It’s been a busy week in the household with the mid-year reports arriving home and parent-teacher interviews to coordinate for all three girls. Thankfully the reports have left us with no concerns and we’re really delighted at how our older two are doing; considering they had a good year or so gallivanting in the USA, […]
Our youngest daughter, Alice, age 4 (nearly 5!), spotted a very cool YouTube video on the iHasCupquake Channel, in her ‘Quake N Bake’ section, on how to make ‘Final fantasy Cactuar Cookies’. When Alice first told me about the Cacti cookies I had no idea what she was talking about. She woke up talking about […]
A short week with Easter weekend and lots to love. It started off on the right foot, with a run on Monday, lots of water and green tea… but I got a little led astray by a divine glass of Pinot Gris and a little piano playing mid-week. Still, I wasn’t entirely inactive. As always, […]
Pancake batter is made every morning – it’s become a ritual for the past few months (after several months of omelette being the preferred choice – before that it was ‘dippy eggs with soilders’ – and porridge for a while…). All of our daughters love pancakes – but sometimes Alice, age 2 and often awake […]
‘Pikelets’ were totally new to me when I came to New Zealand. They are kind of like the English crumpet and great served with jam, cream and anything sweet. Kiwis love them at any time of day and they are probably one of the most served dishes in the kitchen. They differ to pancakes in […]
LOVING these scrumptious berry muffins I made today, which were a lovely snack for a young house guest, Sophie, Alice and I. The berries were so warm as the muffins came out of the oven that I couldn’t resist adding a little dollop of vanilla bean ice-cream on the side when I served them. And […]
⤠Loving the satisfaction of home baking. I was craving a biscuit, but didn’t have any to hand. I did have a couple of cups of flour, butter, an egg, sugar and a dash of vanilla essence… half an hour later… yummy biscuits with my cuppa! And once the baking bug has bitten, the hot […]
Finding natural treasures on the beach after wild winter storms. Moments in the sun, despite cold winter chills. Hearing the day-dreams of my daughter, which bring a smile to my face and warm my heart, ‘I’m going to have a boat one day and you can sail with me Mummy’. Messages of adventure from family […]
Linking up with…. I couldn’t resist posting three photos – too hard to choose my favourite! This week’s ‘Wordless Sunday’ is being hosted at Helen’s wonderful blog, ‘One Trick Pony‘, with the theme ‘Baked’.
I never used to bake much; always ate to survive, rather than living for the pleasure of eating. I grazed on the run, grabbed a piece of fruit on the way out the door, hurried down a few slices of toast for lunch, downed a glass of milk before bed… all whilst vaguely ensuring I […]
Well thankfully we’re not camping! This morning’s rain is torrential. Here’s the Pohutukawa tree in the garden, battling with horizontal rain in windy Wellington. The perfect tonic to a rainy morning was doughnuts freshly made before breakfast… and eaten with fresh coffee… Building with lego… Crafts… Beading… (Charlotte loves her ‘aqua beads’ from Aunty Sue […]
Can we bake please? Can we make cupcakes? Can we make doughnuts? Today we made both, but added a dose of berries for good measure and balance on the side 🙂 Charlotte made cupcakes. And Sophie made doughnuts. Whilst Alice played with her toy cooker. I am so impressed with their baking skills these days […]
Last Christmas we made and built a gingerbread house, which was quickly devoured with friends on Christmas Day. Gingerbread house, 2009: This year, with Sophie’s Birthday Party a week before Christmas (actual Birthday Boxing Day!), she decided a ‘pink’, fairy gingerbread house would be the perfect way to celebrate her Birthday. Unfortunately I didn’t make […]
These are a favourite festive delight, that will quickly be devoured at any time in our household. The combination of dried fruits, cherries, cornflakes and rich, dark chocolate, all held together by sweetened condensed milk is magic to the taste buds. We made these as Christmas gifts for Sophie’s Kindi teachers (but didn’t have time […]