Recently I cleared out all my retired recipe books. Tucked between the pages were raggedy scraps of paper covered in long-forgotten recipes. Sifting through them and taking a trip down memory lane I found this long lost chocolate cake recipe. It was given to me, around 40 years ago. It was good then and I […]
Category: Uncategorised
Halvas Fourno Semolina Cake.
I took a trip down memory lane today and made this delicious Greek cake that was once a regular part of my baking repertoire. My son who is visiting from London reminded me that this was/is his favourite cake and he would always request it for his birthday. I had forgotten! Chastised I searched through […]
Cannellini Bean Hummus
Looking for a quick and easy alternative to traditional chickpea hummus? Well here it is. I made this for my last birthday party nibbles along with various other dips and my focaccia bread. It went down a treat and so easy you can whip it up in minutes. It’s important to use fresh coriander powder […]
Cauliflower Pakora (gluten-free)
I adore deep-fried food. I love fat and oil but since I’ve been steering clear of gluten I haven’t been able to indulge in even the occasional piece of battered fish or a home-made doughnut. With an abundance of seasonal cauliflowers I rediscovered Indian chickpea flour pakora and now I’m a little bit obsessed. I […]
Spicy Peach Chutney
We had a power outage late last night that lasted for almost 12 hours and today the power has been going off and on intermittently. We used to get power outages much more frequently previous to the last 10 years but it looks like they may become more of a feature in the years ahead. […]
Gluten free peanut slice.
I have loved baking and bread-making all my adult life. I’ve referred in a previous post to my nana and aunties who were such reliable home bakers but it seems I’m walking a different path (for now) and finding my way through this gluten free maze. For years I have resisted and resisted this nuisance […]
Peace and Restoration
It’s a while since I’ve put finger to keyboard to write my thoughts but here alone in my house, the rain outside gently falling and the occasional kereru flying into view just the other side of the window, I have the time and the urge. I literally want for nothing, my pantry full, my house […]
Hungarian wax peppers stuffed with goat cheese
This garden year has been such a year of firsts for me. I’ve grown all manner of chillis and eggplants successfully for the first time ever. Hot medium and mild chilli’s, Jimmy Nardello and Yellow Hungarian wax chilli/peppers and a special Japanese eggplant that has a shorter growing season. I’ve never properly cooked with fresh […]
Gluten/dairy free Christmas Cake.
This is the Christmas cake I used to make every year until the mood changed and my people stopped eating Christmas cake. I would end up eating the whole thing myself slowly over a few months post Christmas but in truth the weather isn’t right for traditional Christmas cakes here in Aotearoa. My eldest daughter […]
Dill pickled eggs
I’ve been expanding my flock of chickens for some years now. I can’t resist hatching a few batches of chicks each spring/summer and on the other hand keeping all the older non-laying ones in a state of perpetual retirement instead of culling them is not the best economical decision but what can you do? After […]
Date and walnut loaf (gluten-free)
Recently I’ve had a hankering for some old-fashioned date and walnut loaf. I visited the Binn Inn in Silverdale yesterday as I had seen on facebook that since this recent lockdown they’ve had hardly as many customers as usual and I wanted to support this small and local business. With all the fear and paranoia […]
Plum and Almond Shortcake.
It’s plum season and we have multiple trees laden with fruit. The birds always manage to eat much of it early on but from experience I’ve learned they always leave enough for all of our needs. Last year I made enough plum sauce for years to come. This is something I try to do with […]