A quarterly journal covering recipes, craft, printmaking and fabric designs .. sharing musings from my everyday life in the treetops of Clareville on Sydney’s northern beaches
A simple recipe for a cake (or slice) base to fill with your favourite fresh fruit. I have used plums but apples work a treat. And summer finally arrived - threes nothing better than returning home forma morning swim to an outdoor shower. I’ve put together a few renovation tips if you’d like to create your own. My seed cracker recipe is on rotation in our house and a little story about the circle of life and more
Read MoreThe craziness of chilly nights and sunny days calls for simple food, nourishing and full of love. In this journal I’m sharing one of my favorite lunch menus - Grandma Glendas soup and Sicilian focaccia - I’ve had requests for this simple chicken soup from so many people who enjoyed it at mum’s house - even all the way from France. And I’m unreavellign the inspiration behind the Weave fabric - a 1950’s beach house on the gold coast - and a shop update … Enjoy and stay safe
Read MoreWe’re excited to announce our Weave table-runner giveaway - Just tell us who you would invite over for lunch if you could and what you’d serve. Try our two sweet treat recipes _ Sicilian Orange Cake and our simple Date Ganache and we have a new fabric design on the way.
Read MoreAnzakkies are my healthier take on Australian Anzac Biscuits. They’re so easy-to-make and full of rolled oat and coconut goodness - to finish them off I like to dip or drizzle them in dark choloate. We also have a sneak peek at our limited edition Italian linen printed in the Gum Nutyy and Weave textile design.
Read MoreAfternoon teas with my mum, Glenda Weldon are fondly remembered and often recalled by many. I have shared many of these in my makers journal posts and I thought it might be fun to bring them all together in a little cookbook.
Read MoreThis was one of my mothers go-to recipes for afternoon tea with friends. She loved to serve in on the verandah overlooking the harbour when we lived at McMahons Point just behind the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Served with fresh whipped cream and a cup of hot Assam tea or good brewed coffee and watching the boats sail criss-cross up the harbour .. nothing better.
Read MoreOne of my fondest memories of Sage is picking the large wide leaves in Sicily in the kitchen garden of Case Vecchie. As late afternoon approached we walked down the hill and through the century old vineyard towards the old stone cottage where dinner would be served.We were greeted in the garden with a refreshing Aperitif served with these wonderfully surprising treats, Sage Leaves in a Light Beer Batter.
Read MoreThese two recipes are super simple to make and really tasty. Great as home made gifts for a hamper or to bring to a summer picnic. The Oatcakes deliver a perfect neutral balance for any savoury topping. The Fig and Walnut Paste wrapped in vine leaves is not only beautiful to look at but with the inclusion of toasted sesame seeds, warming spices, quince vino cotto and a little ouzo they are a sweet fragrant 'friend' to cheese.
Read MoreSometimes no matter how we manage our life there are times when the joy of slow cooking using freshly market produce is beyond us and we just need to get something on the table quickly.Here are two recipes to keep the "wolves at bay" while you work on the main meal or they can also work perfectly well as a delicious light lunch or dinner.
Read MoreGrowing up Mum had a large cast iron cauldron that she made her jam in – strawberry, fig or marmalade, volumes of it, bottled and labeled and given away to everyone who walked in the door. And her scones were famous not the least because they were delicious with her home made jam and King Island cream but because of the conversations and company that accompanied them.Everyone was welcome in our home no matter what age, region, or culture.Mum passed away last week and I share her classic scone (biscuit) recipe in her honour.
Read MoreMade with healthy chickpea flour and lightly fried in good olive oil ... what's not to love about these salty nibbles?At first glance, "Panelle" as they are called in Sicily, look a little bit like fat corn chips but these delicious puffy morsels are a revelation. They have a nourishing nutty taste and the flavour of olive oil without any greasiness.Watching Fabrizia Lanza prepare this dish in the kitchen of Case Vecchie was a study in wonder. We watched, with our cameras and notebooks poised and, as each step unfolded, we were no closer to imaging the last.The result served to us with a traditional Aperol Spritz in the courtyard of the old stone house, the late afternoon light receding over the hills. We could not stop eating them.
Read MoreIn Australia we call fava beans, in their distinctive large green spongy pods, broad beans. I always felt they were too much work until I tasted the authentic flavours of Sicily in Fabrizia Lanza's fava bean soup ... with an egg dropped in the middle and dusted with fresh parmigiana. I think you could taste the green goodness. And when I returned I waited to see them appear so I could bring some of that sicilian summer feeling into my Clareville kitchen.Here I have used them simply ... tossed into a raw zucchini salad and dropped into tomatoe and goats cheese tarts .. perfect for summer picnics.
Read MoreI have such strong memory of mum inviting the "ladies" over for afternoon tea. Beautifully dressed women with powdered faces and smooth lipstick pressed on cheeks as they said hello. The strong smell of perfume, each with their own, creating a heady mix of scent in the dining room. A medley of fine china cups and saucers patiently waiting on the linen covered dining table. These are two of mums classic afternoon tea recipes; Date Cake and Shortbread Pecan Balls. They're very easy to make .. even easier if you use a kitchen wizz.
Read MoreSicily may seem a strange destination for someone who had been slowly transitioning away from wheat, pasta and dairy but there is undoubtedly a romance in the idea of living and learning in this simple rustic way and understanding the authentic roots of Sicilian cooking and farming and the wonder of bounty of their kitchen garden … tall artichokes, rows of fava beans hanging waiting to be picked, spinach, rainbow chard, tomatoes, olives, almonds, wild greens and honey. And it more than delivered.Join me on my pilgrimage to the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School in Sicily with this recipe for a delicious Almond and Olive Oil Torte, "Torta di Mandorie e Olio d'Oliva"
Read MoreThis recipe for Yammy Drops (yummy and jammy) is really a healthier version of the old fashioned jam drop. But don't expect the same shortbread consistency, these are chock full of nutty flavours drawn from the sunflower seeds, tahini and almond meal and sweetened with maple syrup .. (the jam in the middle is a real treat). They're great for school lunch boxes or to satisfy that 3pm low point when you're normally seeking out chocolate!!
Read MoreA walnut grower selling from a stall in a Canberra market last Saturday shared with me the "best ever" tip for opening walnuts in the shell. No more nut crackers needed when you follow these simple steps.And to celebrate the joy of walnuts we have a recipe for Fresh Apple and Walnut Clusters ... too chunky and full of apple, walnuts and raisins to be called a muffin !
Read MoreFollowing on from our focus to transition slowly (the 20% rule) to healthier alternatives for the traditional ingredients we love ... Here is a pastry-free crust for quiches or savoury tarts that really works a treat. You can prepare this sweet potato crust in the pie dish or tin and freeze it so you always have it on hand when you need a quick and tasty lunch or dinner. Especially good when you're wanting the whole family to eat just a little bit healthier. Enjoy!
Read MoreIt's often the case that when come away from a retreat, a seminar or a book you are fired up to make major changes to our life. We approach the pantry and the fridge with evangelical zeal throwing out the bad food, restocking with new ingredients you've never used before. You then announce to the family the new regime only to find they are resentful, the change is confronting and ultimately we retreat feeling like a failure.Take a tip from the ancient philosophy of Ayurveda: The 25% rule - the secret to making changes to your lifestyle that “stick” and try this simple Ayurvedic recipe for the perfect rice and learn about "the 6 Tastes" to make every meal satisfying and nourishing.
Read MoreOur diets have changed a bit since the 1950's and one thing that strikes you is how much refined white sugar there is in these recipes. So I've begun to tweak the recipes and transition them to healthy versions of the ingredient. It's not a full abandonment of the original ingredients so there's not a big change in the chemistry or experience of the final cake or slice or dessert.Here is a delicious, chewy and easy-to-make Canadian Walnut Slice. Perfect for a cup of tea. It's just a transition recipe so we gradually get used to a warmer kind of sweetness not so sharp and we replace the grains with one that's a little better for our digestion.
Read MoreAlmond meal is easy to make and a great alternative to soy or dairy milk. Once you've made your jug of sweet almond milk there's a delicious and healthy recipe, "No Pastry ... Pear and Almond Meal Tart", to use up the almond meal left over from the process. You can also use the left over almond meal to thicken soups and casseroles.
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