How has the first week of the school holidays treated you? Ours has been filled with loom bands, glow-in the dark glitter glue (not even kidding!), musical bedrooms and burning parachutes. It's time for the Little Sister to vacate the nursery, for me to reclaim the office I gave up six years ago and (hopefully) for Bearhands to stop complaining about the amount of stuff on the dining room ...
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bite-sized savoury scones with prosciutto twills
This post is brought to you by DON Smallgoods. Is Don. Is Good. There's a country song about a sunset not being a sunset without a girl in it. I'm no sunset expert, but I do know food and in my book, party isn't a party without prosciutto. These little bite-sized savoury scones do double prosciutto duty; in the scone itself and the twill on top. I suggest you make the twills first and then ...
not a performance: the wedding wrap-up
I'll be straight up. The true purpose of this post is for me to show off my ridiculously good looking family and share some photos from Ant and Flic's wedding on Saturday night. Just as long as we both recognise this for what it is. Deal? Saturday was steamy. The sun emerged from wherever it had been hiding during the week and shone gloriously for Ant and Flic's big day. We were standing ...
a big day, a bright future
Today my little brother Ant gets hitched. By the time this post is published, he and Flic will have promised each other all manner of things in the chapel of the school where they spent lots of time as kids. When Ant first popped the question, I wondered how on earth my baby brother was old enough to get married. Then I remembered; it was that same baby who eulogised his big brother with ...
homemade sausage rolls
Yesterday the heavens opened over the farm. It didn’t drizzle. It didn’t shower. It bucketed down. A combine of farmers gathered in the shed and we shouted at each other over the noise of the rain on the tin roof. Impromptu meetings of this nature have been a bit thin on the (dusty) ground lately, so our celebratory drinks tasted particularly sweet. When Bearhands and I first moved to the ...
three fast and fabulous frittata recipes
We caught up with a small portion of Bearhands’ extended family on the weekend for brunch. Frittatas are traditionally a Spanish breakfast dish. They’re tasty and perfectly portable, which made them the perfect choice for Saturday. I made them, and while they were baking, threw some clothes in a bag for the weekend, asked the kids to brush their teeth eleven times, showered, asked the girls to ...
how to poach a chicken breast
So you googled “how to poach a chicken breast” and somehow you landed here. I figure this is for one of two reasons: you’ve been invited to make sandwiches for morning tea at the local CWA hall, or you’ve embarked on some crazy 2.5 calories per day diet. You’ve eschewed fat, dairy and booze. You’re hungry and it’s likely your attention span is short. Bear with me, I’ll make this ...
in appreciation
I’d never had any dealings with the police before I went to work for them, so to say I was nervous on my first day was an understatement. More so, I was grossly unprepared for what I would hear and see. Mum will tell you that I phoned her after my first week and told her “we’ve led a very sheltered life”. My temporary contract became a change in career and I spent the following two years working ...
Anthony: birthday message ninja
You'd like my brother. He's a funny bloke. Yesterday was my birthday. The texts started at 8am. This followed not long after. I thanked him. He replied. The pics continued. Anthony. Birthday message ninja. Ever get a really cool birthday message? ...
gluten-free pancakes and getting full
The last time I blogged about how dry the farm is, we got 14mm of rain. Unfortunately that was 13 days ago and we haven’t had a drop since. Last week, Bearhands and I had some work done. We hired an excavator and operator and for two days, he worked on widening and clearing the dam. The works mean that our new and improved dam should have double the capacity it did last week. Now we just need ...
boring school lunches and other boo boos
I volunteer in the Big Sister's class room on Wednesday afternoons. This week, while supervising rectangles, the Big Sister's teacher asked me not to lean over - I was exposing a little too much boosie for the classroom. It was said kindly, but I was embarrassed and was feeling very self conscious on the drive home. It hadn't been my intention to give a bunch of five-year-olds an ...
simple coconut biscuits + a yarn about a sandwich
I bought a $14 sandwich this weekend. In my defence I didn't know it was a $14 sandwich when I chose it. Apparently that's the going rate for sandwiches on Hamilton Island. We were headed to neighbouring Dent Island for some fancy golf, so I thought that grabbing a snack at the bakery before we left might be a good idea. Nope. Not even close. $14 goes a long way on the mainland. My ...
easy cheese biscuits + hidden talents
Everyone I know has a secret talent; something they're insanely good at that isn't instantly evident. My friend Dean is an expert boat driver. Watching him handle a tinny is a joy. It's like the boat is a 12" aluminium extension of himself. Bearhands' mental maths is killer. He calculates things in his melon that I wouldn't even think about thinking about. My best mate is a reptile guru. ...
but baby it’s hot outside – pina colada ice blocks
It’s hot here. And there’s no sight of rain. I almost choked on my coffee yesterday morning when Bearhands told me he thinks we have a week's water left before we’ll be forced to stop harvesting. We’re much better off than the farmers out west. We can just stop irrigating and hope that the turf holds on until it rains. We won’t be forced to sell (or worse) shoot our herds of livestock. ...
how not to celebrate Valentines Day
It's Valentines Day apparently. Bearhands and I have never made a big deal about it. I suspect this is because our very first Valentines Day almost derailed our whole show. We had only been dating a month when Valentines Day rolled around. We made plans to share a seafood picnic at a picturesque part of Brisbane. Then Bearhands headed out for a night with his mates. The wheels started to ...
dishing the dirt on fingerlimes
Ever picked up a product in a shop and known it was a winner? Last year I grabbed a bag of fingerlimes that were being grown sustainably by a local farmer and I knew instantly they’d be a hit. Coonowrin Fingerlimes are now in their second year of production and Tracy Mackle graciously agreed to be the first farmer off the rank for my series of interviews with local farmers called dishing the ...
Sochi Sweetener
Has the lead up to the Sochi Winter Olympics left a bad taste in your mouth? The talk of withholding intelligence about security threats, the "there's no gays in Sochi, but you're welcome" speech and the culling of hundreds of stray dogs - it's all been a bit off-putting really, hasn't it? Never fear! I have the antidote - a cocktail that will sort that bitter taste right out. Sochi ...
flourless jaffa cake + my invisible bucket
I was having a little moment in the car on the way to school this morning, my voice gave me away as I was chatting with the Big Sister. Then, out of the blue, she chimed in with this: Big Sister: Mummy, there's an invisible bucket above your head. Me: Really, darling? Big Sister: There is. When it's full, you're happy. When it's empty, you're sad. Me: How do you fill your ...
the world is still a good place, the 05/02/14 edition
Today is David’s birthday. When he first moved to Indonesia, we threw a birthday dinner for him in his absence. I printed a life-sized photo of his head onto some cardboard and we dressed up the back of a chair like he was there. I made him a cake and we lit candles and sang happy birthday and sent him the video to show him how we were getting on without him. Now, we’re getting on without him ...
never trust a fart: a novella
A few weeks ago a naive and better rested young woman, let’s call her Amanda, posted this picture on Instagram with the caption: Normally a picture says a thousand words. This one only says two: toilet training. What this simple little mother did not realise is this picture did not in fact say two words; it said one: GASTRO. Minutes later the pink projectile puking began. One by one the ...
Australia Day Party
Australia Day was interesting one on the farm last year. The heavens opened on our parched farm. The dam went from a muddy puddle to overflowing in the space of eight hours. By the afternoon the paddocks were so flooded, there were fish and eels swimming past our ankles. The extremes of Australian weather crammed into Australia Day seemed apt. Australia Day Party I'm excited to be ...
14 tips for starting a blog
Earlier this year, a friend decided to start a blog. I had no idea what I was doing when I started writing Cooker and a Looker in April 2012. Looking back, some of the things I did make me palm my face. Other stuff I totally fluked. Here are my fourteen plain-talking tips for starting a blog. 1. name of the game Choose your blog name wisely. There are only so many times that you ...
homemade tomato sauce
My brother Ant is marrying the beautiful Felicite in March. They’re childhood sweethearts who have stayed together despite distance, tragedy and my brother’s insistence on eating things he hunts. Flic is a better bird than me; had And and I not been related, I would have bolted after the venison lasagna incident of 2011. Ant and Flic have invited my girls to be their flower girls on the big ...
Things on Thursday
Everywhere you look on the internet, people are writing about things: how to knit things, how to teach things, how to disappoint yourself trying to make things that never work out, how to sew things, how to sell things, how to build things, how to decorate things, how to do-things-yourself and yes, how to cook things. I love things as much as the next blogger, so I thought I'd have a bit of fun ...
the world is still a good place, the 2/1/14 edition
The world is still a good place. This time of year is tough for a lot of people, including the bereaved. I've been feeling David's absence more acutely these past few weeks. A "Merry Christmas Brother" card in Woolworths was very nearly the undoing of me a few weeks back. It's little unexpected things that can trigger sadness, but it's also little unexpected things that remind me that the ...
you can’t be serious Santa! cookies
Dear Santa, It was lovely to see you at Australia Zoo again this year. I’m always grateful for a chance to catch up with you that doesn't involve the Christmas crowd crush and a queue of over-tired, over-excited children and their over-it parents. Thank you for telling the Big Sister that her reindeer food (rolled oats and glitter) is an important navigational tool for Rudolph. Thank you for ...
the lowdown on Oaks Oasis Water Park
This week I found myself on the brink of dropping my bundle and I just couldn’t find my way back from the precipice. Tears threatened at every turn. I’m not alone and I’m certainly not special - this time of year is hard going for the bereaved. When Bearhands found me weeping into my wine last week, he hatched a plan. We’d steal away from the farm for a night and have some fun - just our ...
little Lucy
The Big Sister just got off the phone to my Mum. Mausie and JC don’t have any phone service at their property at Black Duck Creek at the moment. They went into town this morning and called to check in. While we were talking, the Big Sister made it known that wanted a word with Nan, by attaching herself to me like a limpet. I eventually handed the phone over - it’s too hot here for clingy kids ...
salt dough + questioning my sanity
I routinely question my sanity. Yesterday was no different. It was a steamy 31C summer day on the farm. The cicadas were screaming. The frogs loudly predicting a storm. Me? I was sweltering in the kitchen, baking salt dough christmas ornaments for two and a half hours. As you do, when you're completely bonkers. Regular readers know I’m a reluctant crafter at the best of times. Crafting ...
cheesecake dip and language conundrums
The English language confounds me. You can't trust it. So many rules that are constantly broken. It's capricious nature really became apparent while I teaching English in Japan. Why is the 'gh' sound in enough pronounced 'F' ? That was about lesson one and I still have no effing idea. It took me until lesson two to realise how much I truly despised the unpredictability of the English ...
good news + bad news: an update on Flossie Magazine
I have good news and bad news about Flossie Magazine. The bad news is, saving some app-tastic miracle, Flossie won’t launch today. It’s sitting in app store, awaiting Apple’s review. She’s going to be late to the party, which is a bummer because I hate being late. I thought about delaying this post, in hope of a last minute movie-worthy happy ending, but I’ve always been a rip-the-bandaid-off ...
the mark of the man
In the months after David died I was worried he would evaporate. I was terrified of forgetting what his hands looked like or the sound of his laugh. I must have seemed quite mad at the wake when I begged family friends to write down memories of him for fear there was something about David that I didn’t know and would now never learn. I hastily chose photos, had them printed to canvas and hung ...
mint sauce + sins
I’m too embarrassed to show you what the veggie patch looks like at the moment. I’ve been spending too much time inside*. Luckily last year’s beautiful heirloom tomatoes self-seeded while I wasn’t looking, so its not a total bust. I broke the cardinal sin of gardening a few months ago and planted mint directly into the garden. Predictably it’s making a complete weed of itself, I keep being ...
Random Acts of Zen – the interview
I’m over at Random Acts of Zen today, talking blogging, happiness and Homeland. Speaking of Homeland, I'm loving this scene from Sesame Street. Pop over to the lovely Lisa's blog and shift uncomfortably in your seat, while I spill my guts about the blog, 50 Ways to Leave your Lover and why my head is an uncomfortable place. are you prone to over-sharing? ...
kick-arse peppercorn sauce + making middle age my b*tch
I’m over at With Some Grace today, banging on about how I’m making middle age my bitch. Except, you know, I’m actually not. At least I make a kick-arse peppercorn sauce. Pop over and read all about my tour de turd. kick-arse peppercorn sauce This sauce is perfect for steak. Cook your steaks first - cover them to keep them warm, then make the peppercorn sauce in the same pan - don’t wash it ...
as much polish as a rusty nail: the formal edition
We’re accompanying a couple of special girls to their formal this evening. They’ve been excitedly planning this event for the entire school year. They’ve carefully chosen beautiful dresses and stylish accessories. They’ve made the difficult decision about who to invite and worked up the courage to ask them. I’m reminiscing about my own formal today. I wore a strapless black-shot-purple ...
finished
I finished the magazine today. Flossie's off being beautified, which means it’s already in much better nick than it’s author. Truth be told, I’ve not only been neglecting my appearance. Emails remain unanswered. Tumbleweeds roll through the blog. The summit of Mount Washmore seems further away than ever before. Candy remains uncrushed. Carrie remains locked in the nuthouse. Ever wonder ...
the c word – Breast Cancer Awareness Month
This post is brought to you by Ski. It was 1994 and my brothers and I were standing around the sink drying the dishes when someone mentioned “the C word” had been said at school. Mum, who was washing up because I’m a slack arse, piped up and asked “the C word? What? Cancer?” As much as I hate the C word, I hate cancer more. This year four women close to me, including Mum herself, have ...
introducing flossie
When I first started writing this blog, I just shared recipes. My alter-ego, Sensible Amanda, didn’t think anyone would be interested in what I thought, just what I cooked. Eventually, I started to add a little splash of me to my posts and to Sensible Amanda’s great surprise people started to read the blog. In April this year, when Kidspot first emailed to tell me they’d included Cooker and a ...
goodbye Jack
Jack joined David today. Our beautiful, naughty red dog is no more. It wasn't a flashy end, just a single long exhale from tired old dog who's body could no longer cope with life's demands. His death also marks the severance of yet another link with David. When Jack arrived in our lives we were just pups ourselves - carefree and oblivious to what life would one day throw at us. The Vet has ...