cookbooks

A new direction ?

~ stephzuniga ~ 1 Comment

When I first started this blog over 10 years ago, it was to document one recipe from one of my many cookbooks.  Then it became a way to document our life.  And then life got busy, and it just sat here.  Quietly, silently.  Taunting me.  “I should write something” I often say, but the question is always, “what” and “when”.  With a full time job and full time family, and full time life, who has time?? 

Definitely not me, but we still eat.  A lot.  Every day.  And I still cook a LOT.  Like 5 times a week or more.  Which sometimes seems insane- hello, UberEats????

And we rarely eat the same thing.  And I often don’t remember what I cook- even the really yummy things.  

So, maybe it’s time for the blog to be reborn.   As a record of what I’ve cooked and when we ate it – and whether I’d make it again.

Starting now. Let’s see how we go with this new direction.

This morning was Father’s Day, so we had pancakes.  These Bacon Banana pancakes with whiskey glazed maple syrup to be exact- and yes, I would 10/10 make them again.  Everything about them was delicious. It was a thought bubble from The Runner that turned out exceptionally well.

Later today, for Father’s Day, I’m making Steak and Neil Perry’s Roasted potatoes from his cookbook, “Everything I Love to Cook“.  I’m debating whether to make a bearnaise sauce with it… I LOVE Bernaise but not sure if it’s worth the aggravation. I’m the person who always forgets to make gravy and sauce so we’ll see how we go.

I’ve made these spuds before and they are YUM!  It’s the semolina and the duck fat that really do the job.

I LOVE this cookbook- his Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb Shoulder was enough to make most of my American relatives consider moving to Australia when I made it for them during their visit. It’s so easy and so tasty– but what would you expect from one of Australia’s best chefs. It’s “chef’s kiss” perfect.

This week I’m also making the Char Sui Bun Salad from Every.Night.Of.The.Week, a riff on Taco Rice for Taco Tuesday (a weekly event in our house) and another good one from Neil Perry’s cookbook- Taglioni with Crab.

Last week, I made Italian Beef Rice Pilaf from Recipe Tin Eats Dinner which is one of my favourite cookbooks this year. Seriously, if you don’t have it, buy it. I think I’ve made something from it every week that I’ve had it. We also ate the and the Chicken Club Salad from Every.Night.Of.The.Week, which has re-entered the cookbook rotation over the last few weeks.   

So that’s it. It’s the first week of Spring and that’s what we’re up to. After a huge win in the Grand Final, rugby season is over and we’re gearing up for Little Athletics, basketball and Oztag to start in a few weeks. No more Saturday sleep-ins but hopefully no more winter sweaters either.

So, what are you cooking this week? What’s been your favorite cookbook this year?

A Thank You Post/Tuesday Night Dinner

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

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!

 

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Wish me luck!

 

NSFW- Topless pie shot below!

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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…

Hello Melbourne!

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

Believe it or not before The Runner was a runner, he was a tennis player- and if his accounts are to be believed he wasn’t half bad. I grew up playing tennis too, mainly because of the cute outfits, lack of contact with dirt and mud and lack of contact with other players– yes, I am a girlie girl! There’s no denying or hiding it.

Tennis has always been a favourite sport of mine, apparently my parents used to put my stroller next to the court while they played and when I could walk I had my first job as a target, i mean ballkid. When I was about 4 or 5, I remember my Dad buying me my first tiny wooden Wilson junior racket and trying to teach me the first principle of the game- bounce and hit. I got the basics but never really progressed further than that despite years of tennis camp and playing on the high school tennis team. The Runner, on the other hand, was ranked as a junior player and can do all sorts of things like hit with spin and control where the ball goes on the court– Every Time! The Mom still plays as well, weekly even- in fact everyone in my family plays.

So it is really exciting that one of the annual traditions for The Runner and I is to come down to Melbourne for the Australian Open. It’s a great weekend away not just because we get to see the best players in the world (Tomic v Federer tonight!) but also because the food in Melbourne is crazy good! Last year we went to an amazing Latin American/mexican place in Fitzroy that my taste buds are still excited for even though I’ve forgotten the name. We also went to Naked for Satan which was an awesome bar with great flavoured vodkas. And Hardware Society, an awesome spot for breakfast. In short, it’s a place I could eat my way through if money and personal appearance didn’t matter. There are also amazing shops and it’s a great place to hang out.

For the next 36 hours, we’re here for the tennis and for the food and I’m excited!!! There are two downsides- one, it’s super cold and two, The Runner has already banned me from a shop. It’s called Books for Cooks and sells nothing but cookbooks. Sounds like heaven, but I’ve been told I’m not allowed in! Oh well….. There are plenty of other places I can get into mischief… And they have a website!
books for cooks