Panforte

Check out this beautiful Panforte I received as a gift from Mum after her recent trip to Europe.  Panforte is a delicious Italian dessert made from dried fruit, nuts and spices - this one had a beautiful nutmeg flavour.  It took me a while to work up the courage to open this piece of art so I was extremely careful to preserve the packaging.  And yes - it tastes as good as it looks!

Indian for 50!

We all went to Zaaffran to celebrate my mum being alive for 50 years.  This woman is the centre of my world and is responsible for my love for food and the importance I place on eating with, and cooking for, the people I love!  She has given me so many opportunities throughout my life - and I want to say THANKYOU!

Happy 50th Birthday Mummy! - I love you - and yes I call her mummy, what's wrong with that?

Fratelli Fresh - Waterloo

I'm a real sucker for alllll the award-winning food at Fratelli Fresh's Cafe Sopra - but what's really got me hooked are their zucchini flowers stuffed with 4 cheeses.  My mum and sister swear they're better than any of the one's they ate on their recent trip to Italy.  Unfortunately they're seasonal and you can only get them in the warmer months -  but there's plenty of other dishes to treat your taste buds.  Mains average around $20-25 with a wide range of pastas and other delicious Italian dishes!  It's located at Dank St Waterloo and has an amazing grocer attached downstairs.  They also have two other stores at Macleay St, Potts Point and Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay  

You can also participate in cooking classes run by the amazing Cafe Sopra chefs - both paid and free - that focus on fresh ingredients and Italian cooking.  But get in quick the free classes fill up fast!

Check out their website:

http://www.fratellifresh.com.au

Fish and Potato Pie

Food Metaphors

Check this out - A post from Whole Larder Love - a blog about wild produce, gardens and rustic peasant food that I'm currently visiting everyday!  Trolling through old posts I found an amazing piece using food as a metaphor for the human race and our inability to see that inside we are all the same (we are incase you didn't know)! "How then can my onions all look different but they all taste the same?" he says.. Clever huh? 

This is the stuff I'm talking about!  The power of food is so important - it's accessible to everyone who has a mouth, a tounge and tastebuds and if you partner your message with food the impact is huge.. resonating like the lingering flavour of your last meal.  I mean - everyone enjoys food - right?  I've never understood people who can say "NO" to a meal thats obviously going to taste amazing just because of they feel full.. I can always find room!

The Milk Revolution!

Check out this awesome blog -

The Milk Revolution

A grade four class and their teachers in Canada are using social media to get their points of view across!  They want to raise awareness and promote change in regard to the high amount of sugar that is in school chocolate milks!  It's Ridiculous.. Good work guys, keep it up.

Wouldn't it be nice if more educators, politicians and decision makers in Australia focussed on addressing the CAUSE of diet related diseases rather than pumping billions of dollars into treating the associated problems.  And it's affecting our young people - the age of people developing Type 2 Diabetes is younger, many more are suffering from obesity, high blood pressure and are at a great risk of heart disease.  Many of those who don't suffer from a diet related problem have a family member or knows someone who does.

We need more food education!

I just find this really crazy - don't you?

Hello winter

So it's officially winter.  Gloves, scarves and hats have made a come back, fights over the heater have broken out and the search for comforting, warm, hearty food has commenced.  So here's a recipe that will fill you up AND warm you up - and one that gives me an excuse to stand in front of the hot oven for long periods of time.