What's our favourite snack right now?

Vegemite. On anything.
Good thing I had a chance to wipe the messy faces before Oma came to visit!

Hope everyone's week is going great! x

Our sunny Dutch Sunday

Last Sunday was a beautiful day. The best kind you can ever hope for living in Wellington. Sunny, calm, and spent with the cousins at the Botanical Gardens to have our own special "Dutch" day. 

Some of the amazing flowers. Loved the orange poppies!

Hello frog! and many more wandering adventures.

Hanging with Uncle Paul, drinking tea and Cousin Silas checking out the bubble scene.

Aunty Lisa and some more beauty.

Persimmon Bundt Cake (and an almost Beetroot Gnocchi.)

The last few weeks have been a bit crazy.
Crazy running and jumping boys.
Me with food poisoning. Bad enough to send me to the doctor finally...
J working multiple weekend nights in a row.
We all need a break.

On top of trying to stay on top of life, I've been trying new recipes here and there... One still needing a bit of work is Beetroot Gnocchi, or rather I have a boatload of leftover roast veggie-gnocchi. They were ok. But just ok. I'm still working on those. I'll get there damn it!

But this one was a winner! We had a few persimmon kicking around in the fridge recently and while I was thinking of a way to use them as a chutney or something, I ended busting out the old bundt cake mould. I hadn't used it in ages and they always make some pretty cakes. I need to start using them more often. 

So this treat was first found here.

I made it minus the currants, which I just forgot (that happens a lot lately, they were sitting on the bench and all! Ugh.) and minus the nuts as you never know who might have a nut allergy these days. 

It's a pretty basic recipe really. Very similar to a pumpkin cake which is always a happy treat for me!

xoxo

My Monday Caffeine Hit - Sweet Tea

Trouble. On the move.

As of late, those sweet little boys of ours have slowly become little monsters. Climbing, clingy, fighting, crying, whining, dropping that morning nap, teething... Ugh. By 2pm they are HOPEFULLY down for an afternoon nap. A loooooong afternoon nap. I take about 15 minutes to sit down, have lunch, breath, and plan the rest of the afternoon, which usually means getting dinner started too. So it's lunch and a little caffeine hit and I'm good. But sadly, by this time of the day, our most loved and most used kitchen appliance (our coffee machine) has been off for a few hours. And seriously, having a flat white that late in the day just feels wrong! So, the answer?

Hello, Sweet Tea!

It's such an American thing... Sweet Tea. I love reading a trashy Sookie book and she offers someone a sweet tea. Makes me a bit nostalgic. There are many many things that I do and don't miss about the US, but Sweet Tea is in the definitely 'miss' category. I know, I know, you can buy it at the dairy and you can get Lipton, but there is always that part of me that hates giving in to things like that! Maybe it's just my stubbornness. I am a Taurus after all! That and it's probably not very good for you, and definitely not for the little ones (holy sugar batman!) ... but it's sweet tea. Everything in moderation, right? 

btw, this was a double batch :)

Anyway, here's how I make mine...

Wheat and, even better, Rye Thins!

I'm a bit of a fan of snackie, salty, crackers and chips. I blame my darling mother for my addiction to chippies. All too easily a bag will disappear in a sitting. Crumbs poured into my mouth and everything. It's my Homer Simpson moment. Also, the boys love crackers, and having control over the ingredients makes me feel a little better about the addiction I will probably be handing down to those little men. Let's just say, finding recipes like these are just little highlights to my day. Especially when the come out so well!

Pikelets and Tea Parties..

Far out! Seriously easy!
I love pikelets! You can add pretty much anything to them. Corn, bacon, apples, bananas, savoury, sweet, topped with honey, jam, or just plain!
Here's all you need...

It's almost baking season.. Apricot & Orange Muffins

This week has been a bit chilly here in old Welly. A brutal reminder of the upcoming winter. We've had to bust out a bit of the winter gear and merino pyjamas. Cold southerlies, rain, chapped lips, and heaters on... Time to start baking.

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a very simple, easy baking cookbook from the library. I was drawn to one recipe in particular, it included two of the boys' favourite snacks, apricots and orange. There was no losing with this one.

The recipe is only altered slightly from the book, as those hungry boys love chewing and eating oranges. Peels and all! The original recipe only calls for the zest of one orange, instead I used two for that extra bite they love.

To make these awesome zesty muffins...