Many of us look for ways to include more vegetables in our diet. One way is soup. Not only wholesome & comforting, soups can be made ahead & frozen to have on stand-by for busy nights, a late night snack or lunch. White Bean & Veggie Soup with Pesto is quick, easy to make & nutritious.
A good soup starts with a good base in the form of a broth/stock. I always use homemade. A good, made-from-scratch broth is easy to make & requires little effort from you apart
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White Bean & Veggie Soup with Pesto
Holidays
how to make THE best roasted potatoes
If you're a potato lover or you serve roasted potatoes for any special meal such as Thanksgiving or Christmas (or any meal for that matter), then having them really crispy & golden on the outside & fluffy inside is a must in my book. This three ingredient recipe is simple yes, but it's the
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Italian Cherry & Almond Tart
Looking for a dessert that's different from the same old, same old you make every holiday season? This Italian Cherry & Almond Tart with its buttery, flaky pastry, dark, squidgy cherries & light frangipane filling is a cert to wow the masses. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream (or both)
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Walnut Chocolate Orange Biscotti
Biscotti, eaten as a quick breakfast snack with coffee, is common place in Italy. These Walnut Chocolate Orange Biscotti are just the ticket for enjoying with a bracing espresso or at the end of a meal with liqueur.
If you've eaten biscotti, you'd know it's dry & quite hard. And
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Autumn & Winter
20 minute chicken lentil soup
You've heard it before but the simplest things are often the best. In part because they've got nothing to hide behind & nothing to mask their truth. And although this sounds a trifle cliched, the saying is relevant to many things in life - especially food. This 20 minute chicken lentil soup is
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Festive Pear, Grape & Candied Bacon Salad
Festive Pear, Grape & Candied Bacon Salad with pomegranate arils, baby artisan lettuce, creamy blue cheese, dried cranberries & toasted pecans all drizzled with an orange mustard vinaigrette, is the stuff salad dreams are made of. Whether you're making this beautiful salad as part of a
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creamy mushroom & sherry soup
Creamy mushroom & sherry soup is both rustic & decadent. Any recipe is elevated with the addition of cream making it something a little special...even the humblest of mushroom soups.
If you can locate any more exotic mushrooms than the Swiss brown mushrooms I used - go right
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Spring & Summer
brown sugar pavlovas with rum peaches
Individual pavlovas are made with soft brown sugar, giving them a deep, caramel-like flavor. Then they're topped with vanilla whipped cream and fragrant, delicious butter rum peaches. Brown sugar pavlovas make the perfect summer-time dessert...
Before I chat about pavolva making, I need to
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leek & parmesan quiche
Leek & Parmesan Quiche is perfect for a lunch with your girlfriends or as a light dinner served with a crisp green salad, some crusty bread & of course, wine.
Don't panic, but I made my own pastry for this recipe. I used a hot water pastry recipe I make for savory pies &
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Thai Chicken, Cashew & Mango Lettuce Wraps
Thai Chicken, Cashew & Mango Lettuce Wraps with perfectly grilled, succulent chicken tenders sliced up in a crisp lettuce cup & tumbled with sweet & salty mango salsa & crunchy cashews. A perfect, throw-together summer meal.
Growing up mangoes were plentiful in our home.
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How to Kitchen Basics
how to make THE best roasted potatoes
If you're a potato lover or you serve roasted potatoes for any special meal such as Thanksgiving or Christmas (or any meal for that matter), then having them really crispy & golden on the outside & fluffy inside is a must in my book. This three ingredient recipe is simple yes, but it's the
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How to make oat milk
How to make oat milk. With only three simple ingredients - oats, water & a pinch of salt, creamy oat milk is the perfect alternative to dairy milk. Make it at home & now you have a dairy-free alternative without all the additives that are in store-bought milk alternatives. Oat milk is
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How to cook asparagus perfectly
For several years I was a big fan of cooking asparagus on the barbecue. I still enjoy it this way once in awhile but after testing several different cooking methods, THE best way to ensure perfectly cooked asparagus every time is to roast it. It needs nothing more than a little garlic
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Lifestyle
Bedroom reno before & after
When we bought our home every room in the old house was a different color. The second most shocking room was what is currently our bedroom. Two walls were the hottest pink I've ever seen, the other walls were nuclear lime green. Being a fan of muted colors, this room made me quite uncomfortable
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Nightstand before & after
We have a very big bed - both tall & wide. So tall in fact I need a step to get into it so I don't throw a hip out for the mount & dismount. When it came to finding a nightstand/bedside table for my side of the bed I couldn't find anything tall enough (looking back now I have no idea why I
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Bathroom reno before & after
We bought an old house - 117 years worth of old. Thankfully the big things like the roof, windows, plumbing & electrical are okay. Every room in this house was a different color. The bathroom, which is tiny, was a dark sage green with dark cupboards & a tiny dark sink. All of it made the
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