A celebration of Chocolate

I remember my first Easter in Melbourne. It was ten years ago, I was living with my aunt and uncle.

My uncle came home one day after work with what looked like a golden rabbit. That night he unwrapped it, and I discovered that it was actually chocolate, in the shape of a rabbit. The chocolate was yummy.

A few days later, my cousin offered me an egg. Much to my surprise, it was chocolate in the shape of an egg. Mmm.. yummy chocolate again.

For several weeks, more chocolate eggs and rabbit filled our pantry, and every night, after dinner of course, we would indulge. Then one evening my aunt came home with a basket full of chocolates, with a note stuck on it – Happy Easter!

‘What’s with all the chocolate’ I asked my uncle, he smiled and said its Easter this weekend. I was like ‘huh?!’ – I didn’t think non-Christians celebrated Easter.

As the years passed by, it was apparent that Easter and chocolates had a lot in common, regardless of your religious believes. It was a norm to give and receive chocolates, at work or among friends.

And the Easter long weekend, is time off work everyone looked forward too.

This was my Easter weekend this year.

Green juice (from Spring St Grocer) and soft boiled eggs for Sunday brunch. The Easter eggs and bunnies were gifts from friends.

Hot cross and Easter egg macaron from La Belle Miette, afternoon tea on Good Friday.

Homemade pancakes for Sunday brunch

Easter Bunny from Lux Bite, on Easter Monday, just because.

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A simple pancake recipe

I made pancakes yesterday. Its been ages since I last made these lovelies. It’s easy to make, and it’s so much more tastier than the pre-made mixes from the supermarket.

1 cup of self raising flour
1/4 of icing sugar
1.5 cup of milk or butter milk
1 tsp of vanilla essence
1 egg
A pinch of salt

Place flour, sugar, salt and vanilla essence in a mixing bowl. Add egg, and mix through. Then add half a cup of milk, and whisk well. Add another half, and whisk. Repeat for the last half cup of milk.

Heat a non stick pan, a small one preferably. Brush pan with butter, scope in about a ladle full of pancake mixture. Let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes or until brown, before flipping sides. Repeat with remaining mixture, brushing pan with butter in between batches.

Serve with honey and blueberries, butter and fresh lemon juice, or what ever tickles your pickle.

Makes 5-6 pancakes.

Hope you had a fabulous Easter x

New Year’s Resolution

My new year’s resolution is to simply write 2013 instead of 2012 – four days into it and I’m still struggling.

Hope you had a fabulous start to the new year. I know I did.

xoxo

Something to share

A friend of a friend decided that she was going to host an early Christmas lunch, at a friends place, this year. She got the ball rolling, and I got a text.

Everyone had to bring something to share and something to give. I put my hands up for dessert, naturally.

Our lunch, last Sunday, was simply fabulous. I’m still in awe at how everything, unplanned, just fell into place.

There was a moment, during lunch, when I paused to looked around – everyone gathered on a very long table, sharing the food we brought, laughing out loud. Some getting their hands dirty, while others trying to catch up from where they last left off, a handful blissfully singing along out loud to the radio.

In that moment ‘I felt that we were a family, an accidental gathering of beings, nourishing one another’ Kim Sunèe shared in her memoir.

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For dessert I made coconut sago and mango pudding. I always have sago sitting in my pantry. It’s easy to cook with, and it’s gluten free. I love it.

You will need

2 cups Tapioca (sago)
8 cups of water, maybe more
200ml coconut cream
8 tbsp brown palm sugar
300ml soya milk
pinch of salt
3 Fresh mangos, diced
A pot, non-stick preferred

Soak sago in 3 cups of water for about 15 minutes then drain.

Bring remaining water to boiling, and add sago. Stir constantly to avoid sago sticking together, or to the bottom of the pot. Cook until sago begins to turn transparent – add more water, if required.

Add remaining ingredients, and continue to stir until pudding is bubbling, remove from stove and wait to cool.

Add mangoes, stir, and refrigerate.

Serves 8, generously.

Note: Its vegan friendly. Add more soy milk if you want it less viscous. To make it more aromatic, add Pandan Leafs when you add sago to the boiling water, and remove when the pudding cools down. Serve cold.

Happy HoHoHolidays!

Happy Easter

To me Easter has always been about chocolates, this year it’s a little different.

Easter is the start of Spring
Time to sort out your Summery things
Sending you warm wishes, and a half eaten macaron
Enjoy a wonderful Easter; whatever you do ♥

Easter Macarons are from La Belle Miette

Merry Foodimas!

Being a foodie, there is nothing more exciting than the annual Food and Wine Festival in Melbourne. It’s twenty days of eating, drinking, and talking about food.

For twenty years, Melbournians have been gallivanting over the best of what Melbourne has to offer, and this year is no different – from Masterclasses to Food Tours, food trucks to a Greenhouse on the banks of Yarra, and the World’s Longest Lunch, it’s all happening!

Most of the events have already been sold out but don’t let that stop you, there are plenty of events still available for bookings and some of them are FREE.

Im looking forward to the Food Trucks Unite down at Banana Alley this weekend and the Sweets: Taste and Traditions from many Cultures Exibition at the Immigration Museum. The twilight outdoor free cinema on Federation Square is a must go, and so is the Bar and Restaurant Expresses happening around Melbourne – it’s an easy way to enjoy the festival without a dent in the pocket.

Highlights: Seeing Jamie Oliver do his thing at The Reagent Theater and the operation of the Broadsheet Bar on Flinders Lane.

Let the nom-Noming begin!