“Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day – like writing a poem or saying a prayer.” ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh Right beneath our noses something sneaky is happening. Our choices are becoming more limited, even as it appears that there is greater diversity in the […]
Quick Prawn and Miso Soup Recipe
What can be better than comfort in a bowl? Miso soup variations are one of my favourite go-to’s when I am tired, sick, time poor, or stumped for inspiration. Feel free to play around with this simple recipe, using whatever you have to hand. This is a very nurturing, easy-to-make soup and it is packed […]
Creamy Corn and Potato Chowder Recipe
“Soup is cuisine’s kindest course. It breathes reassurance; it steams consolation; after a weary day it promotes sociability, as the five o’clock cup of tea or the cocktail hour.” ~ Louis P. De Gouy, ‘The Soup Book’ (1949) It’s been raining all weekend, and the weather has turned cool. What better comfort food than a […]
Heal-All Chicken Soup Recipe
“If you’re blue, have the flu, or can’t seem to … then Chicken Soup is for you.” ~ Anon Looking for a quick meal to throw together? This is not it! My Heal-All Chicken Soup recipe takes time – 8 to 12 hours minimum. I make this soup as medicine in a bowl… Home-made chicken […]
Heavenly Blueberry Crumble Slice Recipe
It’s bucketing down here at the farm again, and there’s not much for me to do but sleep, cook or sit on the verandah sipping tea. We still have no power here after the big Australia Day Weekend Wet, but Ben has fired up the generator for a while and my biscuit tins are empty […]
Green Porridge – A Healthy Breakfast Recipe
Green anything for breakfast sounds a little odd. But just as Sam-I-Am finally discovered that he liked Green Eggs and Ham, you might be persuaded that my Green Porridge recipe is just as delicious. When you imagine porridge, most people think of a creamy bowl of oats topped prettily with fruit… My offering today may […]
Coconut, Ginger and Cardamom Rice Pudding Recipe – Vegan
Because my Power Word for 2013 is HEALTH, I’ve been modifying a few of my favourite recipes. This creamy-sweet rice pudding has the added lusciousness of Indian spices, and is entirely dairy, gluten and cane-sugar free. And it’s vegan to boot, for those of you who are lovers of plant-based diets. It can be eaten […]
Happy Birthday, Mum!
It’s my mum’s birthday today. I can’t pop in and see her, take her flowers or make her a cake because she’s visiting with my brother down in Tasmania. (And yes, they are all safe from the fires, thank you!) So instead I thought I’d take a moment to say thank you to my mum […]
Passionfruit and Lime Curd ~ Passionfruit Butter Recipe
Two things grow like crazy in our neck of the woods come summer – limes and passionfruit. A friend gave me a bag of old wrinkly-looking passionfruit yesterday and asked if I might still be able to use them. You bet I can! Passionfruit are very pretty when they are all firm and plump, but […]
Tasty Fried Rice Recipe – Easy!
It’s that time of year. Lots of Christmas leftovers, or maybe you just don’t feel like going to any trouble in the kitchen but you still want something tasty. Fried rice is one of my go-to comfort foods – endlessly able to be varied, and can be made to suit vegans, vegetarians and omnivores. Eat […]
Vegan Broccoli, Cashew and Lime Soup Recipe – Virtual Vegan Potluck 2012
Today’s post is part of the Virtual Vegan Potluck – where you can find 100 fabulous new plant-based recipes to try at home! Thanks to the awesome Annie, who made this Blogfest possible. Her Blog is well worth a visit: An Unrefined Vegan. For the last Potluck I made a Creamy Satay Hotpot Recipe. My […]
Rhubarb Cream Puff Recipe
When you’re in a hurry, but still want something fabulous for dessert, this is it! There is no particular skill required, and the beauty of this recipe is that you can use any seasonal stewed fruit if you can’t get rhubarb! Ingredients to Serve Four: one bunch of rhubarb, 2 apples, sugar, one cup or 300ml […]
What Real Food Looks Like…
On Saturday morning at the crack of dawn my husband and I went into Lismore, a small country town about 25 minutes drive from our farm. We needed to buy some hay for our weaner calves, and there was a truckload of bales for sale at the showgrounds, which is also home to the Lismore […]
Strengthening Intuition Week 6 – Sensing Energy in Food
“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.” ~ Brillat-Savarin Have you been following along with our Strengthening Intuition Program so far? In today’s post I’m going to show you how to tune in to the energy of food. This is a fun and useful skill to have – it […]
Simple Baked Camenbert Recipe
“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.” ~ C. S. Lewis Our little farmhouse is as popular as any Byron Bay bed and breakfast come weekends,especially on Market Weekends! I’m returning home this morning, after a very big […]
Roasted Tomato Salad with Sumac Dressing Recipe
Yesterday morning I ventured out early to the Mullumbimby Farmers’ Markets. One of the joys of market shopping is that you never know what produce will be offered or what you might bring home. In my basket ended up some celery, mixed lettuce, local cheddar, a jar of local honey, and some sweet firm tomatoes. […]
Best Coconut Ice Recipe ♥
This is my prize-winning Coconut Ice recipe, which made me almost as much of a Show Queen as my precious cow 767. It has been entered in many agricultural shows, and won me incredible trophies. As well as the 22 Blue Ribbons and Prize Certificates, this recipe has netted me (among other things…) a tea-towel […]
Berry Nice Fruit Crumble Recipe
This is one of those desserts you just throw together. It’s fantastically easy and it tastes like heaven in a bowl. It comes to you courtesy of the mulberry tree in my back yard, and the amplitude of strawberries in my refrigerator. I would like to claim that I grew the strawberries too, but alas, […]
Farmers’ Markets – Nom Nom Nom!
“Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” ~ Michael Pollan Have I told you how much I love food? I do, you know. Food is one of life’s great joys for me. There is nothing better than fresh food – from produce grown with love and care. Good food is medicine for the […]
A Witch’s Brew – Herbal Tea Recipes from my Cauldron
You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me. – C.S. Lewis I don’t think I could say it better than C. S. Lewis! As much as I love coffee, tea reigns supreme in my house. Yesterday I blended and batched up a Channelling Tea blend […]
Nana’s Pikelet Recipe and a Few Good Yarns
Find yourself a cup of tea; the teapot is behind you. Now tell me about hundreds of things. ~Saki Pikelets are a bit of an institution round here, especially for morning or afternoon tea. For those of you not in the know, pikelets are like fluffy little pancakes – very tasty with a cup of […]
Marga’s Orange Syrup Cake Recipe
We’re picking the last of our organic oranges before the heat of summer sets in, and I know a perfect way to use some of them up: my maternal grandmother’s orange syrup cake recipe. Marga gave this recipe to me when I held my first proper dinner party – a rural affair at my college […]
Lemon Delicious Pudding Recipe
My Meyer Lemon tree is dripping with ripe fruit right now, and this pudding is a perfect way to use some of them up. The pudding is served warm, and is light enough to be enjoyed all year round. If you are lucky enough to have any left over it is also tasty eaten cold! […]
Will you do something for me today?
Will you do something for me today? Hug the ones you love. Tell them you love them. If they aren’t close enough to hug, pick up the phone and let them know you care. Take a minute, stop, and just appreciate this gift of life. Smell the roses. That’s why they’re there. Look after yourself. […]
The Mullumbimby Chocolate Shop
Not far from my farm is a wonderful place which comes straight from the realm of childhood dreams. It’s the Mullumbimby Chocolate Shop, and it’s dear to my heart for many reasons. I sometimes pay a visit and get a little bag of lollies, and then sit outside at a local cafe and write, sipping tea […]
Orange, Walnut and Fennel Salad Recipe
The orchard at our farm is laden with citrus at this time of year, so whipping up a tasty salad is easier than ever. This salad is perfect with crusty bread, and can be a vegetarian meal on its own (vegan if we omit the feta) or a perfect side for a barbeque or roast. […]
Roast Carrot and Pine Nut Salad
This is a delicious salad that can fill you up on its own, or that makes a beautiful side for other dishes. I’ve made this with baked carrots, but you could also use baked parsnip or sweet potato for equally tasty results. Hint: If you are prone to nibbling on the baked vegetables prior to […]
Best Easy Stewed Rhubarb Recipe
As much as I am grateful for gratitude (and my 30 Day Gratitude Challenge) I am also currently very grateful for rhubarb – and I don’t think I can last another 2 weeks without some sort of food post. So here it is – Blissful Best Rhubarb! Ingredients: fresh rhubarb, raw sugar, lemon Method: Wash […]
Mandarin and Coconut Jelly with Tropical Breezes
It’s winter down here in Australia. It’s meant to be freezing. Here at the farm I have a wheelbarrow of hardwood at the back door, waiting to be fed into the fireplace. I have my warmest beanie and scarf, my big coat and my woolliest socks all sitting on my dresser. None of them are […]
Creamed Rice Pudding Recipe
“It’s lovely rice pudding for dinner again.” ~ A.A. Milne Winter has well and truly arrived Down Under. It’s freezing in Brisbane right now. (Well, as freezing as sub-tropical can be…) Puts me in the mind to eat warm foods, and there is nothing better than my Nana’s Creamed Rice Pudding, a velvety-smooth vanilla rice […]
Easy Pumpkin Soup Recipe (Good for Writers)
If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don’t write, because our culture has no use for it. ~ Anais Nin You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you. ~ Ray Bradbury There is nothing to writing. All you do is […]
Cheesy Grilled Mushrooms Recipe
I love this recipe. You can make it in five minutes flat, and it works as a breakfast, lunch or dinner solution! If you’re a vegan you can omit the cheese, or use a cheese substitute. It’s also a great gluten and carb free alternative to pizza, but tastes every bit as good. Ingredients: Flat […]
Healthy Breakfast Parfait Recipe
I love this raw food recipe as it can be assembled ahead of time, and makes a tasty breakfast, healthy dessert or a great ‘anytime’ snack. It is a simple combination of bircher muesli and fresh seasonal fruit, but the combination of flavours is a real winner! Kids love to make and eat this dish, […]
Easy Lemon Curd ~ Lemon Butter Recipe
When life gives you lemons? Be grateful and get into the kitchen! It’s my favourite home-produce time of year – the Meyer Lemon tree in my back yard is groaning under the weight of ripening fruit. Be prepared for plenty of lemon-y recipes over the next few months. Most Australians call this recipe Lemon Butter, […]
Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe
In a recent post My ‘One Lovely Blog’ Award, I confessed that one of the fascinating facts about me is that I can make a meal out of nothing. Well, almost nothing. That talent came in handy last night when friends dropped by unexpectedly, at dinner time. Of course I invited them to stay. It’s […]
Slow-Cooked Spaghetti Bolognese Recipe
It’s been a cold, wet week at my farm. One of my favourite easy dinners in this sort of weather is home-cooked spaghetti bolognese. When we come in from the paddocks at the end of the day, all muddy and cold, there’s nothing better than a hot shower to warm back up, and then a […]
Easy Farmhouse Frittata Recipe
It’s cold here at the farm this morning, as Australia slides towards winter. There’s work to be done, and it’s raining and utterly miserable outside. A warm breakfast for the workers is in order, before they go to out to rebuild the cattle yards and fence the back paddock. With a full basket of fresh […]
Walnut and Basil Pesto & Pasta Recipe
My summer garden plantings are coming to an end, and I have more fresh basil than I know what to do with. The rabbits, possums and wallabies don’t like it much, and have left plenty for me – while they nibble my kale, parsley and coriander into oblivion! This pesto recipe is such an easy […]
Cheesy Mexican Bake with Home-made Coleslaw
All my clients and friends keep telling me they want to eat better but have no time to cook! In response to this I’ve decided to post some quick-to-prepare recipes that will allow you to eat well, and get food on the table fast, with a mimimum of fuss. This recipe is embarrassingly easy and […]
Virtual Vegan Potluck – Creamy Satay Hotpot Recipe
Welcome to the Virtual Vegan Potluck: bringing vegan food bloggers together to share a virtual potluck, linked by a blog circle – and our love of cooking, eating and sharing. Participating bloggers will be posting recipes – from appetizers to desserts. Many Blessings to Annie from the wonderful blog an unrefined vegan for bringing us […]
Easy Baked Custard Recipe AND a Free Kitten!
Today an old family recipe worth cherishing, and the latest instalment on life at my farm. This baked custard recipe was my grandmother’s, although my grandfather liked to boast that he perfected it! It always reminds me of the love and care he had for my grandmother – he was never a man to be […]
Cherry Ripe Slice Recipe
We’ve got a party to go to on the weekend – a neighbour’s son is turning eighteen! Like most parties in the country, people will be coming from near and far, and there will be quite a crowd to feed. I’m taking along a huge tray of of these delicious Cherry Ripe Slices and another big […]
Easy Banana Cake Recipe
This is the first cake I ever learned to bake. It has a rich banana flavour, and is a firm favourite in our household. The recipe came from my Nana’s neighbour, Mrs Mac, who showed me how to make this in her kitchen and then let me proudly take the results home with me. I […]
Vegan Recipe Bonanza!
Hi everyone! I’m inviting you to participate in a Virtual Vegan Potluck, hosted by the wonderful blogger an unrefined vegan on May 12, 2012. Mark your diaries now! I’ll be contributing one of my favourite recipes, and I’m looking forward to adding a whole pile of new ones to my repertoire. No matter what your eating […]
ANZAC Biscuits – Nana’s Traditional Recipe
Tomorrow is ANZAC DAY in Australia, so I’ve been baking up a storm. Of course, I think we may be the only country in the world where one of our most important national holidays celebrates a great war time defeat. But that’s another story, best told tomorrow. My Nana was given this recipe by her […]
Healthy Apple Crumble Recipe
Apple crumble has been a family favourite in our house for years. Now Autumn has arrived in Australia all the new season apples leave us spoilt for choice, and they taste positively delicious baked into a dessert. I’ve modified this recipe so that it is gluten-free, sugar-free and so that it can also be dairy […]
Drink your vegetables – some great juice recipes!
Health requires healthy food ~ Roger Williams I am a firm believer in that old saying, ‘we are what we eat’. That’s why I love freshly made juices so much. They enable me to get a stack of nutrition into my body fast, and they are easy to make and consume when I’m in a […]
Marshmallow Recipe – Perfect for Easter
Homemade marshmallow is the yummiest, fluffiest thing. Easy and inexpensive too. The recipe will make the sort of standard coconut-covered marshmallows most people know, but it can also be used in moulds to make cool shapes. At Easter, marshmallow eggs or bunnies are very appropriate, and make delicious gifts. This Easter I’m making quite a […]
Five-Minute Fudge Recipe
I have always been an old fashioned, hard-core, boil ’em up kind of fudge maker. This makes great fudge, but it’s fiddly and I have spent many hours testing my batches to get them from ‘soft ball stage’ to ‘hard ball stage’- where I can drop a spoonful of mixture on a cold saucer and be […]
Easy Moist Boiled Fruit-Cake Recipe
With Easter coming up I shall have a houseful of people to feed. My easy Boiled Fruitcake is a wonderful treat to serve with a cup of tea, or heated as a dessert with fresh cream, custard or ice-cream. Even non-cooks can make this cake! I love this recipe because I can whip it up […]
A Cup of Tea and Comfort…
Living and working as a psychic can be quite draining, although I love what I do. It’s not dissimilar to any other ‘caring’ profession, where you are totally focused on the needs of others, in a way that leaves little time for yourself. I’ve learned that the best way to avoid burnout for me is […]
Self Nurture in a Bowl – Easy Miso Soup
When I’m tired, or busy writing and don’t want to take too long away from the flow of words, I turn to miso soup. I can eat this stuff breakfast, lunch, dinner and all meals in between! My soup is never a hard and fast recipe – rather it’s a technique that lets you add […]
Easy Lemonade Scone Recipe – for when friends drop by!
I call this recipe my ‘Hurry-Up Scones’. I have much fancier recipes that call for delicate hands, careful measuring and so forth. But I don’t have time for that today. The phone has rung, friends are on their way, and my cake tin is woefully empty. Hurry-Up Scones to the rescue! Here’s the basic recipe: […]
Psychic Dogs and Chicken Recipes
Yes, I know that is rather a strange title, but I promise there’s a link! I have been in Brisbane for over a week, and I’m feeling long overdue to return to my farm. There are a few things I need to tidy up this morning before I go, then I shall pack the ute […]
Spicy Calamari Stir Fry Recipe
I find cooking to be one of the most grounding and nurturing activities in my sometimes crazy life. This is a fantastically easy and tasty recipe that works equally well for squid/calamari, firm white fish fillets, tofu, chicken or pork. Pair it with a white wine, beer or a smoky tea. And please think about […]
Places that remind you of who you used to be…
The first time I went to Yum Cha was a revelation. It was a crowded barn of a restaurant in Sydney, and my small table were the only Caucasians in a sea of dark hair. They didn’t even have a menu in English. My friend Geoff, who speaks fluent Cantonese, took us there, and did […]
Heavenly Chocolate Brownie Recipe
This brownie recipe is so good that my neighbour’s son prefers to be paid by the tin full rather than take cash when he works in my garden! As the picture suggests it is moist, dense and fudgey. It’s a pleasure to make, using only a large saucepan and a cup. You can have it […]
Coconut and Jam Slice Recipe & Country Funerals
Our town had a funeral this week. This is the sort of funeral I don’t mind – an old lady, well-loved, dying of old age after a full life. Country funerals are always well attended, and country people are big eaters, so there needs to be plenty of food at the wake, especially for the […]
Celebration Chocolate Mudcake Recipe
It’s my friend’s 40th birthday today, and we’re having a ladies lunch in her honour. Of course we need good cake. There will be grandmas and new babies and friends coming from afar. Twenty cake-loving women, and we need enough cake leftovers to make the men happy when they join us later. Somehow it always […]
Baba Ganoush Dip Recipe – Easy!
One of the things I love about living on a farm is being able to walk out into the garden, take a few ingredients, and turn them into fresh fast food. Today I’m making Baba Ganoush – a garlicky middle eastern eggplant dip, from today’s harvest. There is an eggplant bush hidden at the back of […]
Thai Sticky Black Rice Recipe – a breakfast favourite
I’m all for nourishing the soul with food, and this is one of my all-time favourite recipes. This rice dish can be eaten for breakfast, or as a dessert. In fact, it’s good anytime. You’ll need: 1 cup of black glutinous rice, 2.5 cups of water, some palm sugar or soft brown sugar, salt, a can […]
Capsicum Jam Recipe, and musings on left-overs and over-supply
Christmas feasts and left-overs are pretty much synonymous, don’t you agree? Gluts are also a regular part of growing your own produce. I was given a big bag of juicy organic yellow and green capsicums (bell peppers for you non-Aussies) by a neighbour this morning. That’s the way it is here. When you have an […]
Garden offerings – pasta and sauce in 12 minutes
I came home to my farm tonight after working in the city all week. We pushed open the gate at the bottom of the drive, meandered up the gravel road as a sunshower fell on the rich green paddocks, and I felt the weight of the world slide from my shoulders. We hadn’t been home […]
Homemade Rocky Road for life’s bumpy bits
I was torn between writing a post with a delicious Christmas recipe and writing a post about self-love and nurture. In the end I’ve decided to do both. Fingers crossed this combo will work out. I’m dedicating this post to my Nana, Joyce, who is in her nineties, and who continues to be a wonderful […]
A cup of comfort – Chai tea from scratch
I’m a big believer in self-nurture. And you already know that I am also an embracer of the small things in life. For me, one of those small pleasures is to sip tea, and a good chai is in a class of its own – spicy, sweet and soul nourishing. Chai goes well with journalling, […]
Ice-Cream Plum Pudding: Seriously easy, seriously yum!
I can’t quite believe that the first post of my blogging career is to divulge my ‘secret’ ice-cream plum pudding recipe. It’s a variation on shearers’ ice-cream – a recipe used to make icy treats in the Outback where frozen goods are rendered liquid long before they make it home from the store. Here goes: Soak 1 […]