I had such success with a loaf of ciabatta this weekend I made another one the day after. The recipe is from Alessandra Zecchini’s Savour (New Holland, 2006). Such an easy recipe and I didn’t even get my hands doughy.

300ml warm water

2 tsp active yeast granules

¼ tsp sugar

300g flour

pinch salt

Place water in bowl with yeast and sugar. After yeast starts to bubble, about 5 mins, add flour and salt and mix into a dough. (It is very sticky and runny so I just use a...

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Feijoa with smiley faces - you gotta love it!

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1 c flour
100g butter
1/4 c sugar
1 egg
3 c stewed dried apricots or fresh apricots

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a sponge roll cake tin with baking paper.
Sift flour, cut in butter and mix in until it resembles breadcrumbs.Stir in sugar and egg. Form a stiff dough.
Press half of the dough into the tin. Cover with apricot filling. Crumble the rest of dough over the top.
Bake for about 30 min or until the bottom layer is cooked through. You might need to cover the top with foil for an extra few min of ba...
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This is Nigella's evily good recipe for her Totally chocolate chocolate chip cookies. I have never made anything with three types of chocolate before. Seems so indulgent but just what the mental health doctor ordered on a rainy day with a hot cuppa and a lie down.
I always use less sugar than Nigella in all her recipes.

125 grams ...
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This is called Superb Chocolate Cake by Robyn Martin in A Treasury of New Zealand Baking (Random House, 2009). I like it because it a one-pot cake.

125g butter
3/4 c sugar
2 eggs
1 c milk
2 c flour
1/2 c cocoa
4 tsp baking powder

coffee syrup
1/2 c strong black coffee
1/2 c sugar
25g butter

Preheat oven to 180C. Line base of 20cm round cake tin.
Melt butter in a large saucepan. Mix in sugar then remove from heat. Beat eggs and milk together. Sift flour, cocoa and BP and add to butter mixture with egg-milk...
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Just thought I'd throw in this cool 'ghost showing his guns' that appeared on top of a delicious latte from Cereal Killa in Dominion Rd, Auckland. Their mochaccinos are also excellent as well as their mushrooms on toast, beetroot, walnut salad, eggs bene...

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Red Velvet Cake - an American classic, this recipe from the book Sweet Tooth...
 
115g butter
280g caster sugar
2 eggs
1.5 Tbsp red food colouring (or not, if you don't want RED velvet)
325g flour
30g cocoa (I tend to use a bit more than this)
250ml buttermilk (or make your own from 250 ml milk and 1 tsp lemon juice/vinegar [remeasure before use])
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cider vinegar
 
Need: 2 18cm round cake tins, greased and lined.
Preheat: oven to 180C
 
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy and...

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My darling husband took me to dinner at Dine in the Grand Hotel, Auckland, for my birthday in March. We had the 6-course degustation menu - what a treat. First time we've been out to dinner since Tui was born 11 months ago. I'm not reviewing the food, it was all excellent and highly recommended. I requested a vegetarian and fish menu and Justin had the meaty plates. Sorry, the snaps don't do the food justice - you'll just have to go and experience it yourself!

Heritage tomato...

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I adapted this recipe from Fiona Smith's chocolate, raspberry & coconut slice in A Treasury of New Zealand Baking (Random House 2009).

125g butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 c flour
2 Tbs cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c jam (I used cherry)
50g chocolate, grated
1/2 c dessicated coconut (or long threaded)

Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 18cm x 28 cm cake tin with baking paper.
Cream butter and half the sugar till light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, Sift in flour, cocoa and...
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2 cups coconut

2 egg whites

1/3 cup caster sugar

1/3 cup freeze-dried raspberries

heat oven to 180C

mix ingredients together

put into 2-3 tsp-sized mounds on a sheet of paper

bake for 10-12 minutes (til they're a bit golden)

remove from oven.

cool - don't ...

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Ginny got this recipe from Dish magazine but she left out the "horrid" raisins and added more apple.

This cake is more apple than batter and is great served with a big dollop of softly whipped cream or warm with a scoop of ice-cream

½ cup raisins soaked in warm water for 20 minutes
2½ cups plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger
¾ cup brown sugar
finely grated zest 1 lemon
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup melted butte...
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This post is long overdue but I wanted to mention this wonderfully delicious meal my friend Sarah and I had at Wise Cicada health food shop in Newmarket, Auckland on February 15. It was a charity dinner to raise funds for a container load of goods for children in a remote island of Vanuatu. About 20 people attended and there were many volunteer chefs, led by Raw Chef Rene. I forgot to take pics! But found this one of the sushi. Here is what we feasted on:

Sparkling kombucha
Baby bella mushrooms...
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Individual carrot cupcakes with lashings of cream cheese icing! Exactly what we mums deserve at coffee group. It's one of Martha Stewart's.
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup shredded coconut, plus more f...
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