Love a Blogger with Collette from The Morning Drum

Melbourne blogger


Join me in my love a blogger challenge. Spend a little bit of time reading some of the thoughtful, inspired and intelligent writing on offer by your favourite blogger. Most bloggers write for the love of words and a desire to create something beautiful, so why not sit down and do some reading?


Today we are meeting Collette from “The Morning Drum.” Collette is blogger, writer, editor, Mum and a general all round clever-creative type. She writes about family life, grief, creativity and the pursuit and exploration of a rich life. Continue reading

The Ups and Downs of Running with Helen from My Home Base

Are you like me, feeling sick of reading horrible, nasty and negative news every day in the papers and online? Then join me in my love a blogger challenge. Spend a little bit of time reading some of the thoughtful, inspired and intelligent writing on offer by your favourite blogger. They probably don’t have a degree in journalism but they won’t have a Masters in Snark either. Most bloggers just write for the love of words and a desire to create something beautiful.

Today we are meeting Helen from My Home Base (one of my favourites).

Dani xx Continue reading

Tasting Australia Festival and Words To Go 2016

Words To Go 2016

Eat My Street was invited to attend the Tasting Australia Words To Go 2016 Festival in Adelaide this year as part of the bloggers contingent for the Words To Go Conference. I was very excited and honoured to be invited along to hear some wonderful presenters talk about food writing and blogging and also to taste and see all that South Australia has to offer at its premier food festival.

Tasting Australia and Words To Go 2016

The Tasting Australia Festival ran from the 1st to the 8th of May in the town square in Adelaide and it is a free event open to the general public. Food trucks, regional kitchens and produce stores, cooking demonstrations, classes, dinners and much more combine together to create the program for the Festival.

Words To Go 2016

Continue reading

In my Kitchen with Cecily Paterson

fruits that you need to try-2

Welcome to a new little segment on the blog titled “In My Kitchen” where we get to visit every day cooks in their own kitchens.  Here at Eat My Street we are passionate about “good food for the good life” and I know that many of you are passion about exactly the same thing.

Today we are talking with Cecily Paterson.

Cecily is an emerging young adult/ tween author from Kangaroo Valley in NSW. With a national award in 2012 for her non fiction memoir, she now writes for Upper Primary and young teens. She is also a speaker, freelance writer and editor.  Her first novel, Invisible, was a semi-finalist in the Amazon Breaththrough Novel Award in 2014.

Cecily is also a Mum and wife and she also has a blog about her son’s experience living with autism spectrum disorder.  Cecily also publishes books on spirituality and religion. You can find her most recently release by visiting the Firewheel Press website.

Today we are joining Cecily in her kitchen, to find out a little more about her life, including how she manages to cook great food for her family despite a long list of allergies.

cecily solo

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself?

cecily paterson: I wear a lot of hats. Possibly too many; I have to work on not saying ‘yes’ to everything. At home, I’m a wife of one guy, mother of four kids and best friend of two dogs. At work, I’m a writer of young teen fiction.  In my spare time, I practice the cello, take my kids to things (netball, gym, violin lessons) and sometimes get my sewing machine out. And at 5pm every day, I think, “What the heck am I gonna make for dinner?”

2. What is your favourite recipe at the moment?

cecily paterson: Let me be upfront. Cooking is not my favourite thing in life. Food, I like a lot, but generally if someone else has cooked it for me. Part of the problem is the fact that four out of six people in my family have diagnosed intolerances to things like dairy, soy, oats, preservatives and malt. But I do love to make this simple slice.

· Recipe

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 Click here for the full recipe for Cecily’s no cook chocolate slice.
A cup of dates
A cup of a mix of any of the following: buckwheat, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, coconut pieces or anything else you think would go in well.
2 tbps coconut oil
2 tbps cocoa
Throw in a heavy weight blender and blend for 30 seconds. Press into a tupperware slice container and set in the fridge. Eat when it’s firm.

Editor: We gave this a go and it produced a delicious and healthy slice. Yum!

3. Kitchen staples? Things you always have in your fridge and pantry?

cecily paterson: I have a weird array of gluten free flours, dairy free milks, and things like chia, flaxseed and millet. My mum looks in my cupboard and says, “I don’t know what anything is.” Ha ha. We always have cucumbers and carrots, because those are the popular vegies. In the freezer, I have bags of frozen vegies, because that’s what I eat for breakfast. We always have dates, cocoa, coconut oil and buckwheat, because those are the ingredients of my favourite no-cook chocolate slice. And I couldn’t do without coconut milk, Indian curry pastes, sushi wrappers and rice. A lot of rice.

4. Secret vice?

cecily paterson: 70% dark chocolate, particularly something by Alter-Eco. But it’s not a secret vice: there’s no secret about that at all.

choccecily

Ed: Alter-Eco is an independently owned fair-trade food company based in NSW. In face they are Australia’s first official fair-trade chocolate supplier. Thanks for the tip Cecily!

5. Most memorable meal

cecily paterson: I grew up in Pakistan. The best dish I’ve ever had was a chicken kurai, cooked with tomatoes, onions and coriander, with fresh naan on the side, from a restaurant called ‘The Cockroach’. And yes, it was called that because there were a few cockroaches.

Ed: This one sounds amazing although I am not sure about the cockroach part. Eek!

6. What are you currently drinking?

cecily paterson: Decaf tea. I don’t drink alcohol or juice – too many calories for a girl who runs to fat too quickly. And I can’t drink caffeine all day – I get drained by it. But a good cup of decaf tea, made by my husband, makes me very happy.

cecily

7. Do you have a favourite local venue to eat out?

cecily paterson: I live in Kangaroo Valley, NSW. I like a smoked salmon sandwich made by Charlie, from Charlie’s cafe, and the lamb cutlets by Gerald from the Bistro One46.

8.Do you have a favourite cook book?

cecily paterson: Jo Whitton’s Quirky Cooking is great. And I love Jamie Oliver too, but a lot of his food wouldn’t go down well with my kids, so I look longingly at his stuff rather than purchase it.

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9. Your favorite spot in your kitchen?

cecily paterson: Honestly: on the other side of the bench, watching someone else make the food, but that never happens, so I’ll say near the toaster and kettle, making myself a piece of toast and jam and then taking it to my desk.

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Do take a look at Cecily’s website- this is one talented lady!

www.cecilypaterson.com

If you know someone fabulous to feature on our next “In My Kitchen” post then please shoot me an email. danib@eatmystreet.net

Until then, happy eating!

Dani xx


Eat My Street is a website dedicated to “good food for the good life.” We post recipes, reviews, interviews and much more. Please visit us on Facebook or sign up, to keep up to date. Dani


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Cooking 4 Kids Beaconsfield

Cooking 4 Kids Beaconsfield

Cooking 4 Kids

Tucked behind Revival Cafe in the heat of Beaconsfield is the lovely Cooking 4 Kids studio. Owned and operated by Chef Meg White, Cooking 4 Kids aims to encourage, equip and inspire children to master some pretty impressive cooking skills. Eat My Street was invited along for a visit to check out how the classes run and to take a look around the Cooking 4 Kids studio.

We arrived bright and early on a Saturday morning to take part in the first class of the day. The class started with the min-chefs (kids) standing around the preparation table learning about what they would be cooking for the day  and running through a few house rules. Students then got down to preparing and cooking their spinach and pumpkin pot pie. How happy do they look!?

Cooking 4 Kids

Cooking 4 Kids

After a little bit of time spent doing dishes and learning the importance of cleaning up after themselves, the students sit down with Meg at the communal table to learn all about what they have made. Meg has a great focus on understanding where food comes from and the health benefits of different ingredients and she shared all this information in a fun and interactive way.

Cooking 4 Kids

I really loved taking a snoop around at some of the worksheets students had filled in.

Cooking 4 Kids

I may have even learnt a couple of things about doughnuts. 🙁

Cooking 4 Kids

 

Meg does a great job teaching the students and sharing her passion for nutrition, home made food. It was wonderful to see the way the kids were so enthusiastic about learning and cooking and how easily they picked up on these skills in the kitchen.

Cooking 4 Kids

Meg is a natural in the kitchen and had her little group of chefs diligently paying attention and on task for the whole morning.

Cooking 4 Kids

I was so impressed with how capable these students were and the end result of their labours looked and tasted delicious. What a great age for children to learn about where our food comes from, what is in and how to prepare and cook it; all essential life long skills.

Cooking 4 Kids

Meg is a qualified chef with 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry- although she looks too young for this to be true! We asked her a few questions to find out a little bit more about why she started Cooking 4 Kids.

fruits that you need to try

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started in your business?
From the age of four I knew I wanted to be a chef! At 14 I started my first part time job at a local restaurant and, I completely fell in love with all that hospitality had to offer. Upon leaving school, I deferred uni for a year to work… I never made it to uni!

I found a love for teaching children when I was living in Geelong, I volunteered at a local primary school through the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. Cooking is something that all children can master, seeing the joy, confidence & self pride that they gain through being in the kitchen is incredibly rewarding.

Meg White from Cooking 4 Kids

I went form Geelong to Melbourne, where I worked as a head chef, before deciding to through caution to the wind & follow my passion for teaching kids. Whilst its been challenging a times, I wouldn’t trade it for the world… It’s by far the best & most rewarding chocice I’ve made. I’m grateful to all of the kids, families & friends of Cooking 4 Kids for allowing me into their lives & for believing in what I do.
2. What is your favourite recipe at the moment?
Autumn brings around foraging for mushrooms… I love them pan seared with butter, garlic & fresh thyme… perched upon a piece of chargrilled olive sourdough, drizzled with truffle oil & shaved pecorino.
3. Kitchen staples? Things you always have in your fridge and pantry?
Good quality olive oil, Mount Zero Olives being my favourite.
Fresh free range eggs from Seven acres farm.
Fresh herbs, an easy healthy way to add additional flavor to any meal.
Pink lake salt from Mount Zero Olives.
Plus loads of fresh fruit & vegetables.
4. Do you have a secret foodie vice?
Hot potato chips, though these days its more Kipfler potatoes… boiled, rubbed with coconut oil, then roasted until their skins are golden & crispy.
5. What was your most memorable meal?
Eaten about 14 years ago when visiting Adelaide… Pan seared potato & pumpkin gnocchi with burnt butter & sage… so simple, so tasty. (Sounds amazing!)

6. Can you tell us your favourite local restaurant or cafe?
I’ve taken a real liking to Spencer’s store in Gembrook. I love brunch. As a vegetarian it’s nice to be able to go out & have options.

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8. Where do you get your inspiration for recipe ideas? Any favourite cook books, blogs, TV shows, chefs etc?
I love humble, home made, slow cooked food, this comes back to my grandparents. I spent a lot of time cooking with them as a child. Today I use a lot of their recipes as a base, adding new modern twists to make them more relevant today.


For more information and to see her upcoming classes take a look at Meg’s website.

http://cooking4kids.net.au

or keep up to date by liking her Facebook page.

www.facebook.com/Cooking4KidsAu

Address: 3/24-26 Woods St, Beaconsfield VIC 3807
Phone:0455 552 000


Eat My Street is a website dedicated to “good food for the good life” in Melbourne and beyond. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram or please sign up to keep up to date.


 

No new clothes for a year.

No New Clothes for A Year

AKA The tale of how one purple shirt started a revolution

No new clothes for a year

I stared at the contents of my wardrobe, half of which were strewn across my floor like some terrible ode to Jackson Pollack. For half an hour I had been trying on various combinations of skirts, jeans, dresses, jackets and tops, and still had not managed to hit on anything that looked even vaguely good. I threw a particularly offensive jean jacket across the room and yelled that familiar cry heard in wardrobes all around the nation:

I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR!! Continue reading

The Butter Kitchen Gembrook

The Butter Kitchen

The Butter Kitchen Gembrook Butter Kitchen Gembrook review

Last year I had the pleasure of meeting Liza from The Butter Kitchen Gembrook. Liza is a local foodie and cook and she has started a small business making home baked goods for delivery in the local area. These are not just any old home baked goods though, Liza really knows how to cook and her products, including cakes, cookies, brownies and dessert pies are made with the most luxurious ingredients and also I think a little bit of tender loving care.

Continue reading

Spaghetti squash with homemade passata

Spaghetti Squash with homemade passata

Are you looking for the most wonderful, gluten free, tasty lunch dish yet? Then look no further than this recipe for spaghetti squash with homemade passata.

Spaghetti Squash with homemade passata

I attended the wonderful Food is Free South Eastern Suburbs meet up last week. I loved it as always. So many lovely and knowledgable people attend these meet ups which are organised by a small group of local volunteers.

The premise of Food is Free is a smart and heart warming one; to share excess and surplus home grown food with other people in the local community. It very much fits into the eat good quality, seasonal, fresh, food philosophy that is at the basis of all healthy living.  It is also anti-waste, promotes sharing of knowledge and increased community connectedness and helps encourage people to get out in their back yard and grow some food.

You can read a lot more about it by going here or here. But if that is all starting to get a little esoteric for you then take a look at this wonderful recipe that I made today based on the food I brought home from the swap. A perfect gluten free pasta alternative. That is if you are lucky enough to get your hands on a spaghetti squash.

Spaghetti squash


Spaghetti Squash with homemade passata Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 spaghetti squash
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • salt
  • 15  ripe small to medium tomatoes, halved.
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 gloves of garlic, sliced
  • 1-2 tablespoons of fresh, chopped basil
  • 1-2 teaspoons of sugar
  • salt to taste

Method

  1. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds and soft pulp with a spoon. Brush the squash with olive oil and add salt.
  2. Place cut side down on a baking dish and bake in a moderate oven for 45 minutes or until soft and cooked through.
  3. While that is cooking, place your olive oil in a pan and gently cook through the sliced garlic on a low, gentle heat.
  4. Trim the tomatoes and place them on a blender. Add the cooked garlic and oil, salt, basil and sugar and blend until smooth.
  5. Return this mix to the saucepan and gently simmer until the liquid is reduced and you have a thick tomato sauce. This took me about half an hour but it will depend on your stove and your tomatoes so times will vary.
  6. When your spaghetti squash is cooled, scoop out the flesh with a fork. This will create a “spaghetti” consistency. Add the squash to a bowl, cover with sauce and add a little fresh basil to garnish. Season to taste.
  7. Enjoy.

 

So Spaghetti Squash seems like the perfect way to make that beautiful gluten free pasta dish and growing your own tomatoes will inspire the most rich, tasty tomato passata. A winning combination for a healthy, whole foods, low miles lunch. Lovely. Spaghetti squash with homemade passata

Happy Eating.

Dani xx

Spaghetti squash with homemade passata

Home is where the He[art] is.

Home is where the He[art] is.

ImageToday Eat My Street visited the “Home is where the He[art] is” project in Palmerston St, Berwick. The beautifully designed, original house was lovingly renovated over the course of the last year by Amber Bulte from the “Amber Bulte House of Creative”.

Once the renovations were finished Amber’s unique approach really became evident. In collaboration with Peake Real Estate and a handful of local artists, the Palmerston St home has been turned into a venue to show-case local art, for the duration of the home viewing period.

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The house itself has beautiful bones and has been decorated with restraint and the perfect touch of creativity by Amber and the team.

Local artists who have their works on display in the home include.

Andrea Hopgood of Paperworks Gallery

David Hopgood of Paperworks Gallery

Sam Michelle of Sam Michelle Painting

Caitlin from Oxzyde Homewares

Robert Gordon Australia

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A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of the house will go toward local charities, including Windermere.

This was the final weekend for viewing the house before it goes to tender. Lets hope that once this house has been sold this exciting collaboration between local artists can continue on in some other space or place.

Until then be sure to visit each of the artists in their own “homes.”

For further information about “Home is where the he(art) is” contact Amber Bulte at www.amberbulte.com.

Dani xx

I would love for you to sign up for my blog, or follow along on Facebook. Otherwise, while you are here I would love for you to take a look around. You could start here

My Favourite Recipes FullSizeRender

My Favourite places to eat. IMG_6059

Food Is Free Berwick

Today I met with the lovely people at Food Is Free Berwick.

Food Is Free Berwick

They meet every three to four weeks at Pioneer Park in Berwick. Local and not so local gardeners bring together their lovingly homegrown produce to share and swap, ensuring that none of the precious goodness from their gardens goes to waste.

Food Is Free Berwick

I tentatively arrived not long after the start time of 9.30am with my box of herbs from my garden. I received a lovely and informative welcome and was enthusiastically encouraged to take home the produce that was provided.

I came home with some lovely rhubarb for tonight’s dessert, 4 tomato plants, thyme, mint, chives, kale and some Bok Choy seedlings.

It was the most lovely experience as everyone I chatted with was so enthusiastic, welcoming and keen to share their expertise.

Keep an eye on the Food is Free South East Suburbs Facebook page if you would like to join in.

https://www.facebook.com/groups

Or to find a local food swap group in your area you read this “introduction to food swaps” and enter your own location.

Until then, get tending.

Happy gardening.

Dani xx

Food Is Free Berwick