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Date with yum, Sydney (2025)

23/09/2025

💥❤️New Recipe: SHAVED CABBAGE with PINE NUTS, CURRANTS, HERBS & VINAIGRETTE❤️💥

Hi friends, this last week I’ve been completely wiped out by the flu so apologies again for my absence🙏

It’s time for my third recipe for this month’s collab. My chosen book is “Recipes for a Lifetime of Beautiful Cooking” by Danielle Alvarez (with Libby Travers).

This slaw is definitely up there with the best I’ve had. The family all commented on just how delicious it was, and what a lovely depth of flavour it had. The texture was also perfect. The combination of pine nuts and currants is a true favourite of mine, but what makes this slaw so good is actually undefinable, it just hits all the right notes. It’s perfect as a fresh side for proteins, or I could honestly eat this just as a standalone meal. Do give it a try, it’s such a beautiful take on a classic. Swipe for the recipe 👉👉

Thank you to our hosting team Gio and Grace and do contact them if you’d like to join us.

16/09/2025

💥💛New Recipe: PINEAPPLE & COCONUT CAKE with CREAM CHEESE FROSTING💛💥

Hi friends, I’ve been a little absent as I’ve been feeling pretty washed out following my latest round of treatment. Thanks for your understanding and for sticking by me 🙏🙏

However, I had to return to post this beautiful cake, the second recipe for this month’s collab. My chosen book is “Recipes for a Lifetime of Beautiful Cooking” by Danielle Alvarez (with Libby Travers).

This lovely cake reminds the author of her childhood in the US, and it reminded me of cakes I’ve enjoyed there too. The combination of pineapple and coconut is a perfect marriage, and the cream cheese frosting suits this cake perfectly. Simple to put together, even for the most inexperienced bakers, it’s a winning recipe. Swipe for the recipe 👉👉

Thank you to our hosting team Gio and Grace and do contact them if you’d like to join us.

09/09/2025

💥❤️New RECIPE: SPAGHETTI alla NERANO❤️💥

Hi friends, sorry I’ve been absent for a bit; I’m recovering from a few days of celebrations, including Father’s Day and a city break for our 30th anniversary 🎊🎊🥂🥂. We had beautiful (and one super special) dining experiences which I’ll share in the upcoming weeks.

But for now it’s time for for the first dish from this month’s collab, and the book I’m cooking from is “Recipes for a Lifetime of Beautiful Cooking” by Danielle Alvarez (with Libby Travers ). To quote from the the book “ Danielle Alvarez is an acclaimed restaurant chef, but Recipes for a Lifetime of Beautiful Cooking
is dedicated to a style of cooking that is more personal. This book is about cooking at home, with family and friends. It draws on Danielle’s love of Italian and French food, her Cuban roots, time spent cooking in California and then Australia, and all the incredible Asian influences that have coloured her time in Sydney”. The book has so many beautiful, accessible recipes and also loads of information on ingredients and cooking methods.

The first recipe I chose is Spaghetti alla Nerano, where zucchinis, parmigiano reggiano and basil take centre stage. It manages to taste sophisticated yet homespun at the same time. It was so moreish and we all loved it - a perfect meat free pasta option that we’ll be enjoying on repeat. Slide for the recipe 👉

Thank you to our hosting team Gio and Grace and do contact them if you’d like to join us.

04/09/2025

💥❤️New Recipe: Quick One-Pan SAUSAGE & PEPPER BRAISE❤️💥

After what feels like weeks of steady rain here in Sydney, the clouds finally broke and the sun came pouring through. And what better way to celebrate than with a dish that feels like it belongs on a long Italian lunch table, shared with friends and a glass of red in hand?

This rustic one-pan braise is the essence of Italian home cooking: unfussy, full of flavour, and made with simple pantry staples. There’s something deeply comforting about serving it straight from the pan too; it makes the whole experience feel earthy, communal, and just a little bit primal😊

I paired mine with buttery sweet potato mash, but it’s equally dreamy spooned over pasta, piled onto soft polenta, or tucked into a crusty sandwich. However you serve it, you’ll find it’s the kind of meal that makes the sun shine a little brighter.

Here’s how to make it:
🫑 Brown 6 sausages of your choice in olive oil, then set aside.
🫑 In the same pan, sauté 1 onion (cut into chunky half moons) and 3 colourful peppers (capsicums) until tender but still vibrant. Add 4 cloves minced garlic and cook briefly.
🫑 (Optional) Splash in ½ cup red wine or marsala, let it bubble and reduce by half.
🫑 Stir in 400g chopped tomatoes, 1 tsp oregano, return the sausages (sliced on an angle if you like), cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
🫑 Season with salt and pepper.

☀️Pour yourself a glass of red, bring the pan to the table, and dig in. Simple, rustic, heavenly.✨

29/08/2025

✨🌿 New Recipe: HOMEMADE PESTO MAGIC🌿✨

Do you make home made pesto? Once you’ve blitzed up a batch yourself, you’ll never look at a jar on the supermarket shelf the same way again! It’s so simple, so fresh, and so versatile.

I love it slathered on crostini, stirred through hot pasta, tossed into a pasta salad, dolloped over grilled fish or chicken, swirled through scrambled eggs, spread on sandwiches, or even as a pizza base. Honestly… once you start, you’ll be finding excuses to put pesto on everything!

Here’s the easiest recipe to get you started:
 🌿2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts 🌿2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves  🌿1/2 cup (50 g) parmesan, finely grated  🌿1/4tsp cooking salt 🌿1/4 tsp black pepper 🌿1 small garlic clove, chopped 🌿7 tbsp best quality extra virgin olive oil
🌿1 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice (to taste)

👉 Blitz everything in a food processor until smooth, adjusting olive oil for your preferred consistency. Store in a jar in the fridge with a slick of olive oil on top.

You can also substitute basil with rocket or baby spinach, and pine nuts with cashews, walnuts or cashews. Just experiment and find your favourite combo👌🌿

Fresh, vibrant, endlessly useful… homemade pesto is little jar of happiness you’ll wonder how you ever lived without. 💚

26/08/2025

💥💚New Recipe: POTATO SALAD with HERBS & ROAST ALMONDS💚💥

It’s time for dish three from this month’s collab cookbook pick Ela! Ela! by Ella Mittas, and this time I’ve chosen a potato salad, because, well, who doesn’t enjoy this classic carb delight?!

✨🌿There are a few elements that truly elevates this potato salad to a new level; the zesty dressing (no mayo in sight 👍), the abundance of flavour packed fresh herbs, and the texture and nuttiness of chopped toasted almonds. Swipe for the recipe👉👉. Can’t wait to hear if you give it a try - do tell!

🙏As always, a big thanks to and , our superstar hosts for this month’s collab — if you’d like to cook along with us, they’re the ones to contact🙏

19/08/2025

💥🧡 New Recipe: Braised Leeks with Orange 🧡💥

It’s time for dish two from this month’s collab cookbook pick Ela! Ela! by Ella Mittas, and I’m diving into meze again, because who can resist a table full of little plates that sing of sunshine, family and sharing? 🌿✨

This recipe is honestly so simple but so special - here’s the gist of it: Two sliced onions are softened for 20 mins low and slow in olive oil, a clove of chopped garlic is added, next comes 4 sliced leeks, cooked for 3 mins, then comes the magic: a cup of fresh orange juice to brighten and balance everything. Cover and cook gently for 15-20mins until the leeks are meltingly tender… then a sprinkle of s&p and finish with herbs. Serve at room temp; it’s just perfect for a Mediterranean table.

For me, this is the kind of dish that feels both rustic and elegant; perfect alongside seafood or poultry, or just as part of a meze spread to linger over with friends. Honestly, it’s the kind of recipe that made me wonder why I haven’t been braising with orange juice all my life!🍊✨

Huge thanks to and , our superstar hosts for this month’s collab; if you’d like to cook along with us, they’re the ones to contact. And thanks to , Ella Mittas, for creating such a warm and engaging cookbook🙏

🩷 Big love from my kitchen to yours. Can’t wait to hear if you give this one a try🩷

18/08/2025

✨Soup Series – The Grand Finale! 🍲✨

Here we are, friends - the last ladle in my Soup Series. And honestly, I couldn’t wrap it up without the most classic, comforting soup of them all. Can you guess? 🤔

It’s the one I’ve been eating since babyhood, the one that still makes regular appearances at my family table, the one that soothes sniffles, heartbreaks and everything in between. Yep, the humble, magical, never-fails-you chicken soup. 💛

This version is simple, honest and beginner-friendly, but with a twist; double stock for extra depth and goodness. (Think stock… inside a stock😉)

Here’s the quick recipe rundown:
✨ In a big stockpot add: 4 sliced carrots, 2 chopped onions, 3 celery sticks, 3 garlic cloves + 2 bay leaves
✨ Add a whole chicken + 2.5L chicken stock + 500ml water, salt + pepper
✨ Simmer gently (don’t boil!) and skim off any scum
✨ Remove chicken when tender, set aside
✨ Add 2 cups small pasta → cook until al dente
✨ Shred chicken, keep warm with a ladle of stock
✨ Remove bay leaves → return chicken to pot or add to bowls individually
✨ Finish with a squeeze of lemon (our family’s non-negotiable 🍋)

And just like that the soup series has come to an end (for now!). If you missed any of the previous 11, take a peek back and see which ones you’d like to try next.

Thank you all so much for coming along on this soupy adventure with me. Your encouragement and your own soup stories have truly warmed my heart. If you’ve got a family favourite chicken soup recipe, or one I must know about, let me know in the comments. 🙏🩷

12/08/2025

💥❤️New Recipe: FAVA with PICKLED SHALLOTS❤️💥

This month for the collab I’m cooking from Ela! Ela! To Turkey and Greece by Greek-Australian chef and writer Ella Mittas . It’s a beautiful journey through Ella’s Greek heritage and her time cooking and eating across Turkey, Greece, and Crete. Ella’s recipes are simple enough for a Tuesday night but full of the magic that makes you feel like you’re eating seaside in the Med. Also, her storytelling is as rich as her recipes; simple, vibrant, and utterly transportive.

I’ve chosen to cook a trio of meze from the book; those glorious vegetable and legume side dishes that often steal the show from the mains. First up, I introduce you to fava dip. I’ve eaten it plenty (Greek heritage perks) but never made it myself…until now. (Fun fact: Greeks use yellow split peas as the base, while in Turkey fava beans are used). The tangy pop of pickled shallots and capers in Ella’s recipe takes it to the next level. Perfect for a BBQ spread, piled onto crusty bread, slathered on crackers, or drizzled with balsamic, basically, any excuse will do. If you’d like the recipe, just let me know.

A big thank you to this month’s fabulous hosts, Gio and Yuuucoh, . If you’re keen to pull up a chair at our cooking table, just let them know, we’d love to have you.

11/08/2025

💥🇫🇷 New Recipe: FRENCH TRADITIONAL GARLIC SOUP 🇫🇷💥

Soup No. 11 in my series is straight from the kitchen of French-Australian chef Manu Feildel ().

This beauty will keep the neighbourhood vampires at bay in the gentlest, most delicious way possible. The garlic is there (oh yes, it’s there), but it’s mellow and moreish. My daughter (a self-proclaimed garlic bread expert) said it reminded her of the best garlic bread she’s ever had. High praise!

You’ll find the ingredients are all easy pantry staples: olive oil, onion, echalions, garlic, potatoes, chicken stock, crème fraîche, plus a little salt and pepper. I topped mine with air-fried sourdough croutons and a sprinkle of parsley, pure dinner-party magic.

This one warmed both hearts and bellies, perfect for our chilly winter evenings. And with just one soup left in the series (coming next Monday!), I’m savouring every spoonful.

🙏🩷 Thank you so much for following along, your support means the world to me. 🩷🙏.

06/08/2025

💥❤️New Recipe: Addictive (Retro!) ZUCCHINI SLICE ❤️💥

Say hello to a slice of nostalgia. This golden, veggie-packed classic was a staple in my mum’s kitchen, and now it’s a regular in mine. It’s one of those recipes that everyone seems to love… and trust me, stopping at just one slice is practically
impossible.

It’s endlessly versatile, toss in whatever veg you’ve got lurking in the fridge. This version is meat-free, but if you’re a bacon traditionalist, go for it. I like to cook the veggies in sun-dried tomato oil because FLAVOUR. And a tip: if your mix is looking extra juicy from all those veggies, just up the flour a little to keep things balanced.

Perfect as a healthy snack, a lunchbox hero, or an easy dinner teamed with salad. Save it now, thank yourself later👇

* 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil
* 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
* Half a jar of chopped sun-dried tomatoes
* 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
* 400g of corn kernels
* 500g zucchini, (about 3 large) grated and spread out on paper towels to absorb extra moisture
* 200g of crumbled feta cheese
* 1 cup self raising flour
* 1.5 cups grated cheddar cheese plus 1/2 cup extra
* 4 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped
* 2-3 red chillies, chopped (optional)
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* Pinch of sugar
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Grate the zucchini, squeezing out as much moisture as you can. A food processor makes light work of this step.
2. Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat and cook onion for 5 mins. Add garlic, corn, sun-dried tomatoes, and chillies. Set aside to cool.
3. Into a large bowl add the zucchini, feta cheese, parsley, beaten eggs, milk, salt, pepper, sugar, cheddar cheese, and flour. Stir through the cooked veggies.
4. Pour the mix into a grease proof paper lined 20 x 30cm rectangular tin.
5. Sprinkle the top with extra cheddar and the Parmesan cheese.
6. Bake in a 180C oven for 40 mins.
7. Let it cool slightly before removing from the tin and slicing.

04/08/2025

💥❤️ New Recipe: SOUP NO. 10: CHICKEN LAKSA ❤️💥

We’re officially in double digits, and what better way to celebrate than with a total icon of the soup world?

Let me introduce you to this rich, spicy, creamy dreamboat of a dish, Chicken Laksa. Think coconut curry broth, slippery noodles, fragrant aromatics, and tender chicken all mingling in one steamy, soul-hugging bowl. It’s basically a holiday in a soup.

Laksa has roots across Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia; there’s friendly debate), and while making it from scratch is a beautiful ordeal, this version keeps things simple with a shortcut I swear by: Por Kwan Laksa Paste, flavour-packed and readily available in most Asian grocers in Australia.

So if you’re craving something warm, comforting, and wildly flavourful, this one’s calling your name. Save it, make it, slurp it. Trust me, it’s laksa-lutely worth it.

👇Recipe below!

🍜 Make a laksa chilli sauce by combining: 1/2 tsp of sugar, 1 1/2 tsp of soy sauce,
1/2 minced garlic clove, 1 1/2 tsp store bought laksa paste, 1 1/2 tbsp of Siracha sauce, and 1 tsp of vegetable oil. Set aside.

🍜Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat and cook 3 minced garlic cloves and 1 tsp of grated ginger for 30 seconds, then add 1 stick of finely sliced lemongrass and two finely chopped chillies, and cook for a min or so. Add 1½ tsps of laksa paste, and cook on medium heat for 2 mins.

🍜 Add 2 cups of chicken stock, a 400ml can of coconut milk, 2 tsps of fish sauce and 2 tsp of your pre made Laksa Chilli Sauce. Place lid on and simmer on for 10 mins.

🍜Adjust to taste using lime juice and fish sauce. Leave on turned off stove with lid on for 5 mins.

🍜Divide cooked noodles between two bowls and top with 300g of warmed pre-cooked chicken and blanched Asian greens of your choice, pour over the chicken broth, and serve with the laksa chilli sauce on the side.

‼️Warning: may cause spontaneous happy dancing and second servings😊.

Date with yum

23/09/2025

16/09/2025

09/09/2025

04/09/2025

29/08/2025

26/08/2025

19/08/2025

18/08/2025

12/08/2025

11/08/2025

06/08/2025

04/08/2025

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