New Years Eve just wouldn’t be the same without Dutch oliebollen. These deep-fried dough balls studded with rum soaked raisins and doused in icing sugar is the way Netherlanders ring in the New Year. It’s  a centuries old tradition and it’s said that oliebollen were likely the precursor to the modern day donut, thanks to the Dutch settlers … Read more

The January 2014 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Francijn of “Koken in de Brouwerij”. She challenged us all to bake layered cakes in the tradition of Baumkuchen (Tree Cake) and Schichttorte (layered cake). Wow, this was a fun challenge! And a fairly labor-intensive one! You need to have a good measure of patience, given … Read more

Take a peek at any Kiwi dinner table on Christmas Day and you’ll almost always find that iconic, and most Kiwi of desserts – Pavlova. If you haven’t tried Pavlova, you’re in for a real treat – clouds of sweet marshmallow encased in crunchy meringue, topped with lashings of cream and tart fresh fruit. Simple, … Read more

Wow, there’s a reason these Little Mocha Custards are served in small cups – it’s not for the faint hearted! This combination of strong coffee, chocolate and Kahlua (or whisky) packs a punch for sure – an adult dessert if ever I had one. It’s rich, but not overly sweet – in fact I added a tablespoon … Read more

Time to celebrate a wee milestone (insert crowd cheering). This is my 300th recipe posted on this blog!! Yep, that’s 300 cakes, cookies, desserts, meals and drinks made, photographed, and then consumed (let’s not even go there!) by yours truly. Which is kind of funny given I never had any intention of starting a blog. … Read more

My love of all things Italian continues with this Semifreddo recipe, combining the best qualities of ice-cream and gelato. Though Semifreddo can be made in a number of ways, I prefer the traditional method of cooking a sabayon (a cooked custard using egg yolks), to which you add flavourings and whipped cream. It’s a little … Read more

I can’t lie. The idea of ‘healthy’ chocolate has always pretty much left me cold. That is until now. When it came time to sample this health enhancing chocolate I was, as always, prepared for the usual disappointment. Let’s face it… chocolate’s chocolate – there ain’t no prizes for second place. And it is true… you’re … Read more

You gotta love technology! Up until this last weekend, I’ve made do with a hand beater during the three years I’ve been writing this blog. And, I never figured it was a big deal… That is, until my hand beater gave up the ghost, and I was forced to buy a replacement. This time, though, I … Read more

The July Daring Bakers’ Challenge was brought to us by Manal from Manal’s Bites. She introduced us to an authentic Palestinian dish from Jaffa that is served as a main meal along with a bowl of soup or a salad. The ‘Yafawi Sfeeha’ or also known as ‘Milwayeh’ which means ‘twisted’, is crispy yet tender and … Read more

I was looking for something light and healthy for lunch today and came across a torn-out page from an Australian magazine in one of my recipe folders. Sadly, the page doesn’t have the magazine’s name on it, so I can’t credit it. However, I’m glad I tried these Asian Fish & Rice Patties – they were quick … Read more