Apricot Cream Cheese Muffins for Dad

The second half of a man’s life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half. ~ Feodor Dostoevski

We are all of us creatures of habit.

I've only recently noticed just how many habits I've collected along the way: how I have coffee in the morning before the cereal, how I always sit on the right-hand side of the bus,  how I check the same websites every morning.

My Dad was no exception.  In fact he could've been the poster boy for habitual living.  We used to go out for lunch as a family every weekend.  For years it was BB's Cafe in Wairau Park.  And every single weekend he would order exactly the same things: a cappuccino in a bowl with chocolate, a ham and cheese croissant (heated) and an Apricot and Cream Cheese Muffin.

We were such regulars, I even ended up working at the place.  And Dad would still come in, every Sunday, for his coffee, croissant, and muffin. 

It's eight years today since he passed away.  And I can still see him sitting there just like it was yesterday, with the paper in one hand and a muffin in the other.  So today, I broke my morning habit to bake Dad's favourite muffins and remember all his quirky habits with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes.

Apricot and Cream Cheese Muffins for my Dad.  I love you.  I miss you so much.  

Resisting the inner fat kid: Roasted Kumara and Almond Salad with Feta and Chickpeas

I have an inner fat kid.

Much like the proverbial angel/devil on one's shoulder, my inner fat kid whispers delicious nothings in my ear:  Go on, eat that whole family sized block of chocolate, you know you want to...

And from time to time, I succumb to its urgings.  Yes, I ate that whole bar of Whittakers Hokey Pokey Chocolate. On my lonesome.  For breakfast. 

What's more, I've found the more you feed the fat kid, the stronger they get.

Like when my two besties came down for a girly catch up weekend a couple weeks back.  It was a glorious weekend of gossip and giggles, wine and cheese and chocolate and churros.  An epic eat-a-thon weekend.

{harbourside markets, wellington, nz}

But, alas when one is knock, knock, knocking on 30s door, one finds that for every binge, there needs to be an equal and opposite detox.  So the plan was to atone my eating sins with exercise and healthy food for a few weeks. 

It was super hard.  Inner fat kid was not happy.  Inner fat kid resisted.  There was a lag period, a struggle for dominance, a battle of the wits with the casualties being a whole pack of hokey pokey flavoured marshmallow easter eggs, another whole packet of pineapple lump easter eggs, half a block of blue cheese, lots of ice cream and half a block of black forest chocolate.  Junk food: why you so tasty??

But eventually I triumphed, with the help of some delish salads like this Roasted Kumara and Almond Salad with Feta and Chickpeas.

New skills and how to pipe two toned frosting swirls

You know, like nunchuck skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills... Girls only want boyfriends who have great skills. ~ Napoleon Dynamite

I'm not sure I've actually done any tutorials on this wee blog yet.  Am just a wee bit skittish about calling this a tutorial as such - "tutorial" implies that you know what you are talking about, and since I don't most of the time let's call this is more of a sharing of a neat trick or a cool new skill I learnt: Two-Toned Frosting Swirls.

And as we all know, mean frosting skills are up there with nunchuck skills. 

Speaking of tutorials and mean skills, we've just had out first week in neurology!  While they haven't let us loose in the hospital quite yet, we've gotten to interview and examine real live patients!  It's been awesome, learnt so much, tried and failed to not gush like a total fangirl watching the consultants do their thing #suchanoob (oh yes I did just hashtag...)

Anyways I digress.

I've ooo'ed and ahhh'd over this gorgeous rose tinted frosting effect for ages but never actually tried it.  Most tutorials I'd looked up on the web called for gel food colouring and I never got around to ordering the stuff online (lazy, I know!).  But then my husband got a job at Colgate Palmolive and I was tasked with making some toothpaste themed baking to celebrate, so with my good old kiwi number 8 wire hat on I nutted out a way of making the effect without forking out for the fancy colouring.

You had me at White Chocolate Raspberry Croissant Pudding

You're terrible, Muriel ~ Joanie, Muriel's Wedding

I love croissant pudding! I love it for the pudding it wants to be. And I love it for the pudding it almost is. ~ Jerry Macguire kind of.

I've been a terrible blogger.  It's been almost a whole month since my last post and that is far far too long!  I apologize unreservedly and to sweeten the deal thought I might share this gorgeously decadent, utterly romantic, perfect for Valentine's Day, dessert with you my lovely readers.   Will you forgive me and be my blogger valentines? Would I have you at White Chocolate Raspberry Croissant Pudding?

Caramelized Banana & Bourbon Loaf and the Quest to be Quiz Master

Cheating on a quiz show? That's sort of like plagiarizing a comic strip. ~ Mark Van Doren, Quiz Show

I have two significant quizzes in my life at the mo.  So been feeling rather quizzical lately.
 
The first quiz is a bit of a quiz rivalry.  

I have a intense friendly contest with my friend Johnny.  Now, just because we do it for fun, it does not mean we don't take it very seriously.  We take it very seriously indeed.

There is a running tally.  There are double points days.  There is a title up for grabs: Quiz Master.

Although Johnny tends to, and has for the year or so we've had this context going, consistently kicked my behind, I am happy to announce that I was today's Quiz Master.  Yeeeeeeuuuss!  

I really needed it too.  Having lost my quiz mojo this week, bottoming out on a measly 5/15.  The shame of it.  In my frustration, I even stooped to accusing my friend of Armstrong-ing his results.  Sorry Johnny.   

Hopefully, he can be as forgiving as this Caramelized Banana & Bourbon Loaf.

{happy bananas in a caramel bubble bath}

Happy Birthday 2013 and My First Pavlova

{fireworks bringing in the new year at corogold 2012/2013}

Happy New Year everyone and a big Happy Birthday to 2013!
(Seriously, did anyone else keep finding themselves accidentally texting "Happy Birthday" instead of "Happy New Year"?? So easy to do no???)

We've just come back from the epic eat-a-thon that was Christmas and a rowdy sunshine and gumboot filled New Years.  Aaaaaaand straight back to work. 

{how new zealand does christmas}

But during our break, I did get time to do some musing whilst lazing around in the sun: how would one sum up the year that was 2012?  The year the world didn't quite end.  A year of big changes: moving city, getting to live with husband again, having two new Hospices to our Baking for Hospice run and adding a new nephew to the clan.  And year of big sadness too, for far too many awesome people I know and also for people a world away.  A year of saying bye to good friends, saying hi again to old friends and making brand new ones.  A tornadoey Hobbity kinda year.

And, as it turned out, it was a year of Pavlovas.  Of this particular Pavlova Stack with Lemon Curd, Strawberries, and Mint to be precise. 

Meri Kirihimete! Merry Christmas!

{pavlova and strawberries: left over Christmas eve noms = breakfast}

Ice cream's churning away, eclairs all plump and creme filled and strawberries as far as the eye can see.  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

Meri Kirihimete, Merry Christmas everyone!

Hope you get to spend these holidays with some of your favourite people and may your days be filled with joy and laughter, hugs and full bellies.

Looking forward to the eat-a-thon that will be the next 24 hours.... 

{midnight mass at the gorgeous st mathews}

B for Baby Brandy Baskets with Vegan Lemon Cream and Passionfruit Curd

This post is brought to you by the letter B.

B is for Busy Busy Busy.  After weeks of being a bit of a bum and not doing much, I went straight into an action packed event extravaganza of the last three weeks.  Got myself a summer job as a civil servant (when in Wellington...), went back up to Auckland twice, saw a pre-screening of the Hobbit in all its 48 frame 3D glory (ah-mazing - everyone should go!), made my very first pavlova (post to come!), finished up our last Baking for Hospice round for the year, and that's not even counting all the prep for Christmas!!  So B is for need a Breather and Being very sorry for the lateness of this post!

B is also for Back to School. I was lucky enough to get to go back to my old high school's leavers dinner.  2012 marks ten years since my last year at Rangitoto College...but it sure doesn't feel like it's been that long!  Was really awesome getting to catch up with old teachers as an 'adult' to discover that they are all actually hilariously fun people.  Go Rangi!

And finally, B is for these Baby Brandy Baskets with Vegan Lemon Cream and Passionfruit Curd.

I LOVE brandy snaps.  They are just the right mix of gingery, crispy caramelly, and creamy.  All cigar-shaped and cream-filled, they were the height of sophistication in the 80's, so totally retro cool now.