Jul
2019

Rhinestone Cowgirl – For Cowboy Day

categories: Bourbon, Cocktail

Welcome back to Cowboy Day part 2.  This one is most definitely not for children so let’s assume the little darlings are tucked up in bed, the cows have been lassoed, the horses fed and watered, the little doggies have been got along and the sun is well and truly over the yardarm.  All this means that it’s time to crack open a bottle of Kentucky’s finest and whip up a cocktail…Howdy cowdy, it’s the Rhinestone Cowgirl!

 

Rhnietone Cowgirl

One of the many joys of blogging…apart from drinking bourbon cocktails at 2 pm ‘cos it’s your “job” are the people you meet.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of my blogging chums in real life (Hey Jenny and Battenburg Belle, hope you are having a super Cowboy Day celebration); then there are some like the wonderful Greg who organises this cookalong and Yinzerella who runs Pieathalon who I may never meet IRL but who are much-adored pals.

Then there are the people that you “meet” while researching a topic who are just too amazing not to talk about!  I had thought that Mrs Elizabeth Wilton who made the Beetle Pie might be my most favourite person ever.  But then, while googling about for pictures of Dolly Parton and wondering if I should have made Dumplin’s for my Cowboy Day fare, I encountered the original Rhinestone Cowgirl….ladies and gentlemen, let’s give a rowdy Cowdy hoot and a holler for Bobbie Nudie!

 

Who?  You might be asking right about now.  Particularly, if, like me, you initially read her name as Boobie Nudie ( definitely now my new porn name)!  Well, there’s quite the clue in the photograph above.  The guy standing next to Elvis is Nudie Cohn.  He made that Gold Lamé suit.  He was also Bobbie Nudie’s husband.

These two began a company called Nudie Rodeo Tailors which has an absolute cavalcade of famous patrons. Elvis, Roy Rogers, Cher, Elton John, Robert Redford,  The Beatles, John  Wayne, Dolly Parton and countless others – all dressed by the Nudies!

And, as you can also see from the above, Bobbie Nudie remained a glamourous Rhinestone Cowgirl well into her later years!

Here are just a few cuts from the Nudie tailor’s back catalogue

 

 

For more celebrities in Nudie Suits you can click here.

Here’s a couple  more of shots my girl Bobbie:

And, here’s the recipe for the Rhinestone Cowgirl. Why not make one up and then let’s sit a spell, because we’re about to get gossipy!

Rhinestone Cowgirl (Difford’s Guide)

Rhinestone Cowgirl

The Nudie Tailors label is iconic just within itself  Here it is:

And rumour has it that our girl Bobbie is the model for the naked cowgirl on the label!

Huh….maybe she was Boobie Nudie after all!

Sadly, Bobbie Nudie passed away in 2006 at 92 years,

Her obituary in the New York Times showed her at 92 in a floor-length beaded skirt, a bandanna around her neck, a rifle in her hand and her walker at the ready. In announcing her death, The Times called her “the purveyor of glitter.”

Truewestmagazine.com

What a fashion inspiration for all of us!!  I love her so much!!!!!  😍😍😍

Thanks as ever to Greg for organising the Cowboy Day Cookalong and inviting me to celebrate with you!   You are a true gem in a world of rhinestones!!

Happy Cowboy Day all, and if you do raise a glass today, please raise a toast to the wonderful Bobbie Nudie!

  • Comments Off on Rhinestone Cowgirl – For Cowboy Day

Jul
2019

Cowgirl Cookies for Cowboy Day

categories: Biscuits & Cookies, Cook A Long, Cowboy Day, Sweets

Giddy up people of the internet and Happy Cowboy Day!

Having said that, this year we are celebrating with two posts celebrating Cowgirls!  First up some OMGZ so delicious Cowgirl cookies.  These are amazing.  So good – as they should he when they are pretty much 2 types of M&M’s, choc chips and nuts held together by butter and sugar.  They also contain oats so they are also (almost) good for you!  

We celebrated Cowboy Day a little early this year because a few weekends ago I found myself entertaining children.  This does not happen very often at Maison de la retro food so initially, I was at a loss of what to serve.   

My go to’s of cocktails and canapes didn’t seem appropriate plus I wanted something I could whip up pretty quickly on a Saturday morning.  A quick flick through the interwebs and yee hah!  Cowgirl cookies to the rescue!

I’m not a big cookie maker so I was a little nervous about making these.  However, a few minutes after these went into the oven that delicious aroma of sweet baking began to fill the house and I was pretty sure I was onto a winner!

Tasting one  (well maybe three or four) fresh out of the oven I became even more certain but the proof of these cookies were not in my eating.  So I was mildly nervous when the oldest of the kids, nine-year-old Christian approached me, cookie in hand.

“Did you make these?”

“Yep”

“When?”

“This morning”

“Huh…..that must be why they taste so good”

https://gph.is/g/Eq6V0pa

Yippee Kay Yay!!!!

I used this recipe from Bakerella. 

And I can recommend it highly. As can the little humans who I made them for.  

Child-friendly post over, but stay a while because coming right up is an adults-only tipple and a teeny peek into the life of a real-life Rhinestone Cowgirl.

See you there!


Jul
2019

Pakistani Scotch Eggs

categories: 1970's recipes, Good Housekeeping World Cookery, Pakistan, World Cooking

Hello, people of the internet!

Arrrgghh, it’s been such a long time between posts due to a long period of lethargy following the flu and a dying,  then dead,  laptop.  But, at long last, we can continue our journey around the world 1972 style as we enter the Indian subcontinent and taste test these delights straight out of Pakistan.  During this leg of the trip, we will visit, Pakistan, India and the country of my birth,  Sri Lanka.  I am very excited about what lies ahead.  But first, let’s talk about these Pakistani Scotch eggs I made…or, more correctly, let’s talk about the Nargasi Koftay I made.

I love Scotch eggs. Not those horrible store-bought things you buy on holiday in England and spend the next few weeks regretting…but proper homemade Scotch eggs.  My mum used to make them regularly when I was a child and like most things, in my mind, mum’s Scotch eggs are the BEST!  But surprisingly, given our Sri Lankan heritage, we never had them with a spicy mince coating the egg.

Let me tell you….mind blown!!!!  Such a good innovation.

That is…until I started to do a little bit o’ digging into the history of the Scotch egg and realised that maybe it is not an innovation at all…

Fortnum and Mason claim to have invented the Scotch egg in 1738 as a luxury travelling snack for wealthy Londoners departing the fog and funk of the city for the fresh and crisp air of their country manors.  The idea being that plain old hard-boiled eggs were far too stinky for these posh folk to have to deal with.

Wow…imagine that world!

I had never thought of Scotch Eggs being posh people’s food.  I would have put money on it originating in a working-class scenario, much like a pastie. The crumb coating protecting the meat from the dirt and dust of a coal mine while the egg was added as a cheap and quick protein boost and to eke out the meat.

Pakistani Scotch Eggs2

Let’s throw another scenario out there

Way back in 1592, the Moghul Empire was founded…and those dudes had a long history with Persia. How about those Moghuls found a recipe for an egg wrapped kofta from the Persians and,  in turn, and over centuries, that was given to the British in the days of the Raj…

And turned into a lux travelling snack due to its popularity with the returning sahibs and memsahibs?

Not totally out of the realms of all probability I think.

Here’s the recipe!

Print

Pakistani Scotch Eggs

Print Recipe

A spicy take on a British Scotch Egg.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 eggs, boiled and shelled, aim for soft boiled
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1cm piece of ginger, grated
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 4 sprigs of coriander or mint, finely chopped
  • 500g beef mince
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups dried breadcrumbs
  • Sunflower oil to deep fry
  • Kasundi, coriander leaves to serve (optional)

Instructions

  1. Carefully shell the eggs and place aside.
  2. Heat the coconut oil in a pan over a medium heat
  3. Add the onions and cook until translucent.
  4. Add the garlic, ginger, salt, chilli powder, Garam masala, turmeric, cumin and coriander. Cook for 2 minutes until the spices become aromatic.
  5. Put aside to cool.
  6. Once the spice mix is cool add the minced beef and the coriander and mix well.
  7. Wet your hands with water and divide the mince mixture into 6 equal parts.
  8. Wrap one of these around an egg, ensuring that there are no cracks or uncovered spaces.
  9. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
  10. Season the flour with salt and pepper and spread on a plate.
  11. Put the beaten egg in a bowl
  12. Add the breadcrumbs to another plate.
  13. Roll the covered eggs in the flour, dip in the egg and roll in the crumbs.
  14. Repeat for all the eggs.
  15. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes.
  16. Preheat the oven to 170C.
  17. Half-fill a deep-fryer or a large pan with oil and heat to 190°C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 30 seconds when the oil’s hot enough). Fry the eggs, in batches, for 2 minutes or until golden. Place the eggs on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes until the meat is cooked through.
  18. Serve warm or cold with tomato kasundi and coriander leaves.

Nargasi Kofta is traditionally served in a curry sauce. I decided to crumb and fry mine simply because I wanted them to be portable.  Sadly no country manor just a commuter train to work!

I served my Pakistani Scotch Eggs with a tomato kasundi from Kylee Newtons’ The Modern Preserver, which is a book I can heartily recommend.  You can also find the recipe for the kasundi here.

This spicy relish complements the taste of the Scotch Eggs.  If, however, you did not want to go to the bother of making it, you could serve with mayo, or Greek yoghurt – ideally with a swirl of Sriracha through it but plain would also be fine!

Enjoy and have a great week!

 

 


Jun
2019

Use By: Watermelon and Feta Salad

categories: Feta, Fruit, Salad, Use By, Watermelon

To me, watermelon is an icon of summer and happiness.  And I love feta cheese.  So I am unsure why I was initially so resistant to the idea of a watermelon and feta salad. But the minute I tried it, I realised how wrong I had been.  It is DELICIOUS!!!!  And a really good way to use up a little bit of watermelon you may have left in your fridge.

It is winter and dark and grey here in Melbourne at the moment so this salad is a mere memory of sunshine.  However, for those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, I hope this becomes as much a staple on your summer table as it is now on mine!

Before we even get onto the taste, let’s talk about how my Watermelon and Feta salad looks!.

It is such a lovely contrast of colours – the deep pink of the watermelon against the white of the feta, the deep blackish purple of the olives, the lighter purple of the onions and the bright green of the leaves.

And as for the taste?  It will get your tastebuds dancing lust ike this!

The girl in the white mini dress is the watermelon…it’s the first thing you notice and she’s bringing the sweetness.

The girl in the leafy bikini is the feta. Also up front but bringing a bit more complexity by adding some salty creaminess to the mix.

Blue Speedo guy is the red onion.  He’s adding some pow!

Sitting down girl is the olives – she’s bringing some more salt and a briny oiliness and somehow keeping all the others on beat.

White bikini in the background?  She’s the leaves – she’s bascially a supporting player for the front four

And finally, orange Speedo’s?  He’s  the sprinkle of fresh dill and chilli flakes….not noticeable all the time…but when you do…it’s memorable!

Add them all together and you’ve got a party just ready to happen!

This is a fun salad and if you aren’t into the beach party breakdown I have given you, look at some other ways people have had fun with it:

Rubik’s Cube Salad (via Cityline TV)

 

Watermelon Cups (via Clean Food Crush)

 

And my favourite, just because it is so pretty! Watermelon Stars (via Taste.com.au)

This starry version will be part of Christmas lunch this year for sure!

My recipe is fairly loose, depending on what I have on hand.  Check out any of the recipes above for an exact version.

But don’t forget to add the olives.  None of the other recipes include them and believe me, they bring it!!!

Have a fabulous week!

 

 


May
2019

Triple Cheese & Triple Onion Empanadas

categories: Cheese, Film Club, Pastry, Vegetarian

These triple cheese and triple onion empanadas were inspired by two events.  The first was my visit to Tasmania in January.  There was a stall selling triple cheese and onion empanadas at the Salamanca Markets.  I didn’t eat any because I was full of scallop pie but the memory stayed with me.  The second inspiration was one of our Film Club pics.  And the third, oh yeah, I forgot to mention at the start that there was a third.

It’s empanadas?  Hell yeah!

Triple Cheese and Triple Onion Empanadas

 

The three kinds of cheese I used for the empanadas were feta, smoked cheddar and parmesan.

Triple Cheese and Triple onion empanadas2

And the three onions were Spanish, Spring and leek.

Triple Cheese and Triple Empanadas

The film that inspired this recipe is the documentary Three Identical Strangers.

This was the documentary choice in our first round (we are now about to start round 2) and it was a brilliant choice from one of my friends.  I had never even heard of this film before this but I was so glad Film Club brought it to my attention.

The film begins with three young men, discovering that they were triplets who were separated at birth and adopted out to different families.  Their reunion is the stuff of media wet dreams and the boys achieve a degree of fame with numerous froth pieces showing them dressing the same, talking the same, moving in unison, etc. And initially you think this is all the film is going to be about….how are they the same?  How did their different upbringings make them different?  What is nature, what is nurture?

 

Except it doesn’t quite turn out like that because the film then takes a dark turn.  And just as you are recovering from that twist?  It takes an even darker turn. I’m not going to spoil… but the end?  OMG!  I don’t think I have ever been that angry at the end of a film before.  Talk about the heart of darkness.

I think this is a really clever piece of film making, the timing and pacing is perfect, the story being told is totally compelling.  I can highly recommend this film.  Except be prepared to be FURIOUS at the end.

If you are watching at home, my triple cheese and triple onion empanadas would make a great movie snack.

I can also heartily recommend the Aji Pique ( a Colombian hot sauce) I made to go with the empanadas.  The recipe stated that in Colombia, they use this oosauce on everything fish, eggs, meat, chicken and I can totally see why!

For the empanadas it adds a sharp, spicy tang that complements the smoky cheesy filling and the crisp pastry.

 

Triple Cheese & Triple Onion Empanadas

Next weekend, why not bake up a batch of these empanadas and watch Three Identical Strangers?

Here’s the trailer.

Here’s the recipe!

Print

Triple Cheese and Triple Onion Empanadas

Print Recipe

A film watching (or anytime) snack, these triple cheese and triple onion empanadas are a delicious vegetarian snack!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 sheets of Shortcrust Pastry
  • 1 egg separated

For the Filling

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 leek, finely chopped
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 4 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic,crushed
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 200g Smoked Cheddar cheese
  • 200g Feta Cheese
  • 100g Parmesan
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Salt and Pepper

For the Glaze

  • 1 egg, beaten

Instructions

For The Filling

  1. Heat the oil in a frying pan.
  2. Add the leek, Spanish and spring onions and reduce the heat to low.
  3. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are softened (around 10 minutes).
  4. Add the garlic and cook until the onions are golden (another 10 or so minutes).
  5. Set aside to cool.
  6. Preheat the oven to 180C.
  7. Grate the Smoked Cheddar and Parmesan,.
  8. Crumble the feta into a bowl and add the other cheeses.
  9. Mix in the beaten egg, the smoked paprika and the cooled onion mixture

To Assemble

  1. Cut each sheet of pastry into 4 rounds.
  2. Spoon the cheese mixture onto the middle of each of the rounds.
  3. Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg white. Fold over and seal.
  4. Alternatively you can use an empanada press to seal the edges of the pastry.
  5. Brush the tops of the empanadas with the egg yolk.
  6. Place the empanadas in the oven for around 20 minutes. Around halfway through, turn them over and brush the other side with the egg yolk.
  7. Serve with the Aji Pique.

I served my empanadas with some Aji Pique, which is a Colombian Hot Sauce.

The recipe for this can be found here.

 

 

  • Comments Off on Triple Cheese & Triple Onion Empanadas