Hello, I'm Pauline, a passionate home cook with over 40 years of recipe development experience and over 12 years of food blogging. I live in Tropical North Queensland. What began as a simple way to document family recipes has grown into Happy Retiree's Kitchen, a trustworthy source for achievable, delicious recipes. I'm a self-taught cook and food and travel blogger, and have spent over a decade perfecting how to make home cooking achievable, flavoursome, and very accessible. Let's cook.
Wednesday, December 17, 2025
Shirley's Christmas Fruit Mince Tea Cake
Saturday, December 6, 2025
In My Tropical Kitchen, December 2025
It's the "Silly Season" for many of us here in Tropical North Queensland, during the lead up to Christmas in the heat of Summer, meaning more fun, more parties, more socialising, more shopping, more air-conditioning, and more cooking including Christmas indulgences, and just the predictable hype involved in the lead up to Christmas. We are very low key about all of this now in our home, with just a couple of Christmas parties and a few lovely catchups with friends. For those working and living in the fast lane, it is probably a very different story though.
Monday, December 7, 2020
In my Christmas Kitchen 2020
My friends it's been a cooking frenzy in my kitchen this last week, preparing for Christmas and the arrival of our daughter and family. Sore feet, music constantly playing, lots of water and the occasional vino, have ensured the marathon is completed.
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
It's All about Christmas In My Kitchen
Here in Tropical North Queensland, our verandahs and patios become as much a part of our kitchen and eating area as our inside kitchen does. We spend a lot of time outside in our outdoor kitchen. So I thought as part of my In My Kitchen series for Sherry's Pickings, it was appropriate to showcase my latest orchid which is flowering in my outdoor kitchen.


