Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Oct 6, 2011, 6:21 am
Hola! Yes, I'm still here, just trying to navigate my way through the second week of school holidays here in Melbourne with two energetic kids and some frustratingly, temperamental weather. Anyway, I just wanted to share this great video that manages to capture some of the more entertaining highlig...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Sep 22, 2011, 7:39 am
Last Sunday I had the great honour of being asked to judge at the inaugural Maussies Tan-Nanna Helu Manna Cook Off. For those of you who are unaware, Maussies is an organization that acknowledges and celebrates the best of both worlds. Hence the Maussies Cook Off was a feast of Maltese culture and c...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jul 22, 2011, 4:45 am
As a mama who prepares three square meals a day for two highly opinionated, discerning food critics I find that I have to think on my feet and resort to imagination and inventiveness, otherwise the slightest hint of greenery or legume can trigger off a chain reaction that makes Chernobyl (I kid you ...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jul 17, 2011, 4:34 am

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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jul 10, 2011, 2:40 am
School holdings here in Melbourne, cold, wet, winter school holidays I might add. So when Stephen suggested we tag along with him for a couple of days while he worked out of the Sydney office, how could we refuse. Yes the sun shined everyday - simply glorious!
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jun 1, 2011, 4:27 am
We promised the kids we'd take them to Daylesford to see the autumn leaves and walk along the lake. The trees were magnificent, shades of golden brown and brilliant crimson, we were not disappointed. Had we waited another weekend we would have been hugely disappointed as that gorgeous old tree woul...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - May 26, 2011, 3:15 am
We've lived in our old Victorian home without event for over a decade and have never experienced leaks or water damage, until last year. So, rather than continue to leave things to chance, silicon and no more gaps we decided that we needed to attend to a few minor repairs before winter sets in and t...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - May 17, 2011, 10:08 pm
One of the most frustrating things about being a mother is the repetitious sound of my own voice. As I bellow each day to the kids to 'eat your breakfast' or 'don't tease your sister' or 'chew with your mouth closed' 'or 'eat your broccoli' I can't help feeling that I'm trapped alongside Bill Murray...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - May 14, 2011, 6:47 am
I'd like to apologise for the delay in announcing our World Figolli Day winners for 2011. When I first introduced World Figolli Day back in March I seriously had no idea that the idea would take off the way it did. Your enthusiasm, passion and zeal took me by surprise and then completely blew me awa...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Apr 5, 2011, 6:31 am
On Saturday our baby girl turned six, yes you heard correctly, I said S-I-X!   This year Lucia wanted a cooking party. Ho, hum I wonder where that idea came from? Since we're in the process of renovating our old Victorian terrace which currently looks like a garage sale in a Middle Eastern war zone...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Mar 27, 2011, 6:03 am
I just wanted to say a big thank you to those of you who have jumped on the World Figolli Day  bandwagon. So far we have people participating from Australia, Malta, Italy, Germany the UK and America! As I have already stated, you don't need to be Maltese to be a part of World Figolli Day. All that...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Mar 12, 2011, 8:09 pm
So I've come up with this hair brain idea to host a World Figolli Day this year and was wondering if you'd be interested in participating? Nothing too strenuous is involved, just some flour, eggs, sugar and almonds and hopefully a whole lot of fun! The idea behind World Figolli Day is that you turn ...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Mar 7, 2011, 7:03 am
My sweet little Lucia kindly volunteered my services at school for Shrove Tuesday. So spare a thought for me tomorrow while I'm madly flipping pancakes for twenty eight ravenous six year olds. I'm not sure what recipe I'll be using as the class teacher has assured me she has got 'everything under co...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Feb 17, 2011, 9:56 pm
Over the New Year we decided to go in search for summer, as it was nowhere to be found here in Melbourne. Stephen and I wanted an island holiday as we were desperate to 'unplug' and we were also in need of some serious sun. We wanted somewhere remote, but we also wanted to get there preferably befor...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jan 30, 2011, 4:48 am
We're back! Well if truth be told, we've been back for just a little over a week, but the kids are still on summer break and Stephen has accepted a new opportunity so I rarely get a moment to myself. Needless to say blogging is the furthest thing from my mind, especially with the tennis on. I'm ple...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jan 1, 2011, 11:25 pm
There are certain times in life when everything seems to be coasting along nicely in a certain direction and life is predictably sweet. The heavens are aligned and everything seems to be falling into place. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, the universe throws you a curve ball and you're left scrambli...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Dec 24, 2010, 4:32 pm
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! May the year ahead be filled with abundant joy, hope and new adventure.
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Dec 18, 2010, 11:22 pm
If you happen to be as fortunate as Sarah or Cenk and have easy access to gorgeous, local pomegranates - then more power to you! The only 'fresh' pomegranates we have access to at the moment are flown in from America and they are downright woeful. I have never been able to bring myself to buy them a...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Dec 12, 2010, 5:02 am

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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Dec 2, 2010, 5:02 am
There are certain flavour combinations that compliment each other so well that when one is presented without the other, it just doesn't seem right or complete. For instance, I find that I can't have tomato without basil or lamb without rosemary, dark chocolate without burnt caramel, lemon without th...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Nov 28, 2010, 5:30 am
Neatly tucked behind the market in Victoria is the centrally located little green grocer called It-Tokk. The name is derived from the Maltese word tokk, which means central or meeting place, thus the store was originally named It-Tokk after the Pjazza t-Tokk. For both locals and frequent visitors al...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Nov 21, 2010, 6:25 am
We've had a glorious, sunny weekend here in Melbourne and the weather is starting to actually behave like Spring. We made the most of the sunshine today and headed into the city by tram so that the little people could post their letters to Santa. There were no surprises on Dantes list and it was ba...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Nov 3, 2010, 4:45 pm
There was one sound that was synonymous with summer when growing up in suburban Melbourne in the late 70's and that was the taunting tune of Mr Whippy's ice cream van. Back then there was no home made gelato or sorbet, as domestic ice cream machines were virtually non-existent in white Anglo-Austral...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Oct 25, 2010, 5:25 am
Gourmet Worrier has opened many doors for me both personally and professionally and has changed my life in ways that I could have never dreamt or imagined. I mean, who would have thought that in such a short space of time I would be interviewing on national radio, writing for an international newspa...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Oct 17, 2010, 7:07 am
Yesterday was my birthday and our seventeenth wedding anniversary. Although the journey has been incredibly rewarding and joyous, it has often been far from idyllic and at times it has been nothing short of potholed. So to mark this tremendous milestone, we thought that we should celebrate in style ...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Oct 4, 2010, 8:57 pm
Have you ever dreamt of falling into step with locals and being lulled into a sense of peace by the ding-dong of church bells that are rung daily for Matins, Lauds, Terce, Sext, None and Vespers? Or have you longed to find yourself whole once again under the warm Mediterranean sun, all the while bei...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Sep 29, 2010, 5:51 am
Remember that humungous bag of unwaxed, organic lemons that I was given a while back? Well, to say I've been up to my elbows in lemons would be a complete understatement. But I'm happy to announce that I'm almost at the end of the lemons, which in itself was a huge feat as that bag weighed close to ...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Sep 23, 2010, 6:21 am
Malta's central Mediterranean sea location has given it great strategic importance thus allowing a sequence of powers including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Sicilians, Knights of St John, French and British to rule the islands throughout history. Despite it's turbulent past, Malta finally gained...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Sep 14, 2010, 8:02 am

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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Sep 14, 2010, 5:43 am
I have wanted to make b'stilla or pastilla, the national Moroccan dish for some time now but I've been put off by a couple of things, namely the pigeons and the copious amounts of eggs. In hindsight, I should have gone straight to Claudia Roden as her 'poor mans' version in Arabesque is spectacu...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Sep 1, 2010, 8:06 pm
Lemons have always played an integral role in my cooking and I find that they are a constant companion in my kitchen. I'm continually using lemons in salads, dips and dressings or preserving them to use in Moroccan dishes such as tagines. I also tend to use lemons in sweet tarts, crostata and sorbet...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Aug 29, 2010, 6:11 am
The last couple of years we have managed to escape the Melbourne winter by flitting over to Malta to bask in the warm Mediterranean sun and enjoy time with family and friends. Unfortunately, due to family commitments here we were unable to go to Malta this year and so we've had to endure the cold an...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Aug 23, 2010, 1:59 am
Last year while I was in Barcelona I not only went a little overboard with the camera, but I also managed to go a little crazy with my flip too. Consequently I have hours of video that I seem to have forgotten to share with you! Hence, the video below was filmed whilst I was stuffing my face on a bo...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Aug 17, 2010, 5:57 am
Firstly, I'd like to apologise for the lack of food around here. It's not like I've stopped cooking or eating, but rather I just haven't had the time or the inclination to collect my thoughts and pen down a recipe. And secondly I just wanted to thank you all for being so terribly patient with me. I...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Aug 9, 2010, 6:37 am
There is a part of me that would love to run away and live in a plush hotel like Eloise as I'm all for king sized beds, dream duvets, elegant furnishings, deep, sunken baths, room service and movies on demand. Well last weekend I got to be Eloise, albeit for just forty eight hours as I mana...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Aug 3, 2010, 5:28 am
Baharat is an exotic North African spice blend that is also used in Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Jordan. This popular spice blend is added to recipes in much the same way, as Indians would use garam masala. Getting the balance of spice is important in baharat as no single flavour should stand out and...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jul 30, 2010, 6:55 pm
Each day as I read the facebook status updates from both family and friends in Malta, brag about their glorious sun drenched days spent lazing at the beach, I grow more and more frustrated about our decision to not return to Gozo this year. *Sigh* there is always next year!
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jul 25, 2010, 5:35 am
One of the things I enjoy most about cooking is that it can be all at once both ordered and precise yet at the same time fluid and creative. Hence, if you were to follow a given recipe correctly you can be quietly confident that in no time at all you'd have recreated something entirely delicious...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jul 21, 2010, 5:30 am
To say that I have been eagerly awaiting Silvena Rowe's latest book would be a complete and utter understatement as I have been an admirer of her cooking style for some time now. Hence, her latest book Purple Citrus and Sweet Perfume is an appreciation of Silvena's rich culinary heritage as ...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jul 14, 2010, 2:25 am
When I was growing up our soup options were fairly limited, as mum would alternate between brodu, which is a thin, watery, clear broth and aljotta, which is a rich garlicky fish soup with tomato and fresh herbs. Understand that I'm not complaining about my mothers cooking, because had she been a...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jul 10, 2010, 4:37 pm

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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jul 8, 2010, 6:20 am
One of the simple luxuries I have enjoyed these school holidays is making pancakes for the kids for breakfast. Well if truth were told I also enjoy sleeping in, slow mornings and hanging out in my pyjamas all day. School mornings for us are a harried affair as we attempt to get out the door and in ...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jun 22, 2010, 5:15 am
What's the one indispensable ingredient you simply can't do without in your kitchen? For me it's quite simply lemons as they have always played an integral role in my kitchen. Hence, I find that lemons are absolutely necessary and I just don't feel complete unless I have a bowl of fr...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jun 15, 2010, 8:08 pm
The first batch of ice cream I made was none other than Marcella Hazan's world famous Gelato di Cioccolato del Cipriani. After months of experimenting with all sorts of ice cream, gelato and sorbet recipes I can firmly say that Marcella's chocolate gelato recipe is by far my favourite. Hence...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jun 9, 2010, 5:38 am
As a food blogger I often find myself vacillating between two extremes - finding the time to take photos of food and regrettably forgetting to take photos of food. Hence, you can either find me scolding a family member or wrapping them over the knuckles for attempting to pry a piece of sweet crust f...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jun 6, 2010, 6:24 am
There are so many things I take for granted on a daily basis - my health and good fortune to name a few. Often, it's only when I'm confronted with the injustice and prejudice that exists in the world, that I then stop and reflect upon the greatness in my life. Hence, I was fortunate enough ...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - Jun 1, 2010, 6:02 am
One of the most challenging things I find, as a mother is that when you're feeling lousy and unwell - life still goes on. Even though you may feel like you've been run over by a truck the dishwasher still needs to be stacked, floors need to be vacuumed, the washing machine needs to be loaded...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - May 26, 2010, 5:33 am
Several weeks ago my dear friend Corrie called to let me know that she may be able to wrangle a spare ticket to the Antonio Carluccio luncheon at ANZ Pavillion at the Arts Centre. I was absolutely thrilled because Antonio is one of my all time food heroes! After numerous phone calls and much toing ...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - May 19, 2010, 5:55 am
As we edge closer towards winter here in Melbourne the last thing you'd expect would be an ice-cream recipe. Some of you may even think that I'm stark raving mad to be thinking about ice cream, let alone even considering making it. But hey, I've never been one to follow popular trends an...
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Ms Gourmet posted an article on Gourmet Worrier - May 13, 2010, 5:37 am
It's no real secret that I have an incredible sweet tooth. Consequently if you've been reading Gourmet Worrier for any length of time or have bothered to take a look at the recipe index, you'd see that dessert clearly takes precedence here. Hence, I firmly believe that 'life is too s...
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