FFF... what more can you ask for?

I think the tradition is to have boiled eggs on Easter Sunday but my Mum's family tradition is to have them on Good Friday. So that it exactly what we did. I did over cook them though... a little disappointing as my soldiers didn't work as well as i wanted but the 2nd batch we cooked worked perfectly. This was because the King of Eggs did come to the rescue :)

Recipe #39. Boiled eggs.

I do have to admit though I didn't go exactly by Jamie's recipe with the first batch but did with the 2nd and they worked perfectly as I mentioned above.

Jamie's tip with boiling eggs is to get the water to boiling temp and then dip each egg in and out. This helps prevent the shock of the change in temperature if your eggs are coming straight from the fridge and avoids them cracking. 

Nigella puts a match in the water when she cooks hers... haven't done her trick but Jamie's is useful.

Boiled eggs... Mmmm yum!

I have eaten so many eggs over this weekend... Its been a fabulous weekend full of food, family and friends. 

P.S. I am reading this FABULOUS book at the moment and I recommend it to any foodie out there. It's called 'Lunch in Paris' by Elizabeth Bard. After every chapter there are recipes. It leaves warm fuzzy feelings and the urge to cook delicious french stews and of course all the food sounds sexy because it is french. Daube de Boeuf or Crumble Fraises Rhubarbe anyone??

Congrats Veronica and Shadi!

Recipe # 33: Cracking Burgers.
Hamburgers for dinner last night, obviously not made with ham... why do they get the name hamburgers?? If anyone out there in the endless void who actually reads this knows, please share this bit of trivia.
Cracking Burgers starts with Jamie asking you to bash 12 Jacob cream crackers in a tea towel and add them to 500g's of beef mince in a mixing bowl. We didn't have any crackers like Jamie uses (Auzzie version is sayo's) so I used store bought bread crumbs. My opinion is if your going to use store bought crackers you may as well use store bought crumbs. If your using fresh breadcrumbs on the other hand that is completely different.
Next went in 2 heaped teaspoons of Dijon mustard. Mmm I love the colour of Dijon mustard when it’s heaped out on a spoon. It almost looks gold.


Pepper and salt was next, along with fresh chopped parsley. You’re meant to add an egg next but I did a typical Danielle and read the recipe once over and thought I new better then Jamie and forgot to add the egg. I think this was why they were a little dry and didn't stick together well.

I shaped the mince into 4 patties and put them in the fridge while I watched my backed up TV of MKR. (p.s. SO pumped that Shadi and Veronica won!!!)


We had salad fillers such as avo, baby spinach, truss tomatoes, cucumber and gherkins to go with the burgers which were being served with hot Tommy mustard, tomato sauce and focaccia bread instead of burger buns as that was all we had at home.
I oiled the patties with Mum's trusty garlic spray oil (Love it!) and placed them on a hot griddle pan. No idea how long I cooked them for but I cooked them until they were cooked through and the cheese was melted on top. We had frozen wedges with our burgers -left over’s from my 21st that were still in the freezer :) probably not the healthiest choice but it was easy and quick since the grand finale of MKR was on TV last night and nothing was getting in the way of me watching that :)


A delicious meal in all.

Slightly off course.

    I'm back fear not fellow followers!
I have had a lapse and veered off course for a few days. But I have to be back on track asap because I'm so not going to make my dead line at all.


I cooked one recipe last week. Yes only one.
Receipt #20: Sizzling Beef with spring onions and black bean sauce. 


   Firstly you have to cook your rice and let cool. I cooked the rice but did not let it cool. I didn't see the point since I was cooking it again with egg later. Next was to chop the coriander, chilli, garlic, spring onions, ginger and mix in a bowl with sesame oil. Then cook in wok for about 2 min. Keep it moving so it doesn't burn. Add the Black bean sauce and soy sauce, keep tossing. 
   Transfer into a bowl and cover with foil. Add egg to pan with more soy sauce and scramble. Add rice.
   Serve with coriander leave and lime spritz on top. 


It was delicious except it kept we awake all night from the flavour enhancer in the black bean sauce. I was high as a kite all night with heart palpitations. So worth it!

Do we have an Egg Queen in the house?!

Recipe #18- Poached eggs (on Mum's style Caesar Salad).


We scavenged everything that was left in the fridge and made a Royal Salad. Which of course included Mum's famous salad dressing. Now this stuff is amazing. If you've had it you'll understand. It is BETTER then Paul Newman's classic dressing. Nothing more needs to be said.


The bf normally cooks the poached eggs to perfection on Sunday mornings. He is the Egg King so I had to execute the eggs perfectly. Sure I'd cooked poached eggs before but when the pressure is on for something like crowning a Royal Salad it's murphy's law that it will stuff up.


I started the eggs as the salad was being assembled. Jamie asks for boiling water, sea salt, eggs and a pinch of pepper to finish.    Where was the vinegar?     I added a little vinegar anyway. Doesn't it do something to keep the eggs from separating? or is it all a myth?? I will have to look into this further but yes I bent the rules and added vinegar when Jamie doesn't ask for it. Maybe it was a typo...


The water was simmering and I added each egg as Jamie asks.

"crack one of your eggs into a cup and gently pour it into the water in one fluid movement" 

Done, done, done and done. 4 eggs in the water. Now... which one went in first?!? Tristannnnn!!!!  The King of Eggs came and inspected and informed me that they needed a little longer. After abiding by the Kings up most important commands I left the eggs simmering for a little longer... then got impatient and took them out.


They crowned the salad and were dressed with some crunchy bacon and shallots.


Our Royal Salad had perfect poached eggs.

A tribute to offal free books

 While reading "My Year of Cooking Dangerously" by Julie Powell on the bus I was not sure if I gave myself bus sickness or if what she wrote made me queazy. 

"These kidneys...were large and messy and many-lobed, striated with white fat filaments"

Need I elaborate? If I do I think I'll be leaving you feeling bus sick too. Although the positive thing is, that she admits that they don't taste like piss when she eats them which is what her mother thinks kidneys taste like. I am thanking Jamie and the heavens that there is no offal in 'Jamie's Ministry of Food'!!


Recipe #9 & #10- On Saturday morning I put two recipes together and made the perfect omelette. Bacon, tomato and cheese. Need I say more?? Mmmm I could do an omelette for dinner tonight thinking about it... don't think mum would approve of omelette for dinner though.


Recipe #11-Saturday night was our Terminator marathon. So the only thing better then a Terminator marathon is a Terminator marathon with cheesecake. I made Jamie's 'Vanilla Cheesecake with a Raspberry topping' for dessert. I thought of my growing bum and used light philly instead of full fat. I also didn't read the recipe right so I used pure cream instead of double cream. It was a non-bake cheese cake so I don't think it made much difference as all it had to do was set in the fridge after everything was mixed together. I've never made a non-bake cheese cake before, I've only ever done the New York Cheesecake from Nigella Lawson's 'How to be a domestic goddess' and you know what?? You will definitely feel like your a domestic goddess if you try that recipe, it is AMAZING! Jamie's cheesecake was also amazing but didn't quite earn the caps yet... maybe more lemon next time and it will be on par.