Something for spring

Spring in Sydney – an end to the colder months and a welcome to longer, sunnier days and flowers. It’s just the beginning of my favourite time of year, and to celebrate it I put together a few spring-inspired foods.

At the grocer, I picked up a bunch of vegetables and herbs. I made a simple salad of sliced vine-ripened tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and torn basil and dressed the two ingredients with extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic and freshly cracked black pepper - a light vegetable salad. Of course, if this was going to be a celebration of spring I had to place something exciting on the table. What’s more of a treat than fresh oysters!

Brownies please

Like the rest of those foodies out there I love everything about food – searching through stores and markets for the best produce, talking about food, eating it and of course cooking and baking. When I’m in my kitchen with the ingredients I love I’m a happy person; conceptualizing a dish from start to finish and then working to create it is not only stress-relieving but also a wonderful creative outlet.

Z is for zucchini

I was given a few zucchinis the other day and wondered what I could make with this beautifully fresh and green vegetable. I love the taste and texture of raw sliced zucchini in my salads or alternatively in stick form with a delicious dip of hummus. I don’t really love the cooked version – sorry ratatouille lovers (I did love the film though!)

I need cake

A bad week – ups and downs and everything in between – calls for some cake. As life moves on we get busy and forget to take a moment to stop and relax and just be still. Stillness requires food of course – and what better food than cake.