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A Tribute to Triple Date Night and a Cheat’s Cassoulet

10 Feb cassoulet finished

cassoulet ingredientsWe used to have this thing we affectionately called Triple Date Night.

We were a group of six friends, three couples, and once a month or so we would call a nationality and create a dinner party. Whomever’s home was hosting would make the main course, and the others covered the entree and dessert.

You needed to make something you’d not done before and we had some wonderful meals and created some wonderful memories.
We always drank a lot of wine and one night someone even pulled out a Scooby Snack. Being as none of us had really smoked for about a hundred years, a couple of puffs and the party was over pretty quickly………aaaaah, Triple Date Night.

South American Night, Japanese Night, Italian Night, Middle Eastern Night, they all turned up veritable feasts on our tables.
I was most impressed by one special dater making home made Fortune Cookies and Turkish Delight…..I really miss that gal.

Usually, it was the girls that cooked but boys took Chinese night and I ate some of the best dumplings I’ve ever eaten. It was a time that we all cherished, but life did, as life does, change and our Triple Date Night split up.

Not for no good reason, one of the couples moved to Europe so that really threw a spanner in the works……..and we had babies and moved to the ‘burbs.
We have new and different gastronomical feats in our new home…and new and different people at our table. It shows that life is constantly evolving and changing but as long as there’s great food we can adapt!

For French night I made Cassoulet.

A real one, with succulent pieces of roast duck, herby Toulouse sausages and rich pork belly. It’s classified as French peasant food and once again I was reminded that if you’re ever going to be a peasant France is a cracking place to do it.

In Australia, peasants eat tinned Spaghetti and Spam.

That damned pot of beans took me three days to prepare in the traditional fashion and by the time it hit the table I was expecting it to positively sing like angels on my tongue.

Alas, I was underwhelmed. I smothered mine in Tabasco and it was nice. 

Not quite three days worth of nice. Also, bears mentioning that the original recipe made the biggest damned pot of Cassoulet you’ve ever seen and I was eating those beans for DAYS….

Toot toot.

cassoulet cooked

Anyway, I have since found a way to cheat it that is faster, easier and tastier. I often ferret around in the freezer and just use whatever meat I have in there…..bacon will do for speck, any chicken or duck, and old sausage works.
This can be eaten by the whole family…..I even blended some of the beans and carrot and gave it to the baby mixed with avocado. It does have a little salt in it, but I was so busy cooking this that I forgot her dinner!

Win.

What you will need :

  • 4 good sausages, I like Toulouse, choppped into chunks.
  • 1 cured chorizo, or 150g speck, sliced.
  • 1 chicken breast, or two thighs, sliced
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock
  • 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tins cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
  • a big handful fresh thyme and parsley, (dried is fine if it’s all you have, a tablespoon or so of each)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt and pepper
  • 85g fresh breadcrumbs
  • a teaspoon of dried thyme, extra

cassoulet finishedWhat you will need to do :

In a big heavy pot, preferably one that can go from stove to oven, pop your chorizo or speck on a low heat to cook and render out the fat.

When cooked remove from pot and add your sausages and chicken to cook in the rendered fat. Brown lightly and remove from pot.

Add a little oil if needed and toss in your onion and stir until translucent. Add your garlic and get it all yummo and fragrant. Toss in your carrots, and let them have a little sweat, before you add your tomatoes and beans.
Stir in your herbs and bay leaves, add stock and wine and leave for a few minutes.

Add your meat back in and let it all have a good bubble on the stove for about 20-25 minutes.

Pop your oven on to to about 180C.

In a bowl place your breadcrumbs, and season them well. Add your dried thyme and mix through.

Pop it on the top of your cassoulet and then drizzle a slug of olive oil over the top before placing into the oven until they brown slightly, and everything thickens and goes delicious.
It’ll probably take about an hour to an hour and 20 minutes.

Keep a little eye on it.

Serve it up with a lovely fresh salad – I love a baby spinach, apple and avocado salad with this as the crisp sweet apple and creamy ago really compliment the cassoulet.

I still add Tabasco to mine as I discovered something great that fateful day.

cassoulet yummy

 

For heaps more family friendly recipe ideas why not check out my ebooks.

They’re right here!

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Mexican Rice Salad and a World of Awe

3 Feb

mexican salad ingredientsI’ve had a little bloggers block of late.
The problem is not that I don’t have any ideas, au contraire, dear Holsby lovers. The problem is that I have too many things to write about and thereby slip into paralysis.

I have about 6 half written blogs at the moment, and I actually think they’re all fairly pants….but one thing I’ve discovered, is that it may well be my blog, but what I think of my posts doesn’t count for shit. The stuff I love slides by unnoticed and something I’m blasé about, y’all go nuts over.

So, it’s not for me to judge…….I’m just here to amuse.
Le jongleur, if you will.

I’ve been a little strapped for time too. No idea what I’m doing all day, but suddenly another day is gone.
I’m constantly amazed by the wonderful Veggie Mama or the divine Heart Mama. They write gorgeous and prolific blogs, they parent and they WORK A REAL JOB, too…..and they’re cool. In totally different ways, but they just seem like cool Mamas.

Zanni at Heart Mama is one of those ‘gentle parenting’ types and I ‘fessed up to her recently that when my head is about to explode and I’m going to wring D Man’s neck I endevour to take a breath a think -

‘What would Heart Mama do?’

It’s like the old ‘What would Batman do?’ but I don’t reckon Zanni gads about in black lycra.

In my mind she always speaks in gentle tones, reaches for peppermint tea, and encourages free thinking, whereas I reach for wine and hog tie when required.

Heart Mama would never do this -

HomerChokingBart
I guess everyone feels like someone else is doing it better than them. Everyone feels like other people are more together, more organised, more calm or more ‘onto it’ than them, but it’s totally pointless, really.
In a world of individuals, we really can’t compare ourselves to others.

It’s nice to have people to admire from afar though.

I made this rice salad up ages ago and I always serve it when I’m dishing up Mexican.
I’ve never really thought it to be anything spectacular, but after serving it at Fajita Sunday recently (which I’ll get around to blogging some month) I’ve actually had a number of requests for it……..so here it is.

It works as part of a feast table, but it’s also great served with marinated fish or chicken and a dollop of guacamole.

Yield : enough for 6-8 as a side or 4 as a main part of meal

What you will need :

  • 1 cup brown rice, cooked
  • 2 corn on the cob, BBQ’d if you can or 1 tin corn
  • 1/2 large red capsicum, finely diced
  • 2 marinated roasted peppers (you can roast your own but I’ve been using the jarred ones since Jamie Oliver has talked them up!)
  • 1/2 Spanish onion (I forgot one so I’m using spring onions from my garden – although I photographed a brown onion cos I forgot I had them), finely diced
  • 1 whole bunch coriander, stalks included, chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • salt and pepper
  • a glug of good olive oil

What you will need to do :

BBQ your corn and slice it off the cob. If you do not have time or a BBQ it is nearly as yummy just to use a tin. Time is precious, we are not.

Todd everything into the bowl and mix well to combine. It’s best tossed and dressed an hour or so before eating so the rice has time to soak up all the married flavours.

Too damned easy……very damned yummy.

mexican salad finished

Do you know someone having a BBQ today?

Flick this quick, easy salad over to them……

If you’re looking for more quick and yummy ideas to feed your family, you can pick up my ebooks here.

 

 

 

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Middle Eastern inspired BBQ lamb fillet with broccoli tabbouli

28 Jan

lamb and broccoli tabbouli ingredientsI’m not entirely sure how lamb became the unofficial meat of Australia Day. One would be more inclined to think it should be sausages, but some very clever advertising from the lamb industry has rendered them the star of many bbqs on the day that we celebrate the ‘discovery’ of Australia.

I use inverted commas because, of course, Australia was discovered a few times before this official date, and let’s not even go there on the fact that it didn’t really need to be discovered at all because a very noble people already owned the land and had done for a very long time……but I digress. This is a recipe, not a political statement.

Back to clever advertising, I reckon the Sam Kekovich lamb ads are great. This year is not my favourite but after working in advertising (audio side) and seeing a gazillion crapola ads, clever writing stands out of the pack. I often have a giggle at the Australia Day ads that’ve been released annually since 2006.

If you’re not from around these here parts….check it out. This was the first one, and there’s one every year….this year the old boy even gets his Gang Nam on whilst trying to recover from Lambnesia!

This recipe was supposed to be up in time for Australia Day but we’ve had a little blip in our schedule this week and things have not run as smoothly as the corporation would have liked……thankfully, this lamb can be eaten any day of the week, any week of the month, any month of the…..yeah, that.
This rub works on lamb chops too, and to be totally honest I’ve actually put it on chicken and fish also. It’s a super simple Middle Eastern inspired crust.

Broccoli tabbouli is a new discovery for me. My trainer was talking it up recently and the idea piqued my interest no end. I like broccoli, I like tabbouli – what’s not to love, right?
It’s incredibly good for you, and although I used freekeh, which I just adore the nutty taste of, you could use quinoa, or burghul, or cous cous or whatever.

Yield : 4 plus leftover salad, which rocks with tuna FYI

What you will need :

  • 500g lamb loin
  • 2 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • a head of broccoli, wizzed in the food processor until finely chopped
  • half a bunch of mint, chopped finely
  • half a bunch of parsley, chopped finely
  • 1/2 large red capsicum, chopped
  • a couple of sweet grilled pieces of capsicum, grill your own or from a jar (optional)
  • a punnet of cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 spanish onion, finely chopped
  • juice of one lemon
  • salt and pepper
  • good quality olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons hummus
  • 3 tablespoons Greek style natural yoghurt
  • 1 tablespoon harissa or chili sambal (optional)
  • sumac and/or dukkah to serve

What you will do :

Cook your freekah according to packet instructions.
Place all of your spices into a clean plastic bag (ensure it has no wholes because that would suck), and mix them together. Toss your meat into the bag and give it a good shake around making sure all of the meat is covered.

Pop your meat on the BBQ or under the grill, or whatever. Just cook it good. I’m a medium rare kind of lamb girl, so I do about 5 – 7 minutes per side depending on how thick the piece is.

Chuck all of your salad ingredients into a big bowl, including your drained freekah, and toss with the olive oil and lemon juice.

Mix your hummus and yoghurt together, adding chili if that’s your bag. Drizzle on top and spinkle with your sumac or dukkah. I used both because I like bags of flavour.

Plate it all up and devour. Yum.

D Man liked this wrapped up in a pita bread….I think the tabbouli was a tad tricky (judging by the state of my floor), but mixed with the hummus sauce in a wrap changed the consistency to something more manageable.

Do you have a friend that needs healthy, affordable ideas for feeding their family?

Flick this recipe over to them, maybe they’ll love it!!

middle eastern lamb and broccoli tabouli

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From my garden to my table – Warm beetroot salad.

18 Jan beetroot harvest

beetroot harvestOne of the redeeming features of living in suburbia is a big garden.

I always dreamed of having a vegetable patch, not because I’m adept at farm husbandry nor even possess a particularly green thumb, but because I wanted to teach my kids about where food comes from.

Thus far our lettuces have been prodigious and our spring onions have certainly sprung. Our truss tomatoes are also worthy of a special mention as there is nary a day that we can’t harvest a luscious, sweet fruit from the vine.

beetroot harvest I’ve had my eye on the beets for what feels like months……the leaves were fab and green, then died, then grew again, and the beets themselves, well…… they’re organic.

I was expecting greater things from my first round of beetroot. My Dad said to pull them when they were the size of snooker balls, but they sort of stopped at an assortment of testicles and eyeballs. I kept hoping for another growth spurt, alas, I think they’d done all they were gonna.

I shuffled a few around in vain hope that they would do something spectular but thus far they’re looking sad, with the leaves lying down and resting (not dead, resting).

This is one of my favorite salads of all time. It’s super easy, quick and tasty and spectularly good for you. I would like to add at this juncture that it also make a fascinating talking point for potty training toddlers, because it is most startling to a novice.beetroot salad ingredients

I admit that I usually make a much larger amount than this but my yield was a tad paltry.

Mess with the amounts to your taste. I like lots of nuts and tangy balsamic.

What you will need :

  • one bunch of baby beets or a few large beetroots, leaves intact, washed.
  • a small handful of walnuts
  • a chunk of fetta, add to taste (I’ve used sheeps this time but whatever tickles you)
  • a splash of olive oil
  • a splash of balsamic, or a squeeze of lemon juice
  • salt and pepper

beetroot salad
What you need to do :

Preheat oven to 180C

Wash beets and remove, but save, the leafy tops. Wrap beets in foil and place in hot oven for about 30 minutes (depending on size. These took only 15 minutes. Give them a poke and if they yield , they’re ready).

When cooked take out of oven and leave to cool. Take off foil and slide the skins off with a firm thumb.Discard skin and foil.
Chop beets into desired size.

If your beetroot is store bought, your leaves will need to be chopped a bit.
Mine were still little and tender.
Add olive oil to a large fry pan and toss in your leaves, stirring until just wilted.

Chuck in some balsamic or a squeeze of lemon juice. Add beets to pan. Break your walnuts up a little and toss them in, season and take off heat.
Crumble your fetta through, and voila!

Warm beetroot salad loves steak, pork, chicken or fish so it’s super versatile. Roast some potatoes, steam some beans and you are well on your way to food nirvana!

beetroot salad finished

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Pork and Fennel Pasta Bake…..just a little bit fancy

11 Dec

pork and fennel ing Out here in the Boondocks there are not so many great restaurants. I guess after living in Sydney’s dining epicentre, we were always headed for gustatory disappointment moving to the ‘burbs, but we live in hope, because even sub-urbanites need to eat, right?

For my birthday, back in July (July 7th, feel free to send gifts, money and/or champagne), Mister H and I ventured forth to one of the most expensive and well known dining spots in our locality – Black Water.

People had talked it up as one of the best, if not THE best restaurant in these here parts, and my man thought he’d give me a little birthday treat.

Let me preface this by saying, we don’t mind paying for great food, and great service is always such a delight…..did we experience this here?

Not so much.

The service was a tad underwhelming and the food was, well, it most certainly wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as great as the price would suggest.

One of the things we ordered was a pork ragout and something timbale. I thought that sounded interesting. I have an extensive experience in fine dining as I worked in about a gazillion great restaurants, so I know the lingo. I knew what to expect when I see the word timbale, but what I didn’t expect was pasta bake.

With a fancy name.

pork and fennel dex

That was a tad well-done and over-caramelised on the edges……..burnt pasta bake.

Fail.

Mister H tried brains, they were ok if you’re into that kind of thing (I’m so not), and the mains were good. Dessert was by far my favourite with an apple tarte tartin and some kind of yummy ice-cream (it was a while ago, I’ve eaten a few meals since!), but I will never forget that regrettable pasta bake.

I thought today I’d show those guys how to make an uptown pasta bake.

pork and fennel to cook

Yield : 6 serves

What you will need :

  • 120g speck or bacon, chopped
  • 600g minced pork
  • 1 spanish onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 350g penne pasta, or whatever shape floats your boat
  • 420g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 red capsicum, sliced
  • 1/2 cup red wine, or white if that’s all you have
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 heaped teaspoon fennel seeds
  • a good handful of fresh herbs like parsley, and/or oregano
  • 100g cheese, grated

If you want to go right uptown, you can add a layer of béchamel. Black Water did not…..nor did I this time, but I have before.

This time I just did a super thin layer of simple white sauce, flavoured only with a bay leaf.

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • a cup and a half of milk
  • a bay leave
  • salt and pepper

Melt butter in saucepan, add flour and stir. Leave to cook for a few seconds. Add milk and whisk to ensure no lumps. Toss in bay leaf and season and continue whisking until it thickens to coat the back of a spoon.

pork and fennel fini

What to do :

Fry up onion and garlic in a large heavy based pan. When translucent, add your speck and cook until fragrant and a little browned. Add your fennel seeds.

Toss in your pork and stir until cooked through. Throw in your capsicum, tomatoes, tomato paste and wine. Stir well to combine.

Chuck in your herbs and season to taste. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer with a lid on for about half an hour until sauce is thick and rich.

Meanwhile, pop on a pot of salted water and getting it to a rolling boil. Add your pasta and cook according to packet instructions.

Drain pasta and toss it into your finished sauce. Toss well to ensure all is well coated and throw into your oven dish

I did a really quick little white sauce that was about half the amount described in my bechemel recipe as I only wanted a thin layer rather than a lasagne type layer, but if you want to keep it simple, just throw on some cheese and be done with it.

Bake in the oven on 200C until it is browned and delicious looking.

Take that Black Water……that’s how you do an uptown pasta bake.

pork and fennel dex 2

 

If you want to see some more Toddler Friendly recipes, why not check out my books here.

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Beans Means…….Homemade Baked Beans.

29 Nov

I cannot hear the words Baked Beans and not think of that scene in Blazing Saddles….you know the scene I’m talking about?

Basically, it’s a load of cowboys sitting around a campfire eating beans and they all begin to thunderously pass wind only seconds after the beans pass their lips.
I’m not a huge Mel Brooks fan, but this scene is the first ever fart scene in a movie, so I will give him credit where credit is due.

You rarely see/hear farts in film. Considering they are a part of life and everybody does it, you’d think there would be a little more wind on celluloid.

I wonder if James Bond ever got a nervous tummy? He’s certainly been in some tight squeezes, so it wouldn’t surprise me, but I suppose he would not be as cool  if when push came to shove a little ‘eeep’ squeaked out of his tuxedo……or heaven forbid, a shart.

But I digress, back to beans.

I love baked beans, and they are actually incredibly good for you. Packed with iron, protein, calcium, fibre and they are low GI so they will keep you fuller for longer. All this, and they are really yummy too.

I made these beans as a side dish to a slow-roast pork belly. Pork and beans go together like Ginger and Fred, in my books. All at my table enjoyed the combo, but none more than Mister H and I who got to double up with eggs and beans for breaky the following day.

It’s surprising we didn’t singe our eyebrows, if you catch my drift.

The original recipe for this came from the Riverstone cafe in Bellingen, but I tweaked it to my taste. If you would like to see the original recipe it is here.

Yield : 6 portions

What you will need :

330g dried cannellini beans (or Great Northern Beans), soaked in water overnight

3 red capsicum, seeds removed, coarsely chopped

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

1 onion, coarsely chopped

75 ml olive oil

200 gm speck, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 thyme sprigs

1 fresh bay leaf

400 gm canned crushed tomatoes

1 tsp smoked paprika

30 ml maple syrup

a good dash of balsamic vinegar

a good dash of Worstershire sauce

To serve: poached eggs and toasted sourdough

What you need to do :

Drain your beans and chuck them into a pot of lightly salted water, so they are covered with an extra couple of centimetres. Bring to boil, and reduce to simmer until they’re tender (30-40 minutes).

In a food processor, chuck your capsicum, onion and carrot until finely chopped.

Preheat your oven to 180C.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add capsicum and carrot mix, speck, garlic and herbs and cook until soft (7-10 minutes). Add salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato, bring to a simmer and add to beans. Add 500ml water, paprika, Worstershire sauce and vinegar, cover with foil and bake, stirring occasionally.

After 2 hours, check to see if they need a little more water, add if required, pop back into the oven for another 30 mins or so, until beans are nice and tender but not mushy. You want them to retain their shape.

Stir through maple syrup, season to taste and serve with poached eggs and sourdough toast.

We’re heavy on the recipes this week as it’s time to wrap up my Spring To Do list……and then we can get onto Summer!

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Eat Yourself Happy

24 Nov

I went through a tough time in the first 12 weeks after Kiki was born.

I don’t think I had post-natal depression, and I loved my new baby wholly and soully, but it was a big adjustment for the whole family and at times I felt I was alone at sea in a rocky boat.

It wasn’t fun at all. Imagine multiplying it by 10, or 50, or 100……

I wrote a little article for Post-Natal Depression Week for the Bub Hub about some super mood boosting foods that we should all eat every day, no matter who we are, or where we are in our lives.

Well functioning brains, and hormonally balanced people cope better in every day life, let alone extreme circumstance!

Did I eat these foods when I was blue?

Well, I guess. I eat these foods all the time, they’re always in my cupboard. Reckon, I should have also been stocking valium. That had the monicker of ‘Mother’s Little Helper’ in the ’70′s, didn’t it?

The human body is a complex and beautiful machine. What many people don’t realise, or choose not to, is that what we power our machines with plays a really large part in how our machines perform.

Just as the type of petrol we use in our car affects its performance, the type of fuel we consume affects ours. We all know about it when it comes to our energy levels, but what about our mood? Can what we eat affect our moods?

To read more, get your click on here

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Say I Love You with CROISSANTS!

18 Nov

A long time ago, Mister H said to me -

If you loved me, you’d make me croissants

I laughed in his face.

I thought it was a terrible shame that he would go through his life without someone who loved him enough to make croissants, because the whole world knows that those tasty little French pastries are an utter ball-ache to make, and I, for one, was not interested in such pursuits.

But, you know, sometimes that little seed gets sown in your brain and, slowly, slowly it can germinate into a hair-brained idea that maybe, just maybe, you do love your husband enough to bestow upon him a calorie-laden delicacy extrava-ma-ganza.

I started to look around at a few recipes and I got the resounding impression that these were going to be a commitment…..much like marriage.
The writing was on the wall.

I decided that I was going to give this infamous pastry a crack. When I told my mother I was doing them, her response was bolstering.

My biggest EVER culinary disaster was croissants (and gnocchi), said she.

I will say two things for this recipe I’m about to impart to you -

1) If no one has ever challenged the quality or quantity of your love, and you have a life, just buy them.

2) These were some of THE best tasting croissants I ever did eat.

I dare say we have a quandary, no?

Read this and decide from there your chosen method of croissant acquisition.

It’s not that they’re difficult, because they really aren’t, but time-consuming they most certainly are. In a 24 hour period, they got more rest than the rest of the family combined, but the good news is while they’re resting, you can be doing whatever the hell you like.

Yield : 15-20 croissants depending how big you make them.

What you will need :

  • 1 1/2 cups warm whole milk
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 3 3/4 – 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 375g cold, unsalted butter
  • 1 egg + 1 teaspoon whole milk, beaten for brushing

What you need to do :

Put your sugar, salt and yeast into your warm milk and leave for about 10 minutes. You need it to get activated, and it needs to be foamy. The recipe I was following said if it wasn’t frothy, toss it and start again…..I did that once. Second time looked a bit more active so I thought, LET’S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!!!

Once foamy, add 3 3/4 cups flour and the salt. My recipe called for a stand mixer, but I only have a hand mixer (are you reading this KitchenAid? I will spruik your product til the cows come home, with no qualms about selling my arse, if you send me a red one) which I used with dough hook attachments.

Mix on low-speed until dough comes together and is  soft; about 7 minutes. Transfer dough to your workspace and knead by hand for a minute or 2, using more flour to make it silky and not sticky.

Form dough into a 1 1/2 inch thick rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for one hour. I got distracted at the park and mine chilled for two hours but who’s counting, right?

Pull your butter from fridge and cut into even sticks. Lay them next to each other. Press down on it with the rolling-pin and roll and bash and roll into 8 x 5 inch rectangle. Once done, wrap in plastic wrap and chill while rolling dough.

LOOK AT THAT BUTTER!!!!!! Arteries hardening yet?

Remove dough from fridge, unwrap and sit on a lightly floured counter. Stretch the dough into a 16 x 10 inch rectangle. It was kind of like making a pizza but a rectangle. Be sure to measure as it does matter.

Place dough with a short end near you. Stick your butter in the middle of the dough, then fold the ends up to encase it top half down and bottom half up.

Turn your parcel so the short side is facing you, and use the rolling-pin to evenly roll your dough into a 15 x 10 inch rectangle, rolling out to the ends but not actually over the ends.

Again, fold the dough as before; top half down and bottom half up, and stretch so the corners are square. This should form about a 10 x 5 inch rectangle.

Glad Wrap it and chuck it in the fridge for an hour…..or two, because you get distracted hanging washing and putting kids down for a sleep.

Now this is where I think I got lost – How Sweet It Is, whom I following like a lamb today, wrote this -

Repeat step 3 THREE more times, for a total of four folds, chilling the dough for one hour after each fold. After the fourth and final fold, wrap dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 8-12 hours, no longer.

I wasn’t sure if that was three times the two folds, or four folds all together so I kinda split the difference…..now, I realise that the more folds, the better as it makes the layer upon layer of buttery, light, fluffy goodness……next time, I shall do four times the two folds……then I went to bed and let my little butter-ball get a good night’s sleep in the fridge.

When dough is ready, roll out to a very long and skinny rectangle, about 15 x 32 inches. (If your counter is small, you can break the dough in half and do this in 2 sections). Cut the dough into long triangles. Cut a small vertical slit right into the middle of the straight end, and using both hands, roll croissant up pushing the sides out to either side to form your crescent.

Line trays with baking paper and lie your little delicacies about 2-3 inches apart, cover with a towel and set in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours.

Tempting to skip this last one, but they did rise a little more……even though I only left them for one hour. I will admit freely that by now I was getting a tad impatient….we were coming up to our 20th hour of doughy relationship.

Pre-heat oven to 230C. Brush croissants with beaten egg then, bake for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown.

Let cool before removing from tray and cooling on a wire rack…..unless you’re too excited and you shovel one straight into your mouth and burn the knobbly bit behind your teeth.

I rolled a piece of Lindt Dark chocolate into four of mine as a surprise……and it was a very nice surprise indeed.

The verdict :

These were not quite as airy as some I’ve had, resulting in a slightly more doughy croissant. I think I’ll try fresh yeast next time and the multiple fold thing I talked about………the taste?
Oh my sweet baby Jesus, these tasted awesome. Butterier (hmmmm, think I made that word up) than the average bakery ones and the perfect balance of yeasty sweetness.

I declare these a success, and they are only going to improve with practice.

I ate two straight away and then I did something really mean…..I took a load of them to my bootcamp class and off loaded them to the ladies thereby rendering their last hour of exercise null and void.

But I did it because I love to share…..and for self-preservation.

The rest I offered to my darling husband, as a token of my affections, and he is now smug in his knowledge that I am 100% crazy about him.

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Rekindling Old Friendships and a Snapper Named Steve

12 Nov

I was driving along in my car recently and someone I hadn’t thought of in a long time popped into my head.

This wasn’t just any old ‘someone’, but someone who was once so close to me that he and I used to call each other brother and sister. We did this not because we are related by blood, but because trying to explain our relationship to people was too hard.

We were more than friends.

We were even more than best friends.

We were BFFs…… we thought.

I don’t know exactly where it went pear shaped, there was no singular event, but I do remember the time in our lives, and it was complicated for the both of us, to say the least. We were living together, but our lives were very separate. We were both engrossed in our own stuff and I guess we needed some space.

There’s space, and then there’s SPACE, because as I was driving along I realised that this man – that I once called my brother – did not know that I was married to a red-head, with whom I was set up on blind date.

He would think that was funny.

He did not know that I had a son with beautiful, deep grey eyes and a cheeky smile, and neither did he know that I had a daughter, named after my great-grandmother.

I had no idea where he lived, or even if he lived, and I was suddenly filled with profound sadness at this thought. As soon as I stopped driving I called his phone, hoping he had the same number.

I got voicemail, of course, what an anti-climax, and I left a message just saying I was thinking about him, and maybe we could talk if he wanted to.

I left it in his court, but at the very least I wanted him to know that he was in my thoughts.

I didn’t hear anything for a few days, and then I got a text. Maybe he wasn’t ready to talk, just yet.

Maybe he needed to see if we still had rapport?

After a few tentative texts back and forth, I invited him over for lunch, and I’m so thrilled that I did because it was just like old times.

Friendship is a funny thing, isn’t it?

How someone, with whom you were once invincible, suddenly doesn’t fit, and then perhaps down the line you do fit again. Or you fit differently but it’s still nice.

It isn’t the first time my river meandered away from someone who was my left bank and then, with time, moved back towards them, and I’m sure it won’t be the last, but sometimes you just need to take a step towards someone….make the first move towards rekindling. It’s not about pride, or swallowing it, it’s about saying ‘Life is too damned short, I wonder what my old friend is up to?’

I strongly urge you to call someone today, someone you let slip away, and just tell them you’re thinking of them. You don’t need lunch or a grand gesture.

It feels really nice.

I wanted to BBQ a whole fish this Spring, and this lunch seemed the perfect occasion.

Meet Steve.

He was a 2 kilo snapper, and he was delicious.

I was hoping to BBQ a fish that I had never cooked before but when I was at the fishmonger, Steve was winking at me and I couldn’t resist his fishy goodness.

Yield : 1 BBQ’d fish

You will need :

  • one fish, cleaned and scaled
  • 3 cloves garlic, skin removed
  • juice and zest of 1 lime, retain husks
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 birdseye chili, deseeded if you prefer
  • 50ml olive oil
  •  handful of coriander root and leaves

What you need to do :

  • Score your fish deeply in the sides to allow for the marinade to penetrate.
  • In a mortar and pestle (or small food processor) add everything except the olive oil and pound until it forms a paste. Add your oil and stir to combine.
  • Rub mixture all over your fish, and put empty lime husks inside. Refrigerate for at least 40 minutes for let the flavours infuse.
  • Our fish BBQ cage thing was too small to accommodate Steve so we got a little creative and sandwiched him between two cake racks. He didn’t know the difference and it just kept him over the heat instead on directly on it.
  • We did a little lid up, and then a little lid down action, cooking each side for about 20 minutes. He was pretty fat, so you’ll need to adjust according to the fatness of your fishy.

I really think that BBQing anything makes it yummier, and Steve was no exception. I served him with a soba noodle salad, but you could eat this with rice and Asian greens, or stir fry, or even potato salad if it takes your fancy.

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Proudly Presenting……The Toddler Friendly Recipe Series.

7 Nov

Ok, let’s get this party started………….

Drum roll, please.

LIGHTS!

MUSIC!

Cue dancing bears (politically correct ones only, say, cartoon bears with red tutus.)

Enter white horses with girls in silver sequined leotards blowing trumpets whilst playing harps…….

Laaydiiiiiiiies aaaaaaaand gentlemeeeeeeeen, we at Holsby Inc. are delighted  to present to you, an original recipe book series that will revolutionise your family’s life (or mealtimes, at least).

The ‘Toddler Friendly’ recipe book series is about making your life easier whilst preparing nutritious and fast food for your family. These ebooks are a collection of my most family friendly original recipes presented with stories to brighten your day.

Each book contains three never before (nor ever will be) published recipes, all, naturally, accompanied by my fabulous wit and charm.

These ebooks cater for all-levels of kitchen capability, and I endeavor to encourage you into a new way of thinking for your family’s meals. All recipes have been extensively tested on fussy eaters and little piggies alike.

If you’re stuck in a rut, preparing the same three or four meals for your family, these books are for you, and the stories may just help you belly laugh your way through the mealtime mayhem.

Bon appetit!

‘A fabulous collection of healthy treats and meals for small kids, with some hilarious tales along the way. These are the stories missing from cooking books! Well done, Danielle!’
Beth MacDonald, BabyMac

Well, what a breath of fresh air these books are! I have two very fussy eaters and was always having to make separate meals. After trying a few of Danielle’s recipe’s I now no longer need to do this, we all eat the same thing!  Not having a lot of time on my hands with two little ones plus # 3 on the way plus running my own business I am amazed at how easy the recipes are to follow.  Being in the health & fitness industry it is imperative that my family & I eat healthy meals & Danielle’s recipe’s tick this box also!
 I love the humour & real life stories. I find that I am not only reading a fool-proof recipe, but having a laugh along the way with her humorous & entertaining stories about life.
Thanks Danielle!
Yasmin Tselepis, Owner/Director Yummy Mummys Outdoor Fitness

I’m thrilled to announce some of my favorite peeps and products have shown their support for my ebooks by throwing some great gifts my way to pass on to 4 lucky buyers.

Our very fortunate first prize winner will receive a cheesetastic masterclass with MacIntosh and Bowman Cheesemongers in Sydney. You will receive an artisan cheese education and appreciation class valued at $99 GV. You choose your own adventure according to your tipple of choice;

  • Boutique Craft Beer & Artisan Cheese
  • Whisky & Artisan Cheese
  • Wine & Artisan Cheese

Generally, I will only put people with Sydney postcodes in the draw for this prize, however, if you live elsewhere and want to travel to experience this cheesy goodness then please drop me a comment.

3 other lucky winners will receive gift packs with some of my favorite supermarket items in it. These are things that are always in my pantry, and now I would like them to be in yours.

Red Island Olive Oil is, in my opinion, the best olive available in mainstream supermarkets.
100% Australian owned, the olives grown in our home soil and climate create a distinctly different flavour to their European counterparts. It’s green and herbaceous flavour makes it perfect for salad dressings, drizzling and even just dunking bread.
I’ve paid up to $40 for great olive oil, but Red Island is as affordable as it is delicious.

Marion Grasby became a house-hold name after being a Masterchef contestant, and she now is creating and distributing her own line of Thai and Asian foods, Marion’s Kitchen. I have found these ‘Marion’ boxes a god-send in these last months on those nights that I’m too tired to be fabulous on my own and I need a little helping hand.
Ranging from Thai Curries, to Sang Choy Bow, her whole range can be on the table in about half an hour, but they do not compromise on flavour. I don’t use packet foods, but this is a whole new level of quick cooking. You add fresh ingredients, and Marion brings the flavour.

Lindt Chocolate…..need I say more?

Palmolive is a household name synonymous with saving you from ‘dishpan hands’. Their new Heavenly Hands Raspberry Foam will do just that and leave you smelling like berries. Perfect for keeping by the sink to ensure your hands are always clean!

These are products that I honestly love and I’m thrilled that they’re supporting my launch. Sadly, only people residing in Australia are eligible for prizes…..although international buyers will be gifted with my eternal gratitude……..

But the love does not stop there, my pretties, no, no.

‘I am super blown away by these books- they are divine and it’s so enjoyable to get distracted from what your trying to make… or just consider making, with your quirky, funny tales. I love that you write like you talk! I can hear you when I read!!’
Claudia MacIntosh Bowman, MacIntosh Bowman Cheesemongers

Toddler Friendly Cooking and Toddler Friendly Baking will each be selling separately for $15.oo, but as a thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey, for a limited time, I want to do a launch special of $25.00 for the two ebooks!

That’s an extra fiver in your pocket!!

These ebooks are the perfect gift for Christms as you save on wrapping and postage. That’s even more savings to spend on life’s important things like wine and coffee!

Buy now here!

I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to send in a review or a comment or love of any kind.

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