misgabi

Back in 1990 I "smuggled" McDonalds into Papua New Guinea (10 cheeseburgers and 5 fillet-o-fish), for the poor deprived staff of the High Commission. I made a fortune selling them off to the highest bidder!!! It was the start of what was to be the beginning of expats bringing into the country the fast food everybody craved - but no-one else ever dared do it. Ahh - youth (and gross stupidity) I guess !!!

Further to the "ring of fire": A good friend of ours, upon eating a really spicy or "hot" meal will announce "that warrents putting the toilet paper in the freezer darlin" to his wife. At that point you know you have cooked a really good curry (or thai stir fry). ........... something to aspire to I guess

mmmmmmmmm chip butties - an absolute must here is Australia as a hangover cure (with a can of coke!!). Bread must be absolutely fresh and the chips your own to work properly but well worth the effort. A "proper" chip buttie should be eaten over the sink to catch the butter and sauce drips. Thank you jackal10 for this amazing primer. I make the latkes for dinner last night and, as per you suggestion, left out my usual egg and flour. I must say it improved the taste/texture/experience for me. Please feel free to do any other primer you see fit - you are now my new "guru". Would you consider one on "traditional" english fare - yorkshire pudding, toad-in-the-hole, treacle tart, spotted dick etc. I have recipes from my grandmother but am loath to try as her batting average is fairly low (enthusiastic but bad - think she wrote her mother's english recipes down "slightly" wrong). Love your work and desparately want your garden (not possible in our hemisphere). Again, thank you.

... leave any cooking in our house to my gorgeous boy (husband - and GB from now on). We invite people for dinner and I have to work late that night - We are using the rotisserie on the BBQ for a whole scotch filet and GB says he will put it on an hour before the guests turn up) 7.30pm. I get home at 7.00pm to find him asleep in front of the TV and the BBQ outside shooting up 5 foot of flame (totally destroyed the shade cloth on the pergola at the house we were renting). He apparently put it on at 4.00pm in the afternoon and fell asleep watching the Wiggles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 Second disaster involves GB again but ??? I go into the kitchen to find him throwing slices of beetroot (canned - it is an Australian obsession) into the deep fryer with a sprinkle of corn flour on them. When I asked what the hell was going on he said "we don't have to go to that Japanese place now - we can tempura them ourselves".

Chilli Mud Crab cooked in a wok, over a fire, on the beach in Cairns

Morning Cusina, I have the large Dutch Oven that I love using in winter here. I also seem to have the same pan as you and the ridged griddle one - I love my Le Creuset Speaking of food related books (fiction that is) that you might enjoy I have just got my copy of The Food Taster by Peter Elbling - this was covered in a Q&A here The Food Taster have only just started it but it is rather good. Your lunch looked really nice and makes me wish it isn't breakfast time over here whilst I look at your pictures (although the grilled cheese sandwich would do - if only I wasn't at work!) Keep the pictures coming (wish I'd thought of that for my blog )

Yum, martinis! Glad the stock worked well, are you itching to try other types yet?? Will certainly take you up on that drink if I ever get to your part of the world - thanks

Cusina, this blog is fantastic. I am particularly enjoying the way you combine your grandmother's recipes and stories with what you are doing now with your kids. I hope the stock turns out well - once you have tried homemade you will never go back (I think it's the discovery that it really is easy and tastes sooo much better). How warm does it get there in summer? And now for the really stupid question (hangs head in shame) the shells you mentioned that you stuffed - are they just large pasta shells (like cannelloni?) or do I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about?? Keep up the great job. (Love the pictures too - can you do some more of the food you cook??)

Cusina, thanks for sharing your grandmother's recipe with us - do you cook often from the box? do you add to it so that your children will treasure it in the future? What a fabulous thing to pass on to one's children (now if only I had not forgotten to have any!!)

Maybe I was just confused, what with the being a whole day ahead of nearly everyone else!! (Monday here folks ) The blog was excellent though - thanks

Excellent blog Cusina. I love the fact that you feed the kids real food (and adore the fact that they like it!). Can't wait to read more

So what are you eating at the moment Squeat - at what I assume is the middle of the night. Snacks??

How about a voluntary tag? Anyone out there dying to tell us about their week - PM Squeat and step up. We promise to respond

Yay - Squeat gets to use the magic-whatever-toaster-bag-thingies. Can't wait to see the combos you come up with. If you had a digital camera you could post pics like Jason and Rachel do!!! (and make us all hungry). The cheese sounds like it is nice and mmmmmmmm butternut squash (pumpkin) Have you tried it roasted with cummin on it (and olive oil) really good. So - waiting on these toasted things............

Good to hear. It was just so long since we had heard from you, I was beginning to worry Mmmmmmmmmmm rare burgers - very hard to get people to do this for you, even worse is trying to order a really rare steak. Apparently some people don't realise you know what you actually like Are you enjoying your blog or is work getting in the way? You seem to be coping alright without the stove. You will have to post once the "magic-whatever-toasty-thing-bags" turn up and tell us what amazing concoctions you have come up with.

You must have starved to death by now Squeat or are you holding out on us?

Don't be ashamed Squeat - your descriptions of all the other food, even the market food you didn't eat, more than make up for having hot dogs twice. Now that you have listed the cheeses, breads, caviar etc at FM I am beyond jealous that somewhere in the world there is a market like that - words fail me ................................. Thanks for the description of the mexican - as I suspected like nothing I have ever come across here. Hope you enjoy the hot dog!

You really do need to register. We did not, thinking that "everyone knows what we have and we don't want to look greedy". This resulted in either doubling up or things we really do not want in our house (either through sheer impracticality or dubious quality). However, those who actually pinned us down and made us say what "fun toys" we might want actually ended up getting us exactly what we would have wanted and we love.

Dinner sounded fabulous - and I am still in awe of that farmer's market. I'm fairly sure we have nothing approaching good mexican here is Australia - especially not here in the country. The food you had for lunch, whilst relatively unknown sounds delicious - the only thing I could identify with was the guacamole which I make (and am about to have for dinner with nachos). Hope you sleep well and look forward to tomorrow's installments.

Suzanne F, Can I second Maliaty's suggestion to check out Delicious - it is far more "useful" than the Gourmet F & T when it comes to actual recommendations and finding food sources, restaurants etc that never seem to appear in Gourmet. Also the recipes actually work!!

Thank you for this course - I am going to try a couple then see if I need to post questions!!

Thanks for this - it looks amazing - cannot wait to try for myself. Looking forward to the next classes. Again thanks for sharing your expertise

I use it to make Salmon Mousse (I know very 70's - but in the big fish mould for a buffet always the first thing to be finished) I find the different brands in Australia vary HUGELY in the quality of the salmon you can get - home brand is disgusting and we feed it to the dogs but a good brand pink or red salmon is gorgeous and I can eat it straight out of the can - much nicer than canned tuna!! The salmon cakes (breadcrumbs, egg, herbs, mashed potato) are also a really popular standby - no tomato sauce used here though!! - I often make them up let them sit in the fridge them egg and breadcrumb them before frying in butter (other possibly Australian ingredients I have not seen mentioned that we add are peas - usually frozen - and really thinly sliced red onion) Maybe try another brand if you didn't like the one you had. PS to add the bones are the best part - really soft and delicious to bite into - they never make it near anything I am cooking (cooks get the best bits!!!)

We make great pots of butternut pumpkin (squash to you americans!!) in winter but I always add some orange juice to it just before I puree (I think this is an australian thing) - it really adds something to the soup. I love : leek and potato soup split pea and ham I make something very similar to the "quick and dirty" asian soup - also after watching Nigel Slater French Onion Soup - gruyere on thick slices of french stick Miso (essential to make when I am having tempura) Roasted Tomato Soup Creamy Prawn Soup - (lashings of sherry in this one) Cream of Celeriac Carrot and Corriander A summer tomato "soup" which is mainly pureed roast tomatos, yoghourt and good curry powder (sounds gross tastes delicious chilled)

Excellent blog Squeat. I am so jealous of that farmers market - and the sheer variety of food you have available.