OH MY GOODNESS....what a beautiful summer we are having in Tauranga, New Zealand. Sun, blue skies, fit and healthy people, beach, sand, waves, sandy dog, beach hair and brown skin. My garden is a riot of colour both with vegetables and flowers. A glut.. a glut of tomatoes, so wonderful to pick tomatoes in the morning for lunch at work and then again in the evening for salad. I just love! Lots of beans, constant supply daily, lovely raw or blanched quickly, cooled and added to any salads. Parsley, rocket (rocket by nature), fancy lettuces to pick different leaves and make a colourful salad. Courgettes, just love these lads...perfect with tomatoes. The rhubarb is standing tall also, hmmm some rhubard chutney coming on. Sage, oregano, chives, chillis (perfect weather for these hot honeys) and capsicums, so blessed this year with a bountiful food garden. Flowers: well you name it...the garden is a riot of colour - petunias, coreopsis, roses (always deheaded and bloom again, red white and yellow, blue berries, gladiolis (orange) viscaria, statice, hydrangeas, and lots lots more. Family arrived from the UK, now I have no beetroot chutney left, oh well another batch coming up, off to the Farmers Market at 5th Avenue in Tauranga for some of these red delights. Between the Farmers Market and the Little Big Markets I seem to come away with some amazing food items...breads, cheeses, fantastic garlic/rosemary/sage infused olive oil from local Katikati olive grower - wonderful oil, fresh smoked garlic, beautiful smoked fish - just adore the markets. Bought a wonderful old mirror that I will de-stress, think it will look fantastic on a wall. Oh and yes Nosh have opened a store (well taken over the Good Food Trading Company) at McDonald St at Mt Maunganui, was a delight fossicking through the shop and finding wonderful foods and such a great range of products, spent far too long in there, also bought a very tasty (already made) diced steak and noodle salad, with a range of simple vegetables added, it was divine, might have a trial run to see if I can perfect it myself. I will be busy for the coming weeks, need to stock up on some chutney's, relishes, blanch some corn and shave off the kernels for freezing, tomato sauce and some new try outs.. Well folks off to enjoy what the summer has promised, oh and watering the garden is fun, thirsty plants with all these hot days and nights. Enjoy and back soon. xx

July 2012

Beautiful clear sunny days, not a cloud in the sky, but oh my.....its the cold nights that hit you the most, but to wake up to a beautiful winter's day and a frost is so glorious....may it continue for some weeks. I have been planting the flower beds with primulas and cinereria's, so far nothing has been Jack Frosted cross my fingers. The vege garden had a big overhaul two weeks ago, dug out a lot of overgrown and gnarly herbs and replaced with new herbs, looking a lot better and claimed some ground back. The vege garden has lettuce, bok choy, new parsley, silverbeet, rocket and a new rosemary bush. The lovely sunny warm days encourage the veges to grow quickly. With cold winter nights upon us I have discovered the joy of reading. Bought a book called Fifty Shades of Grey online and have nearly finished it, will have to order book II and III as it is a triology. Also bought online 'The Book Thief' so can't wait to start reading that one too. Cooking has been fun, cooking lots of different soups, jazzing them up with different flavours, and freezing them. Lovely to take to work and have for lunch with a garlic pita bread. The crockpot is a favourite way of cooking, very slow cook all day and home to a meal cooked....just prepare some couscous and dinner is ready. Found a dog biscuit recipe....Zac not keen on commercial variety, so will try out the recipe, he loves gingernuts so perhaps a half teaspoon of ground ginger would be nice.

Peanut Butter Doggie Bones

Ingredients:

2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup low-fat milk

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour and baking powder. In another bowl, mix peanut butter and milk. Add wet mixture to dry, and mix well.

Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness and cut out shapes. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake 20 minutes or until lightly brown. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.

The judge’s verdict:
“Can I PLEASE eat them ALL???”

Vetro Mediterranean Foods.....

Vetro Mediterranean Foods, 538 Anglesea Street, Hamilton

Now opened in Hamilton and another due to open in Rotorua.

Found this wee treasure trove in Hamilton and had a wonderful time fossicking around all the products they have for sale. Some very yummy Bruschettas, a very good range of flavours. The rice and pasta are to die for. Lots of the usual pickles including Jalapenos too. All so reasonably priced in fact everything this reasonably priced. Lots of dried fruit, plus sugared ginger, and gorgeous packets of dried fruits i.e. kiwifruit, pawpaw etc, so yummy for Christmas or in fact anytime.

Best check out their website (www.vetro.co.nz) just far too many glorious food items to mention, I bought a wonderful Balsamic Vinegar, very yummy.

Fig & Raisin Chutney

1 cup of dried figs
Half a diced onion
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
8 ounces of crushed pineapple undrained
1 teaspoon finely cut fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon of garlic (minced)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Handful of Sunmaid Raisins

Cut the stems off the figs and roughly chop

In a medium saucepan, combine figs with all other ingredients

Simmer for 30 minutes uncovered, stirring occassionally until smooth (not gluggy)

Pour into hot sterilised jars and seal (use small glass jars with lid)

Yummy with:  crackers and assorted cheeses, any cold meats, beef or chicken burgers, ciabiatta   bread or just licked off the spoon! 

Enjoy

Post Note:  delivilish with Blue Vein Cheese