o frabjous day!

Category: Recipes

  • Nigella's Meatballs

    I’m not a big fan of pork, so I was a bit suspicious about these meatballs from a recipe in Nigella Lawson’s How to Eat. However, the husband’s sister had raved about the recipe, and I thought I could probably bear the taste of pork if mixed in with the beef mince. I’m glad I…

  • Ratatouille

    This was a nice freestyle ratatouille I cooked up for a springtime lunch out on the verandah. The local fruit & veg shop had bags of nice fresh zucchini on special for a couple of dollars, and bright firm eggplants on their shelves – ratatouille was the first dish I thought of. Chop up one…

  • Fruit Salad

    Now the weather is becoming rather warm, fruit salad seems the perfect way to end an alfresco lunch or light dinner. Despite the lack of bananas in the shops, there’s lots of other gorgeous fruits which will combine into a delicious salad. I peeled some oranges and chopped them into small segments. Peeling kiwifruit is…

  • Carrot & Shallot Soup

    When I make soup, I generally make them as chunky and thick as possible, so this attempt to make a clear, fragrant soup was quite new to me. I began by gently frying finely chopped shallots with a little bit of olive oil in a large saucepan. I added two finely sliced garlic cloves, salt…

  • Beer Review – Old Leg Over

    Well, isn’t this a delightfully romantic little beer? Needless to say, I did not choose this one – and happily, I believe the taste didn’t quite turn out as expected. The boyfriend comments, “I was slightly disappointed with the tang of lingering aftertaste. The beer was too sweet for me, and almost cidery in piquancy, but…

  • Beer Review – Asahi

    I chose this beer for the boyfriend to try – I like moving him outside his beer-comfort-zone, and this very light Japanese beer is pretty far away from dark English ales. The boyfriend drank this beer after a succession of dark beers, and commented, “Much as I expected, this beer had as much flavour as…

  • Beer Review – Hobgoblin Strong Dark Ale

    How can you resist a beer with the picture of a hobgoblin on it? Made by Wychwood? I’m here to tell you that it’s impossible. I think this beer was chosen mostly because of the label. The boyfriend says, “This beer is delightfully mischievous. A strong flavoured dark ale, with chocolate undertones, and a punchy…

  • Steenholdt Organic Jam

    This jam is amazing. I bought it at the markets at Salamanca Place in Hobart, and had a terrible time choosing flavours, as there was a most enormous array. In the end, I settled for a jar each of raspberry and blueberry, and was very pleased with both. They’re both very liquid jams, but they…

  • Beer Review – Wexford Irish Cream Ale

    The boyfriend is a fan of stouts and dark beers, so the sight of any sort of Irish brew is an immediate draw. “Aptly named, the cream factor is unsurpassed. The flavour is mellow, and eminently drinkable.” I personally like these cans because of the intriguing little metal ball that rolls around in them, mysteriously keeping…

  • Beer Review – Abbot Ale

    A new, enormously large liquor store has opened up down the road, carrying all sorts of exotic beers. The boyfriend has been experimenting with different flavours, mostly dark beers and stouts from the British Isles. The boyfriend says, “Abbot Ale is a mahogany coloured, richly flavoured brew. It has a slightly fruity tang, mixed with…