Occasional stories, food and travel inspiration
The other day, my boyfriend and I went to see British comic Chris Turner in his show, Observational Tragedy. Alternately witty, moving, and thought provoking, it prompted both spontaneous laughter
Last year, my lovely friend Sky asked me if I'd be interested in doing a shoot with Aspire, the excellent lifestyle magazine that she edits. "What did you have in mind?" I asked. "How about you
It's always nice cooking for someone who really appreciates your food. My 5YO niece, Leela, is beautiful inside and out. She's generous, kind, strong-willed and intelligent. She's also, a
Over the years I've learned that regular exercise is not an indulgence but a necessity for both my physical and mental health. So every week I practise hot yoga, a type of yoga based on Hatha and
A few months ago I received an email from a blogger who wanted to know how she could improve her writing and photography. As you can imagine, it's not a question that can be answered simply or qui
I was at a dinner party many years ago when a friend of a friend said, "it's better to have low expectations. That way you'll never be disappointed." I was speechless. All I could think was here wa
I'm feeling good. A new yoga studio has opened up two minutes from my house and I am loving downward dogging it regularly again. I've been swimming at least every other day and on Wednesdays I practi
It's crazy hot in Adelaide, South Australia, at the moment. This week it's going to hit 40+ degrees Celsius (104+ degrees Fahrenheit) five days in a row. That's five days of sweltering sun, plants cr
It's less than a week until Christmas and as usual at this time of year, I am feeling tired, unprepared and over-full. I'm tired because I'm doing my usual work/family juggling act while also tryi
This time last year I was in Dubai on a media trip (one part of my job that definitely does not suck). So following on from the Rosewater, Cardamon and Pistachio Bundt Cake I made last week, here i
My mum used to make this pâté all the time for parties when I was a little girl. I'd sneak spoonfuls of it straight out of the fridge, and hastily smooth over the tell-tale cavities to try to disgu
Determined to turn my food blogger butt back into a yoga butt, I went to the gym on Sunday. Here's what happened. 1:00pm: I arrive at the gym. 1:01pm: I step onto a cross training machine and atte
We're only a quarter of the way into Winter and my skinny jeans are already tight. Damn. How did that happen? In Summer I seem to exist on salads, fruits, healthy desserts and sorbet. Naturally I'm
I'm sick. My throat is sore, my ears hurt, my chest is tight and my head aches. I can't get enough sleep at the moment but when I do sleep I frequently wake myself up coughing. In my home Winter is
Last year my husband and I decided to separate. We'd been together for nine years and married for seven. Older The Hungry Australian readers may remember him popping up in various posts like this, thi
When my mother arrived in Australia in the 60s as a high school student from Hong Kong she didn't know how to boil water. It was her German/Australian landlady, Mrs Andersen (pictured below wit
One thing I love about working as a recipe developer is the chance to share my recipes -- and my family's recipes -- with a much wider audience. I'm always thrilled when someone emails me or comments
This is not a Valentine's Day post. With my current relationship status -- recently separated after a nine year relationship/marriage -- I feel ill-equipped to gush about heart-shaped biscuits and s
It's funny how you always want what you don't have. When I was growing up in Australia, I wanted to be Oliva Newton-John in Grease. I practised singing like her in front of the mirror, my t-shirt h
Bacon. Did that get your attention? If you're a pork eater, bacon has to one of the ultimate brunch dishes. This isn't any old bacon either: this is Schulz Bacon from the Barossa Valley, offi
I'm still sick with a ghastly virus/infection and busy working on Eat Drink Blog 3 as well, so my half-completed posts will continue to sit in my draft box for now. But I'm feeling in the need for
Where has the Australian summer gone? It's been raining steading all day. The air is chilly and an unfriendly wind is tormenting all the trees in the garden, blowing them from side to side without
Silky Chinese Chicken was inspired by a dish my dad once made when I was still living at home. I made it recently for our Chinese New Year family dinner and it was received with surprise and delight
I adore figs. I love their colour, their flavour, and their texture. I die for their sensual shape and the way their demure green and purple exterior splits open to reveal a striking red and gold
After paying homage to the Vietnamese pork roll in my last post about Mini Vietnamese Pork Buns, it's now time to honour the simple and delicious Vietnamese Chicken Salad (Goi Ga). Vietnamese salad
I adore Vietnamese food. The combination of Asian ingredients and cooking styles with French influences and fresh herbs makes it one of my all-time favourite cuisines. Some of my ultimate Vietnames
My brother likes buying things. Like most males, he doesn't buy a lot of things but when he does shop, he buys big-ticket items. A windsurfer. A vintage electric keyboard or guitar. A top-of-the-ra
We have this amazing smallgoods producer in South Australia called Standom, who make all kinds of smoked and preserved meat products. How good are they? Well, put it this way: my Bavarian-born, Ham
I miss Shanghai. It's a big, brash, frontier city where buildings go up seemingly overnight, hundreds of new restaurants open every week and you can buy virtually anything at 9pm at night. Want a f
When we were recently in Malaysia we ate the most amazing sui gao (dumplings) at my Grandmother's house, bought from the local hawker stall. So this is my attempt to recreate them back home in Austral
