One of the best things about having a birthday is getting new cookbooks to play with. This year, I got two from The Runner- he was definitely trying to drop a hint or two because both are quite health conscious. I’m not complaining- but he was definitely trying to send a message.
bill granger
What We Ate Last Week: Sweet Cheeses, Do you even KUNG PAO???- February 13th-20th
Well, it was Valentine’s Day week, and let me be brutally honest- I fell in love this week. I have a new restaurant crush and I can’t wait to see it again. I’ll explain
Saturday- Feb 13th– I met my crush. I had read about a new restaurant during the week in Broadsheet and it sounded too good to be true. A mythical place that played good music, served champagne with fried chicken, and sold limited edition sneakers…. What the? You mean I can leave my house in comfy shoes and drink champagne? Sign me up- do not pass go, do not phone a friend, I’m already on my way. I mean, not that I ever would buy limited edition sneakers, but I love my Chuck Taylors and my Superstars. But seriously, who cares about sneakers- Champagne and fried chicken. Continue reading
What We Ate This Week: January 27th- February 4th- the best potatoes ever
So after all the excitement of tennis and tasty food in Melbourne, this week has been a bit, well boring. Boring can be good. We’ve been back to our normal routine this week (except for The Runner working ridiculously late nights and having a birthday on the horizon), but we’ve mostly been eating at home and cooking at home too. Continue reading
An Italian Lunch for Mother’s Day
So, a lot has been going on in the He Runs, I Cook household of late— probably because we’re now a mere 90 days from our wedding.
I say it and I’m shocked. I write it and I’m shocked. I can’t actually believe how close August is and how quickly time is flying by. We’ve been engaged for over a year now and after months of feeling like the wedding was ages, even years away, it is literally right around the corner. It all hit home last weekend when I was wearing a toilet paper dress and sitting in a circle of my nearest and dearest friends and all eyes were on me (me!).
It was so surreal to be the one in the middle answering the questions… And very surreal when I realised it was MY Bridal Shower. I was the Bride!
Whoa! So cool and exciting but eek! It was really funny towards the end of the afternoon when one of my friends turned to me and said, “Well, that’s it, you’ll never have another bridal shower again.” Oh (sadface)! It was a big reminder to take it all in and to really enjoy every step of the next 90 days. Whether it’s stuffing envelopes or picking out flower girl dresses, this will (hopefully) be the only time I do this, so I’d better make sure to enjoy every second of it!
Anyway….. Today is Mother’s Day and to celebrate I called my Mom and had some friends over for lunch. It was a great excuse to use some of the super fun pressies I got at my shower last week. One of the gifts I was really keen to use was the Antipasto Board I received. It is super cool and don’t be surprised if my new favourite party food is bruschetta and antipasto.
With the board in mind, I decided to do an Italian Theme lunch for 4. I used Bill Granger’s “Bill’s Italian Food” cookbook, because I LOVE Bill Granger cookbooks and picked out recipes for a grazing/tasting lunch. We started with Bruschetta with Prosciutto and Artichoke (yum), and then moved onto a Caramelised Onion and Goats Cheese Frittata, and finally Torn (homemade) Pasta with Parmesan and Butter Sauce. I made two salads- a lovely Pea, Herb, and Mozzarella and normal Green Salad to go with it all. Put some assorted meats, olives, and tomatoes on the board alongside the bruschetta and boom! A really simple lunch made twice as complicated by deciding to make my own pasta. I served a Free Form Apple Tart from Bill Granger’s “Easy” cookbook for dessert, and even made my own tart base for that too! (Proof below!)
Overall, I’m quite pleased with my effort and even happier with the amazing new kitchen toys (see napkin rings and candle below!) I got to play with- who knew an Antipasto board could be so much fun!
Happy Mother’s Day!
A Thank You Post/Tuesday Night Dinner
So…. as you may have heard on the grapevine, The Runner and I got engaged a few months ago… don’t laugh, I did apparently have 1 Facebook friend who somehow hadn’t heard last week. Weird. Very weird– and actually it’s more of a Facebook acquaintance, but I digress. So, we had our engagement party last Saturday night- and it was AMAZING!
It really was fantastic. There’s something about having more than 50% of the people who you consider close friends in one room at the same time that is just amazing. It was a really special night. We were lucky enough to receive some very nice presents from our lovely friends so this week, I’ve been writing my Thank You notes like a good little girl. Yes, Mommy, you raised me well!
We love all of the gifts we received, but I’m actually using one tonight so I wanted to say a big thank you to the person who gave it because although cards are nice, there’s no better way to show how much you appreciate something than to actually use it!
PS-No offense to anyone else who is wondering why you haven’t seen us making pancakes, drinking champagne or red wine, burning candles, or using your gifts too.
I’ve been DYING to try my hand at pie making– like proper, savoury pie making. Definitely not something I grew up with in the US– unless you count frozen pot pies, which were not awful, but not exactly gourmet. Savoury pies are extremely Irish/English/Australian and I’ve been meaning to try one for a while….. Small footnote, I didn’t actually grow up baking sweet pies either- we were more of a cake family (not really), but that’s a different story for a different day.
But finally, I can (hopefully) bake a nice, delicious chicken or steak or pork pie for dinner. Well, let’s face it I may not be able to but at least the pie will look appealing in a gorgeous pie plate.
So a big thank you to my favourite Doctor and one of my best friends for the gorgeous pie dish– notice how there is a cute saying at the bottom. One day, I’m sure my daughter will look at it and say it’s so retro….sigh. Thank you to Bill Granger, my favourite Aussie Chef, for what hopefully will be a really tasty pie recipe. It’s from his book Feed Me Now, which will be exactly what The Runner says when he gets home from training in 45 minutes! I should probably stop writing and finish cooking!
I won’t go on too much about how much I adore Bill Granger’s cookbooks and his restaurant Bills, but I don’t think I’ve ever had a kitchen disaster using one of his cookbooks. I can’t even think of anything that’s been questionable out of one….. so I’m pretty sure this pie will be at least a 6/10 for taste and a 10/10 for looks!
Wish me luck!
NSFW- Topless pie shot below!
And yes, based on how good this pie looks, I’d totally want to marry me too!
Now to make a salad, pour a glass of wine and try to undertake the mammoth task of putting music onto my new phone…
He Runs, I Cook 