The Other Side Of Our Kitchen - written by CHOPPER!

Yes folks, Chopper is back with another installment of the Other Side of Our Kitchen!

Amelita's kick arse Barbecue Sauce! Mmmmmm

Let me tell you right now folks, not everything that comes out of our kitchen is without incident. For example, today Amelita made her fabulous Barbecue Sauce and everything started fine. The problems started when the sauce became a tad large for the pot she was using, and when giving the sauce a routine stir some of it decided to escape the pot and make a run for it. It didn't get too far though, landing right on Amelita's toes! Ouch!! Thats gotta hurt! But (still stirring the sauce mind you) she just wiped off the simmering hot sauce from her little tootsies and kept going. Now that's dedication!

But wait, there's more! After the incident with the toes, Amelita had to use the hand held blender to smooth out the sauce and the blender lifted out of the pot a little and splashed hot sauce all over her hand! A few course words could be heard coming out of the kitchen at this time, but after running her hand under the cold tap for a minute, it was back to finishing the job again! You have to close your eyes and picture this - you have a pot on the counter full of hot Barbecue Sauce. The sauce has been splashed all over the counter, the floor, and all over Amelita's white pants. And where's Chopper? He's going through the freezer looking for a small bag of frozen veggies so he could put on Amelita's burnt hand! I'm sure the images you have are quite comical, and they were, but I am happy to say that the frozen veggies didn't have to come out of the freezer, and apart from some minor discomfort, Amelita will live to cook another day .............. thank God!!!

As for Chopper? Well, first I couldn't put out a bloody fire, and now I have stuffed up attending to my damsel in distress with the sauce burns! Yes folks, the kitchen is the most dangerous room in the house, but not very often. Let's say out of all the beautiful food that Amelita has served up to me night after night after night, there has been very minimal incidents in our kitchen, and the only fatality has been Chuck the Goldfish who died of natural causes!

At the end of the day, yes I can cook to save myself, but the master of the kitchen is, and always will be my little Spanish Signori ta. Love you Squish! XOXOXOXOX

(This post is dedicated to Chuck the Goldfish. R.I.P my orange friend!)

Nannygai

This is such a simple dish. I really think you could use any fish with this. I went for a fish that is very common in North Queensland. I hope I have spelt it correctly, it's called a Nannygai. This fish is so meaty. Just like chicken, but it's fish. It is quite an extraordinary fish.
Basically you just pan fry your thick fillets of fish on a high heat in a little butter and olive oil for about 2-3 Min's on the first side. Then flip them over for 30 seconds on the other. Remove from fry pan and place in a lined oven dish.
Top with this gorgeous mixture of one cup of Almond Meal and 3 rashers of Bacon diced finely, (that has been already fried till crispy in the fry pan before you fry your fish).
Bake the fish with the topping on, in the oven for 7- 9 Min's on 180 degrees.
Then drizzle with this amazing product I found at Woolworths. It's an Italian Balsamic Reduction. Simply stunning and so convenient. Especially if it is a weekday meal.

Serve with your choice of yummy veggies and walla, your done. Dive into that crispy topping, juicy fleshy fish, that twang and tickle of Balsamic Reduction. This is so easy and so delicious. Heaven, I am sooooooooooooooo in Heaven :)

Tomorrow, I make my gorgeous blow your head off, slap you in the face, American Style BBQ Sauce with some lovely smoke liquid. Yeeeeeee Haaaaaaaa!!!!
OK that's enough information, tell you more tomorrow.

Sunday Gravy - My Way

This is a spectacular sauce. The depth of flavour in this sauce is exceptional, if I do say so myself. This recipe makes a very large pot full, great for the large family or dinner party, or pop half of it in the freezer for another day. Sunday Gravy really isn't a gravy, it's an Italian slow cooked tomato and meat sauce. You choose the meat you want to use. I have used lamb in this one, but sometimes I make it with pork and beef, sometimes just beef. This definitely is a weekend dish. You pop on a low heat for about 4 to 5 hours. Time is the key to this recipe and the key to having a sensationally rich sauce and simply tender meat. So give it a go and enjoy. Sorry it took so long to finally post it. I haven't cooked it for a while because I have been distracted with lots of new flavours. With the present of my glorious pasta machine for Mothers day, I just had to make fettuccine to go with it. Yummo ;)

Ingredients

• 1 Lamb Rack
• 1 Lamb Fillet
• 4 Lamb Steaks
• 5 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped
• 2 Large Brown Onions, Sliced
• 500 mls of Beef Stock
• 2 Bottles of Tomato Cooking Sauce, widely available at the supermarket
• 2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Tablespoon of White Sugar
• Salt Flakes and Ground Black Pepper for Seasoning
• A Knob of Butter and a Good Splash of Olive Oil

Firstly you need a nice big heavy based stockpot. Put on a high heat to sear the meat, add the olive oil and butter. Brown the meat for a minute or so on each side, take out the meat and set aside on a plate. Then in the same pot add the onions and fry them for about 4 Min's or so, with a generous pinch of salt. You want to fry them in the residual juices, olive oil and butter leftover from searing the meat, lots of flavour in there. So that was the hardest bit really. Add your stock, tomato cooking sauce into the pot. To get the most out of your cooking sauce in the jars, add about a cup full of water in each and put their lids back on and give them a shake, then pour that into your pot as well. Lastly put in your Worcestershire sauce, sugar and the meat, including the lovely meat juices that have run out onto the plate, make sure to add lots of ground black pepper at this stage and another good pinch off salt. So now just bring this gorgeous sauce up to the boil. Give it a stir, then reduce to quite a low heat. Simmer for a good 4 hours with the pot lid half on, half off. Give it a stir every 30 Min's or so, but don't stress about it. Just make sure it is not simmering to much otherwise it will stick to the bottom of the pan. You will notice it will go from being very watery to a love rich thick sauce and the meat just seems to fall apart it is so tender. Taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed. Seasoning is so important, it creates depth in flavour and enhances the ingredients to their full potential. Allow the sauce to cool enough so you can break the meat up into lovely chunks and to pull out any bones that are in the sauce. Reheat and serve with your favourite pasta, and some Grana Padano. This sauce, can you believe it, is even better the day after. Something about it sitting in the fridge over night just lets all those flavours just enhance even more. I hope you guys enjoy as much as we do. It is an amazing sauce. Enjoy ;)

Garbage and the Prime Minister

Photo of a random dump somewhere

Alot of the time in life I think I forget about the impact I make everyday to the environment and then I got a total reality check. Last Friday I had the pleasure of meeting the dump one on one for over an hour. It was a day of observing what happens after I sell my front lift bin. I sell Waste Management everyday and really, I didn't actually think about what I was selling. We all have garbage to get rid of but I saw on Friday how much we actually do get rid of in just one day. To be honest with you, it really is scary. My day started with the excitement of 'I am going to ride in a big garbage truck today, oh I feel like a big kid' lets just say the novelty of it wore off quickly and reality set in.



I jumped into the truck with my Bosses get the job done attitude and off we went. He then proceeds to tell me about how he had just lifted a bin and it was chock full of stuffed up, uncooked bread dough, wet, expanded, sludgy bread dough. I am talking at least 3 cubic meters of it. So we headed off to the dump to dispose of goodness knows how much garbage, my boss said about 120 cubic metres, lets just say it was a massive load. Firstly you get to the landfill and they weigh the truck and the fee charged to dump it is based on weight. Then we drive round to where the trucks dump their garbage. I have never seen so many birds. It was amazing, no exaggeration there must have been 300 ibis birds standing on top of this huge landfill of garbage. Above that there were about 30 brown coloured eagles circling above them, soaring with their wings stretched right out. It was sad to see them like that, so unnatural, so unthinkable. All of the ibis where dirty and grotty looking. We dumped our load of garbage and my boss proceeded to scrape out the inside of the truck with a shovel. It was disgusting. The smell and the vermin and all that garbage. It took my boss over an hour in the heat of the day to clean out, the inside of the back of the truck with a shovel. All I could think about was how disgusting it was and how disturbingly blind I have been about what contribution I make in protecting the environment.



I use my recycle bin but that's pretty much about it. That is about to change for me. I am going to learn to be more aware of what I throw in my bin and my actions towards the environment. I am a real lover of our country and the gorgeous land we adore. But the reality is we are rubbishing it and will it survive for our children's children to come? Gosh I hope so.



I also got to see Mr John Howard on my journey in the Garbage Truck. We passed him on his way to the airport. All comfy in his flash Mercedes Bens car dressed with ribbons and who ha. All in all it was a very interesting and thought provoking day. The last place I ever imagined I would see our Prime Minister was while I was bumping up and down in a Garbage Truck.

Cheers Amelita

The Dog Hot

Would you check this out! This is one serious hot dog, but wait it's not your usual hot dog. It's what I call a Dog Hot! Every mouthful encapsulated in fresh bread and it's hot all the way through. That's why I call it a Dog Hot! P.S. don't burn your tongue ;)

For the Bread Dough

• 5 cups Bread Flour
• 500 mls of Water
• 2 teaspoons of Dried Yeast
• Passion with a love of Hot Dogs

Place all ingredients in a good stand alone mixer, attach dough hook and mix for a good 4 - 5 Min's on slow speed. Stop mixer and touch dough with finger tip. If it is sticky add a little more flour and mix until combined well. Keep testing as needed. When your finger comes away from the dough without it sticking you have finished. Pull from mixer and knead on a floured surface by hand for a couple of Min's. Then place on a lined baking tray on top of warming oven at 200 degrees. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise for 30 Min's.
Once risen place dough on a floured surface. Don't worry if it seems really soft, stretchy and sticky a bit. Give it a quick Knead and roll out into a very large rectangle.

Basically use your imagination and create the Dog Hot of your choice. I filled mine with cheese, half mix of grated tasty and mozzarella, grilled bacon, caramelised onions, skinless Frankfurt's, tomato sauce and American mustard. After you have filled them like the photos above, roll them into a large sausage shape encapsulating all of the filling. Then cut into Hot Dog length rolls. Place in a lined tray snuggled up together. Brush with a little milk and top with sesame seeds. Bake in an oven for 35 Min's on 210 degrees Celsius. Then turn off your oven and allow to sit in the remaining heat for 15 Min's. Then eat at will. Fantastic, the kids loved them and my biggest fan David ate 2 and a 1/2 of them. I planned these out in my head a couple of days ago and I am really glad that they turned out so well. Would be great party food to, cut into small dogs for finger food.

Rejuvenation

Hello Everyone,

Just thought I would let you all know, I have given my blog a little makeover. There are some new pictures of food and lots of pics of my artwork. So if you usually just check out my most recent post and have not wandered downward for a while, check it out. I try to keep my blog fresh, fun and interesting. So go on, scroll down, yes, all the way down and enjoy ;)

Cheers Amelita

San Choy Bow - So Easy

San Choy Bow is one of our favourite dishes. It is so morish and so refreshing to eat. I love the saucy flavour. This is such a simple dish and is sure to be a favourite for you as well.


Ingredients

• 2 Iceberg Lettuces, separated into leaves
• 500 grams of Pork Mince or Beef lean
• 2 small Carrots, grated
• 1 tin of Water Chestnuts, sliced and diced
• 2 large cloves of Garlic, chopped finely
• 1/2 bunch of Eschallots, sliced, keep separated the white ends and the green top
• 3 tablespoons of Oyster Sauce
• 3 tablespoons of Sweet Thick Soy or Kecap Manis
• Splash of Sesame Oil
• Salt & Pepper to season

To start in a large pan, fry on a high heat the Eschallot white ends and garlic in some peanut oil with a sprinkling of salt for a couple of minutes. Then add your mince and brown. Next step is to throw in the grated carrots, water chestnuts, oyster sauce, sweet thick soy and sesame oil. Stir and bring to a simmer. Allow to bubble for a couple of minutes until the sauce seems to thicken and look syrupy. Taste for seasoning. Then toss through your green eschallot tops. Your ready to go. All you have to do now is put a big spoonful into a lettuce cup, roll it up and munch your brains out. This is seriously good stuff. Enjoy :)

My fridge - Completely Naked

OK, so I was inspired to bare all in my fridge from a post on Becks & Posh. They did it and have inspired others to do it, so I thought why not join in. So here it is. Not very exciting. Working our way down from the top. Up there on the left is this little area where I stash my chocolate and chocolate biscuits, but for some reason someone has put some leftover artichoke oil up there. Then there is some sliced cheese just beneath that, garlic cloves peeled, some Turkish delight thins I bought Dave. Now on the same shelf all the way to the right is a jar of tamarind paste, with that I just made some Thai marinade I am working on perfecting. You can see the jars of marinade beneath on the next shelf. Also there are some jars of a Onion, Chili, Apple and Raspberry Jam. It came out more like a sauce, so I am still working on that recipe. Greek yogurt in case I want to make tatziki.

Next shelf there is a giant tub of Kalamatta olives that we are trying to work our way through. Egg whites in that little bag all the way to the right, ready for a pavlova or meringue.

There is beef mince there also, for San Choy Bow, because I have major trouble finding pork mince here. Pork mince is traditionally used for this dish. Looks like I might have to actually use my mincer attachment for my Kitchen Aide. Then underneath that shelf is some leftover foccacia and a bag of mozzarella cheese. In the crisper we have a lettuce, carrots, William pears and chili's.

It's really not that exciting for someone who loves to cook. The only thing I can say is, wait till you see the picture of my pantry. That I think is where my magic happens. I have so many not the norm ingredients that my food is just filled with flavour. There are other things in my fridge that I have not mentioned because I think you can tell what they are. So well then What's in your fridge? Anything out of the ordinary and simply splendid? It is fascinating looking in others peoples fridges, we all have such varying taste buds. We all have our favourite snacking food, we all have a special something expensive ingredient. My expensive ingredient was in the door of my fridge and it is a bottle of White Truffle Oil that I bought in the USA. This with gorgeous creamy mashed potatoes is pure heaven. It is adorable and so aromatic. I have never had the pleasure of eating a fresh Truffle and this is the next best thing. So I hope you have enjoyed my little bare all tour through my fridge? Thought it might be a bit of fun. Cheers Everyone :)

Chocolate Fudge Sauce

How is this for a Banana Split? My kind of comfort food. Every mouthful is just sinful, rich and disgustingly fattening. Bananas, Vanilla Ice Cream, Cream, Toasted Peanuts and of course, the richest most delicious chocolate fudge sauce to top it off. As you can see I love rich food. I am not obese, nor am I an over indulger but these kind of treats just make life a bit sweeter. MMMMMmmmmmmmmmmm

Chocolate Fudge Sauce

Ingredients

• 400 grams of a good quality dark Chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups of Cream
• 40 grams of Butter, real butter no substitutes
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla Bean Paste

Pop your cream and vanilla bean paste into a heavy based saucepan. Bring up to the simmer and take of the heat. Then add your butter and chocolate. Stir until the chocolate and butter has all melted through. You should have a thick, glossy, smooth mixture.

Suggestions for other use, great on cupcakes, fabulous as a hot chocolate base - just add warm milk, perfect on top of a pavlova, great for using with fresh strawberries. The possibilities are endless. So Easy :)

White Choc, Pecan and Mango Cookies

Cookies, mmmmmmmm gotta love cookies.

These are so good. The white chocolate, dried crystallized mango and pecan nuts, make for a sensational taste combination.

This is based on a Mrs Fields Cookie recipe with a little change to it, the mango. Go for it!

• 2 & 1/4 cups of Plain Flour
• 1 tsp of Baking Powder
• 1 cup of Brown Sugar, firmly packed
• 1/2 cup of White Sugar
• 250 grams of Salted Butter, softened
• 2 large Eggs
• 2 tsp of Vanilla Bean Paste
• 1 cup of Pecan Nuts, chopped
• 1 & 1/2 cups of White Chocolate Melts
• 100 grams Dried Crystallized Mango, chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well with a whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer or freestanding mixer blend sugars and butter on a medium speed until well combined. Add eggs and vanilla bean paste, beat at a medium speed until well combined. Add the flour mixture and beat on a low speed until just combined. Then stir in pecans, mango and white chocolate by hand.

Drop rounded tablespoons of cookie dough onto a lined tray. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until edges just begin to turn golden brown. Transfer cookies to a flat surface to cool. Makes roughly 36 cookies. Enjoy :)

Rainforest Inn Paluma

After we finished admiring the sheer beauty of Little Chrystal Creek we headed further up the mountain to Paluma Village. The scenery was breathtaking. We were all famished. We found a great new restaurant located in the heart of Paluma Village. Rainforest Inn Paluma, 1 Mt Spec Road, Paluma, 07 4770 8688. They also have accommodation for your comfort and a nice break if you wish. They only opened in November last year. The food was sensational. The Chef there puts on a fabulous lunch that we had trouble finishing due to the huge portions. The interior is very comfy with big couches in front of the fire. Yes a fire in North Queensland. It is quite cool up there on the mountain.

The lovely Jeffrey King is the Chef of this welcoming place and he has an excellent flair for food. Ben and Jared ate Beef Nachos which were massive servings, David and I had an open faced Steak Burger, lovely Fries with Garlic Aioli and the burger had an American Style BBQ sauce, with I think it was Hickory Smoke Liquid. Maddy had a gorgeous Toasted Chicken Wrap which was huge and tasted fantastic. Aliesha and Peanut had the kids meal of Chicken Nuggets and Chips, their personal fav. I snapped a picture of Jeff just as he was picking fresh herbs from his garden. That's what I like to see Jeff. And no that's not a cigarette hiding behind his back, Wink Wink. All of us Chefs seem to smoke. We are very naughty. Even the famous Chef Ben O'donoghue smokes. The Chefs on Top Chef and Hells Kitchen smoke also. I do to, I am a very bad girl and I am sure you are all going to slap me silly. Especially Clare Bear.


The journey home was beautiful. As you can see from these gorgeous photos. If you get a chance stop in and have some lunch at the Rainforest Inn Paluma. You won't be disappointed.

Cheers Amelita.

Szechann Rack of Veal with Szechann Pepper Cream Sauce

I love meat with some kind of heat to it. It truly makes you feel warm inside. We all loved this dish. It was a sexy plate licking dish. I am just drooling with the thought of it. This is seriously sexy food. The sauce is spicy and hot with the cream just taking the edge off the heat. The sweet potato and pumpkin puree is sweet and luscious and compliments the sauce and veal completely. Not bad for a Sunday roast huh? This is what happens when the red wine flows through my veins. I am absolutely adoring a gorgeous Margaret River 2005 Cabernet Merlot Clean skin I have bought a few bottles of. I am seriously thinking of going and getting a case now. So smooth and easy to drink. You know, one of those bottles you make sure you get the last drops out. Or is it only me who does that. LOL Probably just me. Back to the veal.

• Ingredients
• One Rack of Veal
• Szechann Peppercorns
• Sea Salt Flakes
• 1 small piece of Butternut Pumpkin, skinned and cut into pieces
• 1 medium sized gold Sweet Potato, skinned and cut into pieces
• Knob of Butter

• For the Sauce
• 500ml Cream
• 2 Cloves of Garlic, chopped
• 1 large Brown Onion, chopped
• Salt Flakes, for seasoning
• Dash of Worcestershire Sauce

To start the veal, crush Szechann Peppercorns in a Mortar and Pestle with a big pinch of salt flakes. Rub the peppercorn mixture all over your lovely veal rack. Preheat your over to 180 degrees. In an oven proof fry pan add a knob of butter and a splash of olive oil. Sear the veal rack on all sides on a high heat for a couple of minutes to create a nice crust on the outside. Then place the veal rack strait into the oven, fry pan and all. Allow to cook for 25 to 30 Min's.

While the veal is cooking. Steam your sweet potato and pumpkin until nice and soft. Once soft keep aside in a saucepan with the lid on to keep the heat in. When your veal has cooked, pull out of the oven, take the rack of veal out of the fry pan and allow to rest. In the same fry pan you used to cook your veal, add a little more butter, fry the onions and garlic until translucent. Remember to keep all of the residual juices and bits of peppercorn from the veal in the pan, as that is the base to the sauce. Like when you make gravy. Now add the cream, dash of Worcestershire sauce and allow to simmer. Finally for the sauce, a pinch of salt flakes and some more pepper if you like.

Lastly puree the sweet potato and pumpkin with a knob of butter, a splash of cream, salt and pepper. I use a hand blender. To reheat just pop back on the stove for a minute or so stirring all the time. Cut your veal into cutlets and assemble. First with a big dollop of sweet potato and pumpkin puree, then the veal and lastly spoon over the sauce. This is divine. Serves 4. Enjoy :)

Little Lizards

I find this artwork quite intriguing and wondered whether all the lifeguards do this. Draw pictures of scary crocodiles when there is a sighting. You tell me? Looks like a large lizard rather than a crocodile. Is this drawing meant to scare our tourists who can't understand English. Watch out for lizards tourists from other lands, the little lizards are coming. If you compare the size of the sand granules to the actual drawing of what is supposed to be a scary crocodile, then that's one microscopic lizard you have to beware of. Now I am sure the lifesaver tried very hard to make him look scary but I don't think he does, do you?

At first I thought a child drew that as a joke. But then I thought no, they are always closing the beach down there because of salt water crocodiles. So there you have it. A very scary looking little lizard to warn the tourists. I worry for our tourists you know. They are always getting themselves in trouble over here in our gorgeous country, and now I understand why. Australia can sometimes be quite confusing for them.

Cheers Amelita

Little Crystal Creek

So we went out for a day trip in the car before JD and Miss A went home to their mother. We decided to go up to the rain forest just 40 Min's north of here. Our first stop on the way was here, little crystal creek. This place is just beautiful. My goodness the rain forest was sensational and the views of the mountains just made me feel so relaxed in awe. To top it off little crystal creek to me is not a creek, it's a perfect set of waterfalls big and small. The man made stone arch bridge was gorgeous. It was like a scene out of a movie, a place I never knew I would see.
The pictures just do not do the experience justice. You have to be there to understand how amazing it is. No words can describe the feeling this place creates in your soul.
I imagined seeing a horse and carriage stroll across this bridge. The place really is nearly untouched. The pathways and bridge feel like they have always been there.
You are surrounded by the biggest trees that have the most amazing ferns hanging from them. Dark green moss grows on any spare patch it can hang on to.

I urge anyone to visit this simply beautiful place. You can't tell be the pictures but there is a light drizzle of rain falling while we are there and it makes for a brilliant atmosphere.
Little crystal creek is on the edge of the Hervey Ranges, along the way to Paluma village. North Queensland is such a beautiful place and I live here. How lucky am I? I feel so grateful to the powers at be that have nudged us in the North Queensland direction.

If you ever come and visit North Queensland make sure you stop by and enjoy this place.

Cheers Amelita

XoxoxoX