basics Archives

easy homemade hummus

Homemade hummus has become one of my favourite snacks to make lately. Here’s the recipe I use.

homemade mascarpone

Homemade mascarpone is easy to make and much cheaper than the store bought variety. And it is absolutely delicious to eat!

homemade chips

Almost as easy as store-bought frozen chips, the homemade variety are tastier and healthier and you can jazz them up with different herbs and spices.

the ‘all i want to eat now is salad’ salad dressing

I recently read a wonderful Australian book called Healthy Family, Happy Family. Not only does it have some great ideas for ensuring children are eating healthy meals, and tips for encouraging fussy eaters, it also has many excellent recipes (like mango French toast, strawberry, honey muffins and parsley and cashew pesto). The salad dressing below [...]

an old classic for a special day

Today is Australia day and what better way to celebrate it than with some classic Australian food. We’ll be munching on some hot fresh damper bread along with our barbie (for our non-Aussie readers, not the doll but colloquial for barbeque). Damper is the traditional soda bread of the Australian swagman who spent weeks at [...]

roux the day: Basic white sauce

Photo by Michael Newman A simple white sauce can form the basis of many meals from macaroni and cheese and lasagne to chicken pie as well as just being a sauce for meat or fish. White sauce is quick and easy to make – no need for sauce in a packet, which isn’t very nice [...]

Lime And Chilli Aioli

Add a touch of class to your next fish meal with some homemade lime and chilli aioli.

Honey Balsamic Salad Dressing

Add a touch of sweetness to your regular balsamic salad dressing with a little honey.

Hollandaise Sauce

Making hollandaise sauce is easier than what is made out. The balance between the creaminess of the butter and the acidic tartness of the lemon makes a scrummy sauce that turns average everyday into gourmet.

Cooking Polenta

Creamy, buttery polenta is definitely one of my favourite comfort foods. This recipe is for making polenta as a side, or leave out some of the liquid for firm polenta which can the be grilled or fried.