I’m crazy for leftovers. There is something completely satisfying about cooking a large batch of something and then being able to make easy meals for days. One of our favourite easy meals is leftovers stuffed into capsicum (bell peppers) and baked, with cheese added near the end for some satisfying melty goodness. When you bake red capsicums they end up so sweet and tender. Yum!
Easy Breakfast Frittata Recipe
“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?”
“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”
“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.”
~ A.A. Milne
Getting Ready For The Sokli Diet
‘Everyone has healing nutriments that make them better and that also includes stuff you can’t eat and that is important nutriment too – like places and things you love and things you can do as well as eating things. So I like making nutriment plans to help people get better because then they will be happy and when they are happy they can feel and hear and remember their connection to the Earth and help her too. Love from Sokli, who is a fairy who knows stuff.’ ~ Sokli
Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Salad with Lime and Garlic Dressing #Vegan
“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like “What about lunch?” ~ A. A. Milne It’s a known fact that historically Ben won’t eat two things – Brussels Sprouts and Cottage Pie (which he calls Poo Pie!) after bad experiences at boarding school back in […]
Easy Puff Pastry Ham and Egg Pie for Mother’s Day
“Motherhood is a choice you make every day, to put someone else’s happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you’re not sure what the right thing is…and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong.”~ Donna Ball It’s Mother’s Day […]
Five Dishes to Cook for a Fabulous Easter Feast
“ Cooking is at once child’s play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love. ” ~ Craig Claiborne If you’re looking for inspiration for a tasty and easy meal to share with your family this Easter I have some simple suggestions for you. There’s a creamy Celery Soup for starters, […]
Hot Cross Bun Bread And Butter Pudding – SO Easy and Yum!
“You don’t win friends with salad.”~ Homer Simpson Easter is nearly here. I love this time of year in Australia as the days get shorter, the nights cooler, and we begin our slow descent toward winter. Today’s recipe is a seasonal twist on one of my favourite easy-to-whip-up crowd-pleasing desserts. It uses Hot Cross Buns […]
Five Yummy Easter Treats to Try at Home
“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” ~ Mother Theresa I thought I’d share some of the recipes I’m making for Easter. Don’t worry if you’re not an experienced cook – these recipes are EASY, tasty and lots of fun, and there are plenty of ways to get the […]
Easy Sour Cream Baked Cheesecake with White Chocolate Ganache and Fresh Raspberries
“If there’s cheesecake in the house, I’ll have some.” ~ Kelly Ripa Every year a dear friend comes to our farm to hang out, write and celebrate her birthday. And, of course, birthdays need good cake. Our cake of choice this year was a simple sour cream cheesecake which we then fancied up with a […]
Holiday At the Farm!
“There is more to life than making a living. Do not work more than you live.” ~ Mokokoma Mokhonoana Hello, Lovelies! Right now we have a friend and her little girls vacationing with us here at the farm. Each day the girls have farm chores to do – watering the gardens and fruit trees (it is very […]
Nana’s Easy Pavlova Recipe
“Like all magnificent things, it’s very simple.” ~ Natalie Babbitt We have a friend and her young daughters staying with us right now. The girls love to help me in the kitchen, and for their mum’s birthday I helped them to bake and decorate their first pavolava, which is a favourite dessert of their mum. This recipe […]
A Snack Platter Dinner Is A Legitimate Thing!
“I believe in a benevolent God not because He created the Grand Canyon or Michelangelo, but because He gave us snacks.” ~ Paul Rudnick Our neighbours came over for dinner last night. We get together quite often, and many times our dinner is not a proper meal. Instead it is a dinner of snacks. Our friends will […]
Simple Christmas Baking and Treat Recipes
“Christmas is a tonic for our souls. It moves us to think of others rather than of ourselves. It directs our thoughts to giving.” ~ B.C. Forbes It’s less than a month until Christmas, but there is still plenty of time to whip up a tasty treat or two to share with friends, to gift, or […]
Easy Fruitcake Rum Ball Recipe for Christmas
“You little beauty! I wait all year for these Rum Balls!” ~ Michael the Tractor Man We live on a farm, as members of a small regional community here in the Byron Bay Shire. Each year we use the same services, eat at the same cafes, shop at the same markets. Over time the […]
Aunty Doff’s Easy Weet-Bix Fruit Cake
“Food brings people together on many different levels. It’s nourishment of the soul and body; it’s truly love.” ~ Giada De Laurentiis I was given this recipe by Aunty Doff, who was my Nana’s beloved sister. We stayed at her home on the Central Coast of NSW once when I was in primary school […]
How To Soak Dried Fruit For Your Christmas Cake!
“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” ~ Calvin Coolidge Do you make your own Christmas fruitcake each year? If you do it’s time to soak your fruit, in preparation for a […]
Salted Caramel Rice Pudding Recipe
“I like rice. Rice is great if you’re hungry and want 2000 of something. ” ~ Mich Ehrenborg This simple rice-based gluten-free dessert is a modern twist on a family favourite. The pudding is sweet, creamy and has that salty more-ish kick. It can be easily made using your favourite kind of milk, so vegans and […]
Retro Party Food Catering For the Non-Cook
“It is easy to decide on what is wrong to wear to a party, such as deep-sea diving equipment or a pair of large pillows, but deciding what is right is much trickier.” ~ Lemony Snicket, The Slippery Slope Are you a party-goer who can’t cook? Or perhaps you are thinking of a retro-themed get-together with […]
Best Easy Chocolate Mudcake Recipe
“He showed the words ‘chocolate cake’ to a group of Americans and recorded their word associations. ‘Guilt’ was the top response. If that strikes you as unexceptional, consider the response of French eaters to the same prompt: ‘celebration’.” ~ Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto A friend on the other side of the world […]
Fun With Friends!
“Fun is one of the most important – and underrated – ingredients in any successful venture. If you’re not having fun, then it’s probably time to call it quits and try something else.” ~ Richard Branson Hi Lovelies, I’m in Adelaide right now, which is cold and wintery and wonderful. Thanks so much to […]
Pineapple Fried Rice Recipe
“I like rice. Rice is great if you’re hungry and want 2000 of something. ” ~ Mich Ehrenborg I love this tasty quick rice dish – it’s one of our favourite ways to use up leftover cold rice and cooked vegetables. It’s delicious warm and also great served cold as a salad. It’s also super economical […]
Ginger Cookie Ice-Cream Sandwich Recipe
“…stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot oftener, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. ” ~ Robert J. Hastings You’ll love these tasty ice-cream treats. They are easy enough for the kids to […]
Chunky Choc-Chip Oat Cookies – Easy Recipe!
“Baking cookies is comforting, and cookies are the sweetest little bit of comfort food. They are very bite-sized and personal.” ~Sandra Lee School holidays are almost here, and this is a great recipe for kids in the kitchen. They are tasty, easy and use simple ingredients. We love these chunky cookies here at the farm […]
Quick and Easy Bacon and Vegetable Pasta Recipe
“People just adore pasta. It’s a simple fact.” ~ Marc Vetri I’ve had a girlfriend staying with me for a few days. And for those few days it has been cold here at the farm. Both of us have been unwell, so our days have been napping, reading books in front of the fire, writing, doctor […]
Easy Moist Lemon, Rosemary and Cider Roast Chicken Recipe
“If the home is a body, the table is the heart, the beating centre, the sustainer of life and health.” ~ Shauna Niequist I’m still getting over the flu, so I’m tired and useless and have no energy or brain for anything much at all. But we had friends arriving home to our village who’ve […]
Easy Stewed Pears Recipe
“It is, in my view, the duty of an apple to be crisp and crunchable, but a pear should have such a texture as leads to silent consumption.” ~ Edward Bunyard After the excess of Easter it is a relief to be back to simple food again. One of Autumn’s great pleasures for me is pears. This […]
Cadbury Creme Egg and Salted Caramel Cheesecake Recipe
“Too much of a good thing can be wonderful!” ~ Mae West Easter’s almost here. A while ago a friend and I were throwing around ideas for an Easter Dessert. We wanted something decadent but easy to make – one that was seasonal and delicious and a bit over-the-top. Welcome to the Cadbury Creme Egg and […]
Healthy Bounty Bar Easter Eggs!
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” ~ Charles M. Schulz Easter is only a few weeks away and it can be a real drag for chocolate lovers if you are on a restricted diet or a sugar-free diet. Bounty Bars are one of my favourite chocolates. Ben’s too. […]
Healthy Summer Fruits Rice Pudding
“Summertime is always the best of what might be.” ~ Charles Bowden It’s summertime in Australia right now, one of my favourite times for fruits and simple foods. This rice dish is a firm favourite – it makes for great breakfast eating, but can also serve as a dessert. The one in the picture is dressed […]
Top 5 Christmas Sweets Recipes For You!
“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!” ~ Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Hello, Lovelies! It’s me again Chelsi, Nicole’s VA! As Nicole gets stormed in her farm with internet and electricity cut off, […]
Poached Pears with Honey and Turmeric
“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.” ~ A.A. Milne […]
Fanny’s Whist Cake – A simple and delicious treat!
“Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people […]
Easy Sweet Potato and Apple Bake – Savoury
“I’m eating’ it quick… but I’ll remember it a long time.” ~ Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings I would love to say that I had a picture of this awesomely delicious little bake intact and looking as amazing as it did when it was still in one piece. But I don’t because we gobbled it up for […]
Fry-Up Bowl – An Easy Meal For Anytime!
“If you can eat with mates or friends or family, I mean, it’s such a brilliant thing isn’t it? If you feel really rubbish and you have a nice bit of food it makes you feel good, you know?” ~ Jamie Oliver Fry-Up Bowls are a favourite easy meal in our house. To be […]
Easy Puff Pastry Quiche
“Lunch makes me feel a bit better.” ~ Suzanne Collins Recently my friend Carly and I popped in to her parents’ house for lunch, and then a tour of her mum’s garden. Jewel made a lovely salad with fresh greens from her vegetable patch, and I took over a simple quiche that I’d whipped up […]
Our Top Five Comfort Soups for You
“That bowl of soup—it was dearer than freedom, dearer than life itself, past, present, and future.” ~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, One Day In The Life Of Ivan Denisovich Hi Everyone! Nicole could not come to write her blog post today due to lack of stable internet connection, but sends her love with top five comfort soup recipes […]
Vanilla Cake with Passionfruit Glaze
“Through enjoyment we endure.” ~ Florence Ditlow Looking for an easy, moist and yummy vanilla cake? My Nana Cody used to make this simple cake every school holidays when we were children. The only thing that ever varied was the flavour of icing she’d add to the top. It’s pretty much a foolproof recipe, which […]
Yummy Sweet Treats for You!
“Love is like a good cake; you never know when it’s coming, but you’d better eat it when it does!” ― C. JoyBell C. Hello Lovelies, Nicole is in bed today feeling sick. So I made her take a break and prepared this blog post for you. I hope you enjoy our top 5 […]
Nana’s Quick Coffee Cake
“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” ~ Gustav Mahler When I need a yummy cake in a hurry this is the first recipe I think of: Nana’s Quick Coffee Cake. My nana was a plain cook, but her food was delicious. Her Quick Coffee Cake is everything a […]
Easy Orange Butter Cake Recipe
“Mma Ramotswe sighed. ‘We are all tempted, Mma. We are all tempted when it comes to cake.’ ‘That is true,’ said Mma Potokwane sadly. ‘There are many temptations in this life, but cake is probably one of the biggest of them.” ~ Alexander McCall Smith When you live on a farm it’s a different […]
Easy No-Bake Apricot and White Chocolate Slice
“In Britain, a cup of tea is the answer to every problem. Fallen off your bicycle? Nice cup of tea. Your house has been destroyed by a meteorite? Nice cup of tea and a biscuit. Your entire family has been eaten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex that has travelled through a space/time portal? Nice cup of […]
Sicilian Lemon, Ricotta and Almond Cake Recipe #glutenfree
“Baking and love go hand in hand, for as one bakes a tasty treat and fills the room with its sweet aroma, the true joy is to take what has been made and share it with another.” ~ Heather Wolf Years ago I was travelling through a remote part of the Australian Outback. I […]
Easy Kale and Orange Salad with Miso Dressing
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” ~ Hippocrates This is a super-scrummy salad that is easy to prepare and chock full of goodness. It’s satisfying enough that you could eat a bowl on its own, but it’s also a great side for roasts and barbeques. I use kale leaves as […]
Easy Chocolate Sour Cream Cake Recipe
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” ~ Charles M. Schulz Who doesn’t love chocolate cake? Actually, my husband! But even Ben loves this cake, declaring it ‘the best chocolate cake he has ever tasted’. If you’re looking for a simple, easy, moist chocolate cake recipe that […]
Black Sticky Rice Pudding Recipe – Gluten Free, Vegan, Yum!
“I like rice. Rice is great if you’re hungry and want 2000 of something. ” ~ Mich Ehrenborg This is truly one of those comfort-in-a-bowl dishes. Black sticky rice pudding is popular in Thailand and parts of Asia. It can be eaten warm or cold, and makes a delicious dessert, but it’s equally good […]
Honey Pepper Beef Marinade and Stirfry Recipe
“I just love Chinese food. My favourite dish is number 27.” ~ Clement Attlee Note: Finally, the recipe I tried to post the other day! This is the one that kept uploading pictures of the beach, instead of my food pictures. How grateful I am now that this post was already written and only […]
Mango-Misu – A Delicious and Easy Dessert!
“Take your pleasure seriously.” ~ Charles Eames Every New Year’s Eve we have a small party at the farm, to celebrate life, the ending of the old year and the coming of the new AND the birthday of a dear friend. What party of such calibre would be complete without dessert? Mango Misu (or […]
Green Goodness Sauce Recipe
“She pulls on her heavy boots and carries the water bucket past the rose bushes, past the herb garden, and back to the barn behind the house. Her steps kick up the scents of herbs: thyme, mint, and lemon balm. The plants send up new stems each year from the roots that survived the winter […]
Easy Mango Mousse #dairyfree #glutenfree #vegan #yum #paleo
“Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair…” ~ Susan Polis Schutz Mangoes are finally in season here in Australia. This is a super-easy and yummy mango mousse that tastes of summer and is something you can make all year round, even if you can’t access fresh mango. I’ve made […]
Green Goji Bliss Balls
“Humor keeps us alive. Humor and food. Don’t forget food. You can go a week without laughing.” ~ Joss Whedon I often whip up a batch of these healthy, yummy snacks. Green Goji Bliss Balls are packed full of nutrition, and the lemon gives them a lovely fresh tang. They are incredibly easy to […]
Two-Hour Economical Chicken Soup Recipe
“There is no dignity quite so impressive, and no independence quite so important, as living within your means.” ~ Calvin Coolidge I lived on this soup when I was a university student, back in my sharehouse days, and then again when I bought my first house and every spare cent went on the mortgage repayments. […]
Strawberry Coconut Chia Pudding #dairyfree #glutenfree
“Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.” ~ Erma Bombeck I could call this delicious pudding ‘dessert’. But I have also been known to call it ‘breakfast’… This creamy strawberry pudding is a versatile and healthy option as a snack, a meal or as a […]
Nana’s Rustic Bacon and Vegetable Soup Recipe
“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients.” ~ Julia Child This was one of the first things I ever learned to cook. My Nana taught me in her little kitchen. I was still so young that Pa had to bring an old wooden crate upstairs […]
Bacon, Egg and Broccoli Slice
“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.” ~ Albert Einstein I am a big fan of using simple ingredients thrown together to make easy meals. Meals that ANYONE can cook. (Even people with no cooking experience, and people who have rarely ventured into a kitchen or […]
Easy Tuscan Chicken Recipe
“No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers.” ~ Laurie Colwin This is a simple meal to throw together, and a regular in our household. The flavours are […]
Loaded Porridge with Cinnamon Spiced Apples
“It follows that they never understood Reginald, who came down late to breakfast, and nibbled toast, and said disrespectful things about the universe. The family ate porridge, and believed in everything, even the weather forecast.” ~ Saki Now that the weather is finally cooler, porridge is one of my favourite breakfasts. It’s easy to make, […]
Roast Lamb with Rosé, Garlic, Honey, Roasted Peaches and Apples
“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces — just good food from fresh ingredients.” – Julia Child Roast lamb is a family favourite here at the farm. I love cooking roasts, because there is always enough to feed a crowd, or enough for Ben and I to enjoy a delicious dinner and […]
Coconut Rice Pudding with Banana
“And to this end they built themselves a stupendous super-computer which was so amazingly intelligent that even before its data banks had been connected up it had started from I think therefore I am and got as far as deducing the existence of rice pudding and income tax before anyone managed to turn it off.” […]
Nana’s Queen of Puddings Recipe
“People don’t realize how easy they have it these days. Most kids have never known what it’s like to go without anything. They want something, they get it. If there isn’t enough money, they charge it. We never wanted anything because we never realized we could have anything. We never missed what we never had. […]
Chocolate Easter Nests
“Hedwig didn’t return until the end of the Easter holidays. Percy’s letter was enclosed in a package of Easter eggs that Mrs. Weasley had sent. Both Harry’s and Ron’s were the size of dragon eggs, and full of home-made toffee. Hermione’s, however, was smaller than a chicken’s egg. Her face fell when she saw it. […]
So, Here I am in Cebu!
“The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.” ~ Anna Quindlen This morning I was up so early that it seemed I had the entire place to myself. Cebu. Philippines. Beautiful. I did a sunrise meditation and sent you all some healing and love. I swam in the […]
Ruby Grapefruit and Asparagus Salad
‘Are you casting asparagus on my cooking?’ ~ Curly Howard This is such a simple salad, and it’s easy to throw together, but it tastes like a celebration! It might seem like a little work to segment the grapefruit, but it makes for a pretty result, and no chewy pith or seeds! Serve this […]
Easy Coconut Custard – Low Carb, Paleo, Dairy-Free
“I hope there’s pudding!” ~ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix This is a simple, satisfying and yummy dessert. It makes a firm custard, which would be very suitable as a pie crust filling. Coconut Custard is dairy-free, gluten-free and sugar-free, and high in protein and good fats. Plus it tastes […]
Mexican Beef, Bean and Eggplant Casserole
“Casseroles are one-pot-wonders!” ~ Carla Hall I love a good casserole, and this one will feed a crowd! This tasty casserole is a filling meal, especially with a side of vegetables or salad. It is gluten-free and low carb too for people who are following those ways of eating. Any left-overs are terrific served with corn […]
Mango Salsa Recipe
“All in all, it was a never-to-be-forgotten summer — one of those summers which come seldom into any life, but leave a rich heritage of beautiful memories in their going — one of those summers which, in a fortunate combination of delightful weather, delightful friends and delightful doing, come as near to perfection as anything […]
Easy Chilli Con Carne Recipe
“I think preparing food and feeding people brings nourishment not only to our bodies but to our spirits. Feeding people is a way of loving them, in the same way that feeding ourselves is a way of honoring our own createdness and fragility.” ~ Shauna Niequist Chilli con carne is one of those great […]
One of those mornings…
“Nic, you should know by now – nothing ever goes to plan!” ~ Ben Phillips. Husband. So, we’re on our way to breakfast with cafe dog. Later than usual. Because it is raining. I slept in. Worse, the cows got into the house paddock and were eating my garden. My agapanthus! My parsley! My fresh […]
Hasselback Potatoes? Opera House Potatoes? Best Ever Baked Potato Recipe!
“Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.” ~ Alan Watts When I was little my grandmother used to cook these potatoes when we visited for Sunday Roast, only she didn’t call them Hasselback potatoes. Marga called them Opera House Potatoes, because […]
Easy Miso Udon Noodle Soup
“An army travels on its stomach. Soup makes the soldier.” ~ Napoleon Bonaparte This quick and easy soup is one of my all-time favourites. It’s healthy, and you can throw it together in a couple of minutes. Perfect for when life is crazy-busy, or when you’re tired and need an easy meal. Ingredients: 1 […]
Festive Christmas Fudge Recipe
“They always gives me bath salts,” complained Nobby. “And bath soap and bubble bath and herbal bath lumps and tons of bath stuff and I can’t think why, ‘cos it’s not as if I hardly ever has a bath. You’d think they’d take the hint, wouldn’t you?” ~ Terry Pratchett, Hogfather I’ve had so […]
Traditional Christmas Cake – Make and Mature
“I love the Christmas-tide, and yet, I notice this, each year I live; I always like the gifts I get, But how I love the gifts I give!” ~ Carolyn Wells I have so many fruit cake recipes, but if you have the time this one delivers a perfect Christmas Cake that is moist, […]
Simple Summer Bruschetta Recipe
“Sweet, sweet burn of sun and summer wind, and you my friend, my new fun thing, my summer fling.” ~ k.d. lang It’s not quite summer here in Australia yet, but gee it feels like it! The sun is beating down, the sky is wide and blue, the grass is plush and green beneath […]
Bacon and Egg Sandwich with Caramelised Onion
“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “what’s the first thing you say to yourself?” “What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?” “I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today?” said Piglet. Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “It’s the same thing,” he said.” ~ A.A. Milne […]
Melt ‘n’ Mix Sultana Slice Recipe – Easy!
“When I observe Gram, I see how fragile the notion of tradition can be. If I take my eyes off the way she kneads her Easter bread, or if I fail to study the way she sews a seam in suede, or if I lose the mental image I have of her when she negotiates […]
Easy Goat Cheese and Mushroom Canapes
“A good time occurs precisely when we lose track of what time it is.” ~ Robert Farrar Capon This is a super little recipe – it’s healthy, quick to make, and utterly yummy. You’ll find that it goes perfectly with afternoon tea, as canapes with drinks, or for a plate to share. With the […]
Chilled Coconut Soup with Tapioca and Rockmelon
“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl Many years ago, when my sister and I were sharing a house, we’d sometimes venture out for dinner to a little Asian Restaurant in Market Square at Sunnybank. Our restaurant of choice was called Gourmet Court – […]
Blueberry Coconut Pots with Chocolate Sauce and Toasted Almonds
“Life is too short for self-hatred and celery sticks.” ~ Marilyn Wann I held an impromptu dinner for friends last night. Roast lamb with baked pumpkin and garden vegetables, and then for dessert these little pots of joy. The pots of joy idea arose from me looking in the pantry and wondering what I could […]
Hot Buttered Apples with Tumeric and Ginger
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” ~ Desmond Tutu This sounds like a tasty and warming dessert, right? Well, it is, and if that’s how you want to enjoy it, go right ahead, It’s yummy and good for you. But […]
Nana’s Delicious Ginger Cake Recipe
“And I had but one penny in the world. Thou should’st have it to buy gingerbread.” ~ William Shakespeare, Love’s Labours Lost This was my Pa’s favourite cake. It is a heavy, moist old-fashioned ginger cake and it has very good keeping qualities. Teamed with an afternoon cup of tea or an early morning […]
Easy Baked Eggs Recipe
“A recipe is a story that ends with a good meal.” ~ Pat Conroy Sometimes I need a warm, easy meal that takes just a minute or two to throw together, but that is more substantial than toast. If I’m writing, and don’t want to leave what I am doing for too long, or at […]
Easy Moussaka Recipe
“If you are careful,’ Garp wrote, ‘if you use good ingredients, and you don’t take any shortcuts, then you can usually cook something very good. Sometimes it is the only worthwhile product you can salvage from a day; what you make to eat. With writing, I find, you can have all the right ingredients, give […]
Celebration Cupcakes Recipe – Because We Hit 2 Million Views!
“Children take joy in their work and sometimes as adults we forget that’s something we should continue doing.” ~ Ashley Ormon Sometime last Friday Cauldrons and Cupcakes hit two million views. Two million views is cause for celebration. And we did. With cupcakes, of course! Dear Readers, thank you so much for all of the […]
Creamy Oyster Chowder Recipe
“As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I […]
Easy Ginger Poached Pears Recipe
“If you want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear by eating it yourself. If you want to know the theory and methods of revolution, you must take part in revolution. All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience.” ~ Mao Tse-Tung Pears are in season right now here in Australia, […]
Turmeric and Ginger Tea Recipe
“In Ireland, you go to someone’s house, and she asks you if you want a cup of tea. You say no, thank you, you’re really just fine. She asks if you’re sure. You say of course you’re sure, really, you don’t need a thing. Except they pronounce it ting. You don’t need a ting. Well, she […]
Cheesy Bean Pie Recipe
“Student food.” His eyes went to the tomato on the sill. “Whatever’s in the refrigerator over pasta.” ~ Kim Harrison, Dead Witch Walking I’ve been making variations of this pie since I was a college student living away from home in share houses – back in the days where we were all perpetually broke, […]
Easy Stewed Apple Recipe
“If God had intended us to follow recipes, He wouldn’t have given us grandmothers.” ~ Linda Henley Stewed apples always remind me of my grandmothers’ kitchens. Both of them were avid fruit stewers, especially when fruit was beginning to get a little old, or soft, or if there was too much to eat fresh, or […]
Baked Persimmons with Crumble Topping
“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.” ~ Samuel Butler Persimmons are one of my favourite autumn treats. I use the non-astringent variety for this recipe. These fuyu persimmons can be eaten crunchy like an apple, or left to soften so that the interior […]
Easy Orange Butter Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
“In Britain, a cup of tea is the answer to every problem. Fallen off your bicycle? Nice cup of tea. Your house has been destroyed by a meteorite? Nice cup of tea and a biscuit. Your entire family has been eaten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex that has travelled through a space/time portal? Nice cup of […]
Homemade Easter Treats
“Hedwig didn’t return until the end of the Easter holidays. Percy’s letter was enclosed in a package of Easter eggs that Mrs. Weasley had sent. Both Harry’s and Ron’s were the size of dragon eggs, and full of home-made toffee. Hermione’s, however, was smaller than a chicken’s egg. Her face fell when she saw it. […]
Easy Green Sauce for Potatoes, Pasta or Meats
“She pulls on her heavy boots and carries the water bucket past the rose bushes, past the herb garden, and back to the barn behind the house. Her steps kick up the scents of herbs: thyme, mint, and lemon balm. The plants send up new stems each year from the roots that survived the […]
Simple Stewed Plums Recipe
“What is more mortifying than to feel that you have missed the plum for want of courage to shake the tree?” ~ Logan Pearsall Smith There is something deeply comforting about a bowl of warm sweet fruit, and stewed fruit is so simple that it should definitely be a go-to recipe in every household. I love this […]
Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Garlic, Herbs and Red Wine
“The quest for slowness, which begins as a simple rebellion against the impoverishment of taste in our lives, makes it possible to rediscover taste.” ~ Carlo Petrini, founder of the International Slow Food Movement When I’m busy writing or working I prefer to make a dinner that’s easy and which gives me something to look […]
Easy Chocolate Mousse with Almond Praline
“If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you. But you have no chocolate! I think of that again and again! My dear, how will you ever manage?” ~ Madame de Sévigné I know, I know, it’s such a throwback to the 1970’s but Chocolate Mousse is […]
Easy Fruit Pastry Dessert
“As much as I would love to be a person that goes to parties and has a couple of drinks and has a nice time, that doesn’t work for me. I’d just rather sit at home and read, or go out to dinner with someone, or talk to someone I love, or talk to somebody […]
Tropical Pie Recipe
“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl And so, the moment of truth… Does the Tropical Pie of my childhood still measure up? *Nicole laughs gleefully and claps her hands* Darn tootin’ right it does! The pie has a crunchy toasted coconut crust, […]
Remembering Tropical Pie
“Sometimes you have to travel back in time, skirting the obstacles, in order to love someone.” ~ Frances Mayes, Under Magnolia: A Southern Memoir When I was a kid, growing up in the seventies, there was this pie Mum used to make. ‘Tropical Pie’ it was called, if memory serves me correctly. I loved […]
Pomegranate, Kale and Sweet Potato Salad Recipe
“Fun fact #1 about pomegranates: Pomegranates are awesome. Fun fact #2: Pomegranates are like little explosions of awesome in your mouth. Fun fact #3: A lot of people think you’re not supposed to eat the seeds of a pomegranate – but that’s not true, people who tell you that are liars, and they don’t know […]
Quick Christmas Macadamia Shortbread Recipe
“For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home.” ~ W.J. Ronald Tucker This is a super recipe. It’s rich and buttery, and the lovely crispness of the shortbread goes perfectly with a cup of tea. I like their rustic style […]
Easy Christmas Fudge Recipe
I sometimes think we expect too much of Christmas Day. We try to crowd into it the long arrears of kindliness and humanity of the whole year. As for me, I like to take my Christmas a little at a time, all through the year. And thus I drift along into the holidays — let […]