Cooking is an act of comfort and nourishment. It can also be a radical act of self expression. Or an act of reclaiming one's culture and heritage. Over the course of the last couple of years I have started to learn how to cook some of my favourite Sri Lankan... Read more →

I ususally make lentil soup but I didn't have enough lentils in the cupboard so I was forced to be creative. It's wonderful how perceived limitations can actually be blessings in disguise. They force us to look at things differently and change what we do and come up with new... Read more →

I was reading a Ruby Redfort book by Lauren Child which I borrowed from my daughter. I'm not sure which one it was. Either Pick Your Poison or Blink and You're Dead. In it Ruby was eating peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. She's always drinking banana milk (which incidentally was... Read more →

On a recent visit to my parents in Canberra, my daughters learnt how to make the great Sri Lankan delicacy, string hoppers. String hoppers are eaten instead of rice and are sooo yummy. They are like little patties of vermicelli noodles made from rice flour and water. The girls had... Read more →

Swapping cracked wheat for quinoa? Genius! I'd love to take credit for this substitution but I can't. I ate it at a pot luck lunch and it was delicious. Here's my totally made up version. Yummy! Tabbouleh Recipe 1 large bunch curly leaf parsley, chopped 2 large tomatoes 1/4 red... Read more →

I recently made the trip across town to CERES Environmental Park in East Brunswick to attend the Saturday Maker's & Flea Market. The market was fabulous. There were lots of wonderful stalls to look at and I bought myself a gorgeous calico bag with an owl printed on it. Perfect... Read more →

I luuurve pesto. Even more so when I discovered it it's super easy to make dairy free - you just don't add the cheese! You can make pesto from pretty much any fresh green herb and nut combination. The basic idea is fresh herbs + nuts + oil + garlic.... Read more →

We've all been sick so I made soup. Nothing better to fill bellies and warm hearts. Lentil Soup 1 medium onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp ground coriander seeds 1 tsp ground cumin seeds 5-6 stalks of celery, finely diced 1.5 litres of warm water 250g red lentils,... Read more →

The newest ingredient to make its way into my kitchen this winter has been fennel. It's so cheap and plentiful at the moment, I just had to buy it even though I had no idea how to cook it! After a quick online search and mixing a few recipes together... Read more →

When the weather gets cold I go in search of warmth. Hot cups of tea, pots of stew and baked goodies. My oven which has been sad fully neglected over summer suddenly becomes my favourite kitchen gadget. Seriously, how amazing are ovens? Roasted chestnuts are a recent discovery of mine.... Read more →