Chocolate chestnut mini cupcakes


J: mummy can I have a cupcake please? Me: ok (grabs one from the box and gives her one, and walks out of the kitchen) A few minutes later, J came to find me, J: mummy I’ve finished my 2 cupcakes !!! They were delicious! Me: I only gave you one, how did you get…

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Peking duck with Chinese pancakes


This is the cheats way to a Peking duck dish. I didn’t make the roast duck – I bought it. I really don’t have the time to make the roast duck and when these are so readily available, how could I not buy them instead? The time saved could be used to make another batch…

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Seafood Chowder


I learnt this easy seafood chowder from watching Masterchef Australia. Fleur Sullivan, the chef, is from NZ! This seafood chowder is made with roux, a mixture of flour and butter. I’ve modified this recipe a bit to reduce the amount of butter to make it lighter. You can pretty much add any seafood in as…

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Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad


I LOVE Vietnamese food. I can’t seem to get enough of it. On our last Christmas trip to Hong Kong we went for Vietnamese lunches for not once, not twice, but at least four times (mum correct me if I am wrong but that is all the photos are showing.) I’ve got to do something…

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Prawn cocktail


Upon realizing J is not allergic to prawns, this dish has appeared on our dinner menu at least once a week. Why? It is quick, completes in under 10 minutes, can be made in advance and is delicious. Good quality prawns were hard to find in New Zealand many moons ago, and you’ll have to…

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