winosandfoodies

I'm So Excited

Daring Bakers - Lemon Meringue Pie

You won't fine one here but you will find them on the Daring Bakers blogroll.

Our "stuff" still hasn't arrived so I don't have a working kitchen.  We're expecting it at the end of this week. Yay.

Support Febfast With An Alcohol Free Month

Can you go without alcohol for an entire month in support of Febfast ?  FebFast raises funds to support organisations working with young people struggling with substance abuse. This  initiative is based in the state of Victoria in Australia .  I'd be interested to know if any other countries have a similar challenge.  Wherever you are in the world it won't hurt to go  without alcohol for the month of February.

Australia Day 2008

Sorry no food photos of our barbecue in the park. All gone before I remembered to take a photo. Drinking in the middle of the day will do that to you. Dish of the day goes to the cheesecake on a base of lamingtons. Senbloodysational.

Australia Day after lunch photo of our Gold Coast extended family.  Five Aussies, one brand new Aussie, one Kiwi, one Kiwi/Aussie, one South African.

Then back home to watch a little cricket and in the evening  back to the beach to watch the fireworks.

Best Tip When Making Mango Salsa

Top tip - Chop your mango first. Under no circumstances chop your chili first and then using the same knife and board chop your mango. Don't stand over the sink eating the flesh off the seed after chopping your mango after the chili.

Mango Salsa similar to Wino Sapien's version

1 mango peeled and chopped
1/4 red onion diced
1 banana pepper seeded and diced
1 hot chili seeded and chopped finely
juice of 1/2  lemon
handful of flat leaf parsley chopped ( I don't like coriander)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and let sit  about an hour before serving with  fish or chicken.

Let's Party

My blog anniversary slipped by and I didn't notice. Well I can be forgiven as I have been so preoccupied with our move to Australia.   Back in January 2005 I wrote my first post .

Three years later  and 425 posts, 3,770 comments, 4 surgeries, two lots of chemo and heaps of new friends.

Almost  all  blog  about   food   and   everything   connected  with  food  and  more , a couple  blog  about  wine ,  a few   blog about family  and  life.  All  enrich  my  life  with  their words  and  stories .

I would be here all night if I linked to all my blogging friends. For those of you I haven't mentioned, you are all important in my life. I thank every one of you for the friendship, pleasure and support you have given me the past three years.  Every day is precious as I continue my fight with cancer.  Here's to another three years and more.

The wine above was a gift from the lovely French couple who now live in our house in Auckland and cook in my perfect kitchen.  Thankyou Olivier, we enjoyed both :)

Fig Balsamic Shallot with Fetta and Proscuitto Pizza for Donna

During a recent discussion over dinner I asked my children which of my cooking endeavours would they remember the most. They both said my pizza crust. Even I think I make a great pizza. My standard recipe of 3 teaspoons yeast, 4 cups flour, 1/4 cup oil, 1 1/4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt makes 2 big pizzas.

For this pizza I used Donna's recipe as Joey posted when she announced the latest Hay Hay Its Donna Day. It was adequate but not my best effort. That could have been  the flour I used. Donna said all purpose and I saw a packet of flour for bread and pizza in the shop and decided to try it out.

Here is the Donna Hay recipe:
Pizza Dough
(from Modern Classics I by Donna Hay, page 186)

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• Pinch sugar
• 2/3 cup (5 fl oz) warm water
• 2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

- Place the yeast, sugar, and water in a bowl. Set aside until bubbles form.
- Add the four, salt, and oil, and mix to form a smooth dough. Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
- Place in a clean, oiled bowl, cover, and allow to stand in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Makes one quantity.

Here's how I topped it.
Slice 3 shallots and soften in a little olive oil. Add a couple of tablespoons of fig balsamic vinegar* and evaporate over high heat, watching so it doesn't burn. Cool
Top pizza with some slices of mozzarella cheese, spread with shallots and crumbled feta cheese.
Drizzle with oil and bake in hot oven about 15 minutes.
Top with thinly sliced prosciutto to serve.

*Fig Balsamic Vinegar: this is my latest favourite condiment. The one I used in New Zealand was from a Middle Eastern importer and much nicer than the supermarket product I purchased in Australia. Fig Balsamic is a mixture of fig puree and balsamic vinegar so I have plans to make my own after I've done a little research.

Hay Hay Its Donna Day Pizzas is hosted by Joey at 80 Breakfasts

Deadline for all posts to be up and submitted is January 26, 2008. You can email all your entries to eighty_breakfasts(AT)yahoo(DOT)com on or before January 26, 2008. In your email, please include the following information: your blog name, your name, your location, your recipe name, and the permalink to your entry.

Mmmmmm Mangoes

A fruit shop with a tray of mangoes is a rare sight in Auckland.  Sometimes you will see them, but only for a short time, and they will be so expensive. Here in Queensland they grow them.  Mostly in Bowen . Back in the 19th century horses were traded between India and Bowen. One day some clever person bought some seeds back from India.

I'm making up for all the mangoes I haven't eaten over the years. Which is not a bad thing because they are so good for you. High in nutrients and even higher in anti oxidants.  And not to bad on the calorie count either - 60 cals in half a mango.

My morning starts with a chopped mango and yogurt.

I have plans to try  Ed's Mango Salsa  and perhaps Tartelettes Creation  and Elise's Sorbet .

Australia grow a variety of  different mango.  A quick Google  will give you all the varieties and growing months. I think I prefer the Kensington Pride  but I also like the other popular variety R2E2.

A very helpful man at the So Fresh Markets in the Southport Centro Shopping Centre answered my questions on the black spots on the 58 cent mangoes. It is caused when the mango  absorbs too much water. It has been a very wet summer.  He also gave me instructions in how to cut the mango. I have been using the avocado method which resulted in one perfect half mango and then a very beat up second half as I tried to prise the stone out.  Some days I have resorted in eating the mango over the sink.

Did you know mangoes are from the same family as the pistachio and cashew. Think about the shape and you will see why.

What's your favourite mango recipe?

Coming Soon - My New Best Friend

Hay Hay Its Donna Day - Pizza

I've braved the dial up connection to announce Joey has the latest HHDD challenge out. Show us your pizzanality with PIZZA .  Visit Joey for the details.

Grrrr - Moving Can Be Frustrating

We joked how when I returned to live in Australia I would change the weather on both sides of the Tasman. More rain in Queensland, more sunshine in Auckland. Well it happened. Since arriving on the Gold Coast a week ago we have seen about 40 minutes of sunshine. The beautiful white sand beach is a dull grey with more sand on the road than on the beach. Meanwhile Auckland is enjoying wonderful sunny days.

I last saw blue sky on Lindeman Island the day we left when I took some tropical flower photos.

My mood has not been helped by not having Internet connection. The Australian phone line we arranged before we left NZ  had a line fault and has finally been fixed today. The Internet line we were  assured would be connected within 5 days will take another 10 days. Until 15th January I have a dial up connection.  Oh my, it is soooooo slow.

Thank you to everyone who has visited and left comments and personal emails. I apologise for not  replying earlier.  I'm looking forward to being back blogging soon and catching up on your adventures.