It has been a little while since I last posted…. But what a 10 days I have had!

The 2009 Royal Melbourne show has been my home for the last week or so . You could spend the entire visit to the show just in the Grand Pavillion  – with over  120 wonderful foods to sample and learn about, beer & wine sampling and great gadgets for your home  exhibitors… I have purchased so many great things for my test kitchen!

The stage has been a flurry of fabulous non stop activity. I  cooked myself into a frenzy and as always the robust, calm and reliable KitchenAid  appliances  performed and performed.  Everychef and presentor has loved using them. And to those wonderful fellow foodies who stayed back and chatted with me - I loved your  and questions and the joyful expresssions.  Several of you were also lucky enough to take home a very special KitchenAid or Profiline gift too.

Vanilla Snow Pavlova

Favourite KitchenAid recipes were definitely the brown sugar meringues with many ooohs from guest chefs and the audience. The mixer does many great things but the quality of the meringue produced is spectacular. The chocolate beetroot  cake was also a winner.  The other favouties…..potato au gratin, Mexican meatballs,   French apple muffins and petite coconut cup cakes  to name but a few.

I loved cooking and watching  Tobie Puttock from 15 , Chris Badenoch (Masterchef and Master Beer maker),  Gabriel Gate and Pierrick Boyer  from le petite gateau doing their stuff too. The event was quite star studded!

With so much to eat, sip, nibble and watch I found it hard to single out a few favourites but here they are my top 3  ……………

Spud Hunters – the most fun you could have learning about potatoes and how to grow, eat and cook them.

Sensational delicious boutique honey – my favourtie is  Green Mallee

Beer – or those porter styles are delicious  and yes it was great to learn so many beer tips from Chris Badenoch and wonderful tastings at Beer Masons.

Next for me are several segments on TVSN and then another great food event- The Irrestistable Gluten Free Show…. Another passion of mine.