articles, recipes, ideas and tips for entertaining at home

Even though the temperatures are falling, this time of year brings a fantastic selection of fruit and vegetables. Add the following to your shopping list and you can be sure you are getting the best quality, value and taste with your fresh produce.

Fruit
Apples
Bananas
Cumquats
Custard Apples
Feijoa
Grapes
Kiwifruit
Lemons
Limes
Mandarins
Nuts
Pears
Persimmons
Quince
Rhubarb
Starfruit (carambola)

Vegetables
Asian Greens
Avocadoes
Beetroot
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Celery
Eggplant
Fennel
Garlic
Ginger
Leeks
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Okra
Olives
Onions
Parsnips
Peas
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Spinach and Silverbeet
Squash
Swede
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Turnips
Witlof
Zucchini

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The Good Food Guide is the definitive authority on Australian restaurants and this version contains more than 450 reviews of restaurants, plus bars and cafes, throughout Queensland and in northern New South Wales. Known for their “chef’s hat” scoring system, it is an honour for a restaurant or cafe to receive a hat or even to just be included in the guide.

To take advantage of this fantastic offer, visit this link.

This is a RocketFuel sponsored post

Rhubarb is currently in season in Australia, and whilst most people think rhubarb is a fruit it is actually a vegetable. Known for its tart, tangy and slightly sharp taste, rhubarb is a great filling for pies and crumbles, marries beautifully with cream and custards and also has its place in savoury dishes. I have wonderful childhood memories of my Mum’s delicious rhubarb crumble…

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Sometimes I crave simple, honest food. Foods prepared with a minimum of fuss, without fancy ingredients or complex flavours. Something deliciously and unpretentiously homemade, like this banana bread.

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We’re halfway into autumn, and although the selection of tropical fruit has diminished, there is an abundance of other delicious in-season produce available. Incorporate the following into your cooking for best quality, value and taste:

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You will be transported to Provence as the aroma of garlic, tomatoes, fresh herbs and olives fill your home when making this recipe.  Chicken is everyone’s favourite, and this tasty dish is equally good as a mid-week meal or a dinner party dazzler. The use of sun-dried tomatoes give this dish an added tangy taste.

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These delectable savoury nibbles are perfect served with a pre-dinner drink. Made with ready-made puff pastry, they are a cinch to make and extremely moreish!

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Autumn is with us, and with it brings a diverse selection of fruits and vegetables. This month, you will find the best value, quality and taste by cooking with:

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Limes are in season, and I am fortunate to have a tree which is currently bulging with fruit. As well as give limes away to friends and neighbours, I like to make the most of them in my cooking. This includes these delicious muffins which sing with the flavours of summer. At this time of the year, these are the muffins we serve to our cooking class participants when they arrive, and they are always devoured. They are easy to make too – you’ll have them prepared and ready to cook before your oven is hot!

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Pissaladière is a type of pizza, originating from Provence in the South of France, and comprises caramelised onions, anchovies, olives and fresh herbs. This is an easy version, using ready-made puff pastry and is equally delicious. Serve it as an entrée , for lunch with a salad, or cut it into small pieces and serve as finger food.

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