misgabi

Thanks everyone - fabulous ideas. And the best thing is there are enough ideas to warrant going out and buying more after I have tried some of these. Might go pasta tonight!!

Hope tomorrow is better Squeat - have a good nights sleep. Re the toaster oven. Never heard of them but after some serious google usage it appears they do sell them here in Australia (just not very often by the lack of them on the store websites) maybe we just have bigger kitchens and rely more on stovetops, ovens and microwaves (not to mention sandwich presses, grill type things on the bench tops etc) Hope you get to the store tomorrow - really want to hear about those beets - are you trying to tell me they come in colours other than purple

Enjoy your scotch when you finally get home. I didn't even mention water in my blog - I drink it all day except when I have the diet cokes (We have a water cooler in the kitchen for the staff that only I seem to drink - they don't know what they are missing - thinking of moving it into my office Have you even thought about dinner yet?

I have some excellent fresh ricotta that I purchased at the farmers market on the weekend. I am looking for some ideas as to what I can do with it. I had an idea in my mind for a cheese danish - we used to get this fabulous one from the french bakery when I was younger - it was a "family size" one that we used to slice with sultanas in it and surrounded by puff pastry. I seem to remember it had a vague almond taste. Any ideas??? Also any ideas for any other ricotta recipes would be appreciated.

Dinner sounds amazing - one question though - Toaster Oven? Is this actually like an oven mainly used for toasting? Am completely bamboozled (sp) Rant all you want - it's actually rather theraputic I found. Yay - suprises!!! Found a couple of things today that might do well for you but am not telling As I said above - enjoy your blog. Are you checking more often now you have your own thread? I did (sad it's true). Have to find something for dinner now. Just a quick ps to say I love ciabatta (and cannot get proper in Wagga - will pick some up next time I am in Canberra) but am fully enjoying reading how you are eating yours (jealous much!!!)

Morning (here anyway) Squeat!! Can't imagine anything funnier that your "stream-of-consciousness running commentary". When you listened later did you have any idea of what you had been looking at???? Have fun with the blog!

Have tagged Squeat Mungry as the next blogger. Thanks to all who put up with my blog - it was fun. Over to you Squeat

Nope, whole prawns (shelled) on skewers with lime slices intersperseds

Torakris: SEX, BOOZE and CATS Have just seen your bio page (hence above!) Thankyou for replying to my blog - must get to Japan ASAP

Sorry not to respond for so long - We just went for the day to Griffith as hubby has to work tonight - just long enough for lunch and pick up supplies from a few wineries. I am extremely pissed-off that my favourite winery was out of lemoncello and won't have any for a while. For lunch I had the hugest antipasto platter I have ever seen. It had everying from semi-dried tomatos, olives and fetta to natural oysters, prawns and pate to artichoke hearts and salami. There was ciabatta (sp) and EVOO by the truckload - yummmmmmmmmmmm With regard to the corn - if we can get them with the husks still on we do BBQ them however it seems to be a trend at the moment that the stores half husk them (maybe to show they are fresh or something???? I often grill my asparagus and then splash with balsamic vinegar (on the menu tonight) We went to the farmers market today and have scored beautiful tomatoes, irish soda bread, chocolates to DIE for (butterscotch schnapps and baileys - called "cowboys" after the shooter - 'caus the real name is to rude to call a choccie) fresh ricotta, organic licquorice and glace figs We are having yet more people over tommorow (one's my husband works with that I havn't even met yet) and will report once I decide what to do. I can highly recommend the mango cheeks grilled or on the barbie with the dark brown sugar - takes them to a whole new level.

This was not my lunch but was so disgusting (and smelt feral) I had to post. My receptionist had for lunch two "lasagne" meat pies. Bearing in mind this is Australia and the pie is sacrosanct - even I had to balk at a pastry filling that was filled with [really ordinary] lasagne, then covered with the usual beef pie filling (beef and gravy). Smelt disgusting, and when she bit into it all that fatty, bright red oil from oddly cocked lasagned spurted all the way down the from of her white silk shirt. Guess they were worth the $1.20 (australian) each .............not

I am having a few of friends over tonight for a BBQ - hubby will join us when he gets off work. I am baking in the oven a whole scotch fillet - at a fairly low heat, for quite a while as this makes it super tender. I rubbed it with mustard (sundried tomato gourmet one) before it went in. We are also having on the BBQ kebabs of prawns (tiger) threaded alternately with lime wedges. I also plan to flash BBQ some calamari on the plate with lime juice just before serving. I have a several loaves of fresh white bread as well as bread rolls. The usual suspects of salads appear (green, bean, fake tabouli) but I have also made an egg salad with quartered hard boiled eggs, thinly sliced celery, a tiny, tiny amount of red onion, some grainy mustard and homemade mayo. I am boiling up chat potatoes which we will either have just boiled with butter and fresh parsley or we will cut in half and deep fry (majority rules ) I found some really nice corn cobs at the shops and will either bake in foil as before or steam (depends what I feel like in a few hours). I have a couple of bread and butter puddings soaking at the moment (with crystallised figs) and intend to clean down the BBQ later, slice the cheeks of fresh mango, sprinkle liberally with dark brown sugar and BBQ those until caramalised - served with King Island double cream. Cheese plate for later with a Jindi triple brie, roaring 40's blue, local CSU cheese with wild mint and one with native pepperberries. Nibbles to start I have made some meatballs with satay sauce and some spincach and fetta triangles (plus some cheese - again the blue, a camembert and a CSU with bush tomato) Let's see how this sorts them out

Thanks Niall, will certainly do my best to visit a good selection of these wineries. Any recommendations re eating down there?

I firmly believe that if we get into the car to drive to Rutherglen then my husband will use the time in the car until we arrive to "convince" me that Melbourne would be way more fun, and then he could accidently watch rugby - all the time trying to make me believe it was my idea in the first place!! Or I could send him to the rugby and I could stay home and have a sleep!!

Niall: yeah Rutherglen looking like the go. Although I had to promise Rugby watching time!!! The thai was excellent - I love how many different entree selections they seem to have (I usually only order the entrees and skip the mains). The tempura was completely different to japanese - the batter seemed "thicker" but without being stodgy and the veges inside were perfectly cooked. That plus the chilli dipping sauce Have just come back from lunch - we went to the Italian across the road and I had ravioli in carbonara sauce (my favourite - pleb that I am). The garlic bread to start was really garlicky so I am sure my clients will be thrilled this afternoon Two glasses of diet coke and a salad that was mainly "fancy" green leaves and red onion with a quarter of a really tasteless tomato - very disappointing

Have just eaten a banana for morning tea. We are deciding if we should go away for the weekend - either down to Rutherglen and the wineries, or head off to Sydney. It is so rare that we both have Saturday and Sunday off we thought we might make the most of it. First banana was so nice I think I might have another

Lamington: I grew up in Canberra so maybe that is where the beetroot in the burger comes from. Had Thai for dinner last night as my parents were bored and felt like going out. Fishcakes, curry puffs, chicken satay and tempura (probably not authentic thai but really tasty) to start. Then had red duck curry, green chicken curry and a sort of sizzling beef and basil dish. We had steamed rice and crispy noodles as well. There was so much food we got a doggy bag and I took the rest home for later (hubby has probably eaten it for breakfast now). Got a danish from the bakery on the way to work (ham and cheese) and am eating as I type with an earl grey tea beside me.

No Squeat, the rice was uncooked - I just didn't explain it very well

Being a foodblog I suppose I should mention lunch. Had calamari and chips with a salad from the Italian place across the street. Outstanding tartare sauce I cannot get them to tell me what they crumb the calamari with - seems to be almost foccacia like crumbs. They do crumb their own - and make their own chips - yum. Just for a change I had a diet coke!!!

I am unsure how to describe lamb flaps. I imagine it was the cheapest cut of lamb which was cooked and ended up in tins with sauces like "curry" and "tomato". It had the most unbelievably bad smell - almost rancid and the nationals who ate it seemed to smell a bit this way too (don't want to offend any who are reading this!!). Obviously, I never actually ate lamb flaps (even our cat wouldn't touch them) but they were obviously popular as they could be mixed in with the cooked rice (purchased in 10kg bags). Along the same lines as the lamb flaps was mackeral in tins - again with disgusting smelling sauces. I assume these were cheap to mass produce??

Have just had a diet coke and an apple and custard muffin for morning tea. Really busy at work today and will have very little time for lunch.

Actually, just found this recipe link and might try this next time. Sounds excellent.

Bloviatrix, Lemon Verbena does seem similar to Lemon Myrtle in application just not in where they can be found. I would think they would work in cooking the same way. I had toast and marmalade for breakfast this morning with a mug of earl grey tea.

with regard to the "carefully guarded agricultural zone" I assume that powdered form would be fine. Let me know (via PM) if this would be a plan.

Shiewie, Ok for dinner used the leftover filling for the samosas and made really large versions of the same. However, I did roast a sweet potato (australian) and add clumps of that to the mix. I also have some asparagus in the fridge (that survived last night and may well steam that to have with a poached egg later on. Have had a few glasses of wine (trend anyone????) and eaten a packet of cheese twisties as I was feeling nostalgic. Will post more later