Peanut butter chocolate chunk muffins
These are so easy to whip up. I love how the chocolate chunks were all melty warm from the oven. I used a friand tin to make them a bit fancier but a normal muffin tin will do.
winterCategory
Apple caramel brioche pudding
So I whipped up an autumn inspired luscious squidgy pudding full of caramel, apples, cream and brioche. So good with thick cream!
Citrus poppy seed loaf cake
I don’t bake with poppy seeds enough so thought I’d throw some in a citrus loaf cake I baked a while back. Poppy seeds give a tiny little satisfying crunch in this zesty loaf in which I replaced some of the flour with almond meal; almond meal adds a soft texture I love in cakes. Initially I planned[read more…]
Teriyaki broccoli with soba noodles & cashew nuts (vegan)
I’m really into home-made teriyaki sauce lately, particularly since it’s easy to whip up and so incredibly sweet, salty and spicy. It’s also delicious in this simple dish with broccoli and noodles which rivals any take-away you could order and involves only a few ingredients. This is brilliant for a quick and flavoursome lunch, plus I sort of needed something[read more…]
Woodland flourless chocolate cake
I spotted a magical cake recently and for fun, really wanted to recreate my own; I then became sucked into a vortex of cuteness on Etsy and before I knew it, I’d purchased a few woodland animal figurines for Christmas decorations. You’ll probably be seeing them perched randomly on top of cakes and things down[read more…]
Chilli cheese baked rice
I made this impromptu rice dish one night to go with chilli con carne and now it’s a keeper! A bit crunchy around the sides and creamy and cheesy underneath, it has just a hint of chilli and goes with so many things.
Cocktail Fridays: the Old Fashioned
Blimey these are strong (they’re way more than a standard drink so be warned) though I felt so Mad Men and glamorous drinking one of these prohibition era cocktails – I don’t know how Don drinks them on the regular though, no wonder he’s drunk all the time! And I’m the only one I know who loves those glace cherries[read more…]
Shrove Tuesday: maple syrup buttermilk pancakes with bacon (Canadian pancakes)
This is actually one of my favourite pancake combos surprisingly, given that I mainly use fruit in/on my pancakes. I love to order pancakes with a side of bacon and a sea of maple syrup poured over when I’m out for breakfast and the first time I had them I couldn’t believe how good the combo was, just like salty/sweet[read more…]
Herb & cheese Croque Madame Muffins
I was watching the Little Paris Kitchen one recent weekend and spotted Rachel’s Croque Madame Muffins which looked so easy I immediately jumped up to make them for lunch. I didn’t have any ham so used up some herbs and added heaps of cheese. This recipe was also serendipitous because my organic fruit & veg people sent[read more…]
Australia Day golden syrup scones with golden syrup butter
Golden syrup is my favourite syrup out of all the syrups. I mean I love maple syrup, treacle and honey and I know they’re probably way healthier (I don’t even really know how golden syrup is made!) but golden syrup is so thick and luscious with a sweet flavour which is difficult to explain, it actually tastes[read more…]
Chocolate, salted peanut & maple caramel slice
Are we sick of salty caramel things yet? I hope this particular trend isn’t over because this slice is pretty epic; a dialled up version of old fashioned caramel slice to which I added some salted peanuts and a bit of maple. This is a great recipe for Christmas because you can take it to work[read more…]
Spicy maple pecan roast sweet potatoes
I’m not quite ready to give up sweet potato even though it’s already hot here and turning the oven on is a bit of an effort. This is a side dish but to be honest, I had a bowl of these for lunch on their own; sweet, caramelised, spicy and with a gorgeous, fragrant crunch[read more…]
Cocktail Fridays: pretty in pink gin fizz
I love how fresh, sparkly and pretty this is. Happy Friday!
Roast pumpkin, herb & walnut pasta bake
A pasta bake’s always a welcome, comforting dish. I made a pumpkin pasta & walnut bake a few weeks ago, threw in some fresh herbs and roasted the vegies beforehand to give them that sweet, caramelised taste. The roast pumpkin slightly breaks down into the pasta and cream, making this dish super creamy and delicious[read more…]
Pasta with creamy pumpkin sauce (vegan)
While making my usual winter pumpkin soup recently, it occurred to me that with a few tweaks, it would make a lovely, healthy sauce for pasta, so I gave it a go. Adding nutmeg, sage and a decent amount of full fat coconut cream, this turned pumpkin soup into a lush, creamy and flavoursome sauce which goes[read more…]
Brown butter toasted cheese sandwiches
I was reading a book in bed the other night and one of the characters made toasted cheese sarnies but in browned butter! Genius. It’s super tasty, even more so than a plain toasted cheese, which is one of my favourite things to eat in the whole world except for hot chips. So I got to[read more…]
Chilli cheese burgers
I love a good burger! I don’t know if I’ve ever said on here (probably but then I have a tendency to repeat myself) but years ago, when I was in my late teens, I became a vegetarian for around 5 years. I really didn’t miss meat at all except for the odd bit of fish, but one[read more…]
Broccoli with chilli, garlic, lemon & toasted walnuts
I mean I like broccoli; green, crunchy, good for you but it’s not exactly the most exciting food on the planet to prepare or eat, so finding a way to dress up ye olde steamed broccoli is always good. The classic flavours of chilli, garlic and lemon go brilliantly with this rustic vegie and I’m[read more…]
Black sticky rice pudding with caramelised bananas (vegan)
I’ve wanted to make this black sticky rice pudding for ages but had trouble sourcing the black glutinous rice in an actual store. I originally tried making a similar dessert with black rice and although it tasted nice, it wasn’t the same, I really feel it needs the glutinous rice for that gloriously sticky texture.[read more…]
Slow cooked French chicken casserole
Whenever I throw together a casserole I always seem to under-estimate the ingredients – moral of the story, find your biggest cast iron casserole dish for this recipe, around 6 litres or so, or even halve the recipe if there’s only a couple of you (we were eating chicken casserole for days! Not a hardship but in retrospect[read more…]
Raspberry rhubarb galette
Galettes are a super easy, delicious way to make pie, basically. A few years back I made a cherry and peach galette which turned out to be one of my favourites desserts. However. Ahem. This is what happens when you use too many raspberries. I had 400g of raspberries left over in the freezer and thought I’d just throw them[read more…]
Spag Bol
Spag bol is one of those things most of us learn how to make early on, after we’ve left home, gone to uni or sharing with a bunch of mates. I haven’t made it in ages actually because it seems one of those massively uncool dishes nobody eats anymore. But it’s so yummy! Why must[read more…]
Vegan breakfast bars
I’ve heard a lot of negative remarks about the humble little muesli bar lately … too much sugar! Additives! You may as well drink a can of coke! etc etc. Poor muesli bars, being a child of the 80s I’ve always liked them and if you buy a brand which is quite healthy and lower[read more…]
Swedish meatballs
I don’t know how Swedish these actually are so if anybody from Sweden is reading, apologies! They are, though, creamy and flavourful and pretty easy to make however I will say, you need to use a non-stick pan to sauté meatballs (I always forget and they stick like crazy). You could use any type of[read more…]
Mash; cheese & garlic and spicy sweet potato
I adore mashed potato and of course, mashed sweet potato is delicious; fluffy, sweet and warm. When I was teeny tiny, some days, it’s all I’d eat. I prefer to leave the skins on my white potatoes (it’s healthier and you can’t tell the difference – use organic if you prefer) and after years of using any[read more…]
St Patrick’s Day – the green smoothie
I had grand ideas of making a chocolate Guinness cake for St Patrick’s Day but ran out of time. Instead, I thought I’d go off the beaten track and offer this green smoothie I made recently which is such a lovely green colour, it seemed serendipitous, despite being devoid of butter, cream, potatoes or Guinness I’ve[read more…]
Italian peanut butter hot chocolate
We in Australia can become a bit gloomy about our hot Christmases. Don’t get me wrong, Christmas is lovely and all that but we miss out on all that cosy, frosty stuff. And if I see one more ad with Santa surfing or wearing board shorts .. So I thought I’d pretend we’re having a snowy Christmas[read more…]
Christmas candy white chocolate blondies
Jelly beans aren’t usually an addition to baked goods however I bought some Christmas jelly beans (red, green and white obv) and thought they’d look pretty studded into some white chocolate blondies for the season. You could, of course, add whichever candy you prefer if jelly beans aren’t your thing (they’re my lollies of choice usually ) but[read more…]
Cheesy mushroom lasagna
Now I have to warn you, this post is chock-full of mushrooms so if you’re not into them, you should probably look away (it’s also full of cheese but hey, most people like that). I understand that mushies are one of those polarising vegetables that you either love or hate and I myself have only[read more…]
Brown butter orange vanilla bean madeleines
Guess who purchased a fancy new madeleine tin?! I’m a sucker for cake tins and when I spotted this one I decided I had to have it. I’d never tried madeleines before but their description here of “elegant cakes shaped like scallop shells are the perfect thing with a cup of light, floral French tea” really appealed[read more…]
