Monday, January 31, 2011

Weekend Herb Blogging #269 Hosting


This week the wonderful Janet from Taste Space will be the host of Weekend Herb Blogging.

To join in is very simple.
You have the week to post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, flower, seed, nut, grain or plant. Your post can be informative, spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients of your recipe. If you're still unsure, a look through the archives will surely inspire you.

Your entry needs to be submitted by:
  • 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
  • 10pm Sunday - London Time
  • 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
  • 9am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) DS Time
Send your posts to saveur11 AT yahoo DOT ca 
with WHB#269 as the subject and the following details
  • Your Name
  • Your Blog/URL
  • Your Post URL
  • Your Location
  • A photo, 400 px wide
Don't forget to check out the Italian Version of Weekend Herb Blogging being organised by Brii!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Sunday Snackshots #5

bread© by Haalo

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Baccalà Stuffed Zucchini Flowers

Astrid from Paulchens Foodblog is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I have zucchini flowers.

male zucchini flowers© by Haalo

Friday, January 28, 2011

Aperol and Orange

Way back in the dawn of time, 2006, when this blog wasn't even a month old, I started a weekly cocktail posting dedicated to the "5 o'clock swill" called Friday o'clock Swill. I've been meaning to revive it largely because I enjoy the odd tipple and as this weekend is going to be a hot one it seems the perfect time for refreshments.

The star of this weeks beverage is Aperol

aperol© by Haalo

Monday, January 24, 2011

Weekend Herb Blogging #268 Hosting


This week we welcome back Astrid from Paulchens Foodblog to host Weekend Herb Blogging.

To participate:

The rules are simple - post about any herb, fruit, seed, nut, vegetable, flower or plant. Your post can be informative, spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe.

Entries must be submitted by:
  • 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
  • 10pm Sunday - London Time
  • 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
  • 9am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) DS Time
Send your email to foodblog AT paulchens DOT org with WHB#268 in the subject and the following details:
  • Your Name
  • Your Blog Name/URL
  • Your Post URL
  • Your Location
  • A photo: 400px wide

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Five Years

pistachio madeleines© by Haalo


and 1174 posts later Cook (almost) Anything turns 5 and for the second year running I've managed to overshoot my blog birthday but life is like that, it's unpredictable - I did though, bake some lovely pistachio madeleines to mark the occasion.

I'm not sure if anyone has developed a formula to work out how many blog years equal one human year - I googled it but came up with nothing, but over a few lunch time discussions and possibly a few glasses of red, we came up with a rough figure.

Looking at it in a technological sense, 5 years would be a generation which would equate to 25 years so 1 blog year = 5 human years. On a purely subjective measure, it feels like 25 years!

Usually at this time I take the opportunity to change the site layout but I've decided to hold off on that for a few weeks to make sure it all works correctly.

As I say every year - thank you dear readers for your continued support. Whether you email, leave a comment or silently lurk, I appreciate the time you've taken and I look forward to your company in the future.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Cheese: Red Hill Granny's Blue

Red Hill Granny's Blue© by haalo


A funny name but it's a good blue from the Mornington.

Read More>>

Monday, January 17, 2011

Weekend Herb Blogging #267 Hosting


This week it's a warm welcome to Min from Honest Vanilla who will be hosting Weekend Herb Blogging for the first time.

The rules are simple - post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, flower or plant. Your post can be informative, spotlight a particular ingredient and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe.

Entries must be submitted by:
  • 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
  • 10pm Sunday - London Time
  • 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
  • 9am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) DS Time

Send your posts to whb AT honestvanilla DOT com
with WHB#267 in the subject line and the following details:
  • Your name
  • Your Blog/URL
  • Your Post URL
  • Your Location
  • Attach a Photo: 300px wide

Don't forget that the Italian Version of Weekend Herb Blogging is also under way - this week Kris from Tutto a Occhio is back to host.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Sunday Snackshots #3

coloured beetroots© by Haalo
Multi-coloured beetroot

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Chipotle and Orange Sauce

Cinzia from Cindystar is hosting this edition of Weekend Herb Blogging and this week I've sought something spicy in the form of Chipotle Peppers.

Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce© by Haalo


Thursday, January 13, 2011

Victorian Restaurants Unite #vicrestunite


Currently, 75% of the state of Queensland is a declared natural disaster zone - that's an area larger than the whole of Egypt - larger than 5 United Kingdoms. Vital regions responsible for our agriculture, livestock and seafood industries have been severely effected. Over 20,000 homes have been flooded in over 50 suburbs and cities.

To put it further into perspective:
Damaged area caused by Hurricane Katrina - 240,000 square kms
Damaged area caused by Queensland Floods - over 1,000,000 square kms

When you see numbers like that you wonder what can you do to help.

Well, if you're a Victorian Restaurant, Victorian producer, winemaker, or work in the restaurant industry there is something you can do.

An initiative called Victorian Restaurants Unite is looking for people like you to get involved and host fund-raising events to run on Australia Day. Whether you are a producer that wishes to donate stock, floor staff that are willing to donate their time or restaurants/cafes willing to host an event, then this is your chance to do something.

You can find further information by visiting the following:
Victorian Restaurants Unite on Facebook
Victorian Restaurants Unite (website)
Vicrestunite (twitter)

Bloggers can do their bit by posting about this initiative and by supporting those signing up to help.

On Australia Day, instead of holding a BBQ at home - go out and support the organisations who are doing their bit for Victorian Restaurants Unite. 


If you aren't in Victoria, there are still ways you can help through the Flood Relief Appeal

Donate online

Donate by Phone
Call 1800 219 028 to donate using your credit card

Donate in person
• Commonwealth Bank
• NAB
• Westpac
• ANZ
• BOQ
• Suncorp
• St.George Bank
• Bank SA (Bank of South Australia)
• Australian Central Credit Union
• Savings & Loans Credit Union
• Coles supermarket.

Donate by internet Banking
The account details for donations are:
Account Name: Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
BSB: 064 013
Account number: 1000 6800
SWIFT code for international donations: CTBAAU2S

Donate by mail
Cheques should be made payable to:
The Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
ABN: 69 689 161 916

Cheques should be posted to:
Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
C/O Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002

Find complete donation details at the official site.

*Map Graphic by The Emirr

Monday, January 10, 2011

Weekend Herb Blogging #265 - Recap


For the first Weekend Herb Blogging of the year it's lovely to welcome both new and familiar faces.  As always the recap is a reflection of where we are and what we are feeling - whether we are seeking to indulge or looking for recovery, longing for spring or celebrating summer, taking it easy or seeking comfort and warmth, there is something here that we can relate to.

As usual I'm ordered the posts by major ingredient.

Weekend Herb Blogging #266 Hosting


This week Cinzia from Cindystar will be hosting both the English and Italian editions of Weekend Herb Blogging.


To participate:

Post about any herb, fruit, vegetable, flower, seed, nut, grain or plant. Your post can be informative - spotlight a particular ingredients and/or include a recipe where your chosen ingredient is one of the primary ingredients in the recipe.

Full details on how to participate can be found in the WHB rules.

Send your posts to cmc AT cindystar DOT it with WHB#266 in the subject line and the following details:
  • Your name
  • Your Blog Name/URL
  • Your Post URL
  • Your Location
  • A photo: 300px wide

While you can post anytime during the week, you must email your host by the following deadline:
  • 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
  • 10pm Sunday - London Time
  • 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
  • 9am Monday - Melbourne

Sunday, January 09, 2011

Sunday Snackshots #2

Soft boiled quail eggs with dukkah© by Haalo
Soft Boiled Quail Eggs with Dukkah

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Trevally Crudo

For this week's Weekend Herb Blogging I'm turning to Chile for inspiration and it takes the form of a spice mix called Merken.

merken spice© by Haalo

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Twelfth Night Cake

January 6th marks the end of the twelve days of Christmas and is the Feast day of the Epiphany which commemorates the arrival of the three wise men bearing gifts to the infant Jesus.

Way back in 2007 I wrote about my families Italian celebration of this feast day but this year I thought I'd delve into the English tradition.

The twelfth night is actually January 5th, the celebration of which rivalled Christmas and traditionally a spiced fruit cake would be made. Unfortunately, it was Queen Victoria that finally ended this celebration and the twelfth night cake morphed to become what we know today as Christmas cake.

The twelfth night cake would be topped with a crown and inside the cake, some type of favour would have been baked into it - typically dried peas or beans, whoever ended up with the slice of cake with the favour was crowned king or queen for the rest of the day. Similar customs are found in France and their Galette des Rois, Spain and the Roscón de Reyes, Mexico and the Rosca de Reyes and New Orleans and the King Cake.

Twelfth Night Cake© by Haalo


Tuesday, January 04, 2011

Cheese: La Vera Adel-Blue

La Vera Adel Blue© by Haalo


A delightfully buttery blue from Adelaide.

Read More...

Monday, January 03, 2011

Weekend Herb Blogging #265 Hosting


After our christmas/new years break it's time to restart Weekend Herb Blogging for another year. This week I will be hosting the event.

If you are new to the concept or aren't quite sure what Weekend Herb Blogging is about, then here are few details to help you.

Weekend Herb Blogging is a weekly event - running from Monday to Sunday with recaps posted every Sunday/Monday. While it's called Weekend Herb Blogging we don't limit ourselves to just posts dealing with herbs - we celebrate vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, flowers, grains - in fact if it is plant based, then we'll love to hear more.

Your posts can either be informative and/or include a recipe where your featured ingredient is the main ingredient of the dish. If you've found a new way to cook an old ingredient or discovered a new ingredient, you're more than welcome to share it with WHB.

Posts can be written anytime during the week but need to be sent to the host by the appropriate deadlines.

You can find more information by checking out the WHB rules or if you have any questions you can drop me a line at whb AT cookalmostanything DOT com.


Entries should be submitted by the following times:
  • 3pm Sunday - Utah Time
  • 10pm Sunday - London Time
  • 11pm Sunday - Rome Time
  • 9am Monday - Melbourne (Aus) DS Time
Send your posts to whb AT cookalmostanything DOT com
with WHB#265 in the subject line and the following details:
  • Your name
  • Your Blog/URL
  • Your Post URL
  • Your Location
  • Attach a photo: 300px wide
Remember you can also head over to Brii's blog and check out the Italian version of Weekend Herb Blogging.

Sunday, January 02, 2011

Sunday Snackshots

Sunday Snackshots is my homage to what Sunday is - relaxed and casual - the last chance to unwind before the work week begins. The photos I'll take will reflect that - low light, hand held, high ISO - all the things that are absent in most of the other food photos I take.

jindi triple cream chese© by Haalo


A good way to past the time - nibbling on Jindi Triple Cream with something bubbly in glass.

Saturday, January 01, 2011

Brioche and Berry Pudding

Food in the days between Christmas and New Years is all about left-overs and while most of the food has been used, there's one last thing left - Brioche!

brioche© by Haalo


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