In My Tropical Kitchen, April 2026

The month of March and into early April, including Easter Week, called for some calming and comforting food, and some careful planning. I needed assurance that food would be catered for throughout the month and particularly over Easter when our club's Annual Easter Indoor Pickleball Tournament was being held, and most importantly, our daughter Shannon was driving home for Easter. I know that also means that a cake needs to be baked, and I also planned that her favourite Monte Carlo biscuits would be in the biscuit tin, or in the refrigerator, still necessary at this time of year.

In My Tropical Kitchen, March 2026

 What a memorable month February was. It might have been the shortest month of the year, only 28 days, but it was action packed, with a Pickleball tournament to be entered, and I can mention that as even the sport we play has a foodie name; and my birthday was almost "smack bang in the middle" of fabulous February as well. 

In My Tropical Kitchen, February 2026

 Whenever it's time to begin writing my kitchen update each month, I always hope I have something interesting to share with you. Then I look at all my food photos for the month, take a quick look back at my Happy Retirees Kitchen posts and think, Thank Goodness, looks like I did some delicious cooking after all that's worth talking about. Where did January go and I hope you are cruising nicely into February.

In My Kitchen, January 2026

 Hello there, it's been a little while!

Happy New Year to you all for 2026! Not much writing and blogging from me has been happening during the festive season, but I've been doing lots of cooking and food preparation, because I love it, after all it was Christmas time. We were in Cairns, for a few weeks, and I was getting to know and love Shannon's new kitchen. What a dream it is to cook and prepare food in, with mostly new appliances, so I was on a steep learning curve, which was a lot of fun.

In My Tropical Kitchen, October 2025

Dear readers,  Life's heating up in my kitchen as Summer approaches and this monthly IMK will give you food stories, travel stories, garden stories, and whatever else I've been up to in our tropical home and beyond that I think you will find interesting. So grab a cuppa or cold drink and read on at your leisure.

In My Spring Kitchen, September 2025

Spring can be an inspiring and energising time of the year. The days get longer again, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and nesting, and there's a whole new level of inspiration brimming in the kitchen. Do you feel it? So let's Spring to it, it's In My Kitchen time.

In My Kitchen, July 2025

I'm enjoying just being at home during our tropical Winter, with minimum temperatures of 8 deg. C, and a maximum of around 23 deg. C, what's not to love. As they say, we are living in paradise. It has to be the perfect time for cooking in my kitchen. Southerners visiting from the colder states in Australia, such as New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT, and even Tasmania, probably don't even need to wear jackets, unlike us, who aren't used to the colder weather. We are rugged up and loving it.

In My Kitchen, June 2025, looking back on Marvellous May

Dear friends, How can it be June already? It's been a big month of enjoying the magnificent weather here right now in North Queensland and keeping busy with harvesting and preserving all of the fresh and surplus produce coming our way, not to mention eating it. 

In My Kitchen, May 2025, and looking back on April

Welcome lovers of food, to my kitchen, and to what's been happening this month in my world. April is always a busy month in our calendar. As the weather starts to cool down here in Northern Queensland, it's time to bake, make soups and stews, and plant some Spring seeds and seedlings in the garden. I've planted Baby Spinach and Pak Choy seeds already. 

In My Kitchen, April 2025, and looking back on March

Dear Friends,  Hooray it's Autumn and April, at last. Consequently, there's a transition happening In My Kitchen. As the Autumnal humidity lowers and the temperatures cool down, the Southern Hemisphere is pressing the fast-forward button toward Autumn and Winter, and I am loving it. The Autumn showers are also disappearing and the sun is shining, enticing us toward Easter.

In My Kitchen, March 2025

 

Hello, welcome to In My Kitchen from HRK, which is about my cooking and kitchen antics based on what is fresh and in season, what is available and healthy if possible, and always delicious. I am excited it's the beginning of Autumn, bringing cooler temperatures to the tropics and the promise of more beautiful fresh produce. It's almost soup weather.

In My Kitchen, February 2025

This year, late January sees the start of the very active Monsoon season here in North Queensland. From Mackay up to Cairns, the highway has been cut in several places at different times, a couple of bridges washed away, and the sugar cane farming town of Ingham is completely flooded. The government is flying in generators so that residents can have power.  Thankfully a tropical cyclone hasn't entered into the equation, that would be disastrous. The torrential rain has been enough.

In My Kitchen, January 2025

Happy New Year 2025 to you all. It has really felt like the Summer holidays here at home since Christmas, which I think we all needed.  Christmas was wonderful, we survived it, thanks to the air-conditioning. Hope you had a fabulous Christmas with some of your favourite people wherever you were.

In My Kitchen, December 2024

 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.

In My Kitchen, October 2024

 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.

In My Kitchen, August 2024 - July the month that was

 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.

In My Kitchen - May 2024

 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.

In My Kitchen - March 2024

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. 

In My Kitchen February 2024

January has flown by, and now I am mentally collecting inspiration for cooking events for February. We are still experiencing the peak of the tropical heat of Summer here, and this determines a lot of what I am preparing and cooking. However, let's start on a sweet note and there a few recipes in this post that I haven't yet shared with you. 

In My Kitchen, December 2023

 

I'm in the mood for Christmas now, which is great, because it's nearly here and the stunning colours of Christmas are naturally occurring in our garden. Bring it on. It's been a big morning today. The fruits for my Christmas Cake and my Christmas Plum Pudding are now macerating, and the Rum Ball mixture is chilling in the refrigerator. I'll roll these traditional little festive balls in coconut tonight. I needed to start all of these preparations early at 6.30 am this morning, before the heat of the day set in, and I am so relieved that I have made a start. Hopefully the cake will be baked and the puddings made by the end of this week. I am usually earlier than this making the Christmas cake, but I've been fairly casual about it all this year, and they will still taste great and make it feel like Christmas, even if lunch is fairly simple.