What a beautiful, sunny looking antipasto to make when the day looks so dull and dreary!  Traditional fresh mozzarella is usually sold in containers of brine, shaped into delicate balls. Fresh mozzarella can be purchased in Italian specialty shops, cheese markets, and some natural foods and grocery stores. Originally made from the milk of water…

Homemade egg pasta rocks!  Two simple ingredients that make boring into amazing.  Making homemade pasta isn’t as daunting as one might think and it’s actually therapeutic.  Don’t worry if you don’t have a pasta machine as you can use a rolling pin.  Once you get the hang of making your own pasta, why not experiment…

It’s been a while since I last did a posting on a Jamie Oliver recipe and this one seemed to jump off the page.  This dish is from Jamie’s Italy and is a great book to have.  As in all of Jamie’s cookbooks, this one is full of delicious recipes and with over 120 of…

I enjoy roasting vegetables as this method tends to bring out the sweetness in the vegetable and is another easy alternative to steaming.  Halloumi, the squeaky cheese, does not melt when heated. Instead it develops a delicious crust that surrounds a slightly springy, mild interior that squeaks between your teeth! Halloumi is the traditional white…

For me, pound cake is synonymous with baked goodies our mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers made.  The word pound in the title refers to the ingredients because the original recipes contained a pound of butter, sugar, eggs and flour.  Another interesting note on the origin of words is the same idea applies to cupcakes. The…

Massaman is one of my favorite curries.  It is a Thai dish with Muslim origins.  It is commonly made with beef but you can also use chicken, lamb, pork or tofu.  The name Massaman is thought to be derived from the word Musulman which is a linguistic variation of the word Muslim.  Thai Massaman curry…

This is a warming and hearty dish.  Garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas) have a delicious nut like taste and buttery texture. Chickpeas are an excellent source of protein, dietary fiber, folate and are one of the earliest cultivated vegetables.  While many people think of chickpeas as being beige in color, there are varieties that…

I first tried these delicious mini cakes when I lived in Hong Kong and it seemed that a lot of the coffee shops there sold them.  They are very addictive and it’s been a couple of years since I last had one.  Lamingtons are named after Charles Cochrane-Baille, 2nd Baron Lamington, who served as Governor…

For the love of coffee!!  Coffee is alluring, intoxicating and is the drink of choice for millions. It’s one of the largest traded commodities in the world and plays a role in the lives of millions of people every day. There are two main species of coffee: coffea robusta and the Arabica bean. The robusta…

Food in a flash was the title that caught my eye in the October issue of Australian Good Taste magazine.  I’m a fan of simple, wholesome food prepared with minimal time in the kitchen and this dish is ready in 15 minutes!  And, look at all the vegetables in one dish.  Did you know that…

Crème brûlée (French for “burnt cream“) is also known as crema catalana (Spanish) or Trinity cream (English).  It is a rich dessert with a custard base and a hard caramel top which is created by caramelizing sugar under the broiler or using a blowtorch. The custard base is normally flavored with just vanilla, but it…

Halloween is celebrated every October 31st and has roots in the Celtic festival, Samhain (old Irish meaning “summer’s end”).  The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the after world became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family’s ancestors were honored and invited home whilst…