Dzintra and Vicki choose a recipe

I have been so lucky to meet Dzintra when I entered into the world of blogosphere. In fact, she was my first visitor, and now I think of her as a friend. She is in Australia and I am in the USA. Through our blogs and emails she talked about taking a cookery class and has shown so many beautiful photos of her ventures while in her class, including being head chef at the College Restaurant for one of the projects. (I hope I got that right Dzintra) (:

Well to make a long story short, I told her that I had fallen in love with Donna Hay magazine from Australia. I found it tucked in the back recesses of the magazine rack in a book store over a year ago... and just HAD to have that magazine, so have subscribed. It's my favorite magazine.


Recently I mentioned to Dzintra that I had just received my newest issue, #44/April-May 2009. She went and got the same issue too. What fun! Now we could compare notes!


Then she suggested a wonderful plan! We would each choose a recipe (or 2 or 3) from this issue, make it at home... and then blog about it! I couldn't wait to decide what recipe/s I wanted to make.


After reading through the whole magazine I chose two recipes from the article titled: "Sage" (for those who might be interested - pgs 96-106).

Roasted Chicken with herb sauce and sage salt
Roasted Cauliflower, Sage and Almond Risoto

The sage, onions, garlic and lemons came from my garden... and then the prep began!

I decided to go to the attic for my trusty turkey roaster... maybe that would make a more moist chicken... (it did!)

and another of my favorite kitchen gadgets, a meat thermometer...

The chicken came out moist and delicious!

the risoto had a hearty taste, with a touch of sweetness from the sherry...


I set the table and called to the gang ... "Chow's on!"

The only thing I regret is that my hubby and boys didn't quite care to be photographed eating their food, but I can say that it was devoured with lots of good comments like ... "this is so good Mom!"and "why haven't you fixed this before?"

What a fun suggestion Dzintra! Thank you! I hope you had a very Happy Birthday this weekend, and I'm looking forward to seeing which recipe/s you have decided to make. I've so admired the scrumptuous food you've displayed from your class, and can't wait to see your handiwork!

Note: I'm looking for other publications from other countries that are similar to Donna Hay. I currently subscribe to the USA's Martha Stewart, Canada's Anna Magazine, and of course Australia's Donna Hay. Soooo, if anyone out there reads this post and can refer others to me, I'd love it! ...France, Italy, Norway, Germany, the asian countries ... or who knows... any country! I love discovering ... and yes, I'm a magazine junkie. Pretty silly, I know... but I love the big color photos and the down-home made classy kind of food that these magazines display. (: