been described as the “food bowl of New South Wales” and, when I started looking for accommodation, I discovered that the Orange F.O.O.D (Food of Orange District) Festival ended a couple of days before we arrived.

With the festival, school holidays and Easter long weekend, finding accommodation with a full kitchen was difficult. The apartment that I booked had a kitchenette with, according to the website, only a microwave for cooking.

I mainly use my microwave for warming frozen meals, so cooking with a microwave was going to be a challenge!

Fruit Pudding Cake

2017-03-27T19:07:00.000+11:00

A Christmas pudding reconstructed as a layered cake!

Milestone celebrations call for something special! Hubby's Brother asked me to cook a Christmas pudding for their mother's 90th birthday celebration. With 20 guests I needed to double the quantity of the ingredients and, because we weren't having a cake, I decided to turn the pudding into a cake.

Beef Fajitas

2017-02-19T17:28:00.000+11:00

When we lived in the US back in 2001, one of my favourite Mexican dishes was fajitas. So when this beef fajitas recipe appeared in my news feed a few years ago, I bookmarked it and it is the basis for my beef fajitas. Unlike the chicken tacos meal, this dish needs a bit of planning to ensure that I have the ingredients and there is enough time for the meat to marinate.

Lemon Myrtle and Sesame Pork

2017-01-25T22:10:00.001+11:00

Lemon myrtle is an Australian native tree. The dried leaves are used to create a spice that is similar to lemongrass.

Whilst browsing through a magazine, I found and copied a recipe for Lemon Myrtle and Black Sesame Chicken. Since then I've experimented with chicken, turkey, fish, and pork and really loved the pork. Chicken and turkey also work well but the flavours tend to overpower fish.

Fish Pie

2016-09-24T13:27:00.000+10:00

The weather is starting to warm up so, unless there is a cold snap, this dish is not likely to appear on our menu for quite a while. I was looking for recipes in which I could leftover sushi because sushi salad doesn't always feel right to me in Winter months.

Maybe I should've labelled this recipe “Sushi Pie” because I always have leftover sushi for this pie: the seafood and seaweed is cut up for the filling and the rice is included in the mashed potato.

Honey-Mustard Roast Chicken with Lemon Stuffing and Vegetables

2016-08-21T22:20:00.003+10:00

Perfect family dinner for those cold Winter nights!

Hubby and I really enjoy our Sunday roasts if we have the time to prepare and cook. This roast chicken is probably the easiest and quickest of the roasts we enjoy, and there's always leftovers for another night. I throw all the vegetables into the roasting pan throughout and serve everything in the one pan.

Note: I use a Dutch oven on the stove top to cook my roast so the times and temperatures for the oven are based on the information provided in my cook books.

Apple Slice

2016-01-22T23:12:00.000+11:00

Try to stop at one! This apple slice is so more-ish.

Away from home - Melbourne in 2015

2015-12-31T01:53:00.000+11:00

This is a long overdue post about some of the meals we prepared and some of the restaurants and cafés we visited when we were in Melbourne earlier this year.

Sushi Salad

2015-10-26T21:00:00.000+11:00

Lately we have had leftovers from our weekly takeaway sushi. Inspired by reality TV cooking shows and the sushi salmon salads I enjoyed while working in North Sydney, I created a ‘sushi salad’ that I serve with our dinner the following night.

Hummus

2015-09-19T23:04:00.000+10:00

Lately I have been very lazy when it comes to preparing our Turkish Feast. Working in the evening means little time for cooking so I had been buying a ‘four-pack’ of skinny dips.

Those four-packs no longer seem to be stocked in the supermarkets and buying individual packs has proved to be expensive and a waste of food because even small tubs are too much for just two of us. So I have started to make our own dips and hummus is a staple for our Turkish-inspired dinners.

Away from Home - Townsville

2015-09-07T18:00:00.000+10:00

I'm slowly catching up on posts related to our holiday back in April. (Four months ago ... that's a lifetime in our fast-paced world!)

Following the format of my Away from home posts, this post describes our grocery list, the meals we prepared and some of the restaurants and cafés we visited.

Tomato, Chilli and Ginger Damper

2015-06-24T19:00:00.000+10:00

Winter time and my thoughts turn to soups and breads.

Away from Home - The Hunter Valley Again!

2015-05-30T21:18:00.000+10:00

During our last trip to the Hunter Valley I discovered that Sting and Paul Simon were performing at the Hope Estate Winery on Valentine's Day. Hubby and I couldn't think of a better reason to return to the Hunter.

Mustard and White Wine Vinegar Dressing for Oysters

2015-02-10T21:55:00.000+11:00

I love oysters and always prepare them for special occasions and holidays. This is probably my favourite dressing and it's so quick and easy to prepare.

Christmas Ice Cream Pudding

2014-12-22T02:04:00.000+11:00

Perfect for a hot, sunny Christmas day!

Years ago I cut out a recipe from the daily newspaper for a Christmas ice cream pudding that came from Iain "Huey" Hewitson's book Huey's Greatest Hits. Over the years I've modified the recipe to suit the tastes and dietary restrictions of my family. Even Huey has changed his recipe—the original recipe has double the quantities in his current ice cream pudding recipe.

Away from home - Hunter Valley

2014-12-07T23:35:00.000+11:00

From my Instagram feed it would seem I spend more time eating out than cooking, but what the feed reflects is a regularity and sameness to what we eat. I work 2-3 nights a week so we fall back on quick and easy meals like noodles, tacos or Turkish pide, dips and tabouli; do takeaway or dine at a local restaurant a couple of nights, which basically leaves the weekend for trying anything new that I might photograph.

So, when Hubby and I manage to get away, we relish a chance to try different dishes and I end up posting about a couple of weeks worth of photos in a couple of days.