Kitchen Therapy

Tag Archives: cooking


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Buttermilk Crumb Muffins

This muffin was simple, sweet and easy.
The way life is meant to be.

Don’t get me wrong, I love fancy cakes.
With layers, fillings and frostings.
They’re stunning to look at and exciting to cut into.

But after dealing with the everyday dramas of life, every now and then you can’t beat simple.

It’s predictable.
Comforting.
Satisfying.

The perfect snack to come home to after school.
To fill up on after jumping on the trampoline with friends.
To pick at while catching up with friends over a cup of tea.
And to grab before heading out to the evening’s futsal match.

So when you are ready for some sweet simplicity in you life, head over to Alisa’s blog, Easier Than Pie to get the recipe.


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Mushroom and Shallot Quiche

This week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe is now one of my all time favourites!
The smell and taste of this quiche was divine.

It’s been a busy few weeks with birthdays and friends…

Halloween…

… and just life in general.

What a great week I chose to return though!

We loved this dish!

Looking forward to catching up with the rest of the French Fridays with Dorie group and reading their thoughts on this recipe!


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Spur of the Moment Vegetable Soup

 

When I initially saw this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe, I made a mental note to myself to give it a miss.

 

We had just returned from a weekend in Melbourne and after spending time in shops like these…

I thought this recipe sounded… boring.

 

In addition to this, is the fact that it’s spring here in Australia.

And when you spend your days like this…

 

 

Soup is kinda the last thing you want to go home to!

A BBQ dinner is where your mind’s at!

But then something happened that made this week’s recipe exactly what we needed.
My 12 year old son had oral surgery.
We noticed a while back one of his baby teeth broke the skin but then disappeared again.
X-rays revealed the tooth beneath it was growing vertically!
The surgeon had to pull out the baby tooth and put in chains to help the tooth beneath it come up.

So with a strict diet of fluids for the next few days, Dorie’s Spur of the Moment Vegetable Soup sounded like a great idea!

 

I followed Dorie’s recipe and then added broccoli, leek and extra potatoes.

This soup was exactly what we needed!
It was tasty, simple to make and everyone enjoyed it.

I am curious to see how the rest of the French Fridays with Dorie group went with this week’s recipe!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Hummus with Grilled Vegetables

This was the perfect recipe to come to home after a week away in Queensland.

Chickpeas.
Tahini.
Garlic.
Lemon.

And if you like it a little spicy, add a dash of cumin or chilli powder.
(Or hungarian paprika like I did)

I grilled some chicken strips to make chicken and hummus wraps for dinner.

 

Then I started to think about how good some grilled zucchini would be with that wrap.
And some eggplant.
And mushrooms.
And wouldn’t it be great to dip some asparagus spears straight into the hummus.
Just for the heck of it!

 

Dinner was amazing!
Dorie Greenspan’s hummus recipe was a hit!

I am looking forward to reading what the rest of the French Fridays with Dorie group thought!

 

 

 

 

 


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Raisin, Walnut and Pumpkin Loaf

I left out the cranberries from this week’s Tuesdays with Dorie recipe. I couldn’t find fresh or frozen ones anywhere! To be honest, fresh cranberries are not something I see too often in our stores. Plenty of dried cranberries! Especially Craisins! They’re actually very popular as a healthy snack. But no fresh ones, so I left them out!
I’m also writing this waiting in line to go on the Arkham Asylum ride at movie world on Queensland’s Gold Coast…
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So it’s going to be short n sweet!
I didn’t particularly like this bread.
I was excited to make it, baking with pumpkin isn’t a big Aussie thing (unless I’m missing something?)! I love the idea of desserts with pumpkin! We tend to keep pumpkin as something you serve alongside a meal or in a salad. So this recipe was new and exciting for me!
Having said that I found the taste bland. Maybe more sugar would have helped? I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s tips once we get back!

Rebecca has the full recipe for you at This Bountiful Backyard if you’d like to check it out!


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Endives, Apples and Grapes

I’ve never had endives.
And to be honest I’m not sure how I feel about them…

I served this dish with pork and baked potatoes.
It was a good combination.
The apples and grapes gave the endives flavour and the pork moisture.
On their own, they tasted like… boiled cabbage.

While I was making dinner a friend came over to pick up her son and she said she cooks with endives regularly.
It gave me confidence to persevere with the dish.
She also said she uses it raw, adding it sparingly to salads.

And there ends my entire experience and knowledge of endives!

We are flying to Queensland as I post this week’s recipe.
A week of theme parks, beaches and galleries!

But I’m curious to see how the rest of the French Fridays with Dorie group felt about this dish and I am already looking forward to catching up when I return!


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Chicken with Peppers

 
I made this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe last week!
I was so impressed with myself!
(I usually complete the recipes on the day they are due!)
And boy was I glad I did this one early!
Today, Friday, is the last day of school for Term 3 in New South Wales, Australia.
The kids now have two weeks off, before going back for one last term of school for 2012.

We live across the road from the school…

 

I took this photo of the school from our driveway.

So after hanging out on the oval for a while after school, all the boys head to our place!
Hot, sweaty and dirty from playing sports.
Thirsty and hungry.
They take over the house.
And there’s never less than 5 of them.

 

It’s become a Friday thing.
And to be honest… I enjoy it.
They leave a trail of grass, dirt and food scraps behind them, but it’s nothing a quick vacuum and mop can’t fix!

Today, being the last day of school, meant most of us mum’s also stayed back at the school, chatting while the kids played. So if I didn’t complete this recipe last week, I would have written it off today and missed out.

And what a shame that would have been!

This dish was delicious!

The whole family loved it!

 

I will definitely be making this again… and again… and again…

It’s not often a dish comes along that we all love.

I am looking forward to reading what the rest of the French Fridays with Dorie group thought of this one!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Spiced Poached Apples

I wasn’t sure about this week’s French Fridays with Dorie recipe.
Apples poached in water with honey, sugar, lemon juice, orange juice, star anise and a cinnamon quill?

Surprisingly I had everything I needed at home.
Add to this, the simplicity of the recipe and I knew I had no excuse!

Once I started cooking, the fragrance of the spices and apples filled the house.
I was hooked!
I decided on the spot to make Vanilla Rice Pudding from a Donna Hay recipe I had used in the past.
I put 1 cup aborio rice in a pan with 4 cups milk, 1/2 cup caster sugar and seeds from one vanilla pod.
I brought it all to a boil then reduced the heat, covered it and cooked it for  about 20 minutes.
I was stirring and checking until the last 5 minutes.
For some reason I chose this moment to call a hotel in Adelaide to check on rates for a holiday we are planning in January. My brain struggles focusing for extended periods of time on one task!
I totally forgot about the rice and it turned out drier than I hoped for but I followed a tip I had read from Joy the Baker and added extra milk and stirred it through! Thank you Joy the Baker! It tasted amazing!

The next morning I sent everyone off to school and I remembered my poached apples!
I put them on top of a bowl of yoghurt and sat in the warm sun on the back porch.
I have to say while my husband loved them with the rice custard, I fell in love with the apple and yoghurt combo!

I still have some left…

I love knowing I can just pull them out of the fridge and add them to whatever takes my fancy!

I am looking forward to seeing how the rest of the French Fridays with Dorie group enjoyed this week’s recipe!


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Freshwater Beach, Cappuccino and Orange Butter Drops with Coconut

It’s spring!
The weather is warming up, the days are getting longer and everything looks so vibrant and colourful.
Feels like all my senses are coming alive.
The jasmine that covers our fence is in full bloom.
Each time I step outside I can smell it. 
Hanging out the laundry has suddenly become a pleasant experience!

The track leading to Manly beach goes right past our house.
I walk it regularly. 
But suddenly it’s so alive!
The scenery I’ve taken for granted all winter has me slowing down to take it all in.

I walked to Manly and then continued on to Freshwater beach this weekend.
I stopped for a cappuccino at the kiosk attached to the very popular Pilu restaurant (upper right hand pic below) while I waited for my husband and kids to meet me.
They made my cappuccino with real chocolate flakes! 
How decadent!
(the little bit I actually got to taste was amazing!)
A perfect way to finish my walk!

The spring light and sunshine had me inspired.
After a leisurely lunch at Dee Why beach I couldn’t wait to get home and make these Orange Butter Drops with Shredded Coconut from my latest crush, my One Girl Cookies cookbook.
I’ve had my eye on these cookies for a while now and today was the perfect day to make these little bursts of sunshine!
My little monkey and I made these in no time and my friend arrived as I pulled them out of the oven.
We sat around the kitchen bench dipping them into the orange and cream cheese glaze, then the coconut and then straight into our mouths!
They were incredibly pretty to look at and tasted delicious!

ORANGE BUTTER DROPS with Shredded Coconut
(One Girl Cookies)

3 /4 cup granulated sugar
grated zest of one orange
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1. Put the granulated sugar and the orange zest in a medium bowl. Using both hands, rub the sugar into the orange zest. Put the mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, and add the flour and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds.

2. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the pieces of butter. When the mixture begins to look like crumbs, add the vanilla. Gradually add 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese. When the dough starts to clump together, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead it by hand for a few seconds until it is fully combined.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C.

4. Scoop out a small round of dough, about 1 1/2 tablespoons in size. Roll the scoop into a ball, place it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, and gently press the ball. Repeat, leaving 1 inch between cookies. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until golden around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

5. Prepare the glaze: In the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon cream cheese, the orange juice, and the confectioner’s sugar. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 more minutes. The glaze should be as thick as glue.

6. Spread the coconut on a plate. Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze, dip into the shredded coconut (I used dessicated coconut), and let set for 20 minutes.


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What Can You Do With Left Over Egg Yolks? Creme Brulee!

My daughter turned 15 the day she left for ski camp.
We had a dinner the night before to celebrate.
I asked her “what cake would you like me to make?”
She said “Pavlova!”
We adore pavlova in our family.
I usually make a 12 egg white pavlova and there’s never any left over for the next day.
We had a great dinner and the next morning we dropped her off at school at 6am.
She spent her birthday on a 6 hour bus ride to the snow with her friends.

I was so excited to have her back a week later, I made another pavlova to welcome her home!

I was telling my friend I was making another pavlova and she said, “You make a lot of pavlova’s! What do you do with all the egg yolks?”
Innocent enough, right?
I stared at her blankly… the egg yolks?
I’ve always thrown them out without a second thought.
Her question caught me off guard.
It made me look at my habits.
Suddenly all I could hear going through my head was Maya Angelou’s famous quote:

“When you know better, you do better.” 

My blissful ignorance was shattered and I had to change my wasteful ways.
So I turned to Google.
And Google led me straight to Creme Brulee.

I had never, ever made creme brulee or custard of any sort from scratch.
The first thing I did was go out and get myself a blow torch (which I had secretly been coveting for some time.)

Next I opened Dorie Greenspan’s book ‘Around My French Table’ and hoped there’d be a recipe in there for creme brulee. I figured one day the recipe would come up with the French Fridays with Dorie Group and I would be prepared ahead of time! A first for me!
Dorie did have a recipe for creme brulee! Yay!
However my smug happiness was short lived!
The French Fridays with Dorie group had already completed this recipe… last year!

I decided to put this week’s scheduled recipe on hold as my daughter was bringing a bunch of friends over after school and I was making her a third pavlova, one to share with her friends!

I then proudly used the left over egg yolks to make Dorie Greenspan’s creme brulee!

The girls devoured the pavlova as soon as they walked in the door.
There was 7 of them and the pavlova didn’t stand a chance!

After dinner I pulled out the creme brulee and we all stood around the kitchen bench talking about boys and taking turns melting the sugar on top.
The girls loved it!
I could not believe how delicious it was!
I SMS’d my friend and proudly told her I used the egg yolks to make creme brulee and thanked her for bringing something so incredibly easy to make and delicious into my life!

I can’t wait to check out this week’s recipeFrench Fridays with Dorie group, but I have to say I am so glad I caught up on a recipe I had missed. A recipe that will now be made every time I make a pavlova!