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Leaving on a Jet Plane!
2007-11-08 22:14:00
I am off everyone. Getting on a plane this morning for Brisbane. What for you may ask? Well it is Good Food & Wine Show time. I love the Good Food & Wine shows, they are so much fun. Lots of things to nibble and munch on. Lots of gorgeous new things to spend my money on. I would like to say a big Thank You very much to the guys at Lifestyle Food for sending me a couple of free passes because they like my blog. I feel extremely privileged and special. This trip is also an early birthday present for myself as I am turning 34 on Wednesday. So have a great weekend everyone and I will catch up with you all when I get back. Big KissesSquishy
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Curried Sweet Potato Pasta
2007-10-30 11:25:00
I was on the Lifestyle Channel Message forums the other week and another forum commenter had said that she would like to see some recipes that were quick and easy for the working mother. So I thought I would pop a recipe up that is quick, simple and a crowd pleaser. This one is sweet, spicy and not the type of sauce you would expect to have with spaghetti. Trust me it works and it tastes awesome. You can make it as hot or as mild as you wish. If you know me and curry, you know I like it hot, really hot. So go on, give it a whirl and let me know what you think?Cheers Amelita AKA (Squishy)Ingredients2 small to medium Sweet Potato es, chopped, steamed till soft, then mashed3 heaped teaspoons of Curry Powder, 2 if you would like it milder1 sliced Red Onion2 large Cloves of Garlic, diced finely1 400 ml of Coconut Cream500 grams of SpaghettiPlace your spaghetti into a pot of boiling salted water and cook until aldente while you make your sauce. To make your sauce, fry your onions till soft...
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Snickerdoodles
2007-10-21 11:53:00
What a cookie, oh my goodness these are so delicious. I love my Betty Crocker cookbook that I brought back from the USA and this is now one of my favourite recipes. They are light, crispy, soft in the middle and remind you of a donut with their cinnamony flavour. They are so easy to make, it's ridiculous. I have only adjusted one ingredient in the recipe and that was shortening, as I didn't have any on hand. I used butter instead. I don't know if it made a difference, but I don't care, they are fabulous. I urge you to try this recipe. The Americans sure do know how to make cookies and I love them for it. 1 1/2 cups of Sugar250grams of Butter2 large Eggs2 3/4 cups of Plain Flour2 teaspoons of Cream of Tartar1 teaspoon of Baking Soda1/4 teaspoon of Saltextra 1/4 cup of White Sugarextra 2 teaspoons of CinnamonPreheat your oven to 180 degrees. Beat the sugar, butter and eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium, till creamed nicely. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, bakin...
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And they lived happily ever after.................
2007-10-17 12:49:00
Well everyone, at 5.00pm on the 15Th of December this gorgeous man is going to become my husband. Yes, the mad bugger actually would like to call me his wife. I am a very lucky girl, because I get to marry my best friend. We have gone through the ups and downs, all the travesties and tragedies that you could imagine. Being a blended family has thrown us definite curve balls, we have caught them and thrown them right back. At the same time we have taken life by the balls and enjoyed it immensely. With five children at our feet we have enjoyed laughter, tears, anger, frustration, happiness and every other emotion you could imagine. We are not the perfect family but I wouldn't want us to be. Life is meant to be a roller coaster of emotions, so you know how to live in it and how to appreciate the good times. There has definitely been more good times than bad. So on the 15Th of December our blended family makes the biggest commitment of all. When I asked my two step children to be, if i...
More About: Happily Ever After , Lived

Chicken, Bacon & Cream Cheese Volauvents
2007-10-10 12:29:00
I know Volauvents are kind of dated and unfashionable now but I can't help but love them. I have made this recipe for years and it has always been a winner. You just have to love all that crispy perfect puff pastry and no again I don't make them myself, I am still afraid of puff pastry and yes I know Duncan from http://www.syrupandtang.com/ will be disappointed in me for still being a fraidy cat. Sorry Duncan :( The store bought ones are so perfect and lovely, I just can't help myself. I just hand the money over blindly and try not to give myself a good slapping for not making them myself. These are extremely fattening people, just the way I like them. Adds to my squishyness and I am all about the squishyness. Yeah Baby!!! So here is the recipe.750 grams of Chicken Thigh Fillets, chopped into little cubes4 Rashers of Bacon , chopped into little bits12 medium Volauvent shells250 grams of Philadelphia Cream Cheese , sliced into pieces50 grams of Butter2 tablespoons of Plain Flou...

Balsamic Strawberry Mini Pavlovas
2007-10-06 03:10:00
This is one of those recipes I have had in my head for months. Strawberries and balsamic are a wonderful combination together, why not take that a step further. I have created my own easy balsamic glaze. Made mini pavlovas, filled them with fresh whipped cream, sliced strawberries and topped it all with the Balsam ic glaze. It is what it is and that is Gorgeous!For the Balsamic Glaze:Take one 250 ml bottle of a standard balsamic vinegar, place in a saucepan, simmer and reduce by half. Then add 2 tablespoons of Glucose Syrup (Corn Syrup) whisk the syrup through and allow to cool. Your done. This is also the perfect glaze for roasts, steak, carrots the list goes on. For the Mini Pavlovas:4 egg whites, 1 cup of castor sugar ( superfine sugar), 3 teaspoons of cornflour, 1 teaspoon of white vinegar. Whisk your egg whites on a high speed until they form stiff peaks. Then still whisking on a high speed, add your castor sugar little by little. The mixture should be stiff, glossy and all the ...
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Finally !!!
2007-10-04 13:27:00
After 3 months of traumatising events with my computer, I am online again. Let us just say never, ever, ever, let your children use those free game sites on the net. I am telling you what a nightmare. Even though I have anti virus software, nothing can prepare you for the devastation that a virus can do to your computer. Also nothing can prepare you for the time it takes for someone to diagnose your computer and fix the problem. Every time I called the reputable computer repair guys it was, sorry I have not had time to look at it yet. We finally just went over and picked it up and went to someone else. HP specialist the first mob were supposed to be. Now taking your computer to a repair person is a scary experience. You are afraid of how much it is going to cost You are afraid whether or not they will be able to fix your computer How long is it going to take Are they going to be able to save all the beloved info and pics on your computer Is it going to cost me hundreds of dollars a...
More About: Finally , Fina , Ally

Where did I go?
2007-09-27 00:48:00
Hi Everyone,I am still here. Just having problems with my computer. It is being repaired but it is taking a little more time than expected. My Internet connection is suspended while I am not using it, but I did not realize it was going to affect my emails. I have updated my email address on blogger to my hot mail so I am up and running again.The move has gone exceptionally well and I love our new house, especially my kitchen.I will try and post a new recipe this weekend, fingers crossed I get my computer back shortly.I would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support and hope that you are all well.Cheers Amelita

We are moving!
2007-08-29 02:16:00
Hello everyone,Just a quick post to let you all know that there will be no posts for a week or so. Our house that we have rented is going up for sale and we have found a new house to live in. We are moving this weekend and it ain't going to be pretty.Fantastic thing about the new house though is a GAS STOVE!!!!!!! More pantry space and a bigger kitchen. So I will see you all in a week or so and look after yourselves.Cheers Amelilta
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Can you tell I don't live in the City anymore?
2007-08-15 00:53:00
Country living really is a wonderful thing. You see things that you never get to see living in a big city. This is one of them. When we took the kids to the Townsville show, it was an eye opener. It was a day of family and down to earth fun. Duck racing and Duck fashion parades.................................. .............what the!!!!!!!!The man who owns the ducks took it all very seriously. He stated that he has a very nice old lady who designs the ducks outfits for him. He said, he gets ideas for their outfits, out and about, in shop windows. He comes home and describes them to the lovely old lady. She in turn then makes their gorgeous little outfits and Walla, you have a duck fashion parade. It was extremely funny and quite entertaining. The pictures really do explain themselves. The kids found it fascinating. Enjoy the pics!
More About: Live , City , Tell , In the City

For Tony by request - something easy :)
2007-08-10 23:21:00
My Boss Tony asked me the other day to make something on my blog that he could make. So here it is, Peach & Mango Chicken Curry with Coconut Rice and Cooling Yogurt. You can make this Tony, it's easy and you can make it as hot as you want.This is David's favourite curry that I make and we like it hot. You can see all the beads of sweat come off his forehead as he is eating it. Looks like he has been in a Sauna. Just the way he likes it. This really is a very simple curry, you can adjust the heat and I will tell you how to in the recipe. My kids love it :)Ingredients1 Kilo of Chicken Thigh Fillets, sliced (don't be tempted to use chicken breast, it's not the same)410 gram tin of Peaches, in syrup (reserve syrup)410 gram tin of sliced Mangoes, in syrup (reserve syrup)2 x large red onions, sliced thickly into half moons2 x large cloves of Garlic, chopped400ml tin of Coconut Cream2 tablespoons of Curry PowderA knob of ButterA splash of Peanut Oil, or Olive OilOnce all of your in...
More About: Request , Easy , Some

Vietnamese Transparent Pork & Prawn Rolls with Bean Sauce
2007-08-08 09:42:00
I would have to say Vietnamese food is one of my favourites cuisines. It is so fresh, so inviting and so yummy. I love these pork and prawn rolls. Lots of ingredients, lots of flavour, a little fiddly to make but absolutely worth it. Firstly you need rice paper. You can pick it up pretty much at most supermarkets. I buy mine at the Asian supermarket. Firstly you make the bean sauce. Very simple to do. Empty out the contents of one jar of Hoi Sin Sauce into a saucepan, then fill the jar with two thirds water, shake it about to get out the remainder of the Hoi Sin and pour into the sauce pan. Then add one large tablespoon of peanut butter. Bring to a simmer stirring all the time. Once everything has combined into a smooth thick glossy sauce, take off the heat and refrigerate covered until it is nicely chilled. Char Sui Pork is your next main ingredient. Slice it into about 5 ml slices ready to put into your rolls. You will need about 500 grams of lovely fresh prawns. Peel and devein i...
More About: Bean , Ames

7 Food Facts
2007-08-05 00:53:00
The lovely Miss Margot from Coffee & Vanilla had tagged me a while ago to answer 7 Food Facts about myself. Due to the plague in my house I had totally forgotten about it. Sorry Margot. So here it is finally. I would like to tag in turn a couple of my favourite bloggers Uncaring Bear, Little Miss Moi and finally Duncan from Syrup & Tang.I am a totally messy cook. Without my Dave I would be stuffed. Example above of my true messy style. Also my kitchen is to small. I need a bigger one so I can make even more mess.I hate, hate, just hate, any bread over a day old. If it hasn't been baked that day, it's only use to me is either toast or homemade bread crumbs. Coming from a very poor family, I came to appreciate very fresh bread when we had it. I am scarred for life!Offal, can't eat it, won't touch it, I run in the other direction, it just gives me the willys and turns my stomach. I have turned my children into food snobs. Simply the best is only good enough for them. They are t...

Weeks on the brink of madness!!!!!!!
2007-08-04 01:35:00
Finally the madness is over and the sickness that has plagued our lives has dissipated. Pheeeew!!! I have been absolutely exhausted and my brain has turned to mush. I am starting to feel normal again and the old routine has just gotten back to where it needs to be. Work is back on track and now it is time to start really pulling out some great recipes. So what's in store for you, you say?Well............................Raspb erry & Rose Water Meringue Pie...................Vietnamese Transparent Pork and Prawn Rolls with Vietnamese dipping sauce....................Ben's fantastic chicken wraps and more. There will definitely be a delicious post before the weekend is up and I thank you guys so much for your support and understanding during the plague that has swamped our house.Cheers Amelita
More About: Madness , Weeks

The Plague!
2007-07-22 13:48:00
Always in winter the usual coughs, colds and sometimes the flu breezes through and gives us all our turn to feel completely crappy and in totally needing of some bed rest. I feel like the last five weeks we have gone through at least 20 boxes of tissues in our house. But the last 2 weeks have been particularly gruesome in our house. This particular illness is one that any family dreads. The lovely gastro bug plague as I call it. That sensational nauseous and sick feeling that overwhelms you, so you can't move. It has been raging in all our hospitals at the moment. This particular strain has hit our family very hard. It started with the Peanut, I think he must have got it at the usual place................childcare. With babies you have to be so careful that they do not dehydrate. Then it hit me of course after caring for him while he was ill and now poor David, extremely contagious people. I am just hoping Ben and Maddy don't get it, but Ben is starting to look a little ill now a...

Playing Wtih Flavours - Asian Style Roast Beef
2007-07-10 14:18:00
I have been wanting to do an Asian Flavoured Roast Beef for a while and on the weekend was the perfect time to just throw caution to the wind and just chuck lots of my favourite Asian flavours together. It was a success. I marinated a 900 gram Rib Fillet roast for about 6 hours. I drained away the marinade. Reserve the marinade. I then seared it for two minutes all over with a little olive oil in a nice heavy based fry pan. I baked it in the oven for 45 Min's on 180 degrees and then gave it a good half an hour to rest covered in tin foil. While the roast was resting. I put the drained marinade into a large heavy based saucepan with 500 mils of beef stock. I reduced it on a high simmer for about 15-20 Min's, until it reduced by two thirds. Taste for seasoning. Slice your beef across the grain and serve with the lucious, rich, sweet sauce. To accompany, some snow peas and sugar snap peas in a really hot wok for 2-3 Min's with a knob of butter, a splash of sesame oil and a good spri...
More About: Style

My New Piece
2007-07-07 04:45:00
Hey guys, I am back up and running. My computer has not been fixed yet, but it is all good, the laptop I have procured has everything I need.Which in turns means a new recipe will go up this weekend................Phew!Hope you like my new piece of artwork? She is softer in colouring than I usually do. I normally have black in all my pictures, but I am trying to get myself out of the box I have drawn myself into.Cheers Amelita
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The Sky Is Falling! Help - The Sky Is Falling!
2007-07-01 03:44:00
My Computer is dead! How can this be? I am having a total meltdown. It really has spat the chewy this time. Normally I just cross my fingers and hope like the buggery its all going to be OK, but not this time. So my posts will be limited for a little while. I will be taking my computer to the nearest emergency department tomorrow for a full check up and recovery plan. Stay tuned..............Cross your fingers for me. I feel so lost................................ :(
More About: Fall

Banana Nut Wellingtons
2007-06-28 14:49:00
OK, so I have a fascination at the moment with Well ington style food. First I made a Beef Wellington, tonight I have made Banana Nut Wellingtons and soon I will be delving into the Seafood World of Wellingtons. I love Puff Pastry and no I don't make my own, but I would like to sometime. Making Puff Pastry scares me ohooooooohohhhooooo, no, really it does, something about all the folding over and over again with butter. I will get there though.So tonight there are six kids in the house, one of them asleep. The others are nagging at me, come on Mum make dessert. So this is what I came up with. Really it is just putting a few things together. Cut up Cavendish bananas, dark chocolate melts, puff pastry, some beaten egg and flaked almonds. What could be simpler than that? Huh I tell you Easy Peasy!All you have to do is put a few Cavendish banana slices in the middle of a square piece of pastry , just add on top about 6 large chocolate melts, fold it up into a parcels, with beaten egg to...
More About: Nana

Blueberry Cream Cheese Filled Chocolate Brownies
2007-06-24 03:33:00
OK................. so this is my new creation. Blueberry Cream Cheese Filled Chocolate Brownies . Yummo!!!!!! They are moist and rich, with that gorgeous tang of blueberry heaven. Enjoy!!!!Ingredients for the Brownie Part125 grams of Butter250 grams of Dark Chocolate2 cups of Sugar2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract4 large Eggs1 1/2 cups of Plain Flour1/2 teaspoon of SaltIngredients for the Cream Cheese Filling Part375 grams of Cream Cheese Softened1/2 cup of Sugar2 teaspoons of Vanilla Extract1 large Egg1/2 tub of frozen BlueberriesMake the Cream Cheese filling first. Blend the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a free standing mixer until smooth and creamy. Then add half the blueberries and blend some more. This should break the blueberries down a bit and start oozing out the juices, so that you get that luscious purple colour. When that is done, stir through the remaining blueberries so that they stay whole in the mix. Add more blueberries at this stage if you wish, I did...
More About: Late

Paronella Park - The Spanish Castle in the North Queensland Rain Forest
2007-06-21 10:15:00
This is a place that has to be seen and experienced to really be appreciated. We stopped off here on our special weekend away. A Spanish man named Jose came to NQ in the 1920's and it has been a wonder ever since. Jose made his dreams come true and built a Spanish Castle in the Rain Forest. He truly was a very creative man with vision that others only dreamed of having. This is a place that words cannot express enough. It gives you such a feeling of awe. You stand there and think to yourself, I never want to leave. It is a must see if you are coming to NQ. Just 20 Min's drive south of Innisfail. You will not be disappointed and if you are, the owners promise to give you a full refund of your entry price. The money from the entry goes to conserving this beautiful place so it can live on forever. http://www.paronellapark.com.au/
More About: North , Park

Cassowary Country
2007-06-16 04:45:00
Cassowary Count ry is what the surrounding areas of Mission Beach inclusive of Mission Beach are called. They are big man eating birds that will attack you, if you try and run away. They inhabit this area and they are a protected species. You have to slowly back away from them if they approach you and you must always keep your eye on them. They are an extremely aggressive bird. The sign above is one of about 10 or more and they are there to warn you when driving through the area. Now seriously this is what they look like in the picture below. Of course they are not that big, otherwise shit you wouldn't go near the area. Let's just say they must be in plague proportions because everything in the area is cassowary this and cassowary that. He He He!!!! We didn't see one. We stayed in the Cassawong Cottages. Now it is a nice place and very comfortable. But not the romantic isolated cabin I was picturing that they describe on their site. If anything the place is far from isolated and r...

Cardwell - The beginning of our journey
2007-06-14 02:09:00
We made our journey north to Mission Beach last Friday for our three days of freedom. Right from the beginning it was a memorable trip. The views were spectacular and breathtaking. The photo above is at a lookout just before Cardwell. The magical Hinchinbrook Island. Looks prehistoric and very untouched. We will have to go over there sometime. Next stop Cardwell for a famous Mud Crab sandwich. MMMMMMmm was very yummy, but unfortunately the Crab meat had been frozen. There is nothing like fresh Crab. North Queensland just seems to love everything in a giant size. Look at the size of that Mud Crab in front of Muddy's Seafood Restaurant. Do you think Gordon Ramsay would have one of these outside of his restaurant? Packed full of crab. Good value really.Came with a lovely side of chips. They were crispy and yummy. No reservation necessary at our little spot to have an early dinner on the road. How beautiful is the view? Looking over at the gorgeous other side of Hinchinbrook Island as ...
More About: Journey , Well

Happy Belated 40th Birthday Clare
2007-06-07 23:50:00
Happy Birthday Beautiful Friend! Now isn't she just Gorgeous?
More About: Happy , Late , Clar

Just The Two Of Us!
2007-06-07 23:37:00
Unfortunately there will be no recipe post this weekend. We are up and away for a long weekend just the two of us. Heading up to Mission Beach for a romantic Shagalicious weekend for two. No Kids Allowed! We have booked into a secret location where no one will find us, for some serious parental rejuvenation. Hell Yeah, we need it. So I hope everyone enjoys it? I believe it to be the last long weekend in QLD for the rest of the year. I have no doubts that we will be loving it ;) Cheers Amelita

The Other Side Of Our Kitchen - written by CHOPPER!
2007-06-03 13:34:00
Yes folks, Chopper is back with another installment of the Other Side of Our Kitchen !Amelita's kick arse Barbecue Sauce! Mmmmmm Let me tell you right now folks, not everything that comes out of our kitchen is without incident. For example, today Amelita made her fabulous Barbecue Sauce and everything started fine. The problems started when the sauce became a tad large for the pot she was using, and when giving the sauce a routine stir some of it decided to escape the pot and make a run for it. It didn't get too far though, landing right on Amelita's toes! Ouch!! Thats gotta hurt! But (still stirring the sauce mind you) she just wiped off the simmering hot sauce from her little tootsies and kept going. Now that's dedication!But wait, there's more! After the incident with the toes, Amelita had to use the hand held blender to smooth out the sauce and the blender lifted out of the pot a little and splashed hot sauce all over her hand! A few course words could be heard coming out of...
More About: The Other , Chen

Nannygai
2007-06-02 13:50:00
This is such a simple dish. I really think you could use any fish with this. I went for a fish that is very common in North Queensland. I hope I have spelt it correctly, it's called a Nannygai. This fish is so meaty. Just like chicken, but it's fish. It is quite an extraordinary fish. Basically you just pan fry your thick fillets of fish on a high heat in a little butter and olive oil for about 2-3 Min's on the first side. Then flip them over for 30 seconds on the other. Remove from fry pan and place in a lined oven dish. Top with this gorgeous mixture of one cup of Almond Meal and 3 rashers of Bacon diced finely, (that has been already fried till crispy in the fry pan before you fry your fish). Bake the fish with the topping on, in the oven for 7- 9 Min's on 180 degrees.Then drizzle with this amazing product I found at Woolworths. It's an Italian Balsamic Reduction. Simply stunning and so convenient. Especially if it is a weekday meal.Serve with your choice of yummy veggies a...

Sunday Gravy - My Way
2007-05-26 14:56:00
This is a spectacular sauce. The depth of flavour in this sauce is exceptional, if I do say so myself. This recipe makes a very large pot full, great for the large family or dinner party, or pop half of it in the freezer for another day. Sunday Gravy really isn't a gravy, it's an Italian slow cooked tomato and meat sauce. You choose the meat you want to use. I have used lamb in this one, but sometimes I make it with pork and beef, sometimes just beef. This definitely is a weekend dish. You pop on a low heat for about 4 to 5 hours. Time is the key to this recipe and the key to having a sensationally rich sauce and simply tender meat. So give it a go and enjoy. Sorry it took so long to finally post it. I haven't cooked it for a while because I have been distracted with lots of new flavours. With the present of my glorious pasta machine for Mothers day, I just had to make fettuccine to go with it. Yummo ;) Ingredients 1 Lamb Rack1 Lamb Fillet4 Lamb Steaks5 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped...
More About: My way

Garbage and the Prime Minister
2007-05-24 14:53:00
Alot of the time in life I think I forget about the impact I make everyday to the environment and then I got a total reality check. Last Friday I had the pleasure of meeting the dump one on one for over an hour. It was a day of observing what happens after I sell my front lift bin. I sell Waste Management everyday and really, I didn't actually think about what I was selling. We all have garbage to get rid of but I saw on Friday how much we actually do get rid of in just one day. To be honest with you, it really is scary. My day started with the excitement of 'I am going to ride in a big garbage truck today, oh I feel like a big kid' lets just say the novelty of it wore off quickly and reality set in. I jumped into the truck with my Bosses get the job done attitude and off we went. He then proceeds to tell me about how he had just lifted a bin and it was chock full of stuffed up uncooked bread dough, I am talking at least 3 cubic meters of it. So we headed off to the dump to disp...
More About: Prime Minister , Garbage , Minister , Prime , Rime

Rejuvenation
2007-05-14 10:54:00
Hello Everyone,Just thought I would let you all know, I have given my blog a little makeover. There are some new pictures of food and lots of pics of my artwork. So if you usually just check out my most recent post and have not wandered downward for a while, check it out. I try to keep my blog fresh, fun and interesting. So go on, scroll down, yes, all the way down and enjoy ;)Cheers Amelita
More About: Juve , Rejuvenation