New blog name - please help!

Right. I've realised I really DON'T like my blog name. And that I can't think of what to re-name it (well, I have ideas, but they have all been taken!).

So I'm putting out a call for help to the blogger-sphere, to the twitterverse, and to anyone else who would like to make a suggestion.

All suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

Thank  you!

Brisbane's Budget Bites - book review

I am just going to unashamedly say that I love this book. Even more than I loved the first and second editions - if that is possible!

Brisbane's Budget Bites 2011 makes it possible to eat out regularly on a tight budget, while exploring the culinary delights of multi-cultural cuisine. And as someone who loves food, loves eating out and loves trying new places, this book is perfect for me. All eateries in the book are budget (as the name suggests) with meals below $20.

The book first came to be when editor Mei Yen Chua moved to Brisbane six years ago and was horrified that there was no guide to budget eating places in Brisbane. So she decided to write her own. And thank goodness she did! It is easily the most used food resource in our home (yes, even more than Stephanie Alexander's ABC of Cooking!), and we've never had a dud experience from any of the recommended restaurants.

A few of my favourites are:

• Cantina at West End for breakfast
• Brother Espresso for coffee - conveniently over the road from a client's office!
• No No's Lebanese Cuisine at Red Hill - the BEST babaganoush I think I have ever eaten
• Curryville Indian at Morningside - close enough for us to roll home down the hill
• all the Vietnamese places I've tried at Inala (I forget the names of them all).

Mei Yen Chua at the launch of Brisbane's Budget Bites 2011

The book is divided into geographic locations with a handy map at the front to help you work out where your suburb is (apparently I can be a bit geographically challenged...). This year it also includes budget bites on the Gold Coast. The index divides restaurants into cuisines, making it handy when you have a craving for Vietnamese or Indian, or if you are wondering where to go in Brisbane to try food from Sudan, Peru, Persia or Brazil. And if you love Chinese food, then you definitely need this book - the 2011 edition includes 28 Chinese eateries. Yum!

This year's edition of the book is bigger than ever - 95 new eateries, 16 coffee spots, 16 providores and 13 bakeries were added.

The new bakery section is going to be a much referred to section - researched and written by Julia Tuomainen, who writes the stunning baking blog Melanger (read it and drool!), it includes a few of my favourites (Leavain at Morningside - the BEST bread in Brisbane; and Jocelyn's Provisions at New Farm - the source of my baking inspiration for many years); and others that I'm going to have to try. All in the name of research of course.

Brisbane's Budget Bites 2011 is available for the budget price of $19.95 from www.brisbanebudgetbites.com.au and many bookstores in Brisbane including Avid Reader (West End) and Riverbend (Bulimba).

My advice - buy a copy today for a year of delicious eating! The biggest decision will be where to try first! I think I'll go to Mama Ferraris. No, I'll try Grub St Eatery. Or will I go to Char Char Yiros? Decisions, decisions...

What is your favourite restaurant or cafe to eat at on a budget?

Farmer's markets - San Francisco style

So once again, it's been quite some time since I blogged. And a lot has happened in my life since my last post (but more about most of that later!).

I've just returned from a very short 19 day holiday in Northern California - San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite National Park and Silicon Valley. There were so many highlights! But I have to say, that one of the biggest was visiting the Ferry Building Farmer's Markets on a Saturday at lunchtime.

I went to the markets with a bunch of wonderful women I met at the BlogHer Food conference that I was very lucky to attend (thanks to the wonderful - and I have since discovered, legendary - David Lebovitz, who at the last minute sold his ticket to me). Many of these women were from other parts of the US, parts that don't have the beautiful rich soil, the year-round warmth and sunshine and rain that we have in south-east Queensland (or that they have in Northern California). They couldn't stop marvelling at the size of the veggies, but mostly they were amazed at the range, the colours and the flavours.

I learnt that it's hard to grow a long, skinny carrot when the ground is frozen solid for a large part of the year!

I had to take loads of photos because it was EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING that I couldn't buy anything! ARGH!

So many heirloom tomatoes!

Peppers of all colours, shapes and sizes

Chilis - perfect for my new favourite food - Mexican 

Pumpkins were EVERYWHERE! I loved these little babies. It's nearly Halloween...

These had me craving greens like nothing else (my mother would have been so proud to read that sentence!)

The mushroom varieties were unbelievable. I've never in my life seen so many different varieties! There is no excuse for buying the boring button mushroom at these markets!

Oh the garlic. How I wanted to bring this home!
Lucky I didn't as customs went through ALL our bags in Brisbane! 

The only thing I did buy that day was lunch. A gorgeous open sandwich with the sensational flavour combination of locally smoked salmon on sourdough with  heirloom tomato, red onion and cream cheese. I could have eaten 10 pieces!

I tried to recreate this yesterday, but the store-bought smoked salmon just didn't taste the same. I'll be off to the West End markets on the weekend to buy some hot smoked salmon!

This was lunch. Nom nom nom...

Where are your favourite farmer's markets? And what do you ALWAYS buy from them?

Little chocolate delights

It's been ages since I blogged and I have so many things to talk about!

Not least is the dreaded 12 week body transformation challenge that I'm undertaking with Michelle Bridges - and what seems like half of Australia. It's a GREAT program, but I'm really struggling with the food side as I have realised I eat out SOOOO much! Plus it's hard for a foodie to sacrifice delicious food. Having said all that, I'm sloooowly losing weight. So yay me!

While I've never had a big sweet tooth, I do love a bit of chocolate most days - particularly around 3pm when I'm starting to fade.

These little chocolate delights are perfect for that fixing that sweet need. And they are SO simple. And under 60 calories each (which is VERY important when you're trying to eat only 1200 calories a day).

So, how do you make these I hear you ask. Easy-peasy.

200g dark chocolate - I use 70% either Lindt or Club
60g chopped pecans (about 1/2 cup)
60 g craisins

Line a baking tray with Glad Bake or some other silicone paper.

Melt the dark chocolate (I do it in the microwave, but you could also use a double boiler). Mix in the chopped pecans and craisins and stir well.

Drop teaspoon sized amounts of the mix onto the silicone paper. Place tray in the fridge to set (takes about 30 minutes).

Makes 30. Try not to eat them all at once :)

You can easily substitute other nuts for the pecans, or chopped up dried apricot/peaches/dates for the craisins.

What's your favourite way of eating chocolate - when you just need a little treat?

Feed the man - lamb shanks

Lamb shanks are a long time fave of most of the men in my life - hubby, brother, father - not the mention the men connected to most of my girlfriends! It, along with lasagne, is my standard go-to meal when I'm trying to get back into the good books, or if I need a favour, or if I just want to pamper hubby.

Having said that, I don't make it all that often, because it takes HOURS to cook (but only about 10 minutes to prepare) and I don't have a slow cooker. Since I've been running my marketing consultancy, I've been making it a bit more often as I work from home and can plan a wintery day around it.

My favourite way to make lamb shanks is to slowly simmer them in a sauce with a can of Guinness. The resulting flavours are rich and velvety. Mmmm. I first had a version of this at a friend’s place on a very cold winter’s night in 2007 and it's been on the menu ever since.

I made it last week - again - when I received my box of lamb from Silverwood Organics - if you love lamb, then check out their site - the quality and flavour is so, so much better than any lamb I think I've ever tasted!

Lamb shanks with Guinness, served on polenta with steamed broccoli

Serves 4 hungry people

• 4 x lamb shanks
• 1/3 cup plain flour
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tbs vegetable oil (I use grapeseed oil or rice bran oil – don’t use olive oil)
• 2 x large brown onions chopped
• 2 x carrots, chopped
• 300g button mushrooms, cut into quarters (optional)
• 1 can Guinness
• 2 cups water or beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• Small bunch of chopped rosemary (can also use thyme) – fresh is best if possible, otherwise 2tsp dried

1. Place the flour, salt and pepper to season into a plastic bag (I use a freezer bag). Coat the lamb shanks in the bag in the mix (you might need to do them 1-2 at a time depending on the size of the bag)
2. Heat 1 tbs vegetable oil in large pot on a medium high heat on the stove
3. Brown 2 of the lamb shanks in the oil, for about 2-3 minutes, until sealed all over. Remove with tongs and place in separate bowl. Add 1 tbs vegetable oil to pot and repeat with the last 2 lamb shanks.
4. Reduce the heat of the stove to about medium.
5. Add 1 tbs vegetable oil to pot, heat then add onions. Saute for about 2-3 minutes.
6. Return the lamb shanks to the pot.
7. Add the Guinness and stock/water to the pot. You want the lamb shanks to be just covered with the liquid, so you may need to add a bit more water/stock.
8. Add the carrots, mushrooms, bay leaves and rosemary and stir to mix in.
9. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer, and simmer for about 4 hours on a low heat.
10. Skim the fat and any surface scum before stirring regularly every 30-45 minutes. After about 2 hours I generally lift the lid slightly so the liquid reduces to about ½ over the remaining 2 hours of cooking time. [I find placing some paper towel on top of the pot is a great way to soak up excess fat – do this 2-3 times depending on how much fat is in the shanks].

Serve with mash, sweet potato mash or polenta and steamed green vegies.

Options and variations

• This can be made in a slow cooker (I just don’t have one!). Coat the lamb shanks in flour mix, then add to slow cooker with all other ingredients. Turn on to medium and leave for about 8-10 hours.
• You can also add a can of chopped tomatoes which adds a bit of texture as well as extra veg
• This is also delicious with polenta (made according to the directions on the pack), or potato mash. I have also used steamed brown rice when I had a mash disaster...
• You can substitute the Guinness for 2 cups of red wine – equally yummy!
• It is even better when made the day before you actually want to eat it. Just skim off the congealed fat before you reheat.
• The recipe is easily doubled, but you need a very large stock pot to fit 8 lamb shanks!

 What's your favourite meal to cook for your loved ones?

Figs are my food porn

I've long eaten - and loved - dried figs, since first being given them in my lunchbox as a child. However I'm a recent convert to the beauty and lusciousness of the fresh fig. I discovered this love when my brother cooked this recipe as part of my birthday lunch earlier this year. Of course, the addition of blue cheese was a definite winner for me :).

The following week I was overjoyed to discover fresh figs in my Food Connect fruit and veggie box, so of course I had to repeat this recipe!

6 figs
100 grams blue brie, or other soft blue cheese
6 pieces of prosciutto

Cut the figs across the top into quarters, but don’t cut all the way through. Cut the blue cheese into 6 pieces and gently put 1 piece into each of the cut figs. Wrap each fig with a slice of prosciutto and hold together with a toothpick.

Bake in the oven at 200c for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is gooey and the proscuitto crisp.

Eat and enjoy! And yes, I have been known to lick the plate to get every morsel!

PS I've just gobbled 4 fresh figs - which prompted this blog entry - and they were GORGEOUS!

PPS The dodgy photo was taken on my blackberry as I couldn't find my camera and wasn't prepared to wait to eat these delectible morsels!

Friday night pizza

Friday nights at our place, like many I suspect, can be a bit hit and miss with dinner. You know how it is, it's the end of the week, everyone's tired and a bit cranky, no one wants to cook or even make a decision about what to eat - and by 5pm all I'm normally thinking of is that big G&T or glass of red!

One of the foods that we all love (well, one of my favourite foods) is pizza. I have never been a big fan of the chain-store variety (you know the ones I'm talking about), and I find it a bit objectionable to pay $20 for a better quality but often soggy take away pizza. And I REFUSE to eat a frozen pizza.

Salami, mushroom, red pepper and bocconcini pizza

For the last couple of months we've been making pizza on a Friday night. Dough and all. It's easy and it's healthy (well, healthier than takeout pizza). And thanks to my thermomix, quick. AND since I realised you can freeze uncooked pizza dough, it's become even easier. Best of all, my stepson who is 9, and not known for his easy eating habits, LOVES it, helps make his own, and eats every mouthful. And that's a big win around here.

So, the recipe. Any basic pizza dough recipe will do, but I use:

Pizza dough
1 sachet dry yeast (make sure the use by date hasn't expired)
10g sugar or honey (a bit more than a tablespoon)
250ml warm water
3 tblsp olive oil
2tsp salt
500g plain flour (I use the '00' bakers flour but you could also use 100gm wholemeal and 400gm plain flour)

As I mentioned, I make this in a thermomix which takes about 3 minutes plus rising time, but the old fashioned way is easy too - just a bit slower!

• In a small bowl mix the yeast, sugar/honey, oil and about 1/3 water. Let it rest for a few minutes until it looks frothy
• Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle
• Add the wet mix to the flour mix and use your hands to mix it well together. Add more water and continue mixing until it comes together - you want it to be elastic but not sticky.
• Tip it onto a well floured bench and knead dough for about 10-15 minutes (this would be Mr 9's job if I didn't have a thermomix). Once it's quite pliable, roll it into a big ball, place it back in the large bowl, cut a cross in the top, cover with a tea towel and let it rise until it's 2-3 times the size (this can take 30-60 minutes depending on how warm it is) (see the pics below)

• Once risen, bash the dough down, knead for about 1-2 minutes, then shape into 4-6 balls (I prefer 6 so that it's a thinner and crispier base once I roll it out). To get even sized balls I roll the dough into a long sausage and cut it into 6 even looking pieces, then roll each (see the pics below)

The dough balls can now be frozen (I wrap them individually in Glad Go-between, then pop them all in a ziplock bag and into the freezer). This recipe is easily doubled, and the dough freezes well for up to 3 months. I defrost it on the bench - it takes about 30 minutes.

I pre-heat my oven to 230-250c and use a pre-heated pizza stone (I allow the stone to heat for about 15 minutes).

I usually make 1 pizza per person - whatever isn't eaten is even better the next day for breakfast.
To make the pizza, roll out each ball on a floured surface, place dough onto a piece of Glad Bake (I prefer to use a re-usable silicone sheet cut into the shape of the pizza stone so the pizza doesn't stick to the stone) cover with sauce and toppings, pop into the oven on a high heat (230-250c) and cook for until cheese has melted.

Tomato sauce
I often make my own tomato sauce too - it's pretty simple. I saute a couple of minced cloves of garlic, add a can of chopped tomatoes, simmer for about 15 minutes, add fresh (or dried) basil at the end. You can easily leave out the basil or add Italian seasoning, oregano or whatever you like.

Our favourite toppings are:

• tomato sauce, salami, mozzarella, BBQ sauce (Mr 9)
• tomato sauce, salami, mushroom, red pepper, mozzarella (hubby)
• tomato sauce, Italian sausage, mushroom, red pepper, bocconcini (me)
• tomato sauce, proscuitto, marinated artichoke hearts, bocconcini (also me)

What do you do on Friday nights for dinner? And, more importantly, what's your favourite pizza topping?