I am still trying to lose weight for our holiday in Italy at the end of September hence these wee baby cupcakes. It does work, you know. There's no need to completely deprive oneself of all the joys of eating, but this keeps it under control. I must say, these are very little so you might want to nibble at them or you will find them gone in a mouthful. And then you will feel deprived. I am using the trick these days of eating slowly and thoughtfully so the experience lasts longer. Sometimes, you are eating something delicious but talking your head off to someone and suddenly the food is gone and you can't remember eating it. So sad. A couple of years ago, I was standing at Machu Picchu in Peru in the pouring rain with a sick son and a needy American girl. And I could have thought, dang it all, here I am in this amazing place and it's all ruined or I could have just thought, here I am in this amazing place. I chose the last one. The American girl had got up at some ungodly hour to … [Read more...] about Mini Carrot & Zucchini Cupcakes
Potted Mince & Cheese Pies
Mince and cheese pies are a classic New Zealand meal. We have dairies, bakeries, supermarkets and cafes all over the country with such pies. We have competitions to see who has the best pie in the nation. Men everywhere stop during their working day for lunch and buy a pie - many women too. One night, Adriano and my sister's husband hatched up a plan to open a New Zealand pie shop in Italy and then franchise it out. The more empty wine bottles that accumulated on the bench, the more elaborate the plan became. It's a shame they didn't follow through. It might have brought about a revolution in the Italians' way of eating. I found this recipe in the same supermarket magazine I mentioned a couple of nights ago. I am trying to lose some weight before going back to Italy to see family at the end of next month so I only ate half a pie but it took enormous willpower to stop eating it. If the truth be told, it was Adriano snatching it away that did the trick. This recipe is not low … [Read more...] about Potted Mince & Cheese Pies
Spicy Sausage & Bean Hot Pot
I didn’t discover chorizo sausages until a few years back and what a difference they have made to my culinary life. But you have to be careful how you use them or the strong, spicy flavour will overwhelm all else. Last night, I watched an episode of Kitchen Rules on TV and was surprised at the lack of basic cooking knowledge the couple displayed. They put a leg of lamb which was already cooked back into the oven to cook a little more and then covered it in foil to rest, which continued cooking it even longer. They also added one of the strongest herbs, tarragon, to a delicate flavoured entree dish and then for dessert made a lemon and lime tart with a passionfruit sauce – all sharp elements, which would have twisted my tongue into an arabesque. Pete hated the dessert but, strangely enough, French Manu liked it and they gave it widely disparate marks. The only other guests who liked it were the two men who love all things French and think the sun shines out of Manu’s .... you know … [Read more...] about Spicy Sausage & Bean Hot Pot
Almond, Coconut & Chocolate Chip Cookies – gluten-free
We've had a lot of granola bars lately and even though each set has been different, I thought I would do cookies this week for our morning teas. And not just any cookies - these are gluten-free and delicious with the flavours of almond, coconut and of course a little indispensable chocolate. I found the recipe at the A sweet Spoonful blog, which is well worth checking out. As a food blogger, I see kitchen stores in a completely different way to the normal cook. I look for small everything. Cute wee jugs which hold a tablespoon of sauce, tiny pots for a mouthful of mousse, a miniature spoon. You would think we live in a dollhouse but I need props which fit in the photo frame and adult sized objects often mean that the tops get cut off. And anyway, wee is just plain cuter. I am always dropping into our local thrift charity shop where I buy amazing objects for a couple of dollars. The other place I have found some wonderful props is Trademe, New Zealand's equivalent of Ebay. The … [Read more...] about Almond, Coconut & Chocolate Chip Cookies – gluten-free
Moroccan Couscous – memories of a meal in Paris
This meal has once again thrown me back to a trip I took with Adriano – our very first holiday together. We went to London, which was horrendously expensive in the middle of summer and we rapidly ran out of money so after sleeping in some uncomfortable dives, we realised we had just enough for one more night and decided to spend it in Paris. We caught the ferry and train across to the city of love to stay in another rather suspect lodging. The next day, the train was leaving for Torino, where we lived, in the early afternoon so we tootled off to a Moroccan restaurant to eat a meal of couscous and drank the last of our money in wine. Merry as a couple of jungle monkeys, we looked at our watches and jumped up in horror – the train was about to depart. We set off at a flat run, laughing ourselves silly in a fog of alcohol-induced merriment at our unco-ordinated efforts to get any speed up with our packs slapping around behind us. We puffed into the train station to see the train slowly … [Read more...] about Moroccan Couscous – memories of a meal in Paris
Rack of Lamb – Low Fodmap & Gluten-Free
In New Zealand we have many more sheep than people and lamb is a common meat on our dinner plates and there is nothing more succulent than a sweet rack of lamb. If you cook it properly, there is nothing more delicious. I found the herb crust I used in the latest edition of Dish magazine. Cook this exactly the way I say and you will have success every time with this cut of meat. Serve it with pureed potatoes, a little tomato salad and a nice mint jelly sauce. Rack of Lamb Print Author: Suzanne Perazzini Ingredients 2 x racks of lamb 2 tbsp dijon mustard 1 cup of packed parsley 1 tsp of garlic-infused oil 1 tsp smoked paprika Zest of 1 lemon ⅓ cup slivered almonds ¾ cup fresh gluten-free breadcrumbs 2 tbsp olive oil Salt & pepper Method Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Season the meat. Heat a frying pan with a little olive oil and brown the racks on both sides. Cool a little. For the crust, put the parsley, paprika and zest in a food processor and … [Read more...] about Rack of Lamb – Low Fodmap & Gluten-Free
