Appetizers
Pulled Pork BBQ Beetroot Pasta
This is probably the most unappealing dish I've ever put on my blog. I'm sorry. I must have turned the ...
Pomegranate Bruschetta
The sun is just going down on New Year's Eve and there's no better time to tell you how much each of ...
Brioche Buns in the Thermomix
Skip to the Recipe I talked over Skype this morning to my granddaughter, Jade. After our talk I reminisced ...
Eggplant and Caramelized Onion Dip
You know how it is, you shop at the farmers market and you find beautiful eggplant and decide you're ...
Beef
Double Onion Cheeseburger
Tomorrow is National Cheeseburger Day so when Barbecues Galore asked me to create something using a ...
Meatloaf Recipe From the last Century
I'm not sure what this song has in common with meatloaf but stick with me. Have you ever gotten ...
Rare Roast Beef
When I was about 8 years old, my parents were quite playful. Things changed when I got into my teen ...
Sous Vide Cheeseburgers
Well, I finally got a sous vide machine. Nothing fancy like Sally at Bewitching Kitchen but it works ...
Blog Reviews
Pecan Pie Éclairs
You read that title and inhaled just a bit deeper, didn't you? When Barbara Schieving, famous for her ...
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving has always been a special time for most Americans, regardless where they live in the world. ...
Liz Posmyk from Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things
Happy Valentine's Day! I had the BEST treat this week. My wonderful friend and fellow food blogger, ...
Bread and Wine by Shauna Niequist
Recently I was given a book by Shauna Niequist called Bread and Wine, a love letter t life around the ...
Blogging
The Gunnas Masterclass in Writing
When I told you that John's Christmas present to me was a ticket to the Gunnas Masterclass in Writing, ...
What Ziplist’s Closure Means for Its Users
Last week many people were upset to hear that Ziplist, the popular shopping list website, was closing ...
Food Blogging Tips – Good Books
During a casual chat with a Twitter friend, she asked me what helped me the most in nurturing Orgasmic ...
Choose a GOOD Webhosting Company For Your Food Blog
Over the past six months or so, very good friends of ours have struggled with their blogs. The first ...
Bread
Turkish Pide Bread
The other day I received a lovely message from a reader named Kathy who lives in Seattle. She wanted ...
How to Dry Sourdough Starter – Save Your Starter
When I first decided to learn to make sourdough bread I looked everywhere on the net to learn how to ...
Sourdough Bread Baked in a Pot
I've made several loaves of no-knead bread in a cast iron pot where you put the pot in the oven and ...
Thin Crust Italian Pizza Dough
Have you ever been to a catered pizza party? Me either until this week. Our friends Angie and Guy ...
Breakfast
Red Berry and White Chocolate Scones
My good friend Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella sent me a message on Facebook a couple of days ago and ...
Breakfast Potatoes and Eggs
I'm still here and I'm still dizzy but it's not benign positional vertigo that I suffered with for years. ...
Puff Pastry Breakfast Tarts
You can't go wrong with a puff pastry tart and when you fill them with eggs, bacon and onions - it's ...
Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich
(Skip to the Recipe) When John was about 20 his father went on sabbatical to Paris for a year to study ...
Candy
Easy Dark Chocolate Almond Fudge
I'm still out in the wilderness in a back pain sort of way. I do see a tiny light at the end of the ...
Chocolate Truffles
Did you think chocolate truffles were difficult to make because all the fancy restaurants have them? ...
Chocolate, Coconut and Walnut Balls
A while back my dear young friend Claire from Claire K Creations emailed asking if I'd participate in ...
Watermelon Ice and My First Sweet Swap
Ever had coconut ice? How about watermelon ice? A while back I was invited to join in a sweet swap ...
Casseroles
Food Writer Fridays – Namiko Chen from Just One Cookbook
How easy is it to fall for Nami? She's such a sweet individual with the best Japanese recipes. I ...
Scalloped Yams with Praline Topping
Okay, I know you're thinking, "this is NOT healthy, Maureen. What are you doing?" It was my birthday ...
Sweet Potato and Butternut Pumpkin Gratin
In the US it would be butternut squash and sweet potato but whatever you want to call it, this dish ...
Easy Peasy Chicken Pie
Seriously, it's easy. We ate this last night until I thought my husband would explode. Thankfully he ...
Cheese
Asparagus, Potato and Cheese Quiche or Tart
I hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day. It's always a tough day for me because my mother died a ...
Risotto Balls – Mushroom Arancini
I made some really good mushroom risotto last week with parmesan, gruyere and aged cheddar cheeses. ...
Learning To Make Cheese
Okay I haven't made any cheese yet but I went to a cheesemaking presentation today at a How To Cook, ...
Kataifi Cheese Rolls
I'm sure we've all eaten sweet Greek pastries made with kataifi pastry. I remember the annual Greek ...
Chicken
Mango and Macadamia Nut Stuffed Chicken Breasts
I bought a chicken to make stock when it was on sale and while I was preparing to cook it, I decided ...
Warm Chicken Salad
I'd invited some friends over over for a girly lunch and then I had to decide what to serve. I was ...
Japanese Chicken Curry
I'm not Japanese, let's just get that right out there. Some might say, "Why post this recipe then?" ...
Chicken Pad Thai
I received an email from another food blogger friend the other day and she asked me if I ever ate junk ...
Clean up
Bugs in Food
Gross, yes I know. I'm disgusted every time I see one. Because we have pets, our doors are open ...
Oh No! Raspberry stain on my tablecloth!
I love raspberries. The variety I grow fruits in the spring and again in the autumn. I was in Australia ...
Cookies
Madeleines
Last month I bought a madeleine pan and my first attempt wasn't as good as I'd hoped for. Those photos ...
Mango Ice Cream and Shortbread
Are we ready for Christmas yet? Every fiber in my body is telling me to go to sleep. My feet yelled, ...
Chocolate Chip and Almond Toffee Crunch Cookies
The Christmas season is well upon us. We put up more lights outside today as the Mooloolaba Christmas ...
Gingerbread Men
(Skip to the Recipe) These are NOT the best decorated gingerbread men you've ever seen but it's the ...
Desserts
Gluten-Free Coconut Cake {Guest Post}
While I fight another bout with a cold I picked up at the nursing home, here is a gluten free coconut ...
Bread Pudding from Banana Bread
Have you ever made bread pudding from banana bread? I hadn't until today. I was asked to come up with ...
Sticky Gingerbread Cake
When I was growing up, one of my favorite desserts was sticky gingerbread cake. I liked gingerbread ...
Apple Crisp Cake
Have you ever seen a recipe on a blog (or anywhere else) where the minute you saw it you had to stop ...
Drinks
Ginger Ale
If it's not one thing it's another. Thankfully reader Dale sent in a recipe for homemade Ginger Ale ...
Frozen Piña Colada
On my first ever cruise to the Eastern Caribbean, we had a port of call in the Cayman Islands. I tend ...
Raspberry Tea
Lots to talk about today. First, you all know Kim Bultman from Cravings of a Lunatic? She has an ...
Make a real Mojito!
A few years ago we were going to a conference in Jamaica and thought.. why not visit Cuba while we're ...
Eating Out
Kawana Waters Hotel
We enjoyed a lovely lunch today at the Kawana Waters Hotel which is about 5 minutes away -- if you ...
The Loose Goose
I know, you're thinking I'm writing about myself and the silly predicament I've been in with my bad ...
Harry’s on Buderim
John's uncle died a couple of days ago. Ron was Rob's older brother and he was very unwell and ready ...
Tides Waterfront Dining
The weather couldn't have been more perfect for our visit to Caloundra for lunch at Tides Waterfront ...
eggs
Butternut, Potato and Onion Crustless Quiche
The other day I was reading Chris Scheuers post about crustless mini-quiches. It was about 11am and ...
Leftover Ham, Cheese and Broccoli Quiche
Are you struggling with Christmas and New Year leftovers? Normally I wouldn't be but I cooked two ...
Pumpkin and Asparagus Quiche
(Skip to the Recipe) I took the dog for a walk the other day. I promised him if he read his book for ...
How to Make Easy Peel Hard Boiled Eggs
You're thinking I'm nuts, right? I'm not saying I'm not but I heard about a new (to me) method of ...
Ethnic
Foods Australia Brought to the World
Friends and family often ask how the food differs from back in the states where I lived most of my life ...
Lebanese Green Beans
On my first visit to Australia, I came to meet John in person for the first time. We'd met online and ...
Hands-Off Moroccan Couscous
Today I get to introduce you to someone I doubt you've met before. She's Bridget Sandorford and she's ...
Food Writer Fridays – Say hello to Sawsan from ChefinDisguise.com
One of the most intriguing food writers I follow is Sawsan and I really enjoy her food blog. I love ...
fish/seafood
Prawns with Sweet Chilli Relish
My day started a bit odd but it got better because I made these prawns with sweet chilli relish for ...
Restaurant Style Pea and Prawn (Shrimp) Risotto
When I asked Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats if she'd like to get together for dinner with a few others while ...
My Interview with Tetsuya Wakuda
As a part of the Noosa International Food and Wine Festival held this weekend, I was invited to "An ...
Deep Sea Fishing & the start of the Noosa Food and Wine Festival
What a day! The kind people who bottle CAPI sparkling mineral water invited me for a day out deep-sea ...
Food Events
Foodie Secret Santa 2014
I've seen quite a few Foodie Secret Santa 2014 posts going up but the rule was to post photos of ALL ...
Gingerbread House Contest
I am more an excited to announce that I've been carefully chosen picked out of a hat, to be a member ...
A Hot Dog Breakfast
Recently I was invited by marketing expert Simon Marmot to the Spring restaurant in Brisbane for a product ...
Thai Curry Pastes from Scratch Class at The Golden Pig
Two weekends ago I was invited to a class at The Golden Pig in Brisbane. I'd heard about the cooking ...
Food Writer Fridays
Food Writer Fridays – Meet Georgia Johnson from The Comfort of Cooking
If any blog really hit home with me based solely on the title it would be Georgia's blog at The Comfort ...
Food Writer Fridays – Charlie Louis from HotlySpiced.com
I've said it before and it bears repeating, there are some very wonderful people writing blogs and there ...
Food Writer Fridays – Meet Charles Smith of Five Euro Food
I've you've been watching food blogs very long, you're probaby as curious about Charles as I have been. ...
Food Writer Fridays – Meet Sofie Dittman
I've been following Sofie Dittman's blog at The German Foodie for quite some time now and every time ...
Fruit
Red. Hot. Sexy. Strawberries.
I'd like to introduce you to a new food blogging friend, the beautiful Nusrat Azim from Eye of the Beholder. ...
Whole Roasted Pineapple Sorbet
Last week when I was at the farmer's market the pineapple grower and I started chatting and he asked ...
Don’t Buy Applesauce !
Seriously, it is SO much better to make your own and if you're cooking anyway, just add one more pan. ...
Garden
You CAN Grow Corn in a Small Patch
All these garden posts people are doing and I always felt that I couldn't really join in because frankly ...
Success in My Garden
I probably should have said Rob's garden because all I do is pick herbs to cook with or pinch a thing ...
The Garden Share Collective – August 2013
Most of you know that I have no garden. We live in a canal community not far from the Pacific Ocean ...
Guest Post
Yard Long Bean Salad
I've mentioned that I've been a teensy unwell and my good friend Helene from Masala Herb has jumped ...
Swirl, Sniff, Sip: How to Taste Wine Like a Pro
Don’t have the patience to learn the complexities of every type of wine out there? You don’t have ...
Super Simple and Mouthwatering Ribs
You all know I live in Australia and grew up in Maine but I've never really talked about my family much ...
Bread Pudding
I'd like to introduce Denise Romeo of We Like to Cook. The Romeos, Denise and her hub Dom, live in Atlanta ...
holidays
Fruit and Nut Cake
A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Charlie Louie from Hotly Spiced telling me that she'd ...
Mother’s Day the IGA Way
Recently I told you about my brand new IGA supermarket that recently opened up just around the corner ...
Ice Cream
I Scream, You Scream – Ice Cream Sundae Ideas
While those in the northern hemisphere are freezing their tootsies off or looking out the window at ...
In My Kitchen
In My Kitchen, May 2017
It's been a while since I posted about what's in my kitchen. I haven't been shopping much but I have ...
In My Kitchen and an Update
I wrote this before the first of the month and then fell into an emotional hole. After thoughtful conversation ...
In My Kitchen, June 2016
Sadly, there's almost nothing in my kitchen for June. My back is healing but because of my inability ...
In My Kitchen, May 2016
What's the best thing in my kitchen for May? ME!! I'm home from the hospital with a fully mended ...
Ingredients
How to Blend Spices
Like you, I know that a few spices and herbs will lift a dish from ordinary to spectacular but what ...
What’s the Difference Between Cinnamon and Cassia?
The first time I used cassia was at a local cooking class and I was told that it was similar to cinnamon ...
How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract
I've been saying I wanted to make my own vanilla extract for nearly a year. Yesterday I went to my ...
Fresh Turmeric
I'm sure we've all used ground turmeric from the spice jar often in our lives but I'd never seen it ...
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
Air Fryer Potatoes with Rosemary and Parmesan Cheese
Last month I received an invitation to try out an air fryer. We've all seen them and they're quite expensive ...
Therapy Kitchen Collection
When I wrote my In My Kitchen post I told you that Therapy Kitchen had sent a selection of their products ...
Big Mouth Funnels
Ever heard of a Bigmouth Funnel? Hopefully you will soon! A little more than a year ago I was at a ...
Jars, Bottles, Olives and More
How do you package gift food items like jams, chutneys, sauces, enfused oils, marinades? In the past ...
lamb
Lamb and Spinach Curry
I'm definitely on the mend. My physiotherapist (also known as prime torturer) suggested that I get a ...
Moroccan Inspired Lamb Stew
It's freezer cleaning out time and I found two lamb sirloins in there. When they were defrosted, I started ...
South American Lamb Stew
I wrote this post for Manuela at Manusmenu.com while she and her family were traveling around the world, ...
Moroccan Lamb Stew
For those of you who haven't met Suzy Karadsheh from The Mediterranean Dish, you are in for a treat. ...
Main Courses
3 Simple Meals To Cook Up For the Family On The BBQ
When the summer months come around, I love having a few simple meal ideas ready for when it's time to ...
Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze
This pork tenderloin with balsamic glaze recipe is tops - seriously. If you weren't too sure about ...
Chicken with Coca-Cola Sauce
You never thought you'd see Coca-Cola in a recipe on my blog, did you? To be honest, neither did I ...
Pork Tenderloin with Apple and Onion Marmalade
It's called pork tenderloin with apple - onion marmalade but really, it's more of a conglomeration of ...
Musings
Our Australian Holiday
How's life for you? I have just spent two glorious weeks with my sister, her two granddaughters and ...
Cookbook Review: Ally’s Kitchen – a passport for adventurous palates
If you're a food blogger, you regularly get invited by publishing houses to review cookbooks and I always ...
How to Survive a Heart Attack
Yes, I know this is off-topic and I don't do that very often but I feel the need to tell our story. ...
Australia Zoo
I woke up early this morning and finished my must-do daily work before 7:30am and then decided, "Enough!" ...
Pasta
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Whenever I think of spaghetti and meatballs I start to sing, "On top of spagheeeti, all covered with ...
Tortellini with a Butter, Garlic, Onion and Broccoli Sauce
When you want a quick meal, this tortellini with a butter, garlic, onion and broccoli sauce is my to-to ...
Penne Pasta with Asparagus
(Skip to the Recipe) I'm on a rant today. I don't do it often but sometimes things just have to be ...
Roasted Carrot and Butternut Tortellini with Brown Butter and Sage Sauce
I came back from my mother-in-law's birthday lunch knowing the first thing I was going to do was try ...
Pets
How My Dog Prepared Me for the New Year
My second-best friend Charlie is a fuzzy dog. When pondering things I need to improve upon during ...
Going to the Dogs
Do you like dogs? Do you LOVE dogs? I will admit that I'm a sucker for a fuzzy dog or any dog thats ...
Happy New Year!
I know you probably thought I got lost or distracted but no, I'm still here and I'm still loving every ...
Pork
Apple and Cranberry Stuffed Pork Loin Roast
Wow, have I missed you! I've just begun playing in the kitchen after a really long break. You'll be ...
Roast Rack of Pork
Unless you're a vegetarian (and to my friends who are, I apologise) what's better than taking a bite ...
Murray Valley Pork
I really enjoy pork so imagine my delight when Murray Valley Pork offered to send a few samples for ...
In My Kitchen, April 2015
Not many new things in my kitchen this month but look at these faces I entertained in my kitchen! John's ...
Preserves
Beetroot Jam
I love beetroot jam, beetroot marmalade, beetroot chutney or anything else you can put on a sandwich ...
How to Make Pickled Beets or Beetroot
Life is still a bit busy around here but 93-year old Rob is out of hospital and on the road to recovery. ...
Orange Marmalade
Do you like orange marmalade? It's never been one of my favorites but I was sure that John's dad would ...
Best Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles
Do you love bread and butter pickles? Before last Christmas my friend Lizzie Moult from Strayed from ...
Recipes
Megadarra
I'm not sure how many of you are readers of The Washington Post but a few weeks ago in their online ...
Lamb Sirloin Roast
This little roast is a go-to meal when I'm craving lamb. It's enough for two ordinary appetite people ...
Chicken Maryland
Sometimes I'm not a very good Australian. Yes, it's a shocker but it's true. I went out to lunch last ...
Grilled Potato Slices
If you are looking for a delicious AND easy way to put fabulous potatoes on the table, these grilled ...
Reviews
Baby Boomers, Bellies & Blood Sugars
As you know, I've been through quite a health scare recently after being told I'd had one heart attack ...
Cooking With Spices – Spice Giveaway
Ever since I arrived in Australia I've been cooking with one spice / spice blend or another that came ...
Sister’s Run Sunday Slippers
My sister Carole is visiting from New York and wasn't it lucky that the kind folks at wineselectors.com.au ...
Salads
Salad in Jars
We've all seen posts by bloggers talking about parking salad ingredients in a jar and then there's always ...
Thai Bean Sprout Salad
Every few weeks, I go to lunch with my friends Jan and David. We haven't been for a while because ...
Broccoli Coleslaw
I made this really good and really easy broccoli coleslaw today. I know I could have made the dressing ...
Pea Salad
I was talking online to an old friend of mine and we were reminiscing about growing up in our sleepy ...
Sandwiches
Aussie Burger with the Lot
National Burger Day is May 28th and the kind folks at ZoOSh who make outstanding dressings and mayonnaise ...
Meatball Sandwiches – an old family favourite
I felt very lucky when PHILADELPHA Australia offered to send their brand new cheese product for me to ...
Chicken, Brie, Cashew & Caramelized Onion Sandwich
I should name this one "My Favorite Sandwich" because whenever I'm feeling a bit lonesome for my family ...
Snacks
Easy Homemade Salsa
Have you made salsa at home? Recently I posted that when we're entertaining, it's just fine to buy a ...
Maple Glazed Candied Pecans
I suspect I'm a bit late in the candied nuts department. I never want to be 'out there' with the new ...
Homemade Granola Bars
I mentioned to John and his dad that I was going to make granola bars similar to the granola I'd made ...
Soup
Bulgarian Tarator Soup (Cold Cucumber Soup)
In my last post, I shared the news that my good friends Hristo and Emiliya from Sofia in Bulgaria had ...
Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Madonna ate this broccoli cheddar soup, right down to the last drop. That's how good it was. She is ...
Sous Vide Caramelised Onions
The other day, Charlie Louie from Hotly Spiced made my asparagus and potato tart and wrote about our ...
Sweet Potato and Pear Soup
Skip to the Recipe Have you walked into your kitchen after a long day of dealing with one problem after ...
Thermomix
A MasterClass in Cooking at Palazzo Versace
That post title sounds impressive, doesn't it? It was! Recently I was invited to attend a MasterChef ...
Thermomix Butternut, Mushroom and Peas Risotto
This butternut pumpkin (squash), mushroom and peas risotto was delightfully comforting for lunch today. ...
Dani Valent’s In the Mix Masterclass in Brisbane
You all know how thrilled I am with my not quite so newish Thermomix. It's the one kitchen appliance ...
Raisin Bread with Lemon Curd
On Sunday morning my friend Deb invited me for coffee. I never go out for coffee because I'm always ...
Tips
How to Follow a Recipe
Many of you know that Jacques Pepin is my hero chef and has been since he was a chef for John F Kennedy ...
A Guide to Fantastic Champagne and Food Pairings
Sponsored When you think of Champagne do you instantly think of a celebration? For most people the ...
How To Build Your Own Worm Farm
We've all seen those worm farms in the garden shops - some for more than $100 dollars, just to hold ...
My Favorite Food Blog Plugins
I've been asked quite a few times lately what plugins I use on Orgasmic Chef and I've even been asked ...
Vegetables
Butternut Pumpkin, Onion and Roasted Garlic Thin Crust Pizza
I've wanted a kettle BBQ for a long time so I could get it hot enough to make a good thin crust pizza ...
Let’s Eat – a review of Margaret Pomeranz’s new cookbook
When I was invited to review the new cookbook, Let's Eat, A Cookbook Celebrating Film, Food & Family ...
Favorite Side Dishes
I'm not a vegetarian but I wouldn't have any trouble if I decided to eat that way because I love vegetables. ...
Creamy, Cheesy Vegetable Bake
Do you have a vegetable side dish that you know will put a smile on your face every time you make it? ...
WordPress
New WordPress Webhosting Option – wpopt.net
I found Charles Smith from Five Euro Food - he now owns a company that sells wordpress webhosting packages ...
EasyRecipe Plus WordPress Plugin Tips and Tricks
We've had a few queries that are answered in our knowledge base on EasyRecipe but some folks forget ...
Ziplist Users Can Use EasyRecipe Plus – Seamlessly – no converting
We've all heard the drama where food bloggers who use the Ziplist recipe plugin are blocked from adding ...