I made this chocolate cake for my husbands birthday and it was delicious. I enjoyed it so much making it and decorating it, even though the icing sugar I added too much cocoa powder, so it didn’t came out as I planned, but was still delicious. The plum jam is the perfect pairing for the…
Maraetai Beach
We visited Maraetai Beach today. It is a beautiful beach that is crystal clear and there is a park too by the beach as well as a wharf and lots of shells on the beach. Maraetai beach is about 50 minutes from Pukekohe. It was a lovely sunny day and the kids enjoyed it alot…
South African Pancakes
Nothing beats South African pancakes on a rainy day with cinnamon and sugar. You can add in milk tart filling, caramel filling and even mousse. South African pancakes is bigger than crêpes and a little bit thicker. This is the best recipe and easiest and the yummiest too! Sift together:1 and 1/2 Cups of Flour1…
Mushroom Sauce
My husband makes the most delicious mushroom sauce. This is really easy. Start by adding some butter in a pot. Add in some chopped mushrooms. Fry in the butter till soft. Add in about a cup of milk or more. Place heat on high and turn down. Mix a few teaspoons of cornflour with some…
The Start of Our Veggie and Herb Garden
I started our veggie garden a month or so ago. I gave up when I saw that our seeds we planted didn’t grow at all. I decided to plant halve a potato and halve a capsicum. To my amazement it started to grow. The plants are so happy and the potato plant have already gotten…
French Toast
Me and my husband love french toast and this easy recipe is both me and my husbands work. It’s super easy and delicious and not overly sweet. In a blender, blend together: 4 Eggs 2 Tbs Flour 1/2 Tbs Vanilla Essence 1/2 Tbs Baking Powder 1 and 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon Powder 1 Tbs Brown Sugar…
St Pierres Sushi of Japan
After our visit to Butterfly Creek we stopped over at the sushi place for some sushi for lunch. We love these sushi, all these sushi was $50. Seaweed salad was really nice and first time I have tasted it. The St Pierres Sushi of Japan is located just outside of the airport, next to Butterfly…
Golden Egg Hunt at Butterfly Creek
This weekend we visited Butterfly Creek again. They have a golden egg hunt on the whole weekend. Their is a dinosaur walking as well. Butterfly Creek was packed and got even more packed before we left at around 2pm. There is a golden egg hunt on at the moment, where you have to search for…
Johnny’s Steakhouse
Me and my friend visited this restaurant for our moms night out. Their brownie are the best and crème Brûlée is delicious but would prefer it warm. The service was great and the staff very friendly, we had such a fun time.
Moms Night Out
This was my first moms night out, since becoming a mom. I must say we had so much fun. Me and my friend walked down to the restaurant. The restaurant was Johnny’s Steakhouse. We had some chips and dessert. We already ate before we went. The town was eary and quiet, until we went into…
Lifelong Friends
We all have those friends that will stick by us in our life. Who we know is always there for us. Whether we talk everyday, it’s irrelevant. We know we can always count on them. They are unfortunately not very easy to find. In today’s world, people don’t want to go the extra mile anymore,…
Auckland Zoo
We visited Auckland Zoo recently and it was packed with families and kids running around full of excitement. We had so much fun and did lots of walking. We saw lots of animals and the enclosures was big too, I will say that Auckland Zoo is much better than Hamilton Zoo, for the fact that…
Vanilla Cupcakes with Buttercream Icing
If you want to bake an easy vanilla cupcake recipe, that doesn’t take much time, is simple and easy to understand, then this is for you! This is the perfect recipe for vanilla cupcakes or vanilla cake, with any frosting to your preference. I got this recipe from a friend of mine, and it’s the…
Why are you trying to fit in, when you were born to stand out
I know I haven’t been active lately, it’s been hectic, being a mom is not easy, but anyway I just want to empower anyone and everyone who feel discouraged or not good enough. We get told by society in order to be accepted and to feel worthy, we must conform to what society thinks we…
Trio Chocolate Cream Sauce Cake with Dulce de Leche Cream Cheese Icing
I recently made this chocolate cake. It get it’s name from the 3 different chocolates I used to make this, as well as the cream too. It’s a really, simple and easy recipe to follow and make. Ingredients for the Chocolate Cream Sauce: In a pot on the stove add in 180g Moro Chocolate Bars…
4 Ingredients Condensed Milk Scones
These scones are yummy and delicious. They are really easy to make and goes well with some butter, cream and jam with cheese. All you need is these 4 ingredients: 4 Cups Flour 3 Cups Yogurt of your Choosing, can be Greek, flavored or fruity. 20ml Baking Powder 2 Cans of Condensed Milk Add all…
Kristie’s Pantry Now Streaming
Hey everyones here is the link for Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/73XJ9hVpUlsuD7nlsq6V4V All my blog posts will be added in time to the streaming services. Still waiting for Apple to approve my podcast.
The Day in the Life of a Stay at Home Mom
I know it’s been a while since I posted anything food related. It’s just been so crazy the last couple of days. I have so much more to share. I started a podcast as well it is available on all streaming platforms, still waiting for apple. The podcast is Kristie’s Pantry. Anyway this blog post…
Homemade Dulce de Leche – Crock Pot & Pressure Cook Friendly
I had so much fun experimenting with my crock pot. Putting it to the test and figuring which time is the right time, for the results of dark, creamy and rich dulce de leche. Many people had asked me what dulce de leche is. It is a confection from Latin America made by slowly heating…
Oreo Cheesecake
I love oreos and who doesn’t love oreos in a cheesecake? I know I do. I made this cheesecake a few days ago and it came out delicious. You can add your own twists to it. Ingredients: 250g Shortbread Biscuits Crushed 50 – 70g Butter or Margarine melted 3 Packets of Oreos (147g per pack…
Chicken Risotto
I love risotto, the fact that it has so many different aspects to it and that you can put your own twist on it. From vegetarian friendly to using beef, pork or chicken and adding any vegetables to your prereference. It is healthy too and makes for a super quick dinner in under an hour…
Rasberry Flavoured Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream
This is really easy to make. You just add 30ml rasberry essence to any vanilla cake box mix, to your preferences. Bake the cupcakes according to the steps given on the box. I used ready made chocolate buttercream and added some sprinkles. Serve and enjoy!
Bell’s Berries
We visited the strawberry farm today. Our toddler had so much fun and our little one too. We finished the day off with some strawberry flavoured ice cream. It was a lovely, sunny day and we all had a blast. Both our kids love strawberries just as much as we do. The strawberry farm is…
Chocolate Mousse & Caramel Mint Trifle
I made this dessert a few weeks ago and it came out delicious. It’s a quick and easy dessert that doesn’t take up much time. The peppermint liquor makes it extra yummy. Ingredients for the Biscuit Layer:1 Packet of Vanilla Biscuits Crushed Ingredients for the Chocolate Mousse Layer:92% 200g Dark Chocolate melted4 Large Eggs at…
Hertzoggie Biscuits
Hertzoggies is a sweet, pastry with jam in the middle and coconut meringue on top. It’s delicious and easy to make, even for the beginner. Pastry: 250g (450ml measured unsifted) Cake Flour 25g (37.5ml) Castor Sugar 10ml Baking Powder 1ml Salt 125g Butter or Margarine at room temperature 3 Extra Large Egg Yolks 15ml Cold…
3 Bean Salad
This is the best bean salad I have ever eaten. It’s packed full of flavour and goodness. We ate this bean salad with our Christmas lunch in 2020. They made the salad and I took the photos. Ingredients: 2 Tins Baked Beans 1 Tin 4 Bean Mix 1 Tin Butter Beans 2 Green Capsicums Chopped…
Easy Chocolate Ganachè
I came across this recipe and this is the easiest ganachè recipe to make. From beginners to experts and even starting homecooks alike that is only starting to learn the basics. In a glass bowl, add in 500g 70% dark chocolate chopped up finely. Set aside. On the stove top on in a pan add…
2 Ingredients Oreo Mug Cake
This easy recipe is doing the rounds on social media especially on Tiktok. It requires only milk and oreo’s. In a coffee mug add in 6 oreos and crush them with a fork until fine crumbs form, add in 30ml of milk and place in the microwave for 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and…
Unicorn Coloured Birthday Cake with Rasberry Jam
I had so much fun baking our daughters birthday cake. I doubled the chocolate cake recipe I always used and just went for it. This time I wanted to do it the right way, from scratch and with no exceptions. I think all my experience and knowledge learning to bake cakes properly have lead up…
Unicorn Coloured Smash Cake for our Daughter’s 1st Birthday
Our daughter’s 1st birthday was recently, and I decided to make her a smash cake. I had so much fun! My pantry was overflowing with ready made frosting, so I decided to make the cake and decorate it with the frosting I had and to just add some colouring to it. It was amazing to…
The Perfect Vanilla Buttercream
I came across this recipe when my sister in-law gave me a recipe book for Christmas with some lovely recipes and also tips. I came across this buttercream recipe, and haven’t used any other recipe since. I use this recipe for decorating cakes and cupcakes to everything in between too. This buttercream recipe is airy,…
Oreo Cheesecake Pops by Bianca
I got these recipes from one of my friends and it’s devine! It’s super easy to make, and just yummy and the balance between sweet and the bitter of the oreo biscuits, makes it a yummy treat in itself. I made this oreo cheesecake pops for our daughters birthday party coming up. Start by removing…
Homemade Chips
There is just something about homemade chips that doesn’t tastes like the store bought ones. I will share with you,me and my husbands homemade chips recipe. It’s simple and easy and also quick to make. Peel 5 big potatoes. Cut up the peeled potatoes in chip sizes and place in a jug with some water,…
Celebrating 5000 Visitors🎉
How do I say thank you, 2 years ago I could have never imagined that my website would do so good and be so successful. I started this website from nothing, building it up to where it is today. My heart is full of gratitude today. What I’ve learned is that if you don’t go…
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Buttercream Icing & Sprinkles on top
I made this dark chocolate cupcakes. I added 300g 70% dark chocolate melted and added to the cake batter. For the icing I just added 250g cream cheese that is cold, to 400g already prepared buttercream and combined it with an electric hand mixer. After the dark chocolate cupcakes have cooled down, I added the…
Kokako
Pop in here before you leave Commercial Bay. The best coffee we have ever tasted! The staff are so friendly and welcoming.
Gochu
We visited this restaurant today, it’s in Commercial Bay and the food is yummy. We had such a great time, the food is spicy but good spicy and not overpowering spicy. We ordered the set menu that was $25 each plus some drinks. If you are visiting Commercial Bay for a shopping spree, don’t forget…
Commercial Bay
Commercial Bay recently opened it’s doors to the public. It’s a lovely shopping mall with so many space and the downtown carpark are right across from it. We were in their quick today, so didn’t see all the shops but the vibe in the mall is lovely. It’s near the vianduct harbour and on queen…
It’s the little things that count
Today, me and my toddler did some baking. I realised it’s all the little things that add up. I showed her how we add all the ingredients and how we bake and decorate the cupcakes. She enjoyed it so much. Stay at home mom and working moms, and all parents alike. If you don’t find…
Yakety Yak
Yakety Yak is a lovely restaurant with the best breakfast or brunch as you may call it in town. We ate there recently and enjoyed the it so much. The staff are lovely and the food is just exceptional.
Honey Mustard Sauce
My husband makes the best honey mustard sauce, and he teached me how to make it too. It can be used over gammon, and over chicken, as a side or as a dipping sauce. In a microwave safe bowl add in: 1 Cup of Honey 2 Tbs Dijon Mustard 5ml of Lemon Juice Place the…
Homemade Pasta Gnocchi
First time making gnocchi and it is such a different taste that I am used to growing up. Gnocchi tastes to me alot like potato dumplings. Pasta potatoes. Make sure you season your gnocchi well,you can even add some spicy seasoning to it too. This recipe is from our friends, they always make it and…
Chocolate Lovers Trifle
The highlight for me for 2020 was to be able to pull this yummy dessert off. It is definitely on the top of my list of desserts. In South-Africa at Woolworths foods I love eating their chocolate desserts, it is always so decadent and chocolate mousse just perfect, fluffy and delicious. This dessert reminds me…
Murray
After our lovely sunny but windy morning on the beach, we decided to have some lunch at Murray. They serve the best fried squid and delicious street food. Murray is located before you get to the beach. It’s a lovely atmosphere and the staff is very friendly and helpful. There food is delicious, if you…
Piha Beach
Hey everyone. Readers, bloggers and foodies alike. I am ready for the new year, and feel refreshed and energised after my 2 week break from blogging. Hope all of you had a special and wonderful festive season. Here in New Zealand our little town was mostly empty and most people went away on holiday. You…
Last Farewell to 2020
As I typed this blog post, I can’t help but feel a little bit nostalgic and emotional at the same time. This year no one knew a pandemic of this magnitude would reach all around the world, killing so many and just keep on infecting and people getting sick. It has turned all our worlds…
Our Christmas Lunch
Our Christmas this year, we did things a little differently. We teamed up with our neighbours and had Christmas lunch together. It was a lovely fresh lunch with cold meats that have already been roasted and cooled down. For dessert we had cinnamon rolls made and the most yummiest chocolate lovers dessert trifle. Recipe will…
Caramel Mint Log by Shar-nica
This is a really simple and easy dessert. My friend have made this for about a decade now. It’s her favourite Christmas dessert to make. She learn to make it from her mom and step mom. I took the photos and she shared her recipe with me. It’s really delicious and it will taste even…
Butter Lamb Curry by Shar-nica
While we were in Kerikeri, my friend made the most delicious lamb curry ever! Yes, it’s that good that it deserves to be heard about, and shared. It’s her husbands favourite. We ate so much, so delicious at their house while we stayed there. We had a blast. The recipe with its flavour profile is…
