I love baking slices, they take less time to make than biscuits… I find all that rolling of mixture into little balls a bit tedious: Slices are (often) faster to make! This is another family favourite that’s regularly in our home baking tins. I got this recipe out of the ‘Baking for Blokes’ recipe book by Steve Joll that some well-meaning person bought for my Hot Hubby one Christmas. He’s yet to be inspired, but it’s a cookbook I regularly reach for: It’s got a delightful Kiwi feel to it, the baking recipes in are simple, the ingredients mostly require pantry basics and, critically, damn the food is good! (more…)
Foodie
Ole! Amazing Layered Mexican Dip
Part of this amazing recipe is from my lovely American friend Mel (of Mel’s Mac Daddy Salad fame), it also combines my Gorgeous Guacamole recipe that I’ve been making since I fell in love with Avocados when I was at high school! My Gorgeous Guacamole combined with Mel’s recipe, well, it’s simply the best dip I’ve ever had. I love taking this dip to parties, like I did on the weekend (to a Mexican Party, how appropriate!) along with a big bag of cheese Doritos (because they are the best corn chips ever). It’s a dip with serious Wow Factor and guys, in particular, enjoy this and can’t get enough of it. Thanks for sharing your recipes Mel. Got anymore? (more…)
Honey Miso Spatchcock Chicken
My bestie came for lunch a few weeks ago and bought me a jar of misomite. This is a miso-based product, which you can use as a spread, or as a flavouring in dishes. It’s gorgeous and I’ve been having it every morning on my toast with poached eggs. Anyhow, I wanted to find another use for it…. and I came up with this marinade for a roast chook (spatchcock style, of course). It was utterly delicious and worthy of sharing! (more…)
Hokey Pokey Biscuits
I seem to spend a lot of time looking out for new recipes that are simple so my boy and I can make them together. I’ve realised I should just stop looking and stick to using the cookbook I’ve owned for the last 20+ years: The great Kiwi Edmonds Cookbook. This is their original Hokey Pokey recipe that, frankly, you just can’t beat. You need bugger-all ingredients, it’s easy, cheap to make and everyone enjoys them. Why make things complicated?! (more…)
Cauliflower Puree
It’s not terribly interesting looking in the picture, but I PROMISE, it’s delicious. Until my Hubby tasted my Cauliflower Puree he reckoned the only way to eat cauliflower was smothered in a cheese sauce to disguise the taste. He’s changed his opinion since I made this – he loves it. You can also use this recipe to make cauliflower mash (keep reading!)
You can serve this as a side dish, in the place of cheese sauce, or simply wherever you’d usually use mashed potato. This is also fabulous over pasta with bacon and mushrooms (a great alternative to a more calorie-laden cream-based sauce). Hmmmmm. I mix this in with macaroni and call it Mac n’ Cheese for my vegetable-hating-son. He scoffs it, blissfully unaware that he is eating cauliflower. Gotcha.
(TIP: You can make this ahead of time, just restrain yourself from eating at least a quarter of it before serving time… It’s addictive. You’ve been warned!). (more…)
Kirsty’s Scrummy Muesli Bars
This recipe is another of our family’s favourites! I love making it as it’s so versatile: I have gone to make it so many times and realised I haven’t got all the ingredients, so I improvise and it always works! It’s easy to make, my seven year old often makes it by himself. (more…)
Mel’s Mack Daddy Salad
My gorgeous American friend Mel is the Queen of Salads. I went to her house for lunch once and she made a salad that was so good I recreated it and we had it for dinner that night, and three nights in a row the following week. So when Mel emailed me a recipe of another salad she thought I “might like”, I got excited and I raced off to the supermarket to get the ingredients.
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Easy Mid-week Asian Chicken and Corn Soup
This soup is a regular feature on our week night menu. It takes a quick 15 minutes to make from start to finish – assuming you have pre-cooked chicken on hand! Best of all, it’s healthy, everyone eats it, including our fussy Small Child. Use whatever vegetables are in season, or what’s in your fridge (or leave them out if you are short on time!). (more…)