tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67552322184329363622012-02-16T22:27:59.926+11:00Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956759286371502001noreply@blogger.comBlogger111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755232218432936362.post-36706679361969576942011-11-25T11:59:00.000+11:002011-11-25T11:59:13.555+11:00

 We celebrated Thanksgiving a bit early on Wednesday this year. And because I love Christmas so much, we made it an early Christmas dinner as well and invited our friend over to celebrate with us since he won't be in Melbourne for the holidays. Here are a few pics from our yummy feast! Our table all set up and looking pretty! One of our first courses: roasted pears stuffed with goats

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956759286371502001noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755232218432936362.post-52571104225491333742011-11-22T22:53:00.000+11:002011-11-22T22:53:05.470+11:00

I don't think I ever actually had salted caramels when I was younger, but I do remember getting a container of caramel popcorn for Christmas one year and thinking sweet + salty = the best combination ever. These sea salt caramels, adapted from a recipe found here, remind me so much of that popcorn, but a hundred times better. They are buttery and rich with just the right amount of saltiness to

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956759286371502001noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755232218432936362.post-39556686869225456782011-11-21T17:17:00.000+11:002011-11-21T17:17:24.154+11:00

Melbourne can get pretty hot in the summer. A few years ago there were about 4 days in a row that temperatures hit between 105-115 Fahrenheit, or 40-44 Celsius. When it gets like that, I can hardly manage to do anything, let alone cook. So with the weather warming up I've been making a lot of no fuss light meals to get us through the hot nights. Most of our meals have been consisting of simply

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956759286371502001noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755232218432936362.post-42385009877982124092011-11-15T13:02:00.001+11:002011-11-16T09:08:09.495+11:00

Okay okay, so I haven't posted an entry in forever, and I definitely didn't mean to be away this long. I've been busy with my trip home to NY, working extra hours at work, a Halloween zombie march and loads of other things that I won't bore you with, but I'm back now!   I could not fight the urge to bake any longer, and I had a baking marathon yesterday to test out some recipes for Christmas

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956759286371502001noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755232218432936362.post-42652847493682546602011-10-02T09:58:00.000+11:002011-10-02T09:58:50.720+11:00

My husband and I are flying to New York tomorrow to visit friends and family, and I'm so excited! (Although I'm totally not looking forward to the 30+ hours of flying. Yuck!) I only get to go home about once a year, and last time we were in New York we were getting married! I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone, going to a wedding, and of course enjoying the beautiful Autumn weather

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956759286371502001noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755232218432936362.post-35090956501540090072011-09-28T17:40:00.000+10:002011-09-28T17:40:31.256+10:00

My husband and I have been living at our current apartment for over two years and not once has it occurred to me to start a herb garden. We don't have any land with our apartment but we do have a north facing balcony that gets plenty of sunshine. While I was at the shops a few weeks ago I had a revelation: packaged parsley cost $2.99 while a potted plant was only $3.49. For 50 cents extra I

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956759286371502001noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755232218432936362.post-11230462998280427282011-09-21T14:30:00.002+10:002011-09-21T14:35:17.185+10:00

One of my favourite childhood memories is going to my Grandma's house. Nana, as I used to call her, would always have something delicious baking or a plate of fresh cookies waiting for me. I was so excited whenever I got to help her bake, whether it be rolling out cinnamon buns or gathering blackberries for a pie. And of course, anything Nana baked was always perfect. When my Nana passed away

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956759286371502001noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755232218432936362.post-16504973731898260172011-09-18T01:19:00.002+10:002011-09-19T02:52:38.610+10:00

Autumn has come to the northern hemisphere, and although I'm down in Australia where it is currently spring, I find myself longing for the crisp days, brightly coloured trees, and delicious apple cider that comes with my favourite season. I'm originally from upstate New York, and while we do get a few coloured trees here in Oz, nothing compares to autumn back home. I could go on and on about

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956759286371502001noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755232218432936362.post-90972704994825148582011-09-16T11:34:00.000+10:002011-09-16T11:34:13.079+10:00

Jamie Oliver is one of my favourite chefs for many reasons. For one, he makes fantastic dishes that are so simple and fresh and yummy, and in most cases, healthy. What's not to love about that?I recently picked up his latest cook book, Jamie's 30 minute Meals, which shows you how to prepare a full meal including sides and dessert within 30 minutes or less. It's so easy to follow and the variety

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956759286371502001noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755232218432936362.post-24805557990531337462011-09-14T17:55:00.003+10:002011-09-14T18:47:56.991+10:00

I first heard about paella (pronounced pah-A-yah) in my Spanish class in high school. I hadn't given it much thought since then, until recently when I rediscovered it while walking around my neighborhood. I could smell something delicious and rich, a complicated scent that left my mouth watering and my stomach growling. I soon came upon a Spanish tapas restaurant called Basque, and in their open

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956759286371502001noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6755232218432936362.post-46263861035491855392011-09-13T15:32:00.011+10:002011-09-13T17:43:55.725+10:00

I can't think of a better way to start off my brand new blog than with a cupcake recipe!I had been dreaming of making a lavender infused dessert ever since my husband and I took a trip to the Ashcombe Lavender Maze back in February. We stopped there for tea, and they served us these delicious little butter cookies with chunks of lavender all throughout. I had never thought of eating lavender

Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06956759286371502001noreply@blogger.com7