Cadbury

What's in a Dark & Stormy? We can buy a canned drink of that name here that contains rum and ginger beer, so I wondered if it was the same? I'm enjoying your blog, we have friends who have organised similar themed dinners, but not nearly so well researched.

Has tipping become the norm in the Eastern States? We rarely see a tip jar here in W.A. and while we may tip for spectacular service, there doesn't seem to be an expectation for it.

Klary, I have thoroughly enjoyed my vicarious holiday. What a treat. The internet (and especially eGullet) is such a wonderful resource. Ten years ago I could not have imagined that researching and planning a holiday in such a manner was possible. Suddenly the rest of the world doesn't seem so far away.

Chufi, the ham sandwich I just ate for lunch is so disappointing and boring after looking at all of the wonderful photos and descriptions of your trip so far. I'm looking forward to the next installment. Fabulous.

When I was 6, 7 and 8 we lived in the remote Kimberley region of northern Western Australia. We used to spend long weekends camped by a river with clear, fresh water. The water was so clear that we would dangle a line and hook in the water and watch the cherrabin (a fresh water crustacean like a prawn) walk close before just hooking them out of the water. These along with mussels would be cooked in a billy of water over a fire. We also would eat "wild passionfruit" - a weed bearing small round fruit which contained seeds similar to passionfruit. At other times when living further south we have picked loquats, gooseberries and mulberries when walking home from school.

I don't think the trend is endemic to Japan or Japanese cooking(although the terms are). During a western meal (think meat + 4 or 5 vegetables) one is supposed to put a little of everything on ones fork so as to get a mix of flavours. Many people, including children just eat each portion on its own. Children in particular eat their favourite first (or least depending on their strategy). I do the same sometimes if there is a particular food I would like to savour at the end of the meal (sweetcorn for instance). I'm fairly sure that when I lived in Japan I ate sankaku tabe. It just seemed the right thing to do.

Perhaps a definition of small might help? Small town to me might not be small town to you.

Sprinkling 2 tablespoons of semolina onto the pastry can help absorb the excess moisture, and doesn't influence the taste of the finished pie (what I would call a Summer Tart).

I guess the level of service expected depends on the reason for eating out and who I am with. If we're out with our two children (ages 18 months and 3 years) then we want food and quickly, before they get too hungry. If it is just the two of us (very rarely) then we want a long evening of adult talk, wine and dine. We don't want to feel rushed out of the place but at the same time, as eating out is a rare occurence we want to enjoy the whole experience. On one occasion we were waiting for a table (having registered our name with the hostess) and waited and waited, you get the idea. I thought I heard our name (it's rather unusual) and went and asked if we were called. No. So we waited some more. Eventually having missed the start of the movie we had planned to see after our meal, I made a huge fuss, found our name was indeed called and we were given half price meals and free drinks. The evening wasn't really as special as it should have been. On the other hand we went to a Chinese Restaurant recently with the children and managed to order our meal within 5 minutes of sitting down and had received it before other tables had even placed their orders. Brilliant service when your children are hungry and tired. Delicious too.

Alina, congratulations on your pregnancy and on your terrific blog. I am curious as to the instuctions that pregnant women are given about what foods should or shouldn't be eaten (whether given by doctors or "old wives tales"). For example in Australia we are warned to avoid soft cheeses, pate, prosciutto, salad ingredients unless prepared at home and deli meats eg. salami, ham etc. Take out is a no no unless it's served really hot. This is all to avoid contracting listeria. It makes for a fairly boring 9 months. Do you have anything similar?

For research purposes, I made these tarts. I had problems not only with the filling but with the base as well. As far as the base was concerned, the mixture was far too soft to roll into balls and push into the tins. I could have put it into the fridge for a while but I piped it into the tins instead. The filling did set in the fridge but not enough to hold its form once piped - tasted okay but not the level of presentation I was looking for (I was taking these to a meeting). I scraped out the tarts that I had filled. I then whipped some cream with some of the prepared filling until I had stiff peaks. This piped very well into the tarts and I think actually tested better (more mellow) than the original. There were no tarts left for me to bring home.

I would have to agree that the lemon juice is necessary for this to work. The link for the recipe is here. They look delicious.

I live in a fairly isolated area of Western Australia on a farm. The nearest town is VERY small (less than 200 people) and is 50 km away. Through necessity I therefore have a fairly well stocked pantry and fridge/freezer. I have in excess of 10kg bread flour, rice, spaghetti and other pastas, nuts, split peas, rolled oats, coconut, flours, several varieties of asian noodles, potatoes, onions, enough powdered milk to make about 35 litres of milk, a variety of condiments, sauces, herbs and spices, tinned goods, frozen vegetables, a large leg of lamb for roasting, frozen pork, chicken, steaks, beef, pork and sausage mince, fish, apricots (for making jam), filling for cornish pasties, homemade lasagne, puff pastry, shortcrust pastry, fillo pastry, spring roll wrappers, 12 litres frozen milk, choc chip cookies waiting to be cooked (homemade but frozen), 3 dozen eggs, soup ingredients,vegetables in the crisper and plenty of things to make Japanese dishes. I like being able to cook whatever takes my fancy as I flick through cookbooks or browze eGullet. I could happily go without a trip to town for several weeks but I would miss the fresh veges as my garden is still in its infancy.

I quite like brown rice. I enjoy the nutty, chewiness of it. That said however, I have never actually bought it. I'm amazed at the range of "brown rice" available elsewhere, I think we only have a calrose type medium grain available to us.

I think your conversions for the flour are not right. Think about it: if you've converted 1 metric cup sugar to be 1 1/8 cups, how can 1 1/2 metric cups possibly become 3 1/2 cups? My book tells me that 1 metric cup = 1 1/4 US cups and 1/2 metric cup = 2/3 US cups. Your baking powder would then need to be no more that 4tsp or 1 tablespoon+1tsp (1 tablespoon would probably suffice). Also, I find it easy to weigh butter if I'm melting it to prevent waste. You need 6 1/2 oz butter or 1 US cup. I will be back shortly with weights for the dry ingredients, that may help sort things out. 1 orange 6.5 oz butter (1 US cup) 3 large eggs 6.3 oz caster sugar (1 1/4 US cups) 7 oz SR flour (1 2/3 + 1/4 cup) or all-purpose +1 Tablespoon+1 tsp baking powder Edited to add weights

Actually, I did think you might have figured it out when the butter is in grams and the oven temperature is in Celsius. However, I'm glad you're getting towards the results you're looking for.

Okay, I guess I should have pointed out in my recipe that the cups used are metric cups holding 250ml each. You need to allow for this difference when working out your quantities of sugar and flour. My guide to converting plain (all purpose) flour + baking powder to make self-raising flour uses 3/4 metric cup flour to two level teaspoons baking powder so for my recipe you need 4 teaspoons baking powder. Another muffin book I have uses flour and baking powder in the same proportions. If you wish to err on the side of caution perhaps try 3 1/2 teaspoons. I would be leaving out the salt as well.

I feel it would be beneficial for you to go back to the original recipe I posted and try it as is, without making changes. Once you've seen how the recipe performs then start adjusting. Changing the juice of the orange for the milk changes the nature of the muffin, I feel. For what it's worth, I have never had "vertical webbing" with these muffins and they always have a lovely domed/moon top. If you find they are a little bitter (I haven't but you are looking to match a specific muffin) then take one or two slices of peel/pith from the orange before processing. Also, the last few times I have made these using navel oranges from California, removing the "navel" when cutting the top off the orange.

They are cake-like in texture but the use of the food processor does make them a little more coarse. I hope you like them.

I have a recipe for Orange muffins which uses a whole orange (without dates etc ). They have a lovely strong orange flavour. Recipe is here. They are quick and easy to make using a food processor.

Orange Muffins These muffins contain a whole orange, pith and all. They are not bitter but have a strong orange flavour so are a more adult taste. Please note that this is a metric recipe. One metric cup holds 250ml. 1 orange 185 g melted butter 1 c caster sugar 1-1/2 c Self Raising Flour 3 eggs Chop top and bottom off orange (to remove the thickest pith) and discard. Place orange in food processor and process. Add other ingredients and process until combined. Spoon into muffins tins and bake at 180C (moderate oven)for 15-20 minutes. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Snack, Food Processor ( RG1748 )

Thank you for taking time to add your pancake recipe, and for the excellent blog. I hope the dish fairy puts in an appearance overnight.

I have insulin resistance too, and am enjoying seeing how you fit this into your eating habits and lifestyle. I wonder if you wouldn't mind sharing a bit more detail on how you make your pancakes. They look delicious.

I made these a couple of years ago for a few friends, they went down quite well, especially if the jar is an nice one. "SAND ART" Brownies in a Jar Add to a wide mouth preserving jar (750ml) in this order: 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 + 1/8 cup flour 1/3 cup cocoa 1/2 cup flour 2/3 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup sugar 1/2 cup chocolate chips 1/2 cup white choc (chopped) 1/2 cup nuts This should pack nicely into the jar. Include a decorative tag with these instructions for making the brownies: Combine contents of jar with: 1 tsp vanilla 2/3 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs Pour into a greased 9x9inch pan. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes. Recipe here Sand Art Brownies

Sand Art Brownies In A Jar These are a nice gift to make for Christmas or other gift giving season. Please note that this recipe uses a metric cup which holds 250 ml. 3/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 c + 1/8 cup flour 1/3 c cocoa 1/2 c flour 2/3 c brown sugar 2/3 c sugar 1/2 c chocolate chips 1/2 c white choc (chopped) 1/2 c nuts Add to a wide mouth preserving jar (750ml) in this order: salt Baking Powder flour cocoa flour brown sugar sugar chocolate chips white choc (chopped) nuts (Please note the flour/cocoa/flour is not an error but is done to make layers of colour.) This should pack nicely into the jar. Include a decorative tag with these instructions for making the brownies: Combine contents of jar with: 1 tsp vanilla 2/3 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs Pour into a greased 9x9inch pan. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes. Keywords: Dessert, Brownies/Bars, Easy, Chocolate, Snack ( RG1739 )