Away from Home - Melbourne 2018

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.

Away from home - Orange

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!

Away from home - Melbourne in 2015

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.

Away from Home - Townsville

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.

Away from Home - The Hunter Valley Again!

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.

Away from home - Hunter Valley

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.

Away from home - Adelaide

Hubby and I seem to be slowly ticking off state capitals when we take our annual leave. This time we flew to Adelaide, South Australia. We last visited Adelaide about 10 years ago. Back then we stayed at Glenelg, a beachside suburb, about a 30-minute tram trip from the CBD. This time we stayed in an apartment in the CBD.

Similar to past Away from home posts, this post describes our grocery list for the week, the meals we prepared and some of the restaurants and cafés we visited.

Fruit-Topped Pancakes

A great weekend brunch!

Away from Home - Brisbane

Another trip, another city. This time we visited Brisbane, staying in an apartment in the CBD. This post describes our grocery list for the week, the meals we prepared and some of the restaurants and cafés we visited.

Big Breakfast for Two (or Three or Four ... )

Sunday breakfast is special in our house even for the dogs! It's a break from the weekday routine of cereal or toast (and the tin and dry dog food). Most Sundays I'll cook a big breakfast of poached eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms and baked beans on toast, and maybe some rindless bacon or salt-reduced ham. If I break a yolk when cracking an egg, the egg becomes part of the dogs' Sunday omelette.

French Toast

Sunday breakfast is special in our house but waking up at 11:00 means ‘breakfast’ has to be quick and easy to make and filling enough to last to an early dinner.

Quick Congee

Quick and easy to make! Warm and fulfilling on a cold night.

Hubby was away on business so I took the opportunity to cook a childhood favourite, quick congee, or as we called it, quick juk. As kids we preferred the quick juk to the ‘real’ juk, which had amongst its ingredients dried bean curd, water chestnuts and red dates. I still prefer the quick juk. It's a versatile dish—I will cook it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Away from Home - Melbourne

Being away from home can be a challenge, especially if you are watching your diet. Eating out every day for every meal can be a strain on both the wallet and the waistline. Recently, Hubby and I spent two weeks in Melbourne. This post describes the meals we prepared in our ‘foreign’ kitchen: our ingredients and our meals. It also describes some of the restaurants we visited.

Sweet Corn Scrambled Eggs

I usually have sweet corn scrambled eggs for a weekend brunch, but it is also my “arrive home at midnight and don't feel like cooking” meal.