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- The value of a Moment.
The weeks are moving at an accelerated pace. How can it be that school holidays are only a stone's throw away? Winter is shedding her final layers, although she keeps creeping in, reminding us that she's not quite sung her last song yet. The hailstorm that swept through a few days ago made that quite clear. Was this her final curtain call? Something in me says, not yet. However, countless signs of spring emerge through the cracks - bursts of wattle; the buzz of bees, their pollen baskets bulging at the seams; sunlight lingering for longer; the chorus of birdsong a welcome soundtrack to new growth and life. As one who has learned over time to embrace each season for what she is, I have to say that winter has grown on me. Or maybe it's because this winter, in particular, has been mild. It is the first time in a long time that has seen my toes escape the pain of chilblains. With thanks to my new found love's, Merry People Boots and Nordic Socks, a sure-fire way to defend! My oven has been humming as a multitude of comforting bakes have been on high rotation. As I write this, there is a sourdough chocolate cake cooling on the kitchen bench, the recipe of which comes via Anneka Manning of Bakeclub, awaiting the impending inhalation upon everyone's arrival home. Which brings me to baking for people. I very rarely bake to satisfy my own sweet cravings. I'm a savoury girl at heart. But baking for others, well, that's a need I act upon regularly. Particularly when it's for an extra special purpose, like a birthday for instance. A couple of days ago I had the immense pleasure of gathering a few edible goodies together for two ladies who have added a generous handful of sparkle to my life. Complete with two sponges, because why have one when you can have two? Even though we may be on the slippery slope towards the end of the year, it's these little moments - the bursts of spring colour; and the pure heart-centered joy of slicing into a wedge of time to make something with my hands for the people whom I love. I'm reminded of the words by Dr Suess, "Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory." And I, for one, am all for the moments.
- Rugged Coastlines & Cosy Cottages
My coat, gloves, and scarf hang by the door. The Aga and the multiple cups of tea that followed kept my hands warm. Trees bare their skeleton limbs as the biting winds rattle the windows. Outside, the rugged landscape sings the songs of life. It hums the tunes from the stories and traditions folded into the generations of families gone by and those who live on. A large ceramic bowl is positioned on the kitchen bench. Flour, salt, bi-carb soda, and buttermilk - humble ingredients for the most famous of Irish bakes, Soda Bread. My nose picks up the aroma of comfort, of something slow-cooking. It lingers in the air and then something catches my eye. On the bench under the filtered light by the window lie crimson stalks of rhubarb embedded into pistachio and hazelnut frangipane. It is almost too much for me to handle. The excitement, the overwhelming beauty of the temptations that surround my being. The golden, buttery pastry topped beef and Guinness pie is lovingly brought to the table alongside a large dish of champ (mashed potatoes with spring onions) complete with a generous knob of butter which ever so slowly melts away into a glorious golden pool above the surface. Vibrant green peas roll onto the plates as I succumb to the kindness and generosity that is prevalent in the Irish way of living. I gaze around the table. To my right a bespectacled lady from County Meath sharing earlier memories of her and her mother taking a picnic of sandwiches and tea to the men in the fields. Directly opposite, sits an artisan seaweed farmer who works the shores of Quilty, County Clare, and who has an ambitious goal to become the world's largest producer of hand-harvested seaweed. To my left sits a fifth-generation flour miller. The current steward of Martry Mill where the waterwheel continues to turn after 700 years of rotations. The lady at the other end was a child during wartime. I hung off of her every word as she told us about her life growing up on a farm with 13 siblings in a four-bedroom house. There were so many more fascinating stories shared by inspiring farmers, producers, and people who live off the land. I could have sat in that very spot for hours on end. But then the last of the dessert was served and I had come to the very last recipe in the book, Barmbrack bread and butter pudding with apricot glaze. After 337 pages I had fallen for Ireland without ever having left our humble white weatherboard home. Such is the magic and sheer beauty of Cherie Denham and Andrew Montgomery's work of art, The Irish Bakery. They have bound the very essence of Irish baking together through words, photography, and recipes. The fascinating essays by Kitty Corrigan add yet another layer of uniqueness. It is a book that transported me to the rugged coastlines and cosy cottages of Northern Ireland. A cookbook becomes so much more when it can both accompany the reader into the bedroom where stories are read while propped up against pillows and then taken to the kitchen where the recipes that make up so many of the baking traditions of Ireland are created. Many of these are derived from Cherie's grannie's and great-aunts whom she learned so much from. I have had great pleasure in dog-earing many a page. The coffee and walnut cake became morning tea for the pre-school working bee. Slices of rhubarb, pistachio, and hazelnut frangipane tart were gifted to neighbours and school mum friends. The beef and Guinness pie with rough puff pastry warmed us from the inside out and left our home full of salivating-inducing aromas for two consecutive nights. Thick fingers of raisin and seed flapjacks made their way into lunchboxes, with a few being sent via post in a care package for a mum in the newborn bubble. The biscuit container was dipped into several times to fish out petite cranberry and apricot lace biscuits. Generous smears of softened butter layered the surface of thick-cut slices of soda bread and provided a vessel to mop up any last remains of soup from the bowl. With so many more recipes needing to be made in my kitchen, it is safe to say that The Irish Bakery will be a book that I will continually turn to time and time again and will lead me that little bit closer to landing on the doorstep of an Irish home to warm my hands by the Aga. Until then, I'll bake. If you would like to purchase a copy of Cherie and Andrew's book simply head here Cherie has kindly allowed me to share the recipe for her Beef & Guinness pie with rough puff pastry. A perfect meal to comfort and share. Beef and Guinness pie with rough puff pastry serves 8 This is a great recipe for feeding a crowd. If you can't get beef shin (chuck) steak can also be used. The pie filling can be made up to 2 days in advance, and can also be frozen. If anything, the flavour develops with time. Brown the meat off in small batches - if the pan is overloaded, the temperature drops and the meat stews instead of getting that lovely caramelised brown colour and rich flavour. Although there is a bit of work in the preparation of this pie, once the filling is made and the pie is assembled, you can relax and enjoy your evening. If making puff pastry isn't your thing, feel free to use shop-bought all-butter puff pastry. I like to serve this with a large bowl of creamy mash and buttered cabbage. 4 tablespoons of olive oil 1.3kg beef shin, cut into large chunks 570ml beef stock 30g butter 140g streaky bacon, sliced 140g chestnut mushrooms, quartered 3 onions, finely sliced 2 celery stalks, diced 2 carrots, peeled and diced 3 garlic cloves, crushed 4 tablespoons muscovado sugar 2 tbsp plain flour 570ml Guinness 2 tsp red wine vinegar 1 bay leaf 2 sprigs of thyme, leave picked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper For the rough puff pastry 285g plain flour 1/2 tsp fine sea salt 140g cold unsalted butter, cubed 5-10 tbsp iced water 1 egg yolk, beaten with a pinch of salt, to glaze Preheat the oven to 160c (350f/Gas 4). Heat a splash of the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. brown the beef in batches, then transfer it to a casserole dish. between batches, pour some of the stock into the pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan (this is where a lot of the flavour is), then pour the stock back in with the rest of the stock. Heat the remaining oil in the pan and add the butter, bacon, and mushrooms. Fry for 5-10 minutes over medium heat until browned, then lift out and add to the beef. Reduce the heat and gently soften the onions, celery, and carrots. It will probably take about 10 minutes or so. Once softened, add the garlic and sugar and stir. After a few minutes, stir in the flour and cook out for 2 minutes. Add the Guinness, stock, red wine vinegar and herbs. Slowly stir and bring to the boil. Season and simmer for 5 minutes., then pour into the casserole dish and stir. Place the casserole dish over medium heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cover with a lid and cook in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is soft and tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Remove the herbs. Meanwhile, make the pastry. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the butter and use your hands to gently toss it through the flour. stir in 5 tablespoons of the iced water using a round-bladed knife and then gradually add more until you have a soft and scraggy but not sticky dough. Use your hands to bring it together, then wrap it in baking parchment and refrigerate for 10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, gently roll out the dough into a 30 x 10 cm rectangle. Don't be heavy-handed as you don't want the butter to break through. Fold the bottom third of the pastry up to cover the centre third, then fold the top third down to cover the other two. Now turn the pastry anticlockwise so that the folded edge is on your left. Wrap and return to the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Repeat this rolling and folding technique three more times, resting the pastry in the refrigerator for 15 minutes between each roll. Once you have completed all the folds, chill the pastry for at least 20 minutes before using it. Preheat the oven to 180c (400f/Gas 6). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry. Spoon the pie filling into a 20 x 30 cm baking dish. Top with the pastry, then brush it with the egg wash, cut a slit in the top, and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.
- Sticky Pecan, Carrot & Caramel Scrolls
I'm sitting in the passenger seat of Mum's 1985 Ford laser hatchback, my back sticky with sweat under my blue and white summer school dress, all four windows wound down to catch the breeze. The Summer's back then were endless days of hazy heat. Blinds were drawn to keep the house cool. The roads were so hot it would be a triumph to cross barefoot, which we inevitably did, because why not? I remember a blister or three as our reward for our childish foolishness. But back to Mum's little hot box of a car which we affectionately called, "Herbie". She was a trooper who took us from A to B and everywhere in between for almost 15 years. The memories that this metallic blue hatchback was a part of were formative in many areas of my younger years. But it is perhaps the inevitable trip to the shops after numerous school days that flashed before my eyes as I pulled a tray of sticky sweet caramel fruit and nut scrolls from the oven. These post-school shopping trips often resulted in one of two after-school snacks - cold cocktail frankfurts from Lucky's Deli, in which the processed meat was sucked from the crimson casings (the thought of which now makes me want to gag!) or the sweet, icing-clad coils of an apple scroll slowly unravelled, the insides still a little doughy but no less delicious to child me. It was the latter that no doubt delivered nostalgia in buckets and spades as that very first snail shell coil from my very own homemade scroll was separated and enjoyed as I stood at the kitchen bench. The day I baked these was forecast to be 29c. My alarm woke me at 5:30 am and against the backdrop of darkness, before the heat swept in, I pulled the scrolls from the oven just after 10. What followed was a bike ride to the local milk bar, and a serve of gravy and chips for my youngest, Vivvy. The heat prickled our skin. The road hazy with heat, and an early evening gathering with friends for a BBQ. Their backyard was full of squeals and laughter. Carefree children racing through sprinklers, bouncing on trampolines and letting sticky, sweet flavours from icy-cold Zooper Doopers run down their arms. I thought to myself then, that these moments would form the collection of memories that would make up their youthful summers, coiling around deep inside their minds just like the sticky, sweet scrolls of those summer days in Mum's '85 Ford laser did for me. Sticky pecan, carrot & caramel scrolls Makes 12 For the dough 250ml full cream milk 2 tsp dried yeast 1 tsp vanilla extract 500g bread flour 55g caster sugar 1 tsp salt 2 tsp Hot Cross Bun spice (I used Gewurzhaus) But you can just use 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, and 1 tsp ground ginger instead 2 eggs, at room temperature 100g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 1 extra eggs + 1 tbsp milk For the filling 100g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature 100g brown sugar 3 tsp Hot Cross Bun spice (again, if not available to you, substitute with 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, 1/4 tsp ground coriander) 150g diced dried fruit mix (I use The Spectacular dried fruit mix from Singing Magpie Produce but you can substitute with a mix of dried fruit of your choosing) 50g pecans, chopped 120g grated carrot For the caramel sauce 150g unsalted butter 200g brown sugar pinch of salt 2 tbsp pure maple syrup 125ml thickened cream Gently warm the milk in a small saucepan until lukewarm. Remove from the heat and whisk in the yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and whisk again. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and spice to combine. Add the eggs to the milk and whisk well to combine. Either use your hands for this next step or let the free-standing mixer with the dough hook attachment do the heavy lifting for you. Pour in the milk mixture and knead for 8 minutes at a medium speed. Add the cubes of butter one at a time, working them into the dough until it is soft and sticky. Place a lightly dampened tea towel over the top of the bowl and pop it in a warm spot for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size. The time will vary depending on how hot or cold your kitchen is. If you need to help it along, the front seat of the car is a good one, or turn the oven on and let the dough rest on top of the stove. Meanwhile, you can make the filling and caramel sauce. For the filling, you will need a small bowl to mix the butter, sugar and spice until it is smooth and creamy. Stir through the fruits, nuts and grated carrot. set aside. For the caramel sauce, you will need to melt the butter and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the Maple syrup, salt and cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and set aside while you get your baking tin ready. Line the base of a 30cm x 23cm (or thereabouts) high-sided tin with baking paper. Pour 3/4 of the caramel over the base. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch down in the centre and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll it out into a rectangle that is roughly 40cm x 30cm and 1cm thick. Spread the spiced butter filling over the top. I find using a spoon for the first part and then spreading out with my fingers is the easiest way to do this. Starting with one of the longer sides, roll the dough up tightly to form a log with the seam facing down. Using a sharp serrated knife, I use my trusty bread knife, cut the roll into 12 equal even-sized pieces and place each one into the tin on top of the caramel sauce. Cover with a dampened clean tea towel and set aside in a warm spot for another 45-60 minutes or until almost doubled in size. Preheat your oven to 160c fan forced. Whisk the extra egg and milk together then brush over the tops of the scrolls. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until golden and the centre feels cooked when pressed lightly. Drizzle over the remaining caramel sauce and serve whilst still warm. The scrolls are best enjoyed on the day of baking, but they can be kept for 3 days in an airtight container. If you want to reheat them, simply wrap them in baking paper, then foil and heat for 5 minutes in a 160c oven, or until warmed to your liking. They are perfectly fine cold too.
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- A Mini Kitchen
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- Food | A Mini Kitchen
Home About Online Store Recipes Sunday Lunch Contact Search More Welcome to A Mini Kitchen, a place where the simple, slow and joyful memories that surround food are shared together with recipes to bake, cook and create for the ones you love. Food love laughter & memories Recipe archive March 2023 (1) 1 post February 2023 (1) 1 post October 2022 (1) 1 post August 2022 (1) 1 post July 2022 (1) 1 post June 2022 (2) 2 posts May 2022 (1) 1 post March 2022 (1) 1 post February 2022 (1) 1 post January 2022 (2) 2 posts December 2021 (1) 1 post November 2021 (1) 1 post October 2021 (1) 1 post September 2021 (1) 1 post August 2021 (1) 1 post July 2021 (1) 1 post June 2021 (1) 1 post May 2021 (1) 1 post April 2021 (1) 1 post Amy Minichiello Mar 30 5 min Roast Chicken & the flavour of Home When I have been away from home for an extended period of time the one thing I crave upon returning is a golden roast chook with an... 62 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello Feb 7 3 min Zucchini, ham & cheese Muffins That first of week of school felt a little like being stuck in a fog. My bearings were all out of kilter. A new routine to adapt to and... 231 views 0 comments 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 Amy Minichiello Oct 6, 2022 3 min Whole Orange & Ginger Cake I attempted to put a rather large bounty of limes to good use after my sister-in-law had forwarded a video to me on... 160 views 0 comments 5 likes. Post not marked as liked 5 Amy Minichiello Aug 12, 2022 3 min A bowl of Rice Pudding & other small Delights It arrived wrapped in a textured, hand-painted piece of wallpaper - an offcut from a farmyard scene that lines the walls of their... 256 views 0 comments 3 likes. Post not marked as liked 3 Amy Minichiello Jul 21, 2022 3 min Naked corn & a Chicken, corn and noodle soup Rummaging around the depths of the freezer can uncover forgotten treasures. A bag brimming with de-kernel-ed corn cobs was the gold I... 175 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello Jun 17, 2022 3 min Overnight Quinces The aromatic, bright yellow fruits caught my eye. There they were bulging against the brown paper bag in which they were housed, as if in... 179 views 0 comments 3 likes. Post not marked as liked 3 Amy Minichiello Jun 2, 2022 7 min Limoncello Syrup Cake When I first began dipping my toes, or should I say hands, into the world of layer cakes, I was met with terms such as swiss meringue... 239 views 0 comments 3 likes. Post not marked as liked 3 Amy Minichiello May 5, 2022 3 min A Cosy Cauliflower Mac & Cheese As the leaves crunch underfoot, and the fading light gives way to the bitter chill that hangs upon the air, the promise of a steaming... 159 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello Mar 17, 2022 2 min Granny's Pikelets As the butter softly crackles on the warm surface and the first spoonful of batter hits the pan I can smell it - the smell of comfort,... 174 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello Feb 17, 2022 3 min On Leftovers & Birthday Cake Quite often our fridge will be full of leftover cake innards - dribs and drabs of lemon curd, spoonfuls of berry coulis and the most... 120 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello Jan 20, 2022 3 min The Sound of Summer and an Economical Cinnamon Tea Cake Bridge ruffies, Bumble bees, Devilled kidneys and mutton broth. Pint, pound and ounces, and an introduction that reads - "Dear Homemaker,... 238 views 0 comments 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 Amy Minichiello Jan 13, 2022 3 min Gutter apricots & a mid-summer Jam There is a little red raspberry patch on the upper left side cheek of the apricot I hold in my hand. A few freckle-like blemishes here... 58 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Dec 9, 2021 3 min Rhubarb, Orange, and Almond Tea Cake I find it difficult to call rhubarb a vegetable, just as I find it difficult to call tomatoes a fruit. The perfectly slender pink... 359 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Nov 19, 2021 8 min A Weekend away & Anniversary Chicken “It is a wet and miserable morning in this little part of the world, so I’ve left you both a stash of firewood and some simple slippers... 197 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Oct 7, 2021 3 min One-pan Roast Chicken Drumsticks with Parmesan, Cream & White Wine We have two very cheeky Common Mynas that stealthily squeeze themselves through the wire of our "Girls'" (aka Chooks) yard. I watch them... 625 views 0 comments 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 Amy Minichiello Sep 3, 2021 3 min A Comforting Pear & Chocolate Cake On the far left corner of the stovetop sits one of my silver saucepans. It is a spot I find myself coming back to time and time again - a... 239 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Aug 6, 2021 3 min One-pan roast chicken, chickpea and eggplant kasundi There is always at least half a dozen or so tinned varieties of pulses sitting on the shelf of our pantry. They are my go-to for adding... 250 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Jul 15, 2021 3 min Dark chocolate brownie with red wine A package arrived the other day, the accompanying note read - Dear Amy, with the colder weather settling, we are now firmly in Gluhwein... 133 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Jun 26, 2021 4 min Quince crumble tart Lately, my mind has been abuzz with all things encased in that flaky, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth combination that makes up one of the... 138 views 0 comments 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 Amy Minichiello May 10, 2021 3 min Lamb Shank Curry As soon as there is the slightest hint of a chill in the air I instantly crave meals that require long, slow cooking. It is comforting... 595 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello Apr 17, 2021 3 min Spring onion cheese Tart Beau and I had to grit our teeth as we pulled the rather robust spring onions from the earth in which they were grasped tightly into. So... 139 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello Jan 7, 2021 4 min Two Summer Jam's - Apricot & Plum It has been a relatively cool start to the summer season down here in this part of the world. The earth has been soaking up the heavy... 153 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Jan 2, 2021 7 min Pork Chops with Crispy Crackling, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Crispy potatoes. Apple & Rhubarb Pie. It was a little after 11 am, I had just set the table. I took a step back as I counted the chairs - 6 in total. A smile spread across my... 120 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Nov 28, 2020 7 min A Rather Good Lasagne, Crisp Green Salad & Tingly Lemon Gelato. The latch of our front gate can quite often be heard from inside our little weatherboard home heralding the arrival of guests. Beau more... 285 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Nov 21, 2020 5 min Spiced Fig & Walnut Bread Every Sunday night once the house has been blanketed in silence and both Beau and Viviana have drifted off to the land of dreams I slice... 318 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Oct 24, 2020 6 min Curried Lamb Forequarter Chops, Potatoes, Rice Pilaf with Silverbeet. And Apple & Banana Shortcake. The opening sentence in the hefty cookbook that is "The Australian cookbook" reads...The revolution in Australian cooking over the last... 214 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Sep 29, 2020 2 min Rhubarb & Rose Jam "Pop." That satisfying sound as the tight seal is broken, inside in all of its sweetened glory is the most wonderfully irrediscent jammy... 239 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Sep 21, 2020 4 min Pumpkin & Hazelnut Cake with Ricotta Cream "It reminds me of something similar mum used to make..." If there is a sentence to conjure up feelings of joy, then this is it. As a... 226 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello Sep 8, 2020 4 min Rhubarb & Lemon Scones with a Jasmine Scented Drizzle A tussie mussie of foraged spring beauties sits on the windowsill above our kitchen sink - the light mauve, deep burnt orange and faded... 336 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Sep 1, 2020 3 min Spiced Pumpkin Sourdough Pancakes It was close to midday by the time I had wiped down the kitchen sink. Two loaves of freshly baked sourdough sat proudly on the bench as... 67 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Aug 20, 2020 5 min Sticky Date Cake with Poached Pears & A Sourdough Crumb I am finding the scribbled notes on the lined piece of paper in my notebook hard for me to even decipher...Arrows pointing here another... 220 views 0 comments 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 Amy Minichiello Aug 11, 2020 2 min A Warming Winter Soup of Pumpkin, Ginger & Lemongrass The calmness of the bay and the wild unpredictable waters of the ocean can both be reached within minutes from our humble little... 136 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello Jul 29, 2020 3 min Fennel, Chorizo & Marinara Risoni My heavy-based casserole pot sits on top of the stove even when it's not in use. It's covered in cooking stains, burnished marks that... 100 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Jul 1, 2020 3 min Rhubarb and Coconut Meringue Slice They are the final addition to my basket, their long, slender rosy-red stems balance on top of a beautiful snow-white cauliflower, a... 251 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Jun 24, 2020 3 min Lime, Nasturtium & Poppyseed Syrup Cake There are numerous boxes stacked high on top of one another in my mum and dad's garage. A treasure trove of forgotten objects and... 120 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Jun 4, 2020 5 min Hot smoked Salmon & Potato Pie Margins of time are so very precious - these in-between stolen moments can be found right throughout the day, after putting a load of... 296 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello May 27, 2020 2 min Sausages with Tomatoes & Capsicums As the days become increasingly shorter and that late afternoon nip in the air has us retreating back into the warmth and comfort of our... 172 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello May 14, 2020 4 min Silverbeet, Spinach, Ricotta and Herb Hand Pies It was one of those days where the air was crisp but the sun shone a soft glowing light, it fell over the trees and the fine blades of... 394 views 0 comments 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 Amy Minichiello Apr 28, 2020 4 min Quince & Dark Chocolate Ricotta Crumb Cake Luscious, creamy ricotta would have to be one of my favourite ingredients of late. Being so versatile it's always so handy to have... 347 views 1 comment 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello Apr 28, 2020 5 min Fig and Walnut Frangipane Tart It had been raining all day, the type of rain that soaks into the earth saturating everything in sight. A very pungent onion caused my... 132 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello Apr 28, 2020 4 min Honey-roasted Tomato & Goat Cheese Tart The smell of tomato plants always reminds me of my Nanna. As I brush my hand over their leaves and bring them to my nose I am a little... 184 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Apr 28, 2020 2 min Green Spaghetti with Carrot top & Silverbeet Pesto Where does the inspiration for a meal come from for you? Every morning, I open the fridge door to jars full of jams, chutneys and... 41 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Apr 28, 2020 2 min Rosemary, Lemon Verbena & Almond Shortbread (gluten free) In the pantry on the third shelf sits a container that is more often than not filled with some sort of home baked goodies. It just feels... 71 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Apr 28, 2020 3 min Apricot Crostata My eyes were drawn to an open cardboard carton that sat on the workbench beside our front door. I had just arrived home and my first... 78 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked Amy Minichiello Dec 21, 2019 4 min Spiced Cherry Jam As we drove off down the uneven dirt road, destined for our return home, his little sing-song voice exclaimed, "Mummy, I like that... 131 views 1 comment 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello Oct 1, 2019 4 min Dark Chocolate, Roasted Almond & Cumquat Marmalade Cake At times it begins with a thought; an idea starts to form in my mind. It may have been something I had read, smelt or tasted and in some... 322 views 0 comments 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 Amy Minichiello Jun 22, 2019 4 min Hot smoked salmon, Brie & Quince tart A slice of oozy creamy brie sat on top of a piece of Smyrna sun-dried quince and I was in heaven. As I stood there savouring every last... 125 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello Jun 9, 2019 5 min Nanna Joy's Sausage Rolls My feet quickly scurried over the icy-cold pavers towards the carport; our second fridge lives out there and I grasped whatever it was... 1,531 views 0 comments 2 likes. Post not marked as liked 2 Amy Minichiello May 31, 2019 6 min Quince Frangipane Burnt Butter Tart Butter; What is it that makes it so special? What is the very first thing that pops into your mind at the mention of it? Is it a golden,... 198 views 0 comments 1 like. Post not marked as liked 1 Amy Minichiello May 10, 2019 5 min Quince & Apple Tart with Hazelnut Crumble I really never used to look forward to the colder months; the change in seasons and the rain were more of a hinderance than anything... 213 views 0 comments Post not marked as liked