Archives for November 2013

Mini Christmas Cakes

There’s a Christmas cake I’ve been making for years and it’s from the Australian Women’s Weekly Celebration cookbook.  I was first attracted to this recipe because there’s a lovely story attached to it. Way back in 1937, the Australian Women’s Weekly ran a competition for the best fruit cake.  This recipe won and the prize […]

Mum’s Cherry Chutney – Perfect with Turkey or Ham

When I was growing up there were a lot of traditions to be observed.  Christmas had the bulk of these traditions. On Christmas Eve my mother would be up at around half past five to begin a day spent in the kitchen and in the climbing heat. In the early evening my father would gather […]

A Beautiful Wedding

Carl and I consider ourselves very fortunate to have kept in touch with a lot of our friends from school.  One of them fell in love with a beautiful girl who’s become a very good friend and it doesn’t seem that long ago that we were celebrating their wedding.  Donna and I were pregnant with […]

Three Turkey Stuffings

When I was growing up we always had a hot roast turkey on Christmas Day.  It didn’t matter if it was a heatwave with temperatures over 40C (104F), (as it often was), there were no cold-cuts on our Christmas table. One year my father thought we should try something a little different and that meant […]

Rudolph’s Christmas, Mosman

There’s no need to panic.  There are still 32 days until Christmas (less if you didn’t read this on the day I published it!)  We all have plenty of time to get organised and I know round about now a lot of us are starting to think about how we’re going to decorate or prepare […]

Glen Ayr Coastal Retreat, Thirroul

I promised to tell you more about our visit to the tiny coastal town of Thirroul where we dined at Flanagans Dining Room.  DH Lawrence stayed in the town of Thirroul while writing his novel, Kangaroo and the following quote is taken from the book’s opening chapters and describes the town as it was back […]

Flanagans Dining Room, Thirroul Beach

Just one hour from Sydney in the small and quiet coastal town of Thirroul is a totally unexpected fine-dining restaurant that takes you completely by surprise.   Flanagan’s Dining Room is in the heritage-listed building that was originally the Thirroul Beach Kiosk situated on the Promenade.  Being heritage-listed the building’s character, charm and soul from […]

Thai Fusion, Kirribilli

It’s been a very wet and soggy weekend in Sydney.  Not only wet and soggy but cold.  Temperatures dropped from the high twenties (84F)to around 17C (62F) and had me scrambling to relocate my winter clothes.  We went away for the weekend and hoped to enter into a better climate but it seems everywhere we […]

Chicken Korma Curry and…Mr Competitive Moves House

Do you remember my friend, Mr Competitive?  The one who was running the swimming club and rang me on the eve of a very important ‘meet’ to ask if I could ‘assist’ him by swimming in one of the races?  And being the kind and generous soul that I am (naive would be more to […]

Albion Lane Cafe, Mosman

Down a pretty little lane is a cafe that I walk past almost every day and it always catches my eye not because of how tiny it is, but because it’s always busy – they must be doing something right! As I mentioned a few posts ago, Miss Arabella is studying for her exams.  She […]