Author Archives: Bud Macaulay

Who doesn’t love Shepherd’s Pie.  A simple, cheap and filling family meal that doesn’t last long in our household. I find, though, that the mashed potato topping whilst a hit with teenage boys, is too heavy for me for dinner, and not needed for hubby’s waistline!  The other night, with an ailing cauliflower in theContinue reading “Staple with a twist”

I have been AWOL. It’s been challenging for me to stay positive and not get caught up in the anxiety and nervousness that is replacing good sense at the moment.  I rarely watch the nightly news, now I absolutely do not have it on – it’s too much! I’ve had an internal struggle about writingContinue reading “How to pasta time”

With all the hype at the moment about people stockpiling toilet paper, tissues, paper towel and tinned food in case of a zombie invasion (coronavirus) I thought it timely to blog about a productive way to make the most of everyday food items, not wasting a bit of the food we eat. The added bonusContinue reading “Stock Standard”

This week we were late home because we had parent-duty at a school function.  Instead of reaching for the take-away menu upon returning home, I decided to try my hand at a Hawaiian-inspired poke bowl which are on-trend currently.  Right, so I’ve never actually been to Hawaii (bucket-list) but I’ve eaten plenty of poke bowls.Continue reading “OK Poke (pron. pok-ay)”

I’ve struggled to get my creative juices flowing this week.  I’m putting it down to the departure of number one son back to north Queensland for another year as a jackaroo and the realisation that I won’t see him until Christmas.  We all miss him dreadfully, but it’s time to put my big girl pantsContinue reading “Soup for dinner”

Valentine’s Day is all about celebrating love. To love and to be loved is an amazing thing, something not to be taken for granted and something to honour and cherish. When our boys were younger and complimented me on a meal that they enjoyed, I’d always say to them that the reason it tasted soContinue reading “To love”

Figs are delicious at the moment, sweet and juicy, and we’ve been devouring them by the dozen!  They are highly nutritional and provide good minerals including potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and copper and are a good source of antioxidant vitamins A and K.  I sound so knowledgeable!  Who knows what all that actually means, butContinue reading “Figalicious”

My sons have never enjoyed sandwiches – too soggy, too boring……the list of complaints goes on! This has left me with the ongoing battle of finding something else of interest that they will eat at school. I’ve given them left over pasta, salads, soup in a thermos in winter, muffins, cold sausages, anything that isContinue reading “The never-ending lunch box challenge”

The saying “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” is definitely true in our case. When we were dating, many moons ago, every second weekend I’d pack my car and head to the country, in the Friday peak hour traffic, to spend time with my man (worth the effort as he’s hubbyContinue reading “For the love of chocolate”

One of my husband’s many talents is his green thumb. He is a dedicated orchid grower, but he particularly loves to grow things that we can eat. Our garden is currently bursting with corn, chillis, cherry tomatoes, basil, and eggplants, all watered by hand with a watering can during this drought and current water restrictions.Continue reading “Green thumbs”