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I used to LOVE the Olympics. I have very clear memories of the Olympics as a little girl - and of witnessing amazing performances in human strength and endurance.

As a young adult I recall being thrilled that a little known Irish girl had stunned the world winning gold in the pool. I also recall having a blazing, stand up, walk out argument with my brother in law when he suggested that her 'stunning' win was clearly a performance enhanced win. I was appalled! Surely the underdog's ...

Ok, so if you have been following my blogs you know that I am not a HUGE lover of the kitchen. I have my 7 fall back dishes that generally see me through. They are easy to cook, taste yummy, make the kids happy and easy to clean up. Four ticks on the Hot Mama Cooking Checklist.

Having been gifted the lovely produce from the equally lovely folks at McCormick, it was time to answer the challenge of the Beef Brew with Herb Dumplings (check out the McCormick website for all their recipes). ...

Oh, how do I survive another Melbourne winter?



I am one of those people who REALLY feels the cold. It quickly permeates through my skin and muscle and imbeds itself in my bones. My extremities turn white and then blue. My shoulders ache from tensing against the cold.

As I sit here typing, I have the central heating on, I am wrapped in a blanket, I have a scarf around my neck, and still my fingers are turning blue. I am not one of those ...

My daughter came home from school in tears yesterday after a school yard incident. It wasn't a physical hurt. It was the manipulative, emotional hurt that little girls are so adept at hurling. We talked about what happened, and how she felt and how she might handle the situation next time. We talked about how its important not to be mean to your friends. I really ached for her. It's a fine line managing her hurt, my ache, the idea of resilience and support and the concept of when to let your ...

Ok, so where were we...Oh, yes, I had burnt my thumb, was complaining generally about cooking, and then happily received a hamper from McCormick's...



The Long Weekend was the perfect cooking weekend - for two reasons: (1) it was cold and rainy and (2) my husband was home and he, unlike me, LOVES to cook. So hamper in hand we poured over the goodies and the recipes and decided to cook Peri Peri Chicken. Well, to be honest, I decided we would have Peri ...