We live in uncertain times, friends. One day, your kids love tomato. The next day they’re swearing off all red food. The Pantone colour for 2015 is marsala. Jamie Dunn is back on commercial radio. Is feta spelled with one t or two? Tumultuous times, indeed. Early last year, I predicted that quinoa was on the way out and that frekkeh would be the grain of 2014. I was wrong of course, quinoa ...
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chocolate covered bullets conjure old flames and other things i learned in January 2015
Can you believe we’re already a month into 2015? The Big Sister went back to school on Tuesday and we're finally settling into a little bit of normality. Of course, by normality I mean that special Smyth brand of normality that isn't very normal at all. As January comes to a close, I've spent some time reflection on the things I've learned this year. Important life lessons, folks! Be ...
how to make homemade marshmallows
Homemade marshmallows are perfect for fetes (they're cheap to make and fairly allergen-free). You can make them just-the-right-shade-of-Elsa blue and cut them into whatever shape your frozen heart desires. Technically, the recipe is pretty painless, especially if you have a stand mixer and can put another load of washing on while the mixture whips. That said, if you happen to look away from your ...
six tips for perfect pavlova
It's a recipe with just four ingredients, but the humble pav is a source of much kitchen consternation. Here are my six tips for a perfect pavlova. 1. Grandma was right, cleanliness IS next to God-liness, especially when it comes to egg whites. The tiniest bit of grease will make your pavlova a flop. Wash your bowl with soapy water before you begin. Rinse well. 2. Play it cool. Separate your ...
Australia Day Party
A few weeks ago, a mate shared an article titled "Put away the flags and enjoy your country on Australia Day" by a Colorado Poet Laureate David Mason. It wasn't a new article - The Age published it in January last year, but I hadn't read it before and it really resonated with me. You can read the whole article here, and I suggest you do because it is brilliant. So, no flag waving or windiness ...
Australia Day Pavlova
If you look back over history, Australia and New Zealand have been barneying over the patronage of food for a long time. Historians argue over who invented the lamington, Afghan biscuits and the iconic pavlova. Regardless of who you believe, there’s one sure way to make an Australian pav this Australia Day - follow these step-by-step instructions and create your own Australian-shaped Australia ...
my day on a plate
No doubt you've seen the "My day on a plate" feature in the Sunday lift-out of the Sydney Morning Herald. Here's my Saturday on a plate and I promise there's not an activated almond in sight! 5.30am: Woken by my girls who are excited that our dinner guests overnighted. Husband rolls over and pretends he is childless. While the kids' toast is cooking, I take two panadol with a glass of water. ...
the shortest distance between two people is a story
This blogging caper is all about me, all the time. What I cooked. Where I holidayed. What mortifying, yet side-splittingly funny situation I found myself in this week. ALL ABOUT ME. ALL THE TIME. Over the holidays, it occurred to me that I'd like to know more about you. What you cooked. Where you holidaed. What mortifying, yet side-splittingly funny situation you found yourself in this ...
Food Glorious Food: a place for home cooks to hang out.
By some enigma of reproduction that I don't like to think about, our family celebrate five birthdays in the eighteen days between Boxing Day and 13 January. We start every year with a bang: copious champagne and a cornucopia of cake, lots of living large and too many trips to Brisbane. Now it's over, it's time to start going to bed at a reasonable hour and to sleep in our own beds for extended ...
the girl who forgot how to blog
Was it possible? Could she have forgotten how to blog? It’d been twelve days and she’d tried. She’d sat at the computer staring at a blank page and blinking cursor. Mum? Can I have something to eat? She got up and did something she did remember how to do. She played short-order cook to her babies. Could they possibly really be hungry again? She suspected they weren’t hungry, but in fact ...
2014 in review
My mate Mrs D plus 3 put together a little list to wrap up her year. I loved her list so much I thought I'd sit down and answer it while the kids hid from the heat on the lounge yesterday afternoon. You can read Robyn's answers and get a black copy of her list here. First memory: Lucy bunting me in the vajayjay on New Year’s Day. Biggest regret: Taking the Little Sister to the toilet ...
the seven deadly Christmas sins
Hello there! How are the holidays treating you? We celebrated Christmas with our families on the farm, but now the house is empty again and I’ve taken it upon myself to round out the last days of 2014 by ticking off the seven deadly sins. Gluttony I know I'm not alone in this cardinal sin. It’s the time of year for it isn't it? Why would my fridge be full of pudding, ham and rum balls if not ...
how to make reindeer food
Phew. It's Christmas Eve. We made it*! The presents are wrapped. The pudding is made. The ham is in the fridge. The family are on their way. Yesterday, the girls ticked off a few jobs I'd left to the last minute. We visited Australia Zoo for their annual Santa photo.Looking back on photos from previous years, our girls are growing faster than the alligator. My sister-in-laws, the ...
chocolate Christmas pudding with white chocolate custard
Remember when you were little and chocolate-fuelled and decided that you were going to work for Cadbury when you grew up? Well, fist-pump six-year-old Amanda. It took you until your thirty-fifth year, but you did it baby! This post is brought to you by CADBURY* Some Christmases are just more memorable than others. My only white Christmas: the great calomine-covered Chicken Pox Christmas of ...
the Myer Christmas Parade: now with added body fluids
When the Little Sister started motor boating me as I carried her across the Victoria Bridge, I should have had an inkling that our outing to see the Brisbane City Christmas lights was not going to go as planned. Mum and the kids watched a busker perform an amazing magic show. He made three balls turn into ten oranges Mum! Then we took the kids to the Myer Centre food court and told them they ...
lychee martinis & the I’m Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party
Hello there. Welcome to the final I'm Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party for the year! Thank you for reading, linking, pinning and hanging around with me this year. Consider this our Pinning Around Christmas drinks. Here. Have a cocktail. lychee martini Ingredients: 60ml vodka 30ml lychee liqueur 30ml sugar syrup fresh lychees ice Method: Place the vodka, lychee ...
do you want to build a snowman pizza?
My kids are crazy for Frozen and the don't look like they'll be defrosting anytime soon. On Sunday night I asked if they wanted to make Olaf-shaped pizzas they were happy as snowmen in summer! do you want to make a snowman pizza Ingredients: For dough: 1 tsp dry yeast 475g ’00’ flour 1 tsp salt 1 tbs milk powder 1 tbs sugar 2 tbs olive oil 330ml warm ...
Let’s climb a mountain, he said. It’ll be fun, he said.
The guinea fowl parked up outside our bedroom window and squabbled about something that could only be resolved with much noise, posturing and fluffing - much like a feathered version of backstage at Australian fashion week. I opened my eyes. Thought about coffee. Remembered we didn't have any milk. Snuck into the ensuite. Sniffed a worn bra. Threw on some pants and crept to the car. I was back ...
how to make teppanyaki rolls
This post is bought to you by Best Recipes. There’s a lot to be said for entertaining at home, especially if you don't have lots of options locally. We prefer to invite friends to the farm, and it's not just because we're becoming homebodies in our old age! The way I see it, entertaining at home has its advantages: Steaks don’t necessarily come nestled next to a large plate of ...
stuff: crying over spilt tomatoes, spiky golf balls and spots
Dear Readers, It seems I've caught myself in some time parallax. The days between now and Christmas seem to be disappearing at an exponential rate and yet it seems the Big Sister has already been on school holidays for an eteeerrrnnnity. If I blink after breakfast it's lunchtime, but it takes forever for five o'clock to roll around. Speaking of which, what's the time? oh, only three. Here's ...
I’m Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party
Hello there. Welcome to this week's I'm Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party! Before I get into it, I'd like to say a massive thank you to everyone who downloaded my new eCookbook, Flossie yesterday. I'm overwhelmed with the response and thrilled that you're enjoying it as much as I'd hoped. If you haven't got your copy yet, you can download one here. This week I'm inviting you to share ...
Flossie, my free eCookbook is ready!
I've been waiting a long while to write this post. My eCookbook has been a while in the planning. I've laid awake at night thinking about the new Flossie; about how to put it together, what it should look like, how I should deliver it, how to make it the very best it can be. And now it's finally here and it's as good as I'd hoped it would be! I'm giving it away free to readers. You can ...
three simple bring-a-plate Christmas ideas for kids
Sometimes there's just no predicting kids! On Tuesday, I threw a little end-of-year party for the Big Sister and a few of her mates. Mum came up to help. We made party food and unbeknownst to the Big Sister, I hired a Frozen jumping castl at a ridiculously cheap rate - thank you Facebook! I kept the party food simple (see, I'm learning!) and threw a few Christmas-sy numbers into the normal ...
I’m Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party
Hi there! Welcome to this week's I'm Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party. This week's theme is all I want for Christmas. I couldn't choose between these two, can I have both please Santa? patience. School finished for the Big Sister yesterday. Lately we've been butting heads more than I'd like. A little patience from me would make the school holidays much happier for the both of ...
bloggers read mean comments
The thing about life is you'll never please everyone and the thing about writing on the internet is that people won't hesitate to inform you of their displeasure. A few weeks ago I asked Australian bloggers to record themselves reading mean comments written about them. These are their responses. bloggers read mean comments are you a blogger? what's the meanest comment you've received? ever ...
I’m Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party
Hi there! Welcome to this week's I'm Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party. Can you believe there is less than thirty days until Christmas? Are you prepared or are you, like me, putting your fingers in your ears and singing la la la? We're having a little fun with themes from here until the end of the year. This week's theme is Christmas ideas. Feel free to link a recent post as well as a ...
gift ideas for cooks
If I've learned anything in seven years of marriage, it's that fellas aren't good at hints. Bearhands doesn't have much opportunity to get to the shops and as such I've been on the receiving end of many random, last minute gifts. Remember the time I got a bobcat for my birthday? Good times! Last couple of years I've told Bearhands to save himself the trip, I buy my own gift and I get something ...
Christmas rocky road
This time of the year is all about edible Christmas gifts, so I’m sharing a recipe I trot out this time every year. The white chocolate, pistachios and cranberries give this rocky road a yuletide feel. , PrintChristmas Rocky RoadPrep 10 minsInactive 60 ...
I’m Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party
Hi there! Welcome to this week's I'm Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party. We're having a little fun with themes from here until the end of the year. This week, I'm inviting you to link up your latest work and you most repinned content. Not sure what your most repinned content is? No sweat, finding it is a piece of cake! Step 1: Log into Pinterest and go to your profile page. Click the ...
taking stock
Yesterday our town had the dubious honour of being the hottest place in Queensland. While we sweltered, I tried my hand at Pip Lincolne's taking stock list. Making: an infinity scarf for the Big Sister’s prep teacher. Cooking: an egg on the road. Not really, but trying. Drinking: cold beer. Reading: the Foxtel bill and cutting our spend (and channels) by two ...
edamame salad & things that make me happy
Ever find yourself smiling as you type? It's happening to me at the moment. I wrote this recipe for Flossie last year, but it will be new to most of you. I spent a long while today wondering what I should write to accompany it. Tonight I decided on a list of things that make me happy. things that make me happy tickling my kids until they start laughing before I even touch ...
I’m Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party
Oh the best laid plans of mice and men! My plan for this week was to give everyone a chance to showcase their most pinned posts. I was going to write instructions on how to discover this; fun and informative - right? Problem is I've run out of time. Plus I had the second stage of my dental surgery yesterday, so I'm all out of inclination too. Next week! Can you believe there are just ...
another day for poo and me in paradise
Friday morning started gloriously, I work moments before the Little Sister and watched her yawn, stretch and then remember. She rolled quickly and drew back the blind. The water park was still there! Mummy, it’s morning time! We tucked into a buffet breakfast and I introduced the girls to rice bubbles talking cereal: could they hear it? What did it say? Then the shining aqua jewel in this ...
roasted marrow bones
I had a tête-à-tête with Marco Pierre White last night. We were midway through our silky mushroom consommé when he noticed my chipped toenail polish and suggested a spot that does good pedicures next to the Pool Shop in Landsborough. His eyes followed the curve of my leg, he lent in close to my ear and whispered "they do discrete leg waxing too". Embarrassed I wakened before I had a chance to ...
I’m Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party
Hello and welcome to the I'm Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party. My favourite post from last week was Boy Eats World's Chicken and Lemon Myrtle dumplings. My reasoning is two fold. Firstly I have several lemon myrtle trees growing around the farm. And secondly, because dumplings. If you joined last week's party, don't forget to pop back and pin two posts, thanks. The guidelines for I'm ...
the lowdown on glamping at Rainbow Beach
At 4.50am on Sunday, I unzipped the tent and stepped onto the sand. The sun was rising, the rest of our camp was still sleeping. I was the sole inhabitant of the beach while I swam in the Great Sandy Strait. I walked back to camp, boiled the kettle and that plastic cup of Moccona was the tastiest cup of coffee I've had all year. Then I climbed into a hammock and set about finishing the novel I ...
Currant Pie
Once upon a time, before super-charged blenders blasted food into nutriment, home cooks nourished their families with lovingly-prepared, affordable, real food. My Dad started making this Currant Pie in 1976. Family legend says it was this pie he used to woo a wife and win over a Mother-in-law. Currant Pie 1 cup SR flour 1 cup plain flour pinch salt 150g butter 1 egg yolk 1-2 ...
I’m Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party
Hello and welcome to the I'm Pinning Around Pinterest Link Party. My favourite post from last week was Fresh Home Cook's healthy fried rice. I chose it not only because homemade fried rice is one of those rare meals that makes everyone in the family happy, but because I'm loving watching Jodie navigate her way through recreating old favourites to suit her recent diagnosis of Irritable Bowel ...
the lowdown on Paradise Resort
I have a list of things I want to do with the kids before they're all grown up; a sand bucket list if you will. I've wanted to take the girls to Paradise Resort for a long while. A few months ago, I bought three nights as part of a Tourism Queensland sale. The tagline for Paradise Resort is Heaven for kids, Paradise for parents and it's not far from the truth. Here's the lowdown on staying at ...
Mum’s problem-solving lemon meringue cake
A couple of month's back in the middle of my reality a day challenge, feeling overwhelmed by my to-do list, I chucked in the towel and ate cake. The response on Facebook and Instagram was emphatic. Lemon Meringue Cake? You wanted the recipe. Problem was, it wasn't my recipe. It was Mum's. Mum agreed to share it with you in a heart beat, but a series of errors that best belong in a movie ...