If you’ve read my last couple of posts, you need not wonder why I wanted to get stuck into some wholesome, healthy vegan food today! Not only did my husband and I prepare this River Cottage-inspired recipe for dinner, but for lunch we revisited an old family favourite- Red Lentil and Vegetable Soup. Operation Compensation…
Entertaining
VANILLA CUPCAKES WITH CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING (AKA spooktacular Halloween treats)
On any given day I am partial to baking, but I simply can’t resist the opportunity when the occasion actually calls for it. An open, English-speaking babies play group here hosts a casual Halloween party each year and parents are asked to bring snacks for sharing. Last year I made chocolate spiderweb cookies, this year…
CHOCOLATE CRACKLES- REPRESENTING AUSTRALIA ON UNITED NATIONS DAY (AKA so popular I don't even have photos to show you!)
Due to my diagnosis, I have been unable to participate in the day-to-day running around with L to nursery school and so on, let alone to enjoy some of the more momentous occasions of the past few months, such as his first day there. So, as you can well imagine, I was ecstatic to hear…
HOT CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE (AKA the easiest, fastest cake in the universe!)
If you’ve ever come across a recipe for a “mug cake” and wondered if they really are too good to be true, wonder no more! Mug cakes are fabulous, fast, so easy you’ll be able to commit the recipe to memory and, most importantly for dessert lovers, utterly delicious! I promise you that a quicker,…
NUTELLA HOT CHOCOLATE (AKA I'm terrible!)
When I was little there was a commercial on television for Nutella where the kids sang “Aaaaah, Nutella! We always say yes to Nutella!”. Even as an adult, I have to agree with that statement. Although we rarely buy Nutella, when we do it tends to disappear fast! A couple of years ago I discovered…
BLUEBERRY DANISH (AKA Do try this at home)
Another of my Project Pinterest must-do’s for my husband’s birthday brunch, modified from a recipe that seemed (and proved to be) simple in execution and fun to make! The main modification I make is a steep reduction in the amount of almond extract (which, in the amounts specified in the original recipe, can make for cloyingly sweet, overly…
STUFFED, BAKED CIABATTA (an all-in-one full hot breakfast)
My husband’s birthday was celebrated at home with family this year. I was “released” from full bed rest (which I was placed on due to pregnancy-related issues caused by a subchorionic hematoma) two days before the event. After being largely immobile for over two months, I couldn’t wait to get back into a little light…
CUTE CUPCAKE CAPERS… DOWN UNDER
I recently had the absolute pleasure of partaking in The Cupcake Lady‘s decorating workshop, Cupcake Basics, in a suburb close to South Australia’s capital, Adelaide. As soon as we had confirmed our Australian travel plans back around October, I jumped online and booked my spot in the class (they sell out fast!). I was not…
CHOCOLATE-FILLED CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES (AKA can you really go wrong with 3 types of chocolate?)
My husband’s birthday was a simple affair this year. After a long day/week in the office he decided that a visit from his close family, some take-away food and a comfy spot on the couch were all that he wanted in the way of a birthday celebration. I, on the other hand, think that no…
RUSTIC COCONUT CHOCOLATE BARS (AKA ‘I never need to buy a Bounty bar again!’ part 2)
I did it! Yes, no less than two days after dreaming up a reconstructed Bounty bar using my coconut macaroon recipe, it has materialised in my kitchen (shame on me!). The results are nothing to be sniffed at. Moist, fluffy, coconutty and chocolately, they are less sticky-sweet than the factory produced, plastic-wrapped original that inspired…