Honey and Soy Marinade

June 21, 2021September 21, 2021Leave a comment

This is my go-to recipe for a simple marinade without the questionable ingredients (hello flavour enhancers) you might find in pre-marinated meat or in a bottled marinade in the supermarket.

It is super versatile and can be used on chicken, beef, pork or fish (especially salmon). Whether you’re having a poolside barbecue in the height of summer or craving slow-cooked comfort food in the depths of winter, this marinade has you covered. It even works as a stir fry sauce for a speedy mid-week dinner.

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The Easiest Slow Cooker Beef Recipe Ever

June 7, 2021September 21, 2021Leave a comment

This really is the easiest of recipes. So simple it barely warrants a recipe. In return for 3 ingredients and about 1 minute of prep time to get this in the slow cooker, you will be rewarded with a house that smells amazing, and a dinner even the kids will love. I have made it on so many occasions and my family absolutely devour it every time. It’s perfect to serve as is with roasted veggies or mash and greens, on rolls or in wraps with slaw or in pastry as pies. And the added bonus? If you use a large piece of beef, you’ll end up with leftovers to pop in the freezer for an even easier meal another night. Can’t beat that!

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Roasted Chickpeas – Three Ways

May 24, 2021September 21, 2021Leave a comment

These roasted chickpeas are a super easy, high-fibre and protein snack. They can make a great allergy-friendly replacement for nuts, and are a much healthier option than chips. They are great for kids’ lunchboxes or on grazing platters. They are also fabulous to use as croutons in salads or soups to add a bit of crunch.

They are so cheap and easy to make. And you can flavour them in loads of different ways. I have included the three most popular flavour combos in our house, but feel free to use your imagination and come up with your own flavourings.

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Lamington Balls – A perfect sweet treat

May 10, 2021September 21, 20211 Comment

These delicious little morsels came about as I was trying to replicate a packaged snack we had found in the supermarket when my eldest two kids were little. We had found some bars that had a good ingredients list and I was happy to give them. Happy, that is, except when it came to the price tag. At over $5 for a pack of 5, there was no way these were going to make it into our regular snack rotation. So I took note of the ingredients and started playing around with different quantities until I came up with a recipe we were all happy with.

And so lamington balls were born. They are so fast and simple to make. I can have a batch of them whipped up within minutes. And by using organic and preservative free ingredients, I can also be sure that my kids won’t react to them. My youngest daughter absolutely adores them.

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Choc Chunk Muesli Bars

April 12, 2021April 25, 20212 Comments

Muesli bars are a lunchbox staple for many kids. But unfortunately, many of the store-bought options are not the best. They can be loaded with sugars and flavours that don’t give our kids the best fuel for learning. And many of the simpler ingredient options have nuts, which are a school lunch no-no.

But finding a reliable muesli bar recipe that sticks together isn’t always easy either. My kids aren’t fans of dried fruit in baked goods, so I set about creating a choc chip muesli bar that I was happy with them taking to school. But I didn’t have choc chips, so I chopped up a block of chocolate instead, and these Choc Chunk Muesli Bars were born. Sweetened with dates and honey, these are packed with oats and seeds to give your kids longer lasting energy for their school day.

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No-Fail Pancakes

March 29, 2021April 6, 2021Leave a comment

Pancakes are the ultimate family-friendly breakfast. They’re quick to make, everyone loves them, and you can make so many different variations, no-one will ever get sick of them!

So having a good pancake recipe up your sleeve is invaluable. This is mine.

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Fig and Ginger Loaf

July 31, 2020November 15, 20211 Comment

This is quite possibly my favourite out of the cake recipes I’ve developed over the years. It reminds me of those good old fashioned date rolls made by the CWA ladies you could buy at the local fundraiser cake stall (and you could totally sub the figs for dates if you prefer that flavour).

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Beef and Red Wine Pot Roast

July 7, 2020November 22, 2020Leave a comment

This is the most perfect winter comfort food. It’s just made for cozy weekends at home, where you can pop this in the oven and let it cook away for the afternoon, tantalising you with delicious aromas until dinner time. When you finally lift the lid, you will find meat that is fall-apart tender, and vegetables that have collapsed to make the most amazing sauce (which you can blend up to a smooth consistency if you have veggie-phobes in your house!)

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“Everything Cake” – A Lunchbox Winner

February 12, 2020November 22, 2020Leave a comment

So, it seems that sharing a recipe here has slowed to become an near-annual event! Trust me when I say there are still things happening in the kitchen at FFF headquarters and that recipes are still being shared – but usually in the form of a quick comment on social media posts (so make sure you’re following me there). The process of posting to the blog seems to have fallen by the wayside. So I have undertaken to remedy that and to share more formally and more frequently here in the future. Starting with this happy experiment that turned into a lunchbox winner.

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Okonomiyaki – A cheap, easy, tasty family meal

April 14, 2019November 6, 2021Leave a comment

I love okonomiyaki, or Japanese pancakes as they’re also known. It’s a dish I’ve always ordered when out at a Japanese restaurant. It’s just so delicious – and looks so good, with its sauces drizzled on top and the bonito flakes dancing on top. But it was a meal I always saved for dining out.

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