A few of our favourite things

Becs: Tom yum has been on my menu quite a bit lately.  I was inspired after reading this recipe.   On first glance it does seem like you need lots of bits and pieces, but one trip to the Asian grocery and you have everything you need, most of which can be stowed away in the cupboard, fridge or freezer for next time you have a craving for Thai.  I like to add either some raw prawns or chicken, and (unconventionally) fresh noodles and lots of green veges like broccoli, for a filling, vege laden dinner in just minutes. The chilli hit is ideal for winter colds. Tom yum is also a great vehicle to use the kaffir lime leaves my 5 year old tree has been busy growing over the years and that scarcely get used...

We think this snug new strawberry hat of Daisy's is pretty cute.  Nanny bought it for her from a stall at the Sunday Artisan Market.  The clever creator not only handknitted it but also spun and dyed the wool herself...how this is possible for the grand sum of $25 I have no idea but it will do good job of keeping her little head cosy in these cold winter months.

Miriam: These Vita-Weat Lunch Slices are actually a favourite thing of Mike's.  He refers to these as his 'man crackers' due to their gigantic size and thickness.  While I'm not a big fan myself, Mike loves them as they can satisfy his after work but too early for dinner hunger.

A few of our favourite things

Becs: I love this old scalloped-edge mirror I found at John's Collectables in Temuka, when Miriam and I were holidaying there over New Years.  I had been  keeping an eye out on Trademe for one and was thrilled to find this one for a very reasonable price. It is incredibly heavy so in these shaky times has been bolted to the wall.  Daisy and I have just moved into our new house so it is lovely to display special treasures again. 

Another favourite house-related thing is the gorgeous hot pink Fairydown feather blanket I bought for half-price at Farmers last week.  Our family has long been a convert to these amazing blankets, and they have recently released the kids range in bright colours.  Continuing in the colour theme, when in Auckland last month I discovered Collected by Leeann Yare  a colour-filled shop in Mt Eden with loads of beautiful things.  I found the turquoise rug there, after much hunting for a rug for Daisy's room that didn't feature anything Dora or Disney related!

Libby: I was given a potted hyacinth last year and after it finished flowering I abandoned it outside and completely forgot about it. I discovered it again over the weekend and was delighted to see that it has popped up again... I am taking it as a sure sign that SPRING is on its way! 

a few of our favourite things

Becs: I planted a $4 punnet of poppy seedlings into a pot during winter and then did absolutely nothing; over the last month they have rewarded me with a constant supply of cheerful blooms. Everyday a few more poppies open up their buds, ready to be picked. Such a good return on investment!

Miriam: On Sunday, Mike and I went to The Auckland Retro Fair. The quantity of both goods and people was slightly overwhelming. However it was a great treasure-trove of blast-from-the-past bric-a-brac. We came away with this retro coffee table, which matches Mike's 70's lounge suite perfectly.

Libby: Food-wise (and otherwise) it was a very good weekend for me. I'll just give you the highlights. On Friday I scored a free whole blue cod at work. On Saturday I had a lovely lunch at Nikau - terakihi with beetroot and skordalia - which just got better when I managed to snaffle the last rhubarb and rosewater doughnut for afterwards. Yes, it was every bit as delicious as it sounds. SO delicious it disappeared before having its picture taken. And on Sunday I had a lovely morning learning all about eggs from someone who knows a lot about cooking them. You can read more about that here. The picture above is my attempt at recreating the beetroot from Saturday's lunch. I gently simmered the beetroot whole until tender, peeled and sliced it, poured over a little olive oil and red wine vinegar and sprinkled with chopped capers and Italian parsley.

Daisy just loves her Dorothy the Dinosour costume, which arrived in a parcel from Wiggles Corporation in Australia, courtesy of Aunty Sarah. Dorothy/Daisy can be seen above enjoying suitably green coloured food on an (unintentionally) Dorothy coordinated plate.

chocolate cake for Daisy

It was Daisy's birthday party on the weekend.  I had briefly contemplated the construction of a Dorothy the Dinosaur cake, but decided against it in favour of the angst-free option combining three of her favourite foods - chocolate, strawberries and marshmallows (mamos). The cake was Nigella's Chocolate Guinness cake - over the past few months this cake has cemented itself as my new favourite. Nigella describes it as damp and delicious,which covers it perfectly.

I paired it with Alice Medrich's fast fudge frosting -  this was the first time I had tried this unusual  method of making icing and I loved it.  The cocoa-based frosting can double as a chocolate sauce if melted down,and it had a beautifully glossy,  gooey texture, just as chocolaty as ganache but without the richness. The frosting recipe below makes enough to generously sandwich and ice this cake.

We ate the cake with the fresh strawberries and mamos, a spoonful of berry compote and a dollop of cream. So delicious. Served this way the cake will feed around 20ish people.  Next year = no doubt Dorothy or her 2012 equivalent as requested by a more knowing Miss D will grace the brithday table.

Nigella's Chocolate Guinness Cake

250ml Guinness

250g unsalted butter
75g cocoa
400g caster sugar
140ml sour cream  or yoghurt
2 eggs
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract
275g plain flour
2.5 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C, and butter and line a 23cm springform tin.


Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter - in spoons or slices - and heat until the butter's melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla and then pour into the brown, buttery, beery pan and finally whisk in the flour and bicarb.

Pour the cake batter into the greased and lined tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.  

Fast fudge frosting

120g unsalted butter

1.5 c sugar
1.5 c cocoa
1.5 c cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a saucepan,melt butter. Stir in the sugar and cocoa. Gradually stir in the cream. Heat over medium heat, stirring till everything is mixed well and is smooth and hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and a pinch or two of salt, to taste.Set aside to cool. (I left it overnight, after which it was the perfect consistency to spread.)

Daisy made the most of her proximity to the abundance of marshmallows...

Happy Birthday Daisy x

Noosa 2011

Daisy and I are just back from a trip to Noosa with family and friends. We had a lovely week of sunshine and swimming, and here are a few of the food-related highlights...

The crate of strawberries above was a bargain buy at the incredible Noosa Farmers Market, which is held every Sunday morning. Such is my enthusiasm that I paid two visits, the second top-up trip being just prior to closing time at 12pm - hence the huge strawberry box being purchased for just $10.

Other market favourites include the Suncoast Limes stall below - they make the loveliest lime cordial - topped up with sparkling water (and a dash of gin or vodka if that's your thing) this is deliciously refreshing.

Also worth hunting out is the Slow-rise Wood-fired Bakery stall who make beautiful bread, great value paper bags of muesli packed full of local fruits and nuts, as well as an array of spelt-based baking. Their chocolate macadamia cookies are divine, as are the flourless chocolate, orange and hazelnut cakes.

(image via)

Noosa isn't overly endowed with high quality dining establishments, but I had heard mentions of Wasabi from various sources, and we had a great meal there. Top-end contemporary Japanese, and a world away from your usual cheap and cheerful sushi joint. We loved the tempura crumbed inside-out sushi with tiger prawns, mango and coriander. Other highlights included the sashimi style hiramasa kingfish with toasted sesame, ginger chips and ponzu (pictured below) and the almost too beautiful to eat tempura zucchini flowers with ocean trout and scallop stuffing. Interestingly no wasabi appeared anywhere on our meals?! Recommended for a special dinner.

At the other end of the dining spectrum we enjoyed lunch on the sunny deck of the perfectly positioned Noosa Surf Club. Anna and I shared a bowl of calamari and 'diamond' chips (very good!) accompanied by an ice-cold Buderim ginger beer brewed just thirty minutes away.

Daisy was introduced to the 'babycinno' (known in NZ as a fluffy) and by the end of the week proved herself a pro with an espresso cup. We sifted out the best baby cap location at Amo Gelato Caffe in Noosaville, where not only the obligatory marshmallow but also a pair of tiny teddies are provided as baby beverage accompaniments. Luckily Amo also served some of the best coffee we had in Noosa, using the locally roasted Costa Noosa beans. Excellent coffee was also to be had at Hard Coffee on Hastings St in the unlikely location of the foodcourt.

For more of our favourite things in Noosa check out Miriam's write-up from last year's visit. To update - Lamington design store is still full of lovely things, but sadly they currently don't offer their amazing gift-wrapped lamingtons as the bakery supplying them has changed hands, however they are on the lookout for a new supplier. Nutworks is still worth a visit - I bought 1kg of macadamia chips for $17 - perfect for porridge topping and baking. Claude's Food at the Eumundi Market still makes delicious rice pudding!

Yummy Yummy Yummy

A guest post from Sarah, Daisy's Aunty 'Raree'

Being housebound with all the snow on Monday, Daisy and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to bake a batch of cookies, or "yummy yummies" as Daisy refers to them! At the word "baking" Daisy was off to haul her special step stool over to the bench. We chose to make a popular Jo Seagar recipe for chocolate chunk oat cookies. Daisy was on quality control, tasting each ingredient as it went in. She would have been quite happy to devour all the raw mixture and I had to be quick to keep little hands out of the bowl. It was lovely and cosy having the smell of baking wafting through the house as the snow fell outside (as cliched as it sounds...)



Chocolate Chunk Oat Biscuits (Jo Seagar) 

Ingredients

• 250g butter, softened
• 3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1.5 c flour
• 1.5 c rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 250g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper.

Beat butter, condensed milk and sugar together until light and creamy.

Add flour, rolled oats, baking powder and chocolate chunks.

Flatten spoonfuls on the prepared oven trays and cook for 15-20 minutes until golden brown

Daisy tucked into her cookie as soon as it was cool(ish...) and thoroughly enjoyed it. Judging by the lack of cookies left in the jar, the rest of the family have been enjoying them too.  

           

            

 Daisy was a little unsure of the snow at first, but once she realised she could eat it she was away laughing.

a few of our favourite things

Becs: It seems to have been a fantastic season for mandarins this year, they have been plentiful and cheap down here in Christchurch. Daisy and I are loving these little NZ satsuma mandarins, just $2kg at our local fruit and veg shop. Small but thin-skinned, juicy and bursting with sweetness. Yesterday we paid a visit to the Halswell Domain, where each Sunday afternoon a group of miniature train enthusiasts crank up a dozen or so little steam trains and offer rides at just $2. Such good, old-fashioned fun. Daisy loved her wee journey over and under bridges and through 'forests' on the 'Rio Grande'.

Libby: Last week I transformed my pantry from a collection of half-empty packages held together with clothes pegs and old cookie-time christmas cookie buckets to an organised masterpiece with the help of a label-maker and a half-price special on Sistema plastic storage containers at New World! I felt slightly silly wheeling a trolley-load of plastic containers up to the checkout but the lovely thing was the checkout ladies were just as excited about the awesome half-price discount as I was! I didn't feel silly enough not to return for round two a couple of night later...

Miriam: I love fresh flowers. In a bid to help combat my flatmate Jane's post holiday depression (after she arrived back from a tropical island getaway) I brought these pretty tulips. They really do brighten up the place.

A few of our favourite things...

Miriam: While in Christchurch this weekend, I tried some mulled cider that Becs brought from the Dunsandel Store. I'm a big fan of cider, and of mulled wine, so naturally I loved this combo. It was quite sweet, so you only want a glass (or mug depending on your view of how mulled drinks should be served), but it was a great way to warm up on a cold day. I bought a bottle of it to take back to Auckland, but it would be easy to make too, here's a recipe by Jamie Oliver.



Becs: I love these cute as cute can be hair clips and ties from lyttel button, made here in Christchurch in Lyttelton. They are made using fabrics imported from Japan; my favourite are the sweet little bambi clips. If only Daisy would happily leave them in her hair rather than tugging them out immediately...they are $8 per set from lyttel button, their email is lyttelbuttons@gmail.com .

Libby: My new favourite thing is my new house, especially the kitchen! It's lovely and spacious - so much bench space to mess up - and the oven works like an oven should! It was a busy weekend in the kitchen and I've made lots of my favourite recipes: really good cheese scones with mexican tomato soup, pumpkin and raisin tea bread, busy people's bread, burmese chicken curry and an amazing chocolate and prune brownie from the Bourke Street Bakery cookbook. Recipe to follow...

A visit to the West Coast...

Daisy and I paid a visit to Hokitika last week, to commemorate the opening of the school's new Food Technology room, a project Mike had been passionate about, and catch up with friends. The weather was beautiful, Daisy and Heidi loved roaming around the beach after a lunch of fish and chips from the little shop near the wharf.



I also took the opportunity to stock up on some of my favourite West Coast provisions - including a date loaf from Blanchy's bakery in Greymouth, purveyors of old school baking at its best. This delicious family-sized loaf will set you back a grand total of $6.50...

Blanchy's loaf is perfect spread with the beautiful export-quality Westgold butter. Made in the milk factory in Hokitika from West Coast milk, it is a treat. The farm shop near the BP station sells it from a fridge, I don't think you can buy it anywhere else in NZ as it gets shipped overseas. I have a few blocks tucked away in the fridge for 'special occasions' deemed worthy of warranting its use!

Finally, the cupboard has been replenished with our favourite tomato sauce from Woodstock Kitchen. Mike and I used to go through bucketloads of this, buying it from the local Four Square. This time the dairy was out of stock, but I managed to locate the producer, and we paid a visit to the commercial kitchen tucked under her house. (Spick and span and a great set-up, I confess to some kitchen envy!) The old fashioned tomato sauce is my go-to condiment, I have tried unsuccessfully to recreate it at home, so half a dozen bottles happily found their way into my suitcase. So far you can just buy it in Hoki, but if you are curious to try it email Anna on ricanna@xtra.co.nz and she can arrange to send some.

We trained home, something I have wanted to do for ages, we never got around to it while living on the Coast. The serene scene below belies the determination on Daisy's behalf to avoid sitting down at all costs in favour of alternately standing precariously on edge of seat and attempting to climb on table. It was a long five hour ride!

A few of our favourite things...

Miriam: I love corn on the cob, with salt, pepper and loads of butter. For slightly more elegant eating, I've been making this salad for lunch (I think Libby first introduced me to this) with corn kernels, avocado and tomatoes, topped with fresh herbs and a drizzle of olive oil. A great combination of flavours and textures.

Becs: Daisy and I were glad to pack our bags on Friday and head to Wellington for the weekend, a trip (fortuitously) planned some months ago. We are loving our cosy room at Libby's house with blackout curtains, super-thick duvets and best of all no aftershocks. Sleep is a wonderful thing.

Libby: With Becs staying for a few days I was treated to some of her delicious porridge for breakfast. She uses special oats that haven't been rolled so the porridge has a consistency something like risotto. Sunday morning's porridge was served with pears, a sprinkle of dark muscavado sugar, lightly toasted walnuts and a wee drizzle of cream. It's the best porridge you'll ever eat and I'm not the only one who thinks so... see E23 of yesterday's Sunday Star Times to read more about our very own Unsung Food Hero!

A few of our favourite things...

Miriam: I do love the silly season! We've just decorated our Christmas tree, which we purchased using a voucher off Grabone - a website that has a new special each day. It's oh so hard to resist Grabone's bargains, especially as the website remembers your credit card details so at the click of a button you can grab the daily bargain. The top of our tree is decorated with a 'Pavlova Fairy' which my friend Maureen gave me for Christmas last year. It adds a lovely kiwi flavour!

Libby: I finally visited Maranui cafe for the first time since they reopened post-fire. I enjoyed this delicious berry smoothie in the sunshine with friends. I used to make something similar when I worked in a cafe - it's just frozen berries blended with some banana and juice but it tastes so so good!

Daisy has been enjoying the fine weather lately, and pushing her trolley around outside on the grass.

afternoon tea for Daisy

It was Daisy's first birthday recently, a very special occasion, so we celebrated with afternoon tea. The menu was...

Asparagus rolls with fresh mint and citrus butter

Chicken, almond and rocket sandwiches

Club sammies with egg, ham and herb mayo

Lemon meringue tarts

Mum's famous date and caramello slice

Miriam's lovely wee melting moments

Little chocolate eclairs

Thanks to everyone for making it such a special day for us xx

Spot

Happy Birthday Daisy x