Last week I ventured away from my city slicker lifestyle and back to the seaside town of Noosa, a place I have spent many years and made many memories. Other than the occasional visit to my family, I haven’t really been back for many many years, but have recently felt a pull, some sort of ‘call from the wild’ that has made me insatiably hungry to be around those I love.

As I said in my last post, I was on the hunt for a beautiful little plot of land to call my own. A porch to collapse on after a hard day in the field, whilst sipping warm tea from dirt stained hands. I dream of gulping down breaths of fresh air, squinting my eyes across acres of earth I have tended, loved and cared for. To have chickens laying just for me, to have trees bursting with their swollen fruits and being able to enjoy it all with my closest friends and family will be an amazingly fulfilling feeling

But of course with all this dreaming, there are many realities that also must be tended. For example, how much acreage is suitable? Which fruits and vegetables will I grow? And boy oh boy how big exactly is this job going to be and who will I need to get on board? These questions are coming hot and fast and at times I know I could let this whole journey get the better of me. But simplicity has been key. Simplicity, clarity, motivation and love. I am taking it step by step, tackling each task or project one by one so slowly but surely the noise can die down and all I can hear is the little tickle of the crickets back legs in my dream land.

So staying true to the theme of going back to where it all began, I am sharing with you my Chicken Schnitzel recipe. This recipe holds a dear place in my heart, as in addition to being what my Grandmother used to feed me as a little girl, it was the very first recipe I ever developed! I have enjoyed it many times with my mother and father, my partners, my son and my friends. Thank you sweet chicken for helping me create so many beautiful and tasty memories.

Chicken Schnitzel

Makes 4

4 chicken thigh fillets

1 ½ cup almond meal

½ cup parmesan – grated

1 egg

¼ tsp salt

ground black pepper

Flatten the chicken thighs with a meat mallet.

Combine the almond meal with the parmesan in one bowl and whisk the egg, salt and pepper in another.

Dip the fillets into the egg mixture, coating them entirely. Then repeat the process by coating with the almond meal mixture, pressing the fillet into the mixture.

Turn several times repeating the pressing process until the fillet is well covered with almond meal.

Heat a deep frying pan with oil and fry the schnitzels 1 or 2 at a time, cooking until golden brown on each side.

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