Gnocchi Mac and Cheese

Comfort food. There's nothing else like it. Macaroni and Cheese has always been my favorite, and using potato gnocchi instead of macaroni elbows makes this classic dish even more delicious. 

Mini Lemon and Berry Cakes

I am excited to be back to blogging after a week and a half away at a conference in Argentina.

Today I am sharing these super easy mini Lemon and Berry Cakes with you. This is a little bit of a cheat recipe, as it's really just a few small adaptions to my Lemon and Raspberry Loaf.

Chinese Five Spice Chicken Noodle Soup

I am really excited about this Chicken Noodle Soup as this is my first ever post for the "Secret Recipe Club." How does this club work? This is a very large group of food bloggers who are each secretly assigned to another members blog every month. The last is to pick something from the assigned blog, cook, shoot, and blog about the recipe.

Chocolate and Banana Bundt Cake

I am so happy to be writing this guest post as part of the 12th Blogiversary Celebrations on AprilJHarris.com. Twelve years is an absolutely amazing achievement. I just celebrated by 1^st Blogiversary last month and that took a lot of work and dedication so 12 years absolutely blows me away.

Triple Chocolate and Caramel Cookie Bars

Triple Chocolate and Caramel Cookie Bars - Need I say more?

Beef, Bean, and Macaroni Casserole

Beef, Bean, and Macaroni Casserole makes for a healthy 30 minute meal that the whole family will enjoy.

This dish is easily adapted to suit your families tastes - be it more or less spice, extra veges, or different ground meats.

Apple Caramel Scrolls

Apple and Caramel are one of my favorite flavor combinations. They work beautifully together in a whole range of recipes - including these apple and caramel scrolls.

Chicken and Shrimp Pad Thai

During the week, I am always looking for quick and easy meals. Asian cuisine is usually my go-to. I love the combination of subtle spice and fresh herbs. This variation of Pad Thai ticks all the right boxes.

Mixed Berry Pancakes

You all know by now that pancakes are my absolute favorite breakfast/brunch food. So here is another lovely pancake combination - Mixed berries!

Beef and Black Bean Stir-fry

Beef and Black Bean is such a popular Asian dish, and luckily it's super easy to make at home so no need for takeout!

Raspberry and Cardamon Buns

I got the inspiration for these delightful little cardamon buns while watching a Jamie Oliver show. My honey straight away said that I should make something like his recipe for blueberry buns so that's exactly what a did.

The result was amazing.

Chili Chicken Pita Bread Pizzas

Individual pita bread pizzas make a fun and easy meal, while making pizza a tiny bit healthier, too.

I was really going for a super quick Friday night dinner with this one. Because I was feeling especially lazy and I couldn't even be bothered cooking some chicken, I just grabbed a smoked chicken breast from the supermarket. I was really surprised by how well this worked with the other flavors of this pizza.

Buttermilk Waffles

Since the weekend is almost upon us, I think a brunch recipe is in order. Here is my super simple recipe for buttermilk waffles.

I don't make waffles very often at all. When I do I always think "we really need to do these more often because they are amazing!" I think I need to remember that.

Waffles are not a common thing in New Zealand. Cafes here are very big on breakfast menus. Most of these menus, however, don't include waffles. Thankfully, a decent waffle iron can be brought at most electronic and department stores for a very reasonable price.

Strawberries are finally becoming available in supermarkets here now and I am going crazy with them. I topped these buttermilk waffles with strawberries and maple syrup. Delicious.

Buttermilk Waffles

Serves 6

1 1/2 Cups plain flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 eggs

120 g (4.2 oz) butter, melted

1/3 Cup sugar

1 1/2 Cup buttermilk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

To serve:

Chopped fresh strawberries (or any in season fruit)
Maple Syrup

1. Turn your waffle iron on to heat and also preheat your oven to the lowest setting.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, butter, buttermilk, sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix this gently into the dry ingredients.

3. Make each waffle using about 1/3 cup of batter. Once done, transfer to the oven to keep warm while you cook the rest. 

4. Serve topped with fruit and maple syrup. 

Raspberry Slice

Raspberry slice is a New Zealand classic. A raspberry layer sandwiched between layers of shortbread and topped with lashings of raspberry icing.

You'll find this little delight in almost every bakery, cafe, and supermarket in New Zealand. It has always been one of my favorites and I was amazed when I realised that I'd never attempted it myself.

Beef Cannelloni

Cannelloni is an Italian dish of a pasta cylinders filled with meat and sauce and baked in the oven. They are not only a fun dish to make but also super taste and packed full of vegetables. This makes it a great way to sneak extra veges to the kids dinner.

Using fresh lasagna sheets as opposed to dried cannelloni tubes makes this easier to make, and much more delicious (if you're like me and greatly prefer fresh pasta to dried).