Index with Excerpts 6

This is probably the most unappealing dish I've ever put on my blog. I'm sorry. I must have turned the ...

The sun is just going down on New Year's Eve and there's no better time to tell you how much each of ...

Skip to the Recipe I talked over Skype this morning to my granddaughter, Jade.  After our talk I reminisced ...

You know how it is, you shop at the farmers market and you find beautiful eggplant and decide you're ...

I love shepherd's pie made with leftover slow-roasted lamb, but what to do when there's no lamb? I make ...

Tomorrow is National Cheeseburger Day so when Barbecues Galore asked me to create something using a ...

  I'm not sure what this song has in common with meatloaf but stick with me. Have you ever gotten ...

When I was about 8 years old, my parents were quite playful. Things changed when I got into my teen ...

You read that title and inhaled just a bit deeper, didn't you? When Barbara Schieving, famous for her ...

Thanksgiving has always been a special time for most Americans, regardless where they live in the world. ...

Happy Valentine's Day! I had the BEST treat this week.  My wonderful friend and fellow food blogger, ...

Recently I was given a book by Shauna Niequist called Bread and Wine, a love letter t life around the ...

When I told you that John's Christmas present to me was a ticket to the Gunnas Masterclass in Writing, ...

During a casual chat with a Twitter friend, she asked me what helped me the most in nurturing Orgasmic ...

Over the past six months or so, very good friends of ours have struggled with their blogs.  The first ...

!!! The Prop Swap didn't gain enough interest from Australian Food Bloggers, so we've cancelled this ...

The other day I received a lovely message from a reader named Kathy who lives in Seattle.  She wanted ...

When I first decided to learn to make sourdough bread I looked everywhere on the net to learn how to ...

I've made several loaves of no-knead bread in a cast iron pot where you put the pot in the oven and ...

Have you ever been to a catered pizza party?  Me either until this week.  Our friends Angie and Guy ...

My good friend Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella sent me a message on Facebook a couple of days ago and ...

I'm still here and I'm still dizzy but it's not benign positional vertigo that I suffered with for years. ...

You can't go wrong with a puff pastry tart and when you fill them with eggs, bacon and onions - it's ...

(Skip to the Recipe) When John was about 20 his father went on sabbatical to Paris for a year to study ...

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 ...

Did you think chocolate truffles were difficult to make because all the fancy restaurants have them?  ...

A while back my dear young friend Claire from Claire K Creations emailed asking if I'd participate in ...

Ever had coconut ice?  How about watermelon ice?  A while back I was invited to join in a sweet swap ...

How easy is it to fall for Nami?  She's such a sweet individual with the best Japanese recipes.  I ...

Okay, I know you're thinking, "this is NOT healthy, Maureen.  What are you doing?"  It was my birthday ...

In the US it would be butternut squash and sweet potato but whatever you want to call it, this dish ...

Seriously, it's easy. We ate this last night until I thought my husband would explode. Thankfully he ...

I hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day.  It's always a tough day for me because my mother died a ...

I made some really good mushroom risotto last week with parmesan, gruyere and aged cheddar cheeses.  ...

Okay I haven't made any cheese yet but I went to a cheesemaking presentation today at a How To Cook, ...

I'm sure we've all eaten sweet Greek pastries made with kataifi pastry. I remember the annual Greek ...

I bought a chicken to make stock when it was on sale and while I was preparing to cook it, I decided ...

I'd invited some friends over over for a girly lunch and then I had to decide what to serve.  I was ...

I'm not Japanese, let's just get that right out there. Some might say, "Why post this recipe then?" ...

(Skip to the Recipe) Chicken and Chorizo one-pot dish is really good! It's full of flavor and not a ...

Gross, yes I know.  I'm disgusted every time I see one.  Because we have pets, our doors are open ...

I love raspberries. The variety I grow fruits in the spring and again in the autumn. I was in Australia ...

Last month I bought a madeleine pan and my first attempt wasn't as good as I'd hoped for. Those photos ...

Are we ready for Christmas yet?  Every fiber in my body is telling me to go to sleep.  My feet yelled, ...

The Christmas season is well upon us.  We put up more lights outside today as the Mooloolaba Christmas ...

(Skip to the Recipe) These are NOT the best decorated gingerbread men you've ever seen but it's the ...

Have you ever made bread pudding from banana bread? I hadn't until today. Walking through the grocery ...

When I was growing up, one of my favorite desserts was sticky gingerbread cake. I liked gingerbread ...

Have you ever seen a recipe on a blog (or anywhere else) where the minute you saw it you had to stop ...

When I was a kid, cream puffs were a favorite of mine and my mother made them every once in a while. ...

If it's not one thing it's another. Thankfully reader Dale sent in a recipe for homemade Ginger Ale ...

On my first ever cruise to the Eastern Caribbean, we had a port of call in the Cayman Islands. I tend ...

Lots to talk about today.  First, you all know Kim Bultman from Cravings of a Lunatic?  She has an ...

A few years ago we were going to a conference in Jamaica and thought.. why not visit Cuba while we're ...

We enjoyed a lovely lunch today at the Kawana Waters Hotel which is about 5 minutes away -- if you ...

I know, you're thinking I'm writing about myself and the silly predicament I've been in with my bad ...

John's uncle died a couple of days ago. Ron was Rob's older brother and he was very unwell and ready ...

The weather couldn't have been more perfect for our visit to Caloundra for lunch at Tides Waterfront ...

The other day I was reading Chris Scheuers post about crustless mini-quiches. It was about 11am and ...

Are  you struggling with Christmas and New Year leftovers?  Normally I wouldn't be but I cooked two ...

(Skip to the Recipe) I took the dog for a walk the other day.  I promised him if he read his book for ...

You're thinking I'm nuts, right?  I'm not saying I'm not but I heard about a new (to me) method of ...

Friends and family often ask how the food differs from back in the states where I lived most of my life ...

On my first visit to Australia, I came to meet John in person for the first time. We'd met online and ...

Today I get to introduce you to someone I doubt you've met before.  She's Bridget Sandorford and she's ...

One of the most intriguing food writers I follow is Sawsan and I really enjoy her food blog.   I love ...

My day started a bit odd but it got better because I made these prawns with sweet chilli relish for ...

When I asked Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats if she'd like to get together for dinner with a few others while ...

As a part of the Noosa International Food and Wine Festival held this weekend, I was invited to "An ...

What a day!  The kind people who bottle CAPI sparkling mineral water invited me for a day out deep-sea ...

I've seen quite a few Foodie Secret Santa 2014 posts going up but the rule was to post photos of ALL ...

I am more an excited to announce that I've been carefully chosen  picked out of a hat, to be a member ...

A while back, I was invited by marketing expert Simon Marmot to the Spring restaurant in Brisbane for ...

Two weekends ago I was invited to a class at The Golden Pig in Brisbane.  I'd heard about the cooking ...

If any blog really hit home with me based solely on the title it would be Georgia's blog at The Comfort ...

I've said it before and it bears repeating, there are some very wonderful people writing blogs and there ...

I've you've been watching food blogs very long, you're probaby as curious about Charles as I have been.  ...

I've been following Sofie Dittman's blog at The German Foodie for quite some time now and every time ...

I'd like to introduce you to a new food blogging friend, the beautiful Nusrat Azim from Eye of the Beholder.  ...

Last week when I was at the farmer's market the pineapple grower and I started chatting and he asked ...

Seriously, it is SO much better to make your own and if you're cooking anyway, just add one more pan.  ...

All these garden posts people are doing and I always felt that I couldn't really join in because frankly ...

I probably should have said Rob's garden because all I do is pick herbs to cook with or pinch a thing ...

Most of you know that I have no garden.  We live in a canal community not far from the Pacific Ocean ...

I've mentioned that I've been a teensy unwell and my good friend Helene from Masala Herb has jumped ...

Don’t have the patience to learn the complexities of every type of wine out there? You don’t have ...

You all know I live in Australia and grew up in Maine but I've never really talked about my family much ...

I'd like to introduce Denise Romeo of We Like to Cook. The Romeos, Denise and her hub Dom, live in Atlanta ...

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Charlie Louie from Hotly Spiced telling me that she'd ...

Recently I told you about my brand new IGA supermarket that recently opened up just around the corner ...

While those in the northern hemisphere are freezing their tootsies off or looking out the window at ...

It's been a while since I posted about what's in my kitchen. I haven't been shopping much but I have ...

I wrote this before the first of the month and then fell into an emotional hole. After thoughtful conversation ...

Sadly, there's almost nothing in my kitchen for June. My back is healing but because of my inability ...

What's the best thing in my kitchen for May?  ME!!  I'm home from the hospital with a fully mended ...

Like you, I know that a few spices and herbs will lift a dish from ordinary to spectacular but what ...

The first time I used cassia was at a local cooking class and I was told that it was similar to cinnamon ...

I've been saying I wanted to make my own vanilla extract for nearly a year.  Yesterday I went to my ...

I'm sure we've all used ground turmeric from the spice jar often in our lives but I'd never seen it ...

Last month I received an invitation to try out an air fryer. We've all seen them and they're quite expensive ...

When I wrote my In My Kitchen post I told you that Therapy Kitchen had sent a selection of their products ...

Ever heard of a Bigmouth Funnel?  Hopefully you will soon! A little more than a year ago I was at a ...

How do you package gift food items like jams, chutneys, sauces, enfused oils, marinades?  In the past ...

This is one of my favourite meals. Growing up in Maine, there was no such thing as lamb in our grocery ...

I'm definitely on the mend. My physiotherapist (also known as prime torturer) suggested that I get a ...

It's freezer cleaning out time and I found two lamb sirloins in there. When they were defrosted, I started ...

I wrote this post for Manuela at Manusmenu.com while she and her family were traveling around the world, ...

I've wanted a kettle BBQ for a long time so I could get it hot enough to make a good thin crust pizza ...

When the summer months come around, I love having a few simple meal ideas ready for when it's time to ...

This pork tenderloin with balsamic glaze recipe is tops - seriously.  If you weren't too sure about ...

You never thought you'd see Coca-Cola in a recipe on my blog, did you?  To be honest, neither did I ...

How's life for you? I have just spent two glorious weeks with my sister, her two granddaughters and ...

If you're a food blogger, you regularly get invited by publishing houses to review cookbooks and I always ...

Yes, I know this is off-topic and I don't do that very often but I feel the need to tell our story. ...

I woke up early this morning and finished my must-do daily work before 7:30am and then decided, "Enough!" ...

Whenever I think of spaghetti and meatballs I start to sing, "On top of spagheeeti, all covered with ...

When you want a quick meal, this tortellini with a butter, garlic, onion and broccoli sauce is my to-to ...

(Skip to the Recipe) I'm on a rant today.  I don't do it often but sometimes things just have to be ...

I came back from my mother-in-law's birthday lunch knowing the first thing I was going to do was try ...

My second-best friend Charlie is a fuzzy dog.  When pondering things I need to improve upon during ...

Do you like dogs?  Do you LOVE dogs?  I will admit that I'm a sucker for a fuzzy dog or any dog thats ...

I know you probably thought I got lost or distracted but no, I'm still here and I'm still loving every ...

Wow, have I missed you!  I've just begun playing in the kitchen after a really long break. You'll be ...

Unless you're a vegetarian (and to my friends who are, I apologise) what's better than taking a bite ...

I really enjoy pork so imagine my delight when Murray Valley Pork offered to send a few samples for ...

Not many new things in my kitchen this month but look at these faces I entertained in my kitchen! John's ...

I love beetroot jam, beetroot marmalade, beetroot chutney or anything else you can put on a sandwich ...

Life is still a bit busy around here but 93-year old Rob is out of hospital and on the road to recovery.  ...

Do you like orange marmalade?  It's never been one of my favorites but I was sure that John's dad would ...

Do you love bread and butter pickles?  Before last Christmas my friend Lizzie Moult from Strayed from ...

I'm not sure how many of you are readers of The Washington Post but a few weeks ago in their online ...

This little roast is a go-to meal when I'm craving lamb. It's enough for two ordinary appetite people ...

Sometimes I'm not a very good Australian. Yes, it's a shocker but it's true. I went out to lunch last ...

If you are looking for a delicious AND easy way to put fabulous potatoes on the table, these grilled ...

As you know, I've been through quite a health scare recently after being told I'd had one heart attack ...

Ever since I arrived in Australia I've been cooking with one spice / spice blend or another that came ...

My sister Carole is visiting from New York and wasn't it lucky that the kind folks at wineselectors.com.au ...

Every few weeks,  I go to lunch with my friends Jan and David. We haven't been for a while because ...

I made this really good and really easy broccoli coleslaw today. I know I could have made the dressing ...

I was talking online to an old friend of mine and we were reminiscing about growing up in our sleepy ...

A few weeks before Christmas, John's dad told us about a discussion he'd had with his table mates at ...

National Burger Day is May 28th and the kind folks at ZoOSh who make outstanding dressings and mayonnaise ...

I felt very lucky when PHILADELPHA Australia offered to send their brand new cheese product for me to ...

I should name this one "My Favorite Sandwich" because whenever I'm feeling a bit lonesome for my family ...

Have you made salsa at home? Recently I posted that when we're entertaining, it's just fine to buy a ...

I suspect I'm a bit late in the candied nuts department. I never want to be 'out there' with the new ...

I mentioned to John and his dad that I was going to make granola bars similar to the granola I'd made ...

In my last post, I shared the news that my good friends Hristo and Emiliya from Sofia in Bulgaria had ...

Madonna ate this broccoli cheddar soup, right down to the last drop. That's how good it was. She is ...

The other day, Charlie Louie from Hotly Spiced made my asparagus and potato tart and wrote about our ...

Skip to the Recipe Have you walked into your kitchen after a long day of dealing with one problem after ...

That post title sounds impressive, doesn't it?  It was!  Recently I was invited to attend a MasterChef ...

This butternut pumpkin (squash), mushroom and peas risotto was delightfully comforting for lunch today. ...

You all know how thrilled I am with my not quite so newish Thermomix.  It's the one kitchen appliance ...

On Sunday morning my friend Deb invited me for coffee.  I never go out for coffee because I'm always ...

Many of you know that Jacques Pepin is my hero chef and has been since he was a chef for John F Kennedy ...

Sponsored When you think of Champagne do you instantly think of a celebration?  For most people the ...

We've all seen those worm farms in the garden shops - some for more than $100 dollars, just to hold ...

I've been asked quite a few times lately what plugins I use on Orgasmic Chef and I've even been asked ...

When I was invited to review the new cookbook, Let's Eat, A Cookbook Celebrating Film, Food & Family ...

I'm not a vegetarian but I wouldn't have any trouble if I decided to eat that way because I love vegetables. ...

Do you have a vegetable side dish that you know will put a smile on your face every time you make it? ...

I love garlic and garlic is good for people so it was a win at my house today when I tried a new way ...

I found Charles Smith from Five Euro Food - he now owns a company that sells wordpress webhosting packages ...