tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85685861568188527102024-02-23T05:08:27.930+13:00Mrs CakeFood, family and fixing stuff. Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.comBlogger436125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-8574386286346564542017-02-18T16:20:00.001+13:002017-02-19T17:25:02.566+13:00The Chocolate Tour - an artisan subscription boxIt's been a bit quiet around here lately - most of that is the fault of these adorable little rascals:
They always want to "help" me bake... It's fun, but not helpful!
As well as chasing after my munchkins, I've been setting up a new business. I figured I should tell you about it, since, as a reader of this blog, there's a good chance you're also a chocolate fan.
You'll know from the odd Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-21759170104466341792016-06-11T19:11:00.001+12:002016-06-11T19:12:07.665+12:00My Wellington on a Plate picks for 2016Visa Wellington on a Plate has just launched its 2016 programme (presale tickets are available from midday Monday, or Wednesday if you don't have a Visa card). I'm always a big fan of the events (they always seem to be the most special, if you know what I mean - often very different from what you can do the rest of the year), so I pore over the event section of the website and make a big list of Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-75468946122450542582016-04-18T19:25:00.002+12:002016-04-18T20:38:29.667+12:00Crunchy apple cinnamon muffinsThe muffins of my childhood (at least in my memory) are blueberry, with a generous topping of cinnamon sugar. Whilst I still have a soft spot for blueberry muffins, apples are considerably more cost effective, which makes them a great option for a quick baked treat - and they sing when combined with cinnamon. Even better if you have a direct-from-tree source for the fruit - we don't yet but Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-26513523915450343782016-04-11T13:44:00.001+12:002016-04-11T13:48:36.955+12:00Book review: Jack Feels Big (plus a chance to win)We in the Cake household feel pretty strongly about people being able to express their emotions in healthy ways - one of the main take-home lessons I got from a great book I reviewed last year was that boys in particular are often discouraged from dealing with their feelings, and are taught from a young age to bottle them up. So when I saw the (now completed) PledgeMe campaign for Jack FeelsRosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-79840353053245764732016-03-19T20:31:00.000+13:002016-03-19T20:57:01.545+13:00All the stuff you (actually) need for a baby Since the Cake household is officially in nesting mode again, I've been thinking a little about whether we need anything extra for #2. We tend a bit towards the minimalist end of the scale (we prefer food to stuff!) and when our Little Monkey was born we were living in a pretty small house (which we liked - just not quite as much as we like big, daft projects).
We're also on the frugal side - Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-56123248709710289442016-03-08T13:55:00.002+13:002016-03-08T13:55:35.064+13:00Chewy peanut butter bites (with optional chocolate)Snacks that have some nutritional value as well as being delicious are always a welcome addition to our recipe repertoire, and though these aren't entirely virtuous they do have a good dose of protein and fibre (at least when compared with, say, cookies) so they'll keep bellies full for a bit longer. They're similar to bliss balls in that regard, but these are cheaper to make so more practical Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-80754987690432075812016-02-15T14:33:00.002+13:002016-02-15T14:33:55.422+13:00Our new bathroom - planning and laying the groundworkWe've been flat out this week working on our new downstairs bathroom. When we moved into our new house it looked like this:
Even real estate photography tricks aren't enough to make this room look inviting
The previous owners had added the downstairs (in true Wellington style, by excavating) in the late 80s, but it had never been finished. The bedrooms at least had wall linings and paint and Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-83051841967082748602016-02-12T14:01:00.002+13:002016-02-12T14:06:25.418+13:00Oaty chocolate coconut sliceThis week we're busy getting stuck into our downstairs bathroom reno. It's actually more a build than a reno, since the room is a shell and has never been completed. That's why things have been a bit on the quiet side around here - I'm attempting to be useful, despite having very little clue what I'm doing.
Proper labouring work calls for morning tea (not something I indulge in every day) andRosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-54024903738397609172016-02-05T09:27:00.001+13:002016-02-05T09:36:54.404+13:00Keeping up with the CakesThe world of social media is a constantly changing beast, and it can be bewildering keeping up with everything. I'm not particularly edgy when it comes to the latest and greatest (I'm only just getting around to dipping my toes into Instagram!) and there are limited hours in the day so we can't all do everything. With that in mind I thought it'd be helpful if I gave you the heads up on where I Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-15758808449080059282016-02-03T11:00:00.002+13:002016-02-03T11:00:48.936+13:00Upside down apricot cakeOne of Mr Cake's favourite childhood desserts was apricot upside down cake. The version he had growing up was a microwave version, he thinks from the Edmonds cookbook (classic Kiwi fare right there) and would have featured tinned fruit.
With the plethora of apricots about at the moment (aren't they good?) I wanted to make a slightly flasher version - while Edmonds recipes are generally Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-77223757931111782452016-02-01T14:55:00.002+13:002016-02-01T19:28:59.360+13:00Cloth nappies: how we rock our nappy laundry This isn't the most exciting of topics but it occupied a lot of brain space for me before the Little Monkey was born, and I've had quite a few questions from people who think using cloth nappies means lots of hard work. It doesn't, so I thought I'd show you exactly how we do it.
There are squillions of different ways to do this, so this is by no means a gospel you must follow - but it might Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-32149810141501440292016-01-28T21:22:00.000+13:002016-01-28T21:22:15.861+13:00Steak and cheese pie I was tossing up whether to make something practical for today's recipe, or to go with an over-the-top multi-layered sugar-laden tower of awesomeness. Eventually practicality won out - sort of. This recipe, while a hearty and sensible meal (more sensible as a meal than cake, anyway) does take a bit of effort - but it's worth every minute.
Last time I was pregnant I only wanted to eat hot Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-90368812407450978302016-01-27T13:15:00.002+13:002016-01-27T13:46:12.887+13:00A finished kitchenMr Cake's parents spent a week with us recently, a planned working holiday, which allowed us to make some pretty decent progress on our house (extra hands for both reno and childcare = mega productivity win). The biggest thing we've ticked off the list is finishing the kitchen. Hoorah!
Before and after - note the "before" is from the real estate listing and includes fake furniture
The Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-7091539514351398582016-01-22T12:51:00.000+13:002016-01-22T18:52:25.349+13:00Triple chocolate ice creamMaking ice cream isn't for everyone. It's a bit time-consuming (mostly hands off, but you have to wait for the reward), requires either regular stirring in the freezer or that you own an ice cream maker, and the ingredients aren't super cheap... But oh, the glory of proper, homemade ice cream.
There's nothing wrong with regular old Tip Top (though we do have a bit of a running family joke about Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-84977429727349327132016-01-20T14:58:00.000+13:002016-01-20T14:58:07.510+13:00Cloth nappies: our recommendations So I've talked about the pros and cons, and gone through the different options in the bewildering world of cloth nappies. This week I thought I'd let you know our all-time favourite nappies and why we like them so much.
I reckon the key to making cloth nappies an easy and painless part of your life is choosing the right ones. Different people have different preferences, so you might not go Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-73914059889867199622016-01-18T11:59:00.005+13:002016-01-18T12:31:51.209+13:00Couscous, grilled veg and haloumi saladWhen is a salad not a salad? I'm not entirely sure where the threshold is - this recipe is more like a meal - but I'm happy to consume any delicious medleys of food that come my way, so I won't get too picky about it.
It is at least packed full of vegetables - perfect for right now, with plenty of courgettes and cherry tomatoes, and doesn't take very long to throw together - around ten Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-17316648046273634462016-01-13T14:57:00.002+13:002016-01-18T13:43:44.931+13:00Cloth nappies - different types and how they workModern cloth nappies are a brilliant example of how markets can evolve, but the rapid growth over the past 10-15 years has resulted in a bewildering array of options. In one sense this is awesome because if you have specific preferences you'll probably be able to find someone who makes something to suit you - but it also makes it really hard to understand all the lingo and options.
If you're Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-36924042450376930782016-01-11T10:58:00.003+13:002016-01-11T10:58:52.631+13:00Summer berry flaugnardeGrowing a baby in the age of the smartphone comes with the added feature of week-by-week tracking apps. Since pregnancy takes a while and it's nice to know how things are shaping up inside I quite like these. Most of the apps will make weekly comparisons to common objects so you can imagine how big the baby is - fruit is the most common, so you'll progress through grapes, apricots, and apples Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-53873664627573428162016-01-06T16:04:00.000+13:002016-01-06T16:04:04.008+13:00Cloth nappies: reasons to use them (it's not as hard as you think!)The mere thought of cloth nappies can incite fear in the hearts of overtired mothers. I get it; spending your whole life washing and folding folding flat, white squares then fiddling with safety pins would be enough to put anyone off, but luckily that's not the only option anymore.
The modern version (often referred to as Modern Cloth Nappies, or MCNs) are so simple to use, and very economical Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-1771618106573566512016-01-04T21:14:00.000+13:002016-01-04T21:14:10.601+13:00Salad days: firecracker chicken noodle saladJanuary: month of packed gyms and plentiful summer produce - it must be salad season. I'm not really a big New Years' resolution person (I'll make a resolution any old time!) but always embrace lighter summer meals at this time of year, so I've got a few salads to share over the next few weeks.
This one is a fairly versatile combination of flavours that could be a light meal in its own Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-68677838485576040212015-12-30T10:36:00.004+13:002015-12-30T10:36:49.698+13:00Quick and easy summer mealsI hope you had a lovely Christmas, filled with family, food and lots of fun. We certainly had lots of all three, and now we're solidly into the season of spending more time outdoors enjoying the summer, and therefore less time inside on dinner prep.
Also, given the recent indulgences (and the treats still lingering), light, healthy and summery meals are what we're favouring. If I'm on dinner I Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-60938455655330930282015-12-22T08:39:00.000+13:002015-12-22T08:39:06.977+13:00Renovation: Lounge before and after wall removalBefore and after pictures are my favourite, and even though our lounge is far from finished (it needs a new window on the north-facing wall, wall linings in several places, the ceiling to be completely relined, everything painted and the floorboards repaired and refinished... So very far from finished) all the structural work is now complete, which means we can now enjoy the increased light and Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-88801708988214767302015-12-16T10:40:00.000+13:002015-12-16T10:42:08.326+13:00The best internet video diversions for little people (for the desperate times)Naturally, pre-kids, we weren't going to use the TV as a babysitter - we don't watch that much ourselves so it seemed like it'd be easy to avoid. Ha! If you have made it through the toddler years without resorting to screentime I salute your resolve - but that's not how life is panning out here.
(I was a mostly TV-free toddler, because my parents didn't have one until I was 6 - though I'm Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-52031771991876075412015-12-14T14:23:00.001+13:002015-12-14T14:30:19.877+13:00Eight easy (but spectacular) Christmas dessert optionsOur kitchen is overrun with plasterers at the moment (hooray - after this we just have to paint and it will be finished!) so I can't do any baking. But Christmas is fast approaching, and for me a nice dessert is pretty key to the celebrations.
One year I attempted croquembouche but perhaps that was a tad ambitious for Christmas morning so it was an abject failure. I've been meaning to have Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8568586156818852710.post-2198586522522224992015-12-13T12:00:00.000+13:002015-12-13T12:00:03.930+13:0012 Days of Christmas round-up
Eleven other Kiwi mums and I have been collaborating over the last twelve days; each of us has shared a Christmas-themed post. Now that it's over you can see all the posts in their festive glory. There are some truly stunning food, craft and tradition ideas here, so hopefully there's something that'll inspire some Christmas fun in your household too.
Day 1: Our Merry and Bright Rosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07645883799759203673noreply@blogger.com0