Hello retro food lovers and welcome to October 2003 where today I am using Delicious magazine to create a white menu. White food has the double reputation of being 1) boring and 2) overly processed so my aim with this menu was to try to combat both of those. But first, let’s take a look at what was happening in pop-culture in October 2003.
School of Rock was #1 at the box office and The Five People You Meet In Heaven was the best-selling book. Number 1 on the pop charts was Where Is The Love by The Black Eyed Peas. Two weeks earlier it was White Flag by Dido which would have fit in perfectly with this menu! Let’s hope I won’t have to wave a white flag with my menu!
Now I also realise that this view of my cheesecake is not white, however it just looked so good, I couldn’t resist sharing it!
The Menu – October 2003
I found this menu template on Etsy. Isn’t it gorgeous? We’ll be seeing it a lot more from now on!
Mozzarella and Grilled Chilli Salad
This was AMAZING! So tasty and the perfect way to kick off a meal! I loved the simplicity/minimalism of this Jamie Oliver recipe. It also not only looked beautiful on the plate but tasted divine! Another recipe from this same article, a squid and cannellini bean salad nearly made the cut for the main dish in the menu and is something I am still very keen to try!
Mozzarella and Grilled Chilli Salad Recipe
Fish Stew With Lemongrass and Lime
This is an Ainsley Harriott recipe and was also divine! It was light and refreshing and, as he says in his intro, very different from the usual tomato-based fish stews. Like the mozzarella starter, this would be a perfect summer meal.
Lemongrass and Lime Fish Stew Recipe
Low Fat Cheesecake
I felt bad that I could not deliver a cheesecake for the Birthday Party, Cheesecake, Jelly Bean, Boom! menu. Because I LOVE cheesecake! So I was delighted to find one in this issue of Delicious. And this was a beauty too. It’s a pretty classic baked cheesecake. Even though it is low fat, it feels rich, The rest of this menu is light though so this seemingly decadent dessert won’t weigh you down too much!
Low Fat Cheesecake Recipe
My Nigella Moment – Beef with Lavender Mustard
For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious. In the context of these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in either because I made it and it was really good, or I just didn’t have time to make it but it was one of the most appetising things in the mag!
OMG, this beef just melted in my mouth! And if you’re thinking you don’t have any Lavender Mustard, come back next week. I’ll have a little treat for you. I added a spoonful of honey to my Lavender Mustard to give the required sweetness to this. Also, I misread the ingredients and I bought a rump roast and not rump steak for my version. I seared the meat as per the recipe and then roasted it until it reached 72C / 165F on my meat thermometer.
Well, Delicious Magazine from October 2003 really came through with a delicious white-themed menu for me! Certainly no Didoesque white flag moments for me!
“That’s great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane”…so begins the fabulous REM song, “It’s The End of The World As We Know It”. And for me, this year actually began with a 7.6 magnitude earthquake when we were holidaying in Darwin. Last month we celebrated my birthday in absolute chaos (more on that later) whilst on holiday in Port Douglas. And when I say chaos, I mean a total f*cking nightmare. So when the random number generator chose “Birthday Party, Cheesecake, Jelly Bean, Boom! I thought it might be a good chance to reset and have a little party to make up for the day that was ruined! The vehicle of choice for this month is Super Food Ideas, from September 2003 and I went in search of party food.
But first, let’s take a little wander down the memory lane to the heady days of September 2003. R Kelly’s Ignition (Remix) was #1. Less said about that the better I think. Finding Nemo was top of the box office and The Da Vinci Code was still the most popular book!
The Menu – September 2003
Margarita
Now, I can’t think of a much better way to kick of any birthday celebration than with a classic Margarita! And this one was perfection!!!!! I
The cocktail napkin you see in the above photo was one of a set of napkins I bought in Port Douglas. They are all super cute and also an inspiration to make the rest of the cocktails featured on them!
And as with the margarita, the first four days of our holiday were wonderful. Port Douglas is such an amazing place. Rainforest, reef and beach – great restaurants, perfect weather….the only downside is the crocodiles…and the murder birds!
Margarita Recipe
Seafood Pizza
As you may have noticed, I love my seafood! This nicely leads me to where our holiday turned paradise into a nightmare. Day 5 of our holiday, which was my actual birthday we had planned to move from our PD central apartment to a house around 10km out of Port Douglas. It was also the night of The Matildas v England final of the Women’s World Cup. We had been out for a lovely dinner the night before so the plan for my birthday was to grab a seafood platter from Port Douglas when we left and then enjoy the evening in our house. Dip in our private pool, , bit of football on the telly, champagne on ice, and our gourmet seafood platter…could life get any better?
Better? No. What we hadn’t figured was that it was about to get a whole lot worse!
We turned up at the house, for which we had a confirmed booking from one of the largest, if not the largest booking agencies in the world. The Fussiest Eater sends a text to the owner asking for the keypad number as the gate is locked. We are there for about 5 minutes when a woman comes out of the house. “Can I help you?” she asks. “Oh, yes, you probably just got our text. We’re here for our holiday”
Apparently we weren’t.
In the time that we had made our booking and our actual holiday, the house had been sold. It was no longer holiday accommodation.
It was now 3:00pm on a Saturday, we had no place to stay for the next four nights and we had a rapidly warming seafood platter on the back seat of the hire car.
Seafood Pizza Recipe
Party Pies
You know this is an Aussie Meat Pie because the secret ingredient is a spoonful of Vegemite! I made mini versions of this pie – in Australian we call these Party Pies so they were perfect for my Birthday Party Menu!
Now back to Port Douglas. The Fussiest Eater began calling the owner of the house. He confirmed that he had sold the house and had told the booking agency to cancel all future bookings. I started trying to find us accommodation. The first place I found wanted $15,000 for the four nights. The second $6000. Finally, we were able to find a studio room back in Port Douglas for the four nights for a price that we could actually afford. And that had a fridge in which we could put the seafood platter! From there we called the booking agency who offered to not only refund the cost of the house but also to pay for the emergency accommodation.
The following day we were also able to move into a one-bedroom apartment in the same complex which was a lot better than the studio but still how we had wanted to spend the last few days of our holiday.
As of today though, the booking company have yet to refund us the money for the second Port Douglas Apartment. We are idiots who did not get their OG offer in writing and they are now saying that as the second apartment was cheaper than the housetechnically we are not out of pocket.
Technically they ruined my birthday and did not deliver on the holiday we paid for and expected.
TechnicallyI could have chosen the house that cost $15000 instead of that studio apartment as our alternative accommodation and technically they would have had to refund us the difference.
I didn’t want to be an arsehole.
I’ll leave that up to them.
Meat Pie Recipe
Chewy Almond Crescents
We now turn to the sweet part of our birthday party menu. These were great! Really tasty and not overly sweet. You couldn’t really taste the apricot jam which was a shame. When I make these again, I will maybe add some chopped-up dried apricots into the mix. Or maybe add a glaze with the jam. They were delicious regardless. These would be great with a cup of tea or coffee or equally with a little glass of Baileys! This was probably my favourite thing on the menu. I also loved the butterfly cakes but they were similar to cakes I had made before. These were all new and I was so happy to discover them!
Accomodation saga continued….As of today though, the booking company have yet to refund us the money for the second Port Douglas Apartment. We are idiots who did not get their OG offer in writing and they are now saying that as the second apartment was cheaper than the housetechnically we are not out of pocket.
Technically they ruined my birthday and did not deliver on the holiday we paid for and expected.
TechnicallyI could have chosen the house that cost $15000 instead of that studio apartment as our alternative accommodation and technically they would have had to refund us the difference.
I didn’t want to be an arsehole.
I’ll leave that up to them.
Chewy Almond Crescents Recipe
Lemon Curd Butterfly Cakes
These were so pretty and also delish. I loved the tanginess of the lemon curd with the sweetness of the cupcake!
The one-bedroom apartment was great. However, on the first night, I was woken at around 2 a.m. by the sound of what sounded like a woman screaming. Channelling my inner Nancy Drew, I got out of bed and looked out the window but the side street the room looked out on was deserted. I was just getting back into bed when I heard it again. This time I went to the main room to look out of the front windows but the main street which we overlooked was also quiet. I went back to bed. I heard the same noise once again at around 5 a.m. This time I wondered if maybe someone in the neighbouring rooms was having an argument as again there was no movement on either street.
There was no mention of any attack on the news the following day so I went about my business. As we were walking back to the apartment from dinner I heard the same noise. This time though I was able to see that it was coming from a bird that we had just walked past. A quick Google Search identified these murder birds as Bush Stone Curlews. Thankfully no Nancy Drewing needed for me on the second night. Or thereafter.
Lemon Curd Butterfly Cakes Recipe
My Nigella Moment – Passionfruit Glazed Shortbread
For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious. In the context of these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in either because I made it and it was really good, or I just didn’t have time to make it but it was one of the most appetising things in the mag!
I love shortbread and passionfruit so these were high on my list of things to make. They would have also fit in nicely with my birthday party theme but I ran out of time and had to choose between the Almond Crescents and these. In the end, I have eaten Passionfruit Shortbreads before whilst the Almond Crescents were something new to me so I chose them. These though? High on my list of things to make! And believe me, when I do…I will definitely be popping back to the biscuit tin, Nigella Style, for just one more!
Super Food Ideas really came through for my birthday-themed menu! As did Port Douglas for my birthday holiday. Despite the…ahem…hiccup with the accomodation, PD remains one of my favourite holiday destinations!!!!
Summer Lovin’ had me a blast! Hello, retro food lovers! Today as you may have guessed from the header and my musical intro we are taking a tour back to August 2003 via Australian Table. The aim is to see if that magazine can provide us with a super summer feast!
Now I know that some of you might be thinking…what’s hard about that? Surely all mags, twenty years ago would be showing seasonal recipes.. Well, don’t forget readers that in Australia is it winter! Now it may surprise some of you but in the south of Australia, where I live it gets cold! Not Canada cold or Northern European cold, but definitely cold enough for this season to be recognisably winter. The magazine cover promises Shepherd’s Pie, Bangers and Mash, Beef Stroganoff and Roast Chicken. Will we be able to find some summery food in the midst of this hearty winter fare?
First, to put us in the mood let’s see what was on the pop culture in August 2003! The Da Vinci Code was still topping the book charts, S.W.A.T was killing it at the box office and Breathe by Sean Paul featuring Blu Cantrell was the number 1 song.
The Menu – August 2003
Chargrilled Prawns with Coriander and Lime
For me, the best summer food is eaten outdoors so these prawns, which would be amazing cooked on the BBQ were my choice of a starter.
The marinated prawns were super delicious! I did not like the dressing and, come summer when I make these on the barbie I will leave the dressing out completely. Whilst I don’t mind sherry as a drink I felt it gave the dressing on what was a very fresh and lively dish a kind of fusty taste which I found unpleasant. If you want to try it with the dressing, I would suggest serving it on the side!
Chargrilled Prawns Recipe
Satay Chicken Skewers
Another dish which would be ideal cooked on the BBQ. I love a chicken satay and this one is super easy because it uses a bought satay sauce!
I served this with a cucumber and red onion salad, which is, my Malaysian friends tell me, a traditional accompaniment to Chicken satay. You could also, of course serve rice or noodles with the chicken satay skewers as well.
Perfectly grilled chicken, dipped in a satay sauce with some salad! Heaven on a stick!
Satay Chicken Recipe
Ice Cream with Rocky Road Sauce
I didn’t have time to make this due to holidays, Pieathalon, work, cooking for our Foodies Cookbook club, a date with my mum to see A Haunting In Venice all of which amounts to life in general. However, it’s a really simple recipe which I am sure tastes absolutely delicious! Please let me know if you give it a try!
Watermelon and Vodka Cocktail
This cocktail was pretty much identical to this one that I made back in February.
My Nigella Moment – Thai Beef Noodles
For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious. In the context of these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in either because I made it and it was really good, or I just didn’t have time to make it but it was one of the most appetising things in the mag!
This time round it was some Thai beef noodles. I’m hoping that sherry will redeem itself in this recipe as it sure didn’t work in the prawns! These look delicious and fun!
Australian Table was able to dish up a lovely summery meal despite being an issue from the middle of winter! The prawns and satay were also nice in winter and were lovely reminders that summer is on it’s way!
Hello, retro food lovers! Let’s take a trip back twenty years to July 2003. While where there, why not pick up the current copy of Delicious Magazine and try to make a meal with ingredients that we can find in our fridge. I set a rule for myself with this one that at least 2 ingredients for each meal had to come from my fridge. For the purposes of full disclosure, I have also listed items I have used from my freezer, pantry and those I bought for the recipes. Before we head to the recipes, let’s set the scene for what else was happening in July 2003!
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl was #1 at the box office, followed by Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Bad Boys II. Doesn’t sounds like I would have been going to the movies a lot in July 2003! Instead, I was likely staying at home reading the best-selling Da Vinci Code by Dance Brown and listening to Beyonce’s Crazy in Love. But enough about me, let’s get to our menu!
The Menu – July 2003
BROCCOLI, PANCETTA AND FETA PIZZA
There was a cheese fondue in the magazine which very nearly became the entree for our July 2003 menu but in the end I chose the pizza. The recipe comes from an advertisement for Ardmona Rich and Thick Chopped Tomatoes which was absolutely brilliant and why I decided to use this recipe over the fondue. The advertisements which ran for a number of years featured celebrities not known for their intelligence advertising pureed tomatoes! Rich and thick tomatoes from the rich and…you get it. The ad certainly caught my eye! Also, this was the only recipe in the magazine where I did not have to buy any ingredients, although I substituted a few:
Fridge ingredients
Broccolini (subbed for the broccoli in the recipe)
Proscuitto (subbed for the pancetta in the recipe)
Feta cheese
All of these were leftovers from other things I had made which would have otherwise likley gone to waste
Other ingredients
Puff Pastry – from the freezer
Tinned tomatoes – from the pantry
Broccoli and Pancetta Pizza Recipe
Beef Carpaccio with Parmesan, Horseradish and Raw Beetroot
This is a Jamie Oliver recipe that I made to use up some leftover beetroot. I generally hate beetroot but the fussiest eater in the world likes it so we had half a beetroot in the fridge left over from a roast dinner he had made. A lot of people, including me, give Jamie Oliver a hard time but seriously…this might be one of the best things I have eaten all year!!! It was perfectly pitched. Everything went together so well. It was an absolute dream of a dish! 10/10 Mr Oliver, this one was outstanding!
Fridge ingredients
Beetroot
Horseradish (originally from our garden)
Sour cream (instead of the creme fraiche in the recipe)
Parmesan cheese
Other ingredients
Thyme – from the garden
Lemon – from the garden
Olive oil, salt, pepper – from the pantry
Bought ingredients
1 steak – I was not going to buy a whole fillet for two people!
Rocket -(this cost all of 36 cents!)
Carpaccio recipe:
Chocolate Chestnut Log
On first reading, I thought this would be a cake. Instead, imagine a melt-in-the-mouth mousse with a swirl of chestnut surrounded by a swirl of chocolate chestnut. Delicious but very rich!!!! (Not thick though). If the carpaccio was something I would gladly eat every day, this is a dish I would save for special occasions.
Chocolate Chestnut Log Recipe:
Fridge ingredients
Butter
Egg
Other ingredients
Sugar – from the pantry
Brandy from the drinks cabinet
A can of chestnut puree which had been in the pantry for far too long!
Cocoa powder – from the pantry
Bought ingredients
Dark Chocolate
My Nigella Moment – Fillet of Beef Bourguignonne
For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious. In the context of these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in either because I made it and it was really good, or I just didn’t have time to make it but it was one of the most appetising things in the mag!
I feel a bit sorry for the cheese fondue recipe in the July 2003 issue of Delicious Magazine. It got pipped at the post for the starter and again for the Nigella moment. Those of you who know me, and whose jaws are dropping that I didn’t pick the fondue (twice), take a look at this picture:
The perfectly cooked beef, the glossy sauce, the wine-soaked onions – this dish looks so beautiful and luxurious to me and something that I would definitely cook if I was having a group of people for dinner. Something this size though would feed us both for a week. I’m holding on to this recipe though! Next time we do magazines in my Foodies club, this is exactly where I am heading!!!!
Well, the July 2003 issue of Delicious proved to be an absolute treasure trove of recipes and definitely filled the brief of being able to base a meal, largely on ingredients that were in my fridge!
Hello, retro food lovers! Today we are taking a trip back to June 2003 for a gluten-free meal brought to us by Donna Hay Magazine, issue #x. Was gluten-free a thing back then? I know obviously people with Coeliacs and other conditions would have needed to be gluten-free but I am not sure it was as popular as it is now. However, before we see whether or not we could prepare a decent meal from a magazine in 2003, let’s see what was making headlines!
Europe launched it’s first mission to Mars
J.K Rowling released book 5 in the Harry Potter series, Happy Potter and the Order of The Phoenix.
Glastonbury was headlined by Radiohead, Moby and R.E.M
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl premiered at Disneyland
So, a pretty good month for pop culture! And space exploration. But was it as good a month if you had gluten free guests arriving and all you had for inspiration was the latest edition of Donna Hay Magazine?
The Menu – June 2003
Grapefruit Bianco
This was refreshing and quite savoury. I used a bit less sugar than the recipe and I loved the combination of the slight bitterness from the grapefruit and the herby/citrussy Cinzano. This really helped to set the tone for the rest of the meal!
Grapefruit Bianco Recipé:
Sugar Cane Prawns
I loved these! I didn’t use the rice paper as per the recipe but added some lettuce leaves to use as wraps. Any leftover sticks are great the following day in a baguette with some more lettuce, some herbs, chilli and pickles, banh mi style!
Sugar Cane Prawns Recipe
Pad Thai
Who knew this take-out favourite was so easy to make at home? This was so tasty it had the fussiest eater in the world commenting on how good the tofu was!
Pad Thai Recipé:
Grown Up Spider
Just to explain for my non-Australian readers. We are not about to eat arachnids. We call a mix of soft drink and ice cream a spider. This one mixes sorbet and Moscato into an adults-only version which was a lovely refreshing end to this meal. I used mango sorbet in my Spider and it worked really well.
Grown-Up Spider Recipe:
My Nigella Moment – Crispy Skin Chicken
For first-time readers, this refers to the moment at the end of Nigella Lawson’s cooking shows when she sneaks back to the fridge to have another bite of something delicious. In the context of these Twenty Years Ago posts, it is something contained in the magazine that does not fit with the overall menu theme but I’m sneaking it in either because I made it and it was really good, or I just didn’t have time to make it but it was one of the most appetising things in the mag!
There were a few contenders for my Nigella moment in this magazine. There were some macarons…but hold fire as we will be making them next week. If they work out! Then there was a four-cheese toasted sandwich which sounded divine. Cheese is my love language after all! But a sandwich seemed a little contrary to the gluten-freeness of this post. So, I went with this Crispy Skin Chicken because just looking at it makes my mouth water!
I didn’t make the crispy skin chicken because:
1) I couldn’t find spatchcocks
2) Deep frying is such a faff and,
3) I very doubt I could make something that looked that good!
I think the June 2003 Donna Hay Magazine gave me some fabulous inspiration for my gluten-free meal! And it made someone enjoy tofu!!! 10/10 for this one!
