Okra is a very divisive vegetable. I feel you either love the slimy texture or you don’t. I’m a fan. Always have been. So when I saw some fresh, green okra at our local Saturday farmer’s market I grabbed a handful straight away. It was only when I got home that I thought about Mr…
Vanilla Marshmallows
While we were recently overseas in Australia, my son became quite the babycino connoisseur. For those outside Australia, a babycino is basically frothed milk served in an espresso mug with a dusting of cocoa and sometimes marshmallow on the side. If I was having a coffee, he would insist on having one himself. The first…
Wattalappam
A few weeks ago I was sitting around the kitchen table with my mum and aunties discussing all things life. It so happened that the topic of wattalappam came up. Now, a discussing in a Lankan kitchen is never complete without some heated discussion. The argument over eggs raged on for quite some time….
Spicy Beef Patties
I was cleaning out my freezer and made the awesome discovery of a box of these frozen from a couple of months ago. Yay. Suffice it to say, these spicy, delicious morsels freeze really well. They’re a labour of love but amazingly worth it. Ingredients For the pastry 500g flour ½ cup…
Kid Friendly Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
There was an article last week on Babble or some related “parenting” blog about 10 things people don’t understand till they are a parent. I understood very little before my son would come along. I was adamant that he would fit into my life, not the other way around. “He’ll be flexible” I told anyone…
Mango Macadamia Tart
If you’re ever lucky enough to be on the far north coast of New South Wales, Australia, make sure you stop in a little town called Lennox Head. It’s a beach-side hamlet, about half an hour from the tourist mecca that is Byron Bay. I’ve spent some amazing holidays in Lennox, sunning, eating, whale watching,…
Apple, Blackberry Mini Pies
A few months ago my sister messaged me in a bit of tizzy. She’d been assigned dessert to a party (again) and she wanted to do something different. She really wanted to make a tart, but like me pastry was not her friend. Perhaps its a family thing? Anyway, I was in love with Maggie…
Sweet Potato, Cauliflower and Coconut Soup
Mr Firehouse and I are pretty good at meal planning. We have to be to avoid shopping every couple of days with a toddler who loves to run up and down the aisles. Especially one who is currently obsessed with doors. Guess where he runs to first?Go on, guess. Anyway, there are times…
Easy Peasy Pancakes
When I happen upon other peoples blogs, I let me nosey side take over and always spend an inordinate amount of time perusing the “about” section. I remember once reading a bio that listed the bloggers special skills as “can whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies in the 6 minutes it takes…
Mixed Berry Muffins
My first year of teaching, I taught a year 1 & 2 combined class. Come Mother’s Day, we decided to keep it simple. We asked the kids to draw pictures of themselves and their mothers and we cut and pasted cardboard frames. We were a government school and so had limited access to cardboard, a…
akkis kitchen 