tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14395716769771761882012-03-06T01:47:18.088+13:00my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.comBlogger1451100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-67994458504184697582012-03-03T14:19:00.000+13:002012-03-03T14:19:58.370+13:00

We went down south to Yallingup for a wedding last weekend and it felt like going home. Firstly the temperature dropped so dramatically over those few days, that we instantly felt like we were in NZ, leaving us shivering in our totally unprepared attire. It rained. Something that now feels so foreign after months of nothing but blue skies and sunshine here in Perth. And we chanced upon a local

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-69537167063102981092012-03-01T12:10:00.000+13:002012-03-01T12:10:22.247+13:00

When I first started this blog I really struggled to find fellow kiwi (NZ) food bloggers to connect with. There was even a tiny moment there when I wondered if I was the only one! Ha, how very naive of me. While it's true food blogging in New Zealand is still relatively new compared to countries like the U.S (when I told my friends I was starting a food blog most of them looked at me and asked 

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-22386322655165000722012-02-27T14:20:00.001+13:002012-02-28T23:37:26.885+13:00

So usually I only post recipes if I think I can add a new modern spin on a classic, or have come up with a combination I think it really amazing. But occasionally it's quite nice to just highlight a dish that is perfect, just how it is. Sure, I went through a phase of making brown rice sushi when I was younger and I've been intrigued by quinoa sushi for some time, but mostly I just love to eat

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-39347241921145735172012-02-21T16:58:00.001+13:002012-02-29T03:38:02.610+13:00

We eat rice in some form or other pretty much every day, whether it's rice porridge for breakfast, rice milk smoothie, rice flour in baking, rice as a side or rice as the shining star. This dish is definitely the later. Rice forms the basis of this deceptively tasty dish, along with meltingly tender spiced aubergine (eggplant), fragrant curry leaves and beetroot. This is one dish that keeps

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-15014925544326289162012-02-18T18:35:00.001+13:002012-02-19T13:01:51.745+13:00

It's been a big month so far in our house, so many changes. Si starting back at work, Kye starting kindy, Ada starting school... and losing her first tooth all in the one week! I've had to turn into super mum and have started cooking dinner at lunchtime to help ease the melt-down madness after school. So, sorry folks but I haven't had a whole lot of time to cook anything worth blogging about

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-64612241785366417772012-02-14T15:59:00.002+13:002012-02-28T23:38:31.974+13:00

Pushkar... colourfully adorned camels, streets lined with delicious sweets, mountain monkeys swinging outside my window, rose and amla lassi...  is what my dear friend Grace wrote while on a recent trip to India. I remember it well, even though it's been well over 10 years since I stepped foot on Indian soil. I remember with great clarity the camels, their smelly breath and lolloping stride. I

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-60712911451911379442012-02-10T12:57:00.001+13:002012-02-28T23:39:15.147+13:00

It's been one of those weeks. You know the kind where every moment feels like you're trying to catch up? On chores, on work, on sleep. Sleep. Mostly sleep. Every parent out there knows the feeling of insomnia caused by tending to sick children. It's a killer. After a promising start to the school week everything went down hill rapidly after the kids got chilled at Ada's swimming lessons. Runny

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-55863279596256403802012-02-06T18:32:00.002+13:002012-02-06T19:20:30.392+13:00

As I've watched each of our jalapeno chillies grow and ripen I've been thinking about what I might do with them first. This time last year we were packing up our life in NZ all ready to make the move over the ditch so I hadn't bothered planting much in our garden that summer. The year before I pickled most of our crop and then savoured each one throughout the year adding them to salads, 

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-38777933341282201772012-02-01T18:07:00.001+13:002012-02-01T19:07:31.636+13:00

Ever wondered what those long dangly bits are that grow from your strawberry plants? They're called runners and basically what they are is the plant trying to expand. If you look closely you will see that underneath each bunch of new leaves growing on the runner, there will be a little root trying to shoot out the bottom. This is a new plant trying to grow. They usually try to throw out runners

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-33624861578903077742012-01-28T14:07:00.004+13:002012-02-28T01:37:50.199+13:00

I'm still finding it hard to comprehend, but in a mere four days my big baby girl will be starting school *gulp*. For some reason when the kindy year finished last year, I thought that between then and now things would have changed, you know, she would seem older and I would seem well, ready. Cause lets face it fellow mums, they are ready, we are not. She's been ready for a long time now, and

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com49tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-32669930493664635502012-01-25T14:50:00.000+13:002012-01-25T14:50:15.927+13:00

I thought I'd better quickly sneak in a little favourites list as we are fast approaching the end of January! Ekk, where did that go? I've come across so many great and inspiring things this past month and am constantly blown away by all the amazing people creating great things out there. Love it. * a small way we can all contribute to the fight against the ridiculous NZ Food Bill. * love this

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-50250404067022389352012-01-20T20:52:00.004+13:002012-02-05T00:49:49.068+13:00

Bananas used to be one of those fruits we always seemed to have laying around, with at least one from every bunch ripening just a tad too much to make for pleasant eating, destined only for baking or freezing. But since moving to Perth where bananas were selling for $19kg last March they quickly became an absolute luxury. On the very few occasions I actually bought any, not one was ever wasted,

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-74679611865262493852012-01-16T14:45:00.000+13:002012-01-16T14:45:38.194+13:00

Since moving house, we've had two large boxes of picked tomatoes hanging around waiting for me to do something with them. See, when we left the old house we stripped our plants of all their tomatoes, even the green ones. Which have now been slowly ripening off the vine (and some, rotting sadly). What initially started out as a whole box of green,

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-18515921278938638952012-01-12T19:23:00.001+13:002012-01-18T02:37:18.337+13:00

Back when I used to work in Sydney, one of my main jobs in the pastry section was making ice cream. I loved it. Playing with all that sugar, milk, cream and eggs was so much fun. We used two commercial ice cream machines to churn the custard bases, which were always whizzing away under my bench. The freezer was full to the brim with all sorts of flavours; cinnamon, creme fraiche, pistachio,

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-15888985641358722012012-01-09T18:46:00.001+13:002012-01-09T19:12:23.611+13:00

So it's been awhile since I've talked about our garden, or should I say pots? Moving house the week before Christmas means that we still haven't found the time to do anything about making those new garden beds, to house all the transferred plants. But not too worry, most of them are doing okay where they are and we aren't going to bother with the new garden beds until it's time to plant for next

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-76854970280884025542012-01-05T15:17:00.002+13:002012-01-12T01:02:51.837+13:00

Strangely for Vegetarians, we don't consume a whole lot of soy. We eat tofu around once a week and have a carton of soy milk hanging around for cups of tea, but more often than not the last little bit goes off before being consumed. I prefer to use fermented soy products like tempeh and miso and use rice, almond and coconut milk more than anything else. However, when I saw soy ice cream at the

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-61390368027137787572012-01-02T14:36:00.000+13:002012-01-02T14:36:15.821+13:00

New Years eve itself was a non-event in our house. Si and I stayed up watching a great documentary, coincidentally about a dance school in India my dear friend is attending right now, before starting to watch this amazing film until our eyes grew too sleepy and we stumbled into bed at... 10.30pm. I know, what? Super Nanas. When you have little kids, especially ones that still wake all night long

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-84721701256632662662011-12-29T14:26:00.003+13:002012-01-04T02:51:02.127+13:00

I've had a lovely few days off blogging filled with excited kids ripping into presents at an alarming rate, ice-blocks (aka icy-poles or popsicles) in the backyard and family gatherings. At the last second we decided to have our Christmas celebrations at our new house, I know, I know... mad eh only 1 week after moving in? But knowing how many kids were going to be here this year and looking at

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-28405631758957046662011-12-21T14:21:00.001+13:002012-01-04T02:51:50.994+13:00

In amongst the flurry of packing last week, Ada had her last day of Kindy. It was a big day as any mother knows, my baby is all grown up and ready to start pre-primary next year! Far out. As a little token of my appreciation for all the hard work her teachers have put in this year, I made up a few little gift bags containing a version of these cookies and a handful of home made salted coconut

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-81410068119691869462011-12-17T01:25:00.001+13:002011-12-17T16:42:16.104+13:00

We've just moved house and now have two gorgeous big mango trees in our back yard! While I unpack my kitchen, here's a few little festive links that have caught my eye lately. Also, it seems the Martha Goes Green girls got their wires crossed as I ended up receiving two calendars in the post, a few days apart! Rather than posting it back to them, or claiming it for myself I thought I'd ask if I

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com37tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-82251703484075968662011-12-11T14:12:00.004+13:002012-02-12T02:45:02.022+13:00

If you've been a reader of this blog since it began, firstly, thank you! That sure is a whole lot of reading you have done over the past year and a half! And secondly you may remember way back at the beginning when I shared a wonderful little independently published cookbook that was co-written by a friend of mine Rosie Percival? If you remember well done, if not, no worries here's a little

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-7890904141264316112011-12-07T19:29:00.005+13:002011-12-21T03:10:22.094+13:00

I nearly didn't post this recipe. At first I felt like I wanted to make it a few more times, change the ratios a little more, cutting out some of the sugar to making them less sweet. When I made them I tasted the mix at every stage, as you do. Creaming the butter and sugar, lick. Lick. And lick. Eggs almost ready to go in, one last lick before they do. Lick. Flour etc and chocolate in. Mmm,

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-22773473535567818332011-12-03T14:48:00.003+13:002012-01-19T19:27:35.651+13:00

Sometimes it's funny how things turn out. Right when we were starting to feel like the world was turning against us (hurt ankle, broken leg, bung computer, notice to vacate our house... you get the picture) a little light in the form of two mango trees appears at the end of the tunnel. It's such a simple little thing, I mean, they are trees right? But for us they are so much more. When we first

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-25133577359079093562011-11-29T14:19:00.003+13:002011-11-30T19:48:42.662+13:00

Finding out we have to move out of our house within the next month because the landlord wants to move back in is NOT cool. Especially when we'll be forced to leave behind all of this. But there are many great and wonderful things out there in the world, here's just a few that have crossed my path recently... * these super cute shoes made by brother Ben! And a sneak peak at an magazine article

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-44259749679230819622011-11-24T19:39:00.008+13:002012-03-03T19:52:28.554+13:00

Green smoothies seem to be everywhere at the moment and I'm not usually one to jump on the bandwagon but after reading this post and making Sherilyn's version, it got me thinking that this wasn't such a bad trend to follow... then I saw this absolutely adorable video made by Anya of Golubka fame that sealed the deal for me. From that day on we've been enjoying our own version of the famed green

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-20690233911784700792011-11-20T19:10:00.005+13:002011-12-06T19:27:11.486+13:00

The kids and I went off to the supermarket the other day in search of some yoghurt. I usually make my own, but stupidly used up the very last of it without saving a little to make my next batch. Duh. Anyways, here we were standing in front of the chiller section looking at all the yoghurts on offer. I really only needed the smallest tub of the natural stuff to get my new batch going, but for

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-67475086695063346712011-11-16T19:10:00.001+13:002011-11-24T00:52:37.150+13:00

If I could eat just one salad for the rest of my life, it would be green papaya salad hands down. It's a crush that started many years ago when I first moved to Australia as a keen and somewhat naive teenager. Up until then I had never even heard of eating papaya (paw paw) green. Sure I was accustomed to many Thai flavours having worked with a bunch of super talented and worldly chefs in New

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-27113927526794110192011-11-12T13:55:00.003+13:002011-12-07T01:33:40.544+13:00

I've left enough time between chocolate cookie posts eh? Of course I have! Especially when it's a recipe for soft gluten-free chocolate cookies sandwiched together with rich chocolate ganache that's on offer right? Yeah, I thought as much...  In case you hadn't noticed I'm online once again and with Si starting back at work this week after 2 1/2 months recovering from his broken leg, things

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-55901881732490443742011-11-10T02:05:00.000+13:002011-11-10T02:05:32.259+13:00

There's nothing like having fresh mint on hand to add a little life to boiled potatoes, freshness to salads and colour to desserts. It's one of my favourite herbs and one I would hate to do without. You can grow it from seed, from little seedlings or from cuttings as I like to do. My only word of caution is that mint has a tendency to take over your whole garden, so plant it in it's own little

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-68105950608359686892011-11-07T13:21:00.006+13:002011-11-16T03:08:15.437+13:00

I have to say, I sometimes forget we are even living in Australia. As a mum you just get on with life, doing whatever has to be done to keep the kids fed, happy and healthy. So much so that there's not really a whole lot of time left in the day to actually just sit back, observe and really appreciate just how different Perth is to New Zealand. Sure I notice the odd aussie twang, although 

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-83928268953610742142011-11-03T16:11:00.001+13:002011-11-16T03:02:54.471+13:00

As I sit here typing, my mother-in-law is busy working away in the kitchen making her famous Vietnamese pickles. There are jars of carrot and daikon lined up along the bench as well as a whole sink-full of an Asian green I've never known the name of. It's a little hard to get in the mood to talk about Greek dolmades, but I will do my best, after all they are one of my most favourite things in

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-10335366949527254882011-10-28T17:01:00.000+13:002011-10-28T17:01:59.042+13:00

If you follow on facebook or twitter you will have already heard that as of last week I am computer-less (sigh), yes a bloggers worst nightmare! I'm not 100% sure our computer is fixable at this stage and with Si still off work (his leg is mending well, just slowly) popping out to buy a new one just ain't an option. So... please bear with me as I randomly check in via the local library

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-29707085366435579812011-10-22T17:45:00.000+13:002011-10-22T17:45:48.795+13:00

Everywhere you look around our neighbourhood at the moment you see laden mulberry bushes, branches hanging low with the weigh of their load and the ground littered with berries no one has picked. Coming from New Zealand where I've never even seen a mulberry bush it's quite a sight, and somewhat heartbreaking at the same time. I hate seeing food go to waste.  It's true the mulberry doesn't have

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-57563509951858380132011-10-19T14:37:00.001+13:002011-10-20T03:15:59.753+13:00

Recently I picked up Gordon Ramsay's~Great Escape, at a book sale in town. Now, I'm not usually one to be sucked into the whole 'celebrity chef thing', and with this book nothing has changed. I buy a book for its content over the name of the author any day. When I picked this book up and started flicking through it I was plesantly surprised at what I found inside. Great recipes and gorgeous 

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-36748015225882337242011-10-13T18:48:00.006+13:002011-12-13T18:47:04.436+13:00

We love sushi in this house. Actually some would say we live off the stuff! When the kids were little living back home in Raglan and being gluten-free the only place we could really ever take them ‘out’ for lunch was to the local sushi shop. They kinda had no choice in the matter; they were just going to have to grow up loving the stuff as much as I do! Lucky they never really put up a fight.

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-79479679415588404152011-10-08T19:09:00.003+13:002011-10-13T19:09:22.816+13:00

Every time we shop at the Asian grocery store the kids always nag at me for a drink. There’s something about the bright packaging and weird shaped cartons that seems to make them want it more than the standard orange juice seen elsewhere. Occasionally, I mean very occasionally I give in and buy them one with no colourings and the least amount of additives and nasties. But, as a lot of what's

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-84482470535556334252011-10-04T18:46:00.000+13:002011-10-04T18:46:23.763+13:00

One of the things I most look forward to come spring-time is the abundance of fresh herbs in the garden. Gone are the cold winter days that keep herbs lying dormant; with all this spring freshness comes new growth and I couldn’t be any happier! Of my favourite herbs; mint and coriander (cilantro) are two of the top. I love them added to fresh rice paper rolls or roughly torn and added to salads

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-64865781116123389442011-09-30T15:33:00.000+13:002011-09-30T15:33:46.036+13:00

This photo above is one of my favourites from the thousands taken on my camera this past month. I wish I could take credit for it (especially as I've tried to take a photo very similar to this and failed). But I didn't take it. Ada did! She captured this little corner of our lives perfectly. And so aligned! She loves taking photos and has already put an order in for a little camera of her own

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-75071625061850963232011-09-27T16:21:00.002+13:002011-09-28T00:24:32.575+13:00

Last Saturday we spent the morning in Fremantle at the Hulbert St sustainability fiesta. It’s something I first heard about when a reader emailed (thanks Verity!) to let me know about a few cool thing happening around Perth. I think I’ve mentioned it a hundred times already, but coming from Raglan (and spending a good amount of time also living in Byron Bay, NSW where Si and I first met) I

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-2761991250226055922011-09-23T14:37:00.004+12:002011-09-28T02:41:04.833+13:00

I made these black bean brownies a few weeks ago and have been hanging out to share the recipe ever since. I kept going to post it, but every time, another (more seasonal) recipe seemed to sneak in front. Actually, I’m not quite sure why it’s taken me so long to make these, full stop. I mean, chocolate, gluten-free, dairy-free! What was stopping me? It’s been on my ever expanding “to make” list

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-28020978015464395382011-09-18T19:49:00.001+12:002011-09-21T01:16:06.337+12:00

Today I have the pleasure of doing my first guest post, over at Healthy Alternatives New Zealand. I've been following Kris and her insightful links for quite some time. I hope you will head over there to read my post about why I choose to make most of our food from scratch as opposed to buying pre-made gluten-free products. Below is the recipe I shared for chewy gluten-free cookies, sweetened

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-3996259383809255172011-09-15T18:29:00.001+12:002011-09-21T01:15:12.390+12:00

I thought it might be quite nice to post a savoury "dinner-type" recipe after all the sweetness of last month. You must all think that we live off sweets! It is actually far from the truth believe it or not. Yes I do bake often, but mostly just once a week, occasionally twice if I have a special reason to bake more. I would be lying if I said I didn't have a sweet tooth and love for nothing more

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-3250439411241840852011-09-12T18:31:00.000+12:002011-09-12T18:31:23.661+12:00

So after my last post where I used home-grown salad leaves from out the back in my shaved fennel, nasturtium and radish salad, I thought it might be the perfect time to give you all a few tips on how best to prepare your salad greens before use and my favourite way to keep them once picked. Like I mentioned last post, the rocket (arugula) and mizuna are growing like crazy! I'm quite excited to

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-33610619426343939872011-09-08T01:07:00.002+12:002011-09-14T18:37:52.962+12:00

Fennel is one of my all-time favourite things to eat. Shaved thinly and dressed with a little lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and black pepper it’s something I crave, often. It's all I yearned for while pregnant with Ada (okay, cottage cheese and tomato on toast also tasted like the best thing on earth) and it seems both our kids have developed a taste for fennel too. They fight

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-60031406702358449562011-09-02T18:39:00.006+12:002011-09-17T01:54:57.678+12:00

I've shared many cookie recipes over the past year; sweet quinoa anzac cookies, nutty lemon chia cookies, fragrant rosemary and lemon cookies and my personal favourite speckled kiwi mesquite cookies to name but a few. But lately I've had my heart set on trying to come up with a gluten-free chocolate cookie recipe that also caters for dairy and egg-free readers (the vegan bit is a bonus!). I

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-43315632742609101872011-08-28T19:02:00.002+12:002011-08-28T19:42:05.712+12:00

Those are my favourite (handmade) boots up there, bought about 8 years ago from a man sitting on the side of the road in Bangkok, Thailand. I look forward to wearing them every winter and miss them when the weather warms up. A few other things that I've been loving lately... This zine my good friend Mel has put together as part of my little Brother Ben's new business venture (more on Trash

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-79094088192699620282011-08-25T18:24:00.003+12:002011-09-02T18:27:25.825+12:00

It seems that this year in Perth has been an exceptionally good one for citrus. Everywhere you look trees are laden with branches almost breaking under the weight they are holding. A quick stroll around our neighbourhood reveals all sorts, from the usual NZ backyard staple lemon tree to oranges as big as my two fists, mandarins and kumquats. It seems that the later are mostly planted over here

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-3069499233334153982011-08-22T00:39:00.000+12:002011-08-22T00:39:03.280+12:00

After today I am undecided which leaves you feeling more shattered… a night out on the town or two 5 year-old birthday parties in one weekend? Both leave you tired, dehydrated and sporting a rather sore head. While I can’t really remember what it feels like after a big night out, it’s been way too many months, years even; I have to say that after attending two 5 year-old birthday parties back

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-29283595489291395132011-08-17T15:56:00.005+12:002011-10-02T20:48:22.620+13:00

This month has been a hard one for me, for many reasons that I won’t go into here. I've had my fair share of moments of feeling sad and overwhelmed, but at least when Si's working away we get phone calls every night to say sweet dreams, I love you, goodnight. And at the end of his shift, he comes home. Sadly Jennifer Perillo and her girls don’t have those things to look forward to anymore and

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-12563957154345013992011-08-15T17:50:00.002+12:002011-08-22T01:18:18.376+12:00

It’s been a huge week here in blogosphere. If you write a blog or read any of the big food blogs you will know what I am talking about, if not… stay tuned. While I attempt to gather my thoughts and put them into words in a few days (along with a very special recipe), I thought it would be nice to have an Aussie garden update. So you may remember our dilemma with our new house? The tenancy

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-30097465958862179902011-08-10T18:20:00.003+12:002011-08-17T02:26:20.385+12:00

In light of current events in London… it now seems quite fitting that today’s recipe was inspired by a true English geezer, the one and only Jamie Oliver. As we don’t own a t.v, the little bits and pieces I’ve glimpsed at via the net today are pretty damn crazy and incredibly sad. I mean, how anyone thinks that by doing what they are doing, they will change anything beats me? Madness. I’ve had

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-50886558167736083102011-08-04T18:37:00.003+12:002011-08-10T01:00:58.451+12:00

I was so close to calling this a “Barbie” cake, but it isn’t really one is it? Ada was actually given the perfect Barbie doll for her birthday to use in a cake like this, but it seems the new dolls don’t have removable legs like the old ones, where you could pop them out and place them back in again after. So rather than completely destroying her new doll, we opted to something that is more us

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-34111536159067085752011-07-31T13:12:00.001+12:002011-08-01T01:09:57.766+12:00

This month I'm loving that Kye still calls his thumb his "choice bro". Thankfully this one is still kiwi as, despite his Australian surroundings :-) A few others things I'm loving at the moment... I'm still so addicted to these Aussie siblings. Angus & Julia Stone. Sylvie Wibaut. A dear friend we met years ago when we were living in Byron Bay, amazing illustrator and photographer. Check out

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-88860175984250743602011-07-26T18:06:00.002+12:002011-09-17T18:49:35.941+12:00

Have you tried almond milk before? I hadn't up until a week ago. This may sound rather strange for someone who has been mostly dairy-free for over three years, but it just always seemed way to expensive to justify buying it and we simply got used to the sweet thinness of rice milk in place of cow. Back home in New Zealand imported almonds cost and arm and a leg, so making homemade almond milk

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-58931094326230152292011-07-21T13:09:00.002+12:002011-07-21T17:05:10.081+12:00

Okay, so now I feel silly. Here I was saying that it’s not very often I cook soup, then I went right ahead and made... split pea soup. Go figure. Maybe it was all that talking about it that had me two days later craving it? I went with it, knowing full well that only Ada and I would eat it. That’s okay, one pot will now last us months! We ate it for dinner, then lunch the next day (Kye even

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-19229545917796335752011-07-16T13:34:00.004+12:002012-01-19T19:21:26.397+13:00

When Si came home from work the other day holding a huge box of freshly picked, organic, fluro-coloured oranges, mandarins and tangelos, I knew instantly that I’d have to hide a few to make marmalade. You may remember from last year that I have a wee addiction to making preserves, even though we don’t tend to eat much of them. Weird I know, but they do make perfect gifts, I mean who would say

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-86719358674565574092011-07-11T18:06:00.004+12:002012-01-19T19:23:31.001+13:00

Throughout the year our dinner menu doesn’t change all too dramatically. Sure, we do tend to eat fresh fruit and vegetables that are in season, scoffing fresh corn for dinner every night in summer and brassicas in winter, but we aren’t a family that instantly turns to comforting and heavier foods come winter time. Every now and then I cook up a large pot of soup or some kind of stew, but nine

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-39051713884304163892011-07-06T18:11:00.001+12:002011-07-07T18:38:19.802+12:00

5 years ago today I became a mum. I'm finding it a little hard to believe really. The first 6 months felt like an eternity and then within the blink of an eye, boom... Ada's 5. Today we are not only celebrating Ada's birthday but also the 1st birthday of my darling lemon thyme! Once again I am finding it hard to believe that one year has passed since my first post. This past year has been a

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-87136176201339424712011-07-05T18:22:00.004+12:002011-07-10T23:20:10.040+12:00

Today is pie day. Yep it seems that through the powers of the internet we can now declare a whole day to be dedicated to the celebration of the humble pie. Classic huh?When Shauna put the word out that her and a bunch of friends were all making pie and posting on the 5th of July and would I (actually everyone and anyone, but I like to think she was talking just to me) like to join in, I thought

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-19538795875174671472011-07-01T19:03:00.000+12:002011-07-01T19:03:37.692+12:00

My last favourites list went down so well that I thought I might make it a monthly thing :-) Sorry I'm a day late, it seems my blogging host, blogger was having a few um, issue's yesterday. Again. Just a few of the things that have caught my eye this past month... This place is really amazing. I was mesmerised by the jelly fish above. Loving this song. And this one too. (Thanks Brother Louie

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-4316786340003625542011-06-27T13:36:00.006+12:002011-07-06T17:14:50.242+12:00

Our backyard is awesome. It's fully enclosed so the kids can happily play out there alone without any fear of them running onto the road. It's flat. There's grass. Trees. Two lemon trees. Rose bushes in full bloom. And an overgrown hibiscus plant covered with bright pink pom-pom like flowers. One day recently as the kids and I were playing out there, Ada asked if she could pick some flowers to

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-22038364849938110212011-06-23T17:23:00.004+12:002011-10-04T03:20:44.602+13:00

You may have wondered to yourself why I never post bread recipes on here. I mean, it’s taken me almost a year to do so! And what is a world without bread?! It’s what every newbie gluten-free person craves and tries to replace right? It’s not that I don’t like making bread, I actually love it and in my pre-gluten-free days it was one of my favourite things to do at home, at work, where ever. I

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-11306856167713668412011-06-18T17:16:00.010+12:002011-08-09T02:05:21.342+12:00

I’ve been thinking about how to begin this post for way too long. Ever since Monday when I baked these little chocolate coconut cupcakes you see up there to be exact. Bloggers often talk about writers block, so far I am yet to experience this… does that mean I like to talk too much? The reason I’ve been stumbling trying to begin this post has more to do with the fact that I have been reading

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-55862820248024293692011-06-13T14:11:00.002+12:002011-06-13T23:16:55.092+12:00

This past week has been a long one, again. We are entering into round two of the dreaded cold, in just under two weeks. After a relatively sickness-free summer it was so easy to forget how damn hard life can get with kids in the winter months. We’ve been hiding indoors for most of the week out of the chilly wind, Ada’s been off kindy and Si’s out of town for work. *Sigh*In a bid to knock the

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-9085145328036820122011-06-09T17:39:00.004+12:002011-06-10T02:05:25.981+12:00

As mentioned a week or so ago, I've been receiving many emails lately, asking all sorts of questions. I thought it best to round them all up and put the answers down here, for all to view. Saves me repeating myself eh? The most important thing to note: I use all New Zealand standard cups and measuring spoons. This may confuse all my Australian readers (your tablespoons = 20ml) I know, I hate

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-17012051975569017242011-06-04T12:15:00.004+12:002011-06-15T02:52:53.600+12:00

That’s not exactly what I should be naming these babies, but sometimes I just feel it’s a little bit of an over-kill to write gluten-free, dairy-free and sugar free in the title of a recipe. Even if that’s exactly what this is. Would I sound like a real geek if I mentioned too that these are raw also? If you leave out the toasting of the hazelnuts that is. I couldn’t help myself. The chef in me

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-84068625547653840102011-05-31T18:38:00.006+12:002011-05-31T20:09:04.997+12:00

Doesn't that just put a smile on your face? That's one of Ada's latest master pieces. One of my favourites. We've had a little bit of a strange week around here, lots of runny noses, sore throats and sleepless nights. On top of that my cooking has been completely off (can I blame that on this cold?). I had planned on sharing a recipe for pear and ginger cobbler, but the end result was not even 

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-19257282233791645762011-05-29T00:20:00.002+12:002011-05-29T01:42:17.476+12:00

Lately I've been receiving many emails from readers asking a whole range of questions, like; where do I buy my gluten-free flours, to info on going dairy-free, questions about my photo's and also a fair few companies/blogs asking if I do link exchanges or product reviews. I love receiving emails and have no problems replying to all that I receive at the moment. But for the sakes of not repeating

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-47792224827173412792011-05-26T00:10:00.001+12:002011-05-26T00:30:55.706+12:00

Few people have made an impression in my life lately as much as Heidi Swanson has. If it wasn't for her cookbook Super Natural Cooking I may have never found her blog 101cookbooks, I may never have found my fellow tribe of food bloggers lovers, and I know I would have never thought to start my own food blog. I also know I am not alone in my admiration of her, millions throughout the world hang

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-63708322850577937832011-05-20T20:25:00.006+12:002011-07-03T23:46:51.814+12:00

Things are getting decidedly wintery around here lately. Today, as I type it’s raining and the blustering winds have a definite icy chill to them. I don’t know about you, but when it’s cold outside all I feel like doing is huddling indoors hands outstretched over the stove top as dinner cooks. At least once a week I make a batch of chunky potato wedges for dinner. Mostly, they are little more

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-65652314148571327752011-05-15T19:12:00.002+12:002011-08-03T01:40:52.376+12:00

This Friday just gone we celebrated my little mans third birthday. Without getting too sappy… for us mums, this is huge. It really does feel like just yesterday that I was pregnant with him, and I know I will never forget the look on Ada’s cute little face as she awoke (at 2am) to find a new addition to our family. Thankfully for me she had managed to sleep through the whole birth, blissfully

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-17383739657200735882011-05-10T18:32:00.006+12:002011-05-11T02:32:34.906+12:00

I want to start off today’s post by just saying a quick little thank you to everyone that commented on my last post. You’re all too sweet. Also just to let you know, in case you were wondering what the world was coming to… it isn’t often that we get comments like those, 99% of the time it’s just me feeling like we are being a pain in butt, and not so much people actually commenting. Mostly,

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-75157821020006987982011-05-05T01:40:00.003+12:002011-05-07T00:08:21.571+12:00

I have heard on more than one occasion people commenting on how unfair it is that I don’t just let my kids eat what ever they want. Why don’t you just let them be kids? They will end up being the fussiest eaters when they grow up, you know. It must be so hard eating they way you do, they must feel really deprived. Yes. I hear you. It may seem like I’m the big bad, over-the-top hypochondriac

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-898603127291929672011-04-30T13:26:00.000+12:002011-04-30T13:26:23.692+12:00

With autumn finally creeping in here, I've been feeling the urge to start cooking warm comfort food once more. For a minute there, as the droplets of sweat ran down my back for yet another day, it felt like the intense heat of summer was never going to end. Family and friends back home kept talking of the cold autumn days they are having, bloggers over on the east coast have been posting

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-45782731758349466432011-04-26T20:31:00.002+12:002011-04-26T23:49:32.700+12:00

We've moved into our own house, finally. And it's by far the strangest move I've ever done. Even as an 18 year old, moving out of home I at least had a few possessions, and was moving into an already established house so didn't have to worry about buying all those household things you take for granted. You know; the fridge, the washing machine, the vacuum. As I moved from flat to flat I picked

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-7774257951710686312011-04-19T17:04:00.002+12:002011-12-03T19:42:39.944+13:00

This year I will miss seeing my Grandad at our local Raglan Anzac parade. Not because he won't be there, I have no doubt about that. It's me. I won't be there. It's funny; I find the older you get the more you tend to appreciate what our forefathers have done to make our world what it is today. Years ago as a littlie I couldn't think of anything worse than standing around listening to speeches

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-40747857471863187072011-04-15T14:45:00.002+12:002011-04-17T01:19:48.617+12:00

  Last weekend I managed to sweet talk Si into looking after the kids for half the day so I could explore the city, solo. To say it was a treat is a severe understatement! What was supposed to be 2-4 weeks of staying with family until we found our feet, has quickly passed into 5 and now 6 weeks… making me even more keen for a little space and alone time than usual. Of course me being me all I

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-71406369544404320782011-04-11T13:48:00.001+12:002011-04-11T13:49:39.046+12:00

I know, I know. Before you say anything, I know I'm way behind the eight-ball on last years kale chip craze. Call me out of fashion if you will. I won't take offence. It's just that I've never had my hands on enough kale at one time to bother with making them :-) It seemed like every blogger worth their money was waxing lyrical about the wonders of the humble kale chip last year. I read, and

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-52834697408020273642011-04-07T13:17:00.002+12:002011-04-08T02:32:48.843+12:00

I’ve been cooking with kale for a number of years, way back in my Sydney days at Belinda Franks catering, baby cavolo nero was all the rage. The trend took a wee bit longer to hit New Zealand shores but I'd say about 5-6 years ago I noticed it creeping onto menus around the country. My beloved Nana and grandad however, have been cooking and eating it for as long as they can remember, in fashion

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-53481078186040867912011-04-03T14:14:00.000+12:002011-04-03T14:14:24.580+12:00

I have long been a fan of the humble nettle. Not only are they great for cooking with (or so I've read), and for making natural homemade fertiliser, but they are also amazing and personally I think at their best when made into a tea. Steeped overnight it turns into the most magical nutritive tonic out. For vegetarians and meat-eaters alike it packs an amazing multi-vitamin and mineral rich punch

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-63526622619507001462011-03-29T02:27:00.003+13:002011-04-12T18:27:01.182+12:00

I’ve set myself a goal for this week; to finish the handwritten cookbook I’ve been making for my Dad over the past year-or-so. With not a whole lot else to occupy my time over here, indoors, hiding from the heat, car-less and without my usual pantry full of gluten-free flours, I figured it was about time I completed the book that initially started out as his birthday present... last year! In

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-70438538966514130662011-03-22T14:41:00.001+13:002011-03-24T01:41:08.308+13:00

You know what I have been eating for breakfast these past few days? Beautiful, big mangoes brought for a measly 50cents from the shop down the road! I had feared we were too late for cheap aussie mangoes, but we seem to still be in luck. Would you believe me if I said I was already 18 years old when I tasted my first mango? Well, yes. It is true. Coming from New Zealand, the only mangoes

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-29195171137218695032011-03-18T19:30:00.004+13:002011-08-07T17:29:32.046+12:00

Does anyone else feel just a wee bit scared about where the world is heading? With so much destruction in such a short space of time, I have a feeling Mother Earth is trying to get back at us for all the harm we humans have inflicted on her. I've really been struggling writing blog posts ever since the Christchurch earthquake and even more so after the utter and total destruction in Japan last

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-57200692404908784102011-03-14T16:22:00.001+13:002011-03-14T16:23:22.851+13:00

So, I've been nominated for Babbles's top 100 mom food bloggers!!!!It would be an honor to be listed in the top 100 and I'd love your vote :-)I am listed under my actual name instead of my darling lemon thyme, so if you are having troubles finding my nomination, just click to sort names alphabetically, then you should be able to find me under "E" for Emma Galloway.I wouldn't be upset if for

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-65367423080040965502011-03-11T19:17:00.005+13:002011-04-04T23:16:26.042+12:00

photo credits Kelda Aikman So, we have made is safely to Perth and it is only now, nearly 3 weeks on from our surprise wedding that I am able to catch my breath and do a write up on the gluten-free chocolate wedding cake I promised I would share. The past few weeks have been a blur of packing, sorting, catch-ups and goodbyes, so I haven’t been able to fully digest the fact that somewhere

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-83602758655341312232011-03-04T13:46:00.001+13:002011-03-04T13:52:40.036+13:00

So once again, I’m not quite sure where to begin today’s post. It may have something to do with the fact that I am so insanely busy at the moment that my brain feels fried? You may remember me talking about heading to Wellington to make an appearance on the Good Morning show. Well, that got completely cancelled, no pre-record, nothing. They decided to run a show about the Christchurch earthquake

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-9014681539064628772011-02-26T11:40:00.003+13:002011-03-04T13:54:24.026+13:00

I'm not quite sure where to start today's post. So much has happened in the past week that I'm almost lost for words. It seems almost selfish to be carrying on with life, writing about homemade tomato sauce when the people of Christchurch have had their lives turned upside down for the second time in only 5 months. But where the last earthquake only left destruction of buildings and homes, this

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-28273540711137436432011-02-22T23:06:00.002+13:002011-08-08T00:16:14.274+12:00

Photo taken by Peter Stonerough. On Saturday we had our farewell BBQ at a beautiful bush park reserve here in Raglan and surprised our family and friends with a wedding! We have been thinking about the idea for about 6 months now, but only seriously decided to go ahead with our plans two weeks ago. You know, with all the stress of moving countries, sick kids and injured feet, we figured why

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-29320357991793223032011-02-17T13:41:00.003+13:002011-05-28T02:12:28.339+12:00

With just a little over 2 weeks to go until we cross the ditch, I thought it was about time I shared a little about the gluten and dairy-free products available in New Zealand, that have helped me out so much over the past few years. There are a lot of "gluten-free" products out there these days and it's really hard to know firstly which ones taste nice, and don't resemble crumbly cardboard,

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-64514760390646582362011-02-12T21:20:00.000+13:002011-02-12T21:20:42.491+13:00

It has been an eventful few weeks for our family, and not all in a good way. Si badly hurt his foot kitesurfing 2 weeks ago, and has been off work ever since. The timing couldn't have been any worse, with us trying to pack up our lives for the big move to Perth, in just a little over 3 weeks! He was in so much pain for the first week and a half after the accident that he barely got off the couch

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-37771173050642315782011-02-08T14:30:00.001+13:002011-07-06T17:05:14.170+12:00

Have you ever had a moment where you're in the doctor’s waiting room, flicking through a magazine and a recipe catches your eye? You rummage through your bag, frantically trying to find that pen you were sure you had in there, and that old envelope that's perfect in situations like these. You write at top speed, carefully copying out the main points in the recipe… only to be called up by the

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-31655423982343005352011-02-03T13:00:00.002+13:002011-06-30T02:20:56.556+12:00

So, as promised, here's a little bit of savoury goodness (amongst all the sweet!) to get you through the weekend. I came across this recipe in the New Zealand Vegetable cookbook. Some of the biggest names in NZ food writing; Lorraine Jacobs, Ginny Grant and Kathy Paterson, have teamed up to produce this gorgeous seasonal cookbook that is fast becoming my go-to vegetable cookbook. Written along

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-91294401112568450822011-01-30T14:17:00.003+13:002011-01-30T20:39:36.919+13:00

In the heat of summer it's sometimes a struggle to keep the kids hydrated and cool. Kye has always loved drinking water and won't go to sleep at night without his water bottle on the stool next to his bed. But Ada on the other hand, will try to get away with drinking as little as possible during the day, only to be dying of thirst right before bed when it will keep her up all night, needing to

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-58619560946192055892011-01-26T21:47:00.001+13:002011-01-30T14:21:54.652+13:00

I had intended to post a few savory recipes after all the sweetness of late. But after reading a recent post on 101cookbooks which features Heidi’s recipe for brown-butter spice cake, I've scarcely been able to think of anything else. All weekend while we were over at mums, I was planning and thinking about which gluten-free flours I’d use to convert her whole-wheat brown-butter spice cake to

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-6091240448339440582011-01-23T22:56:00.002+13:002011-01-27T20:20:40.980+13:00

God, I don’t think I have ever been so scared driving home before, as I was today. The kids and I have just returned from a few days at my mum and little sisters place. That will be our last trip to Pukehina before we move to Perth and I definitely had a few tears in my eyes as we drove off today. It turns out we picked a crappy few days to go, our summer seems to have abruptly ended! We had one

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-82205006602790103632011-01-19T22:15:00.002+13:002011-01-24T11:01:04.022+13:00

Yep that's right, we are moving to Australia! No more dairy, deli it will now be. Whipper snipper, not weed eater. Bathers, not togs. Icy pole, not ice-block. Thongs, not jandals. It's been talked about for years, yes we are going, no we're not, yes we are... And finally we are making it happen. We leave New Zealand March the 7th on a one-way ticket to Perth, Western Australia. I'm excited

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-67787699513660029912011-01-15T23:11:00.001+13:002011-01-16T14:05:07.853+13:00

With Kye and I feeling much better, the butter was once again pulled out from the fridge this morning to soften for the much anticipated chocolate courgette cake. I swear, that container of chopped, weighed butter has been in and out of the fridge more times than I care to remember over the past week. Every time I would go to make the cake, I’d get side-tracked. A phone call from a friend

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-76332571820925049762011-01-10T21:06:00.002+13:002011-01-14T14:01:48.431+13:00

I had intended to make a cake today and bring you the recipe for chocolate courgette cake. But low and behold Kye and I seem to have picked up some bug, so the butter remains on the bench where I left it to soften, untouched.Lucky for me it was Si’s day off today, so Kye and I were able to spend the afternoon lying on the couch, quietly dying without having to think about entertaining Ada or

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-41204362413383756022011-01-04T21:57:00.002+13:002011-04-19T01:16:38.100+12:00

I'm finding it a little hard to believe we are in 2011 already. It only feels like yesterday I was welcoming my first born into the world... and now she will be turning 5 this year! People are forever going on about how fast kids grow up. I now understand what they were talking about. However, I do remember in those first few torturous months when sleep was but a distant memory, having thoughts

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1439571676977176188.post-79537652410486288162010-12-30T13:29:00.002+13:002010-12-31T13:57:05.009+13:00

As the year draws to a close, I thought I'd share a few links to some of my favourite things of 2010. An eclectic mix of recipes, blog posts, photos, cookbooks, ingredients and more... * I find it hard to limit my favourite recipes from Heidi's blog, but here are a few that have caught my eye in 2010-these sound ridiculously good if you are a fan of salt and vinegar chips. (That's me!). This

my darling lemon thymehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03234413943628909907noreply@blogger.com5