All posts filed under: food

Autumn Holidays

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Busy days of late.  Autumn term break starts at the end of this week, and looking forward to time spent with ‘calmer’ days around home, behind the camera, and in the kitchen. Joining forces with my sister to prepare this morning tea: Fresh home made sushi, spring vegetable rolls, deep fried feta stuffed olives sticks, curried egg, honey leg ham and mustard tiered sandwiches, home made curried puffs, cream corn and tuna vol au vents, mascarpone, sun dried tomato and basil pesto pin wheels. Have a great week, Yvette…x

Coming up Old Country Roses

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Trio Royal Albert : Yellow Rosebud I have a few passions in my life…(she smiles) is it more than a few, when you need both hands and feet to count. The first few on top of the list besides art, food, photography, would have to be old antique roses (you know the ones with their fragrant perfumes, the ones that fill the whole room with their scent, and make you turn,stop, and smell the heart of a rose) china, white linen, the Victoriana Era, crystal, silver, and vintage hats and boxes…ok, the list is long. Back to the point of this new addition to the china section. I was cast under a spell, to a discounted sale of items in a shop…I wanted not to buy, but just couldn’t resist this trio, Royal Albert, Bone China, Old Country Roses, Ruby Collection – Yellow Rosebud, Made in England, which is even rarer these days to find. An hour or maybe two passed and yes, I had a number of new additions to my collections. So this …

Baked Banana Cheesecake

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How wonderful to share with you my friends, what a lovely day it’s been today. A few rays of Autumn sunshine, although the air is crisp and cool, a little home-style baking,  time to write and hear back from a friend via e-mail and an afternoon ‘happy moment’ with my sister with  coffee and a slice of this baked banana cheesecake. ‘Happy Moment’ a small indulgence while on the Slimmer Mediterranean Diet This baked banana cheesecake, sort of just came together while out shopping, I had decided not to through away those forgotten bananas before not attempting to bake something with them. In my mind, was my favourite banana bread recipe, but while out I picked up one (I have too many!!) of my monthly cooking magazines. And wow! just what I needed a seasonal special on baking with banana’s. Chocolate & Banana French toasties;Banana & Apple friands; Beef vindaloo with coconut & banana sambal; Banoffee trifle; Spiced banana tarte tatin…but I had to use those over ripen banana’s and the recipe to win me …

Soup Kitchen -Tomato & Lentil

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Lentils are the most inexpensive source of protein, but my oh! my, they are delicious in this tomato soup. I love a rich, tasty soup, and with the colder weather it sure warms up the insides, low in calories, and packed with flavour. I’ve been following the New Slimmer Mediterranean Diet by Harry Papas, I can only imagine how wonderful it would be to call into Maria’s and Eleni’s Taverna ( Harry’s Mum and Aunties Restaurant) in Fiscardo on Cefalonia Island in Greece, where some of these recipes are on their menu, sit by the bluest of seas surrounded by mountains, and enjoy the company of Greece. “Studies continue to show that following a Mediterranean – style diet, which incorporates the traditional foods of the Mediterranean regions of Greece and parts of France and Italy, is beneficial to our health on a number of levels. From lowering the risk of heart attack and stroke,to warding off cognitive impairment as well as Type2 diabetes, cancer, and even obesity. …it was primarily plant based grains, lean protein …

Cherry 3.14

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Who can say no if you’re in the know of this one… I’ve never actually made this delight before and wanted to try it, Sunday afternoon, time to relax after a morning of teaching and where do I head, but for the kitchen. Fresh cherries are not in season so the best next thing is canned pitted cherries and mixed berries in their natural juices, …I love making pastry, but just wasn’t up to waiting an hour for it to rest in the fridge so opted for the ready made pastry sheets. No rocket science here…my friends..just making good use of pre-canned, pre-cut, pre-made…and the test kitchen is in business. And as you can see, the results were fantastic, a beautiful crusty rustic pastry, with the glorious ‘beefy’ plump taste of cherries and mixed sweet fruits. Read on for the recipe…

Autumn TeaTime

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With all these wonderful warm colours of Autumn, there’s nothing better than sitting by a sunlit window, sipping a cup of warm tea and eating a piece of Banana Nutmeg Cake. Sharing with you my new Royal Albert – Country Roses serving plate. A lovely oval design with cross-hatching embossing,filigree and gold trim, with handles of beautiful cut-out hearts. A beautiful addition to my china collection. For afternoon tea, there’s a serving of freshly homemade Banana Nutmeg Cake, served in petite paper doilies, and Royal Albert – Country Roses serviettes.   Welcome to all those lovely ladies, who are joining me for tea, and a chat in the afternoon sunlight. Wish you were all here, relaxing with me, just a little time for you and me, and see the beautiful hues of Autumn in our garden. Piping hot tea served in Royal Albert, bone china petite Val d’or tea cups, and beautiful paper filigree heart  – place cards. Can you see your name?   Here’s my quick recipe for Banana Nutmeg Cake 1/2 cup sugar …

Sweet Blessings

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A beautiful  Sunday, and Happy Mothers Day. I made a special cake for my sister today to celebrate Mother’s Day with the family. A Vanilla Strawberry Buttercake. Its the first time I’ve used this giant cupcake tin, so a little trial and error, but some great results. And some wonderful ideas for future baking were discussed by us girls….  A Mothers Blessing Thank you, Holy Father, for Your special gift of mothers; for the example of Your unconditional love they share with their children. Thank You for the mother who lets her child know without doubt he or she is loved, and for the child who returns that love. Lord, today we pray You will protect and guide mothers everywhere; that You will grant them Your wisdom in loving and teaching their children. Today, may children everywhere remember the warm caresses and whispers in the night; the tears dried and Band-Aids, the peach cobbler, the laughter; and the blood curdling scream, ‘No!’ at the brink of danger. Thank You for the mothers who played with …

Beeted Chocolate Fudge Cake

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The crisp cool mornings have arrived with the changing colours of our trees, and the early evening smoke clouds from chimney tops from warm lit fires. Autumn is here, and with it beautiful Autumn vegetables. Pumpkins, Squash, Parsnips and beautiful, beautiful Beetroot. I bought this beautiful bunch of beetroot from our local Organic Grocer, such wonderful fresh produce, this bunch cost AUS $3.50, and I used it for a couple of dishes. My first idea was to make that gorgeous magenta rich Bosch soup, but I didn’t have too many green flags on that one..so I thought I might be a little sneaky and make a chocolate fudge cake..everyone loves chocolate! I had seen red velvet cupcakes before made with beetroot, lower in calories and beetroot gives the mixture a smoother, moist texture. Scouting through many wonderful new and exciting beetroot dishes, I found this one from the ‘girls’ from the BBC program ‘Cook yourself Thin’, I have adapted it due to the amount of coffee in it, not good for the smaller generation. It …

Amaryllis in Blueberry

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Amaryllis in Blueberry ***** (excellent) by Christina Meldrum “In Meldrum’s intoxicating first adult novel (after 2010’s Madapple) a family undertakes West African missionary work only to find its members profoundly transformed. Polish-American pathologist Dick Slepy lives with his bohemian wife, Christina “Seena,” in Danish Landing, Mich. They have four daughters, each following the other by two years. There’s pretty Mary Grace, now 18. Mary Catherine is “always-obedient” and pious, whereas Mary Tessa is a “trouble-maker-in-training,” and the precocious Amaryllis, their youngest at 11, is an “emotional synesthete,” who tastes, smells, and otherwise “consumes” the pain, rage, love, or joy of others, and is suspiciously dark-featured. Fearing that his wife is having an affair, Dick seeks the council of his local priest, Father Amadi, who suggests the Slepys take a mission to West Africa to help his nephew, Mawuli, run an aid organization. They go, but the mission is anything but the salve Dick had hoped for, and one event after another…shove the family into deep crisis. With every chapter, Meldrum jumps viewpoints and shifts time …