Queen St Farmer's Markets Brisbane & Epicurious

When travelling I'm always keen to incorporate some foodie related activities. I love checking out markets, cruising through botanic gardens and eating out at places that showcase regional produce.

On our recent trip up the North NSW coast and through to Brisbane I was able to take in markets, some gardens and enjoy some local produce and products. I thought I'd highlight a few on the blog.

Farmer's markets are a pretty common sight in most cities and towns across Australia these days. The quality varies of course and some are more markets, less farmers but I'm always keen to check them out. So, I was very pleased when I found a mid week market in Brissie - the Jan Power's Queen St Markets.

Fresh market produce.

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Making food from scratch: an addictive process

Yoghurt was the first food that took me down the rabbit hole of making things from scratch. I remember stumbling across a recipe for making yoghurt in a thermos and being completely intrigued. I did manage to botch my first yoghurt attempt by heating the milk a little too far but I didn't let that deter me and have been making my own for seven years now. It's definitely saved me a few dollars but also saved a few hundred plastic containers from the waste cycle, built my food prep knowledge base and increased my ability to 'fend for myself' a little more when it comes to feeding my family.

Salsas, jams, chutneys and all sorts of 'made from scratch' goodies.

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The #1 thing I've learnt about sourdough success (so far)

Regular readers of this blog will be aware that I've been working on my sourdough baking this year. The reason for this has been two fold. Firstly, I wanted to try out different recipes and experiment with just how many things I can make with sourdough. Secondly, I wanted to build my overall baking skills and figure out why some bakes are good and others aren't.

There has been a lot of baking going on around here, and a lot of bread eating - which is an enjoyable experience in my book (although it wasn't always that way). There has also been a lot of learning and I've discovered the number one reason why some of my previous sourdough baking attempts were not so stellar.

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Here & Now: July 2018

This month has been filled with lots of lovely winter enjoyment and the prospect of a couple of weeks in sunnier climes. 

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Reducing Disposable Stuff in the Kitchen

There are lots of products in the kitchen that are disposable. That is, we use them once and toss them out. So many of them are ingrained in our cooking practices and even recipe books.

Over the past several years I've made a lot of small and steady changes to reduce the number of disposables we use. I've also tried to find ways to reuse any disposables so that they at least extend beyond single use items. In the spirit of Plastic Free July I thought I'd chat a little about what we do here.

Baking with a greased pan instead of baking paper

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Pasta Dough: Plain and Flavoured

I talked on Sunday about my recent pasta making day. I'm aiming to incorporate a monthly pasta making and drying session into my routine so that I have homemade pasta at the ready as needed. Homemade pasta is so much tastier and of course it doesn't come in a packet so one less plastic bag to dispose of.

The other benefit of making your own, which I've talked about many times before, is the ability to adjust flavours and ingredients to your liking. In this instance I was able to play around with different flavours to add a bit of variety and colour.

Herb & tomato fettuccine.

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Pasta Day

I've been meaning to get back into making my own pasta for a while but somehow things haven't been going to plan. In fact, I haven't even used my pasta machine since we moved in November last year. I needed something to get me started and back in the swing of things, and lucky for me motivation came in the form of Plastic Free July.

I wrote last week about how I had decided to do PFJ this year and one of my goals was to start making pasta again to cut out another plastic packaged product. We love pasta around here and it's such a great quick meal to get together for hungry kiddos - but not when you have to make it from scratch at dinner time. Enter pasta day...

Colourful pasta dough.

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Mid Winter Happenings

Each morning we wake to frosty grass and chilly temperatures. My morning walking ritual has not been as frequent and the urge to stay in bed cozy under the doona is strong. We are in the middle of winter.

On the flipside, the sun shines brightly most days and I have a special afternoon sun soaking spot to relax in (kids allowing!!). We took our girls to see snow for the first time a couple of weeks ago and they were enthralled. The visual seasonal contrasts is nice to appreciate. And the weather is just perfect for warming, comforting foods. Also, different seasonal foods leads to experimentation in the kitchen.

Kale and carrot slaw.

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Plastic Free July

This month I'm joining in on Plastic Free July. I've done the challenge in years passed and I find the challenge period a good motivator to look at what I'm up to and where I might want to make further changes.

Overall I'd say I'm pretty conscious of trying to reduce packaging waste. BUT I definitely get into a routine of buying and doing certain things without reviewing them. So the challenge is a great way to take stock and set new goals.

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A very versatile sourdough flat bread dough

On my quest to extend my sourdough baking repertoire I spent a little time (ok, a lot!) researching flatbread options. Previously I've used commercial yeast, yoghurt or even no raising agent at all in my variety of flatbread recipes. I'm happy to report that I found a sourdough winner.

This flatbread dough recipe is quick, easy and serves many purposes. It started out as a flat bread and gozleme dough and then one day I got distracted and never got around to rolling and cooking. So, by the time I got back to it I thought I'd try it out as a pizza dough and was happy with the result. I've also used it to make naan and tortilla for Enchiladas and quesadillas. I haven't found a flatbread style use yet that it hasn't worked for.

Versatile flatbread pan fried and ready to enjoy.

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