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.

Winemaker's Platter

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!

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!

Beef Fajitas

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

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

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

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.

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.

Sushi Salad

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.

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.

Mustard and White Wine Vinegar Dressing for Oysters

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.

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.

Lime and Chilli Spaghetti

A nice, light pasta dish for warmer weather.

The original recipe did not contain prawns so for a vegetarian dish, eliminate the prawns.

Curry Laksa

This laksa is surprisingly quick to make. Replace the coconut milk with skim evaporated milk and coconut essence for a lower-fat version.

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.

Pumpkin, Spinach and Mushroom Frittata

Great for picnics or as a snack or light meal!

Although the Impossible Quiche is similar to a frittata, this year was the first time I tried a ‘true’ frittata and I loved it. Of course I've tinkered with the recipe to lower the salt and fat content where I can. 😉

Low-Fat Chips

There are tons of recipes out there for low-fat chips and most use the oven, a standard technique for those of us who are counting calories.

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.

Turkey Patties

I love working with turkey mince—the meat is so light and is complemented by many different seasonings. We serve the turkey patties accompanied with salad and chips, or use them in turkey burgers. This post describes three types of seasonings that I characterise as French-, Italian- and Thai-style seasonings. The ‘French’-style patties are similar to the turkey patties I made in Melbourne.