This past Sunday was Newmarket’s annual Festival Italiano. As well as Auckland’s top Italian restaurants, the festival included lots of delicious street food and music and entertainment. Pizza, pasta, cheese, bread, Limoncello….I sampled anything and everything that was on offer and then sat down to a delicious lunch in the sun. One of the things I…
Archives for 2015
Cookies & Cream Cheesecake from Little Bird Unbakery
Every time I go to Little Bird Unbakery I always have a hard time choosing what to get. The display cabinet of desserts is teeming with beautiful, bright colours and it really is hard to just pick one item. This time I chose the Cookies & Cream Cheesecake ($9) and I’m so happy I did….
Almond Bundt Cake
I’ve been making this cake for several years so it’s high time I post the recipe! It’s a great cake to make when you don’t have much time to spend in the kitchen as it comes together very quickly and it doesn’t necessarily require a glaze or frosting. I usually just sprinkle confectioners sugar over…
Pane & Vino
“It is not a table without bread and wine”. This phrase appears on Pane & Vino’s menu and every Italian and Italian-at-heart would agree with that 100 percent. For excellent pasta and pizza, you can’t go wrong with this cute & rustic restaurant in the heart of Ponsonby. Pane & Vino is the creation of…
Na Na Thai Restaurant
Recently I had one of those days where I didn’t eat a lot during the day as we were so busy moving furniture in and out of the house for new carpet, so by the time it was dinner time we were both positively starving and in need of a really good feed. I had…
Rhubarb Galette
I had been wanting to try to make a galette for a while ever since I saw them at the farmers market, and finally bit the bullet when I went to my local fruit store and rhubarb was on sale. I adore rhubarb. Not everyone does as it’s a tart fruit but if you get…
Ginger Crunch from Wild Wheat
I’ve been a huge fan of ginger crunch ever since I can remember. My Mum used to make it and put it in my school lunchbox and definitely one of those nostalgic foods that I’ll never tire of. Wild Wheat recently came out with their own version ($4), and I was excited to try it….
Modern Italian Food at Baduzzi
Wynyard Quarter, down on Auckland’s waterfront, is buzzing with restaurants and bars and one of the definite must-try restaurants has to be Baduzzi. I decided on Baduzzi for my birthday lunch as I had heard really great things and they are featured as one of Metro’s top 50 restaurants in Auckland, as well as having won the…
Spice Cake with Penuche Frosting
We’re now into the last month of Winter here in New Zealand, and I can’t wait for Spring to get here! But one thing I do love about Winter is filling the kitchen with delicious spice aromas, especially cloves. I can never get enough of the smell of cloves, and I always have to get…
Authentic Mexican Food in Ellerslie
It’s very slim pickings for really good, authentic Mexican food in Auckland. That’s why Mexican Specialities, a cafe & shop in Ellerslie, is such a gem. It was brought to life by Jose and Maria, natives of Mexico City, who believed in an uncompromising focus on food quality. 15 years later, Jose and Maria have…