3. From Our Cookbook Shelf to the Kitchen: Around the Table
School holidays always seem to invite a little more time in the kitchen. Slower mornings, sticky fingers, flour on the bench and recipes that become as much about the memories as they are about the food.
This week, we cooked from Around the Table by Shea McGee, a stunning cookbook that is so much more than a collection of recipes. Beautifully presented, it combines delicious food with thoughtful entertaining, seasonal tablescapes and practical hosting advice.
Shea shares stories from her own family table alongside recipes designed to bring people together, proving that memorable gatherings are just as much about the atmosphere as they are about what's served.
With a beautiful hardcover, this is a cookbook you'll happily leave on your coffee table as much as you'll keep reaching for it in the kitchen.
This Week's Recipe:
Snowball Sandies
With the kids home for the school holidays, we decided to bake the Snowball Sandies together.
The recipe describes them as a cross between pecan sandies and Mexican wedding cookies—delicate, buttery crescents with a trio of toasted nuts, baked until golden before being coated twice in icing sugar. The result? A dreamy little biscuit that absolutely melts in your mouth.
Like most home cooks, we worked with what we already had in the pantry. The recipe called for macadamias, but we substituted hazelnuts instead, and they worked beautifully.
This was such an easy recipe for little hands to help with. Mixing, rolling and coating the biscuits in icing sugar kept everyone involved, making it the perfect school holiday activity.
I'll admit our crescent moon shapes could use a little practice...
Thankfully, we'll just have to make them again.
And again.
Not because our shaping needs work (although it probably does!), but because they were absolutely delicious.
My Notes
A fantastic recipe to make with children.
Hazelnuts worked perfectly as a substitute for macadamias.
Wonderfully buttery with a delicate nutty flavour.
They really do melt in your mouth.
Perfect alongside a cup of tea—or coffee in my case.
Next Recipes I Want to Try
1. Cast Iron Piccata (Page 99)
A delicious-looking chicken dish featuring capers—and conveniently, I already have a jar sitting in the fridge waiting to be used.
2. Golden Crescent Rolls (Page 187)
Beautiful croissant-shaped dinner rolls that would make the perfect addition to our next dinner party table.
3. Brown Butter Citrus Cake (Page 291)
This cake looks wonderfully decadent, with rich brown butter frosting that I know my whole family would happily enjoy with an afternoon cuppa.
About the Book
Around the Table is the debut cookbook from American bestselling author and interior design expert Shea McGee.
More than simply a cookbook, it's a guide to creating meaningful gatherings through beautiful food, thoughtful styling and welcoming hospitality. Filled with personal stories, entertaining tips, seasonal inspiration and approachable recipes, it reminds us that some of life's best moments happen around the table.
Book Details
Hardcover
336 pages
Beautiful recipes, entertaining inspiration and seasonal tablescapes
Retail Price: $70.00
If you love cookbooks that inspire not only what you cook but also how you gather, host and create memories with family and friends, Around the Table is one you'll return to time and time again.
