My Open Kitchen podcast, episode 3

Image by Luisa Brimble

Hello again! The latest My Open Kitchen podcast is live now on iTunes and this one is a real goodie! There are some great tips on tools of the trade for photography and social media as well as some awesome new people to follow on Instagram. We draw a lot of inspiration from our two guests this week, Michelle Crawford of the blog Hugo and Elsa and photographer and collaborator, Luisa Brimble. They both absolute guns in their fields and they left us both feeling full of admiration.

We hope you are enjoying the podcasts as much as we are loving putting them together for you. To listen, please click on the green ‘play’ button above, or find us on iTunes (search My Open Kitchen). Thank you so so much again for all of your support so far. If you would like to share your thoughts (and have the time), a review on iTunes is so helpful in keeping My Open Kitchen up and running. Enjoy!! Sophie and Skye x

Image by Luisa Brimble

Interview One – Michelle Crawford
Michelle Crawford is a cook, author, blogger and food stylist based Tasmania’s Huon Valley. She is a huge inspiration to so many; her blog and Instagram feed is testament to her love of all things simple and seasonal and her book is an all time favourite of ours. In this episode, she talks with Sophie about an unashamed love for her magical ‘place’ in the world in Tasmania, making friends on social media and some great tips on managing and making your instagram feed shine. You can find Michelle on Instagram @hugoandelsa

Michelle’s Instagram loves
Gill Mejer – Chef at The River Cottage
Clogadh McKenna – Celebrating life on the farm in Ireland

Image by Michelle Crawford

Morning tea – Sophie’s wholemeal peanut and white chocolate biscuits

Absolutely delicious, completely more-ish and easy to make, transport and share – what more could you ask for in a biscuit recipe? Makes about 15.

3/4 cup natural, unsalted peanut butter
2 tbsp golden syrup
125g butter
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup wholemeal flour
1/3 cup plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus a little extra for sprinkling
1/2 cup white chocolate, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 180C and line a couple of baking trays with paper. Combine the peanut butter, golden syrup, butter and sugar in the bowl of your electric mixer and cream until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until well combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder and salt.

Fold this into the butter/peanut butter mixture then finally mix in the white chocolate, leaving about a third to press down on the biscuits before baking.

Place the mixture in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes then roll mixture into walnut-sized balls and place on your baking trays, leaving space between each for them to spread. Top each biscuit with a piece of white chocolate and sprinkle with a little sea salt then bake for 10-15 minutes or until golden.

Skye’s Top 5
1. Extraordinary Routines by Madeline Dore. I am forever fascinated by people’s routines – how early they get up in the morning and how those I am in total awe of manage their lives. This blog, focuses specifically on that; the daily routines of creative Australians and it’s one of my all-time faves.

2. A good local one and something I know nothing about, but it excited me when I came across it on Instagram; Grazing Down the Lachlan. A foodie event along the banks of the Lachlan River in New South Wales (which is actually in flood right now) for 2017, put on by the Forbes Arts Society.

3. Spring has Spring! I am excited about building new gardens in our small space this year. I love sitting down with a blank piece of paper and sketching out which plants will go where, just like these beautiful hand drawn illustrations of plants in season in Emma Mitchell’s garden. Silver Pebble, I love you!

4. The Katering Show. I mention this for comedy reasons only. A very satirical take on the world of food eating preferences and intolerances. It is so so funny, in fact I had an inappropriate laugh when watching in the library the other day.

5. If you love the talents of Luisa Brimble, who was our guest then this week. Then you can pay homage to your tummy as well as your eyes with Hetty McKinnon from Arthur Street Kitchen’s latest collaborative community inspired cookbook, Neighbourhood. Everyone is raving about this and we are too!

Sophie’s Top 5

1. My Blue and White Kitchen – Sini Ellen is one of my favourite people to follow, both in blogland and Instagram. Her food, styling and writing speak to my love of all things Scandinavian.

2. Another IG follow; The Shady Baker – Jane is based on a sheep station in outback NSW and is also mad keen baker so her IG feed and blog is full of beautiful wide open spaces, wood-fired sourdough and biscuits packed up for smoko out on the station.

3. Podcast of the week – Martha Stewart on Radio Cherry Bomb. I love her even more after this interview!

4, Evernote – a fantastic app/website that I use to organise pretty much everything. I record little audio notes, store recipes or articles I’ve come across online and want to read or cook later. But the thing I use this for most is receipts – you just take a photo of them on your phone and file them in a folder and they’re there when you need them.

5 Felfies – the farmer selfie is a thing people, move over Kardashians! Check out this hashtag for loads of great pics of farmers doing their thing on their farms all over the world. Here’s my attempt at a family felfie!

Interview Two – Luisa Brimble
Luisa Brimble is the queen of collaboration. Her images, which can be found anywhere from Country Style, to Kinfolk, Frankie Magazine and ABC Organic Gardener are just superb. Her tips on ‘unstyling’ shots and telling stories without words, but through beautiful images are some of the best you will get. Too add to that she is super generous human, driven by a great sense of adventure and fun and she loves a gathering!

Luisa’s love for a shared table
“You just never know who you will meet around this table, even with workshops and gatherings, I feel like the next person I collaborate with is somewhere on this table. When someone starts talking about their life, my mind is already thinking about how I can work with this person. I feel like everybody has a story and for me that is an opportunity for content to shoot.”

Last amazing meal?
A couple of nights ago at Kepos Street Kitchen – “freakin beautiful Middle Eastern food! It was a disco in my mouth!”

Instagram – What for Breakfast
Instagram – Lisa Marie Corso from the Design Files
Instagram – Food Stories

Favorite podcasts
The Food Seen
The Dinner Special
Mad
Bon Appetite