Food & Wine

Bitchin’ Kitchen: Auntie’s Fluffy Scones

My mum and my Aunty both loved to bake and I guess I inherited the ‘baking gene’. Every house wife from the 1950’s onwards at some point tried their hand at this simple but classic treat. Simply, nothing is more like home than freshly baked scones ,served hot with jam and cream.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups of self raising flour (plus extra for rolling)
1 pinch of salt….. (Our neighbour, Mrs Sutton, used to say that anything that rises in the oven should have a pinch of salt to stabilize it)
300 ml of thickened cream (some use milk but I think cream makes them fluffy)
300 mls of water (I like to use soda water or lemonade to give added lightness)
Note: if adding sultanas soak them in a little milk overnight. (more…)

Bitchin’ Kitchen: Hot Crossed Buns

There is a certain knack to being able to make things rise successfully and my buns have been known to be quite popular. As an apprentice, I was taught about food chemistry and how yeast works and I wanted to make a traditional yeast bun at home. From the first week of January through until Easter, you can buy them in super markets but there is a certain satisfaction in baking them yourself. Needless to say they are delicious. (more…)

Bitchin’ Kitchen

SWEETS FOR YOUR SWEETHEART

Valentine’s day on February 14th is the perfect excuse to make some home-made favourites for your lover, friend or partner. Few things are more romantic than taking time to prepare something homemade and delicious for your ‘special someone’. If you don’t have a lover, why not make some lovely treats to share with your mother or a friend! (more…)

Bitchin’ Kitchen

Catering under the influence

MY MUMS HOMEMADE IRISH CREAM LIQUEUR

The 1980’s was a time for recipe swapping throughout suburbia. I remember many of mum’s friends & neighbours passing this one like the proverbial Olympic torch. It is lovely as a drink, served on ice (in a large martini glass of course) or as a sauce to accompany your favourite desserts. (more…)

Bitchin’ Kitchen- Christmas Cooking

CHRISTMAS COOKING

When I was a child, it seemed that every year about November, Mum and Aunty would start cooking for Christmas. There were certain family favourites that would be stored in air tight containers and hidden in cupboards, high up and out of reach. There were sweet treats buried deep in the bottom of the chest freezer and in old biscuit tins stashed in ‘out of bounds’ areas. All this sweet hibernation was to protect these delights from my thieving little fingers. These were not to be eaten but hidden from my sugar craved eyes, to be offered to unexpected visitors at a later date, or so they thought! Inevitably the batches had to be doubled and tripled to account for stock that mysteriously went missing in action. (more…)

Picky About Picnics

Summer is here and so too a host of picnic-style events to be enjoyed, such as the outdoor cinema season. But picnic dates are full of hidden traps and pitfalls. Once you survive the fluster of organising all the nibbles, find a parking bay within reasonable walking distance and lug the basket and esky red-faced to your desired spot, you then have to juggle spillable food and drinks and beat off any prowling mosquitoes. So the phrase ‘it was no picnic’ has never made sense to me. But there is something to be said about enjoying our great Aussie outdoors, with a gourmet hamper and some bubbles or fine wine. So it has been through sheer determination that I have persisted in refining this great tradition, with mosquito spray in hand and a basket of tools to prevent the ultimate dating disaster. (more…)

Finger Lickin’ Cha Cha Chicken

FINGER LICKIN’ CHA CHA CHICKEN
Lovely served hot from the oven and perfect served cold with salad greens and homemade guacamole.

Actually it came to me when a really nasty cow ‘gave’ me this recipe, by accident, when she wasn’t looking. I applied it to another recipe of mine to make it better than before.

All I can say is, ‘SUCKED IN BITCH!’

Ingredients
1 .5 Kg chicken pieces (I like to use wings and drumsticks)
2.5 Tbsp sweet paprika
1.75Tbsp sea salt
1.75Tbs onion powder
1.25 tsp garlic powder
1.25 tsp ground thyme
1.25 tsp ground oregano
1.25 tsp cayenne pepper
1.5 tsp ground hot chilli powder (optional for a more volcanic effect)
3-4 egg whites
4 cups (small pack) cornflakes (more…)

Bitchin’ Kitchen

It’s that time of year, again, for BBQs and parties. There are many healthy delicious treats you could take along. Whether it lunch on the beach or a picnic in the park, there is nothing better than being able to say…

‘I made it myself!’

If you want to be the star at your next soiree be sure to impress your friends with these simple suggestions.

FINGER LICKIN’ CHA CHA CHICKEN (more…)

Dishy Dates

We’ve all been burned by one relationship or another but when it’s time to risk jumping back into the frying pan, there may be something tasty waiting for us at the end. So whether you’re hoping to find a way to the heart through the stomach or just a food lover, there may be a culinary class with just the right ingredients to spice up your love life. There is also a relaxed drink or two to help lubricate the way! Meet some of the chefs and cocktail connoisseurs that are willing to help. (more…)

On the route - Dining out on the Pride Parade….

Now first things first - this is not going to be review of where to get a good kebab at 3am. The art of eating out in Northbridge has a lot more to offer and it’s a great way to make your Parade night a delicious experience.

The Parade makes for a truly magical night. The streets are full with crowds all vying for the best vantage point with many looking with envy at those clever people who reserved a place in one of the many restaurants that line the streets of the parade route. Now… we have never been among those clever people, so we decided to walk the streets of Northbridge to see what we think would be the best vantage points for the Parade, as well as have a look at a few of the stars in Northbridge’s culinary tiara. (more…)