by Amber on September 2, 2010
A friend recently mentioned that she was thinking about becoming a vegetarian. A move which I enthusiastically applaud. Don’t worry, I promise not to get all preachy at the rest of y’all, but my goodness, there are some delicious vegetarian recipes out there. I’m not really into the fake meats or replacements, just yummy dishes that coincidentally don’t have meat in them..
I’m on a cooking kick at the moment, and here are some of my favourites:
And a couple of mini ideas:
- Spring rolls! Buy some premade rice wrappers, soak them in water, then fill them with whatever veggies you like & dip into saucy goodness. Good fillings: greens, carrots, sprouts, cucumber.
- Sweat out some seasoned leek and mushrooms, cook up some penne and smother with Parmesan.
- Roasted vegetables with curry powder & pepper, mashed into greek yoghurt.
- Red pepper bruschetta. Thickly slice some good bread (I like sourdough), then toast with a little bit of olive oil in the oven. Caramelize some onions and spread liberally on the toast, along with some chopped roasted red peppers, and thin slices of basil.
- Tachos – chili beans, salad ingredients and browned onions, stuffed into taco shells or burritos. Replace cheese with hummus if you want to be sooooper healthy.
What are your favourite go-to recipes? Or what do you serve up when you’re feeding a bunch of happy herbivores? I would love to know!
by Amber on August 17, 2010
A couple of days ago I got the hankering to make some Limoncello. I’m not sure really where this urge came from – I did enjoy a tiny glass of it at Coco’s Cantina recently, so maybe there. Anyway, I researched the recipe – learning it takes 80 days to cure. Coincidence 1: It’s about 80 days until my birthday and the beginning of summer. We need nice things to drink in the summer. Coincidence 2: This weekend I was gifted a large shopping bag of organic lemons…
So tonight I got started, completing part 1! I have to fess up, zesting is tiresome. I did 20 lemons and felt like I got very little zest for my money. It’s going to be great though. Stay tuned for the results…
LIMONCELLO
Ingredients
17-20 organic lemons
2 bottles (750 ml) of 100-proof vodka
4 cups sugar
5 cups water
Part 1 : day 1, aka what I did today
- Wash the lemons thoroughly with hot water and a brush. We don’t want any nasties!
- Zest lemons carefully ensuring there is no white pithy parts on the peel. The white bit is rind and will make your Limoncello bitter.
- Put zest into a glass jar and cover with one bottle of vodka. Close the lid tightly and hang on baby, we have forty days to wait. We can interrupt it at day 10, but the longer we wait, the more the vodka will take on the flavour and colour of the lemon.
Part 2 : day 40
- In a large pot, combine the sugar and water; cook until thickened, approximately 5 to 7 minutes.
- Let the sugar syrup cool before adding it to the Limoncello mixture. Add the additional bottle of vodka (I used Stil brand because it’s what I had on hand, you can also use grain alcohol). Allow to rest in a dark, cool place for another 40 days.
Part 3 : day 80
- After the incubation period, strain the mixture using coffee filters or similar.
- Bottle your Limoncello, discarding the lemon zest. A big bottle for you, or several little bottles to share the love – your decision!
- Keep in the freezer until ready to serve.
Dearest Frankie Magazine has just emailed me to announce the release of their latest recipe book, Sweet Treats.
sweet treats is a nostalgic collection of 39 indulgent recipes from a time gone by. Delicacies range from peanut brittle, honeycomb and mint patties to caramel fudge, lollipops and coconut marshmallows. Each treat evokes memories of tuckshop lines and fete cake stalls. It will delight anyone with a sweet tooth!
I own their first book, Afternoon Tea (as does everyone in the house, it seems to live permanently on our kitchen table), so I’m really excited to check this compendium of sugar out. If the recipes are half as good as the styling…
[click the images for full-sized, readable recipes]
HOW AMAZING ARE THE CANDY HEARTS?! Could they be my new business cards? Or just favours to hand out to sexy strangers and the already beloved.
Things mine would probably say:
- “You’re a hot babe”,
- “Can I show you my narwhal?”,
- “Totes rad”,
- “Mega number one dreamboat”
- “Vodka and soda, please”…
Typical. Anyway, Sweet Treats for the win!
by Amber on April 14, 2010
I like my local dairy. They keep Reeses Peanut Butter Cups in stock exclusively for me (these are kind hard to find in New Zealand); and they offer a lot of random candy. Recently I offered up a review of the ‘delightful’ Shi-Chuan Peach Vinegar, and thought it would be pleasant to do it again with an unknown sugar source. I was wrong.
Being a big fan of Hi-Chew candies (Green Apple is yum) I picked this one up. No English on the packaging but I know that’s Daruma on the front. There’s also quite a few blossoms! It turns out the flavour is neither mustachioed wooden doll or blossom – it’s sour Ume Plum. (Please be excusing the dodgy camera-phone shots.)
Name: Hi-Chew Ume Plum
From: Japan!
Benefits: Teeth rotting and jaw cementing abilities. Seriously though, various translations on the Internet suggests this product is being promoted for its effect on student’s study success. Interesting.
Special instructions: None in my language but I love the inclusion of a QR code.
Eating experience: Individually wrapped. The pale pink of these beauties makes them look sweet and innocent; but the chewy outer shell hides an evil secret. The filling is (a squidgy, gummy ‘powder’) is so sour you think it’s going to destroy your mouth and give you an ulcer.
Rating: 4/5 – Sour as all hell but the packet disappeared mysteriously fast. Would buy again, if my beloved PB cups are out of stock.
by Amber on April 5, 2010
How we celebrate around these parts:
They are eggs, kind of! Passionfruit cups with vodka and sugar, perfect for slurping down in the company of good friends.
(Thanks to Sarah for the idea!)
by Amber on January 11, 2010
A gift from me to you – a White Chocolate Rocky Road recipe to destroy all those healthy eating resolutions… or if you’re enjoying the UK snow flurry at the moment, this will ensure you have ample reserves to stave off the chill.
If you like white chocolate, this is phenomenal. Thanks to my cousin Deb for the recipe!
by Amber on December 19, 2009
And then came the brilliant part. We had a bunch of monster Tuscan kale growing in the yard this past summer. You’re supposed to wait until the first frost to harvest it, and we’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for a frost. I don’t know why you have to wait for the frost, but my wife kept telling me that. And they’re giant. I mean these things are about three-feet tall. I went out and harvested, and I chopped the kale and started sautéing it with olive oil, and I put salt on it. It was just great. A bunch of the leaves were much thinner than others and I thought I was burning them almost, but those were the best parts. It’s almost like it came out like an incredibly delicate potato chip but made out of kale. It was definitely the best part of the meal.
Crunch, you know, is one of those universal human irresistible things. In fact, if it is a universal I’d love to know why. Is it some ancestral memory? Crunching the bones of your enemy? I don’t know why crunch would be pleasurable.
Someone has made kale sound succulent, and it is a miracle. From NY Mag’s Grub Street;
Food Historian William Grimes Quaffs Tea, Stands Down Kale in His Garden. Grimes keeps his diary smart and sharp! Food is one of my favourite things to read about; I dive into my housemate’s subscription of Cuisine magazine each and every month, and I’m sure you know I think Nigel Slater is a true poet. Yummy words, specific enough to have you drooling all over the glossies.
by Amber on December 9, 2009
My love affair with tea packaging continues. First we had Tea: Beautiful Packaging, to the art of boxing and bagging. Of course, there were many more fine examples than would fit in one post, hence part two. Voila!
By the way, if you’re interested in keeping a tea-log or finding new flavours/brands on which to sup, Steepster is a wonderful community site to check out!
Kaffe 1668 is a New York coffee house with its own line of teas. Designer Megan Cummins brought the 20+ teas to life in a prescriptive style.
Dr. Stuart’s (extraordinarily good tea) was designed by one of my favourite design studios, Pearlfisher, who seem to turn every piece of packaging into gold.
Teahugger’s clean and simple boxed were designed by Brian Peters. The name is adorable too!
New Zealand is the new home for a 4,000-year-old Chinese Oolong tea. For the first time ever Oolong tea has been grown outside Asia. Brand agency Designworks (my old crew) developed the name, brand and packaging for ‘Zealong’ – positioning it as a tea of the very highest quality.
T2 is a gorgeous Australian tea and tisane brand. The packaging is bright, bold and dripping with personality. On the T2 site you can even find a tea to match your zodiac sign (I’m going to presume Scorpio is not nettle tea).
I’m lucky to admire a few of the boxes every day in our kitchen. I’m enamoured with their ’single serve’ hand woven plum blossom green teas, and sheer muslin tea bags. When combined with one of their glass teapots, you’ve got the perfect gift for any connoisseur or design nerd. Oh, hint hint!
by Amber on November 25, 2009
by Amber on November 16, 2009
So, the other day I was chilling on the sofa the pondering the content of dear old Code For Something. Culture, yes; Style, regularly; Design, mhmm; Travel, CHECK… So somewhat quickly I kind came to the conclusion it was Food that’s a little bit lacking. Cakes are great and all that, but what could I do that was a little more fun for me (and not just adding to my whale blubber)? Investigative cafe reporting perhaps? Oh wait.
Then I remembered my recent shopping trip to Tai Ping, an awesome Asian supermarket on Auckland’s Beach Rd, where I always stock up on a plethora of fake meats and tofu delights. On this occasion – probably because it a) had pink foil b) was squishy and c) was on sale at $1.40 – I also chucked a Shi-Chuan Peach into my basket. I have no idea why, but I thought perhaps it would be amusing to see what peachy mysteries lurk within and report back on it. So here we are.
Name: Shih-Chuan Peach Vinegar - Vinegar??
From: Taiwan!
Benefits: “Not only do they taste good, but they are good for you packed with lots of nutrition”.
Special instructions: “Opening the plug and drink directly. It is tastier with chilled water. Deposition is a natural occurence.” – Uh depositions? Where? Plus, an open admission the liquid is going to taste foul without modification. As you can see, this worries me.
Drinking experience: It looks a teeny bit like champagne when it’s poured, however turns out to be still. I was hella frightened after reading vinegar, because I’d initially overseen that little word. But on supping, it had a really sweet artificial peachy taste (kinda like drinking a liquified peach Fruit Burst!), with only the slightest hint of vinegar. Not too bad… it would possibly be a great mixer with vodka, but with only 140ml in a pack, the tide is definitely out.
Rating: 3/5. It would have done better if it was intoxicating in its native state!
So here we are.
by Amber on November 7, 2009
Emma and I had a lovely lunch one Saturday afternoon at Five Leaves on Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn. We ended up there on the epic search for good coffee. People tell me it was dreamed up by Heath Ledger, and is named after “Swan cigarette papers that tell you when there are just five left in a package”.
The interior is nautically divine, the staff are a bunch of friendly Aussies and yup, the coffee is pretty damn nice. We also feasted on some tasty burgers and fries (chosen from a typographically decadent menu), that made our 15 minute wait in the drizzle outside more than worth it.
18 Bedford Avenue, Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
by Amber on September 24, 2009
Tea, the drink of choice for queens the world over, is also the king of beautiful packaging. I’ve been digging around and saving my favourites.
Here is an Orla Kiely designed tin for Bewley’s:
Kiely says of her bright box – “Bewley’s was an important sanctuary to me as a student living in Dublin and I am delighted to be working with them as they are an iconic Irish brand. We chose one of our signature prints – the ‘Scribble Stem’ in a classic red and cream with bright chartreuse contrast lid. We hope our tea caddy will add a flash of colour and become a treasured feature in the kitchen.”
English brand Clipper uses hand drawn type and illustration to showcase their natural flavours:
French brand Chateau Rouge, uses an object (which has relevance to name or the flavour notes) to identify each tea:
Mallard make the cutest takeaway cups – featuring whimsical patterns and a cute teapot silhouette:
“Mallard is a specialist tea company which sells loose leaf tea through its shop and tearoom in Knutsford. The mix and match branding is inspired by the eclectic feel of the establishment which is quirky, eccentric and unmistakably English.”
Andrews & Dunham sell loose tea in beautifully designed little tins – I love this elephant Ceylon one:
Finally, origami tea bags from Russia. Not strictly packaging bu whatevski – they are beautiful! The bird apparently forms and unfolds gradually while the tea infuses.
It seems those on the European side of the pond are miles ahead of the pack when it comes to injecting a little charm into their tea boxes!
What brand of tea do you drink? Does it keep it cute ‘n loose? Tight and tinned?
It seems those on the far side of the pond are miles ahead of the pack when it comes to injecting a little charm into their tea boxes!
by Amber on July 30, 2009
“Local lad Dan Nagels has just graced us with his new collection” says Wellington’s Madam Fancy Pants. Lucky them! It looks cute, featuring stirling silver party favourites like popcorn and chippies.
Still hungry? See also Q-Pot’s Whipped Cream Ring and Hamburger chain…
It looks delicious and is the closest I’ll ever get to one again! Available at Wellington’s Good as Gold! Enjoy your treats, kids.
by Amber on July 13, 2009
My mum did some baking in the weekend. Yay Mum! She made Banana Cake – the perfect post skiing treat. My own contribution was limited to making the accompanying hot tea and devouring slices.
Here’s the recipe – it’s a good one – gleefully lifted from the Edmond’s Cook Book. I assumed it’s the birthright of Kiwis to do so.
CLASSIC BANANA CAKE
4 ozs. butter
6 ozs. sugar
2 eggs
2 mashed bananas plus 1 for luck
1 level teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 ozs. flour
Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs. Add the soda (usually dissolved in boiling milk, but I say just throw it in). Lastly add flour, baking powder – and mix well, no, mix the hell outta it!
Cook in a greased cake pan – I like the donut shaped ones because they cook evenly. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350F/180C. Test with a pointy little stick to see if it’s done… then devour hot. Later you can ice the rest (mmm chocolate) but the joy of home baking is gobbling it promptly. Enjoy!
