So in 2015, The Runner and I tried to keep a record of everything that we had for dinner all year. We were diligent (mostly) in the recording, however we never actually DID anything with the information. We should have entered it into a database (or at least an excel spreadsheet) and analysed, rated, remembered or at least done something with the info. But we didn’t. So now, we have 12 Months of barely legible scrawl which once we decode it will be a record of what we ate in 2015. If/when I make time to put it all into excel and make sense of it.
However, it’s a new year and in 2016, we’re going to be more organised and do this properly. Every week, I’m going to post what we ate- where it came from, whether we ate out, and if we’d make it again. I’m sure patterns will start to emerge (we don’t eat a lot of fish at home) and it might get boring. (tacos again!) Whatever it works out to be, it’s going to be a time capsule for the year!
2016 may only be 9 days old, but already it has been eventful. Hands down, the best thing that’s happened all year was going to Ms Gs for dinner.
For those of you who live in Sydney and have never been, go there immediately. If you don’t live in Sydney, get here immediately- I’ll pick you up from the airport and we’ll go there.
Ms Gs is one of the many restaurants owned by the Merivale Group in Sydney. It can best be described as Funky Pan-Asian Fusion. Head Chef Dan Hong has created a menu that blends his Vietnamese heritage with his classical training and urban 30-something personality- the result is mind blowingly delicious.
I know I’ve had a good meal when I’m too busy eating to take pictures of what I’m meeting—and I’m not sorry to say, I have no pictures to share with you. We had some of The Runner’s family in town from Ireland and we used their visit as an opportunity to go back to Ms Gs and to get the banquet. For $65pp you get 11 different dishes to share- I definitely recommend it if you’re a party of 4 or more. It made ordering easy even if some of the dishes may have been a bit “challenging” on paper—I mean really, “burrata, strange flavour style” hardly sounds like something to order if you’re a conservative diner (spoiler alert- everyone loved it!) Every course was a beautiful marriage of flavour and texture, beautifully balanced and really different to anything to what I’ve had at other restaurants.
However, one dish stole the show. The Cheeseburger Spring Rolls. I know what you’re thinking and no, it’s not a typo. And yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s literally an Asian style spring roll with a cheeseburger filling- and it is fantastic! It’s a true fusion dish- east meets west at its finest. When you see them, they look like spring rolls; when you smell them, they smell like a cheeseburger. Continue reading →
There are still just under 12 hours left in 2015, but I wanted to get in early with my greetings for a Happy 2016!
I’ve made my resolutions already and I’m busy preparing for a New Year’s Day brunch (as you do- or as I do really). But mostly, I’m looking forward to 2016 and hope you are too.
Looking back on 2015, it was exactly the year that I needed. The last 3 years have been full of the highest highs and the lowest low, so 2015 was a great year to just be. I settled into a new job which I love (not as much as maybe winning the lottery and not working at all but….), visited three new countries that I’d never been to before (yes, I’m counting Dubai despite not leaving the airport), I tried to learn German (that did NOT go as well as I hoped) and kept doing many of the things that I love doing- cooking, pole dancing (despite breaking my toe early in the year), reading (32 books this year- just shy of my goal of 35), and of course, writing. It was our first full year of marriage and a year that The Runner and I both learned a lot about ourselves- including resilience and patience (for me, more than him- he has the patience of the Saint of Patience). I even had a surprise visit from The Mom. Overall, it was a great year!
Tomorrow, we’ll start 2016 exactly how I hope it continues- with food and friends. We’re hosting a New Year’s Day brunch filled with foods that will bring good luck and good fortune in the New Year (according to the internet!)
Dinner: A Love Story’s Peanut Noodle Salad– Noodles in several Asian cultures represent long life.
Cornbread– its golden colour is said to bring gold (or wealth) in the New Year
Smitten Kitchen’s Tres Leches Cake– Tres leches cake because I’ve always wanted to make one, and a round cake because in many cultures round cakes represent the cyclical nature of life- I’m even going to bake a coin into it for extra good fortune for someone.
Smitten Kitchen’s Fairy Tale of New York for after- I made a double batch to take to a 2nd Christmas dinner that we never made it to, so we have a LOT to get through!
So fingers crossed, with this menu, set 2016 to be delicious, abundant, healthy, wealthy and fun!
As per usual, we in the He Runs, I Cook household are riding the crest of a food trend. I’d like to think that we’re unique, individual, and ahead of the curve- but who am I kidding? We’re not really, we’re firmly swept up in the hot trend this Christmas. And the hot trend is Trifle. Apparently they’re back…
Life is full of disappointments. They might be big or they might be very small, but everyone has been disappointed by some thing at some time in their life.
It feels like the worst thing in the world when it happens- whether you’re disappointed by something or disappointed my someone. And nothing is worse than hearing the phrase- “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed” from someone you love. Ouch.
And I hate to say it, but Christmas is prime season for disappointment. It’s a holiday filled with expectation, anticipation, hope and joy- until the pony/new bike/talking hamster/kitten/diamond necklace/brand new car/baby doll/bottle of grange (insert what you asked Santa for this year) doesn’t materialize under the tree and then it’s a holiday of disappointment. Not sadness, not anger just disappointment.
Please note I was never disappointed on Christmas Morning because I was always a very good girl.
However I am no stranger to disappointment as an adult. I mean, who isn’t after all. And it’s awful and hard and feels just like a kick in the guts. A great example was last week.
After years and years, I finally made one of The Runner’s favorite desserts for the first time. A trifle.
I was extremely proud of it. I looked at lots of recipes that sounded good, I researched, I mentally prepared to swallow my fear of failure and then I did it. I made a trifle. I found a recipe that I thought sounded nice (it had rhubarb- another favorite of The Runner’s) so I thought I was going to be a trifle hero. I thought it was going to be the best trifle ever and that I would shortly be basking in the glow of trifle related praise. I made my own custard, I had sponge fingers. I whipped cream. There was no chance this was not going to be great.
I was wrong.
It was a very tasty dish but The Runner looked at me in his brutally honest, take no prisoners way and said plainly. “This is not a trifle. It tastes nice. But it’s not a trifle.”
I’ll spare you the description of my stunned, sad silence but the disappointment on both sides was palpable. Seriously! I was a bit defensive, I was a bit indignant and yes, I went to go get the recipe…”It’s called a trifle here!” I complained. But at the end, the runner held firm. “There’s no jelly, it’s not a trifle” was his reply.
Now Readers, first of all, in my defensive, I come from a non-trifle country and can count how many trifles I’ve ever eaten on one hand. In other words, I have very little trifle experience. Past the research I had done for this little project, I had never really even thought about trifles. I had no idea that jelly (or jello as we Americans call it) was a prerequisite.
Secondly, it tasted quite yummy- so it wasn’t a total fail. It also was all consumed so trifle or not, it was good.
Thirdly, I made my own custard, actually I made everything except for the sponge fingers so it was made with love. I thought it was great and I was proud of it. And then I wasn’t.
It was like the love that had gone into making it was really just disappointment wearing makeup and a dress.
I felt terrible and was very sorry because I could see how disappointed The Runner was (as he lapped up the homemade whipped cream).
The only good news is that I do have a chance of redemption. I’m going to make another trifle- a traditional trifle with jelly, sherry, custard, whipped cream, fruit etc. Hopefully I get it right this time… Stay tuned!
Last Saturday was our annual Thanksgiving party and it’s an event that gets bigger and bigger every year- which I’m grateful for because it means that every year, we have more and more friends.
This year, if I had one regret, it was that we didn’t have enough food. For Me. For leftovers. Or to eat on the day. Yep, we had a pack of hungry people come through and we barely had a scrap left. Luckily, I followed my Grandmother’s old mantra, “always hold some back”- and luckily I did because after the first round of people, there was not a scrap left on the table. I put out some more of nearly everything but it still wasn’t enough! Neither The Runner nor I got to eat! And I was really looking forward to a turkey sandwich on Sunday morning!
But we had great feedback about the food, so it was worth not getting to eat. As always, my Grandmother’s Corn Casserole Recipe was the hero dish of the day, followed by the Sweet Potato Casserole. Non-Americans are always quite surprised by the combination of marshmallow and sweet potato. For those of you who have enquired about the recipe, I use a mixture of a few different recipes- one of which is this one from Martha Stewart. It’s really easy- basically mash a few sweet potatoes, season with spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, etc), top with marshmallows and bake! It’s not rocket science but it’s delicious. Of course, I do add a bit more to mine, but that recipe or a google of sweet potato casserole should get you started. P.S.- the hardest part will be finding white marshmallows in Australia- for some reason all marshmallows are sold in pink and white packets rather than just white. You have no idea how many packets we had to buy to get all white marshmallows to top the casserole with!
If you missed out on anything, the full menu was:
Turkey
Corn Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow Topping
Green Bean Casserole
Pasta salad with feta, bacon, tomato and mint
Watermelon and Haloumi Tabbouleh
Tomato, Mozzarella and Basil Salad
Potato Salad with Scallions and Dill
Cornbread
Sausages
Pumpkin Pie
Sweet Potato Pie
Fruit Mince Brownies
Trifle (made by Eleni)
Egg Nog
I’m so thankful for everyone who came out to celebrate the day with us- if you happen to have any photos, please send them to steph@herunsicook.com
See you next year- the date as so many other things is triathlon dependent! We’ll keep you posted!
It’s officially the Christmas season now – Thanksgiving is over and I am now fully ready move onto Christmas. Christmas Party season is officially in full swing and tonight I attended the Christmas Party to end all Christmas Parties- the Kate Spade New York Holiday Party.
If you don’t know the Kate Spade brand, well, maybe stop reading here because this post will bore you senseless. If you are a Kate Spade fan, this post will make you green with envy, because this party was all about the Kate Spade New York brand.
I’m not entirely sure how I scored an invite. Really, I have no idea, but I was super excited when it arrived in my inbox a few weeks ago. Literally, I thought it was a joke at first, but that didn’t stop me from grabbing a friend from work and RSVP’ing. I’ve been a Kate Spade fan since my college days- when the brand was only a few years old. I may still have one of my first nylon Kate Spade bags upstairs tucked away- not sure why, but nearly 20 years later I’m still carrying a Kate Spade bag. Mind you, I didn’t think that my brand loyalty would put me in the inner circle of Kate Spade Queendom (more like Princessdom actually, if that’s a word). But tonight, I hit the motherlode. It was basically the epi-centre of the Kate Spade universe and it was AH-MAZE-ING! No words! Literally speechless.
It was the media launch of something Kate Spade-y—not 100% sure what, possibly the new book, “All in Good Taste”, which is now on my Christmas list with about 100 other things I saw tonight. The party was at The Grounds of Alexandria- one of my favorite venues, and was filled with people who looked like they attend media launches all the time. They were not snapping photos of everything like I was. Well, there were a few other non-media types there, but there were also a couple of models, and a Bachelor contestant or two (I didn’t watch the show but my work colleague pointed her out). Anyway, Hayley and I were in awe from the moment we walked in. Our first stop was the Photo wall to get our pictures taken by the paparazzi (or just the one guy with the camera). No idea where the photos will be posted but given the other people in attendance, I doubt we’ll be the cover girls. Then we headed inside where there were models modelling and posing in this season’s new fashion (or at least I assume it’s this season).
Models Modelling
A round table was in the middle of the room was adorned with Kate Spade items from this season- grouped around various cards and themes- bags, trinkets, jewellery and items from the world of Kate Spade!
Seriously, I wanted one of everything (please see above, hint hint!) At that moment, I wanted to win the lottery and buy everything in the room. Every.Thing. There were people who were working at the event decked out in head to toe Kate Spade and their dresses were gorgeous! And yes, I wanted those too! There was also one of the most beautiful tablescapes I’ve ever seen. It was stunning! And the desserts on it looked to die for!
There were also beautiful pink flowers everything- gorgeous!
There was a stack of gift wrapped boxes filled with our gifts, yes gifts for guests to take away! Hooray! They were filled with the items from the table. Joy of all Joys! Happy Christmas from Kate! The items on the table were the items in the boxes!!!!!!
I hadn’t been this excited since I got a free necklace from Oprah when she was here. The only downside is that of course, I didn’t get the box that was filled with the items I had been eyeing up on the table. I had picked out my top three choices- one contained a champagne handbag and the other was a handbag that looked like a present, and the third if you’re keeping track at home was an iphone case that looked like a camera.
I didn’t get either of these but I’m happy with what I got. I’m leaving it wrapped up to open for Christmas. I am pretty excited!
In short, tonight was like walking into a world of Kate Spade. It was such a treat to be able to go- even if it is one of the mysteries as to how I managed to score an invite. Oh well, let the holiday season begin and it’s time to #livecolorfully and #getgifted!
Now that it’s December and we’ve had our annual Thanksgiving Party (a week later but better than never!), I can finally start to focus on Christmas! My first act of the festive season- using up the eggnog from our party!
If I had my way, I would drink it- this year’s batch was less potent than last year’s batch. A few people may have had alcohol poisoning after their cup of nog last year. This year I used tablespoons rather than measuring cups so the egg nog didn’t burn as much going down and people could still speak coherently after their glass.
We had a bit leftover and I couldn’t decide what to do with it- until I had a stroke of genius– bread pudding with eggnog! A quick Google search proved that I was no Christopher Columbus discovering a new world and that many other people had had the same idea. It seemed like quite a good idea considering we also had leftover bread. And voila!
It wasn’t rocket science- I tore up the bread, sprinkled some raisins and chocolate chips and then poured the egg nog over the dish. A smarter, less messy would have used a ladle but, oh well!
It’s soaking for 45 minutes and then I’ll pop it into the oven and rely on The Runner to take it out in an hour. Seems like a simple plan- we even have leftover whipped cream!!!
The Runner’s race today is a great example of a day when things just don’t go well. There was nothing he did wrong and nothing he could have done better- but the triathlon gods just didn’t smile on him today. Going into the race, he felt fitter than ever, confident and strong. He had been eating all the right things, training hard, and mentally in the zone. He knew the course well- in fact, Western Sydney was the race he qualified for the world champs for last year. So there was no reason to think the race would give him any trouble.
However, it did. Lots of trouble. So much trouble in fact I’m proud of him for not giving up and just going home. First, he lost his goggles during the swim- so he couldn’t see where he was going. Not ideal. Then, he hit a pothole and came off his bike and is currently sporting “racing stripes” down the side of his shoulder, side, hip and hands as a souvenir. Then, he got busted for drafting- and had to sit for 5 minutes in the penalty box.
It was in short a “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.”
But on the bright side, he’s in relatively good spirits as he sits here and patches himself up. I know he’s disappointed but who isn’t when things don’t go as we’d hoped and planned for. But how often does life really go to plan? Sometimes, when things don’t go plan, they wind up absolutely perfect. I’m not sure today’s an example of that (in fact, it’s not) but it is an inspiring example of what to do when things aren’t what we expect:
Just keep swimming—even if you’re not 100% sure where you’re going. Staying still isn’t really a great option.
Pick yourself up, dust yourself up and get back on your bike. Even if your wife winces when she sees you later, a bit of blood and a few scrapes aren’t the end of the world.
Take 5 minutes and think about things….it might help.
And finally, stay positive and keep smiling- there’s always next year.
He Runs, I Cook 