My food

I'm not a chef. I do not aspire to be a chef or own a cafe or restaurant. But I really love to create yummy things to eat.

I've had a very small amount of cookery training, two months in a restaurant kitchen as part of a university course, and some months working in the kitchens of a large hotel. I've also helped out in the kitchens of family cafes and restaurants since I was quite young. Not sure that these experiences inspired me, other than to teach me that working in a kitchen for a living is bloody hard work. It is not at all the glamorous experience that the TV shows make it out to be. It is hot, the hours are stupidly long and you feet get rather sore from standing up.

What I have had lots of is excellent people to observe in the kitchen. (That's right, when I come to eat at your house I am watching you cook - closely!! ha, ha.) All the people I've learned from have had very different cooking styles, ingredients and experience. But it is amazing the little tips that you pick up from just watching, tasting and asking a few questions.

I like to cook meals that I, my family and friends can sit and enjoy. I cook 'real' food that I think satisfies, that tastes and looks really good. I like to have lots of variety in my cooking, but I am an 'everything in moderation' kind of person, little bits of lots of different ingredients .

I find cooking relaxing, therapeutic even. There is nothing like banging pots and pans, chopping ingredients and stirring something for ages to release the stress of a difficult day. What is even better is that after all that work, you can sit down and enjoy what you've made!

My ingredients

I cook with meat. I really like meat, any kind of meat will do. Beef, lamb and chicken are my favourites, but I am cooking more and more with pork, as it is the national meat here in Austria.

I love seafood, but don't cook it enough as it can cost a lot. I adore scallops, oysters, calamari, tuna and smoked salmon.

I really like vegetables, including eggplant, cauliflower, pumpkin and zucchini. Two members of my house like none of these vegetables. Occasionally this causes a problem! I have been known to disguise these vegetables in dishes or with sauce. I also love onions and potato; both are so versatile and can be made really special with a few simple ingredients.

Tomatoes, avocados, cucumber, lemons, bananas and any kind of berries are absolute fruit staples in our house. My breakfast is avocado on toast. I will never, ever get tired of it! Husband loves stone fruit and is known as 'fruitbat' when it is in season as he devours it. The children love any fruit, so that makes packing lunchboxes easy.

I have a slight obsession with cheese. Living in Europe has not helped this obsession. On last count I had seven different types of cheese in the fridge! Goats cheese is the top pick; great for salads sandwiches or just smeared on fresh bread with a drizzle of honey. Crumbly cheddar is next, but is a little hard to come by here. Hanging out for a trip to the UK later in the year to get my fill. I like blue cheese too. My boy loves Camembert and Brie, the young lady loves Cheddar. We all enjoy a strong Parmesan for our Italian food. Mozzarella is also great, and freely available here. I had a Swiss cheese fondue at Christmas time; that was a great experience. While we are talking about dairy, I also devour Greek natural yoghurt (I tell myself that I am helping the Greek economy) and use it in cooking lots.

Carbohydrates. I am slightly addicted to carbs, however, for me this is not a problem as I see it as my energy food. I like pasta, cous cous, noodles, bread, polenta and rice. These ingredients remind me of when I was a child and we'd have lovely bowls of curry and rice, Japanese ramen, or thick white bread with butter and golden syrup.

Salt - I use it, I crave it and I love it (it's genetic)!

Herbs and spices - I love fresh and dried herbs and use them whenever possible. I think herbs add a real depth of flavour to slow-cooked dishes and anything roasted. Favourites of mine are rosemary, basil, parsley, mint and oregano. I like a little bit of spice in some foods, but no one else in my house does, so I use chilli sparingly.

Other stuff

• Coffee or tea - I was slightly addicted to coffee for many years, and it wasn't very good for my stomach, so I quit! Two years and counting without any coffee. I only miss it when I smell some really good coffee beans roasting. Other than that, I will stick with tea thank you.
• Organic? I go organic ('bio' auf Deutsch) if it isn't too expensive. Other than that I buy regular. Organic foods and products are widely available in Austria, and at a reasonable price.
• Wine - yes please. Scotch and soda - yes please, Campari spritz - yes, yes please.
• Sweets - absolutely, but not too often. Good icecream is simple, but wonderful. Baked American cheesecake is devine. I will order anything with chocolate on a restaurant dessert menu.
• Texture. My next favourite thing after the flavour of a meal is the texture. I really like crunchy ingredients mixed with softer things. For example, a salad with crunchy lettuce, roasted nuts or crispy bacon, together with soft-boiled egg, avocado or cheese. Or crunchy stir-fried vegetables with soft rice or slippery noodles. Mmmmmmm.
• Cuisines. My favourites are (in no particular order) Italian, Turkish, Japanese and Vietnamese.
• Fast food/junk food - hhhmm, what to say. I occasionally take my kids to MacDonalds as a very special treat. When they were really little, we called it 'Old MacDonald's Farm' and it was a place for the children to play in the playground while Mum and Dad had a coffee. That lasted for about four years, so we did OK! I generally don't like to eat or give my family too much processed stuff from packets. By this I mean sweet dairy snacks, juices, 'fruit/cereal' bars, potato/rice snacks etc. For me, there are way too many ingredients on the packet that I don't recognise. This also goes for any 'reduced-fat', 'light' or 'sugar-free' product. Just a personal choice, that's all. However, as a very special treat, I have a stash of salt and vinegar chips in the pantry - heaven!