This year for Christmas I was looking for new light and summery cake to serve (I don't like pudding so I am always looking for a different Christmas day dessert!) I came across a version of this in a magazine made by a local farmer, modified it and loveeeed it! The beautiful mix of zingy lemon, creamy butter cream and sweet elderflower is the essence of summer. Ingredients Lemon cake: 240g butter 240g caster sugar Zest of 2 lemons 6 eggs 240g self-raising flour Jar of lemon c

My beautiful Nan was turning 90 and my mum put me in charge of the cake. I knew there was going to be quite a few people so I opted for a layered cake. Anyone who has ever met my Nan would know that 'caramel is her favourite', I couldn't tell you how many times she has told me! So without any question I decided on a caramel cake. I found this recipe on Gourmet Traveler and gave it a go. I knew I wanted to dress it as a semi naked cake, but with the amount of cream cheese fros

When thinking of New York City, it won’t take you long to start thinking of all the food! There is an abundance of great food in this city, so while I could list many places to go check out I have decided to talk about just 4 things that I think are a part of the iconic food list in NYC and where I found the best version of it. 1. The burger Image source: Bareburger The burger is a big one. You will be hard pressed to go anywhere in the US and not find a burger on the menu. W

Why you should make your own: Buying granola or muesli started to become a painful process for me. I would stand in the isle for so long reading the back of packets that claimed they are healthy to uncover the ridiculous amount of sugars, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, etc. that they contained. When I found granola/ muesli that had the least amount of this in it, they were often un roasted and tasted really bland. I also don't like sultanas so it was really hard to fi

If you are like me - a relative beginner when it comes to cake decorating, then I urge you to have your first go at making fondant icing with this recipe. Using just 3 really basic ingredients, its simple and tasty. This was my very first attempt at anything like fondant, and as you can see I have some practice to do with my edges!! ;) Ingredients: 500g of marshmallows 2 tablespoons water 1 kg icing sugar Method: Using a large microwave-safe bowl add marshmallows and water. M

Ultra easy, fast and healthy. This laksa will leave you feeling full and fresh, a great mid-week meal. Ingredients: 1 bunch baby pak choy, cut lengthways into wedges 200 g green beans, trimmed 300 g chicken breast, cut into thin slices 50 g rice stick noodles 2 tsp peanut oil 220 g jar laksa paste 400 ml can coconut paste 2 cups (500ml) vegetable stock 2 tsp fish sauce 2 tsp brown sugar 2 tsp mint Lime wedges, to serve Method: Brown the chicken in a large fry pan then set asi

Recipe source: Coles Magazine This recipe is from Coles that I have modified to incorporate more mango flavour in the cheesecake. I originally made it for Christmas lunch a couple of years back and it was a big hit. Light, fresh and a real crowd pleaser. It takes about 25 minutes for preparation, one hour for cooking and another 2 hours resting. Ingredients For the Crust: 150 g Plain Flour 100 g Unsalted Butter, chilled, cut into cubes 30 g Sliced Almonds 65 g Icing Sugar 1 F

For the past 5 years I have made gingerbread houses every Christmas. Over the years I have made many different variations and sizes. Here is my go to recipe that is a mixture of different recipes from the net. This recipe makes one medium sized house or two small houses. Equipment: A base to build your house, I recommend a chopping board. Stencils for the house: A good guide is two 15cm x 19cm rectangles (roof), Two 11.5cm x 16cm rectangles (side walls), Two 16cm x 19cm recta

I have been perfecting my smoothie bowl skills for some time now and have learnt what works best and discovered some good variations. Here are my top tips for making your next smoothie bowl the best you have ever had! 1. Quality of your fruit. Try steer away from having too much store bought frozen product, they tend to lack flavour and can be tart. Also be aware of what country the fruits come from as there are many countries that have very low standards and regulations arou

Ever since I moved out of home I have been living in apartments, so I am yet to have a garden to truly call my own. Unit living however hasn't stopped me from having plants, plants just make me feel happier and literally bring life to a balcony! I am one of those people that love the idea of plants but end up watching most of them die from neglect! Work and life gets in the way and I forget to look after them or bugs and animals destroy them. Over the years I have learnt to

If you haven't heard of Maqi before, it is a berry that grows in Patagonia and has been given the highest rating of antioxidants to be naturally found in any food. To understand how much this is, it has been reported to have 4 times the amount of antioxidants than Acai and Goji berries and up to 10 times the amount of pomegranate! A couple of months ago I came cross Maqui in my local health food store, I had never heard of it before and decided to give it a go, in terms of ta