We have 4 kg of green King Prawns sitting in our freezer, waiting to be cooked up for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Our prawns are from the famous Karumba, in the Gulf Country region of Queensland, Australia, which by the way we happened to visit a few years ago on a camping trip. Karumba is a beautiful spot to visit in Winter, too hot in Summer for us to enjoy, and well known for it's prawn industry.
It's the countdown to Christmas, and I really hope that Christmas still brings lots of excitement and love to most families on Christmas Day. We generally try to keep it simple with the catering, leaving the traditional Christmas favourites to make yet another appearance, such as my Mum's Brandy Plum Pudding with homemade Vanilla Custard or ice-cream for dessert, and the traditional Christmas Cake.
This is one of those recipes which makes me wonder how can anything so simple taste so good. We were gifted a few Globe or American eggplants, and we also harvested a few Japanese eggplants from our garden. The numbers exceeded even my ability to make meals out of them, so of course that inspired me to do some pickling. Let's pickle!
What is it about December each year which means the pace of living ramps up, and we are trying to cram too much into our lives in these last few weeks before Christmas. I refuse to be hurried or succumb to too much Christmas hype, and I think by now I have met all of the deadlines on my list. Christmas cards? Not sent yet. Do you still send them? I am wavering.
When I first made this vegetarian dish with Mediterranean ingredients and flavours, I wasn't sure if it would pass muster for my recipe blog, or be tasty and substantial enough to stand alone as our main meal. Well, it ticked both of those boxes, in fact Mr. HRK loved it. So did I, and I felt much healthier after eating it, with all that delicious vegetable within.
Mushrooms and white or red miso paste are a marvellous combination bringing stacks of umami flavours to this dish to tantalise our palate. There are many varieties of mushrooms available these days, and I have used the standard white cap variety for this recipe. I also used white miso paste. More about that later.
This stem ginger and pear cake is so easy to make, resulting in a top layer of pear, a very moist cake texture and lots of warm, cosy spice and ginger flavours. We love using stem ginger when baking sweet things, and this cake gives a perfect result. It is now one of my favourites to bake.
What an action packed month October was! It was Mr. HRK's birthday so we dined out twice in one day, and why not? During October we included some essential kitchen maintenance and reorganising, some cooking (of course) and food blogging, gardening, talking to our son and grandchildren each week in Montpellier, France, and catching up with our daughter and lovely friends. We also played some pickleball a few times a week and I wrote up a few articles about our Mackay Indoor Pickleball Club for the local free weekly newspaper. How did we ever find time to go out to work?
Sourdough Bread baking is a science, and there is lots to learn. This is a high hydration bread loaf, more water is added to the dough, which suits this style of bread. My recipe is taken from my favourite bread making guide, Artisan Sourdough, Made Simple, written by Emilie Raffa, c2017. I think that this is the best book for a novice bread baker to start with, as far as I am concerned anyway.
This Shawarma meatloaf from Yotem Ottolenghi's "COMFORT" is a departure from the Aussie style meatloaf I was used to when I was growing up. A whole suite of aromatic Shawarma spices and herbs such as cumin, allspice, cinnamon, mint and turmeric are used along with bulgur wheat instead of breadcrumbs. The texture is moist and fluffy thanks to the zucchini, and the burghul and eggs binding it altogether.
This Spinach and Cheese frittata is perfect when served for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Frittatas, omelettes and eggs, whether poached, scrambled or fried, are in general a popular choice for brekkie or brunch when we are dining out. Here we have a really delicious frittata that you can easily cook and eat in the comfort of your own home, for 4 people, and very economically. Think comfort food as well.
Warm cauliflower salad with Sweet Potato puree, will bring healthy fresh vegetables to your meal table in a delicious and attractive way. Cauliflower loves to be the hero of the dish and combined with sweet potato, feta cheese, chickpeas, red onion and zesty Middle Eastern spices is a meal in itself. We all need to be eating more veges.
It's been a while since I posted an In My Kitchen, but we are now home after 3 months away in Cairns in Far North Queensland, so grab a cuppa and make yourself comfortable, I have lots to tell you. It was really lovely to be away and with our family, but there's no place like home.
When I baked this brilliant batch of Apple Cinnamon Muffins, it was the perfect homecoming gift after 3 months away, to myself and Mr. HRK. Baking to me says welcome home. I gave some away to visiting friends and neighbours, because this recipe makes a dozen, and they were all gone in two days. So delicious!
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This Barramundi fish was caught with a fishing rod and line from the beach, only the day before I baked it, and couldn't have been any fresher, or more delicious. He was caught in the waters of the Hinchinbrook Channel near Cardwell on the Far North Queensland Coast, by a friend who only ever catches as much as he needs, just eats what he can and very thoughtfully gives a few away to older residents of his community. Fishing sustainably like this will ensure that the barramundi won't be fished out in this area by local fishermen.
It's time for International Scone Week 2024. This is still an important event, where bakers around the world submit an entry for their favourite scone, sweet or savoury. My Pumpkin Scones from #ISW 2022, are one of the most popular posts on my blog, and I still make them often. This year I have baked a savoury scone recipe, which is one of my favorite ways to eat a scone for morning tea.
What an incredible month July has been. We were in Cairns in Far North Tropical Queensland for most of July, away from our family home and my kitchen in Mackay. However it's hard for me to stay out of the kitchen, so read on to hear all about what I've been up to.
What is the secret to cooking healthy, delicious and fast dishes in someone else's lovely kitchen, when you find yourself there responding to an emergency family situation?
If you enjoy Asian style cuisine you will love this dish. Oxtail is a cut of meat which appeared quite regularly as a stew at the dinner table when I was growing up, however it is absolutely transformed here with this remarkable combination of Asian flavours. It is finger lickin' good. I think that your whole family will love it.
This sweet and tangy lime tart is simply sensational to eat, and is so easy to make. The filling rests in a baked biscuit and butter case, and the cooked tart keeps well when refrigerated and can also be frozen. Using freshly juiced and zested limes brings so much authentic flavour to this dessert.. When life gave me fresh limes, I made this tart.
Dear friends, Welcome to this newsy post about what I've been up to In My Kitchen this past month. And now as the weather cools down beautifully for the short Northern Queensland Winter, I'll share with you a little about what is happening in my garden, as the edibles we grow end up in my kitchen. We are still dressed in t-shirts and shorts during the day when on yard duty, and this morning Mr. HRK and I spent the whole morning in the garden, planting new seedlings, pruning, reminiscing, and enjoying the Winter sunshine. What bliss.
Emelia Jackson in her latest book, "First, cream the butter and the sugar" has developed this glorious chai tea flavoured cake, it's a Chai spiced Pear Cake. It's absolutely delicious with a very tender crumb, and was a pleasure to make this week. I'm delighted to be able to share the cake making process with you, at last. Thanks Emelia.
This is another delicious chicken traybake recipe using Tandoori paste for maximum flavour. For busy cooks who are time poor, traybakes can be our saviour. By now, you will know how much I love a traybake.
Mother's Day at Cairns Palooka Restaurant, in Far North Queensland, totally exceeded my expectations. They describe their food as contemporary modern European dining, or Mediterranean, and the French and Italian influences in their cuisine are very obvious. The restaurant is situated in the heart of Stratford village in Cairns, offering cosy seating inside or outside on the footpath, which is well protected from the weather by sturdy blinds if needed. The restaurant is very accessible, and parking along the side street is generally available.
Italian lamb shanks are one of my favourite meals, and is often what I order when we are dining out. This recipe had a lot to live up to, however it is as delicious, even more so, than any Italian Lamb Shank meal I have ever eaten. It's made from scratch, without the use of any packets of supermarket branded products, such as a packet of red wine jus. There's just no need.
It's May already, and I'm about to share with you what I've been cooking and enjoying in my kitchen during April, which is always a busy month. This year we were home for all of April, which was lovely. I resorted to making a few of my favourite recipes, and cooked up some new ones. April brings Easter, precious thoughts about loved ones during Anzac Day, and our wedding anniversary as well. All of these events are full of memories, as are so many food recipes that I cook. May brings the very welcome cooler weather, and that means that I start making delicious soups again.
This is a hearty, vegetarian Autumnal salad, celebrating the in-season vegetables, jap (Kent) pumpkin and beetroot, which are in plentiful supply at the Australian markets and retail supermarkets right now. Photos can't fully portray the delicious flavours contained in this salad, with pops of maple syrup sweetness accentuating the warm crispy haloumi, and a refreshing mint pesto combining with all the ingredients.
LEST WE FORGET!
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This Cream Cheese Carrot Bundt Cake designed by Donna Hay, is filled with an irresistible cream cheese frosting, the same frosting which is generally reserved for icing the cake with and which everyone loves. Instead, we have baked it in the middle of the cake, where it transforms into the dreamiest, lemony cheesecake filling. Combined with sweet, grated carrot and chopped pecans or walnuts, and generously spiced with ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, this cake will also make a delicious dessert.
This low calorie Salmon and Leek Quiche will be perfect to enjoy over Easter, to balance out all of the other delicious chocolate treats which will be on offer. It can be eaten hot from the oven with a large leafy salad, or as a cold healthy lunch. You can also add some extra vegetables if you wish.
Do you ever need a quick but delicious pudding for dessert just because you want some comfort food in a hurry, or for just no particular reason? Dear Readers, this is a simple uncomplicated post, which I think is in keeping with a dessert that is very easy to throw together. A self saucing pudding always hits the mark. This post is laced with nostalgia. The recipe is based on a pudding that Mr. HRK passed on to me from his Mum whose name was Jessie, a long time ago when we were first married. I've swapped out the currants and sultanas for dates this time and we love the result. All of the ingredients were already in my pantry so that was easy.
Lamb Siniyah or stewed lamb cooked in a pot with a tahini crust are the stars of this delicious Middle Eastern version of Shepherd's Pie. A golden tahini crust replaces the potato topping to perfection. It's rich and comforting and laced with fragrant Middle Eastern spices. Who doesn't love a tasty Shepherd's Pie? Well, I promise you; this dish will exceed your expectations even further. Yotam Ottolenghi has created a very clever recipe here, one of many in his book "Simple".
February was full of travel, birthday fun for me, friends, and good food. Everyone is in now in shock that it is March already, and it's always been a big month in our family. We have two family March birthdays, which has always meant celebrating our two children's birthdays,🎂 and sometimes parties, when they lived at home. It's been hot and quite wet here in the Tropics, so bring on the beautiful change of season that Easter always brings.
Eating Chocolate Beetroot Brownies doesn't need to be laden with guilt. Brownies are one of the chocolate lover's favourite styles of cake, and with this beetroot and dark chocolate recipe, if you are watching the calories during the week after an indulgent getaway, you can have your Brownie and eat it too.
This classic Crème Brûlée is a very chic dessert to have in your entertaining food repertoire. Donna Hay's recipe was the one I used, but I added a couple of modifications to it which worked beautifully. A silky and rich custard has a topping of thin caramelised crunchy toffee. It's an absolute delight to crack through the toffee layer with a spoon to discover the rich vanilla infused custard waiting below.
A luscious orange syrup drizzled cake is perfect just served with a dollop of thick yoghurt. The sweet, sour, and refreshing flavour of fresh citrus fruits absolutely infuses this cake. These are the flavours of our Summer and will brighten up any Winter blues in the Northern Hemisphere as well. This cake is happiness on a plate. Why not bake it this weekend?
Lemon and blueberry yoghurt loaf cake can be the sweet and tangy ending to a meal, served warm with yoghurt, blueberries and a drizzle of honey, or served as the sweet component of a morning or afternoon tea with lemon icing or a dusting of icing sugar. It's versatile and delicious.
It's hard to beat a Moroccan style tagine or casserole for flavour and nutritional benefits. This recipe is great for the busy home cook, as once the chicken and onions are browned on the stovetop, all the ingredients are tumbled into a large casserole dish and the meal cooks itself in the oven. It can be served in a beautiful tagine utensil if you own one, or straight from your casserole dish or cast iron utensil, with a light garnish of attractive green herbs.
The secret to this delicious Vietnamese style chicken slaw is the perfectly balanced dressing ingredients and the wombok cabbage which forms the basis of the salad. Oh, and the juicy shredded chicken is a pleasure to eat. I've tried a few different Vietnamese Chicken Salad recipes over the years, but with this recipe Nagi Maehashi has really nailed it. I know that a lot of you have her Recipe Tin Eats book "Dinner" by now, and this recipe is published in that, however I have given you a few extra tips and tricks for making this salad from the perspective of the home cook.
Greetings dear friends and family, and Happy New Year! As January saunters along, I hope that your 2024 will be healthy (health is wealth as they say) and fulfilling for you in many ways and include some travel if that's your thing. My Kitchen is one of my happy and most fulfilling places to be, and this year whilst I love to prepare the occasional "fancy" meal, and doesn't everyone, I'll be challenging myself to mostly cook from scratch with what's in season, and using minimal ingredients when possible. There is still a cost of living crisis in the community, and most people are watching their dollars, but I think there are ways to still eat economical, delicious and healthy meals and with a minimum of waste. It is so important to cook nutritious food that we really enjoy. Food is one of the great pleasures in life.
