I love Meatballs. I feel like that is all I need to say except it is probably not enough. Meatballs are genius. You can load them up with pretty much anything, have them on a burger, in a sauce or soup. They can be inspired by so many different cuisines…..Greek...
We often look at meals with lots of butter as naughty, particularly if they are covered in bread crumbs and accompanied by mashed potato. As much as I love a naughty meal every now and then, I like to look at new ways of cooking them with a little less naughtiness as...
These Vietnamese Beef Noodle Bowls are the absolute epitome of a healthy summer meal. Full of protein, loaded with fresh, healthy vegetables, a small amount of fat, a few nuts, a few carbs in the form of a rice noodle, a zesty, sharp dressing and a load of punchy...
I think it is absolutely astounding how far the humble vegetable has come in the last 10 years. Gone are the days of boring side dishes, when the vegetables resembled anything but a good healthy veg and more like Boarding School or Hospital fodder or your last meal on...
This Easy Chicken & Chickpea Curry was just that. Easy for the cook, easy on the purse strings and easy on the waist line. I counted 11 chicken curries on the website and it really goes to show how versatile curry can be. Although they often have similar...
I know I keep banging on about the weather and I am super happy to see the warmer weather, but I won’t lie. I was not too disappointed to get that last cold snap so that I could happily eat these mind blowingly good Beef Sausages with an epic beer, bacon and...
With the onset of Spring it is time to eat a little lighter. This simple Steamed Salmon with Ginger & Shiitake Mushrooms certainly hit the brief. Low fat, full of flavour and deliciously fragrant, it was a breeze to make, even the most basic of cooks could knock...
So with winter coming to an end, as much as I am looking forward to eating fresh, light and often exciting Summer food, I go into a bit of a panic mode and feel the need to cook just one more roast, or stew, or ragu. Almost like it is my last meal (God forbid) and I...
There is a really old recipe on the website that I have been making for years, Thai Peanut Chicken with Coconut Rice. It is one of my Son, Jake’s favourites and is super easy and perfect for busy weeknights. Whenever I make it , there is enough paste to freeze...
Ok, I am calling this dish Italian Chicken Stew. It really is a version of Chicken Cacciatore but I have a recipe for that already on the website. This one does differ in many ways, but I know that people cook the other version so I need to differentiate. Truth be...
I had both my boys home for dinner the other day and I always like to make a bit of a fuss when we are all together. I had an abundance of Mediterranean vegetables in the fridge (fennel, zucchini, red & yellow capsicum) that I thought would pair really well with...
I was doing the groceries at Harris Farm Markets a couple of weeks ago and I don’t know about you, but when I shop there I tend to walk out with way more items than intended. Not only do I never take enough bags in, my credit card also cops a slight beating as I...
We do not eat enough fish. I’m not sure why as I absolutely adore it and every time I cook it I vow to do it more often. I am a huge fan of fish with Mediterranean flavours as I just think they compliment each other beautifully. Salty capers and olives with...
This is one of my favourite foodies, Jamie Oliver’s Epic Steak recipe from his 5 Ingredients cook book. The recipes are so good and super simple, perfect for busy people and those that find cooking a bit of a task. For those that love cooking like myself, I like...
I am a total pasta lover. For me, it is the epitome of comfort on a plate. It is a weekly staple in our house and almost always on a Monday night. This is for two reasons. After a celebratory weekend I feel the need for carbohydrates (even though Monday is always...
Well, well, well. Just when I think I am recipe’d out, my wine soaked brain does incredible things and conjures up a delectable feast such as this. I was feeling so darn uninspired when I went to the supermarket and was totally thinking along the lines of...
I call this my ‘Quick’ Chicken Laksa as it is a cheats version of what I would normally make, as I try as often as possible to make my own paste. In reality, sometimes I just don’t have the time, or the ingredients to make my own and I always keep a...
Who doesn’t love a good old Shepherds Pie? Traditionally made with leftover roast lamb which is quite funny as there is rarely leftover roast lamb in our house. This version is rich and satisfying, made with finely minced lamb and a gravy, laden with red wine...
When the kids were little Old El Paso Beef Tacos were a permanent fixture on our menu. You know the type? Beef mince with shredded iceberg, chopped tomatoes, tasty cheese and a bit of bottled salsa thrown in. Grated carrot sometimes had a look in if I was feeling...
I’m not sure if you saw my recent instagram post about this Irish Lamb Shank dish but it was one of those recipes that evolved from what I had originally planned. It was a cold day and I went to the supermarket with a bit of an idea that I would be making a stew...
I am a firm believer that adapting a recipe from its traditional version is what cooking is all about. It is how food evolves and improves and while there is nothing quite like the original, a new take is always a welcome change. Change is good. My version of Pork Mee...
This version of Lamb Pide is a super easy, sensationally tasty and budget friendly option for a make at home Turkish meal that will surely become a family favourite. Get your Jamie Oliver on and make a visually stunning, party style share platter or serve them...
This one was a bit of an experiment and holy moly, I sure was pleased with the result. I used a poaching technique that I found on the website of Australia’s most successful food blogger, Nagi from Recipe Tin Eats (jealous much). I didn’t use her recipe...
Osso Bucco. Classic Italian comfort food consisting of slow cooked beef shin, immersed in a gorgeously rich Italian tomato sauce, topped with a zesty Gremolata. It does not stop there. This divine meal is elevated to foodgasmic heights with the addition of sweet but...
A true Porchetta is a boned and rolled suckling pig, stuffed with flavourings such as its own offal, fennel and herbs and then cooked over a fire pit. Not so this one as A. I didn’t have a suckling pig and B. I am not Italian and this is purely an Em’s...
*Revised Recipe* This Sesame Salmon recipe has been on my website since day dot and I am kicking myself for not cooking it more often. For some reason we have this notion that to put a crust on something or stuff something is a difficult process, when in fact it...
I have been cooking Spaghetti Arrabiata for about 15 years and we still have it about once a month. It is a staunch family fave that never changes. It is like your old fluffy slippers, your cuddly bear with the torn ear or your grey old dressing...
Carbonara is an Italian pasta dish that I have always wanted to master and while it has the most simple of ingredients, the method of getting it right is quite tricky. The traditional method uses eggs to create a rich sauce without the addition of cream, which is...
One of my absolute favourite things in the world is any kind of dish involving cured fish. More commonly, I have had sashimi and ceviche but after watching an episode of Jamie Cooks Italy, I just knew that my new found love would be Crudo. ‘Crudo’ in...
*Revised Brisket Recipe* I have been meaning to do something with the fabulous cut of Beef Brisket for quite a while. Why? Cheap, full of flavour and just like the Pulled Pork Lasagne on the website, it is largely a set and forget type meal. Bung it in the slow...
These aromatic little bundles of Moroccan Meatball joy make a fabulously cheap and cheerful, midweek family meal or are equally impressive on the dinner party menu. Lightly spiced, tender and poached in a rich, lemony sauce they will appeal to everyone and can be...
*Thai Fish Cakes Revised Recipe* Thai Fish Cakes have always been my favourite Thai starter so I thought why not upsize them! The quintessential balance of flavours……. hot, salty, sweet and sour that make Thai and other Asian cuisines so darn good are a stand out in...
I wasn’t sure what to call this recipe as Potato Salad didn’t really seem to quite cut it. However, the title would have been a bit ridiculous and a little something like Sublime Potato Salad with Duck Egg & Seeded Mustard Mayonnaise, Boiled Egg, Dill,...
Ok, so I want to make one thing clear. I am definitely not a vegan and while I respect vegans and what they stand for, I am definitely not becoming a vegan. I did however, want to challenge myself to cook a vegan meal and not just any vegan meal, because that could...
Well wan’t this just a big old bowl of comfort. A pimped up version of potato and leek soup, purely because I had half a cauliflower and a fennel bulb in the fridge that needed to be used and I loathe waste. I roasted the fennel and cauliflower for maximum...
I love Kale and always have a bag of ready chopped in the fridge to add to pastas, soups, salads etc. It rarely goes to waste in my house but at the moment, with all of this Corona stuff going on, I am trying to avoid going to the shops as much as I can. This means I...
I could taste this Curry Chicken soup recipe for days in my imagination and I can so remember that taste of good old curry powder right back to my Nanna’s cooking when I was a child. That heady smell of spices just takes me right back. However, food has come a...
I absolutely adore making Risotto. There is something so therapeutic about the cooking process, the gradual adding and stirring that I find totally relaxing. I always set myself up with the ingredients prepped and ready so that I am not caught out at the last minute...
I have made other versions of Beef Bourguignon in the past and I even think there is a really old recipe of this delectable, indulgent beef stew already on the website that is served with a salt baked baked potato. This version is slightly updated and served with a...
I have been meaning to make an Em’s Food version of this delightful Street style Vietnamese Meatball Salad ever since I visited Vietnam in 2017. What the hell have I been waiting for? This was so damn good, super duper easy and so refreshingly light that I was...
There are many marriages in the food world that border on perfection and this marriage of Figs & Blue Cheese is absolutely no exception. I had a bunch of figs in the fridge and it took me days to decide what I wanted to do with them until friends arrived with a...
I’m always looking for vegetarian recipes that are ‘Meaty’. The kind where you really don’t even think about the fact that there is no meat in them and they leave you feeling satisfied and not missing the fact that there is no bone to gnaw on...
Quite possibly my main source of inspiration to create new recipes is to use up what I have in the perishables department. I loathe waste and try really hard to not throw away perfectly good food just because it is a little past its used by date. This Risoni Bake was...
Lamb shoulder is the total goods, particularly slow cooked, Middle Eastern style with a gloriously nutty, fresh and zesty salad and roasted garlic infused yoghurt. There really is not much more to say about this one except that I am advising you to cook it, today. If...
I have discovered that one way to be inspired in the kitchen is to purchase different types of meat, pop it in the freezer and then peruse magazines and cook books and google recipes until I can come up with something blog-worthy. This is exactly how this Pork Fillet...
So I had a big night a week or so ago at an hilarious event at our local surf club to raise much needed funds. The event was Bogan Bingo and you are actually reading this recipe from the Bogan Bingo Queen, like actually. When I won the said title there was nothing...
If you read my last recipe, you will discover that I had a notion of being vegetarian or vegan. That feeling very quickly subsided when I took my first mouthful of this said recipe (Braised Chicken, Beans, Pancetta & Tomatoes, you should check it out on the home...
I recently had a bit of a weird notion that I could actually be a vegetarian or even vegan and that I could really make a go of this blogging thing, as that would be my point of difference (i’m not bad with the veggie recipes). Then I made this braised chicken...
Coming up with new and exciting pasta dishes can present a bit of a challenge in my house as every member of the family has their favourite and they don’t like to deviate. On this occasion I decided not to ask their opinions and went about creating a beautiful,...
So I recently cooked a Japanese pork belly and udon noodle broth (recipe will be coming soon) that I really wanted to use pickled Daikon (Japanese radish) in, to add a little sharp freshness. The problem was, the only Daikon I could find was absolutely monstrous and I...
