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!

Zucchini, Orange & Banana Slice

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

Buttercream Icing

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.

Fruit Pudding Cake

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.

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.

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.

Apple Slice

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

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.

Hummus

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.

Tomato, Chilli and Ginger Damper

Winter time and my thoughts turn to soups and breads.

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.

Christmas Ice Cream Pudding

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.

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.

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. 😉

Banana and Blueberry Bread

Perfect for an afternoon snack.

This delicious moist banana bread is based on a vegan recipe, which I found when searching for a recipe to cater for my nephew's allergies. As a bonus it is low fat, although having a slice spread with butter probably negates that fact!

Chicken Stock

Nowadays I tend to use a lot of vegetable stock instead of chicken or beef stock. But sometimes, a chicken stock is nice.

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.

Pumpkin Soup with Chilli and Ginger

Another variation on pumpkin soup!

Winter is here so I'm looking for soup recipes that are quick and easy to make. Pumpkin soup is obviously a favourite of ours and this version is not thick like the basic pumpkin soup or creamy like the pumpkin soup with chilli. I used less pumpkin to make a lighter soup—lighter in taste, texture and calories—yet still deliver a soup with a bit of a kick to warm the insides.

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.