Tag Archives: Gather and Graze

Home-Made Toasted Muesli / Granola

48 Replies

Toasted Muesli / Granola | Gather and Graze

My fellow food bloggers are a constant source of inspiration to me… both in food and life in general. They really are a wonderful bunch of people who I consider my friends, even though we’ve never met in person. I set aside many recipes that they’ve created… for sometime down the track when time permits, or when the occasion or season is right. My ever-growing list is slightly bewildering with the sheer number of entries, but somewhat comforting in the fact that I know there will always be inspirational recipes to be found when I need them. Continue reading →

Lavender White Chocolate Shortbread

42 Replies

Lavender White Chocolate Shortbread | Gather and Graze

To celebrate the first day of Spring here in the Southern Hemisphere… I’ve created a little floral-infused shortbread recipe to get the season off to a happy start.

The addition of lavender to these buttery, yet light little biscuits may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it works for me… you could always omit the flowers if you’d prefer, or substitute for perhaps some chopped nuts, some citrus zest or another flavour of your choice.

Here’s to a warm and wonderful Spring and a farewell to winter for another year. Continue reading →

Swedish Spice Cake (Mjuk Pepparkaka)

42 Replies

Swedish Spice Cake (Mjuk Pepparkaka) | Recipe | Gather and Graze

I’ve not spent much time at all in the kitchen over the past couple of weeks… my thoughts, mind and heart have been elsewhere.

My head and heart both know though, that cooking is therapy for me, just as running, swimming, surfing or tennis will be for others. Whisking, sifting and stirring all create a welcome distraction… and within moments, the scent of softly spiced cake emanating from the oven is in the air… comforting, warm and soothing. Continue reading →

A Little Slice of Australia… for FF#28!

77 Replies

We have such unique and varied wildlife here in Australia, so this week for a change I thought I’d share a few photos at Fiesta Friday instead. These were all taken either within our own garden or while camping/holidaying not too far from home.

Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo | Gather and GrazeSulphur-Crested Cockatoo – intelligent… animated… raucous!

 

Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo | Gather and GrazeSulphur-Crested Cockatoo – so beautiful in flight

 

Brush-Tail Possums | Gather and GrazeBrush-Tail Possums at night – mother and child (who really looks a little too old to be hitching a ride with Mum!)

 

Kookaburra | Gather and GrazeKookaburra – renowned for their incredible laugh

 

Echidna | Gather and GrazeEchidna – our amazing monotreme (egg laying mammal)!

 

Koala | Gather and GrazeKoala – looking a little sleepy as usual

 

Magpie | Gather and GrazeMagpie – notorious for their aggressive swooping ability in the spring

 

Kangaroo | Gather and GrazeKangaroo – ahhh, need I say more…

 

Kangaroo with Joey | Gather and GrazeKangaroo with a Joey in her pouch

 

Kangaroo | Gather and GrazeKangaroo

Please come along and join us at Fiesta Friday #28 this week. The fabulous Saucy Gander and I have been invited back for an encore performance of co-hosting (despite due to our ridiculously glamourous Dame Edna get-up from last week).

Angie @ The Novice Gardener, who is the brainchild behind this ever-growing, dynamic online party, deserves both gratitude and admiration from us all for the effort that goes into hosting FF each and every week. I don’t know how she does it… I’m exhausted after just co-hosting for 1 week! You’re amazing Angie! Thank you for all that you do!

So to join in the fun, link your post by clicking on the colourful logo here below. Within your post, please remember to link to the FF#28 posts of ‘The Novice Gardener’, as well as to Saucy and myself (to notify us of your arrival at the party). If you’re new to Fiesta Friday, the guidelines can be perused here… Such a lot of fun and inspiration, bringing together bloggers from around the world and providing the opportunity for your post to shine and be seen.

Happy Fiesta Friday to all and a fabulous weekend!

Layered Chocolate Cheesecake – Fiesta Friday #27!

75 Replies

Layered Chocolate Cheesecake | Gather and Graze

It wasn’t easy, but I’ve removed my full-length Ugg Boots that have been firmly entrenched on my feet for the past two months and they’ve been replaced by a rather stylish set of heels. My Dame Edna frock has been donned, hair coiffed and coloured to the most beautiful lilac you’ve ever seen and my face made glamorous by a set of fancy, bejewelled glasses! I look a little something like this… Continue reading →

Viennese Biscuits / Cookies

47 Replies

Viennese Biscuits / Cookies | Recipe | Gather and Graze

Sometimes life throws a little curve ball at you and knocks you down for a week or two. It was the flu that knocked me down just recently and as much as I’m finally back to at least feeling human again, the lingering cough is still proving hard to shake.

So after a lengthy period of completely healthful hot soups, tisanes and the like, I was ready yesterday to treat myself… with some Viennese Biscuits that not only taste lovely, but are pretty to the eye as well. The recipe found while rustling through an old ‘Le Cordon Bleu’ Biscuit Cookbook. Forgive me for not posting recipes for soups and flu-kicking hot honey and lemon drinks, but to be honest, I’m a little over them all right now… perhaps some other time! Continue reading →

Fatteh Bil Lahme | Lamb Shanks with Chickpeas and Yoghurt

54 Replies

Fatteh Bil Lahme | Lamb Shanks with Chickpeas and Yoghurt | Gather and Graze

Slow-cooked Lamb Shanks are one of the ultimate winter comfort foods, in my opinion. I’ve cooked them a number of ways over the years and enjoyed each and every one of them, but today it was a Middle-Eastern flavour I was craving, so decided to improvise and adapt on a range of recipes in a beloved cookbook of mine –  Claudia Roden’s ‘Arabesque’. Continue reading →

Polenta-Crusted Roast Potatoes

51 Replies

Polenta-Crusted Roast Potatoes | Gather and Graze

I’m somewhat reticent to admit it, but the side dishes I prepare to accompany our main meals are invariably a way-too-simple selection of vegetables. Boiled, steamed, fried or roasted… depending on the dish they are to supplement and how much time I have to spend on preparing them. They are sadly more of an afterthought, than a feature. Eyes glancing through the crisper drawer once the main meal is underway, to work out what will go well. More of a means for getting nutritious vegetables into our bodies each and every day, than for pure enjoyment. Continue reading →

Self-Saucing Butterscotch Pudding

38 Replies

Self-Saucing Butterscotch Pudding | Gather and Graze

The air has been sweeping off the back of the Snowy Mountains. If only it would snow here, then it might all perhaps seem worthwhile. Instead the chill just eats into you, gnawing away relentlessly until you find your way back indoors. So that’s mostly where I stay… loitering in the kitchen, by the warmth of the oven. The best place to be. Continue reading →

Pumpkin, Chorizo and Kale Frittata

37 Replies

Pumpkin, Chorizo & Kale Frittata | Gather and Graze

Life sometimes gets in the way of blogging… just as blogging sometimes gets in the way of life. My usual weekly post got strung out to just over two weeks and it’s been haunting me that I’ve not found the time and energy to put something new out there. Cooking? I’ve been plating up dishes every single day, but to feed my hungry family… instead of my hungry blog. The depths of winter are taking their toll… short days… where it’s too dark at dinner-time to shoot any photographs. The winter solstice, but a couple of days ago… the beginnings of lightness of mind, in the knowledge that our days will only get longer from now on, until the sun beats down with warmth once again. Continue reading →

Lemon White Chocolate Cookies

73 Replies

Lemon White Chocolate Cookies | Gather and Graze

For those who I’ve managed to catch (just in the nick of time!) with their hand reaching out… hovering in guilty indecision… I ask you very kindly to leave that packet of cookies/biscuits on the supermarket shelf… step away from the cookie aisle… and gather up the ingredients listed below instead.  Continue reading →

French Apple Frangipane Tart

50 Replies

French Apple Frangipane Tart | Gather and Graze

It has been said that ‘the apple does not fall far from the tree’. My love of baking (and of course eating) cakes, biscuits, desserts and sweets is shared equally by my mother. When I baked this particular dessert a couple of days ago it made me think of her. I know for sure that she would enjoy it… this classic French tart, with perhaps a spoonful of double cream on the side. Continue reading →

Zaatar and Haloumi Man’oushe/Flatbread

58 Replies

Zaatar Haloumi Man'oushe | Gather and Graze

Yeast and Herbs! They’ve been playing on my mind a lot lately. You see, I needed to make a dish (or drink) that combined both yeast and herbs. Why? Because Angie from ‘The Novice Gardener’ (along with her co-host Catherine, from the exquisite ‘Catherine Cuisine’) suggested it… they were the ones who put down the challenge. Fiesta Friday has recently evolved to include a monthly challenge for those who are up for it… and this month (for Fiesta Friday Challenge #1), we’ve been asked to come up with something interesting (as well as of course delicious), combining these two sensational ingredients. Continue reading →

Two great uses for Cumquats / Kumquats

36 Replies

Two Great Recipes Using Cumquats / Kumquats | Gather and Graze

With 78 vibrant little cumquats/kumquats growing on my tree this year, I must admit to being a touch proud – my bounty is surprisingly up by 77 from last season! She is of the petite, potted variety, that until now has done little more than grow leaves and look rather sickly. This is my fault of course, for not always tending to her needs… water is usually helpful… as is a place to bask in the sun… Continue reading →

Roasted Honey and Walnut Figs

93 Replies

Roasted Honey & Walnut Figs | Gather and Graze

For a classic autumn dessert that embraces two stellar seasonal delicacies, this simple yet heart-warming dish is an absolute must. The lemon zest and sea salt work perfectly to create a balance with the sweet succulence of the figs and honey, while the walnuts provide textural crunch and a rich earthiness. This is not so much a recipe, but a celebration of seasonal ingredients while they’re at their peak. Continue reading →

Oh those Starbucks Memories… Lemon Pound Cake

62 Replies

Iced Lemon Pound Cake | Gather and Graze

Rituals allow us to feel somewhat secure in this crazy world of ours. I’m sure that many of you will agree that the simple act of preparing a cup of tea or coffee and taking the time to sit down and truly enjoy it, can be therapy for the soul. If brewed just right and sipped in either pure solitude or alongside a dear friend it can be more rejuvenating than any available medicine on Earth. Continue reading →

Italian Zucchini & Parmesan Soup

32 Replies

Italian Zucchini Parmesan Soup | Gather and Graze

There was a monster in my garden! My stomach turned as I contemplated how to get rid of him. Should I slash at him ruthlessly, cutting him off from his life-supply? Should I preserve and bottle him like a specimen in the museum? Or should I leave him in situ in the interests of science to see how truly monstrous he could actually become? I had turned my back for a week or two and he had swelled and distended himself to become the zucchini magnificent that he is today. Continue reading →

(Persianised) Apple Crumble with a Rosewater Cream

32 Replies

Persian Apple Crumble with Rosewater Cream| Gather and Graze

My friend Azita, from the most beautiful blog Fig and Quince, is travelling overseas over the next couple of months… to her beloved homeland of Iran that she hasn’t seen in 35 years. Her excitement and anticipation for this journey is well and truly infectious! Continue reading →

Birthday Baked Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping

40 Replies

Baked Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping | Gather and Graze

Friends, you’re invited to help celebrate the 1st Birthday of Gather and Graze today! Hard to believe that a year ago, I pressed that ‘Publish’ button for the very first time, sending my heart and soul (along with a no-fail recipe for Perfectly Fluffy Scones) out there for all to see. Continue reading →

Roasted Vegetable & Feta Salad

30 Replies

Roasted Vegetable Salad, Gather and Graze

Realising how futile it is to ignore the fact that winter is coming, I’m determined not to spend too much time bemoaning this irreversible certainty. Somehow I need to embrace the fact that jackets and boots will soon need to be unearthed from the depths of my wardrobe and casserole pots along with pudding tins, brought down from the top shelf of the pantry, finding a more easy to reach home. However before I do all of this, I’m determined to sneak this one last salad onto Gather and Graze – it’s a warm one, so perfectly suited to the autumn we are now enjoying! It goes beautifully with grilled meat from the BBQ and a loaf of crusty bread. Continue reading →