Syrah

MizDucky, Last year my boyfriend discovered he had a gallstone and the Dr strongly advised that he lose weight in order to help the recovery from the surgery and just his general health. In order to do this he started walking in the mornings. First 30 mins, then 45 mins and then an hour plus. He really enjoyed that. I helped by changing how I cooked. I tried to incorporate a wider range of foods, and started menu planning so I could allocate nights to different types of meats. We also have two vegetarian nights a week. I don't know what your living situation is but when it is just two people, it's a challenge to incorporate all of the veggies one should eat into a meal. This way, I felt we were concentrating the vegetables into a main dish. Roasting vegetables really brings out their flavour. I love to eat a plate of them by themselves. If you like Asian food, try some veggie stirfries with noodles. Also, when I eat really spicy food, I seem to get full faster. I have no idea if that would work for you.

Pea and ham soup. She made it every Christmas from the hambone in the hot Australian summer, and yes we had to eat it. Now I freeze the bone and wait until it gets cool.

I am not much of a baker, but I like Donna Hay's Sour cream blueberry muffins. Last time I made them, eons ago, I used some Lemon Myrtle. They were fabulous.

That sounds awesome to me.. do you reckon smoked salmon would be taking it too far?

Not in a million years. I am sad to say that I saw Miracle Whip in my supermarket today for the first time ever.

What a fantastic article! It made me chuckle in parts. I try out new recipes almost every week. I will however read cooking magazines and cookbooks as literature.. skimming for inspiration to be applied later.

That was how I was first introduced to it. The first Christmas lunch I had with my boyfriends parents it was served and it started the love affair. In terms of which brands to buy I had a beautiful bottle of Leasingham a few months ago. Also McWilliam's makes a good reasonably priced one too.

Scones! and pikelets.

Leasingham estate is also quite good. Banrock station might be more accessible to you though.

'Round these parts, we call that Hoegaarden (or various and sundry other Belgian brews in the witbier style). And it sells pretty darn well. Christopher ← It may just be have been the coriander. Even people who were not told, could detect somthing "off" in it.

I don't think any Australian would disagree. Fosters is for tourists and export. That's it. Although I am not a beer drinker, my boyfriend once mistakenly bought some wheat beer infused with orange and coriander. He couldn't give it away.

Totally depends on what it is and who it is for. Recently I made a lightly curried soup for dinner that included an apple and a banana. He is extremely averse to banana but I was assured it would not be detectable so I went ahead. He loved it and looked shocked when I told him. Another situation would be rabbit, my bf had rabbits as pets as a child. We have discussed it and I know he would not be happy to eat it. I say fair enough to that and do not make it. It's all about knowing who you are serving and if you have doubts you are better to ask in my opinion. I would never knowingly serve something that could be offensive to my guests and I would be mortified to learn I had done it inadvertently.

Pizza dough freezes really well. I prove mine for an hour, so it is not necessarily easy to make during the week. What I usually do is make a double batch on a Sunday, and then freeze in thin discs. Remove from the freezer as you run out the door in the morning and it's a quick job when you get home.

No matter how much I try it, I still HATE it. I cannot imagine getting over this at all.

It sounds like a fabulous idea to me.

She was probably tring to figure out how you were going to turn those into the yellow powder they sell in the spice aisle. ← Potentially. She did say that she thought they smelled nice. It was quite a nice conversation actually. She seemed like a nice girl. I think she is the same one that asked me about fresh sage last winter. The curry turned out really well, so that is always a bonus.

I think you are right. There is something about how we shop, smelling touching perusing. The cashier at the greengrocer the other day was smelling my pack of fenugreek and coriander seeds. She looked in awe "What do you do with these??" I replied that I was making a curry. She seriously looked as if I wasn't speaking english.

Maple Syrup is widely available. You just need to watch for "Maple Flavoured Syrup" that brands like Greens try to foister upon ignorant consumers. I buy Camp brand Maple Syrup from Bi-Lo and they are the cheaper, less attractive sister of Coles.

I'm pretty sure we have Kraft Mac and Cheese here. Is this the same http://colapt.colesmyer.com.au/fcgi-bin/sa...kObgkB1&aaa=079 If the link doesn't work I searched on www.colesonline.com.au for "Kraft pasta"

She'll get over it. It has to be a big deal moving halfway across the world. I haven't been to Melbourne, but I've heard it's a very nice place. Lots of public transport, lots of things to do, and lots of drizzly days (Teehee).

LOL! I still remember the first time an American (I think) asked me online in all earnestness whether I owned a pet kangaroo. I told him that we did have one, but we had eaten it the week before last.

I understand her concerns - with some of the deadliest species in the world I didn't understand why my sisters apartment (and most of the hotels I stayed in) didn't have screens in the windows or air-conditioning! I'm sure they have propane tanks ... but you'll be better off checking these things (as you plan to) before you get there and can't find what you need. ← Although the snakes and spiders are more venomous (sp?) than in other parts of the world, you will generally not encounter them unless you are in the bush, at which point you are prepared for it. Honestly I haven't even seen a redback scurrying about, and I've lived here my whole life.

Thanks, Syrah! That's what AWW says about custard powder. If I were to make a recipe calling for custard powder in the USA I'd probably pick up a package of Birds (which I can find in my local supermarket -- a lot of Australian "snowbirds" have second homes in Hawaii). ← It is probably the closest equivalent. We certainly did not have pudding mixes when I was growing up, but I believe they are now sparsely available. I don't tend to buy prepackaged items like that so honestly I don't really know for sure. You are quite correct about AWW cookbooks BTW. They do work exceedingly well. I also have a Family Circle "Favourite Meat Recipes" circa about 1985 that my mum gave me. It does have a few gems! :-)

Yes and a cup is 250ml not 237ml.

That's a good list. I don't think that custard powder is equivalent to pudding mix though.