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Cooker and a Looker - Australian Home Cooking

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    Home

    about me

    Hi, I'm Amanda.

    I'm a scientist who fell in love with a bloke who dreamed of farm life. I love green grass, full dams, free-range eggs, salted butter and the joy that sharing good food brings.

    This blog, Cooker and a Looker is dedicated to serving everyday real food for real people: fresh, easy recipe ideas for nourishing families and effortlessly entertaining friends.

    Writing this blog is the very best fun. Here's a little glimpse into the journey.....

    The Cooker and a Looker Story

    2007
    July 27

    the beginning

    Cooker and a Looker
    Bearhands and I marry, during his wedding speech my new husband joked that as a young boy his footy coach had told him “You can either get a cooker or a looker, you can’t have both”. Then declared his coach wrong and pronounced me "a cooker and a looker."
    2008
    July 24

    the Big Sister arrives

    the Big Sister arrives
    Amid much excitement and fan-fare, the Big Sister arrives and Bearhands and I attempt to figure out this parenting thing.
    2011
    July 17

    the Little Sister arrives

    the Little Sister arrives
    in her own sweet time, of course! Bearhands and I still haven't mastered the parenting thing, but we muddle on.
    September 9

    my brother David is killed

    my brother David is killed
    My brother David is killed in an aircraft accident and life is thrown off its axis.
    2012
    January 1

    Bearhands suggests I focus on food

    Bearhands suggests I focus on food
    To encourage me to find a path out of my sorrow, Bearhands issues me a series of challenges. I am to a) enter my pickles in the Ekka, b) audition for a reality TV cooking show and c) start a food blog. As I stare at the blinking cursor on my…
    June 18

    Lady Flo makes us pumpkin scones

    Cooker and a Looker
    Lady Flo makes us pumpkin scones at her home in Kingaroy. By some happy accident, google finds her recipe. People read the blog.
    August 12

    the Good Food and Wine Festival

    the Good Food and Wine Festival
    I find myself on the Chopping Block as part of a Gourmet Garden blog competition. My cheer squad are there to watch my crispy skin salmon with wasabi butter win me a trip to Noosa!
    2013
    February 26

    I write a letter to my girls about organ donation

    I write a letter to my girls about organ donation
    A letter I write to my girls about organ donation is somehow picked up by DonateLife during DonateLife week. I emerge from Kindy pick up to discover my phone blowing up with notifications. Later Filmlife create a billboard with my words.
    April 5

    Kidspot's Top 100 bloggers

    Kidspot's Top 100 bloggers
    Cooker and a Looker is included in Kidspot's top 25 food blogs for 2013. I am flawed floored.
    August 15

    Fresh on Sundays 4BC

    Fresh on Sundays 4BC
    I can hardly believe I'm invited to share the airwaves with the Fresh on Sundays 4BC crew. Over a series of weeks, Kerry, Michelle, Dominique and I talk about baking, pickles, brownies and bringing back the good old fashioned recipes.
    2014
    July 2

    toad in the hole

    toad in the hole
    I publish a recipe for a childhood favourite - toad in the hole. It stirs nostalgia in my readers. They make it in droves and send me photos of their wonderful, comfort-food creations.
    July 15

    dishing the dirt

    dishing the dirt
    I interview local farmers, in a series of interviews, learning more about the growing process and how to get the best from the produce they grow.
    August 15

    Kidspot's Top 100 bloggers

    Kidspot's Top 100 bloggers
    Cooker and a Looker is named among Kidspot's top 100 bloggers for a second time.
    December 5

    three simple bring-a-plate Christmas ideas for kids

    three simple bring-a-plate Christmas ideas for kids
    Inspired by the craziness of pre-Christmas catchups/breakups, I share some bring-a-plate ideas. They go a bit viral.
    2015
    January 21

    Australia Day Pavlova

    Australia Day Pavlova
    I get the idea to shape a pavlova like Australia for Australia Day and it captures the imagination of the nation. My site nearly melts (and not only because of the summer heat!)
    March 13

    the good, the yum and the ugly

    the good, the yum and the ugly
    Worried that in the world of instagram influencers and flat lays, the importance of how the food tastes has been eclipsed by how the food looks; I embark on a campaign to bring back really tasty food that is, well, a bit ugly.
    June 2

    Cooker and a Looker is named among Kidspot's blogger alumni

    Cooker and a Looker is named among Kidspot's blogger alumni
    August 10

    prize winning pickles

    prize winning pickles
    My pickles win the blue ribbon at the Ekka for a second year; ticking off another of Bearhand's challenges from 2012.
    October 15

    Inspired's Top 100 Food Blogs

    Inspired's Top 100 Food Blogs
    Cooker and a Looker is named among Inspired's Top 100 Food Bloggers worldwide.
    2016
    July 6

    Girls holding Fish

    Girls holding Fish
    Inspired by a meme I'd seen around the traps, I put together a video of photos my readers have sent me of them holding fish.
    November 14

    Barkley Womens Day

    Barkley Womens Day
    I travel to the the Barkley Homestead with some blogging friends to visit Miss Chardy and attend the Barkley Womens Day. No one is more surprised than me when I find myself on the panel at the last moment.
    November 15

    BUPA Blog Awards finalist

    BUPA Blog Awards finalist
    Cooker and a Looker is a finalist in the families category of the BUPA Blog Awards.
    2017
    December 6

    the Cookbook is Published

    the Cookbook is Published
    Surrounded by the family and friends that have shared the journey with me, Cooker and a Looker - Australian home cooking served with a side of farm life is launched in Brisbane.

    I really love to hear from readers, so if you have  a cooking question or a recipe request, please get in touch.

    Happy cooking!

    Amanda

     

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