Cooking

Located in northern Italy, Lombardy stretches up towards Lake Como and down to Milan. The region is home to many rich, regal dishes such as golden risotto alla Milanese, rice cooked with saffron; ossobuco, a marrow-filled knuckle of veal; and... Continue reading A culinary journey through Lombardy at Casa Barilla Cooking School »

They say you should never stop learning and growing, whether it is upgrading your skill at work or picking up new knowledge for a hobby. When Brasserie Bread invited me to attend their Home Baker workshop, I was thrilled I'd... Continue reading Home Baker Workshop at Brasserie Bread »

Those who subscribe to SBS Food's e-newsletter will have seen that I am their latest Featured Foodie! What a honour it is to be able to share my culinary journey with such a respected publication. In a sequence of interview... Continue reading Featured Foodie on SBS plus a cherished family recipe - Xiu Mai (Vietnamese meatballs) »

This is my attempt to deal with my post-holiday blues. As I mentioned in the May e-newsletter (you can subscribe to this over on the right), this time, last year, I was taking my dream holiday in Europe. One of... Continue reading Razor clams and chorizo stew »

Although EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) is one of the most common pantry items in kitchens across the world, I'll admit that I didn't really know much about it at the time I received an invitation from Media Moguls to... Continue reading Cobram Estate's Extra-Virgin Olive Oil »

Just because it's getting cold, it doesn't mean you need to stop eating salads. Yes, soups warm you up instantly and are nice with a crusty piece of bread but salads are lively, crunchy and full of colour. Here is... Continue reading Autumn salad of pomegranate, duck and beetroot »

Along with several other bloggers, I was recently treated by Lindt to a Gold Class screening of Alice in Wonderland. It was a meet and greet with the marketing team and their advertising and PR agencies and being such marvelous... Continue reading Chocolate & Peanut Butter Lava Cakes »

Green was once used only to describe those in envy but nowadays, when you say you are green, it is instantly associated with being environmentally conscious. I'll admit that I don't go to extraordinary lengths to minimize my food-related carbon... Continue reading Test driving a Bessemer with a Chicken Pot Roast »

This 'Indulgence on a Budget' idea is my most favourite. I've lived in Sydney all my life but it wasn't until recently that I stumbled upon Sydney's best kept secret: Wendy's Secret Garden. Wendy is the widow of late artist... Continue reading Wendy's Secret Garden »

Childhood memories of Chinese New Year have always featured elaborate homemade banquets on the eve of the New Year followed by a day witnessing the roaring of firecrackers and drums as the lion dance parades through masses of crowds in... Continue reading Chinese New Year 2010 and our suckling pig »

With Australia Day coming up and the end of summer approaching, I thought I would share my special chicken wing marinade recipe which is always a winner at BBQs. I'm already dreading the upcoming shorter days (without daylight saving) so... Continue reading Something for the barbie: A killer chicken wing marinade »

Sandwiches are the ultimate picnic food as they're portable and thousands of variations can be made to suit all tastes. For example, you could easily replace the usual white sandwich bread for tortillas, flatbreads, sourdough or a crusty baguette for... Continue reading Picnic Sandwiches »

While I'm not religious, my family and I have always celebrated Christmas as a time to be together, share food, and give love and appreciation. Part of the fun is of course within the preparation and cooking stages which gives... Continue reading A Galaxy of Gingerbread Stars »

Dehydrating fruit with a food dehydrator I am a bargain hunter. There's nothing more exciting than buying something you love with a discounted price tag. One of my latest buys is a food dehydrator which is available at David Jones... Continue reading A new obsession with dehydrating fruit »

Last week, I had the pleasure of not only meeting Jason Roberts, but also cooking with him, thanks to IGA, Stellar* Concepts and City Public Relations. Many of you will remember Jason from his time at Channel Nine's cooking program... Continue reading Introducing Jason Roberts as IGA Food 4 Life brand ambassador »

Rice and pasta are kitchen staples I can't live without. And now, thanks to Blu and the team at Haystac, I can add Pearl Couscous (also known as Israeli couscous) to my list of must-have versatile ingredients. You can win... Continue reading Cooking with pearl couscous »

Vietnamese-style coconut and pandan waffles I grew up on these waffles. I remember sitting on the kitchen bench on many after school afternoons, eagerly waiting for my parents to pour batches of batter onto our Black and Decker Sweet Hearts... Continue reading Coconut and pandan waffles »

With a name like this, how can anyone not like them? Smiling doughnuts are also commonly known as smiling mouth cookies, happy mouth cookie balls, deep-fried sesame cookie balls or from it's direct Cantonese translation, 笑口枣 means smiling mouth dates.... Continue reading Smiling Doughnuts (笑口枣) »

The Aussie in me has never experienced a cold wintery Christmas. I'm used to the barbecues, the fresh seafood, chilled fruity drinks and spending the morning watching a repeat of Christmas cartoons followed by a balmy afternoon at the beach.... Continue reading Baking for Christmas In July afternoon tea »

Welcome back! I hope ya'll had many delicious moments during the break. To kick off a new year of blogging, I thought it would only make sense to firstly conclude 2008 with my family Christmas dinner. It was a little... Continue reading Christmas at home »

Earth Day was Lidcombe Public School's theme for the 2007 fair. The weeks leading up to this, Bryan (my baby bro) was singing "3 is a magic number, yes it is, it's a magic number... reduce, reuse, recycle...". To continue his excitement, I agreed to bake a batch of cupcakes and brownies for the food stall. Continue reading i like to bake »

Merry Christmas! Last night, I was put in charge of our family's Christmas dinner. So instead of last year's roast, fresh prawns and lobster mornay, I decided to stock up on some oysters, scallops and green king prawns. I also did the gingerbread baking a day in advance! Continue reading Christmas dinner @ home »