How To Kill A Lasagna in 30 Seconds...

 A few years back, my now husband David, begged me to make a lasagna for a little getaway at Mount Tamborine. Knowing how long a real lasagna takes, I was hesitant.

When my parents made Lasagna - only for for special occasions - they would make their own passata (tomato sauce) and use fresh pasta sheets. It wasn't eaten a lot in our family for this reason. I'm sure they found it hard enough bringing up four girls, without having to do all of that as well. 
But you know what? I made him one from scratch. It took me the good part of a day as I was working in my cake studio as well.

Little did I know what would happen once I brought the Lasagna out as a surprise for him on the first day of our holidays...
David pulled out the Fountain BBQ sauce and proceeded to pour it all over his slice! I almost died of shock. 

You may think this is fine. Or you may agree with me that any true blooded Italian would have ended the relationship then and there. 
But no. It must be love...

So if you don't have time for someone to ruin a proper lasagna and they won't appreciate the time it takes to make one, then this recipe is just as good and it makes a yummy, great lasagna. They won't even know the difference!

A Lasagna Love

Here's an easy lasagna recipe that will keep everyone happy and you won't have to slave over the stove top!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total: 50 minutes

Recipe 

1 Brown Onion
3 Garlic Cloves
3 Stalks Fresh Oregano
1 Stalk Fresh Basil
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 kg Beef Mince
3 Cans Tin Chopped Tomatoes
1 Dash of Red Wine (optional)
1 500g Barilla Lasagna Sheets
1 Mozzarella Ball
1 500g Shredded Mozzarella
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan
Salt & Pepper - to taste

Method 

Start by chopping up  your onion, garlic & oregano, then slice your basil leaves.
Keep these to one side and pre-heat the olive oil in a saucepan.
One by one, add the onion and garlic. Stir in between each addition and allow to brown. 
Add your beef mince and mix through. Once reasonably cooked, pour in your canned tomatoes.

Then sprinkle in your chopped oregano; mix...and add your sliced basil.

Try a little. If it needs salt and pepper, add some. Allow to cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes. Check every now and again in case it needs a stir so it doesn't stick on the bottom.

Try a little more. At this point, if you think it may be a nice addition and like the flavour of red wine, add a dash of your favourite. It's a good excuse to have a glass!

Otherwise, allow it to cool down slightly.
While waiting, thinly slice your mozzarella ball and place to one side.

Have a lasagna dish ready to go. Spoon some of your sauce onto the base so the lasagna sheets don't stick.
Then place a layer of lasagna sheets down. Break them as needed to ensure your whole tray is covered.
Using a spoon, add some of the beef mix and spread to the edges. Use sparingly, you want to have as many layers as your can! Place the mozzarella slices on top with a slight sprinkling of the shredded mozzarella too.
Then add another layer of lasagna sheets, beef sauce and more mozzarella. Continue until you have reached the top of your tray. 

For the top, repeat one last time and add the grated parmesan for a little extra zing. 

Salt and pepper the top.

Cover the tray with aluminium foil and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and replae in the oven to allow cheese to brown beautifully.

Around 20 minutes or when the cheese is slightly toasted, remove from the oven. Use a flat egg spatula to serve.

TIP: If you have too much beef sauce, keep it warm and serve it to guests who prefer a saucier lasagna!

Happy Hunting!

Haunted Halloween Hunt

I know, I know. We're not America.
But any excuse to get dressed up. Plus it's scary. And I loooove scary.
Ever since I was a little girl, I loved horror movies. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, witches & all things sci-fi/fantasy. They are my go to. A great escape from reality.
I would watch them with my Dad - much to my mother's angst. 
It was a great bonding time. 

Over the years, I've always enjoyed throwing together a Halloween party and some have been an absolute hoot. Usually we encourage people to bring a plate which gets everyone involved and becomes less hassle to try and think of ideas.

Haunting Halloween Favours

What to make when you're either holding a Halloween party or need to bring a plate to one...
In the past, I've covered maggot tomatoes, sticky ribs, and even made an IT clown red velvet cake amongst others...
The below are the easy ones that won't take long and the kids can help too.
I've only made a small amount of each to give you an idea but you can make as many as you want.

Recipe - Scary Spider Eggs

5 Eggs
Salt & Pepper
1 tsp. Black Food Colouring
1 tbsp. Aioli
1 tbsp. Baby Capers
1-2 drops Red Food Colouring
5 Black Olives

Method - Scary Spider Eggs

Fill a saucepan with water and add some salt - place on high heat. Once the water has come to a rolling boil, place the eggs gently into the water. Leave for 5 minutes, then bring the heat down to low.
After 10minutes, place the eggs under running cold water to cool them down and make them manageable.
Crack the egg shells gently, making sure the shell doesn't come apart. Place them into a deep glass bowl. Add your black food colouring to the bowl and pour hot water until the eggs are covered in the black liquid. Set aside for five minutes.
Empty the bowl of water and peel the eggs. Cut each in half and remove the yolks, placing them into a small bowl. Keep the marbled eggs in the fridge to firm up.
With the yolks, season with salt and pepper, add aioli and chopped baby capers. Mix well. Add the red food colouring and stir until well mixed through.
Place the mix into a piping bag, and pipe the red yolks back into the empty egg cavity. 
Slice the olives in half lengthways, place on top of the red piped yolk to form the spiders body. The other half can be sliced finely, then halved for the spiders' legs - make sure you have 4 on each side of the spider body. Ready to serve.

Recipe - Mummy Madness

1 pkt Cocktail Frankfurts
1 Puff Pastry Sheet
1 Jar Sugar Eyes
1 tspn. Cream Cheese
Tomato Sauce for serving

Method - Mummy Madness

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
Thaw 1 sheet of puff pastry. Cut in half. Slice into roughly 5mm strips then wrap each frankfurt with pastry until they resemble mummies. 
Place onto lined baking tray and place in oven for 10 minutes. 
Remove and allow to cool down so you can handle the frankfurts without burning yourself. 
Using a small knife or palette knife, place a small amount of cream cheese behind each eyeball and attach two to each frankfurt. Serve with a small bowl of tomato sauce (blood! - LOL).

Recipe - Red Eyes

10 Button Mushrooms
5 Cherry Tomatoes
5 Cherry Bocconcini
2 Stuffed Green Olives
Olive Oil
Salt & White Pepper - to taste

Method - Red Eyes

Pre-heat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
Scoop out the stem and inners of the mushrooms with a spoon or knife. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and remove seeds. Place each half empty side up inside the empty mushroom.
Inside the tomato, place half of a cherry bocconcini. Trim if necessary to ensure the top of the mushroom is flat.
Thinly slice the green olives and place a slice on each mushroom as the eyeball. Place your eyeballs on a baking tray.
Drizzle each mushroom lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and white pepper.
Cook for 10 minutes to soften the cheese and bring the flavour out. Serve!

Recipe - Witches Fingers with Frogs Blood

1 Bunch Dutch Carrots
1 tbsp.. Cream Cheese
1 Slice Green Capsicum
1 Container French Onion Dip
2 Drops Green Food Colouring

Method - Witches Fingers with Frogs Blood

Wash the carrots thoroughly but don't peel. Lay them flat on a chopping board to see the way the carrot lie and slice a small section at the tip where the nail will attach. Trim any stringy parts. Remove the top's so they resemble severed fingers.
Slice the membrane off the capsicum and you will be left with a thin outer skin to slice the nails. Using a small sharp knife, cut triangles out of the skin to resemble nails. Attach with a small amount of cream cheese on each carrot. Place onto serving platter.
In a small bowl, mix the French onion dip and the green food colouring, Place with witches fingers and don't forget to let everyone know what they're eating!

Recipe - Prosciutto Zombie Head

1 large plastic or glass skull head
1 string battery operated small LED lights
15 thin slices prosciutto

Method - Prosciutto Zombie Head

Fill the skull with the lights. Cover the skull with the sliced prosciutto making sure each slice overlays the others so they stick correctly.
Present in darkness on platter and don't forget to turn on the lights!

Happy Hunting! 

On the Hunt for Yummy Rump?

Heartwarming dishes that make you feel fuzzy inside. 

When you're sitting around at home online, trying to get a job and the job market is overun with everyone else who is unemployed you, begin to feel a little dejected. 

It's a slow to start feeling because you believe you will get a job straight away. It can't be that hard. 

All sorts of stories inundate you on social media about being positive and the 'one door closes, another will open' mantra is playing over and over in your mind.

What do I do - I revert to food. In the fridge was a lovely packet of rump steak.

I could have just seared them in a frying pan or on the BBQ...instead, I thought I would revert to a food that warms me to the bone - a pie. 

noun

a baked dish of fruit, or meat and vegetables, typically with a top and base of pastry.

Is it still a pie if there's no pastry? Well, a Shepherds Pie has mash on top...so I guess so. I prefer chunks of meat in my pies and that's why I've used Rump steak. This doesn't mean it can't be replaced with Chuck steak if you have this at hand instead.

Let me know how it goes!

Rump Steak & Mushroom "Pie"?

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour

Recipe - Rump Mix

2 Carrots

1 Brown Onion

250g Button Mushrooms

2 Garlic Cloves

500g Rump Steak

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper - to taste

10g Butter

1 handful Cornflour

1 can chopped Roma Tomatoes

1 cup Chicken Stock

1 dash Worcestershire Sauce

1 dash BBQ Sauce

250g Shredded Tasty Cheese

Recipe - Mash Topping

5 large Brushed Potatoes

Salt

10g Butter

1 Egg

1 dollop Pouring Cream

Method

Start by placing a saucepan of salted water on high heat. Peel and chop potatoes - the smaller, the better as they will cook faster. Add to hot water gently so as not to burn yourself.

As they boil, get the rest of the veggies ready: peel and chop carrots and place on a plate.

Then take the outer skin off the onion and dice. Leave it on the plate beside the carrots.

Quarter the button mushrooms and leave on plate as well. Peel the garlic cloves and leave for later.

Trim the fat off the rump steak and cut into roughly 3-4cm squares. 

Heat a frying pan with the olive oil; once hot, carefully add the rump steak. Allow this to brown and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Once the steak is reasonably cooked, remove from the heat and place into a bowl - set aside.

In the juices left in the frying pan, add the diced onion. Stir until the onion becomes translucent in colour and then toss in the 10g butter and crush the garlic into the pan. Keep stirring in between each addition to ensure everything becomes well cooked and prevents the ingredients from sticking to the pan base. 

Add the chopped carrots and then the mushrooms. Once the vegetables have become a little tender, return the cooked rump steak to the pan.

Sprinkle a handful of cornflour over the pan mixture and stir through. Then pour in the canned tomato and chicken stock. Mix well.

At this point, if you taste the ingredients and find them slightly bitter you can add a sprinkle of caster sugar...if all is good, I like to add the Worcestershire and BBQ sauce for tastiness. Leave on a low heat to reduce the sauce whilst finishing mash. Turn on oven to  200 degrees Celsius.

In the meantime, check the potatoes. If a fork easily sinks into them, they're ready to be drained.

Using a ricer, place the chopped potatoes inside and press until all mashed into a bowl. Add the other 10g of butter; crack an egg in the bowl and pour in the dollop of cream. Stir through with a spoon until nicely amalgamated. Allow to cool.

Using a shallow baking dish, pour in the cooked steak and vegetable ingredients. Smooth over to make a level top.

Take the mashed potato and spoon onto the meat. Then using a fork, spread out over the dish until completely covered. Sprinkle with tasty cheese.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place into the oven for 20 minutes. Then remove alfoil to allow top cheese to brown. 

Serve in bowl or deep dish. Just devine!

Happy Hunting!

Connections Made Easy - With Food

It was a "Sabrina" moment. 

Ever had one of those moments where a friend messages and says they're on their way over? I scrambled through the fridge to find I had some egg yolks left over from dinner and puff pastry....easy custard tarts for afternoon tea.

Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina goes to Bogart's cupboard to fid it bare but somehow manages to pull off a dinner the millionaire is impressed with. Well, why not? 

Back when I was a kid, my parents used to always have their go-to's for when family or friends would stop by.
Mum and Dad used to have Amareti biscuits or almond biscuit slices for sweets; there were boxes of chocolates hidden away in the pantry along with home made treats. They were there for us kids to eat but we never over indulged, so ultimately there was always something to give to guests. 

I find that as I've gotten older, we don't really do this anymore. Why not? We should. It's just about being hospitable. Knock on the neighbours door with a little something left over. Start a conversation. We're human after all and it's nice to meet people and get to know someone new or reconnect with a friend you haven't seen in ages.

With the Covid pandemic, we were told to stop entertaining and not to visit anymore. As humans we need connection. We crave contact. As much as we tell ourselves we're happy on our own. Try it and you'll be amazed at the people out there and their stories.

Whatever happened to community and knowing who lived down the street? Have we really become so insulated. So introverted in life, yet extroverted on social media? "Bugger that!", I say. 

My Easy Custard Tarts are a little Portuguese; a little left over ingredients... and a lot rustic. I'm hoping they will satisfy your hunt for good easy food, as much as they did mine. Make them yours and make a connection! 

Easy Custard Tarts

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total: 50 minutes

With some left over egg yolks and a couple of sheets of thawed puff pastry, these custard tarts will have you making new friends in no time.

Recipe 

2 x Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed

A sprinkle of Caster Sugar

Canola Oil Spray

4 tbsp. Cornflour

4 tbsp. Custard Powder

4 cups Milk - at room temperature

8 Egg Yolks

1 1/2 cups Caster Sugar 

1 squirt of Queen Vanilla Bean Paste

Method - Tart Shells

Heat your oven up to 180 degrees Celsius.

Cut your two puff pastry sheets in half. Sprinkle caster sugar on two halves and then place the plain section on top of the one with the sugar. 

Roll up the two sections width ways and then with a sharp knife, slice each roll in half on chopping board.
Slice in half once more until you have four sections on each roll. Each of those sections is then sliced into three equal portions.

Lightly dust your chopping board with some flour and place one cut section flat in the centre of the board.

With a small rolling pin, roll each cut section until you have approximately a 10cm round. They don't need to be perfect - we want a rustic look.

Spray a 12 Cavity Muffin tray with Canola oil and gently place a puff pastry round into each hole.

Once the trays are full, place them into the fridge while making the custard.

Method - Custard Filling

In a saucepan on the stove, on low heat, add the cornflour, custard powder and milk. Whisk together to ensure there are no lumps forming. 

Once you have a smooth liquid, add the egg yolks and turn the heat up to medium. Keep stirring with your whisk as the custard will form quicker than you think.

As soon as the custard is thick, sieve the sugar over the pan and allow it to dissolve. Remove from the heat.

Squeeze the vanilla bean paste in and give the custard one last whisk. Leave to cool slightly - especially if you prefer to use a piping bag to fill...or you can use a tablespoon. 
With the latter, place the piping bag into a tall glass, roll the top over the sides of the glass and make sure the bag isn't clumped together, Pour the custard into the glass until almost full, pull the sides of the bag up and twist the top end. Holding the tip, snip with a pair of scissors and start filling the tart shells.

If you prefer to use a spoon, roughly two tablespoons per tart should be adequate.

Put the filled tarts into the oven for 20 minutes. They are ready when the tops are slightly brown in colour.

When it's time to remove the custard tarts from the oven, be aware that they will have risen and may flatten out as a they cool. After waiting 5 minutes, use a spatula to assist in removing the tarts from the tray and place them onto a wire rack to completely cool. This ensures the tart shell remains crispy.

Plate up/Box up and gift them! Enjoy! 

Happy Hunting!

I’m Going Bananas!

Sunny Queensland. the tropics....

Hunting for a banana cake that can be made into a loaf/bread or even cupcakes??? This is it. 

Summer is coming and the smell of bananas ripening in the fruit bowl is just too much to bear. Everytime they go brown, I throw another into the freezer. Now guess what? Too many bananas! Who would have thought? 

So I've messed around with one of my recipes and brought you this great loaf. You can cut the loaf into slices and serve these warm or individually wrap and freeze - perfect for toasting later.

There's also an option to add walnuts, if you're happy to do so.

Breezy Banana Loaf

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total: 1 hour, 5 minutes

What is more heartwarming than a baked banana loaf in the afternoon? With a lovely short black coffee and a little smeared butter. It’s delish.

This easy banana loaf can be made into cupcakes and cake as well without too much hassle.

Recipe 

3 Over Ripe Bananas

60g Butter - Softened

1/2 cup Caster Sugar

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 small dash of Salt

1 1/2 Cups Plain Flour

1 Egg - Lightly Beaten

1/2 cup Sugar

1 small squirt Vanilla Bean Paste

1 handful Walnuts - optional

1 Banana - for decorating

Method

Prepare your tin with a rubbing of softened butter and line with baking paper.

Turn oven on to 160 degrees Celsius.

Remove the peel from the ripe bananas and place into a medium size bowl. Squash until quite soft and smooshed.

Stir in the butter and add the salt.

Slowly add the flour and fold through until completely mixed in. Make sure any mix on the sides are brought into the centre.

Add the beaten egg, mixing well.

Squeeze in a squirt of vanilla bean paste.

At this point, if you're happy to add walnuts, chop up a handful and stir into the batter gently.

Pour mix into your loaf tin or 7" round cake pan. 

If you're happy to decorate, cut a banana in half and place on top with some half walnuts.
Place into oven and allow to bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. 

Use a ham or bread knife to cut. This will ensure the loaf slices straight.

Happy Hunting!

Footy Fever Sausage Rolls

It's that time of the year...football final season. Rugby League, AFL & Union!
Not that I'm a fan. 
However, I'm in this marriage "for better or for worse" and I need to co-exist in this household so keeping the man happy is as easy as feeding him meat. I get to watch what I want the rest of the time.
Keeping me happy? - I'm happiest in the kitchen. So I may as well make something and make it something I like too - sausage rolls. 
This is a simple recipe that calls for a little frying, and baking. All up it should only take you about 30 minutes to prepare.

Plus, you can freeze some for snacks at a later date. This can be done pre-baking or after...then when the kids bring friends over, they're ready to go!

Dad made these often but they were mostly pork mince and onion. I've embellished them a little over the years with some veggies as I wanted a little healthiness...and the bacon was only added after reading Nagi's great post: https://www.recipetineats.com/special-pork-fennel-sausage-rolls/ last year.
She cooks like I do! 

I'm sure Dad wouldn't have minded the new ingredient! ;) Bacon is always good.

Simple Sausage Rolls

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total: 45 minutes

On the hunt for a great easy Aussie classic? This is the recipe for you! And the flavour in these sausage rolls is so moreish it will have you going back for more!

Watch My Video.

Recipe 

1/2 Brown Onion

1 Carrot

4-5 small Mushrooms

2 Celery Stalks

3 full Bacon Strips

2 Garlic Cloves

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

2 Eggs

Salt & Pepper

500g Pork Mince

1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

3 Parsley Sprigs

3 x Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed

1/2 cup Milk

Smokey BBQ and Tomato Sauce to serve

Method 

Heat your oven up to 180 degrees Celsius.

Place the pork mince into a glass bowl and have another bowl for the chopped ingredients.

Into the second bowl, add chopped onion, carrot, mushrooms. Also place the sliced celery stalks, chopped bacon and minced garlic. 

Heat a frying pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Once hot, add all of the chopped veggies and bacon. Fry until the onions start to clear and the bacon is lovely and crispy. Season with salt and pepper.
Once done, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Crack one egg onto the pork mince and place bread crumbs on top. Finely chop the fresh parsley leaves into the bowl.

As soon as the fried mix is fine to touch, pour the pan ingredients into the first bowl with the pork mince and stir with your hand until everything is mixed through.

Cut your three puff pastry sheets in half and set aside. 

Pile meat mixture into the centre of each puff pastry half sheet. Once you're sure the mix is even amongst the six halves, crack the second egg into milk and mix to make your egg wash.

Brush one side of the minced pastry sheet. This will stick the other side as you roll, removing the plastic backing from the puff pastry.

Slice to the size you require (I prefer into 4 so they are a good size for parties and football).

Prick with a fork to create holes on each, then brush with egg wash.

Place into the oven for 20-30 minutes, (see tip below), checking at the 20 minute mark for a lovely golden colour.

Don't forget to serve with your favourite sauces!

TIP: If slicing the sausage rolls larger, turn the oven down 10 degrees and keep in for longer; if slicing smaller, check on them at the 15minute mark!

                                                      Happy Hunting!

Homely Easy Food Makes a Come Back

Do you eat to live or live to eat? 
For me, it's always been the latter.
I love my food and I love being in the kitchen. If I could, I would be in there all day.
So faced with a redundancy and loads of time on my hands (Covid is still hanging in there) there has been a resurgence in one thing online - cooking. 

Cooking doesn't need to be hard or daunting. Friends have always been amazed at my dinner parties and online food posts. Home food that is made easily and goes down even better, is back!

So, why shouldn't I show you all my easy recipes? I wish I could cook like Heston Blumethal...but I'm more like Anthony Bourdain. Keep it simple.

As I was going to university in the early 90's, I worked in the kitchen of a Leichhardt Cafe/Restaurant. When I was asked to move from waitressing to cooking, (we were short staffed) my mother scoffed and told me to beware that I didn't kill anyone. Oh ye of little faith. 
I actually found my passion in that kitchen. The joy on customers faces as they had their first mouthfuls of food gave me a high. A sense of belonging. Anyone who has ever worked in hospitality knows this feeling and knows it well. If you don't, then I fear you were not made for serving.

Having married a man who had two teenagers, my cooking skills came quite in handy. They earnt me their first compliments and hopefully gathered us around the table, bringing us closer.

Well, here I am, serving you as well and keeping it simple. I will show you recipes that are quick and yummy so you can create them for yourself or friends and family. 

Stick with me and we'll hunt the globe together for good food.

 

Crumbed Lamb Cutlets - served with Fennel Salad

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total: 50 minutes

Growing up, lamb was a very popular food in our family - as is with most. 

Mum and Dad would cook lamb roasts, chops, shanks and stews, just to name a few. 
This recipe is a mix of their crumbed cutlets with my fennel salad. They're easy lamb chops and the salad adds some creaminess to the breadcrumbs whilst eating.

Recipe - Cutlets

500g Lamb Cutlets - if you like them fatty you can use the normal store ones or buy frenched

Himalayan Salt and Cracked Pepper - to taste

200g Plain Flour

2 whole eggs - cracked and whipped

200g Breadcrumbs - mine are mixed with Panko Japanese bread crumbs

2 Rosemary Sprigs

4 Garlic Cloves - whole

Olive Oil

Method - Cutlets

Lie the chops on your cutting board and hammer thin. Add a sprinkling of salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.

Take three shallow bowls and add the flour to one; the eggs to the 2nd and the breadcrumbs to the third.

Dip each cutlet into the bowls consecutively (see video: ) until all are coated and crumbed.

At this point, make the salad prior to cooking.

Heat to medium a generous amount of olive oil in your frying pan and once hot, add the rosemary and garlic cloves to flavour.

Proceed by adding each cutlet into your frying pan. Turn down the heat once all the cutlets are in.

Check the chops and once a golden brown, turn each one over. 

If you find they cook better in one area of the frying pan to another, move them so they all have a lovely brown colour.

Once cooked, remove from the pan and place onto paper towels to remove the excess oil.

Recipe - Fennel Salad

1/2 Fennel Bulb - outside layers removed

4 Snow peas

1/2 Brown Onion 

1 Celery Stalk

1 Lemon

1 dash of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp. Whole Seeded Mustard

1 tbsp. Aioli or Mayonnaise

Himalayan Salt and Cracked Pepper - to taste

1/4 Danish Fetta 

Method - Fennel Salad

Thinly slice the fennel bulb, snow peas, brown onion and celery stalk.

Set aside.
Cut the lemon in half and squeeze contents into mixing bowl, adding the mustard and the aioli. Salt and pepper to taste and whip until thoroughly mixed. 
Place the sliced salad ingredients into the bowl and stir until everything is coated in the dressing. Then add the fetta, crumbing it into the bowl and lightly stir again so it doesn't break up too much. 

When plating, use your hands to dome the salad. In this way, your hands will help. Place the cooked cutlets, bone up around the dome and add a sprig of rosemary for effect ;)

Happy Hunting!

2020 - The Year that Changed Everything

A lot has changed in the past couple of years. I went from being known as "the cake girl" to getting engaged and I gave up my business to work full time as a National Business Development Manager. The hours were easier in an office. I was given time to travel around Australia, demonstrate at well known Cake Shows and I met a load of fabulous people.

But then it was 2020 and Covid-19 hit. People everywhere were without a job. 
My fiancé David and I thought we were two of the lucky ones. His work in radio continued and mine seem to go from strength to strength.

Then David was made redundant. Radio wasn't doing as well as everyone thought. 

We continued through with wedding plans even though borders were closed and close family unable to come to the big event. I became a Hunting three weeks ago.
Again, we thought, at least I was still working full time...

The business was doing well. Very well. 

Who knew 2020 would throw another curve ball?

A "restructuring" at work made me redundant. It was bizarre to think of both of us out of work. I haven't been without a job or two since high school.

What should I do? Find more work or create another business that could end up being the dream job?

Let's try the latter.

So here I am. 

Back online. 

This time showing you my other passion - FOOD!

When I was a child I loved being in the kitchen...no, not cooking...Eating!!!
Mum and Dad both enjoyed cooking and it showed in the meals they prepared for us. With an Italian background, we were served easy cheap meals loaded with flavour.

Yes, I have had some kitchen training over my years experience in hospitality. But I believe picking up those little tips and tricks from my parents, having a passion for eating good food and my love for trying new things has all combined.

I'm hoping to show you what I've learnt and gain some more knowledge along the way.

Join me on the hunt for good food!!!

Mum's Easy Chicken Wings (& Cucumber Salad)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes

I remember heading over to Mum's place and surprising her. Usually around lunch time...

She would pull out a pack of chicken wings from her local chicken shop. Defrost them and place them onto her baking tray. 

Man, those wings were so good I could eat the lot!

One day, I rang her and asked her how she made them. This recipe is a slight twist on hers as I know she used to like to add a touch of chilli powder but they're just as good! 

Recipe - Wings

500g Chicken Wings (I prefer the smaller ones)

Himalayan Salt and Cracked Black Pepper - to taste

Canola Oil Spray

Method - Wings

Make sure the wings don't have any extra fluff or feathers on them. Place them evenly spaced on a lined baking tray. 
Crack some salt and black pepper evenly over the wings.
Spray with Canola Oil and turn the oven onto 200 degrees Celsius (mine is fan forced).
Wait 5 - 10 minutes...just enough time to grab a glass of wine... and place the wings into the hot oven.

Give them  quick turn at 15min. They're usually ready in half an hour.

Recipe - Accompanied Cucumber Salad

1 Lebanese Cucumber

1 Punnett Cherry Tomatoes

1/2 Spanish Red Onion 

1/2 tub Bocconcini Cheese

3-4 Basil stems

1/2 Lemon

Himalayan Salt and Cracked Black Pepper - to taste

Method - Cucumber Salad

Chop the cucumber into 1cm slices and then quarter. Place into a bowl.

Halve the cherry tomatoes and add. Peel and chop the red onion in 5mm cubes. Cut the bocconcini cheese balls into smaller pieces. 
Remove the basil leaves from the stems and slice. Place everything into the bowl together. 
Cup your hand and squeeze half a lemon into your palm catching any seeds that may pop out.
Finish with salt and pepper to taste.

Happy Hunting!