Malfatti – rustically delicious! I love being proven wrong when it comes to food. As I dubiously fished the totally unimpressive-looking, slippery dumplings from the poaching liquid and plonked them in tomato sauce to pop into the oven, I was mentally preparing for what I could do to save the dish if it came out as bland as I was expecting. Bury in cheese and stick it back in the oven, I thought to myself....
One pot, quick dinner idea that’s on the table in 30 minutes! Mexican Ground Beef Casserole with rice This is essentially the filling for the Mexican Stuffed Peppers I shared a few weeks ago. Why am I bothering? Because when I share a pork chop recipe on Instagram, people always ask if it can be made with chicken. When I share a chicken thigh recipe, people always ask if it can be made with breast....
Egg recipes are a favourite around here because I always have some on hand! Try omelettes the Chinese way with Egg Foo Young, healthy grab-n-go Egg Muffins, a big Frittata to share or everybody’s favourite Quiche Lorraine. Who says omelettes are just for breakfast? No no no!!! Omelettes are terrific for any time of the day. And it’s a master recipe that everyone should know! How to make an omelette It’s this simple:...
These are like the Italian version of Breakfast Enchiladas! The inspiration to make these came after a particularly embarrassing incident. I hate traffic and Sydney traffic is notoriously bad, especially when you live in an area where it’s one lane roads in and out. I live quite far from the city so when I have morning meetings, I like to make them early so I can beat the traffic. They are usually meetings over breakfast but I am one of those people that need to eat asap upon waking, otherwise I feel ill....
This is a cookbook exclusive recipe! This recipe is exclusive to my debut cookbook Dinner which includes a how-to video for every recipe. Just scan the QR code! Just to explain…. I know, it’s confusing! You’re so used to getting recipes on my website – there’s over 1,200 of them, after all. And here you are looking at a tasty recipe video and I haven’t provided the recipe. 🙀 I’m not just doing this to torture you, I promise....
This is a cookbook exclusive recipe! This recipe is exclusive to my debut cookbook Dinner which includes a how-to video for every recipe. Just scan the QR code! Just to explain…. I know, it’s confusing! You’re so used to getting recipes on my website – there’s over 1,200 of them, after all. And here you are looking at a tasty recipe video and I haven’t provided the recipe. 🙀 I’m not just doing this to torture you, I promise....
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”! Wonton soup If you’ve ever had store bought frozen wontons or wontons from a good value Chinese place that probably uses frozen wontons, you will be amazed how different homemade ones are. The main difference is the texture of the filling – because homemade wontons are made with just pure fresh ingredients, NO mysterious fillers! I think wontons are one of those things that many people don’t think to make, assuming they are really tedious and take ages....
Loaded with herb garlic roasted vegetables, take this to work, make it for breakfast, brunch, or dinner. Use my frittata recipe formula to make this your own – try chicken, ham, spinach and artichoke, salmon and broccoli, or Tuscan antipasto! Easy Baked Vegetable Frittata Traditionally, frittata is started on the stove then transferred to the oven to finish cooking. This is the way I cook frittatas if I’m sautéing bacon or similar – so I can cook the frittata in the bacon fat (SO GOOD!...
The onion gravy is to-die for but only requires 4 things: onion, garlic, beef broth/stock and flour. That’s it! Bangers and Mash I have to hand it to the Brits, they come up with great names for food. Bubble and Squeak – roast leftovers fried up. Spotted Dick (get your mind out of the gutter! It’s a pudding shaped like a log studded with raisins!). Toad In the Hole – Sausage in a Yorkshire Pudding batter....
Here’s the thing about Asian families (I’m betting we aren’t the only Asian family with this attitude!). When it comes to faux Asian food (modern / contemporary / fusion Asian), we are snobs. We love it when it’s done right. But there’s a line – and if it’s on the wrong side of that line, we turn our noses up at it. So when I announced that I was going to make a “faux Asian beef soba” meal for a family dinner, the response was……well, underwhelming....
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”! San Choy Bow – Chinese Lettuce Wraps The Chinese name for Lettuce Wraps is San Choy Bow which is how it’s written in menus at Chinese restaurants here in Sydney, though the spelling varies widely from place to place and I’m yet to find a definitive answer for what the proper spelling is. I may not know how to spell it, but I do know you’re going to love them!...
It’s obvious that I love cooking (and eating). When I’m not cooking, I’m probably watching a cooking show, talking about food, arguing about food, reading a cookbook or planning my next meal. Taking a wild guess, I think I might be a foodie…☺️ But as food obsessed as I am, even I don’t have the energy or time to spend hours in the kitchen for midweek meals. And while I have a keen interest in cooking, I am actually fundamentally lazy at heart …....
Dear Australians and New Zealanders disappointed to be missing out, skip down to my Letter to you. ❤️ Why am I offering this free gift? This is a thank you gift for those who have preordered a copy of Dinner which will be delivered to your doorstep in February 2023. Patience is not my greatest virtue, so it is a gesture of appreciation for your patience!! What is the gift?...
Dull leftovers? Never around here! Leftover Turkey Pot Pie Got leftover turkey?* Bits of bread lying around? Some scraps of veggies? Milk, butter and flour? Then you can MAKE THIS Turkey Pot Pie! Because everything else is optional 🙂 OK, so a melty cheese topping precariously straddles the border of “optional” in my book, but having said that nobody every complains whenever normal cheese-less garlic bread makes an appearance so I doubt anyone would complain here either…....
A healthy vegetable soup made extra tasty. Do you know about the zero Weight Watchers Points cabbage soup? Essentially, all you do is put all the vegetables, broth/stock and a dollop of tomato paste into a pot, bring it to a boil then that’s it. I don’t even need to try it to know that it would be rather bland. I just couldn’t bring myself to make it. So I made up my own version....
This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”! Pork rub This recipe is one of those that I think of as a “life essential” because it’s an instant, no-brainer way to add bags of flavour to pan-fried pork. But I always hesitate to share it, thinking, “Meh! It’s too easy!” I mean, the recipe directions would be: “Mix. Use.” 😂 I’m joking. Well, sort of!...
Also see 15 Day Quarantine Menu Plan including complete grocery list, plus how to sanitise food. What food to stock up on for Coronavirus quarantine Whether you agree with food stocking or not, it’s hard to avoid thinking about it in these uncertain times. And after sending a somewhat lengthy email to several friends and readers with some recommendations for what food to stock up on in the event of a Coronavirus quarantine (whether mandatory or voluntary), I thought it was time I shared it with all my readers....
I’m apologising for sharing these for a number of reasons. I’m sorry to all those trying to be healthy. (Me, me!) I’m sorry to everyone trying to cut down of their carb intake. (Me, me!) I’m sorry to everyone who makes these once and are harassed to make them again and again….. I actually wasn’t sure if I would ever share this. I had quite an astonishing number of messages here and on Facebook asking if the No Knead Dinner Rolls could be used to make cinnamon rolls....
Plus, there’s a load of veggies mixed through so this One Pot Chinese Chicken and Rice is a complete meal! CHINESE CHICKEN AND RICE – A ONE POT WONDER! Hands up everyone who would make fried rice more often but you never seem to have day old cooked rice when the craving hits? If you’ve got your hand raised high – then this one is for YOU!! The rice in this recipe tastes like fried rice but it’s made from scratch using uncooked rice....
Have you ever seen such small, pudgy hands on a fully grown person? Well, I say “fully grown” but I must admit I’m rather vertically challenged. I like to say I’ve been standing in a hole since I was 7. 🙂 Having “Baby Hands” (which is what my friends call me!) is the bane of my life as a food blogger because I love doing “action shots”. I make a conscious effort to try to position my fingers to make them look more elongated in photos (I sort of stretch them out, and I try to get a flattering light on them), but sometimes I’m too flustered to remember....
