Bigger IS better

Yes my friends, the old adage is true, bigger is better...when it comes to fridges.

What did you think I meant?

When my Beloved and I decided to make the leap to move in together, we tried to make do with each others meagre positions. That included using, for the last two VERY long years, my Beloved's 'bachelor' fridge.

My Beloved's bachelor fridge

As you can see, it is a little larger than a bar fridge, and, as you can imagine, this has made entertaining just a little more challenging for me. However, in support of my great efforts to fit all manor of food items for many varying number of guests into this pint size fridge, I have now received an adjunct professorship to the culinary school of 'how to fit a cow into a crisper'. Bravo me!

But from today, no longer do I have to sit on the floor while I rearrange the fridge for the fourth time that day so I can fit in the marinating chicken - which apparently prefers to remain cold for some silly reason called Salmonella - or to fit in the bubbles - which is essential for any dinner party, would you not agree? - or even just to fit my fruit in the fridge - which for some reason isn't appreciating our thirty degree days with eighty per cent humidity.

So today was an extraordinarily exciting day as I got (okay, we got) delivered a BIG fridge.

Our new 519 litre Fisher & Paykel fridge

I love it!

I can even put my Beloved in it.

Our new fridge is big enough for my
Beloved to cool down in

2011 - year of the (new) saucepan

Happy New Year, everyone!

The rain managed to subside for the last two days here in Brisbane, Queensland, just enough to top up my slowly diminishing vitamin D levels, and say goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011.

One of the great things about the festive season, for me, is going into the shops and seeing all those kitchen goodies come down in price by 40 or 50 per cent. And this year I enjoyed taking advantage of these sales - thanks to some very generous engagement gift vouchers my beloved and I still had in our possession - and bought a five piece stainless steel scanpan set. I've only cooked with cheap, but practical, saucepans and frypans ever since I left home (about 12 years ago), so I cannot express my excitement at this purchase.

My new scanpans.
Happy New Year!

Here I come, 2011. This is going to be a fantastic year experimenting with new recipes, a few old favourites, and sharing the fun with you all.