Family barbecue lunch

Smile, it’s another family get-together! This time, a barbecue. Friends of my parents were over from Malaysia and we all got together for Sunday lunch.

Zoe smiles as soon as she sees my camera

Zoe smiles as soon as she sees my camera

I don’t even have to ask my niece Zoe to smile any more! She “smiles” as soon as I point my camera at her!

My nephew Caleb is growing fast and has a healthy appetite like his sisters. He had homemade pumpkin puree and his mum’s milk for lunch that day.

Caleb about to laugh

Caleb about to laugh

Mum and Dad’s friend (we call her Auntie) KK roasted peppers on the barbecue. She also roasted whole eggplants on the barbie, wrapped in foil.

Barbecuing peppers and eggplant (in foil)

Barbecuing peppers and eggplant (in foil)

Jac put on an apron and cooked the meat on the barbecue. There were two kinds of sausages and marinated lamb chops. I love the smell of meat cooking on the barbie. It can be sausages, chops, steak, bacon…

Putting the lamb chops on the barbecue

Putting the lamb chops on the barbecue

Jac had also prepared a special dish to cook on the barbie – kidneys, bacon and onions marinated in marsala wine.

Cooking the marsala kidneys, bacon and onions on the barbecue

Cooking the marsala kidneys, bacon and onions on the barbecue

I had my eye on one of those juicy pork and apple sausages, of course!

Pork and apple sausages and beef sausages

Pork and apple sausages and beef sausages

And a meaty lamb chop. It all smelled amazing as I took these photos.

Barbecued marinated lamb chops

Barbecued marinated lamb chops

The kidney, bacon and onion dish also looked and smelled great, but I can’t stand the taste of kidneys so I didn’t have any. But everyone who tried it really liked it. Jac was chuffed to have other people to share her kidney dish with. She rarely cooks offal at home as I won’t eat it. Jac is a wonderful cook, but even she can’t disguise the “offalness” of offal!

Marsala kidneys, bacon and onions

Marsala kidneys, bacon and onions

I’d marinated chicken wings with soy sauce, black pepper, garlic, sweet chilli sauce, honey and fresh orange juice, which we cooked in our oven at home just before driving over to my parent’s house. My brother (whom we used to call “Chicken Boy” as a kid) and his daughter, my niece Ruby love these chicken wings. I think Ruby ate as many of them as I did. We cooked up three kilos of chicken wings, which meant plenty for everyone at lunch AND leftovers for my brother and his girls to share later. :)

Oven-baked marinated chicken wings

Oven-baked marinated chicken wings

The barbecued peppers were tender and delicious!

Barbecued peppers

Barbecued peppers

The barbecued eggplant was fantastic! Auntie KK seasoned the soft eggplant flesh with salt and pepper, a little olive oil and possibly one or two other magic ingredients I can’t remember. I could’ve walked off with the bowl and eaten it all by myself.

Barbecued eggplant

Barbecued eggplant

My younger sister Juji roasted a juicy slab of pork and sliced it just before serving.

Slicing the slow-roasted pork

Slicing the slow-roasted pork

It was very tempting to “steal” a piece of pork while no one was watching!

Slow-roasted pork

Slow-roasted pork

Slow-roasted pork

Slow-roasted pork

To go with the barbecue meats and vegetables, we had a couple of salads made by my eldest sister CW and her hubby M. First, mixed bean salad.

Bean salad

Bean salad

Second, potato salad with a creamy wholegrain mustard dressing.

Potato salad

Potato salad

The kids couldn’t wait to start eating! Ruby went straight for the sausages and chicken wings.

Ruby eats lunch

Ruby eats lunch

Ruby always has to have the Dora the Explorer plate and cutlery; Zoe has the Winnie the Pooh plate and cutlery. If you mix them up, the girls will always correct you or swap them over! :)

Auntie Juji helps Zoe with her lunch

Auntie Juji helps Zoe with her lunch

My only regret was that I didn’t grab more of that gorgeous barbecued eggplant. By the time I went back for seconds, it was all gone!

My plate

My plate

After all the dishes were cleared, it was time for dessert. Ruby and Zoe’s mum Angela had been busy baking. First, burnt butter macadamia marmalade biscuits. EDIT: The recipe is from Maggie Beer.

Burnt butter marmalade macadamia biscuits

Burnt butter marmalade macadamia biscuits

And then, a family favourite – Angela’s delicious brownies. They are soft and moist and extremely moreish.

Brownies

Brownies

In these chocolatey brownies, a secret ingredient that we all love: sultanas!

Brownies close-up

Brownies close-up

Ruby demolished her first brownie and asked for “another one, please.”

Ruby likes brownies

Ruby likes brownies

After all that eating, some of us were ready for a nap!

Caleb yawns

Caleb yawns

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