If Tilly had a puppy....

Walking past the pet shop the sign said Jack Russell puppies for sale...who doesn't love looking at puppies do in we went. One of those heart melting moments when this little guy opens his eyes runs over with the fattest happiest wagging tail...... The look said "are you my new mummy?????"  You could go through your whole life and never meet someone so happy to see you.  If I was in the market for a new puppy young Master Russell would've been in my trolley. That is for sure. 

Pork & Prawn Dumplings

Mum was feeling like some Chinese so I decided to buy some dumplings. Light tasty and delicious. When did they get so expensive? Nothing for it but to make some at home. I did buy the wrappers this time but next time I will make them.  http://youtu.be/67INQ8T4LHY 

Happy Chinese New Year Everyone.

Cheekyricho Timtam Ice cream Cake

Happy Australia Day everyone. Why not celebrate with us and make this delicious simple Timtam Ice cream cake. It's rich decadent and very Australian.  Recipe can be found on our cheekyricho YouTube channel. http://youtu.be/wySBR2Lga68

Cheekyricho Crab Rangoon

Reputed to be one of the most popular Chinese Take out requests this is very easy to make, eat & enjoy. Crabs are in Season here in Australia and what better way to utilise this sweet tasty seafood than in a Chinese Crab Rangoon http://youtu.be/O3F23l9IY4s

Umami Corn

We have shown  you how to make Umami Paste, now we are going to show you some of the best ways to use this versatile flavour base. Nothing can enhance the flavour of a steaming hot cob of sweet corn as easily as Umami. The flavours are so complex it will be difficult to identify any one single component. The taste left on the palate is savoury, with the slightest hint of sour and an almost gravy like after taste. Almost impossible to describe as it is a sensation like no other. You will just have to try it for yourself. Checkout the video recipe for Cheekyricho Umami Corn and see for yourself. http://youtu.be/gE8vZzmW9UQ

Coachman Hotel Nymboida

We went for a drive to Nymboida Junction and stopped for lunch at the Coachman Hotel. The pub was recommended as it had a museum of Interesting Things adjoining it with meal facilities, lovely views of the Nymboida River, accommodation and most importantly it belonged to Russell Crow the actor. The museum housed many unusual articles belonging to Russell Crow from his movies appearances. It was recommended as these articles are not usually available for public viewing. The meals were reported to be quite good and the setting very pretty. After a considerable drive we found the hotel had been sold 2 months ago and all of Russell's memorabilia had been removed. The museum is closed. The pubs main draw card no longer exists. That was bad luck, not just for us, every person who walked in the door asked after it. The bar staff must get mighty sick of delivering  disappointing news to people, who probably wouldn't have made the trip had they known the museum was closed. The Nymboida Burger with the lot we ordered came with chips. It was timely delivered, fresh & tasty. Worth $15.00 ??? I will let you be the judge.  If I owned a Hotel that had a reputation for having a museum which was one of the main reasons for its popular patronage and it had been forced to close, I would be making darn sure people came back for some other reason. I cannot comment on the accommodation as we did not use it. The hotel is in a beautiful spot with lovely views of the river and surrounding bush & farmland. It is a welcome break for travellers on a fairly scarcely settled Highway. The building itself is steeped in history with numerous black & white photographs decorating the walls, giving an insight into its past. There is a small pool table, plenty of places to enjoy a drink inside outside undercover or in the beer garden. Clean facilities and icy cold beer. The staff are lovely and the gardens are well kept. Plenty of reasons to visit but don't go for the Museum of Interesting Things because it's no longer operating. 

Shannon Creek Dam

Shannon Creek Dam. We visited this Dam which is the Water Supply Facility for a number of Far North Coast of New South Wales towns. The area is pristine with a good road, situated in a valley surrounded by native bush land and wild life. The amenities are extremely well planned with ample undercover cooking facilities, sparkling clean toilets. Bush walks, signage, pathways and car parks have been carefully positioned and impeccably maintained. Only for day use with fishing, camping & boating prohibited this natural unspoiled setting is worth a visit. There is no shop so you must bring your lunch with you but it is a very peaceful serene day out if you care to visit.

Historic Arch hewn through rock mountain

Just had a delightful day trip through the countryside along the Guy Fawkes & Boyd River for a picnic. Came across this historic hand hewn rock tunnel cut through the side of the mountain. This Arch was commenced in 1866 by a road gang and is still in use today. There is no way around this section of the road with out using this tunnel. Don't try it in a caravan though as the height is only 3.27m. We saw the old gold mining town of Dalmorton which used be home to 5 hotels, shops, blacksmiths, school, town hall, courthouse, police station/lockup butcher shop and a thriving rural community. That's all gone now except for some ruins and a dusty road along a beautiful river. It was 37 degrees Celsius and forecast to getting much hotter over the next few days. We saw a lone camper & 2 men on horseback during the whole trip. It would be a magnificent place to camp , fish & relax. Just make sure take all your supplies with you as there is no way to spend money on anything in this peaceful rural setting.

Teriyaki Pork with Shiitake & Snow Peas

Using our home made Teriyaki Sauce this fantastic Japanese inspired stir fry dish is bound to impress. Filled with crispy pieces of pork ribs, crunchy snow peas and spongy shiitake mushrooms this is healthy, filling and light. We served it with fluffy steamed rice for a perfect quick mid week meal. For the full video recipe see our cheekyricho YouTube channel. We have an entire playlist of Asian Food with all your old favourites, plus some you probably haven't discovered yet.

Pistachio Stuffed Medgjool Dates

Alien Stalking with cheekyricho

Driving down the road on a public street today we encountered a wingless aeroplane. It was the most unusual  vehicle We have ever seen on the road. I won't tell you what Richo said when he saw it ( because this is a family post)  needless to say it was an adult exclamation of surprise! A quick uturn and we attempted to follow it. Believe it or not we lost a vehicular aviation marvel in traffic. We were beginning to think it may have been one of those elusive UFO sightings you hear about. We eventually found it parked outside the local library, no doubt the pilot was inside checking up on our human history, culture & literature. Or was he invisible hmmmm? The force field was obviously switched off as we were able to get quite close to take photos, for evidentiary value lest the town be swallowed by a dome or something. In the passenger seat securely strapped In with a Bungy strap was a quite unusual looking passenger.  He refused to Look at us or communicate. Shirtless he should've blended in with the local beach scene but   He wasn't your average tourist, he had obviously travelled a great distance for his holiday. I am unable to confirm if his name is Paul. He was very quiet and didn't seem to understand my request for an autograph. I hope they enjoy their holiday here on earth. 

Cheekyricho Umami Paste the 5th Taste

Umami was Identified in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda, as the the 5th taste alongside sweet, savoury, sour & bitter. It wasn't until Much later in 1985 when the term Umami, which is the Japanese words  combination of delicious taste was scientifically recognised.  This taste is universally found naturally  in foods which contain amino acids called L Glutamates. As distinct from Monosodium Glutamate which is a chemically derived flavour enhancer which has suffered bad publicity possibly due to its overuse. The umami taste is the meaty brothy almost creamy aftertaste left on the tongue after it's consumption. A similar flavour to a rich roasted mature piece of meat. Many of the flavours responsible for umami are accentuated to a greater extent when used in combination with other L Glutamate rich foods. We have produced our own Umami Paste in the cheekyricho kitchen and urge to try it for yourself. There isn't a savoury dish you could prepare that wouldn't benefit from the magnificent rich flavour base enhancement that is our Cheekyricho Umami Paste. Check out how to make it and a group of recipes using it on our cheekyricho YouTube channel. http://youtu.be/gf8NvJUYosM  It will take you guaranteed enjoyment of food to the next level. No wonder is is called the 5th Taste.

Cheekyricho Banana Split

Richo beat the flying foxes to our LadyFinger  Bananas. They are now perfect firm little fat bundles of flavour. I decided to make Banana Splits to show you. Using our home made no churn vanilla Icecream. I wanted chocolate fudge sauce but he wanted Rich Caramel Sauce reckons it's more traditional. When did he get 'traditional' ??? Anyway he did pick the bunch of bananas so I made his favourite and I was pretty pleased I did. This was creamy & rich with nice firm little narnies and warm rich caramel sauce. The addition of pistachios with their salty green crunch really went well with this throw together all time favourite dessert. For the video recipe & so much more check out our cheekyricho YouTube channel.

My new fully automatic coffee machine

Welcome to the latest Gadget for the cheekyricho kitchen. A brand spanking new DeLonghi Prima Donna Exclusive, the worlds first coffee machine to make hot chocolate as well. After trying out different coffees from different machines yesterday this baby won hands down. Fully programmable makes about 13 different drink styles and there are oodles of personal preference options too. We've done an unboxing & made a couple of coffees for our cheekyricho YouTube channel & will be do a comprehensive review of it when we become more conversant with it's many features. Richo was still awake at 3am, serves him right for telling the lady he likes strong coffee.  Anyway off to make a cuppa! Coffee of course;-))

No churn home made Caramel Icecream with Maple Pecan Toffee

Lots of requests for ice cream without an Icecream maker has prompted this latest invention from the cheekyricho kitchen. It just might have something to do with 40 or so degree Celsius temperatures we have been enduring. This tastes so good you will be craving it in the middle of winter too. The recipe in all it's glory is coming this week on our cheekyricho YouTube channel. That will give you plenty of time to whip up some of our Glacé Fruit Bread to serve it with. Nothing like a little forward planning. http://youtu.be/1WAXKW_qdEg