I’m a stressed cook and I’m not afraid to admit it. Kitchen Anxiety Disorder (KAD) has been a recurring issue for me lately. The thought of slaving away in the kitchen after a hard day’s work when I could be going to the gym or watching TV like my beloved …
Lentils and I have had a love/hate relationship over the years, much like most daughters, including myself, have with their mother. As with my mother Carmela, I used to struggle to get along with lentils as a kid. Maybe there was something about how wholesome they were that turned me …
I’m a writer and an enthusiastic home cook. One of my favourite things to do on a weekend is be at home in my cosy Woodend cottage with my boyfriend Matthew and our chocolate Labrador Bruce and cook up a warming soup or a hearty roast dinner. Or better still, …
It’s 36 degrees here in Adelaide today and we really thought we might just stay in our room and enjoy the air-conditioning. But, one of the things we had planned to do during our stay was go to Hahndorf – in the Adelaide Hills. So, I dragged Matt out of …
Yesterday really brought back some childhood memories as we waited anxiously at Adelaide’s Elder Park for “Popeye” to arrive. These boats have been trawling the Torrens River for more than 50 years and I remember going on the boat and seeing them along the river as a child. The boat …
Today started at 4am this morning. Matt headed straight for the kettle and I went for the shower. Ever since we met, Matt has always made me coffee in the morning. It’s a simple gesture – but I just love it, especially on days like today when we were both …
Well I certainly got my Christmas wish this year – and that was for my family to come together and to have a really nice time together. A lot of work goes into hosting Christmas lunch and it was done in fine style at my brother’s house. His girlfriend, Ash, …
For me, family is everything, and it always has been. My favourite family memories revolve around food, and I think that’s where my culinary passions come from too. When I was a little girl, I used to love our family trips to Pizza Hut. We’d have the all you can …
We’ve moved house! Unlike some people – I enjoy change. For me, it’s like a holiday (as the old saying goes). But moving house has brought both pleasure and pain. Most of the pain came about because I have been very ill with a terrible bug that has been going …
Have you ever felt the need in this crazy, busy technological world to just unplug and get away from it all?
I didn’t realise I was going to take a break – but before I knew it – that’s what I was doing. No writing, no stalking Facebook and Twitter. It felt good. To just cook and not write down all the ingredients along the way while worrying about whether the meal would be “blog-worthy” or not.
It was nice to get back to just cooking every night for Matt and I. The other thing when you write a blog as frequently as I was is the capacity to repeat recipes is decreased. You can’t exactly cook the same risotto over and over and keep blogging about it. You’ve always got to be trying something new and experimenting. While I love to do this – I just wanted to cook old favourites for a while. So, I did.
And I amused myself doing other things – like going out and having the most amazing dinner for my birthday (thanks to Matt) and going for walks on the beach. Here are some photos of my adventures while I have been silent in the online world.