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 dish around 50 times trying to find a side that looked better than the others and I failed. I snapped ...
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 you means to me. I've met a lot of you in person, a lot of you are on my wish list to meet (you know ...
Brioche Buns in the Thermomix
Skip to the Recipe I talked over Skype this morning to my granddaughter, Jade. After our talk I reminisced about what I was like when I was her age. Just thinking about this story makes me laugh. ...
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 going to make baba ghanoush to go along with your falafel wraps. I hadn't been home 10 minutes before ...
Beef
Easy Cottage Pie – My Comfort Food
I love shepherd's pie made with leftover slow-roasted lamb, but what to do when there's no lamb? I make cottage pie with minced beef instead. This dish is full of flavor, and it's a favourite meal because ...
Double Onion Cheeseburger
Tomorrow is National Cheeseburger Day so when Barbecues Galore asked me to create something using a BBQ, I knew just what I was going to do. Since moving to Australia, every barbecue grill we've bought ...
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 a song stuck in your head and it just won't go away? Of course you have, you're my friends so you'd ...
Rare Roast Beef
When I was about 8 years old, my parents were quite playful. Things changed when I got into my teen years but when I was little, the parentals had a good time. One hot summer day, my father was outside ...
Blog Reviews
Pecan Pie Éclairs
You read that title and inhaled just a bit deeper, didn't you? When Barbara Schieving, famous for her BarbaraBakes.com food blog wrote to me and asked me if I wanted to try one of the recipes from her ...
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving has always been a special time for most Americans, regardless where they live in the world. We take one day out of the year to remind ourselves how lucky we are and we have an opportunity ...
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, Liz Posmyk from Bizzy Lizzy's Good Things is visiting the Sunshine Coast for a bit of a break and ...
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 table. Before I opened the cover I didn't know much about it other than I was given a copy to review. ...
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, several of you asked me to share how the day went. I just got back to the hotel and I've got so many ...
Food Blogging Tips – Good Books
During a casual chat with a Twitter friend, she asked me what helped me the most in nurturing Orgasmic Chef. It didn't take me very long to say, "I have three books that combined are the bible for me." ...
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 was Helene from MasalaHerb.com who was hosted by a company in Salzburg, Austria and could never seem ...
Australian Food Blogger Prop Swap
!!! The Prop Swap didn't gain enough interest from Australian Food Bloggers, so we've cancelled this one and will consider doing something different down the road. My apologies to those who signed on. ...
Bread
Turkish Pide Bread
The other day I received a lovely message from a reader named Kathy who lives in Seattle. She wanted to know if I could post a recipe for the Turkish bread she used to eat in Australia, " Not the flat bread ...
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 make it. There are heaps of sites out there with expert advice on how to create a sourdough starter ...
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 heat it to a bazillion degrees and then plop the dough in the pot, cover and put in the oven to bake. ...
Thin Crust Italian Pizza Dough
Have you ever been to a catered pizza party? Me either until this week. Our friends Angie and Guy won a pizza party in a raffle and invited 30 of their closest friends to a Christmas Pizza Party. ...
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 said she had a recipe that she'd love to share with my readers while I'm getting back on my feet (literally). ...
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. Who knew you could have all sorts of dizzy? Not me! Seems that when the physios worked on my neck, ...
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 like a treat for breakfast. It took less than 30 minutes to get these in the oven from the moment I ...
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 holograms. It's what physicists did in those days. He was a university lecturer and had 3 kids ...
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 tunnel. For any of you who sit too many hours a day without your back supported, stop it. It's the worst ...
Chocolate Truffles
Did you think chocolate truffles were difficult to make because all the fancy restaurants have them? They're not. Only 2-3 ingredients and you've got the most wonderful - dare I say orgasmic - Valentine's ...
Chocolate, Coconut and Walnut Balls
A while back my dear young friend Claire from Claire K Creations emailed asking if I'd participate in her first ever Foodie Secret Santa. I love getting packages and I love to cook and bake so I was ...
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 with other Australian food bloggers by Sara over at BellyRumbles.com. Never one to shy away from ...
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 met Nami online last year when I began following all her blog posts. Her photography is always spot ...
Scalloped Yams with Praline Topping
Okay, I know you're thinking, "this is NOT healthy, Maureen. What are you doing?" It was my birthday and I firmly believe you should eat whatever you want to on your birthday as long as you do it ...
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 makes an otherwise ordinary dinner, WOW. I loved it. My husband, who rarely if ever will ...
Easy Peasy Chicken Pie
Seriously, it's easy. We ate this last night until I thought my husband would explode. Thankfully he didn't because that would have been a huge waste of really good chicken pie. With this pie you can ...
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 few years ago and my children are in Washington, DC, Orlando and Atlanta. And... I only have two ...
Risotto Balls – Mushroom Arancini
I made some really good mushroom risotto last week with parmesan, gruyere and aged cheddar cheeses. I used different kinds of mushrooms and made it in my Thermomix for the first time. I've always ...
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, a store on the Sunshine Coast of Australia that offers cooking and cake decorating classes. Sasha ...
Kataifi Cheese Rolls
I'm sure we've all eaten sweet Greek pastries made with kataifi pastry. I remember the annual Greek pastry sale in Knoxville, Tennessee where we bought baklava and something that looked like it but with ...
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 to cut off the breasts, give Charlie the wings and use the rest of the bird for stock. Welcome to mango ...
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 strolling through a folder of recipes and clippings that I keep in a large hanging folder in my filing ...
Japanese Chicken Curry
I'm not Japanese, let's just get that right out there. Some might say, "Why post this recipe then?" Because it's REALLY good, that's why. On my very first visit to Japan years ago I had my first plate ...
Chicken and Chorizo
(Skip to the Recipe) Chicken and Chorizo one-pot dish is really good! It's full of flavor and not a lot of work. It's perfect when you're busy entertaining guests but you want a nice meal when you're ...
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 a lot plus we live along the water so sometimes it does happen that a creepy crawly gets in the house. ...
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 last week and the autumn crop is at its perfect ripeness. As much as I love them though, I hate ...
Cookies
Madeleines
Last month I bought a madeleine pan and my first attempt wasn't as good as I'd hoped for. Those photos are in my folder called, "Unblogged," and for good reason. Today I was at the shopping center and ...
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, "Have a nana nap, for God's sake!" but I didn't listen. There are people coming, blog posts to ...
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 Boat Parade is Saturday night. The parade goes by the back yard and we can't be blank, can we? ...
Gingerbread Men
(Skip to the Recipe) These are NOT the best decorated gingerbread men you've ever seen but it's the best gingerbread man recipe I've ever used. I made these in under an hour - and that includes the ...
Desserts
Bread Pudding from Banana Bread
Have you ever made bread pudding from banana bread? I hadn't until today. Walking through the grocery store aisles looking for inspiration, I found a loaf of banana bread and decided to finally try making ...
Sticky Gingerbread Cake
When I was growing up, one of my favorite desserts was sticky gingerbread cake. I liked gingerbread men but only if this cake wasn't available. I loved it fresh out of the oven with a dollop of whipped ...
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 what you were doing and head to the kitchen? I often SAY I'm going to do that but then something ...
Teatime in Paris and an Easy Recipe for Eclairs
When I was a kid, cream puffs were a favorite of mine and my mother made them every once in a while. When I left home I didn't try making them because I remembered seeing a little dollop of batter on ...
Drinks
Ginger Ale
If it's not one thing it's another. Thankfully reader Dale sent in a recipe for homemade Ginger Ale that I'm happy to share with you. On Sunday night John fell while going up the stairs to bed and hit ...
Frozen Piña Colada
On my first ever cruise to the Eastern Caribbean, we had a port of call in the Cayman Islands. I tend to get a teensy bit seasick so I was looking forward to getting some land legs. As we got off the ...
Raspberry Tea
Lots to talk about today. First, you all know Kim Bultman from Cravings of a Lunatic? She has an interview series called Burning Down the Kitchen and today she's interviewed ME ! I couldn't be more ...
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 there? It was one of the best holidays we've ever had. Our travel agent said about 15 times, "Don't ...
Eating Out
Kawana Waters Hotel
We enjoyed a lovely lunch today at the Kawana Waters Hotel which is about 5 minutes away -- if you walk. The bistro is at the end of the canal system, just off the Mooloolah River where the river pours ...
The Loose Goose
I know, you're thinking I'm writing about myself and the silly predicament I've been in with my bad back but no, The Loose Goose is a restaurant on the Sunshine Coast. My friends Jan and David sent an ...
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 to go. When Ron's daughter called to say her father had passed away, Rob told her that at 94, he really ...
Tides Waterfront Dining
The weather couldn't have been more perfect for our visit to Caloundra for lunch at Tides Waterfront Restaurant with friends Jan and David. We love getting out for a (very) long lunch every few weeks ...
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 I was determined to make one for lunch. I dashed to the kitchen, turned the oven on and grabbed the ...
Leftover Ham, Cheese and Broccoli Quiche
Are you struggling with Christmas and New Year leftovers? Normally I wouldn't be but I cooked two hams within 2 days of each other and I'm about hammed out. I've made split pea and ham soup from ...
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 10 minutes I'd take him to the beach. I believe he heard, "blah blah blah, sit, stay, beach." I ...
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 cooking hard boiled eggs that I want to share with you. I found them on a blog I visited last week ...
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 and here in Australia. "What's different?" they ask. I found this nifty infographic today and ...
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 after a few months I needed to know if he was who I perceived him to be (pretty nifty) or if he was ...
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 a freelance food writer for culinaryschools.org. If you're a food lover and you're looking for ...
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 the dishes she creates as well as the old favorites that she tweaks but it's the peek into what ...
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 lunch and served them with a little bit of rice. Recently I received a gift box of Anathoth Farms Sweet ...
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 we are in Sydney for my writing class this weekend, she said she'd love to meet us and would I like ...
My Interview with Tetsuya Wakuda
As a part of the Noosa International Food and Wine Festival held this weekend, I was invited to "An intimate event with Tetsuya Wakuda" by the Tasmanian company Petuna. Now if you were me, you would ...
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 fishing today. I had the best time meeting Pitzy Folk and his sidekicks. Chris Arnold from Noosa ...
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 three packages and I got the last one today. The Secret Santa foodie gift swap is the brainchild ...
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 of the 2014 Ginger Panel to judge Movita Beaucoup's Ginger, A Sweet Smackdown. This IS the most ...
A Hot Dog Breakfast
A while back, I was invited by marketing expert Simon Marmot to the Spring restaurant in Brisbane for a product launch of Oliving by Hans deli meats. Simon told me it would be worth my while to drive ...
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 school and about Katrina Ryan and I REALLY wanted to go. Life is incredibly busy right now with ...
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 of Cooking. I started my blog because I get real joy and comfort from cooking for my family and ...
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 are some exceptional people who write food blogs. If I had to choose one blog that I thoroughly ...
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. He sort of sneaked in to my awareness. I'd see a comment from him to another blog I followed ...
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 I visit, I reconfirm the decision I made not to miss a single post. Sofie is a German living in Northeast ...
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. We've been commenting back and forth for a while and recently she added a post to her blog ...
Whole Roasted Pineapple Sorbet
Last week when I was at the farmer's market the pineapple grower and I started chatting and he asked me if I had ever roasted a whole pineapple. I hadn't but it gave me a great idea. Roast a pineapple ...
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. I was making some pork cutlets the other night for dinner and while they were cooking in the oven ...
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 I have very little dirt. (other than what you'd find at the bottom of someone's shower) We ...
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 here and a thing there. However today we had a pivotal moment in the garden - my pot garden. Our ...
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 and our land is mostly house and a few landscaped garden beds. and decking. more decking than ...
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 to my rescue with a fantastic post about yard long beans. I've never cooked with them but after looking ...
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 to actually be a pro to act like one. Wine tasting is about knowing what you’re looking for, the ...
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 other than my son's southern bbq post. I have a younger brother Jim and an older sister Carole who ...
Bread Pudding
I'd like to introduce Denise Romeo of We Like to Cook. The Romeos, Denise and her hub Dom, live in Atlanta and share great recipes, cooking methods and local places to eat tasty food. You might remember ...
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 received a notice from her webhost that her site was hogging the resources of her shared server and ...
Mother’s Day the IGA Way
Recently I told you about my brand new IGA supermarket that recently opened up just around the corner from me. The kind people at IGA Australia thought it would be a good idea to show you how easy and ...
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 snow falling, down under it's ice cream weather. Santa goes to the beach in shorts and he likes ice ...
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 wanted a new pressure cooker for a long time. I have an electric one that doesn't work very well. I ...
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 with Celia from FigJamandLimeCordial.com we asked Liz Posmyk from BizzyLizzysGoodThings.com if ...
In My Kitchen, June 2016
Sadly, there's almost nothing in my kitchen for June. My back is healing but because of my inability to follow the rules, I've caused a few problems for myself and that led to a bit of what my dad would ...
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 back (l2-3, l3-4) and no pain in my legs. My back hurts like crazy but what back wouldn't that had ...
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 I didn't know was how to blend my own spices. In spice shops around the world we see traditional blends ...
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 and was preferred by many chefs. It was nicknamed 'bakers cinnamon' and was milder than ordinary ...
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 favorite foodie haven at the How To Cook store and bought 6 really fresh vanilla beans. I'm told ...
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 fresh. I was given a few pieces yesterday and honestly, I didn't know what to do with it. I'm not ...
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 but this one was one of the less expensive versions that people like me can afford. I wasn't ...
Therapy Kitchen Collection
When I wrote my In My Kitchen post I told you that Therapy Kitchen had sent a selection of their products that are perfect for folks like us who spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Now most of you know ...
Big Mouth Funnels
Ever heard of a Bigmouth Funnel? Hopefully you will soon! A little more than a year ago I was at a blogging gathering in Noosa, a holiday destination not far from where I live. I'd been invited by ...
Jars, Bottles, Olives and More
How do you package gift food items like jams, chutneys, sauces, enfused oils, marinades? In the past I've either paid way over the top at a department store or kitchenware store for a few jars and bottles ...
lamb
Mini Lamb Rump Roast
This is one of my favourite meals. Growing up in Maine, there was no such thing as lamb in our grocery stores. Fast forward to when I moved to Australia and lamb is BIG on the menu here. It took a while ...
Lamb and Spinach Curry
I'm definitely on the mend. My physiotherapist (also known as prime torturer) suggested that I get a deep tissue massage for my shoulders and neck, but stay away from the occipital region or I could get ...
Moroccan Inspired Lamb Stew
It's freezer cleaning out time and I found two lamb sirloins in there. When they were defrosted, I started out to make harira which is a soup but halfway through I decided to stop following a recipe and ...
South American Lamb Stew
I wrote this post for Manuela at Manusmenu.com while she and her family were traveling around the world, making memories with their children to last a lifetime. I wasn't traveling but staying at home ...
Main Courses
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 with ribbons of butternut squash or pumpkin (depending upon where you live in the world). John found ...
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 start up the BBQ. If you're in Australia I couldn't recommend Barbecues Galore more. I've been ...
Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze
This pork tenderloin with balsamic glaze recipe is tops - seriously. If you weren't too sure about the chicken with Coca-Cola, try this pork. I was at the butcher shop buying this pork and overheard ...
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 and frankly, John was appalled. He couldn't believe I was cooking with "crap." (This from a man ...
Musings
Our Australian Holiday
How's life for you? I have just spent two glorious weeks with my sister, her two granddaughters and my granddaughter. The last time I saw Jade, she hadn't yet celebrated her second birthday. To say I ...
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 have fun trying new recipes. This cookbook, Ally's Kitchen - A Passport for Adventurous Palates, ...
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. If you know anyone over 50, you should read this. On Sunday John and I took his dad out to buy a new ...
Australia Zoo
I woke up early this morning and finished my must-do daily work before 7:30am and then decided, "Enough!" I was determined that this Sunday would be more than blog work, poop scooping and laundry. ...
Pasta
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Whenever I think of spaghetti and meatballs I start to sing, "On top of spagheeeti, all covered with cheeeese, I lost my poor meeetball when somebody sneeeezed." I don't know why I do this but it comes ...
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 dish, especially when I have leftover broccoli. Why leftover? The sauce is made from cooking ...
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 said. I scrolled through hundreds of recipes on Fooderific.com today. I take out the ones that ...
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 to make the tortellini dish from the Pitchfork restaurant. It didn't matter to me at all that it ...
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 2014, Charlie had most of the answers. He's half king charles cavalier spaniel and half poodle. The ...
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 friendly. I visited Lizzie Moult up at her place in Hunchy this week and fell in love with her ...
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 one of my friends like you. I was all set for the Christmas season and it was going to be just ...
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 pleased to know that I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for family and friends as my first entertaining ...
Roast Rack of Pork
Unless you're a vegetarian (and to my friends who are, I apologise) what's better than taking a bite of a succulent bite of roast rack of pork? If you're me, there's not much. I placed one forkful in ...
Murray Valley Pork
I really enjoy pork so imagine my delight when Murray Valley Pork offered to send a few samples for me to try out. When I lived in Victoria, I wasn't too far away from Corrowa in New South Wales where ...
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 sister was due to come to visit last weekend and there was an illness and she couldn't come and ...
Preserves
Beetroot Jam
I love beetroot jam, beetroot marmalade, beetroot chutney or anything else you can put on a sandwich or eat with cheese that has beetroot (beets) in it. My favourite one is now $15 a jar and that's too ...
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. He's a bit tender in the boy area and he wears out more quickly but he loves his new room at ...
Orange Marmalade
Do you like orange marmalade? It's never been one of my favorites but I was sure that John's dad would love it. He's Australian and his father was Scottish - surely he'd be tickled pink with homemade ...
Best Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles
Do you love bread and butter pickles? Before last Christmas my friend Lizzie Moult from Strayed from the Table came to visit and we made a broccoli quiche together. I love quiche; she'd never made ...
Recipes
Megadarra
I'm not sure how many of you are readers of The Washington Post but a few weeks ago in their online edition in the food section was a recipe adapted from Unforgettable: The Bold Flavors of Paula Wolfert’s ...
Lamb Sirloin Roast
This little roast is a go-to meal when I'm craving lamb. It's enough for two ordinary appetite people or one hungry person and it cooks in 20 minutes. I start off with slicing garlic and cutting some ...
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 Sunday and ordered baked stuffed chicken and it was fantastic. As I was taking a bite, one of the ...
Grilled Potato Slices
If you are looking for a delicious AND easy way to put fabulous potatoes on the table, these grilled potato slices are the best. I had dinner with a friend the other night and she served a chicken dish ...
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 and could be on the cusp of another one. Then I went through weeks of poking and prodding and the ...
Cooking With Spices – Spice Giveaway
Ever since I arrived in Australia I've been cooking with one spice / spice blend or another that came from Herbie's Spices. After moving to the Sunshine Coast a few years ago I began going to Friday cooking ...
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 sent me a bottle of Sister's Run 2011 Sunday Slippers Chardonnay to review. For the two weeks ...
Salads
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 Jan and David have been swanning around France for two months, including spending a few days with Jamie ...
Broccoli Coleslaw
I made this really good and really easy broccoli coleslaw today. I know I could have made the dressing from scratch and grated all the veggies but sometimes using store bought ingredients saves a lot ...
Pea Salad
I was talking online to an old friend of mine and we were reminiscing about growing up in our sleepy little town. We talked about her favorite dish when she was a kid - salmon pea wiggle and I hated it. ...
Spinach Salad with Butternut Pumpkin and Feta Cheese
A few weeks before Christmas, John's dad told us about a discussion he'd had with his table mates at the nursing home. He dines with Maureen, Phil and Ruth and they have lively conversations about ...
Sandwiches
Aussie Burger with the Lot
National Burger Day is May 28th and the kind folks at ZoOSh who make outstanding dressings and mayonnaise asked me to come up with a burger guaranteed to put a smile on anyone's face. I think I did it. ...
Meatball Sandwiches – an old family favourite
I felt very lucky when PHILADELPHA Australia offered to send their brand new cheese product for me to test on my meatball sandwich. When I was growing up it was called a meatball sandwich and then when ...
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 I find an excuse to make this sandwich. Tonight we ate it with sweet potato fries and it was yummy. ...
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 jar of salsa and a bag of corn chips to go along with the other appetisers we're offering. The ...
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 fads. Who am I kidding?? Of course I do but you can't be everywhere. I was at Costco last week and ...
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 last week and John looked at me with the most quizzical look. He said, "Did you check my browser ...
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 come to visit. Years ago, Hristo stayed with us for a few months when we lived in Victoria and we've ...
Easy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Madonna ate this broccoli cheddar soup, right down to the last drop. That's how good it was. She is not a cheesehead like I am and usually she prefers to make something else for herself when I have ...
Sous Vide Caramelised Onions
The other day, Charlie Louie from Hotly Spiced made my asparagus and potato tart and wrote about our friendship. I was really moved by that and was determined to pass on the love. I think we all should. ...
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 another and realize that neither of you has gone to the store since the last blog post? If you ...
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 MasterClass with Ben MacDonald, a 2014 MasterChef Australia finalist. It took me about 30 seconds ...
Thermomix Butternut, Mushroom and Peas Risotto
This butternut pumpkin (squash), mushroom and peas risotto was delightfully comforting for lunch today. Good thing because John went to write his dad's doctor appointment on my white board (also called ...
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 that if someone stole it today I'd fret until I got another one. I don't feel that way about my ...
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 working. I went this time because I work from home and sometimes I really miss girly talk. I can ...
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 in the White House. It might be that I've never failed following his advice and I just love his ...
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 answer is yes. It's the epitome of sparkling, celebratory style, and people either tend to drink ...
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 worms. A couple of weeks ago I went to the Queensland Garden Expo and attended a demonstration on ...
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 who "did" my blog. If you've been a friend for a while, then you know that I often describe myself ...
Vegetables
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 by TV legend Margaret Pomeranz and her daughter-in-law Philippa Whitfield Pomeranz, I had my doubts. ...
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. These are two of our favorites and we enjoyed them with a lovely porterhouse steak that I put ...
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? This creamy, cheesy veggie bake does it for me. What I like best about this is that it's made from ...
Sous Vide Garlic Confit
I love garlic and garlic is good for people so it was a win at my house today when I tried a new way to make garlic confit. Perhaps I should step back just a bit and explain that I thought about this ...
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 for people like us. How many of my blogging friends remember Charles? We've probably all wondered ...