It's fine, don't worry about me, I'll just have salad and bread... It's a phrase known well by many non-meat eaters when faced with a weekend BBQ in Australia. Barbequing here generally consists of steaks, sausages, a bit more steak, another sausage, and maybe some chops. No, we don't generally 'throw another shrimp on the barbie' [and even if we did we'd call them prawns and they'd probably still have the heads on] and while there is always a pile of white bread or rolls and perhaps some … [Read more...]
Beef & Chicken Lasagne. Or Lasagna. Tomayto, tomahto.
Working in hospitality when I first moved to Sydney I learned quickly that "Would you like tomahto on your sandwich" caused many less confused looks than an America-land 'tomayto' when asked across the counter of a cafe... Sometimes you just have to go with the flow. Now we all know I don't eat meat, so what am I doing making a Meaty Lasagne? And for that matter what am I doing spelling Lasagne with an 'e' instead of Lasagna with an 'a'? Well on the first one, I told RJ that for his birthday … [Read more...]
Vegan Chocolate Smoothie & Green-Machine Banana Smoothie
Seasonally-induced-home-sickness. Northern-hemisphere-displaced-persons affliction. Whatever you want to call it, it happens to me every year about this time. You'd think that after seeing everyone during our recent trip it wouldn't be as bad, but somehow it's worse. It's not that Sydney isn't gorgeous but, as anyone who lives far away from home knows, the holidays can be pretty hard. It's the night before Thanksgiving in the US right now. Most of my family is back in Philly, mom is playing … [Read more...]
Cosmopolitan Cranberry Lime Cupcakes
I was a teenager in the 90's and embraced - as you do - all the trends that came along with that oddity of a decade. The first few years were an 80's hangover with side pony-tails, layered colour blocking, boxy crop tops and atrocious floral prints... you know, about what the runways and chain stores are flogging right now. I am currently refusing to shop anywhere that resembles the inside of my closet 20 or so years ago. Step away from the neon, step away. Then came grunge - the biggest … [Read more...]
Pawpaw, Papaya & Summer Inspired Rice Paper Rolls
I had never eaten a Rice Paper Roll before moving to Sydney, for that matter I had never eaten Pawpaw or Papaya before going to the Cook Islands. It's not that I grew up sheltered, it's just that I grew up in the suburbs of America-land in the 80's and 90's - Chinese Food and Pizza was about as international as our town got back then... One of the first places RJ ever took me to eat was a brilliant little Asian hole-in-the-wall in Marrickville called Old Thanh Huong. That original visit … [Read more...]
Custard Apple, Lime & Mint Mojito Sorbet
In Sydney, winter is officially here, and it is cold. Sleeping in jumpers, two blankets on the bed, heater on in the lounge room, cold. Last night the city nearly blew away. It is Custard Apple season - it is not ice cream season. In America-land, summer is just beginning and ice cream abounds. It is ice cream season - it not Custard Apple season. This recipe is fair to no one, it is however delicious and as such I am sitting on the lounge, covered in a blanket and next to the heater, … [Read more...]
Custard Apple Ice-Pops
I knew that I was receiving some Custard Apples - what I didn't expect was a box of four enormous, perfect ones. I was so excited when they arrived that I unwrapped them, grabbed one out, and discovered that they were as hard as rocks. Damn. But it made sense, as a perfectly ripe Custard Apple would need to be used immediately... and I needed to think about it for a while. So I set them aside on the kitchen bench, lid of the box jauntily perched but not on tight, and promptly forgot about … [Read more...]
