New Beginnings

Since I began blogging in 2009 many things have changed.

I learned to bake.

Homes became a part history, relationships died, new relationships grew.

Queensland flooded. #bakedrelief

I became a mamma for the fourth time.

I left my job after nine years.

I spent time interstate.

I travelled overseas.

I put my home on the market for a development site.

I helped rural and farming families during the drought. #lovetothewest

And through all of that my blog has been here to document the most part of it.

The time has come to draw a line in the sand and make this blog part of history to make way for a new beginning.

I may still blog here from time to time, maybe.

One thing which has never changed is my love of food, cooking and dinner parties. When I looked back on my first ever blog post in 2009 it was of my Tiffany and Co Themed Dinner Party! LINK

But you can find me over at TO ITALY WITH LOVE where you call fall in love with all things Italian either domestically or internationally as I begin the new chapter of food, fashion and fun stories over there.

Will you join me?

Dying for Cake

This could be good advice.

Or this could be bad advice. 

A couple of months ago I bought a lemon curd shortcake from Brisbane's Welsh lady cake shop. I believe you either have to be a great cook and baker or you just have to know the best source for such things. I like to think I'm a touch of both and when I'm lazy I can call in the store bought experts. The Welsh Lady is one such expert. 

I bought the cake to celebrate a birthday and then the birthday girl flew out leaving me with half a cake behind. 

Now fortuitously, I was reading Dying for Cake by award winning Brisbane author Louise Limerick. One the of book's characters bakes cakes in the darkness of night, licking the bowl to get her hit and then freezes them.

Bingo! I can freeze this cake. What's the worst thing that could happen? It might  not taste great or I might forget about it. So what!

I freeze the cake.

Six weeks pass and one very early morning I'm looking for anything stashed in the freezer that resembles bread or a crumpet I can cook because we are out of milk and toast is in order. Plenty of UFO (unidentifiable frozen objects) then I open the Tupperware container and discover the cake I had forgotten. 

Then another week passes and I have this suddenly late night urge for cake. Sweet, buttery cake. I text a chef friend. He suggests pancakes. "Same hit, quick to make." Then I realise there's only enough milk for tea. {really should get this milk situation sorted out} 

Then. Like a night in shining armour I remember that 1980's style yellow Tupperware container in the freezer. I reach in, open it, cut myself a huge slice and put the kettle on. 

When I sat down to devour the cake it was almost better than the night we had it. I kid you not! 

Since this discovery I have (what seems) a never ending supply of cake slabs whenever the hell I want! 

So trust me. This will save you time and money. You always have something for a friend who drops in, for late night treats and moments when you are .... 

Dying for Cake

Christmas Scheming - Green and Pink

In 2007 I hosted Christmas Day and everything was themed lime and hot pink. I LOVED IT! And so did everyone else.

Each year I change the theme, but I want to do pink and green again. So I will.

This year though, I am thinking a few shades of each colour to create a softer, more feminine feel. Why not!

I found these beauties through a fave blogger of mine Tanya over at Save the Date for Cupcakes, who found these on Sweet Cupcakes and Treats.

I am in adoration of talented people.

I just wish I lived near Pakenham, Victoria, Australia and I would be on her WEBSITE and order some of these babies for my Christmas Table 2010.

Off to the Farm

Off to talk all things farm house, wine and food with my mum and cousins this afternoon. Between us we have seven homes to decorate and / or design. Yeah, sounds glamorous right? That's a lot of toilets to clean and besides my mother we don't have cleaners. Why? Because we cant trust anyone else to do as good a job as us. My box of design books are packed along with wine.

We are having duck curry for dinner which will simmer while the children play in the mud. FANTASTIC!

Will action a chocolate cake, a maderia cake and some of these:

Irony with a Scone

Alert: Post contains sarcasm towards Americans and possibility negative undertones.

Firstly I want to say I love Apartment Therapy and followers of this blog will know that I have purchased Maxwell's latest book and love it.

I enjoy The Kitchn posts too and have been known on many occasions to borrow recipes for good home cooking.

Today though, I was a little peeved when I read THIS post.

Taken from The Kitchn post:

"Lucky for me, the first thing I ate when I arrived was a scone — fluffier and more biscuit-like than I'm used to — made with Irish butter and milk, and served with a soft pat of butter on the side. After spending a few minutes under the spell of this little morsel, I pulled myself together and asked William, the chef at Longueville House, "Are you sure this is a scone?" He insisted. These were his Irish scones."

Americans are EXTREMELY patriotic and although Australians are far behind with this trend, we are proud of what we have got going on here.

So what do we have going on here? Among lots of other things, we have Vegimite, lamingtons and we have scones. They are just scones. They do not look or taste like biscuits. They look and taste like scones.

Why do (at times) Americans have to take what is original and mess with it by adding (generally) more sugar, more processed items and more fat?! Then they have this air of 'well these are scones, what is it over in the UK or Australia that is soft like a cake but they call them scones'

Quelle surprise - They are ^*#%*# scones!

It seems to Americans that what they have they believe is the original and everything else is foreign. It is extremely egocentric!

So what is the (general) difference we have here in Australia?

We are blessed with fresh international produce and are influenced by imported food which is (generally) readily available. Well I am referring to capital cities here, sorry to my peeps in country towns.

We will search extensively to find (original) recipes of something from the (actual) country (and even province) by researching (trusty google ;) or phoning a friend which is (probably) first generation of that origin and getting her mother's recipe from the homeland. 

Maybe I am just getting a bit too hot headed today, but would love to know everyone's thoughts on this. Do you agree that we are more progressive with regard to embracing a more authentic multicultural way of cooking?

Anyone?... Anyone?.... 

Or have I just lost any American followers I had, and some?

POST SCRIPT:  At Starbucks, they have a coffee called an Americano... its a long black to us cultured Australians! Read HERE for more information about how Americans view Australian's coffee styles!

And contrary to what Americans might believe, most of us DO NOT talk like THIS

‘I knew you were coming, so I baked a cake.’ Alexa Johnston

During one of my book buying frenzies I considered Alexa Johnston's book, but put it back on the shelf because I made a commitment to only buy hard cover books.  Why? Well because I have so many and I don't like clutter and unused items in the house but at least if they were hard cover it they would look neat and give my daughter a cookbook inheritance.  So I stick to my five star big, bulky hard cover books, preferably with dust jacket. Then have them covered in PVC. Yes, I'm a freak.

I really wish I had more time to blog, but that would mean I would have to give up some of my time set aside for baking, and that just would not do! But I have made a commitment to set aside 30 minutes or so every other day to research one of the presenters I will be seeing at the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

So this is where Alexa comes in. She is victim number one.

When I went to Alexa's beautiful website, I was reminded of her dismissed paper back cookbook and now feel bad. Then to add insult to injury while looking at her list of recipes on her website I feel I have wasted so much time not creating them myself! Another wonderful element she has included on the website are Helpful Hints from whisking eggs for a sponge cake to rotating trays for even baking.

I am totally in love with Community Cookbooks. Which is strange considering I only by hard cover books! However, community cookbooks are like me and camping; even though it looks one star, the joy and experiences you get from it can last a lifetime. Alexa has drawn on a huge collection of community cookbooks ans tested each scrumptious recipe which has filled her cook book with delights for EVERYONE!

With recipes on her website like Fijian Chocolate Cake with a whole tin of coconut cream, Crunchy Apple Slice and French Bonbons one is bound to be inspired to start creaming butter and sugar and baking some good old fashioned comfort food.  Check them out, then run and buy the book like I have just done because:

 ‘By embarking on baking we link into an honourable tradition that stretches back to our grandmothers and great-grandmothers and great-great grandmothers who filled countless plates with tempting treats for afternoon teas and suppers all across the land.’ Alexa Johnston

 It seems I may have found a baker 'down under' to love.

Dessert Table Ideas from the 1940s

Can you guess what these little babies are called? More on that later.... 

Over the weekend I decided to exhume my mother-in-law's mother's Good Housekeeping Cookery Compendium from its little box and have a look through for any interesting baked ideas.  Whenever I see old cookbooks in book shops etc, I am reminded of Nigella's stories of where she found some of her most prepared dishes and I now look to these tatted books with hope and inspiration.

The Box the book was delivered in.

So I found some really interesting creations. Like this cake adorned with marshmallows, tinned peaches and sponge fingers.... mmmmmm not my kinda cake and I am thinking the beginning of the processed food mothers!

Thrown together cake!

Spider Web Cake

Easy for Halloween!

I have always wanted to make a fluffy icing cake - PERFECTION for Christmas!

So what are those delightful little ice cream cone cake balls in the first image called?

How times have changed. I do not expect to see these labelled 'gaily' on a dessert table any time soon!

The Royal Queensland Show 2010

Ok, so it's that time of the year again and Corey (12 year old son) has completed his entry into the Cookery Competition again.

He is so excited and has decided to add a Marble Cake to his entry. So this year its the Chocolate Cake and the Marble Cake.

Lots of practice again for him I am sure. He is so proud of himself and would like to beat his 3rd Place from 2009.

GO COREY!

LINK TO EKKA HERE

~ Another Martha Moment ~

I am NOT sorry if I offend anyone saying this, but this is just OVER THE TOP! Into my inbox today comes Martha Stewart's Organizing Tip of the Day

I subscribe to Martha's tip of the day as I look forward to finding amazing and creative ways to organise socks, my cutlery draw or more vitally - my life.

But today into my inbox comes this little gem!

"This handy gadget makes choosing a pie filling as easy as...what else? Turn the top disk to reveal recipes for five fruit fillings. Pick one to bake with your favorite 9-inch piecrust"

This is NOT domestic goddess like. Making one of these and actually admitting to using it makes you a freak!