And just like that it's school holidays! I don't mind telling you folks, that I had a bunch of things lined up for my last pre-holiday child-free days. The last days of school were cancelled, the Principal deciding it was best for staff and students to stay safely at home with their families. Of course as Murphy's Law would predict yesterday is a brilliant blue sky, sun shiney day. I'm not ...
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rain day
It's raining. Not that will-the-storm-hit-us-or-pass-2ks-to-the-north kind of rain. Not the we-got-11mms-overnight-so-we-don't-have-to-irrigate-for-a-couple-of-days-but-the-dam-is-still-empty kind of rain. Proper rain. Email-from-the-Principal-asking-us-to-keep-the-children-home-from-school kind of rain. What-time-will-the-creek-cut-the-roads? kind of ...
easy honey soy marinade
Kids love honey soy marinade. It's as timeless as their love for leaving lego on the floor and making fart sounds with their armpits. The great thing about this honey soy marinade recipe is that it's super easy to make with ingredients you probably already have in the pantry. Store bought marinade is expensive and comes with a bunch of preservatives thrown into the mix to extend it's shelf ...
roasted nectarine and ginger syrup cheesecake
I had horrendous morning sickness with both our girls. They're July babies, so the worst of my morning sickness vomiting at all times of the day happened in summer. Foods I normally love were, all of a sudden, repulsive. The normally delicious diverse smells of restaurants had me seeking out the toilet before we were even seated. Pork was the worst. I remember spending a night at the German ...
how to make taco seasoning
The Big Sister cannot stand the taste of vegemite. The Little Sister won't eat peanut butter. Finding a meal that they both like is like getting 4 numbers and a sup on your Saturday night lotto ticket; its not life changing but it certainly makes things easier. One of the things I've noticed about feeding my family is that the kids are always more likely to enjoy something they've had a ...
the great grass gamble
IT'S HARVESTER DAY!!! Can you tell I'm a bit excited? Our new (to us) automatic harvester arrives today. This beautiful bit of miraculous mechanics will mean Bearhands can harvest turf all by himself. No one folding. No one stacking. Just a bloke in a machine pressing buttons and making perfect little stacks of turf pop off the back. How I wish I could tap my pregnant self, standing on ...
50 things I’m loving this Valentine’s Day
Bearhands and I have a terrible Valentine's Day record. Even if we try to forget our first V Day together, our celebrations have never quite turned out as planned. Our first year on the farm, I set a table out in the back paddock, to the spot where the mountains line up. My plan was to watch the sunset, then dine by candlelight under a chandelier of stars. We didn't even make sunset before the ...
Happy Birthday David
Today is David's 35th birthday. Or was David's 35th birthday. I can't decide which is the right way to say it. It's the sixth birthday we've marked without him. On the first birthday, just five months after the accident, Bearhands suggested we get out of the house and have a round of golf. He's an ideas man, my husband. Since then, every year we've played nine holes of golf for the ...
what’s in your box?
I noticed the smoke about this time yesterday. It was hanging around the farm, so I went to investigate. The smoke was high, so I got back in the kitchen, busily cooking dinner before I went to the Primary Info night at school. Driving out I noticed the big smoke plume north of the farm. Our normally pretty peaceful road was busy. The fire had cut the highway, so drivers were finding ...
the most Aussie rocky road ever
It's a big call, isn't it? The most Aussie rocky road ever? I have a reputation for making Aussie desserts; about this time of year I start fielding questions from friends and family about when I'm making our Australia Day pavlova. But this year we're going camping, so I've come up with a more portable, but no less Australian, Australia Day dessert. Really it's just an excuse to combine all ...
fit for purpose: jellyfish + my ill-timed body image epiphany
I can tell you exactly where I was when I had my great body image epiphany. I was standing on the white sand of Wathumba Creek (not in the creek, mind you, there’s irukandji jellyfish on that side of Fraser Island at Christmas). The weather was beautiful and the sea like a millpond. I’d spent the morning being Bearhands’ deckhand. Hanging off the front of the tinny, using my ...
your favourite posts of 2016
Word around the traps is that 2016 hasn't been kind to many of you. I had that year in 2011. It started when our good friend Anthony died suddenly in January and worsened with the loss of our beloved David in September. In fact, the only redeeming event for 2011 was the birth of the Little Sister. She was a welcome bright light in a very dark time. 2011 is now my benchmark for bad years, so ...
say yes | lessons I learned from Aunty Marj
We lost a special lady last week, my 84 year old Aunty Marj. I say 'my' but we're not related. She's my mate Kelsey's childhood neighbour, whom I adopted in my late teens. Aunty Marj had a kind word for everyone she met, and some sage advice for a young woman named Amanda, who thought too much about what other people thought. Aunty Marj had experienced great sadness in her life. She'd lost a ...
11 fun ideas for Christmas cooking with kids
The kids have been on Christmas holidays for fifteen days now. 21,600 minutes to be exact. I estimate that they've been arguing for 19,600 of those minutes, accounting for the brief respite of sleep and yesterday morning when they were a bit cute for five minutes while the Big Sister read the Little Sister a story. They move from room to room, leaving decimation in their paths. It's all I ...
Italian lollipops | prosciutto, basil, grissini sticks
Do you have created words that are exclusively your family vernacular? Misnomers that the kids started and you've adopted? The (then little) Big Sister once called our Guinea Fowl "Guinea Flowers" and I still call them that to this day. Our rain gauge is near the farm gate and our letter box so when the Little Sister started calling checking the rain gauge checking our "rain mail" it caught ...
an open letter to my new lesion
Dear new lesion, We spotted you on the MRI yesterday. You seem to have moved in without completing a tenancy agreement. This is problematic in two forms: 1) we cannot be sure when you took up residence. Without being able to determine when you took up residence in my peritrigonal white matter, we cannot be sure if you're a pre- or post-treatment arrival. For the purposes of this letter, ...
stained glass window biscuits
Growing up, we had a red tinsel Christmas tree. It didn't matter what decorations you put on it’s sparse branches, you could not make it look any good. As the saying goes, you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear and this tree was more pig’s arse than sow’s ear. The first Christmas Bearhands and I shared at the farm, I bought a department store-worthy tree on Grays Online. When it ...
12 days of Christmas cookbook
I have loads of crazy ideas. To be honest due to time constraints (and/or returning lucidity) most of them never see the light of a blog post. But today's crazy idea is the exception to the rule. One of my favourite things about blogging is the fantabulous, clever, generous people I've met. So when I woke up one morning with the idea to put together a 12 days of Christmas cookbook, I knew finding ...
the contents of my head today
This week is the kind of week where you find yourself saying "gee it's been a long week" on Tuesday morning. This afternoon I'm off for my first post-treatment MRI. I've been telling anyone who will listen that the result doesn't matter because I'm only half way through treatment, but truth be told I'm anxious. Taking a MRI series of your brain and spine takes quite a while in that tiny noisy ...
Barkly Women’s Day
Can you imagine jumping into your corolla hatchback in Mudgee country New South Wales and driving 2400kms to your new life as a Governess on an outback cattle station in the Northern Territory? Or moving to a new life with your new husband to discover the enormous property doesn’t have any power? Imagine being promoted to Operations Manager for one of the biggest exporters in the Northern ...
off the beaten track
This morning I'm flying 1800kms, then driving 450km to have lunch with a friend. (At least, I hope there'll be lunch.) When I heard Miss Chardy had booked our mates Mrs Woog from Woogsworld, Nikki from Styling You and Beth from BabyMac to speak at Barkly Women's Day. I thought 'that'd be fun'. Then, just for kicks, I checked if I had enough frequent flyer points to get there. I did. The idea ...
how to make pikelets
It never rains, but it pours. That's the yarn right? This week has been disaster after breakdown on the farm and not a drop of rain. The last time I blogged about how dry the farm was, it rained. The very next day. So, I figure what's the harm? The first catastrophe happened on Tuesday. One of our wonderful workers rolled his ankle getting off the forklift. He thought he'd be alright, but turns ...
the low-down on The Cooking School Noosa
Every been made an offer you couldn't possibly refuse? It was last Friday afternoon. The crew had just arrived home from the Farmer's Golf Day when my phone rang. The lovely folks at Tourism Queensland wanted to know if I might like to spend the day at the Cooking School Noosa with a bunch of media types they were showing around the Sunshine Coast. It took me all of 0.5 seconds to agree. When ...
old-fashioned lime curd
I blame Nanny for my curd addition. Growing up she kept me in lemon butter. She knew I loved it and would always send a jar home with mum. She never missed a bowls day and long after her painful back sidelined her, she could be found selling raffle tickets and sniffing out the very best passionfruit butter at the stall. Just for me. While Nanny is no longer with us, I think of her every ...
to the Max
A farm without a dog just isn't a farm. We've keenly felt Chief's loss these past few months. I've gone to comfort him from storms or feed him something tasty from the kitchen countless times, only to remember he's no longer here. The girls reacted differently to Chief's death. The Big Sister took it especially hard. She declared loudly (and theatrically, as is her style) that she "never wanted ...
slow cooker lamb shanks with tomato and capers
If this blog had a mission statement it would be helping families make tasty dinners and memories around the dinner table (or something like that). This recipe meets all the criteria - it's easy to make, terrifically tasty and needs little input during the homework/bath time/witching hour . My crew love lamb shanks. They can be a bit pricey, so I keep an eye out for when they're on special and ...
fresh pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting
I don’t remember the first time I met Dodger, but I’ll always remember his instrumental role in my retirement from turf harvesting.I’d stepped off the harvester to stretch my back which was suffering for having to support myself and the internal parasite that would become the Big Sister. Bearhands was reversing the harvester up the paddock to start another row when Dodge pulled up. He ...
the big reveal
*steps up to the microphone* *tap, tap* Is this thing on? *feedback squeal* Friends, I have some news. Oh lordy, do I have some news. Remember last year when I announced I'd landed a book deal? Well it's ready. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my very first cookbook Cooker and a Looker! *gasps* *rapturous applause* I’ll take questions from the ...
what to cook for Fathers Day
Sunday is Father's Day and I've combed the inter web for the most delicious, brilliantly blokey recipes I could find. Sweet tooths, beer lovers, carnivores.... there's something here for every Dad. what to cook for Fathers Day Nuts and Bolts are always a hit with the men folk. Why limit them just to Christmas time? This Jameson Whiskey Blue Cheese Burger with Guinness Cheese Sauce + Crispy ...
three things I love in the kitchen (that you will too!)
If we were catching up over a wine while sitting around the campfire, I'd have told you about these things already. Such is the excitement in my life, I can't help but share new supermarket discoveries with friends (even the ones whom, I imagine, have much more interesting stories to tell). Seeing as though its Monday again and it doesn't seem we'll be chatting fire-side anytime soon, pull your ...
5 productivity hacks for busy mums
Are you a busy mum struggling to fit it all in? Do you get up earlier than your family, go to bed later than your family and still not complete your to-do list? Well my friends, you're not alone. Until I adopted these five productivity hacks for busy mums, I too was finding it difficult to keep up with the demands of my hectic life. Here's how to get things back under control and claim ...
fun fruit cones – a healthy birthday alternative
Sometimes the second child gets the raw deal. When the Big Sister was a kindy, she took birthday cupcakes decorated with fancy shiny sprinkles and laminated Peppa Pig toppers. If one of her classmates had special dietary requirements, I suspect I'd have carefully researched and baked an egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free recipe and made extras for the teachers. The Little Sister's ...
11 fun and thrifty ideas for Science Week
National Science Week is here! If you're a regular reader, you'll know I'm an unapologetic science nerd. So to celebrate my favourite week of the year I've put together eleven fun and thrifty ideas to celebrate Science Week at your place. No big messes - pinky promise! 11 fun and thrifty science week ideas Make a water xylophone. Experiment with different levels of water. Try to predict ...
the smiling assassin
This is Emma. A photo posted by Amanda Smyth (@cookerandalooker) on Aug 10, 2016 at 1:08am PDT Emma is the Little Sister’s fifth birthday present. Before Emma came to live with us she’d been living in a small tank on the second story of an apartment complex. She dined on shredded ham every other day. Emma grew quickly to a size that belied her tender years. Emma is five years ...
easy pumpkin soup and the great turf war
There's been a turf war going on at the farm. It started when a mate brought me a seriously tasty pumpkin from her dad's garden. It'd been so long since I'd tasted pumpkin so good that I saved the seeds. The girls planted them in the garden and I promptly forgot about them. What happened then borrows from the yarn about Jack and his beanstalk. Overnight the pumpkin vine grew and grew. It grew ...
how to save time in the kitchen
Want to spend less time in the kitchen and more time watching re-runs of the West Wing on Netflix? I know I do. (Or I would, if the internet on the farm was up to the task!) Actually, I'm not even sure if the West Wing is on Netflix, but let me get back to my original point. I've put together some tips to help you save time in the kitchen. They're little things I do every week to make meal ...
gold stars, messages from the universe and staying grounded
At school, when report cards arrived Mum always insisted she didn't care about the marks, what mattered were the Teacher's comments. These past couple of years, I've found myself uttering the same words to the Big Sister. So it must be true. Yesterday I was on the receiving end of my first report card for a good while; when Bearhands, the girls and I fronted up for my first appointment with my ...
marriage and dog years
Bearhands and I celebrated nine years of marriage last week. There wasn't much fan fare - a quick lunch before picking up a truck from the mechanic and the kids from school. We've never really marked anniversaries. In our early years, our best attempts were thwarted. Recently I've come to the conclusion that we should really count farming years, because surviving those first two years on ...
Vale Chief Dog
Today we farewelled our dog Chief. Chief came into our lives in 2006. We'd been living on the farm for a while and Bearhands decided a farm needed a dog. I'd grown up with Australian cattle dogs - Mum's uncle was a breeder of champion blue heelers. They're smart and loyal and fiercely protective. We found a litter of puppies in a town an hour away. We travelled up to see them and one pup ...
quick and easy beef and broccoli
I have so much to tell you, but it's birthday week and I'm hanging on by this skin of the tooth the Little Sister lost but refuses to part with. So this is going to have to be quick. The girls have birthdays seven days apart. The farm turns into a B&B/restaurant/function centre during birthday week as our wonderful friends and family come to celebrate with the birthday girls. It's always a ...