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 MoreIt’s the change of seasons here in the southern hemisphere - moving from warm balmy afternoons and evenings into twilight’s chilly edge and a crisp wind at sunrise. My favourite place to see the sunrise is from “the Hill” above Avalon Beach - it’s such a gentle way to ease into the day, connect with the locals, watch the waves roll in, and the birds riding the uplifts off the cliff edge. It’s a chance to breathe in deeply and appreciate “home”.
So, it’s a perfect “breakfast picnic” place to bring warm fresh-baked cinnamon buns and a thermos of Laxmi’s home-made chai. I love these recipes which have both been shared by wonderful women - I have adapted the swedish cinnamon bun recipe and added a few variations which are fun to make. This is recipe makes about 20 and I’ll often make up a batch and freeze them before baking them “on demand”. Happy Baking
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 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 MoreMy grandfather (Papa) always had his meals at the same time every day and morning and afternoon tea were always the same combination. A mug of coffee and two of "Papas Biscuits".This recipe is a wonderful biscuit basic. You can add any filling or flavour to fancy it up a bit. I enjoy dividing the final mixture into three parts to create three different flavour variations.
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 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 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 MoreThis simple no-bake Quick and Easy Raw Chocolate Bites recipe uses just three ingredients. Each ingredient has a traditional or healthier alternative depending on your lifestyle.
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