dinner party dilemmas

So.  A few months ago one of my best girlfriends asked me how I would feel about doing some catering for a dinner party she was throwing for the 10^th wedding anniversary of some friends of hers.  I didn’t have to think about it twice – of course I would love to do that – I’m always on the lookout for a creative outlet, especially seeing as I spend my waking hours as a government drone.  And a creative outlet that involves food?  Only my very favourite kind of outlet!

Now, I haven’t actually done any catering for a long time, but I gave that fact not a moment of thought.   I reckon it’s always pretty fun to create a menu and I’m pretty confident in the kitchen so I was feeling very much “she’ll be right mate” about the whole situation.   Fast forward to the present day, when the dinner party is in a couple of weeks and I’m starting to panic.  Ever so slightly. 

sex and the fettuccine?

I should preface this by saying that I’m well aware that the Daily Telegraph is not exactly hard-hitting journalism.  It’s more like an extremely light, almost frothy, read – bordering on completely biased reporting.  Having said that, every now and then there is an article that catches my eye, thus I bring you this little gem from last week entitled “Sex and the fettucine – our saucy secret’s out’*. 

the crumble that would be a tart.

This gallery contains 10 photos.

So.  I’m going to Lozza and Dan’s for luncheon tomorrow and in an effort to not rock up empty-handed and with something slightly more creative than my usual bottle of vino, I decided that I would make some kind of … Continue reading →

dammit.

This gallery contains 1 photo.

I have long lamented the size of my kitchen.  It is so far removed from the spacious benches and state of the art appliances of my dream kitchen, that I have resigned myself to actively practicing acceptance rather than wishing for … Continue reading →

more than a little jealous

Once upon a time I used to love watching a show on  tv called Master Chef.  I would even go so far as to say that I looked forward to my time on the couch after a hard day at work, with a glass of wine, being entertained and educated by a bunch of ordinary-ish cooks and a handful of celebrity chefs. 

music to cook by

Sometimes I wonder to myself if I enjoy the experience of an afternoon in the kitchen creating culinary magic more than the actual eating of said delights.  This could have more  to do with what I’m cooking than anything else.  Mid-week I’ll throw together pretty much any old thing because quite frankly I can’t be bothered to start cooking anything remotely involved or gourmet as it runs a fairly high risk of  being left to burn if Neighbours suddenly gets really interesting*. 

one legged risotto.

I truly love a good risotto.  In fact, I have also been known to enjoy a not-so-good risotto.  There is something so seductive about the subtle flavours and the creamy rice – I just love it!  I think there is also something appealing about a dish that doesn’t look fancy in a plate – lets face it, sometimes it can kind of look a bit like vomit – but it’s really hard to get it just right, there’s some serious skill involved in a perfect risotto.

mad world

I don’t know about you, but I find in general everyday life there is usually something that makes me do a big old forehead slap and say to myself and anyone else who happens to be within earshot –  ‘What is going on, has the entire world gone mad?’  I should admit to slight drama queen tendencies, so this is usually in response to something that can fairly accurately be described as trivial.

and it makes me…completely…insane….

I am under absolutely no illusions as to what would happen to me if I was a contestant on Master Chef.  Without a doubt I would have some kind of epic meltdown when faced with having to make a snap-decision about what dish to make that most reminded me of my childhood.  It would be messy and no doubt  involve hyperventilating and mild to obscene swearing.  These are factual statements that I make based upon intimate knowledge of my own self.

thoughts and stuff

So, I’ve often wondered where thoughts actually come from.  I say ‘often’ but I really mean only in the last year when I’ve had 45 minutes, twice a day, 5 days a week to just do some freefall, random-type thinking.