All posts filed under: food

Christmas Sugar Cheer

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What better way to start the countdown to Christmas than sharing some festive Christmas sugar cheer. Our sugar project; prepare some Christmas treats to see around thirty smiling faces. With so many ‘little’ treats to choose from we short listed some of our favourites, and created a couple of our own. The main feature, a ‘Pandoro’ Christmas Tree. Pandoro (pan d’oro) is a traditional Italian sweet yeast bread most popular around Christmas and New Year . Typically a Veronese (someone or something from Verona, Italy) product, pandoro is traditionally shaped like a frustum with an 8 pointed-star section. Cut crossways it’s shaped like a star, and then layered usually with Chantilly cream, custard or even ice-cream. It is often served dusted with vanilla scented icing sugar made to resemble the snowy peaks of the Italian Alps during Christmas. Ours was filled with fresh whipped cream, cherry syrup jam and cherries (tinned). Decorated on top with fresh cherries and puff pastry reindeers and snowflakes sprinkled with icing sugar. These pastries are based on cream horns, see details here. …

Red Rhubarb Pies

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It was mid November when I last posted something about my baking..I made these rhubarb pies a couple of weeks ago and  on my first baking adventure the pies vanished before I got my photo’s in. So today I baked and photographed all in one. Didn’t want to miss out this time sharing with you this simple recipe…but more importantly showing you this wonderful pie mold I found. Believe me, your pies look perfect! Recipe: Red Rhubarb Pies 1 bunch of fresh rhubarb 1 granny smith apple 2 tablespoons of brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon icing sugar 4 frozen pie crust sheets 1 egg white, lightly beaten Isn’t it a beauty, take a look at what I found…It’s called a Petite Pie Mold. You can see details here. Preheat oven to 190° degrees. Take the frozen pastry sheet from freezer and leave at room temp. Cut roughly the rhubarb and granny smith apple, add a couple of drops of water, add the brown sugar and place on a medium heat until rhubarb has softened. …

One for us…

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I’m not sure about you, but since being immersed into the world of cupcakes, nothing is impossible, those little things once in your life are hard to get rid of. I guess we love them even more because they’re inexpensive to make, can be made in batches of twelve, our creative mind and hands can do their work and best of all they’re portioned sized…right! We take one, no more, just one and indulge in a decadence of flavours, frostings and taste sensations. All under control! I wanted to put a little pizzazz on that little cupcake…made for ‘little’ grown ups and a little surprise for those taste buds.   A red velvet cupcake mix, with a surprise dash of kirsch, cream cheese frosting and chocolate Monetta luxury cream wafers. How does that sound to get your taste buds tingling! An easy entertainer…and a great eye teaser!

Rocket Pesto and Pasta Salad

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This month’s Regional and Seasonal Challenge from Tandy over at Lavender and Lime, is to cook with rocket. Rocket and Rucola (Italian) is also known as arugula, roquette, rugula and is popular in Italian cuisine, it’s an aromatic salad green. I love it’s peppery, mustard-like flavour, and is great just with a dash of virgin olive oil, and grated shards of parmesan cheese, settled on a tenderloin. This recipe is one of my favourites however…Rocket Pesto and Pasta Salad served with Prosciutto and a Balsamic Glaze. Recipe: Serves 4 Boil ,(as directions on packet) drain and run under cold water 250grams dry pasta, I used orrechiette, any of the spirals, or mini shells would be fine, Combine and chop 1 packet (125 grams) of fresh rocket, 1 big bunch of fresh basil, 1 clove of garlic, 6 heaped tablespoons of parmesan cheese and a handful of pine nuts, while mixing drizzle in 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. In another bowl, wash,cut into quarters and scoop out the middle seeds of 1 punnet of …

Cockatoo Chatter

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What have we been up to….children’s baking! A few week’s ago, my niece was having a farewell party at school for one of her schoolmates who was returning overseas. The decision was made to have an Australian theme. From an array of fauna and flora Australian icons, the decision was made to make those ever enjoyable cupcakes as a base and decorate them as cockatoo’s and koala’s The Sulphur-crested cockatoo can be found widely north and east of Australia, and actually right at our back door.Their distinctive raucous call can be very loud, repeat very loud. The plumage is overall white, the expressive crest is yellow. The bill is black, the legs are grey, and the eye-ring is whitish. Males typically have almost black eyes, whereas the females have a more red or brown eye. Wikipedia So, with a bit of detail, we made cockatoo cupcakes…cupcakes were a basic vanilla mixture covered in assorted lollies: banana’s,licorice,marshmallows and vanilla frosting. So, I know you’re now wondering what our koala’s looked like… Chocolate cupcakes with choc frosted …

Whispering Sponge

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Things have been busy, buzzing like a bee, hovering over a full Spring bloom. Not too much time in the kitchen for me this week, so I share with you my sisters work this week. She had a catering job, to prepare a birthday cake. The order was for one of her whispering blow away sponges. Now my mum is a champion sponge maker diva, and she’s passed on her secrets to us, although truth be it that I’ve never tackled one myself..not to disappoint! So I’ll just keep the secret onboard until I make one! What better way than to serve Sponge, filled with strawberry jam, fresh chocolate coated strawberries and fresh cream. Read on for the this special recipe…

Strawberries my love…

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Seasonal flavours from the earth…. The sweet temptation of fresh strawberries. Nothing fancy involved, just pineapple jelly, blueberries and strawberries, vanilla ice cream sprinkled with white chocolate and coconut mixed topping. Served in parfait glasses. Mix 250ml of boiling water with the jelly, pour into serving glasses, insert fresh chopped strawberries and blueberries and leave to set overnight. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream sprinkled with melted white chocolate buds and shredded coconut. Sweet temptations! Did you know?? Strawberries are the only fruitwith their seeds on the outside! A strawberry treat. Enjoy! Yvette…x

Italian Almond Cupcakes

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On visiting Tandy’s blog, Lavender and Lime her challenge for this week was to bake something sweet using almonds. Looking through some new acquired cookbook magazines, my Mum asked if I had tried a  recipe  – Italian Almond Cupcakes….on the same day visiting Tandy’s blog. Coincidence –  I decided to try the recipe and link back to join Tandy and her baking challenge. On further research of the recipe…the advertisement in the magazine was saying Italian Almond Cupcakes and the main ingredient  –  Dilmah’s Exceptional Tea. An adventure begins…

A touch of Hope

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Today in Australia, August 26th is Daffodil Day. The Daffodil is the international symbol of hope for all those touched by cancer. So today my life is touched with golden yellow flowers, of Daffodils, sunshine, cupcakes and marshmallows. The daffodil is a sign of HOPE for a brighter, cancer free future, and funds raised today are essential for cancer research, prevention and support services. Fresh Daffodils were on sale at retail outlets, and for every fresh bunch sold $1.00 (Aus) was given to the Australian Cancer Foundation. Theres every chance within our lifetime, our lives will be touched by cancer, either directly or through the experience of family and friends. So I’m sharing some golden sunshine with you, friends. How about trying these wonderfully decorated cupcakes. Aren’t they just special. I’ve seen these before around blogland and have been wanting to try them for some time.You’ll enjoy this video found here and its even more enjoyable making them. Firstly make a basic cupcake recipe.My favourite one bowl wonder plain cake mixture recipe found here. Then …

Baking Vanilla Apple Cake

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My goodness, its been a while since I’ve baked something, so I’m happy to share this moment with you. The sun was shining through the windows and the kitchen had a warming magnetism, and in my head I could hear a voice saying come on Yvette, get creative and make something delicious for morning tea.   So not resisting, I made something that I know the children love as well. The fruit bowl had an overload of apples, so the choice was easy Vanilla Apple Cake. This my friends is a little something, petite isn’t it. It’s a Royal Albert petite china Christmas decoration. Design ‘Old Country Roses’. The little cup is actually joined to the saucer and has a beautiful ribbon with embossed gold calligraphy. Can you imagine your Christmas tree decorated with these and full of fairy lights. I know you won’t be able to resist this apple cake, so read on for the recipe…