MANtastic Meals - Part 2

My husband, whether he realises it or not, is a fabulous cook.  I can remember the very first thing we cooked together when we first started ‘dating’.  It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and we were sitting in his backyard enjoying the sunshine, when he noticed a pumpkin that had somehow come over the fence from the neighbor’s veggie patch.  It was still attached and we queried with each other if it was stealing or not it we were to pick it – as technically it was on his property!  After very little debate we decided to acquire the pumpkin and turn it into soup.  We were both excited to have decided on dinner for that evening.  I’m not sure if it was the quality of the pumpkin or the lack of other key ingredients, such as stock, that made it the most offensive pumpkin soup we had ever tasted!  But it was fun and an enjoyable experience, and I had realised that despite this kitchen disaster he did have great cooking potential.

He moved on from the pumpkin soup debacle very quickly and really does enjoy cooking and can cook anything he wants with a marvellous result.   Even though he is the king of the BBQ at our house, he excels in cooking in the kitchen with the mouth-watering steaks, picture perfect stir-fries and his beloved slow cooker meals.

His passion of cooking came through when I sent the shout out for the MANtastic Meals series. I was pleasantly surprised that he was one of the first to respond.  His choice wasn’t what I had expected him to submit but it is a great old faithful from his University years when he was forced to create substantial meals on a shoestring budget with little fuss.  Now it’s something he throws together for our kids when they want a fun and tasty meal or for the adults when we just want something quick and easy and the cupboards are looking a little empty.

My Husbands Two-Minute Noodle Omelette

What you need;

1 packet of two minute noodles - cooked

2 eggs

1 medium tomato - chopped

3 slices of ham - chopped

½ teaspoon of chilli flakes

½ cup grated tasty cheese

Pepper and salt to taste

What you do;

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, shallow fry in a pan turning once.

Serve and garnish with fresh parsley.

Of course you can use any filling you please.  So easy and so yummy. 

Enjoy friends!

If there are any male readers that would like to submit their favourite recipe to be published in the ‘MANtastic Meals’ series please email me at foodforyoureviews@hotmail.com I would love to hear from you.

Bendigo Corner Store Cafe

It’s great when you find a daytime dining venue that ticks all of the boxes that the large and varied daytime dining audience may require.  It's even better when you discover this in a regional location.

The Bendigo Corner Store Cafe certainly leaves nothing unticked.  Previously a corner store in the upper residential part of the well-known View Street it is now a cafe that has not forgotten its humble beginnings.  You can still buy your daily newspaper, along with a loaf of bread from the local bakery ‘The Good Loaf’ and even post a letter in the post box out the front.

Open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch, the menu is tantalising and beautifully supplemented with a daily specials board.  I’m a sucker for a good breakfast and the Corner Store Cafe does not disappoint.  Breakfast ranges from sour dough toast to porridge with fried banana and stewed rhubarb, to ricotta pancakes to a big breaky with free-range eggs.  Lunch is also enticing offering delicious gourmet sandwiches to a roast vegetable salad with quinoa to the open steak sandwich.  The kids’ menu is also very thoughtful with the usual favourites and some fun healthy options.  I’d go as far to say that it’s one of the best kids menus I have seen.

The wonderful thing about their menus is that there are various vegetarian, gluten and dairy free options.  As there is with the milk choices for coffee – organic, full fat, low fat, soy, lactose free and oat milk.  Now that is truly thinking of everyone!  The passion for coffee is evident here.  The barista is attached to his machine and makes every cup with precision and expertise.  On offer is the house blend, a single origin barista special of the day and organic decaf.  All beans are roasted from a boutique roaster in Melbourne and are 100% organic fair trade.

There is a small but well thought out beverage list with the usual non alcoholic suspects and fresh juices or you can enjoy a glass of bubbles, a beer or a cider with your eggs and bacon or house made veggie burger.  Sit out the front and watch the world go by, chill out in the lounge or sit out the back under an umbrella and watch the kids play in the sandpit.  Finish all this off with one of the amazing cakes or cookies on display at the front counter.  Who said you can’t have cake for breakfast?

Food – 8/10

Service – 7/10

Ambiance – 8/10

Bendigo Corner Store Cafe

305 View Street, Bendigo Victoria.

Open Monday – Friday 7.30am – 6pm/Saturday – Sunday 8.30 – 4pm

Phone – (03) 5442 2008

The Sweetest Thing - Part 3

Fiona’s Hazelnut Slice

Fiona is quite a whizz in the kitchen and always has something yummy cooking.  I don't know where she gets the time being a busy mum of six gorgeous children.  Somehow she has absolutely mastered the sponge cake which is no easy feat.  This slice is one of her favourites and it’s one I have tried several times.  My only problem with it is that I can’t stop eating it and I don’t really like to share it with anyone else.  So I send you this recipe with love!

This is a quick and easy slice to whip up to share with friends or to take along to an event. The kids love it and you could adapt it for those with nut allergies (i.e. use plain chocolate and leave flaked almonds out). Fiona often doubles the recipe.

What you need;

1 packet Marie biscuits
½ tin condensed milk
2 tablespoons golden syrup
1 small packet flaked almonds
125 grams butter
2 x family blocks Cadbury hazelnut chocolate

What you do;

Crush the biscuits and add the almonds (I suggest in a food processor if you have one).  Heat butter, condensed milk and syrup together in a saucepan over low heat.  Then mix all the above ingredients together.  Press into slice tin and set in the refrigerator until firm. 

Meanwhile melt blocks of chocolate in the microwave at a low power. Pour over slice and return to the fridge.  Allow to set and then cut into small squares

Handy tip - Fiona always stocks up on Cadbury chocolate blocks when on special so they’re on hand in the cupboard.

Thank you Fiona. 

Enjoy, my friends. xx


The Sweetest Thing series - part 3 of 9.

copyright foodforyoureviews 2012.

Jack & Daisy's

It’s not often that I walk in to a cafe for the first time and be greeted like I’m a regular.  I love feeling so welcomed and valued as a customer, confirming I have made the right choice in trying something new.

I experienced this at Jack and Daisy’s cafe in Cumberland Road, Pascoe Vale last weekend. 

The staff at Jack and Daisy’s seemed thrilled when six friends walked through the door. Even though we did not have a booking, and tables were full, we were somehow accommodated in the rear courtyard with a promise of a table inside when one became available. The inside decor was a combination of polished concrete and wooden floors, exposed red brick and plaster walls accompanied by groovy music that created a relaxed atmosphere.

The rear courtyard was delightful with tables and chairs scattered elegantly over the faux green grass, a white cane lounge with generously sized cushions, all of which was overshadowed by an old oak tree losing its autumn leaves.

For those accompanied by the toughest of all food critics, a cubby house full of toys is available for the children to play with.

About ten minutes after we had sat down in the courtyard we were offered a table inside and as attractive as the vibe inside was we chose to stay out in this little garden of treasures with the winter sun beaming down on us.

The menu was small and simple offering only five lunch items.  They cater for the breakfast, brunch, and lunch market.  I got the sense that breakfast may be one of their unspoken specialities.  The price point was fantastic and they have a great menu for the little folk.

Appealing to me initially was the sound of the ‘spicy beef and cheese quesadilla with guacamole and herbed yoghurt’ ($14) or the ‘zucchini and mint fritters with sour cream dressing’ ($13) but for some reason I was humoured by the name of the dish ‘schnitzwala – panko crumbed chicken breast schnitzel, tasty cheese and coleslaw on turkish’ ($10) add bacon ($11) add chips ($11.5).

Schnizwala

The schnizwala was nice but I wondered if I should have got the bacon for some extra flavor and depth. I also felt some avocado would have been a welcomed compliment.  All in all served with chips I think this dish is a great tummy filler and would be quite good as hangover food!

Pancakes

The children ordered ‘pancakes with maple syrup and ice cream’ ($6.5).  I quote “these are the best pancakes ever except for yours mum”.  Nothing else needs to be said about that – they were a major hit.  One thing I didn’t try but liked the look of was their cakes and sweet treats from the front cabinet.  They looked delicious and were smartly served up on a mini wooden board – very cool!

Upon leaving the Jack and Daisy’s team, who were all very personable and stylish in their urban chic, I sparked a conversation with the owner Eugene.   A very friendly young man who opened Jack and Daisy’s 18 months ago.  He informs me that they have already extended next door into the old post office and are putting the finishing touches on for parties and functions.  I would have loved to have quizzed Eugene a little more about how Jack and Daisy’s came about and see if there is any truth in the story I heard that Eugene and a mate own the cafe in partnership and named it after one of each of their grandparents.

There will definitely be another visit to Jack and Daisy’s for me, I loved it – next time for breakfast, coffee, cake and some more of the story from Eugene.  Stay tuned or go visit them and let me know!

Jack and Daisy’s

152B Cumberland Road, Pascoe Vale, Victoria.
(03) 9350 4106

Open – Weekdays 7am – 5pm.  Weekends 8am – 4pm.

Food – 7/10

Service – 9/10
Ambiance – 9.5/10