All posts tagged: weekend

Kiwi Lime Meringue Pie

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Following on from my Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Pie, over the long weekend I decided to make something similar – introducing my Kiwi Lime Meringue Pie! This is my version of the American classic Key Lime Pie. Since we don’t have Key Limes in New Zealand, I have used some homegrown Matakana limes. If you are a citrus lover, then you will love this pie! The pie has a sweet biscuit base, topped with a tart lime filling, and finished with toasted meringue and lime zest. Hope you enjoy making my Kiwi Lime Meringue Pie – it tastes heavenly. Adapted slightly from these recipes here and here.  Kiwi Lime Meringue Pie Ingredients: For the Crust: 1 1/2 cups malt or graham-cracker crumbs, broken into pieces 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 3 tablespoons sugar For the Filling: 1 tin (400g) sweetened condensed milk 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 4 large limes) 1 tablespoon grated lime zest, plus more for garnish (about 4 large limes) 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I used Heilala) 4 large …

Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Pie

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When life gives you lemons, make a lemon meringue pie. You may already know about the brand I Love Food Co. – they make the scrumptious I Love Pies (my favourite being the Free Range Butter Chicken) and sausage rolls, plus the I Love Baking Cookies – love the Peanut Butter Choc Chunk ones!  All of their pies and sausage rolls are made with their homemade light and delicate sour cream pastry, which uses sour cream and New Zealand butter – no palm oil in sight! And, after the demand for it by consumers, supermarkets and gourmet food stores are now stocking their delicious pastry around the country. Check out their stockists here.  I was recently sent some of I Love Food Co.’s Sour Cream Pastry, plus their gluten free version. Having never used gluten free pastry before, I wanted to try it out! And, having never ever made a Lemon Meringue Pie, I thought I would do that too! This Lemon Meringue Pie was super fun to make, and tasted heavenly. Adapted slightly from this recipe here.  …

Poderi Crisci – Waiheke

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I love love love Poderi Crisci. Situated on Waiheke Island, about a 25 minute drive from Kennedy Point Wharf, you will find Poderi Crisci, a vineyard and Italian restaurant owned and run by Antonio Crisci and his family. Surrounded by rolling hills and immaculate gardens, together with a stunning setting including an Italian style kitchen, displays of Italian cheeses and cured meats, and copper pots and utensils, you will feel like you are in Tuscany.  I dined here for my birthday with my family and it was a very memorable meal… and day overall. Everything was exquisite – from the surrounds and views, to the alfresco dining and beautiful food and wine. The service is also very welcoming, professional and friendly. For starters, we enjoyed a glass of prosecco, accompanied by three platters, all of which were beautifully presented and each dish was savoured: Pane & Olio A selection of homemade grissini, Italian inspired bread and olives with Poderi Crisci olive oil Contorni A selection of Antipasti style side dishes, including free range egg frittata, …

Georgie’s Favourite Foods Party

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Today I turned 26 – woohoo! Over the weekend, I celebrated my birthday. I usually spend the whole year planning it – previous years, I have had a ‘G Party’ where everyone came dressed as something starting with the letter ‘G’, a Hawaiian Luau, complete with a pineapple cake, pina coladas, and luau dancing etc, and last year I had a Mexican Fiesta… it was so much fun! Fast forward to this year, all I wanted to do was go out for breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and dessert. Seeing as it just wasn’t practical, I turned to my food blogger friends for advice. Thanks to Bri, she came up with the brilliant idea of holding a buffet style lunch at my house, featuring all my favourite foods. Introducing, Georgie’s Favourite Foods Party. I am forever grateful for the generous amount of food provided from some of my favourite eateries. Check out what we ate for lunch below, plus something fun we did (DIY ice cream bar), the CAKE, and a fun surprise for my …

La Cigale French Market

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If you are looking for something fun to do on a Saturday or Sunday morning and which involves lots of delicious food, then I highly recommend checking out La Cigale French Market in Parnell. It is undoubtedly the best market in Auckland. Here’s a taste of what you may come across at La Cigale: – Delicious coffee, macarons and croissants just out of the oven – Rotisserie chickens, gooey croque monsieurs, breakfast buns and other savoury delights – Delectable tarts (my favourite being the Frangipani tart with rhubarb and pistachio) and eclairs from Amadine – Freshly made juices, plus smoothies from The Organic Mechanic – Muesli and chia seed bowls from The Vital Bowl – Various international foods like paella, crepes and gozleme – Freshly baked bread, smoked fish, fruit and vegetables – Tasty dips, Turkish bread, wraps and fresh dates – And you probably wouldn’t believe it but there is a stand near the entrance selling every dog treat you can imagine! The market can get quite crowded, so I recommend coming here as early as possible – my favourite time being …

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Making chocolate chip cookies has always been my favourite weekend activity. It is a chance to unwind from the working week and bake something delicious for family and friends. I have made numerous cookies over the years, but this recipe always seems to come out on top, hence the ‘Best Ever’ title. The recipe below comes from a favourite cookbook of mine, Gran’s Sweet Pantry by Natalie Oldfield, but I have tweaked it slightly, for example, the recipe originally says to bake the cookies for 15 minutes, but I like mine chewy in the middle, so I bake them for 10-12 minutes. Makes approximately 24-30 cookies. Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies Ingredients 2 cups plain flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate buttons, roughly chopped 180g unsalted butter, slightly melted 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 egg 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon vanilla essence Method Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease and line two (or three if needed) baking trays. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, …