Recipes & More
Mark’s Lamb Shanks
Could cause a serious rift here but today I am sharing with everyone my mate Mark’s Top Secret Lamb Shanks recipe. He has made this for us many times and it is the ultimate slow cooked comfort food! Don’t you love hand written, food spattered recipes!! Show just how often this one is pulled out on a wintery day! For those that can’t quite read between the tomato sauce drops the recipe; Serves 8 – generously, just half everything for four people!! 8 lamb shanks…
Ice Cream, You Scream!
Let’s all scream for CONNOISSEUR Ice Creams!! The new CONNOISSEUR stick flavours include; • Murray River Salted Caramel with Macadamia – Within the Murray River lie ancient pink salt flakes. We mix them into our classic gooey caramel sauce and whip it generously through rich caramel flavoured ice cream. It’s then locked away inside a layer of premium milk chocolate and macadamias. Salted Caramel – because opposites excite. • Kangaroo Island Honey with Pistachio – The breathtaking wilderness of Kangaroo Island provides the perfect sanctuary…
Curry in a Hurry
Picture the scene, it’s been a rough day, you’ve finally made it home and you are reaching for the takeaway menus STOP!! With these little beauties in your back pocket you can have a delicious curry in just 15 mins! I not a processed food, packet kinda girl but the Mothers Recipe sachets are a wet spice mix and the first ingredient is not salt!! They come in a whole range of styles and I have never had a bad one and they only cost…
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Recent Blogs
The Grain Store
Long over due to drop in to The Grain Store and see what the fuss is all about! Quickly knocking Chin Chin off the Urbanspoon number one spot for most popular, Grain Store has opened in the not so cool area of town and is cooking up a storm. With a twenty minute waiting list for breakfast on a Saturday it had better be worth it…. and it really is! The staff are exceptional, they know exactly what they are doing, what needs to happen…
Opera Australia Laneway Lunch
Take a pinch of Melbourne weather, add a splash of Katnook wines, a serve of Bomba Food and a dollop of Opera Australia performances and you have a very special way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For the next few weeks those in the know can enjoy a few hours in the sunshine (hopefully) enjoying some sensational wine, food and a touch of Wagner! Not something you see everyday in the CBD and we certainly attracted people’s attention when the lovely guys began performing. So…
Bay City Burrito
Just when you thought we didn’t need anymore Mexican restaurants in Melbourne we have Bay City Burrito. I have an big love of Chipotle in America and Bay City Burrito are the closest I have been in Australia. Tacos, burritos, quesadillas – all here ready to go and I generally would order one of everything but we just want a snack tonight so I let my friend drive the orderings as the resident BCB expert. So first expert recommendation – take guacamole and corn chips…
Coffee Time
There is always time for coffee in Melbourne and there are plenty of places to get a fix! Here are some of our favourites recently. Patricia Coffee Great coffee, great vibes and tempting looking cakes! Pop in and try and Patricia coffee – they are pretty darn good!! A Little Bird Told Me This place has such a good vibe to it! Sensational coffee, cute fit out, enticing cakes all round and an entertaining student crowd to observe! Winner!! Self Preservation Good coffee, nice food,…
Top Five Fave Foods
My top five fave foods around Melbourne, dishes that we know and love and go back for time and time again! They aren’t fancy or expensive but they are fabulous!! No. 1 – Ebi Mayo at Itchi Ni For those who know about these little beauties they will happily admit to just ordering a bottle wine and four serves of these (my mouth is watering at I type this list – help!!). Imagine, super fresh prawns in the thinnest, crispy batter and then gentle slathered…
Ajisen Ramen Amazing!
We have enjoyed many a gyudon and toridon at Ajisen, Always a cheery chorus of “irasshaimase” (please come in!) grab a table and enjoy simple, cheap and easy Japanese eating. Pan fried pork dumplings – perfection! They have even converted my friend who would never have trusted this unknown mix of flavours! Delicious! My old friend Gyudon – wafer thin beef, good beef not lots of nasty bits! Just lovely beef in a rich sauce with vermichelli and rice. Simply fantastic! Can’t go wrong here,…
Cookbooks
Rick Stein’s India
Rick Stein – In search of the perfect curry! What an amazing book to go with a fantastic series. I am loving cooking from this book. It has a vast array of different recipes and all you need is a rack full of spices and a few extra ingredients to take you to curry heaven. Recipe 9 – Beef Vindaloo Converted to slow cooker with a massive beef joint! 3 hours later we had a ‘propa’ vindaloo!! You know that level of heat and spice…
Coffee Crazy Melbourne
A Little Bird Told Me This place has such a good vibe to it! Sensational coffee, cute fit out, enticing cakes all round and an entertaining student crowd to observe! Winner!! Self Preservation Good coffee, nice food, nice enough staff – one of those great regular spots if you are nearby! ************************************************************* Previous post 20th August 2013 Ten years ago my coffee order was coffee, milk, no sugar…. how very different it is today! A huge coffee culture has exploded across Melbourne (and the world)…
Bill’s Italian Food
September’s cookbook – Bill’s Italian Food from the lovely Bill Granger. Mr G is fast becoming a favourite go too for quick and delicious recipes! Across his selection of books (apparently there are eleven… I am missing some!) I have favourite recipes in each that I know I can pull out and rustle up a feast without a big fuss or cost. Bill’s Italian Food is the latest installment to my collection and throughout September we are enjoying the recipes inspired by his travels across…
Nigellisima
Huge fan of Nigella and lets face it, she is having a bit of shit time at the moment so to show our support for an amazing woman and cook we are cooking from Nigellisima throughout August. Recipe 10 – Meatzza Oh Nigella, the perfect, quick and tasty Meatzza! A lovely burger style base with a lovely cheesey top!! Hubbie loved this one and with a lovely fresh fennel salad there were clean plates all around!! Recipe 9 – Eggs in Purgatory Inspired from a…