For all those lovebirds out there in blog land, Valentines Day is just around the corner so time to spoil that partner, husband, wife, girlfriend, boyfriend, special friend etc! How about starting the day right with breakfast in bed? A little waffle and rhubarb berry magic could be a perfect Valentines treat.
Bon appetit!
Read MoreEvery Christmas holidays I try to do a major project either in the studio or with my promotional material. So this year it was time for a website and blog redesign and update. Well to be honest it was long overdue for update, and was getting a bit embarrassing how old some of the images were. So I toiled away over Christmas thinking I could knock the project off in a week, which then became 2 weeks, then 3, and finally 4 weeks before the new website & blog were launched. Don't ask what the problems were, but needless to say there was lots of going round in circles and wheel spinning happening. Check out the redesign at www.motif.co.nz.
To celebrate the launch (finally!) I've baked this yum Blood Plum & Blueberry cake with plums & blueberries from my garden. Cooking dishes from produce you've grown in your garden, makes it just that bit more extra special don't you think.
Enjoy!
Read MoreHappy New Year to everyone out there in blog-land. Many thanks for your wonderful support in 2017, and I can't wait to see what fabulous things 2018 brings. Here's how we started our New Year's celebrations last night with a summery sangria. It's the perfect drink for those long summer evenings. Enjoy!
Read MoreYay it's Christmas time - that special time which only comes once a year to slightly overindulge on the food front! And have I got the creme de la creme ('scuse the pun) of all christmas desserts for you.
Check out this christmassy Raspberry and White Chocolate Trifle with Raspberry Macaroons - it's slightly different from your standard every day trifle but boy does it taste good! You can follow the recipe or get a bit creative and do multiple thinner layers of jelly and white chocolate, then top it all off with the macaroons and mascarpone cream. Which ever way you put it together it will always cause a stampede at your christmas table.
Merry Christmas everyone - enjoy!
Read MoreThese spicy lamb cutlets done on the BBQ are perfect in this moroccan-inspired dish, and ideal for a casual weekend get together. Your guests will be salivating watching them cook on the BBQ, followed up by lots of finger licking after tasting the lamb cutlets with heaps of creamy labne and spicy dukkah.
Don't be put off by the long preparation time for this dish, it's really very simple to put together, and just a little prep time the day before. Then throw everything together while BBQ'ing the cutlets. What could be easier? Enjoy!
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Look away now if you have an aversion to calories or sugar. This recipe is NOT for you! It might be slightly healthy with the addition of bananas but the rest of the ingredients don't appear on any healthy eating guide I've ever seen.
I love cooking this recipe for Sunday brunch, or in fact brunch any day of the week. It has all the ingredients I love.....
And all put together in one scrummy dish - who could want for more? But be aware you may need a lie down after to deal with the sugar comma that will follow! Enjoy.
Read MoreIn Canterbury we have Show Week at this time every year, which is fantastic excuse to get dressed up in your fancy clothes complete with fascinator (for the girls - google it if you haven't heard the term), and go watch the horse racing. As part of Show Week there are a myriad of Champagne Breakfasts and sponsored events to attend, which by the end of the week most people need to followup with some extended couch time and a quiet weekend.
I'm always on the lookout for something slightly different to serve at a champagne breakfast - and as many foodies say "always start the day right with a good breakfast", particularly if there is some alcohol involved! This Herb Waffle with Smoked Salmon and Fennel Cucumber Salad caught my eye and is perfect for any early summer breakfast or brunch. It's super tasty and a great stomach liner for all that early morning champagne. Enjoy!
Read MoreAt long last summer has finally kicked in with lovely warm sunny days. Needless to say the rhubarb patch has gone feral, which must also have something to do with all the compost and sheep pellets I dug in a few months ago. Definitely does help if you feed your plants!
I normally do a Rhubarb & Strawberry galette, but as my strawberries are still a long way off and I'm not paying a small fortune for the imported hot house ones, I've added some ginger for extra zing. Give the recipe a go, the rhubarb/ginger combination is super yum!
Read MoreRoasted tomatoes are a beautiful thing, and really simple to make into a tasty sauce (sugo). I love roasting them to bring out their inherent sweetness, and with the addition of herbs, balsamic & little sugar takes them to a whole new level.
One of my favourites recipes to accompany a roast tomato sugo is pork and fennel meatballs. You can't beat this combination for a sunday supper, or in fact any day of the week. It's a super quick meal if you have your sugo and uncooked meatballs already made up and stored in the freezer. Give it a go - and give your taste buds a party!
Well its the first day of spring, and it's hosing down outside. Guess the weather gods didn't get the spring starting now memo!
Too brighten up the grey day outside I've whisked together this super easy Lemon Posset recipe to use up some of the glut of lemons I currently have in the kitchen. Teamed up with the Citrus Shortbread this is a yum dessert with a good citrus kick. The berries add a tart flavour and cut through some of the posset sweetness. Give the recipes a go - they can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. Enjoy!
Yup we're in the middle of another cold hard winter - the ever revolving cycle of frosts then rain, more frosts, then more rain! So what better way to beat the chills than a crispy pork belly with spicy asian sauce! Best combination ever, right? It's such an easy sunday evening meal especially in the midst of winter.
After 2 - 3 hours of gentle cooking, followed by a blast under the grill you'll be rewarded with the most gorgeous crispy pork belly, spicy sauce and vibrant greens. Whats not to like? Enjoy!
Read MoreWell Easter is here and so is a cyclone or two. Currently Cyclone Cook is battering my house with torrential rain and high winds - so I'm guessing gardening is out today.
I saw this recipe online a few weeks ago and thought it would make a yum treat over Easter. Yes you will probably go into a chocolate coma with the filling, but hey Easter only comes once a year so a little over indulgence is allowed. Hope you enjoy it!
Wanting something a little glam for Valentines Day - check out these Vanilla Pannacotta & Blackcurrant Jelly desserts. Just perfect for that someone special in your life who has a sweet tooth! Enjoy!
Read MoreWhy don't you give these zucchini fritters with hot smoked salmon a test drive for brunch this weekend? Well worth the effort & a good way to get your greens. Enjoy!
Read MoreHappy New Year to everyone out there - hope you all had a fabulous night and aren't under the weather this morning. Thought I would share this cocktail which started our New Years eve celebrations last night. Given it was a warm evening it was the perfect way to start the party along with some tasty nibbles.
You can adjust the quantities to your own tastes, and it makes a refreshing drink for anytime during the summer. Best part for me is the crunch of the pomegranate arils when you get to the bottom of the glass. Enjoy!
I was doing some recipe testing for a client recently, and thought I should really do something with the left over fish fillets. So after fighting off my two cats, who thought they would shimmy up my leg to bench level for a lightening raid, I threw together some fish sliders with a spicy vegetable pickle to share with a couple of friends.
After a few vino's they lasted all of 2 mins, and barely touched the sides going down. Make sure you make plenty of these bad boys, coz they won't last long.
Yikes it's November already - where did the weeks go. Big fail again on my part to regularly update the blog. But I guess it's better late than never, particularly this recipe as it's a winner for those summer barbies!
Making this recipe I normally allow three skewers per person, but it would pay to do extra as they seem to disappear at a fast rate when the ravenous hordes are around.
Enjoy!
It's September so you would think spring is on its way with blossom and spring flowers? But no winter this week has to have a last blast with gales, hail & freezing temps. So here was me thinking I'll do something spring like for the blog. Arrgghhhhh - change of plan and back to the hearty winter food.
Soup & bread, or toast, or bagel or flatbread feature quite a lot in my winter repertoire, so I had to crank out a loaf to go with my winter soup while the weather misbehaved outside. Yeah I know this Pumpkin, Fennel & Olive bread looks like it's had a bad spray tan at the beauty salon, but beneath it's dodgy looks lies a scrumptious bread with heaps of flavour.
Give it a go you won't be disappointed!
Apologies - yes I know it's been a long between posts from the Food Union, but life has been a tad chaotic of late what with cookbooks and advertising clients all vying for my attention.
To rectify this lapse and appease the masses I've thrown together a scrumptious dish for you all from Emma Knowles at Gourmet Traveller using lamb racks and spices. I think its one of those trans seasonal dishes that could be good at any time of the year, and hits the spot in my book for flavour.
Enjoy!
OK you'll have to excuse the wrinkly nature of my dumplings - these tasty morsels aren't going to win any dumpling beauty pagents. But hey I'm still a learner driver making these things and I think lots of practice in this case does indeed make perfect.
The recipes are very simple and I've gone for two combinations of Chicken & Coriander and Pork & Garlic Chive. But have a play and experiment a bit with the mix of flavours and make your own unique combinations.
Enjoy!