I saw this chocolate beetroot cake on a favourite blog I follow and decided to make it. For the recipe, zip along to Sarah's blog called Thyme. If you have never visited her blog, you are in a for a delightful experience. She is a dedicated home-schooling Mum of two very lucky teenagers. Some of you might know that I home-schooled Dario for nearly all but the last two years of his schooling and so I know all about the choice she has made. Sarah writes about the ups and downs of such an endeavour and the challenges faced when confronted by naysayers. I have been there and done that so feel for her every step of the way. There are some incredibly inflexible, rude people out there who think the choices they made are the only choices worth making. But Sarah's blog is not just about homeschooling, it is predominantly a place for her to share a great collection of recipes. She writes beautifully and takes the most amazing photos and check out her videos as well. They have inspired me to try … [Read more...] about A beetroot cake? Yes, and for a 5-year-old’s party too.
Roasted Salmon and Crispy Potatoes
I am back on board again after such a great holiday with family and visiting family in Italy. But all good things come to an end and far too quickly. Not that my every day life is to be sniffed at. I have an enjoyable job with good bosses, a wonderful husband and son and I get to blog in my spare time about food. What can beat that? Last night, I felt a need for healthy and nutritious, so salmon (all that omega 3 stuff) and spinach (made Popeye strong) were employed along with some great crispy potatoes. There's probably a little too much oil to be on a slimmer's menu but it tasted great and the scales didn't complain afterwards. Most of the preparation was at the same time as the cooking so all in all, it probably took about 30 minutes to make. 5.0 from 3 reviews Roasted Salmon and Crispy Potatoes - low Fodmap Print Author: Suzanne Perazzini Ingredients 700gm floury potatoes, sliced 1cm 4 x 150gm pieces of salmon Knob of butter 2 large handfuls of spinach … [Read more...] about Roasted Salmon and Crispy Potatoes
Lasagna made by three generations of Italian women
Here is the promised lasagna which I photographed in Italy while the mother (Laura) of my sister-in-law (Sabrina) made the dough and assembled the dish. In the end, Sabrina and her daughter, Sofia all joined in and you will see the three generations working together in the photos. It was a symphony of co-ordination and much discussion, which is integral to any Italian endeavour. Laura had already made the ragu sauce and white sauce and they were sitting nearby awaiting their moment. Then she set to work. She placed a lump of cooked silver-beet (but you could use spinach) in a mini food processor with an egg and whizzed it. Once it was blended, Laura placed it into a well of flour and added several eggs, then initially mixed it with a spoon, before getting her hands involved. The dough was completed and then came the rolling out. Laura had a great way of turning the dough when it got too large to handle easily. She would roll it onto the rolling pin, turn the rolling pin and … [Read more...] about Lasagna made by three generations of Italian women
New Blog Header Revealed
I am back home in New Zealand! The flight and airport waits were long and tiring but almost two days later we are ensconced in our house in Auckland. Before now, when we went on holiday, we have always had a house sitter look after our place because of our darling cat but he has passed on and this time we left the house empty. Well, it seems that there is no point in cleaning before going on holiday because dust accumulates even in the silent absence of a living soul and it all has to be done again when you get back. My advice is to get wise and do it once only. Anyway, you have hopefully noticed the big change to my blog - the header! My son, Dario and I have been working on this for quite some time, trying to get several elements into one image and I think I have finally managed it. I wanted the idea of strands because of my blog name hence the vines; I obviously wanted food involved and also the photography element of the blog since I have discovered this has become a great … [Read more...] about New Blog Header Revealed
Italian Food Photos with a Surprise
We are leaving to return to New Zealand tomorrow morning and the trip will take a couple of days altogether. Meanwhile I wanted to leave you with one last taste of Italy while I was still here. I will do the lasagna post I promised you when I get back since it is a little more complex and will take a bit of time. I am smacking myself now that I didn't take more photos of food but the truth is that the food here tastes fantastic but doesn't always look that incredible as far as photographing it is concerned. Anyway, here are a few shots with a surprise at the end. … [Read more...] about Italian Food Photos with a Surprise
Beautiful Italian Villas along the Adriatic Coast
I have a wonderful post up my sleeve about making lasagna right here in Italy. I have over 300 photos I took while I watched it being made and have to narrow them down to the most relevant for the post. Meanwhile, here are the villas I promised you. These were all found along the Adriatic Coast in Italy between Rimini and Cesenatico. We stopped the car so many times to shoot them that I was starting to feel seasick. … [Read more...] about Beautiful Italian Villas along the Adriatic Coast
