a seaside village (well – as villagy as you can get in auckland), crisp white sand, stunning coastal runs, weekly saturday walk with the amazing sally from fitness fix, scrummy saturday market laden with the most succulent homegrown lettuces you can ever imagine (thanks clevedon herbs & produce).

this lovely market the other saturday had the most beautifully sweet, juice dribbling down your chin kind of variety, deep purple plums. The car came back laden and it was too irresistable not  to stew some of them to make the below concoction. 

anything tastes good with buttery pasty, melt in your mouth frangipane and vanilla cream goodness. the subtle sweet tartness of these stewed plums was just ideal…yum x

ps – cross my heart to put the recipe up tomorrow…. xx

on numerous occasions when she has turned up to visit, it is without doubt that we end up in the kitchen discussing for hours on end which mouth watering creations (yes – note the ‘s’ on the end! we can never stop at just the one!), we are going to put our hearts into, whip up and devour a few hours later. on one such occasion she made me her amazing peanut butter cookies.

ever since and at numerous times i have thought of them. today was one of those days.

so to the kitchen i went. jar of peanut butter in hand, trustworthy stash of whittakers chocolate in the cupboard, determined to create something edibly good. this is the result below. peanut butter macadamia choc chunk cookies. mmmm. buttery melt in your mouth heaven.  and, as they are gluten free, you’ll be able to whip them up for those you know that have celiac and the like and they will be ever so thankful you thought of them!

totally delicious dunked in a glass of milk too. x

photographically, babiche martens has captured some real magic in her shots. pure food, untainted ingredients, immaculate presentation. such a privilege to be able to conjure up some of the molten secrets at home (i’m a huge fan of the fig panforte and chocolate cake already!)

please, please, please go pay them a visit and support the continuation of exceptional food in your own kitchen by getting your hands on a copy!

(actual photos above courtesy of michaels website, minus the signed copy – thats mine for keepers on my shelf!)

firstly, i have some apologising to do. many months have passed since i last posted here (11th november to be exact). not because i didn’t want to, in fact i longed to. life got caught up in the busy mode of juggling work, a little near three year old and that pre-christmas rush, making copious amounts of gin & blackberry jam along with fig and hazelnut panforte to wrap for the hordes prior to christmas day took a tonne of energy and love.

it took a timely and ever so sweet reminder from a dear friend over coffee the other day, to remind me of this.  his words were, “there is only one thing wrong with your blog…..you don’t post enough”. let it sink in. reality, very true.

so, heading forwards i will cross my heart and promise to visit this little land and share with you all things scrummy more frequently. and in return, i hope that your heart will smile, that your tongue will savour and that your loved ones will partake in the warmth and pleasure that the joys of food creates.

this little wonder below is the ultimate summer tart (i love this word so much more than ‘quiche’). ruby red little cherry toms, succulently sweet courgettes, salty feta all encased in the  butteriest of pastries.

the past two weeks of our summer holiday were spent in christchurch, enjoying all the sumner has to offer. beautiful beaches, seagulls to chase, rocks to throw (presently im sporting a lovely wee butterfly clip thanks to rock to head collision of very good armed near three year old), coffees to savour, bean bags to lounge in, books to devour.

joe’s garage in sumner is worth a wander into. great macchiatos. lovely eggs & spinach on whole grain. endless amount of colouring, truck playing and chalk drawing for little people. great start to many a morning.

heading away was also a wonderful opportunity to devour many a book. i was in hammock heaven! check out this lovely read from nz restaurateur Fleur Sullivan. at age 72 with a string of restaurants and an amazing life behind and ahead of her, the energy in which she writes and the achievements she has bought to fruition is inspiration enough for this green bean.

i’ll leave you with this beautifully zingy sweet blackberry & gin jam recipe (a wonderful ripe deli recipe which has been tweaked and adapted with gratitude).

go on….smother it on your grainy toast with slathers of butter…

1] no more grey. no more wind. just pure sunshine, sand in toes, fresh mint, frozen lemon cubes, decadent raspberries and  ice cream that dribbles down the chin. 

2] fresh berries in all shapes, sizes, colours and forms. especially raspberries picked from the raspberry farm in tai tapu in christchurch. they are perfect for making mini coconut and raspberry bites (lets face it everything in ‘mini’ just tastes better)….

3] an excuse to visit little & friday to devour one of their amazing donuts and take a walk along the beach (to work it all off afterwards!)….

ps – i have managed to get my hands on the treasured recipe of these famous little & friday donuts so will definitely be trying my hand at them and sharing the successful indulgence with you all some day soon (fingers crossed) x

aside from devouring many a book over the past weeks, an addiction to the most gorgeous coffee and cake haven has been formed. little & friday has me totally smitten. with mouth watering delights from decadent chocolate and raspberry ganache cake, mini baci, gluten free almond and orange cake, hazelnut caramel fudge, lemon and coconut cake with mascarpone cream….there really is too much to choose from. stumble along to melrose street in newmarket for a glimpse and droolworthy experience. for one of their home made donuts dunked in icing sugar and filled with vanilla cream and home made raspberry jam, you’ll definitely have to get through the doors by eleven or they are bound to be sold out (mmm..).

it is because little & friday has vision and creates food that is tantilisingly mouth watering, presented beautifully, all in miniature sizes that there has been inspiration to say no to all the distractions, put some time aside to get in the kitchen and make the below.  using walnuts baked into a caramely goo and encased in the crispest of pastries, you are sure to devour these. just as good hot from the oven as they are when cool. imagine a dollop of vanilla bean icecream on the side….mmmmm.

christchurch is a place that tugs on my heart strings, pulls at my core and beckons me like the saxophone player i lingered to hear as she played on the streets near the cordoned off arts centre.  standing beneath a brilliant blue sky and breathing in crisp spring air it is all to easy to forget about the chaos that has disrupted so many peoples lives that live in this city.

it is this way because it is a place full of memories for me.  many of them happy, many of them with family and close friends.

if i could – i would encourage all to take a visit, a journey, a trip down there. then when you do make sure you discover this place:

1] the ‘new’ under the red verandah

under the ‘new’ red verandah’s amazing ginger slice got me in the kitchen recreating a version i hadn’t made for yonks. definitely worth trying this one out. hazelnuts and pistachios are the ultimate combo and create a serial crunch to this awesome slice, while the candied orange peels zestyness is the perfect compliment to the ginger undertones. yum.

i was awestruck by the exquisite recipes, earthy paper stock, illustrated cover and breath taking photography that truly made you feel like you were curled up right on the picnic rug in the very field in which some of the photos had been taken.

i love how it becomes not just a book of recipes but an entire journey and taste teaser of a little of what italy and the italian culture have to offer. its a book that conjures up images creating a yearning to discover and taste. the suggestions on which italian food festivals to check out all look like a must and a great way to start planning a holiday around.

these are some snapshots taken from a little of what lies within its contents. simple. beautiful. honest. raw.

take a trip to a good bookstore and get a copy. maybe you’ll get to come to italy with me too.

ps – a huge thank you for the massive encouragement from this wonderful lady. so lovely to get a mention once more. there is oodles of inspiration to be found amidst her creative pages. go visit.