I’ve partaken in the odd baking post in the past, and if you’ve been coming round these parts long enough you’ll know how much I love to eat, and I’ve been meaning to do more baking/cooking posts, honestly I have, it’s just….I don’t want to. I love food, but I’m not a fan of the whole preparation side of things. I’ve been telling the bf for years that I’m really good at cooking, I just don’t enjoy it, but you know what? I think that whole ‘good at cooking’ thing might be a lie. I mean, maybe I am good at cooking, I just don’t care to prove it. Which is where my sister, Talia, comes in. She loves to cook and bake. She must love it, because she has 5 kids, and still makes the time to cook and bake really yummy stuff, not just heating up some frozen pizza (which is what I’d do). So, allow me to introduce you to a new feature on the blog, ‘Talia’s Treats’ – recipes and pictures and videos of how to recreate some of the delicious stuff my sister makes on the reg. We are starting with one of my all time faves, homemade Chicken Pie. The video gives you a good idea in terms of breaking down the steps involved in making the pie. Full steps and recipe below also:

Dough

2 cups flour
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
300gm butter – cold, diced
1 egg yolk
3-4 tbsp cold water

Filling

1 tbsp oil
750gm boneless chicken fillets, chopped
50gm butter
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 onion chopped
100gm button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried rosemary

METHOD

1. Place the flour in the bowl of a food processor if using one. Add the cold butter and mix by using the pulse mode.
2. Add the egg yolk and enough water until the dough detaches from the bowl. Do not overwork the dough. Wrap it in plastic, and place it in the fridge for 1 hour minimum before using.
3. Cook filling: Heat oil, cook chicken. Set aside. Cook mushrooms till just brown, set aside. Melt butter and cook garlic, celery and onion. Stir in flour. Remove from heat and stir in stock and milk. Return to heat, bring to the boil stirring constantly and simmer 3 mins or until thickened. Add chicken, parsley, rosemary and season.
4. Roll the dough, cut the bottom rounds (5”), place them loosely in the tins and scoop in a heap of the filling. Brush the rim with some egg wash and then place the top (3”) on. Crimp the edges with your fingers and then brush the top with egg yolk wash.
5. Bake at 180°C for around 30 minutes. You may need more or less time, depending on your oven.

Nikau, Maddy & Katherine

The stomach rumbling began around the time Viva’s eating out editor, Nici Wikes, started talking about the best places to dine in Auckland. There was no time to remedy this however, as after the Viva Live seminar we were straight on to viewing Collection 3. In between snapping runway pics, playing ‘who’s your favourite model?’ and making mental wish-lists, many a ‘I’m sooooo hungry’ was exchanged between whoever was near. Fashion makes you hungry yo. So, after the show it was settled - Maddy, Nikau, Katherine and Emma and I were to go have a ‘real bloggers seminar’ (word to Dusty McFly) and fill our bellies at Ken’s Yakitori Bar just round the corner on Anzac Ave. Best. decision. ever. Katherine and I were both concerned we hadn’t ordered enough, until the food came out, and kept coming…and then we had to get a take-away bag. So, please, enjoy the fashion in the post below, enjoy the food – then go eat something yum.

prawn wrapped in pork

deep fried camembert

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Not even exaggerating. Actual Super Woman status. We had a pretty special family dinner last night, which my sister Talia had offered to completely organise/cater. I had no idea it was going to be as amazing as it was though!  It was French Cafe level, but SHE made everything, and I mean everything – from the lil bread sticks, to the ice cream – entirely herself. I’m still buzzing out about it. Take a look at the menu, the pictures, and think of the fact she has five children, and then buzz yourselves out too. I have no idea how to do all of this, but feel free to ask her yourself if you want.

And here I was thinking I was all cool and stuff cos I could make Strawberry Sangria. Ha!

The Amuse Bouche

Summer fruit sangria

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I have been having New York withdrawals lately, and with that inevitably comes a list of what friends and I miss about it, and always on that list, is Kitchenette. So, to cheer us up, Shirly Shirl made up a batch of Strawberry Sangria, as first experienced in Kitchenette, over the New Years. It was a hit, and plans were made to make more immediately. A friends birthday party over the weekend was the perfect excuse, and as I wanted to drink Strawberry Sangria and only Strawberry Sangria all night, I decided to make up a batch myself too. It’s the easiest thing ever. To make it extra cute and more like the real Kitchenette experience, I purchased some large jars from The Warehouse to mix the Sangria, and smaller jars to drink from. For the best strawberries you have to go to the  Mangere Strawberry Farm, which is also a great excuse to eat one of their amazing ice-creams. Get the recipe here.

UPDATE: For those asking about Strawberry Lemonade – I think that’s more of an American thing, as far as I know we don’t really sell strawberry lemonade here but if we do – let me know where! So instead, I used Charlie’s Raspberry Lemonade, which you can find at most supermarkets. Alternatively, Shirl used Schweppes classic (fizzy) lemonade which is just as good. The taste is really not much different. On using jars : Be warned, the large jars aren’t quite large enough to fit the two cups of ginger-ale in, but I just added a bit of ginger-ale individually to glasses as I went Or, for a more potent drink, don’t add the ginger-ale in haha.

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Last year a bunch of friends and I met up at Nishiki in Freemans Bay for a ‘family’ christmas get together, if you will. Following the dinner was an impromptu stroll to Franklin Road to look at all the lights, and to yell ’MERRRRY CHRISTMAS’ loudly at strangers and ‘HO HO HO’ to each other. Sounds slightly lame, but we were actually in fits of laughter and it was good vibes all round. We had so much fun, we decided to make it a christmas tradition, and repeated the shenanigans this year. Next year I’ll try to not start work at 5 in the morning the next day, so more sake can be consumed. I think Nishiki is my favourite Japanese joint, though the Botany branch is way better than the city one.

Ebi Mayo

Beef Amiyaki

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How strange, I thought I’d put this up this already, but I think wordpress ate my blog post! Nothing much to say, already talked about Tanpopo over here, but the pics are too yummo not to share. I apologise to all those with empty stomachs looking at this.

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Dear Kitchenette,

I miss you already. All my friends that met you, they miss you too. People don’t really make Mac&Cheese here like you do, or fried chicken drizzled in honey. No one knows what I’m talking about when I ask for strawberry lemonade, with real strawberries in it. I think Che and Shirl are gonna look up how to make Strawberry Sangria, and when they do, we’ll sip it and think of you.

But, it’s not goodbye, its more like, see you later.

Love, Lani xx

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If there’s one thing I know, and I mean truly and absolutely, without a doubt know about myself, it’s that I am not a morning person. By that I mean waking up in the morning. Staying up til the wee hours is what I’m all about. What does this have to do with Pho Grand? Nothing. It’s just I’m writing this post at 5:21 am, and I feel more awake now than I would at 9am after a full nights sleep. You know what else would make me feel more awake at 5 am? Pho Grand. Nice segue ay? Or was it? I don’t know, it’s 5 in the morning. And every time I see the words ’5 in the morning’ I think of Pretty Ricky. Ugh, this is the worst. segue. ever.

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The boyfriend left early this morning for New Zealand, and I woke up to an empty apartment. But that’s only cos I got up at 2pm hahaha. Lucky for me my friends Shirl and Che have decided to extend their stay in NYC for an extra week, which means I can defer my ‘only the lonely’ status for a week longer also. I’m gonna have to stop going to bed at 5am so I can keep up with these guys though, they’ll fit into a week what most people fit into a month. More company means more exploring of the city, and more eating out – we all went to The Meatball Shop last week. As long as you don’t go during the dinner rush, you’ll be fine, otherwise expect an hour or more wait to be seated. I’m such a sucker for all things miniature, so of course I got the Sliders. The risotto is soo good.

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