Good Things blog

Good Things Turns One!

1/8/2012

Good Things turns one!

A year ago, I spent an amazing ten hours sitting in my study, focused on designing and pulling together this web site and blog. Peter, my partner, was away, so I worked through the night, the only sound (other than tinnitus in my right ear!) and light tapping at the keyboard, was that of a clock ticking somewhere in the background. From memory, I published Bizzy Lizzy's Good Things at about 6.30am. Then, exhausted but delighted with my efforts, I drove to the Capital Region Farmer's Markets, bought a few groceries, interviewed and photographed some stall holders, including Carmen and Todd from Honey Delight, and then returned home for a nap. And twelve months have passed just like that!

Good Things is the culmination of a lifetime of cooking and collecting recipes, and a almost a decade (plus one year!) of writing about it. Reiterating the words in my Profile, my grandmother owned a fruit and vegetable store on the outskirts of Budapest when my father was a child; and my mother was a skilled and beautiful cook, particularly in the art of baking. She and I spent many hours in the kitchen together; cooking, talking about food and sharing recipes. I like to imagine that my inspiration stems from these family origins.

Sharing recipes and my love of fresh produce and cooking has been a passion of mine for many, many years and I hope to continue long into the future through Good Things. Thank you, dear readers, for sitting with me at the kitchen table. Happy birthday to my blog and happy cooking to you!

Bizzy Lizzy xox

At the start of every month, my friend-in-food, fellow blogger and inspirational cook, Celia from Fig Jam and Lime Cordial, hosts a segment where cooks from across the miles allow readers to peek into their kitchens.

In my kitchen in August are three copies of Recipes My Mother Cooked - 100 Favourite Recipes from the Country's Favourite Foodies, which I would like to give away. In this book, some of Australia's favourite chefs have gathered to share the recipes their mothers cooked for them. Among them are recipes from Steve Manfredi, Gabriel Gate, Ian 'Herbie' Hemphill, Alex Herbert, Peter Kuruvita and Maggie Beer... and their beloved mothers.

The publishers, Allen & Unwin, are donating 5% of the retail price of the book to the McGrath Foundation to help place McGrath Breast Care Nurses into communities across Australia, and to educate young women to become aware of breast cancer.

As a gesture of thanks for your support over the last twelve months, I sponsored a special treat and had three copies of Recipes My Mother Cooked ($29.95 RRP) to give away. To be in the running to 'win' a copy of this lovely book, I asked you to simply tell me (in the comments box below) about your mum (or dad, or grandparent, or favourite aunt), how they inspired you to cook, and then share your favourite family recipe if you like. Entries closed at midnight AEST on 31 August 2012. Unfortunately, the prizes were restricted to Australian residents, however friends from around the world were invited to share stories too.

I was genuinely touched by the number of entries and also enjoyed reading each and every one of your comments. I truly wish I had 50 or more books to give away. However, there could only be three winners.

AND THE WINNERS ARE:
Brian Dodd
Lindell McConnell
Fiona from TIFFIN Bitesized

In the event that you didn't 'win', you might like to purchase a copy of Recipes My Mother Cooked, Remember, you are helping The McGrath Foundation and their quest to support Breast Cancer. The Fishpond banner in my sidebar will take you direct to the online bookstore. Thank you all for your entries and thanks again for your friendship and support.

Happy 1st birthday Bizzy Lizzy's Good Things!

Now, what's In My Kitchen - August

In my kitchen in August were two rather delicious products available from the Capital Region Farmer's Markets, which are just five minutes down the road from home. Both of these items taste exquisite. The mini macarons are produced by mother and son team, Owen Saddler and Marilyn Chalkley of Dream Cuisine. Their Pistachio and Lime macaron won a silver medal in the 2012 Sydney Fine Food Show!

Mini macarons from Dream Cuisine

This Eastern Fetta is just one from a range of award winning cheese produced by Mark and Lesley Williams of Small Cow Farm in Robertson, NSW. This is a delicate, spreadable fetta marinated in preserved lemon, juniper berries, garlic, rosemary and peppercorns. I am using it in roasted pumpkin, walnut and baby spinach salads. Yum!

Small Cow Farm Eastern Fetta - exquisitely good

Also in my kitchen was an assortment of goodies from our recent trip to Darwin in the Northern Territory. The Saucey Sisters, jams, Camphor Laurel board and spices were great finds at the Parap Village Markets. I picked up the fishbone tweezers, vegetable slicer, sugar and cocoa from two wonderful specialty stores in the Parap Village shopping centre. Watch my Good Things pages in coming weeks for more details about those businesses. The honey is from a beekeeper who has a stall at the Mindil Beach Sunset Markets.

Mango Jam and Dragonfruit Jam from Saucey Sisters at the Parap Village Markets

Camphor Laurel board - a gift for my daughter and her beau. The fish bone tweezers are for me!

Chicken Tikka and also Pistachio and Hazelnut Dukkah from Humpty Doo Spices

A vegetable slicer - perfect for making green papaya salad!

Droste Cocoa - the company was established in 1863 in Holland

Billington's Light Muscovado Sugar - sometimes hard to find in Canberra

'Our bees harvest nectar from native flowers, to produce a delicious honey with favours unique to the Top End'

In my kitchen is organic Koshihikari rice from Honest to Goodness. This is a Japanese-style short grain rice grown in Southern NSW by third generation rice growers. It has a lovely, nutty flavour and unusual texture, more like a grain than rice. I've been cooking it using the absorption method, with chicken stock and a clove of garlic!

Finally, in my kitchen there was a boxful of Blood Oranges, a very kind gift sent to me by my friend, Len Mancini, citrus grower and co-owner of Redbelly Citrus. Redbelly Citrus has its roots set way back in Italy, when Vito Leonardo and Domenica Mancini along with Giuseppe and Lucia Barbagallo made the long journey to establish their new lives in Australia. With them, they brought their history long farming practices handed down from generation to generation. Redbelly Citrus continues the tradition with very fine produce!

Beautiful blood oranges

Redbelly Citrus - the flavour is superb!

My gift of thanks to three lucky Good Things readers...

Thanks again for sharing your wonderful kitchen stories!

Erin@TheFoodMentalist link

31/7/2012 12:36:51 am

Happy 1st Birthday !!! Love reading about your adventures. Thanks for sharing and here's to another exciting year xx

Lizzy

1/9/2012 08:39:47 pm

Erin, thank you so much for your support and friendship! ; D

Jennifer link

31/7/2012 12:39:19 am

Congratulations on 1 year Lizzy!!! What a wonderful accomplishment, and you've done so much in your first year. You should be proud.

I loved the peek inside your kitchen. I picked up some of the red belly oranges the other day. They are just beautiful.

1/9/2012 08:40:38 pm

Jennifer, thank you... and thanks also for your support and friendship! The red belly oranges are just gorgeous!
; D

angela@spinachtiger link

31/7/2012 12:41:30 am

I'm not eligible to win, but I wanted to drop in, say hello. Since blogging I have fallen in love with Australia because I've fallen in love with Australian bloggers. Never a country I previously thought about, now I'm so drawn due to the way bloggers have made Australia come alive for me. Really, it's the people I love. I'll be back to visit a lot.
My family is Italian. Everyone is amazing cook, even the men. All have their very own unique style. My take has always been healthier, modern, and creative. I steal the healthy from my grandmother the creative from mom and I put the modern in it. Food was huge part of my childhood, we never ate from cans or boxes and they were avid farmer's market shoppers as am I. My grandmother was a career woman and invented 30 minute meals way before Rachel Ray, and they were exquisite. They refuse to eat in Italian restaurants in America because the food is nothing like the way real Italians cook (unless you go to the high-end places in big cities that understand this). Thanks for letting me think about them all at 6:00 in the morning. Cheers to a good day and another year of blogging.

1/9/2012 08:42:42 pm

Hello Angela, so good to welcome you. It would be excellent if you could visit Australia one day. I'm glad that Australian bloggers have sparked your interest. Your Italian background sounds wonderful. Nothing is as good as a home cooked meal! Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words.

JJ @ 84thand3rd link

31/7/2012 01:00:01 am

Congrats Lizzy, I had no idea you've only been at this a year! The 'Recipes My Mother Cooked' sounds lovely, what a great giveaway! The recipe that most comes to mind when I thing about my mom (still an 'o' not a 'u' heehee) is the amazing chocolate cake she made for every birthday I can remember. But I also got my style of 'throw it all in and work it out as you go' from her - no fear cooking - it's only dinner ;D

1/9/2012 08:43:54 pm

Hi JJ. Thanks for your kind words, and thank you so much for your support and friendship! That's a great philosophy that you learned from your mom! I love it.

Lisa Aherne

31/7/2012 01:07:39 am

Oh how I wish I had cooked with my mother! She was a wonderful cook, I can still almost taste the incredible flavour of the sauces she made from the cheapest cuts of meat and the most basic of ingredients. Slow cooking at its best. No numbered additives in this food, it was pure and wholesome. Young people should listen and learn what the generations have to pass down to them. Once the traditions are lost it is nigh impossible to reconstruct them. The world would be a less satisfied place!

1/9/2012 08:45:20 pm

Hi Lisa. Your mother sounds like a great cook... so fresh and down to earth! It is true about traditions being lost. I cooked with my mother, but not as much as I wish I had.

Brian Dodd link

31/7/2012 01:31:38 am

Congratulations on your first birthday...from crawling to running in one year...amazing lol
Have enjoyed your writings, recipies and have even passed on my Mums "adding a bay leaf or two to mashed potatoes" for that added dimension.
Spent many days after school in the kitchen doing the hard yards - shelling peas (one for me one for the pot) peeling the spuds and carrots, french slicing the beans, stirring the pot, turning the meat and many other kitchen duties (which let me off the washing up too lol)
Best thing was the wash as you go ethic so the clean-up at the end was not too bad for Dad and the sisters.
I managed to introduce Asian style cooking to my Mum when I was older, as well as using honey and not adding too much salt....many meals were the meat and three veg variety.
Mums scone recipe was been a big hit when I was in the cafe but can't let that family secret out of the bag :)
Glad that someone has sent you the blood oranges.
Enjoy your birthday month.
bushboy

1/9/2012 08:47:10 pm

Hello Brian. Thank you for your kind words and for your support and friendship! Shelling peas was something I did with my mother too. Even the family budgie used to fly down and get involved! LOL. The scone recipe sounds delicious. Thanks for stopping by.

Emma link

31/7/2012 03:22:58 am

Wow, huge congrats on your 1st blog birthday! Such a great achievement.
I was lucky enough to be bought up by a very gifted cook. Growing up my parents grew most of the fruit + veges we ate and then mum would cook beautiful simple vegetarian food using produce from the garden. Something I am trying to re-create with my own little family! My favourite dinner was mums kumara (sweet potato) and carrot pie. Yum. xx

1/9/2012 08:48:22 pm

Hi Emma, thank you for your kind words! It sounds as though your mum (and dad) were a great inspiration for you. Sweet potato and carrot pie, yummy! I'm so glad you are passing those traditions on to your family now.

1/9/2012 10:01:00 pm

And of course, being a chef, you are a beautiful cook. I am interested in your dietary intolerances. Love your work too, BTW.

Moya link

31/7/2012 07:41:26 am

Happy 1st Blog Birthday and wishing you many more blogging years! Watching my mother cook and entertain inspired me, but once she found out I could cook she handed the wooden spoon over to me! :)

1/9/2012 08:48:57 pm

Hello Moya, thank you for your kind words. LOL re your mum... clever lady by the sounds of things. ; )

Kyrstie @ A Fresh Legacy link

31/7/2012 09:55:31 am

Congratulations Lizzy on your fabulous milestone! My grandmother was Czech and cooked "curly bread" for me as a child. It was a plaited fruit bread that I ate for breakfast and after school. Smothered in her home made jam from her fruit trees in the yard I aspire to cook half as well as her. Congratulations again :)

1/9/2012 08:50:25 pm

Hi Krystie! Thank you for your kind words. My maternal grandmother was part Czech too! Sadly, I didn't ever get to meet her. Your grandmother's curly bread and home made jam sounds delicious. Many thanks.

Lisa link

31/7/2012 10:07:19 am

Happy Bloggy Birthday lovely lady!!!

Would you believe that it was actually my Dad who cooked a lot in our household. He was rather famous (or perhaps that is 'infamous') for his 'Dad specials' - which were basically a normal meal jazzed up with curry powder, or chilli powder. Oh how I grumbled at some of those meals!

1/9/2012 08:51:27 pm

Thank you, Lisa! That's very kind of you. I'm delighted to hear that you dad did the cooking... I knew there would be dads out there that wore the apron, so to speak. And that to me is a good thing. I bet you won't grumble now. ;)

InTolerant Chef link

31/7/2012 11:21:37 am

Very happy Blogaversary Lizzy! I hope there are many more to come!
My mother is not a confident cook at all. She was happy to try out new ingredients, but didn't really know how to use them. Because of this, she never stopped me from playing and messing up her kitchen, and would let me try out anything I wanted: souffles when I was 6, pizzas from scratch at 8 etc. She didn't let her own insecurities pass on to me, and I'm very grateful all these years later with cooking as my chosen career :)

1/9/2012 08:52:25 pm

Hello there Bec and thank you very much. How wonderful that you mother allowed you free range of the kitchen that way and what a long way you have come with it! Thank you so much for your support and friendship! ; D

Glenda andreassen

31/7/2012 01:58:17 pm

Congratulations in your blog's first birthday. I didn't realize that your blog was so young when I found it which incidentally I thoroughly enjoy reading. I became an enthusiastic cook in spite of my parents. My mother is a very plain cook probably because of my father's delicate palate. No seafood, spices, cucumber, cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms. I could go on and on.

1/9/2012 08:53:57 pm

Hello Hlenda... thanks ever so much! Oh dear. But looking on the bright side, at least your mum make the effort to cook. It would be so stifling to have to cook such bland meals. Thank you for stopping by and for your friendship and support.

1/9/2012 10:05:15 pm

Oops, typo, apologies. I meant Glenda!

Maureen link

31/7/2012 02:00:55 pm

Happy First Birthday, Lizzie! Just as that package says, no nasties ever in this blog. :)

I've actually been to Humpty Do and never got any spices!! I'd love to try these, I'll google them.

Love your blog and your vision. Oh, you know what I mean.. it's the vibe. :)

1/9/2012 08:54:30 pm

Hello lovely Maureen! Thank you very much for your kind words. I love your work too! ; )

Glenda link

31/7/2012 02:39:00 pm

Hi Lizzy
You know I have had one of those vegetable slicers in my kitchen for years and have never used it. It came as a bonus attachment to my Mandolin. What should I use it for? I have never tried green papaya salad - I don't know that it appeals.
I always thought my mum was a great cook but now I realise she made a few things really, really well. Though, having said that, one of her specialties was strawberry chiffon pie. I looked at the recipe once and put it in the too hard basket. I don't know how she ran a house, did all that housework and still had time to ensure there was always cake and biscuits in the house.

1/9/2012 08:56:45 pm

Hi Glenda... the vegetable slicer is great for grating! No pun intended. We watched the Thai ladies at various markets and food festivals grating green papaya for green papaya salad and that was the tool they used. You know, I never thought I would like green papaya salad, but I have to tell you, it's delicious. There's an authentic recipe listed on my home page. Strawberry chiffon pie... yummy! Your mother sounds amazing!

Mrs Mulberry link

31/7/2012 02:47:19 pm

Big congrats to you Lizzy! Your blog is a constant source of inspiration and I look forward to reading it for many more years to come!!! I hope you have opened an expensive bottle to celebrate!!! x

1/9/2012 08:57:35 pm

Thank you Mrs M! And thank you so much for your support and friendship! I find your work very inspiring and I look forward to meeting you some day... perhaps we can break bread together! xo

Claire @ Claire K Creations link

31/7/2012 02:54:26 pm

Happy first Birthday Lizzy! What a wonderful selection you have and such a lovely offer.

My grandma taught me to make my first cake - cinnamon tea cake. She doesn't do much baking now (at 94.5!) but she loves my baking and I am now the proud owner of the original loaf tin we used when she taught me.

1/9/2012 08:58:40 pm

Hello Claire and thank you. Oh, cinnamon tea cake is so yummy... an oldie but definitely a goodie... sounds like your grandmother... 94.5, wow! I love that you have her loaf tin. Thanks again for your support and friendship! ; D

Jane @ Shady Baker link

31/7/2012 04:08:03 pm

Congratulations Lizzy! I always look forward to your interesting, concise and inspiring blogs, may you keep writing and sharing your photos for many years to come!

Beautiful things in your kitchen as always...I have read an article recently on Small Cow Farm. I love the name and labels before I have even tasted the delicious cheese. I also adore that fish board. And the colour in those blood oranges is incredible!

I have memories of making Anzac biscuits, buttery shortbread and 'fancy' brandy snaps with my grandmother. She still cooks but probably not as much as she did back then :)

1/9/2012 09:00:18 pm

Dear Jane... thank you for your very kind words. I am so glad that you have been able to cook with your grandmother. Such a special thing! Treasure it. ANZACs, brandy snaps and shortbread sound yummy. Thanks for stopping by. ; )

Larissa

31/7/2012 04:22:48 pm

Hi

Happy Birthday - I really enjoy your blog.

My parents inspired me to cook but not in the usual way. Every weekend my parents who were avid gardeners (and still are) would spend time in the garden. Tending to the vegetables, mowing the lawn, creating new beds, planting, mulching and weeding.

I hated gardening (funny how things change when you get older) and would always suggest that I make lunch and afternoon tea. I would look up recipes, create master pieces, experiment with flavours, make a terrible mess, clean up.....while the rest of the family were in the garden.

The best part of the day was when we all sat around the table and they tried my latest creation! It was exciting and nerve racking waiting to hear if I had created something special.

1/9/2012 09:01:42 pm

Hello Larissa, thank you for your kind words. Wow, such an interesting story about your family and how you came to cook. Sounds great.

Lindell

31/7/2012 04:27:36 pm

Hi Lizzy,
I have been a silent admirer of your blog for what has been most of your first year (I came on board in about September last year). I would never have believed you are so new at this but I guess a lifetime of loving food and 10 years writing about it in other mediums is sure a good pedigree. Congratulations on your first year and I am hoping for many more to come. In fact, you have inspired me to think about a blog of my own and have some holidays from my day job coming up and I am going to explore how to actually set it up. Any tips?
On my family cooking pedigree, I come from 2 wonderful but very different cooks. My dad should have been a chef but that wasn't what boys did in his day. He had an wonderful palate and could taste a dish, make a suggestion and it was exactly what was needed to balance it perfectly. The weirdest suggestion was a teaspoon of vegemite in the sauce for a beef dish I just wasn't happy about!
My mother was a baker extraordinaire. She had a repertoire of everyday dishes she prepared for our usual meals but she came into her own whenever a fete or fundraiser came around. She must have made hundreds of thousands of beautiful little buttery biscuits with her trusty biscuit pump and thousands of date and walnut loaves - I ca't imagine how much money she must have raised for good causes but she didn't think it was anything special - just something you did as a member of your community.
I miss them both in my kitchen but know they are with me when I try a special 4 course dinner a la my father or bake cupcakes for my daughters school cake day.

1/9/2012 09:04:55 pm

Hello Lindell, thank you for your support and for your kind words. I'm glad that you have popped in to write something. Your parents sound like wonderful cooks, you must certainly miss them. The teaspoon of vegemite is a great idea. I've heard of that before. Thank you for sharing your story. And if you do set up a blog, please let me now.

1/9/2012 10:16:52 pm

Lindell, are you in Australia? Can you please contact me. Thanks!

10/9/2012 10:30:25 pm

Lindell please can you get in contact with me. Thank you.

Eha

31/7/2012 05:35:22 pm

Happy birthday, dearHeart! The first year is problematically the hardest: so you have climbed the mountain and are ready to plalteau and climb! Love your posts!!

1/9/2012 09:05:19 pm

Thank you Eha, thank you for your kind words and for your support.

lizzie - Strayed from the Table link

31/7/2012 07:58:13 pm

Congrats Lizzy on your first birthday for Bizzylizzy's good thinngs.

My grandma, taught me to make chocolate cake, at a tender age of 10. We would sit in her kitchen next to the woodfired stove, and mix the ingredients in the bowl. Following her handwritten recipe. In what I now call the bible- a collection of her favourite recipes. We would sit in warm kitchen and wait for it to bake, it needed a hotter oven to bake it in. So before hand we would stoke the fire, and add plenty of wood to get the right temperature. Ever school holidays, after the first time we made the cake, we made it ever since. Even now if she knows I am coming to visit, she will have one sitting in the fridge for us ready.
Her's will all ways taste the best - I think it has to do with the beautiful woodfire stove.
http://www.strayedtable.com/2012/01/11/grandmas-chocolate-cake/

1/9/2012 09:08:13 pm

Hello Lizzie from Strayed from the Table. Thank you for your congratulations. Your grandmother's chocolate cake looks and sounds delicious. I love that she still bakes the cake when you come to visit. Thank you for stopping by.

Mandy - The Complete Cook Book link

31/7/2012 08:51:28 pm

Happy 1st Blogoversary and what lovely goodies you have in your kitchen this month.
:-) Mandy

1/9/2012 09:08:34 pm

Thank you Mandy... thanks for your support and friendship ; )

31/7/2012 08:53:53 pm

Happy birthday to your blog! The first year of blogging is problematically the hardest: so you have climbed the mountain and are ready to plalteau and climb! Love your posts!

1/9/2012 09:08:51 pm

Thanks again Eha.

Anna @ The Littlest Anchovy link

31/7/2012 09:35:44 pm

Happy Bloggaversary Lizzie! here is to a wonderful year of amazing & insightful posts and delicious recipes. My entire family inspired me to cook but in particular my Mother. She is a self taught cook from the country who taught herself by subscribing to a mail order Cordon Blau course. She has kept these and passed them on to me! I love the stories that she tells especially the day her father made her cook brawn from a cow on their property. She still inspires me today and my favourite thing to do with her when I visit is to discover a new recipe or ingredient together.

1/9/2012 09:10:15 pm

Hi Anna, thank you for your very kind words. Wow, a mail order Cordon Bleu course, well done to you mum! LOL re the story about cooking brawn from a cow. I love that you cook together.

Manu link

31/7/2012 10:59:33 pm

Happy 1 year bloggaversary Lizzy! I really thought you were a pro!!! You have accomplished so much in just one year! And I am so looking forward to reading more of your wonderful posts in the next years!

My whole family cooks... I have recipes that my dad learnt from his grandmother by watching her in the kitchen! I have learnt what I know from my parents: my dad is a great cake maker and my mum is more the savoury chef. :-)

1/9/2012 09:11:27 pm

Hello Manu, thank you for your very kind words! Isn't it wonderful that you have your grandmother's recipes! Sounds like you hail from an entire family of good cooks. Love your work too by the way.

Fiona from TIFFIN - bite sized adventures link

31/7/2012 11:07:16 pm

Happy Birthday - I am super, super impressed that you've only had this blog for 1 year. So many readers and followers and so many new friends made of local heroes that we have all learned about.

Yes, my Mum is my biggest influence. When we were very small (early 70's) she was already turning out dishes that were considered exotic. My favourite then was Sukiyaki. For me, it was just so tasty but I can imagine that people must have been thinking 'What is she feeding them? Who cooks Japanese?'. My mum, that's who.

Segue to the late 1970's and my Mum was back at uni doing Modern Asian Studies. Charmain Solomon's Asian Cookbook was her bible. Bak Mie Goreng, Samosas and the wonderfully weird agar agar jelly. We'd walk up through the bush to 'Ocean Trading', an Asian Grocer, for ingredients she was short of. It was the only grocer like it on the South Side. Now, her's and the surrounding suburbs are full of Asian and Indian grocers. I remember her throwing parties. People would look on with a mix of suspiscion and interest as she flipped a batch of Pakoras out of the wok. It didn't stop them eating them though!

So my love of cooking and interesting food definitely started close to home.

ps: That red belly photo is superb

1/9/2012 09:13:33 pm

Hi Fiona. Thanks so much for your very kind words, and also for your friendship and support. Wow, your mum sounds amazing and such an adventurous cook for the 70s. Ah, Sukiyaki. I have fond memories of being taught how to make it by my Asian Social Studies teacher in 6th class. Loved it then and now.

Lynette

31/7/2012 11:15:00 pm

Hi Lizzie - congratulations on your first anniversary. I am a fairly recent subscriber to your wonderful blog but I'm hooked. Your beautiful photographs, delicious recipes and inspiring insights make for a great read - with the bonus being that you are a fellow Canberran!
Mum was a 'meat and three veg' cook for most of my childhood and at the time I sometimes turned my nose up at what I thought was pretty plain fare. Now with a family of my own I have a whole new appreciation of what it takes to get a meal on the table every night and some of that 'plain fare' looks pretty good, although I still can't cook lamb cutlets and mashed potato like mum. Even if dinners weren't a hit I have vivid memories of baking with mum and particularly of enjoying the best bit - licking the beaters after she finished mixing the cakes. She provided gentle guidance in the art of making pikelets and scones and what was, at the time, my piece de resistance - a lemon meringue pie. She was always encouraging and didn't seem to mind the mess...much. While she now doesn't have the same recollection of our kitchen exploits they are burnt onto my memory and I am thrilled that I can share the joy of cooking learned in my mother's kitchen with my own children.

1/9/2012 09:15:44 pm

Hello Lynette, welcome. Thanks so much for your very kind words. It is quite a task to get a meal on the table every night, isn't it. Especially if you are a working mum and have more than one child! So lovely that you appreciate it now. I love the ethos and that you are passing this down to your children.

Ai-Ling@blueapocalypse link

31/7/2012 11:20:27 pm

Happy Birthday Lizzy!

I didn't know that you have only been blogging for a year, the content and passion that you put into your blog feels like you have been doing it for years.

I have one of those vegetable slicers too, I love using it for slicing carrots for salads and find it much better than a grater.

Ai-Ling

1/9/2012 09:18:27 pm

Hello there Ai-Lingm thank you for your very kind words. I am looking forward to trying my grater! Just waiting for the right dish. Thanks for visiting.

Erin link

1/8/2012 01:50:44 am

Congratulations on 1 blogging year, Liz! And what a lovely memory to round out your first birthday. It's been a terrific pleasure getting to know you over the past few months and thanks for supporting my blog too! Here's to another successful year for BL's Good Things...and here's to many more lunches and glasses of vino shared! :)

1/9/2012 09:19:21 pm

Hi Erin, thank you. And may I return the compliment. It's a delight to have met you and I, too, look forward to more lunches of glasses of vino. Cheers!

leaf (the indolent cook) link

1/8/2012 01:54:58 am

Happy birthday to your one-year-old blog! You have put so much love and effort and it really shows.

Apparently my mum only properly learnt how to cook after she got married, and then her cooking just got better and better. She still likes to try new things and I just think she is really great! In turn, I'm also a bit of a late bloomer... I only properly learnt how to cook when I left my home country to study overseas. I, too, made improvements over time... :)

1/9/2012 09:20:38 pm

Leaf, hello there and thank you for your very kind words.Isn't it wonderful that your mum's cooking has improved with time and that she likes to try new things. You are an amazing cook... love your work. Thanks for your friendship and support.

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella link

1/8/2012 04:50:27 am

Happy 1st birthday lovely Lizzy! I hope you have many, many more! :D

1/9/2012 09:21:13 pm

Thank you, Lorraine! I hope so too. And thank you for your friendship and support. Love your work. Looking forward to seeing your book!

celia link

1/8/2012 09:39:36 am

Happy, Happy Birthday!! I can't imagine what the blogasphere would be like without you now, Lizzy, so it's a joy to be able to celebrate your first blogaversary!

Love everything in your kitchen this month - so many treasures as always! The blood oranges look amazing, and I'm impressed by the camphor laurel board - good that they find something to do with those trees that drive so many gardeners mad. :)

I adore Muscovado sugar, but you wouldn't get me anywhere near that peeler - I'm such a klutz that would be a sure recipe for disaster.. ;-)

xxx

1/9/2012 09:22:04 pm

Hello my friend! Thank you for those very kind words. You are such an inspiration and I look forward to continuing our friendship.

Laura (Tutti Dolci) link

1/8/2012 09:47:37 am

Happy blog birthday! I never would have guessed you've only been at this a year - your posts are so thoughtful, you're a natural! Glad to discover you along the way, I'm always look forward to your recipes and photos :).

Many lovely things in your kitchen this month, but I'm especially in love with the mini macarons. I know I'd have a hard time eating just one or two!

1/9/2012 09:22:43 pm

Hello Laura, thank you... and thanks for your very kind words. I always love your sweet treats and your photos are just lovely!

heidi link

1/8/2012 01:42:55 pm

I baked breads and cookies with my mother's help for a bake shop in town. My mother was a florist and ran our greenhouse business PLUS had seven children (me=#6) so she didn't have much time to teach me to cook. But when I started baking she came alongside and helped me make thousands of cookies and breads!
Your have such a wonderful store of goodies in your kitchen!
Congratulations on your blogaversary!

1/9/2012 09:24:25 pm

Hello Heidi... lordy, seven children! How lovely that she came to help you bake for the store. It must have been lovely having a florist for a mother. Silly question, perhaps, but was your home always filled with flowers? Thank you for your friendship and support. I always love to visit your place.

Sara @ Bellly Rumbles link

1/8/2012 05:08:54 pm

Happy 1st birthdayy!! Congratulations.

1/9/2012 09:24:37 pm

Thanks Sara ; )

Tandy link

1/8/2012 07:48:58 pm

Happy Blogaversary! My best memories are cooking with my grandmother - all sorts of lovely recipes, mostly sweet treats! The recipe book is an amazing concept. I love all the Australian goodies in your kitchen this month. You will love the fish tweezers :)

1/9/2012 09:26:08 pm

Hi Tandy! Thanks so much. I am in awe of all you lovely people who were fortunate enough to cook with your grandmothers. Oh my, I wish I been able to do so. Perhaps in another lifetime. Sigh. Thanks for stopping by. I always look forward to visiting your kitchen ; )

Anne link

2/8/2012 12:05:29 am

Those blood oranges look wonderful. More delicious looking food in your kitchen again this month.

1/9/2012 09:26:34 pm

Thank you, Anne. The oranges are so delicious!

Pamela link

2/8/2012 12:33:43 am

Great post and happy blog birthday! The oranges look delicious and the feta is most intriguing. I love how Australians use pumpkin as a vegetable instead of only in pie like we do here in the US.
Look forward to exploring your blog further.

1/9/2012 09:27:29 pm

Hello Pamela... wow, don't you use pumpkin as a vegetable? Really? I actually do like pumpkin pie and have a wonderful pumpkin strudel recipe on my index too, if you are interested. Thanks for visiting.

JohannaGGG link

2/8/2012 12:40:30 am

happy birthday! I gave that book to my mother a year or two ago and loved it. She loves time in the kitchen and I spent many happy hours baking with her as a child, especially over the school holidays. In fact I can't remember a time when I wasn't helping with baking.

Love your kitchen goodies. Dragonfruit jam sounds just heavenly - I love that name Humpty Doo - is just seems so right for the dream-like feel of the top end! And your blood orange photo is just lovely - we had a great fruit platter at lunchtime today with blood orange slices

1/9/2012 09:28:52 pm

Hi Johanna, thank you for the best wishes. It's so lovely that you have those fond memories of cooking with your mother. Blood oranges are so yummy, aren't they! Thanks for your friendship and support.

Liz

2/8/2012 07:52:00 pm

Congratulation on achieving your one year. I really enjoy your blog.
Grandma made huge loaves of white bread and wonderful rolls and after 60 years I can still recall the smell of her kitchen. My bread baking is a lot more adventuresome but it's been those memories that have inspired my bread.

1/9/2012 09:29:37 pm

Hello there Liz! Thank you for your kind words. Isn't it amazing that those aromas linger on in our memories. Thank you for your friendship and support.

Michelle

3/8/2012 03:47:29 pm

Congratulations! I thought your blog was much older than just one year! Great work, I love it!
My aunty has been my biggest inspiration in the kitchen - I remember 'waitressing' at her parties in the 80s and she always had the most fabulous 'designer' type food, which was an eye-opener to me as my mum served the same basic dishes each week, often featuring iceberg lettuce and versions of savoury mince! My grandma was also an inspiration, but in a more old-fashioned way. I could never stand her beef and vegetable pasties when I was a child but now I make them for my own family!

1/9/2012 09:30:44 pm

Hi Michelle, thank you for your kind words. Your aunt sounds fabulous. Love that you were waitressing at her parties. You must have learned some great 80s dishes! Thanks for your friendship and support.

Amy | Appetite for Discovery link

4/8/2012 10:09:13 pm

Congratulations Lizzy! What a lot you have achieved in just one year! Keep it up!

1/9/2012 09:30:59 pm

Thanks so much, Amy.

Christina @ The Hungry Australian link

6/8/2012 04:11:54 am

Congratulations dear Lizzy - it's a wonderful achievement for only a year blogging. May you have many more years of blogging filled with good food and friends.

1/9/2012 09:31:25 pm

Christina, thanks so much for your kind words and for your support. I look forward to meeting you.

Emilie@TheCleverCarrot link

6/8/2012 03:30:37 pm

Wow Lizzy! What a beautiful kitchen. I don't even know where to begin- The Eastern feta sounds amazing and those blood oranges are such a beautiful color, you almost don't want to eat them...almost :) The photo is beautiful as well. Congrats on turning 1! What a wonderful achievement.

1/9/2012 09:32:23 pm

Hello Emilie, thank you for your very kind words. The Eastern Fetta from Small Cow Farm is superb. Thanks for your support. ; )

tania@mykitchenstories.com.au link

7/8/2012 01:13:02 am

Congratulations, many happy returns for many more !!

1/9/2012 09:32:37 pm

Thank you Tania xo

Amanda McInerney link

8/8/2012 06:38:39 pm

Happy birthday Lizzy - I'm so glad you missed out on a nights sleep for this. It's a joy for many of us.
Oh - and snap! I have tinnitus in my right ear - such an irritation at times!

1/9/2012 09:33:13 pm

Hi Amanda, LOL... we may have been separated at birth, you know. I look forward to meeting you. Thank you for your friendship and support.

e / dig in hobart link

9/8/2012 02:29:57 pm

hello and happy birthday. i am new to your website, and i'm new to blogging myself, so you're very inspiring (i just reached my three-month milestone, so i can understand the excitement of one year!).
my mother was very protective of her domain, the kitchen, so i don't remember cooking by her side. but i did get to lick the bowl and spoons, and that was always very exciting. what has come from my mother is my love of real food - no packaged recipe bases or cake mixes. no fake food. real, recognisable ingredients, produce. that is probably the biggest influence on my style of cooking and eating. PS those blood oranges are making my mouth water!

1/9/2012 09:34:38 pm

Hello there! Thank you for your kind words and congratulations on your blog as well. I love that while your mother apparently didn't allow you to cook alongside her, at least she did allow you to lick the bowls and spoons... such a yummy thing to do. Thanks for your support.

Erin @ she cooks, she gardens link

12/8/2012 02:05:07 pm

Hi Lizzy, congratulations on your bloggy birthday and what a lovely way to celebrate. The book sounds like a lovely celebration of family, I will have to keep an eye out. Thank you for your support and be careful with that vegie grater. :-)

1/9/2012 09:35:15 pm

Hi Erin... thank you for your friendship and support. Oh, and for the waning about the grater, too. LOL. Hope your finger is all mended now!

Tameson

13/8/2012 10:01:20 pm

When ever I was away from 'Home' or overseas my Grandmother (now departed) would write me letters about her menu's for friends and families. They would make me so Home Sick!!! She was generous to share her recipes (that special pastry for her Apple Pie....!) in her letters to me. I still have those letters and use them to create my own memories for my family and friends. We all remember her when cooking and eating the meals from those letters. Such a beautiful legacy :O)

1/9/2012 09:36:30 pm

Hello Tameson. Such a lovely story you have shared here and I love that you have your grandmother's letters. I'm sure you treasure them. Perhaps one day you can make a blog or book about them?

Christine (FoodWineTravel) link

16/8/2012 04:42:49 pm

A belated happy first birthday Liz. Your enthusiasm is so inspiring. Looking forward to reading many more posts about wonderful produce and beautiful home-cooked food.

1/9/2012 09:37:03 pm

Thank you my very dear friend. I love that we are on the journey of life as friends, together.

Anna link

30/8/2012 05:47:31 pm

A year only! But look at this stie! Full of love and food and important things to know about cooking and produce! Who inspired me to cook? My maternal grandmother. She did not cook great dishes, but she cooked well enough to feed her family of 8 children and a dozen (at the time I was growing up) grandchildren. Spending the school holidays at their place was always exciting. My first taste of brewed coffee was when I was 8 because she let us. She's strict like Mrs Hannigan (in Annie) but soft and sweet as a marshmallow at the same time. My first introduction to recycling was through her not Martha Stewart. And she makes a mean slow braised skipjack tuna in clay pot. I don't have the recipe but its one of the dishes that I want to write and post in the blog someday.

1/9/2012 09:38:41 pm

Hi Anna! Thank you for your kind words. I know you meant to type site, not stie. LOL.Your grandmother sounds positively amazing! Thank you for your friendship and support. Love your work too!

The Dog

11/9/2012 11:42:51 pm

Dear Lizzy, very belated congrats on the milestone. I can't believe how quick the year has been. Love your work. One of my fondest memories is helping my Nan make scones. Luckily, I make them just like she did (almost) and my own family love them. I'll stop prattling now. Cheers

12/9/2012 09:33:15 am

Thank you, my dear friend. I love that you helped your nan to make scones and I feel a slight sense of envy that you did so, as I didn't ever get to meet any of my grandparents. So, when are you going to bake these wonderful scones for me?

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