How time flies! I started this blog because I’ve met so many people who knew that certain foods bothered them, but just found it too difficult to change the way they were eating. They’d try avoiding dairy or wheat (or whatever it was) for a while, then give up. And so many people have the idea that healthy, allergy-friendly food is second-best, and really doesn’t taste good at all. I wanted to show people that you can make healthy, allergy friendly meals (and sweets) that are so delicious, everyone will want some! There’s no need to feel left out because your way of eating is not the norm. I wanted to encourage people not to give up, that it’s not as hard as it seems as first – you just need to be creative and willing to experiment with alternative ingredients! So, two years ago, on Boxing Day, I decided to begin a blog. I came up with the name “Quirky Cooking” because people had commented in the past on my ‘quirkiness’ and my different cooking style, and it seemed to fit. 🙂
So here I am, two years down the track, still having fun blogging… and I want to tell you how much I appreciate all you readers, and the lovely comments and emails you’ve sent, and the chats we’ve had – I love talking to you all! Please keep leaving comments and questions, and stop by sometime and have a chat, either here (through my chat box) or on my Facebook page!
And just to let you know how much I love to hear from you, I’m going to do my first GIVE AWAY!!! All you have to do to WIN is leave a comment on this post (just click on ‘… comments’ at the bottom right of this post) about what recipe you like best on my site, or what you have found helpful, or even a question or a recipe request… I like a challenge, so if you have a particular allergy, and would like some suitable recipes, let me know. 🙂 And the prize is…
I believe that not only should you be putting healthy food into your body, but you also need to use only healthy products ON your body. Your skin is your body’s largest organ – whatever you put on your skin will end up inside of you. That’s why I love Miessence products – they stand in a class of their own by being independently certified to international food grade standards by some of the world’s most respected organic certifying organisations, namely, Australian Certified Organic (ACO), the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and IFOAM (Europe).
As you may have noticed, I LOVE chocolate… so I thought it would be fitting to give away a sample bottle of my favourite perfume: ‘Delicious’ – by Miessence… an irresistable combination of chocolate, honey and vanilla with a floral hint of sweet jasmine. 
I also love coconut oil and coconut cream… so I love the smell and feel of Miessence’s Tropical Body Milk... a light, certified organic body milk that soothes and moisturises skin, featuring raw coconut oil that creates a protective barrier against moisture loss, as well as aloe vera gel for nourishing and hydrating the skin, and jasmine essential oil. I think you’ll love it too!
The prize will also include some other Miessence goodies – a geranium cleansing bar, sample sachets, and more! For more information about Miessence, and why I love it, check out my Miessence site. And leave a comment on this post before Sunday the 23rd of January to go in the draw to win!
Oh, and here’s my very first blog post for those who haven’t read it… “Trying Something New”
Love from Jo 🙂
Your so generous, what a great prize!! the chocolate perfume sounds amazing!!
I love your blog, I’ve had my thermo 3-4 weeks, and come check out your blog often!
You saves our dinner once already, my mayonnaise just wasnt working, haha! I’ve also made your creamy chicken and brown rice soup, yummo!!!
thanks for a great blog, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!
Thank you Amorita!! 😀
Happy Birthday Quirky Cooking!!! Thanks for all your effort Jo, I have learnt sooooo much from you and your blog. Still don’t know where you get the time but am very very glad you do! xx
Thanks faffa! xx
I’ve only just discovered your blog through a friend & I am waiting patiently for my new Thermomix to arrive! I look forward to trying out your recipes. Happy blog Birthday!
Jo, you and your blog have been a fantastic “long-distance” blessing to our family. You are a continued source of good advice and help through our food journey and allergy challenges.
I made your berry nougat twice over Christmas – once with the $4 Mud Cake and once with a sponge cake – both times it was a huge success. Thanks to your recipes, I have become the official Birthday Cake maker of the family!
Please Please Please keep up the hard work.
Jo, Thanks so much for providing such a great blog. I keep coming back to your site whenever I’m about to cook something new in my new Thermomix. I love that fact that you can provide me with inspiration for healthy foods that don’t compromise on taste or creativity. Amazing that you’ve been going for 2 years. I wish I had of found your site 2 years ago (and my Thermomix to go with it), but at least I’ve found it now and my family (2 kids and partner) thank you. Keep up the great work.
Sue.
What an amazing prize Jo.
Happy 2nd birthday to your blog – here’s to many more xxx
Thank you Natty, Cathy, Sue & Kelly!! Hope your tmx arrives soon Natty – you must be so excited!!
😀
I love your Blog have been trying alot of new things lately, i have been so amazed with my tmx and have only had it for a few weeks, my Christmas table was amazing and i can already see and taste the difference in the food we make
Happy 2nd Birthday 🙂 im intrigued with the perfume you mention will have to go smell this one
Thanks Vonnie – happy Thermomixing!!!
Jo, I love your blog. We don’t have allergy issues but I still find lots of brilliant tasty recipes. And when I have had to cater for dairy free friends your blog has been a godsend and often tell people (even those without a tmx) about your blog.
Happy 2nd Birthday and how lovely are you doing such a great gifveaway.
Happy birthday bloggie! All the best people were born in December… Myself included 🙂
I only discovered your blog recently, but am already a big fan. One thing I would love to see is your ‘pantry list’… A list of what you like to keep on hand to make these fab recipes. That way I wouldn’t feel so tortured every time I decide to make something scrum, only to discover I’m missing a few key ingredients!
Thanks again for all your hard work!
Thanks Zan & Lauren!
Lauren – I’ll try and get together a pantry list to post! 🙂
Happy birthday to you Jo and your blog. I have found so much of your blog so helpful for my family and love your recipes. The bit I love most is your kindness to want to help people by answering questions about all sorts of things I know that it has helped me personally and I also have loved the ability to chat with you and your openness to share recipes on the spur of the moment. Thanks Jo and I look forward to trying more of your recipes in the new year.
Thank you, Anon 🙂 Come chat again sometime!
Hip Hip Hooray!!! Quirky Cooking is two today (actually yesterday :-)).
Your blog is such an inspiration to so many of us Jo. Well done and thanks for all of the delicious recipes and helpful thermomix tips. We had a very Quirky Christmas with homemade honey and mustard mayo, berry nougat and spelt poppy rolls.
Here’s to the next two years!!!
Hooray for a Quirky Christmas!! Thanks Chelsea 😀 And keep up the good work on your blog too!
Jo your site has been a godsend. I was born allergic to milk and sugar, my mum weaned me back onto it by the time I was 2 but as an adult over the past few years, my reactions have returned with a vengance. I cook normally for my family but restrict the sugar and dairy that I have myself. I’ve also discovered I have a wheat intollerance too. Hence forth, discovering you has given me a new life line.
Happy Birthday Quirky Cooking and thank you so much Jo.
I’m so glad you’ve found my blog helpful, Jodi! Sounds like our diets are very similar 🙂
Well done Jo!
I’ve also learned a great deal from your blog. Well done dedicating your time to keeping it going.
I think you should start thinking about writing a book about your Quirky Cooking style.
Congratulations on your 2nd Birthday Jo.You are very much appreciated by someone who lives on the other side of the world.I love your style of cooking and most of all you make it fun and easy.
Congratulations Jo. I’m sure your site has helped heaps of people. I tell anybody I know who has any sort of dietary issues. Thank you for your kindness and willingness to share.
How generous!
I’ve had my thermie for a month or 2 now, and love your blog!! So helpful!!
Happy second Birthday Jo!
Have never met you in person, Jo, but it’s great to get fresh ideas so I can continue cooking healthy food for my family…
Thank you so much for the offer but also thank you for introducing me to your blog, you are amazing when do have time for all of it. Happy birthday and here is to many more!
Hi, Quirky Cooking. I’ve only just come over here from The Food Blog. This blog looks fantastic, and as my best friend is GF, I will certainly be a regular visitor.
Happy 2nd Birthday!!!!!
@Megan: I would LOVE to write a recipe book one day – you never know!!
And thank you all of you – hopefully there’ll be many more recipes coming up this year!!
Happy birthday little girl 😉
Besides your recipes (by the way — you might be responsible for my not loosing all the baby weight by the time I left Australia, what with all the chocolate recipes you posted right before Christmas…), I’m loving your food photography!
Is the competition open to outside of Australia?
Hi Rachel!! Sorry about all those chocolate recipes – just can’t help myself! But at least you have a good excuse for a little extra weight 😉 Of course you’re welcome to enter – it won’t be a big, heavy pack, so I don’t mind sending it overseas 🙂
I do love taking photos – just wish I had a decent camera! My dodgy digital one keeps dying… Saving up for a better one! 😀
Happy 2nd Birthday Jo ! Thank you for sharing your time and wonderful recipes :-).
hi Jo, I regularly read your blog because I own a thermomix and I also love healthy eating. My favourite recipe on your site is the Banana chocolate ice-cream. I make it with no sugar – just pulverised frozen bananas and it tastes/looks/feels just like the real thing, except completely natural!!! I LOVE IT. My kids love it.
Happy 2nd Birthday! I love your recipes so much & I think you’re amazing to be able to provide so many wonderful ideas. I especially love your fried rice recipe. It gets me using my Varoma (was the first thingI tried!), makes lots for my large family & is so tasty. What more could I ask for – just that you keep your recipes coming!!!
Thanks guys! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes too, Tebasile! Isn’t that banana ice-cream great, Carolina? My kids love it too! Glad you like the fried rice, Sue – the Varoma is perfect for large meals!
Jo 🙂
Happy 2nd birthday, Quirky Blogger! Looking forward to the recipe for those gluten-free brownies 😉
Miss Grunge
Perth.
Hi Miss G! I’ll try and get the brownie cookies posted today, but meanwhile, here’s a recipe for flourless choc hazelnut brownies you might like: http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2010/02/flourless-choc-hazelnut-brownies.html
Jo 🙂
Hi Jo,
Happy Birthday!!!! (a little belated – oops!).
Wow what lovely comments and I have to agree with them all! You and your wonderful recipes are such a great inspiration. I’m dairy sensitive and my daughter is gluten sensitive and your recipes have given us some amazing options where I thought there was none.
And like others I have passed on your blog details to others as well.
Wishing you much inspiration and success for the coming year ahead and I’m looking forward to that book ;-).
Joelene
Thanks Joelene 🙂 I’ll have to start thinking about that book, won’t I!! 😀
Happy Bloggy Birthday! Thanks for a wonderful blog full of yummy surprises. I really appreciate your enthusiasm for cooking and gorgeous generous attitude sharing everything with us! I find I read all your recipe postings and also frequently forward them to friends and family.
Now to look up your fantastic chocolate recipe and send to my niece …. xxx
Quirky turns two! Congrats! I have an ADHD tearaway and I use diet instead of drugs to control it. Most people are surprise to learn it’s most fruit and vegies that send him off – so a recipe with low Salicylate’s would be a hit with me and many folks looking for alternative ways to control their own lovable ratbag!
Thanks Sam! Hmmm, I’ll have to think of some of those kinds of recipes – thanks for the ideas! 🙂
I’m another one looking foward to your book, Jo! Thanks for the inspiration and enthusiasm, and for introducing so many of us to the amazing kitchen machine, alternative recipes and passion for good, real food. Blessings for many bloggy birthdays to come!
Jo,
I so much enjoyed meeting you and watching you cook the other night. I am so excited to get my thermo.I am totally busting…Happy Birthday on your blog. I look forward to cooking some of your delicious recipes. Thanks for the inspiration to get healthy!!
Hi Jo, I’m a bit late to say happy blogging birthday, but like everyone else who has commented, I really appreciate your site and your wonderful recipes. I also really love Miessence products.
My favourite recipe? Hard to choose, but for frequency of use I would have to go for the Berry Nougat – it gets outings for breakfast, dessert, snack, cake-topping… When I don’t have any nut butter I use tahini – still delicious!
Thanks for your inspirational website. It is so great to find recipes for allergies, and in particular gluten free recipes that are better than non-allergy recipes. It is no hardship to eat your yummy recipes. You have helped me to make the most of my thermomix which I bought mostly because my son is gluten intolerant. Ps, I can only imagine how delicious the chocolate perfume would be – yum!
Deb
@Virginia: I can’t wait to be able to deliver your Thermomix – hope it comes soon! I know you’ll love it 🙂
@Judith: So glad you like the berry nougat – I eat it at any time too! Tahini instead of nut butter is a great idea – thanks!! 😀
@Deb: Yay, I’m glad you’re enjoying my recipes 😀 Hope you get to try the chocolate perfume – it’s so good!!
Thanks Jo, a fellow foodie! for the wealth of information & inspiration that you are always willing to share with others. Happy 2nd Bloggie Birthday! Even before I purchased my Thermomix,
I was looking at your Quirky Cooking Blog daily for ideas, sometimes even a few times each day! I have family & friends with food intolerances & allergies and have used your recipes with great success! As for a favourite recipe? It definitely is Chocolate! though I’ve yet to venture into making my own. I’ll also passed on the link to your blog to those I know with dietary troubles. Keep up the great work. Thanks again for all your help!
Thanks Lucinda! I hope you can try the chocolate recipe soon! 😀
Happy 2nd Blog Birthday, Jo. You have a great blog, full of ideas and inspiration. Thanks for taking time to share so much with us. Wishing you many more birthdays.
From Marcelle