The Cooking Chook turns 2!

She’s back….. Those who have been following me for a while may have noticed that I’ve been a bit quiet of late. Not for any particular reason apart from life just….happening. I noticed in my calendar that The Cooking Chook was having an anniversary this week, so I thought it was a perfect opportunity to get back on the baking-cooking-eating-blogging bandwagon. But what could I make to mark this special occasion? I turned to one of my favourite foodie blogs, The Paddington Foodie.

ANZAC Day 2014: Today, we will remember them.

Let me just start off by saying, I love ANZAC biscuits. I’ve eaten ANZAC biscuits throughout most of my life, but didn’t really appreciate the history behind the ANZAC biscuit or ANZAC Day in general until about a decade ago. In my last post, I mentioned that on April 25 every year, Australia and New Zealand has a national day of remembrance that marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by the forces of both countries during the First World War. This year is of particular significance because 2014 marks the centenary of the First World War. But ANZAC Day isn’t just about remembering those who fought in the First World War, it is about remembering those who have served in all military operations that Australia has been involved in.

The ANZAC biscuit with a twist

April doesn’t just mean an extra long weekend for Easter in Australia, it also means that on April 25 every year, we have a national day of remembrance. This day of remembrance is called ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Day, and originally marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. These days, the commemoration of our service people has widen to all of those who have served in all military operations that Australia has been involved in.

Salad is totally boring…. Or is it?

I must admit, I don’t have a great repertoire of salad recipes. Sure, I’ve made the odd leafy salad, potato salad, chicken salad, tomato salad but my repertoire doesn’t really extend beyond that. I love a good hearty salad when the weather is warm or when I feel like I need a top up of greens in my diet, but I do get a bit bored with the variety of salads that I make (or lack thereof). So, I was a bit excited coming across a salad recipe in the February 2014 issue of Taste.com.au which ticked a few boxes for me.

Going a bit bananas in Adelaide

Mad March is the time of year where everything happens in Adelaide. With events such as the Adelaide Festival, Fringe Festival, Clipsal 500, the Adelaide Cup, WOMADelaide and other music festivals, such as Future Music Festival, in town throughout March, there’s lots of things happening around Adelaide. You could say Adelaide is going a bit bananas at the moment, which leads me to the recipe I’m sharing today. After some sessions at Adelaide Writers’ Week, which is part of the Adelaide Festival, I was really craving for something sweet to have after dinner.

The best recipes are the ones written on little pieces of paper

Not all of the recipes I try are from the internet or foodie magazines. Some recipes are given to me, written on pieces of paper that have been handed down from a previous generation. You know that these kind of recipes are good because they have stood the test of time. Who would want to pass down a recipe that was awful? A couple of weeks ago, one of my work colleagues brought in home-made baklava to celebrate her birthday, and she was kind enough to share some with me. It tasted absolutely wonderful! I had to get my hands on the recipe.

The day when the orange and lamb became friends

I like trying out new and interesting recipes. I think it’s a great way to expand your culinary knowledge and repertoire, and sometimes you discover things you would never have thought up on your own unless you ventured outside what you would consider as your norm. It had been a hot summer’s day and I was looking for something new and interesting to make for dinner one night that was easy to make and didn’t require me to slave away over a hot stove.

Sometimes you gotta make a tart

Sometimes I will see a recipe for a dessert so spectacularly wonderful that I just have to make it despite knowing that the process will be a continual uphill battle. This particular dessert that I am sharing with you today is a really good example. It’s in the middle of summer in Adelaide, and we are experiencing typical heatwave conditions where temperatures are up around the mid-40’s (close to 110˚F), so it’s reasonably hot. In weather conditions like this, there are certain things one should not make. Shortcrust pastry is one of those things.

Sponge drops keep falling on my head

“But that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be going red”…… No, this post is not about the Burt Bacharach song but I have had sponge drops on my mind for the last couple of days. It all started at a social gathering I attended a while ago, where a good friend’s Mum (who is a wonderful baker), had brought along some of her delicious baked goods to share. There was one particular baked goodie that was a special one. It had two bits of sponge cake shaped like a small biscuit with lemon curd and cream sandwiched in between the sponge. It was absolutely devine!

How goes a Mango?

Apart from summer berries, one of the fruits that I love eating this time of year in Australia is the mango. My parents, being South-East Asian, ate a lot of mangoes throughout my childhood, so I grew up sharing their love of this sweet, fleshy fruit. Normally, we would eat mangoes after dinner as an after dinner dessert. My parents weren’t really big on cakes or anything like that after dinner; instead, we would have a plate of fruit and an Asian tea of some sort. Boy, have things changed since I left home!