Zara had wanted a butterfly birthday cake, so that is what she got! I love baking but Icing is not my forte. I would love to learn some new techniques, but in the meantime I found this amazing blog by a Canadian woman. Its called Sweetapolita! fabulous! Some great ideas, I got the 3 tone colour idea from her blog. I really enjoyed baking and icing Zara's  cake, it wasn't exactly how I had planned it, but Zara was  happy with it, and that was fine by me. I think sometimes as parents we try too hard, to make everything perfect, but actually, it really doesn't matter, as long as everyone is happy.

Jam is a great way to preserve the taste of summer, and then you can use it in different aspects of cooking and baking.

This strawberry jam has to be the simplest way to preserve your summer strawberries.

It's been a few weeks since I last blogged, winter bugs, school holidays, and then my son's first school camp in NZ.   Now with the childrenback into school routine I can get back to doing what I love doing, cooking and writing. 
10 days away in the beautiful Pacific island of Rarotonga seems a distant memory ( it was only 3 weeks ago!)

We dont have a huge tradition of Indian Desserts in our family. We have a small number of family favourites.  My sister Nish  makes this gorgeous chocolate mousse, which I have adapted to include a cardamom flavour. You would'nt normally think of putting chocolate and cardamom together, but this  works and then with a topping of mascarpone and pistachios, these are little chocolate gems!

We are off to Waiheke Island to see friends. I decided to make some cakes. I needed them to be moist and travel well. I also had blueberries in the freezer, so it's the same recipe as the strawberry bundts but using blueberries instead. There are so many offers around for blueberries, I just buy them and pop them in the freezer. You can use fresh or frozen, if you are using frozen berries don't let them thaw. 

So my last strawberry inspired recipe, I promise! These are gorgeously moist, perfect to take as part of your picnic or as thank you for a favour. Food makes a great present, as people appreciate the time and effort you have put in to say thanks, or get well or well done.

These are great with blueberries too or raspberries.

This was a firm family favourite back in the UK.  When ever there was a family get together, and there were many, it was always requested as one of the desserts I took along.

So this is it, my semi freddo adapted from good old Jamie Oliver.

I love summer... and I love strawberries, in fact I love all berries. But  blueberries, raspberries and strawberries are my favourite . They are so versatile, you can cook them, bake them, freeze them and use them in all sorts of lovely summer recipes. 

We decided to go strawberry picking at the weekend, it reminded me of summer back in England and Wimbledon and strawberries and cream (I know what you are going to say....what summer in England!) We have been known to have some lovely summers there....and strawberry picking was one of the things I loved doing with my family.

We headed to Kumeu and it was a gorgeous sunny afternoon, and I had strawberry jam in mind amongst other things, so off we went with our buckets, although a little late in the season, the strawberries were still sweet and juic

We headed into the City again yesterday. My children love going to the Wynyard Quarter in Auckland. We go for a long walk (me...walking... the kids ...on their scooters) and we walk along the Viaduct and admire the yachts, and then head back to the silos and have a picnic that I have packed or sometimes stop at a cafe for a treat.

Well, this year ( our 2nd in NZ) we decided to have a quiet kiwi Christmas camping. as it's summer in the southern hemisphere and our long summer holidays.  The big family get together was last year (our first Christmas back for about 9 years) with the whole Singer clan.( My husband's)  A big Christmas meal with all the trimmings. 
 

I love giving foodie gifts anytime, whether it is birthdays, religious festivals or weddings. I grew up with food gifts being exchanged at weddings and celebrations. Food celebrates all aspects of life. 

People appreciate that you take the time and effort into creating something for them, I love giving, I enjoy the appreciation I get from friends and family when I gift them something that I made.

A lovely aromatic, flavoursome curry.  Made with Paneer which is an Indian cottage cheese, this onehas a tomato and onion base, but I also make a paneer and pea curry which is also divine. I had some friends over for dinner on Friday night  and I cookedtwo curries, a meat option and a vegetarian one, it went down a treat.

My mum's jam tarts are the best!, I have memories of eating these when I was growing up in Malawi. They are a perfect alternative to Christmas pudding (if you are not a fan) or just as another dessert over the festive season. They are great as a hot pudding or cold, they keep well for a week in an airtight container.

Gosh its that time of year already, to me it just doesn't seem like its nearly Christmas, its not dark and cold outside  and the streets are not glistening with twinkling lights, there are no school nativity plays, and the shopping is not the same! But hey its getting warmer, so that's got to be good!

An absolute winner! Easily the simplest dessert to make to wow your family and friends.  This is made using tamarillos which are in season at the moment, but coming towards the end. This is gorgeous, combined with orange and honey it makes a light, sweet dessert.  If you are not a fan of tamarillos, you can use rhubarb or raspberries.

Finally... you say,  a curry!  I have quite a few curries up my sleeve, but this one is so easy and yummy anyone can whip it up in no time!

We just celebrated the end of Ramadan, with the festival of Eid ul Fitr.  This marks the end of a month of fasting (from dawn to dusk) every day for 30 days.  Its a time for reflection, it makes us appreciate the abundance in the way we live, what we eat and how we enjoy ourselves.
 

This is my mum's recipe and one that always reminds me of home.  It's a savoury treat, perfect as an appetiser or finger food at a dinner party.  Full of great nutrients so a healthy savoury dish that you don't feel guilty eating. This recipe requires Gram Flour, which you can get from any Indian supermarket.  It's made from lentils, its got a distinctive taste and great for people with a  gluten intolerance.   My dad and hubby both love this, and dad has been bugging me for days to put it on my blog!  LOL!! So here it is dad, this one is for you!

Well, here it is the recipe that inspired the name of my blog. And incidently the first chutney I ever made.

In this modern living, making chutneys, jams and preserves are considered, an old fashioned concept, one that our grandmothers (and maybe our mothers indulged in). I guess through the lack of time and the fact that you can conveniently buy all these condiments in your local supermarket or even at your local farmers markets (very trendy to go to these!)

Nothing like a little baking to while away a depressing, wet Auckland day! The rain hasnt stopped all night and all day today. And its school holidays, typical.  The children are having a pyjama day today, with lots of DVD's and games.  They need feeding too, so thats where mum comes in (a role that I take very seriously indeed!). 

So hot buttered scones are the order of the day

Coconuts remind me of my childhood in Malawi. I remember drinking coconut milk through a hole in the top of the large husk and then splitting it open, spooning out the white flesh! 

I have some gorgeous recipes to delight you with, so I will start with a favourite of mine, quick and easy and perfect for impressing your guests at a dinner party!