Salted caramel cheesecakey goodness – so easy and yum!
Valentine’s Oracle Of Love
Choose a treat, with a message just for you this Valentine’s Day.
Thai-Style Black Sticky Rice Pudding Recipe
I like rice. Rice is great if you’re hungry and want 2000 of something. ~ Mich Ehrenborg Hey Lovelies, As I promised after a recent Instagram post, here is the recipe for my black sticky rice pudding. This is truly one of those comfort-in-a-bowl dishes. Black sticky rice pudding is popular in Thailand […]
Easy Lemon Meringue Cheesecake Recipe
Here’s a simple and delicious twist on a lemon meringue pie – cheesecake and lemon meringue combo – what’s not to love!
Homemade Easter Treat Ideas and Recipes
Yummy homemade treats for your and the family, or to share with friends and loved ones.
Easy Filo Pastry Apple Pie Recipe
Apple Pie – one of our favourite desserts, and this one may be the best yet. It’s light, fragrant, delicious and oh-so-easy and quick to make. Serve hot or cold.
My Best Christmas Cake Recipes!
The kitchen can be a sacred space. Where magic is created, whether it’s mixing up a potion, or baking a cake for friends. The whole process is part of this spell – intention being just as important as the ingredients! The Kitchen Witch keeps a warm and happy home infused with magic. ~ Sarah Robinson Hello, […]
Traditional Christmas Cake Recipe – Make and Mature
“I love the Christmas-tide, and yet, I notice this, each year I live; I always like the gifts I get, But how I love the gifts I give!” ~ Carolyn Wells Hey, Lovelies! I have so many fruit cake recipes, but if you have the time this one delivers a perfect Christmas Cake that […]
Cinnamon Apple Slice
This is pretty good! Can I have a bit more? ~ Ben Phillips Hey, Lovelies. Yesterday I made the apple slice from the little Australian Apple Recipe Book Mary-Lou Stephens gifted me. It was a very straightforward recipe – the only issue was lack of direction about a suitable tin size. I tried a […]
Pear and Chocolate Bread Pudding Recipe
If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you. But you have no chocolate! I think of that again and again! My dear, how will you ever manage? ~Marie Rabutin-Chantal De Sévigné Hey, Lovelies! What can be better for dessert than the classic combination of pear and chocolate, […]
Easy Home Made Easter Treats
It’s fun to make these yummy Easter treats, and even more fun to eat them!
Easy Christmas Rum Ball Recipe
“You little beauty! I wait all year for these Rum Balls!” Michael the Tractor Man Hey, Lovelies. One of our family traditions is making Christmas Rum Balls. Some we keep for ourselves, but some we share as gifts with neighbours and friends, and with the people who have served and supported us throughout the year. […]
My Best Christmas Fruit Cake Recipes
“Are you a witch?” I ask, reaching in and taking a bite of one. It’s like Monster Cake, the Sequel—freaking Christmas in my mouth. I already want more before I’ve even managed to chew.” Emma Lord Hello, Lovelies! Have you made your Christmas Fruit Cake yet? Here are my favourite recipes to help you create […]
I Need To Hire A Detective!
The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes. Arthur Conan Doyle Hey, Lovelies. The strangest thing has happened. Just over a fortnight ago I bought quite a selection of (mostly) high quality chocolate bars. The reason? I intended to make chocolate truffles this week. I thought I’d make some […]
Pina Colada Pie Recipe – So good!!! (Can be Gluten Free too)
Need some tropical goodness in your life in the shape of dessert? This coconut and pineapple pie is a thing of beauty. Can easily be made gluten-free too!
The Pleasure Of Working Out What To Bake
“Oh, you smell delicious! What’ve you been baking today?” “Roasted strawberries and rhubarb for a mascarpone ice cream. Lemon tart pastry, mint meringues, sun-dried tomato rolls, honey cake.” Brianne Moore Hey, Lovelies. A friend has her birthday on Sunday. I’ve invited her over to share a meal and, of course, because it is her birthday […]
It’s Time To Soak The Fruit For Your Christmas Fruit Cake!
Are you a member of Team Fruit Cake? If so, it’s time to get your prep done for your Christmas Cake!
Christmas Crack Recipe – Easy, Good, Legal
Anything is good if it’s made of chocolate. Jo Brand Hey, Lovelies. As promised, here is my Christmas Crack recipe. This is an easy-to-make and all-too-easy-to-eat chocolate and caramel slice that makes a great gift, or contribution to a festive meal. I got this recipe from an American friend almost thirty years ago. Her family […]
Nanna’s Easy Chocolate Cake
This is part of what makes me, ahem, an excellent houseguest: I’m game. I’m flexible. I’ll make you feel okay about eating an entire chocolate cake in one sitting because I’m right there by your side with my own fork. Jen Sincero Hey, Lovelies. Ben and some friends moved all of my big, heavy, timber […]
Apple Crumble Pie Recipe – Easy and Quick
Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness. Jane Austen Hey, Lovelies. I love a good pie, but pies from scratch can take hours. This recipe is a cheat’s version of an apple pie, but it’s so yummy you won’t notice. We’re in lockdown right now, so making pies seems like the […]
Easy Sweet Shortcrust Pastry Recipe For Pies
We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie. David Mamet Hey, Lovelies. I am fond of a bit of procrasti-baking, and central to that is the capacity to make a quick pie. I love this foolproof pastry recipe. You whizz it up in a food processor and then rest […]
Nana’s Baked Rice Pudding Recipe
Some foods are so comforting, so nourishing of body and soul, that to eat them is to be home again after a long journey. To eat such a meal is to remember that, though the world is full of knives and storms, the body is built for kindness. Eli Brown Hey, Lovelies. My Nana, Joyce […]
Easy Melt and Mix Banana Cake
Like all magnificent things, it’s very simple. Natalie Babbitt Hey, Lovelies. I would have loved to do some glamour shots of this fabulous banana cake. Actually, who am I kidding? I was lucky to even get a photo of it before Ben and his hungry hordes of workers cut into it for Smoko. I’m in […]
My Favourite Christmas Fruit Cake Recipes
“Are you a witch?” I ask, reaching in and taking a bite of one. It’s like Monster Cake, the Sequel—freaking Christmas in my mouth. I already want more before I’ve even managed to chew.” Emma Lord Hello, Lovelies! Have you made your Christmas Fruit Cake yet? Here are my favourite recipes to help you create […]
It’s Time To Soak The Fruit For Your Christmas Fruit Cake!
Friends are the fruitcake of life – some nutty, some soaked in alcohol, some sweet. Jon Ronson Hello, Lovelies! Do you make your own Christmas fruitcake each year? If you do it’s time to get ready to soak your fruit, in preparation for a flavoursome and moist cake. If you haven’t made a fruitcake before, […]
Coconut Cookies with Dark Chocolate, Figs and Walnuts – Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Can Be Sugar Free or Vegan
If we are looking for insurance against want and oppression, we will find it only in our neighbors’ prosperity and goodwill and, beyond that, in the good health of our worldly places, our homelands. If we were sincerely looking for a place of safety, for real security and success, then we would begin to turn […]
Stupidly Moist and Delicious Date and Ginger Cake Recipe (Goes well with Tea)
“In Britain, a cup of tea is the answer to every problem. Fallen off your bicycle? Nice cup of tea. Your house has been destroyed by a meteorite? Nice cup of tea and a biscuit. Your entire family has been eaten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex that has travelled through a space/time portal? Nice cup of […]
Quick Cinnamon Rolls With A Twist
“You’ve never had a cinnamon roll? You haven’t lived. Come on, Boss! We gotta get that sorted.” Christi Smither Hey, Lovelies,Earlier this year, when I was in Arizona with Christi she introduced me to the joy of a cinnamon roll with my morning coffee. Oh my! How good that was. When I came back to […]
Not Blogging, Baking!
“Bake with love…” Manuela Kjeilen Hey, Lovelies. It’s just the two of us here at home, and because we have been self-isolating Ben has been taking our baking into town to distribute any surplus of the recipes I’ve been trying because we’re not having visitors right now. We’ve always shared my cooking – savoury or […]
Nola’s Ginger Pear Date and Cake with Caramel Sauce
“Imagine what our real neighbors would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person. There have been so many stories about the lack of courtesy, the impatience of today’s world, road rage and even restaurant rage. Sometimes, all it takes is one kind word […]
Easter Treats To Make At Home
“No, we can’t go to the shops. Try making it yourself.” Mum, a million times during the school holidays as we were growing up – PS thanks Mum! Hey, Lovelies,Almost all of us will be staying home this Easter, thanks to Coronavirus. But it doesn’t mean we can’t still have an Easter celebration or indulge […]
Best Ever Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownie Recipe that may actually just be the Best Ever Brownie Recipe
“A brownie a day keeps the frownies away.” Anonymous Hey, Lovelies! I am such a fan of this chocolate brownie recipe. It makes a fudgey gooey delectable treat and it is based on almond meal, so if you avoid gluten it’s a total win. However, it is sooooooooooo good that everyone will love it, and […]
Valentine’s Chocolate Oracle Of Love
“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my […]
Best Christmas Cake Recipes!
The kitchen can be a sacred space. Where magic is created, whether it’s mixing up a potion, or baking a cake for friends. The whole process is part of this spell – intention being just as important as the ingredients! The Kitchen Witch keeps a warm and happy home infused with magic. ~ Sarah Robinson Hello, […]
Easy Banana Bread Recipe
If we are looking for insurance against want and oppression, we will find it only in our neighbors’ prosperity and goodwill and, beyond that, in the good health of our worldly places, our homelands. If we were sincerely looking for a place of safety, for real security and success, then we would begin to turn […]
Best Lemon Pound Cake Recipe
“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” ~ Oprah Winfrey Hello, Lovelies! This simple lemony recipe celebrates the best of friendship. The recipe harks from my Nana’s friend, Coralee. Coralee and Nana were […]
Lamington and Strawberry Parfait – Easy No-Bake Recipe
“One should never, but never, pass by an opportunity to celebrate.” ~ j d malouf I received this email the other day, from the daughters of one of my clients, and I present it just as it was written: dear Nicole my sister and me my name is Molly and her name is Sam need your help […]
Hot Cross Bun Bread And Butter Pudding – SO Easy and Yum!
“You don’t win friends with salad.”~ Homer Simpson Easter is nearly here. I love this time of year in Australia as the days get shorter, the nights cooler, and we begin our slow descent toward winter. Today’s recipe is a seasonal twist on one of my favourite easy-to-whip-up crowd-pleasing desserts. It uses Hot Cross Buns […]
Easy Sour Cream Baked Cheesecake with White Chocolate Ganache and Fresh Raspberries
“If there’s cheesecake in the house, I’ll have some.” ~ Kelly Ripa Every year a dear friend comes to our farm to hang out, write and celebrate her birthday. And, of course, birthdays need good cake. Our cake of choice this year was a simple sour cream cheesecake which we then fancied up with a […]
Nana’s Easy Pavlova Recipe
“Like all magnificent things, it’s very simple.” ~ Natalie Babbitt We have a friend and her young daughters staying with us right now. The girls love to help me in the kitchen, and for their mum’s birthday I helped them to bake and decorate their first pavolava, which is a favourite dessert of their mum. This recipe […]
Simple Christmas Baking and Treat Recipes
“Christmas is a tonic for our souls. It moves us to think of others rather than of ourselves. It directs our thoughts to giving.” ~ B.C. Forbes It’s less than a month until Christmas, but there is still plenty of time to whip up a tasty treat or two to share with friends, to gift, or […]
Easy Fruitcake Rum Ball Recipe for Christmas
“You little beauty! I wait all year for these Rum Balls!” ~ Michael the Tractor Man We live on a farm, as members of a small regional community here in the Byron Bay Shire. Each year we use the same services, eat at the same cafes, shop at the same markets. Over time the […]
Aunty Doff’s Easy Weet-Bix Fruit Cake
“Food brings people together on many different levels. It’s nourishment of the soul and body; it’s truly love.” ~ Giada De Laurentiis I was given this recipe by Aunty Doff, who was my Nana’s beloved sister. We stayed at her home on the Central Coast of NSW once when I was in primary school […]
How To Soak Dried Fruit For Your Christmas Cake!
“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” ~ Calvin Coolidge Do you make your own Christmas fruitcake each year? If you do it’s time to soak your fruit, in preparation for a […]
Salted Caramel Rice Pudding Recipe
“I like rice. Rice is great if you’re hungry and want 2000 of something. ” ~ Mich Ehrenborg This simple rice-based gluten-free dessert is a modern twist on a family favourite. The pudding is sweet, creamy and has that salty more-ish kick. It can be easily made using your favourite kind of milk, so vegans and […]
Best Easy Chocolate Mudcake Recipe
“He showed the words ‘chocolate cake’ to a group of Americans and recorded their word associations. ‘Guilt’ was the top response. If that strikes you as unexceptional, consider the response of French eaters to the same prompt: ‘celebration’.” ~ Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto A friend on the other side of the world […]
Chunky Choc-Chip Oat Cookies – Easy Recipe!
“Baking cookies is comforting, and cookies are the sweetest little bit of comfort food. They are very bite-sized and personal.” ~Sandra Lee School holidays are almost here, and this is a great recipe for kids in the kitchen. They are tasty, easy and use simple ingredients. We love these chunky cookies here at the farm […]
Easy Stewed Pears Recipe
“It is, in my view, the duty of an apple to be crisp and crunchable, but a pear should have such a texture as leads to silent consumption.” ~ Edward Bunyard After the excess of Easter it is a relief to be back to simple food again. One of Autumn’s great pleasures for me is pears. This […]
Poached Pears with Honey and Turmeric
“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.” ~ A.A. Milne […]
Fanny’s Whist Cake – A simple and delicious treat!
“Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people […]
Vanilla Cake with Passionfruit Glaze
“Through enjoyment we endure.” ~ Florence Ditlow Looking for an easy, moist and yummy vanilla cake? My Nana Cody used to make this simple cake every school holidays when we were children. The only thing that ever varied was the flavour of icing she’d add to the top. It’s pretty much a foolproof recipe, which […]
Yummy Sweet Treats for You!
“Love is like a good cake; you never know when it’s coming, but you’d better eat it when it does!” ― C. JoyBell C. Hello Lovelies, Nicole is in bed today feeling sick. So I made her take a break and prepared this blog post for you. I hope you enjoy our top 5 […]
Nana’s Quick Coffee Cake
“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” ~ Gustav Mahler When I need a yummy cake in a hurry this is the first recipe I think of: Nana’s Quick Coffee Cake. My nana was a plain cook, but her food was delicious. Her Quick Coffee Cake is everything a […]
Easy Orange Butter Cake Recipe
“Mma Ramotswe sighed. ‘We are all tempted, Mma. We are all tempted when it comes to cake.’ ‘That is true,’ said Mma Potokwane sadly. ‘There are many temptations in this life, but cake is probably one of the biggest of them.” ~ Alexander McCall Smith When you live on a farm it’s a different […]
Easy No-Bake Apricot and White Chocolate Slice
“In Britain, a cup of tea is the answer to every problem. Fallen off your bicycle? Nice cup of tea. Your house has been destroyed by a meteorite? Nice cup of tea and a biscuit. Your entire family has been eaten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex that has travelled through a space/time portal? Nice cup of […]
Sicilian Lemon, Ricotta and Almond Cake Recipe #glutenfree
“Baking and love go hand in hand, for as one bakes a tasty treat and fills the room with its sweet aroma, the true joy is to take what has been made and share it with another.” ~ Heather Wolf Years ago I was travelling through a remote part of the Australian Outback. I […]
Easy Chocolate Sour Cream Cake Recipe
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” ~ Charles M. Schulz Who doesn’t love chocolate cake? Actually, my husband! But even Ben loves this cake, declaring it ‘the best chocolate cake he has ever tasted’. If you’re looking for a simple, easy, moist chocolate cake recipe that […]
Black Sticky Rice Pudding Recipe – Gluten Free, Vegan, Yum!
“I like rice. Rice is great if you’re hungry and want 2000 of something. ” ~ Mich Ehrenborg This is truly one of those comfort-in-a-bowl dishes. Black sticky rice pudding is popular in Thailand and parts of Asia. It can be eaten warm or cold, and makes a delicious dessert, but it’s equally good […]
Mango-Misu – A Delicious and Easy Dessert!
“Take your pleasure seriously.” ~ Charles Eames Every New Year’s Eve we have a small party at the farm, to celebrate life, the ending of the old year and the coming of the new AND the birthday of a dear friend. What party of such calibre would be complete without dessert? Mango Misu (or […]
Easy Mango Mousse #dairyfree #glutenfree #vegan #yum #paleo
“Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair…” ~ Susan Polis Schutz Mangoes are finally in season here in Australia. This is a super-easy and yummy mango mousse that tastes of summer and is something you can make all year round, even if you can’t access fresh mango. I’ve made […]
Strawberry Coconut Chia Pudding #dairyfree #glutenfree
“Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.” ~ Erma Bombeck I could call this delicious pudding ‘dessert’. But I have also been known to call it ‘breakfast’… This creamy strawberry pudding is a versatile and healthy option as a snack, a meal or as a […]
Coconut Rice Pudding with Banana
“And to this end they built themselves a stupendous super-computer which was so amazingly intelligent that even before its data banks had been connected up it had started from I think therefore I am and got as far as deducing the existence of rice pudding and income tax before anyone managed to turn it off.” […]
Nana’s Queen of Puddings Recipe
“People don’t realize how easy they have it these days. Most kids have never known what it’s like to go without anything. They want something, they get it. If there isn’t enough money, they charge it. We never wanted anything because we never realized we could have anything. We never missed what we never had. […]
Easy Coconut Custard – Low Carb, Paleo, Dairy-Free
“I hope there’s pudding!” ~ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix This is a simple, satisfying and yummy dessert. It makes a firm custard, which would be very suitable as a pie crust filling. Coconut Custard is dairy-free, gluten-free and sugar-free, and high in protein and good fats. Plus it tastes […]
Traditional Christmas Cake – Make and Mature
“I love the Christmas-tide, and yet, I notice this, each year I live; I always like the gifts I get, But how I love the gifts I give!” ~ Carolyn Wells I have so many fruit cake recipes, but if you have the time this one delivers a perfect Christmas Cake that is moist, […]
Melt ‘n’ Mix Sultana Slice Recipe – Easy!
“When I observe Gram, I see how fragile the notion of tradition can be. If I take my eyes off the way she kneads her Easter bread, or if I fail to study the way she sews a seam in suede, or if I lose the mental image I have of her when she negotiates […]
Chilled Coconut Soup with Tapioca and Rockmelon
“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl Many years ago, when my sister and I were sharing a house, we’d sometimes venture out for dinner to a little Asian Restaurant in Market Square at Sunnybank. Our restaurant of choice was called Gourmet Court – […]
Blueberry Coconut Pots with Chocolate Sauce and Toasted Almonds
“Life is too short for self-hatred and celery sticks.” ~ Marilyn Wann I held an impromptu dinner for friends last night. Roast lamb with baked pumpkin and garden vegetables, and then for dessert these little pots of joy. The pots of joy idea arose from me looking in the pantry and wondering what I could […]
Hot Buttered Apples with Tumeric and Ginger
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” ~ Desmond Tutu This sounds like a tasty and warming dessert, right? Well, it is, and if that’s how you want to enjoy it, go right ahead, It’s yummy and good for you. But […]
Nana’s Delicious Ginger Cake Recipe
“And I had but one penny in the world. Thou should’st have it to buy gingerbread.” ~ William Shakespeare, Love’s Labours Lost This was my Pa’s favourite cake. It is a heavy, moist old-fashioned ginger cake and it has very good keeping qualities. Teamed with an afternoon cup of tea or an early morning […]
Celebration Cupcakes Recipe – Because We Hit 2 Million Views!
“Children take joy in their work and sometimes as adults we forget that’s something we should continue doing.” ~ Ashley Ormon Sometime last Friday Cauldrons and Cupcakes hit two million views. Two million views is cause for celebration. And we did. With cupcakes, of course! Dear Readers, thank you so much for all of the […]
Easy Ginger Poached Pears Recipe
“If you want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear by eating it yourself. If you want to know the theory and methods of revolution, you must take part in revolution. All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience.” ~ Mao Tse-Tung Pears are in season right now here in Australia, […]
Easy Stewed Apple Recipe
“If God had intended us to follow recipes, He wouldn’t have given us grandmothers.” ~ Linda Henley Stewed apples always remind me of my grandmothers’ kitchens. Both of them were avid fruit stewers, especially when fruit was beginning to get a little old, or soft, or if there was too much to eat fresh, or […]
Baked Persimmons with Crumble Topping
“Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits.” ~ Samuel Butler Persimmons are one of my favourite autumn treats. I use the non-astringent variety for this recipe. These fuyu persimmons can be eaten crunchy like an apple, or left to soften so that the interior […]
Easy Orange Butter Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
“In Britain, a cup of tea is the answer to every problem. Fallen off your bicycle? Nice cup of tea. Your house has been destroyed by a meteorite? Nice cup of tea and a biscuit. Your entire family has been eaten by a Tyrannosaurus Rex that has travelled through a space/time portal? Nice cup of […]
Simple Stewed Plums Recipe
“What is more mortifying than to feel that you have missed the plum for want of courage to shake the tree?” ~ Logan Pearsall Smith There is something deeply comforting about a bowl of warm sweet fruit, and stewed fruit is so simple that it should definitely be a go-to recipe in every household. I love this […]
Easy Chocolate Mousse with Almond Praline
“If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you. But you have no chocolate! I think of that again and again! My dear, how will you ever manage?” ~ Madame de Sévigné I know, I know, it’s such a throwback to the 1970’s but Chocolate Mousse is […]
Easy Fruit Pastry Dessert
“As much as I would love to be a person that goes to parties and has a couple of drinks and has a nice time, that doesn’t work for me. I’d just rather sit at home and read, or go out to dinner with someone, or talk to someone I love, or talk to somebody […]
Tropical Pie Recipe
“Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.” ~ Ruth Reichl And so, the moment of truth… Does the Tropical Pie of my childhood still measure up? *Nicole laughs gleefully and claps her hands* Darn tootin’ right it does! The pie has a crunchy toasted coconut crust, […]
Quick Christmas Macadamia Shortbread Recipe
“For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home.” ~ W.J. Ronald Tucker This is a super recipe. It’s rich and buttery, and the lovely crispness of the shortbread goes perfectly with a cup of tea. I like their rustic style […]
Easy Date, Ginger and Walnut Cake Recipe
“Variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavour.” ~ William Cowper What am I doing this morning? Well, as soon as this blog is done I’ll be making a nice cup of tea, cutting myself a slice of this cake and sitting down with my journal for an hour or so. […]
Mandarin, Zucchini and White Chocolate Cupcakes
“Baking is like washing–the results are equally temporary.” ~ Patricia Briggs, Raven’s Shadow I experimented with a new cake recipe earlier in the week. But it was so good that it was devoured before I thought to take any photos. So I made it again! In fact, I tested two versions. A straight-up version […]
Easy Lemon Yoghurt Syrup Cake
“Mma Ramotswe sighed. ‘We are all tempted, Mma. We are all tempted when it comes to cake.’ That is true,’ said Mma Potokwane sadly. ‘There are many temptations in this life, but cake is probably one of the biggest of them.” ~ Alexander McCall Smith, In the Company of Cheerful Ladies This is a […]
Persian Love Cake Recipe #glutenfree
“You’ve got this life and while you’ve got it, you’d better kiss like you only have one moment, try to hold someone’s hand like you will never get another chance to, look into people’s eyes like they’re the last you’ll ever see, watch someone sleeping like there’s no time left, jump if you feel like […]
Baked Apple Maple Custard #dairyfree #sugarfree
“I hope there’s pudding!” ~ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix This is a comforting, warm, easy-to-digest pudding that tastes delicious. It only takes a few minutes to throw together, which is also a nice bonus. I’ve long been a fan of baked custard, and I’ve modified my grandmother’s original recipe […]
Easy Nutella Cheesecake Recipe
“….I can dream away a half-hour on the immortal flavor of those cheese cakes we used to have on a Saturday night.” ~ Mary Antin, ‘The Promised Land’ (1912) This is probably the easiest cheesecake I have ever made. It only requires a few ingredients, and it is seriously yum. Not too sweet, not overpoweringly Nutella flavoured, […]
Easy Vanilla Cupcake Recipe
“I’ve never met a problem a proper cupcake couldn’t fix.” ~ Sarah Ockler, Bittersweet Don’t you love Bert’s sweet little face sneakily captured in the cupcake photo above? He was seriously hoping that I would turn my back for just one moment… That’s how much everyone wants one of these cupcakes! This is a standard, moist […]
Chocolate Beetroot Cake Recipe – Gluten Free
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” ~ Charles M. Schulz Although at first this might sound like a strange flavour combination, I can assure you that this cake tastes sublime. The beetroot adds an earthy sweetness to the chocolate cake, giving a moist but surprisingly light cake with good […]
Zucchini Bread Recipe – Gluten free, dairy free, sugar free
“When I pass a flowering zucchini plant in a garden, my heart skips a beat.” ~ Gwyneth Paltrow I should have titled this post The Great Zucchini Loaf Challenge! I have a friend who is always telling me that they positively hate zucchini. This friend last ate zucchini thirty years ago at boarding school. They tell me […]
Apple, Pear and Chia Seed Warm Pudding Recipe
“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.” ~Ernestine Ulmer I came home to our farm last night, too exhausted to cook dinner. Problem was, I was hungry. The thought of a salad, or anything cold and raw was completely off-putting. I needed warmth and nurture. Solution? A lovely bowl of warm pudding – healthy and […]
Quick Guava Tea Cake Recipe
“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” ~ Henry James Afternoon tea is a popular time in our household. In fact, it usually attracts visitors hopeful of a cuppa, a chat, and a small slice of something tasty. I love this tea cake […]
Quick Apple and Blueberry Tart
“Cut my pie into four pieces, I don’t think I could eat eight.” ~ Yogi Berra This simple berry and apple tart is quick to make and tastes fruity and delicious. I use variations of this recipe all the time to whip up a speedy afternoon tea or dinner-time treat. Shop-bought pastry means all you need […]
Mango and Fig Meringue Nests Recipe
“Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.” ~ Mother Teresa This is a VERY easy dessert. Just a little chopping and stirring, but the results are pleasing and the flavours elevate it to a whole other level. There is usually a packet of little meringue nests in my […]
Blueberry Pancake Recipe
“I like pancakes. They’re a kind of dessert for breakfast. What can be better than that?” ~ Nicole Cody We have a houseful of friends staying at the farm right now, giving Ben a hand with some clearing and fencing. And man, these fellas can eat!!! A girlfriend from the farm up the road dropped […]
Baked Passionfruit and Lime Cheesecake Recipe
“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.” ~ William Shakespeare Birthdays deserve cake. For the past few days I’ve had my dear friend Carly staying with us here at the farm, so that we could see in the New Year together and celebrate her birthday. I’ve not been well on this round of lyme meds, […]
Easy Berry Parfait Recipe
“Some of the sweetest berries grow among the sharpest thorns.” ~ Scottish Proverb Ever since I was a little girl I’ve loved parfaits. They’re so pretty with their layers of deliciousness! What’s even better about this dessert is that it’s healthy enough to eat for breakfast, and fancy enough to be served at Christmas Dinner. […]
Last-Minute Christmas Cake Recipe – Quick and Easy
“Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.” ~ Charles M. Schulz Did Christmas sneak up on you too this year? One minute it was 2012, and now it seems a whole year has flashed by and I missed it! Christmas Cake and Christmas Pudding is usually an elaborate ritual in our household, but […]
Easy Reindeer Cupcakes Recipe
“Reindeer are flight and motion and magic in moonlight beyond all recalling, made of Christmas dreams, spun from a place beyond all fearing.” ~ Anon A dear girlfriend and her young daughter dropped by a few days ago for a cuppa and a chat. It was a perfect opportunity to try out this Christmassy […]
Baked Peaches with Walnut Caramel Crumble Recipe
“One day I would have all the books in the world, shelves and shelves of them. I would live my life in a tower of books. I would read all day long and eat peaches. And if any young knights in armor dared to come calling on their white chargers and plead with me to […]
Easy Pecan Pie Recipe
“Earth is here so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest.” ~ Douglas Jerrold 1803-1857 Something very cool happened yesterday afternoon as we went for a family walk to wheel the rubbish bin (it’s a glamorous life on the farm LOL!) down our long driveway to the road. As I trailed […]