She smiles one of her irresistible smiles and invites me to join her. This presents me with an ethical dilemma. I’m a peace loving person who loves animals. I don’t want to kill pigs, but I do want to learn how to master this new piece of technology.

I say I feel sorry for the pigs and isn’t this a cruel way to make them die.

No, she says, they are yucky and evil.

I cave in and soon we are taking turns. She wins at first. There are peals of laughter as Angry Bird smashes the pigs to smithereens. But I’m a faster learner than she expected. Soon I win the odd game or two.

My granddaughters were given a Samsung Galaxy pad at Christmas. Not by the grandparents. We thought: too extravagant a toy and how long would it last?

The main reason for this present was that it would allow them to keep in closer touch with their father who now lives overseas. And it works really well. They take pics, make little videos and Skype him several times a week.

Although it’s lightweight it’s reasonably sturdy and they are careful with it. They like it because it keeps them entertained. They can email their friends, play games, and do some of their homework on it. My 11 year old granddaughter has been given a password from school so she can log into a language learning website to practice Mandarin language games. And just like a kindle, books can be downloaded on it. For the littlest there are audio Dr Seuss books to which she can listen, while she follows the words.

The Samsung galaxy tab is not the only new piece of technology which has recently arrived at our house. With our three grandkids and one daughter who have come to live with us for a while has also come an Xbox Kinect for which you can buy games, join in Kinect adventures and move around to dance central. You can also download movies.

My granddaughters play virtual games on it such as tennis (you have to move around as you watch). It looks like a sort of slow motion and slightly goofy aerobics but it’s more competitive.

These new tech toys could entice them to stay inside all day, immersed in a virtual world. But luckily they are creative girls who love to play outside, invent their own games and dance routines and draw and paint.

While the grandkids are busy with their tech toys my daughter has a smartphone as her constant companion. It’s her handheld office.

It’s synced with her desktop computer so all her documents are accessible and she can edit them. And it’s constantly in use as her social networking tool. She is a dedicated tweeter. Her smart phone is linked to the web so she can also receive and send emails. In her spare moments she plays games, makes videos and take pics with it. I’m fascinated by the fact that such a small instrument is so multimedia. I’d love one to play with although I suspect it could become rather addictive.

I thought I was reasonable tech-savvy. I’m of a generation in which computers have become indispensable work tools. At home I have a desktop and laptop. I word process, surf the Internet and email frequently, use a digital SLR camera, love Photoshop.

My Facebook Page keeps me in touch with family and friends. I do own a cell phone (but not a smart one) and my family tease me about being woefully slow at texting. Actually I still prefer my landline for a long chat (and it’s cheaper)

But, suddenly confronted with a whole raft of new tech toys: smart phones, an Xbox, and Samsung androids I’ve realised there’s a whole new world to explore. I have been asking myself: am I falling behind?

Last Sunday my grandkids went to Motat and had a lot of fun learning how to dial the numbers on what to them was an unusual contraption: an old fashioned telephone. I suspect that in less than a decade landlines will have been totally replaced by cell phones. Writing a letter and licking a stamp on an envelope may well be past history. And as they grow up email may not be their preferred way of keeping in touch. Will Facebook and Tweeting still be around?

Connecting with my kids and grandkids will always be high on my list of priorities. So I really do want to embrace any new kinds of technologies which would allow me to keep bridging the generation gap.

Yet how much do I need? What can I afford and how much would I use them. Will they make my life easier or more complicated? Will it mean less time to spend with friends, take away the pleasure of turning the pages of a real book, reading a newspaper, or picking up my land line phone to have an actual conversation? Will all this clicking on, switching and pointing takes up too much of my day?

My mother was a great role model. In her 90’s she was very attached to her computer. She never did master how to surf the internet, but she learnt how to email. It kept her in touch with all her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Responding to her frequent messages and sending off a few emails each week was much easier than sitting down and writing a letter. I’m rather proud of the fact that she called me her best email buddy! If she could keep on being a lifelong learner I should be up to the challenge as well.

Kim is a passionate self-taught baker. She began her remarkable journey in Sydney where as a cash strapped fine arts student she swapped her baking for art supplies. Back in New Zealand she sculpted wedding and special occasion cakes in Christchurch. Then moved North and sold her baking at weekend markets. In a daring move she took the plunge with a tiny capital of $3000 to establish a baking business. It was so successful that she now owns two cafes and a bakery in Auckland. This is her first recipe book.

Little and Friday café lives in a peaceful suburban Takapuna street. The parking is easy. I took my nine year old granddaughter there for a treat. Right next door is the bakery. She took a peek through the window to see the bakers busy at work creating gorgeous cakes, donuts, brioches and pastries both sweet and savoury.

We ordered our drinks at the counter. She asked for a Foxton Fizz Curly Top lemonade. I ordered a cappuccino.

We sat down at the large wooden table which takes up most of the interior space and lends a relaxed communal feeling .We were surrounded by other family groups and a few couples. While waiting we poured ourselves a glass of cool water spiked with a cinnamon stick and a sprig of mint from the retro milk bottles on the table.

My granddaughter loves meat pies. I rarely bake them. To her delight there were plenty to choose from. She spotted a chicken and leek and a bacon and egg pie but could not go past her favourite, a mince and cheese one. I asked her to rate it.

She approached this task like a Junior Master chef judge. First she carefully lifted the lid of the pastry to reveal a plentiful meaty filling with no gristle or fat in sight. A pool of melted cheese lay in the centre.

She took a bite out of the pastry lid and declared it was not quite as crispy on top as it was on the sides. But it’s really yummy she said. Then she finished it to the very last crumb and gave it an excellent rating.

I indulged my sweet tooth with a sizeable walnut and fig slice with a creamy icing topped with some ginger, rich but moorish.

Having been to Little and Friday my granddaughter can’t wait to spend some of her holidays baking with me. Given half a chance she’d bake every savoury pie and galette in the book.

It’s not a book specially written for children but the recipes are so clearly explained and easy to follow that they are perfect for parents and grandparents to bake with them.

For young cooks who have a sweet tooth making small tarts with sweet pastry which is made in the food processor) and the chocolate chip and Anzac biscuits would be a good place to start.

When the grandkids are out of the kitchen I’ll try my hand at some of the more sophisticated treats like the pistachio shortbread crescents spiced with cardamom and rosewater.

The art of baking macaroons is one I have yet to master but her cranberry ones look very achievable. It’s a modern take of a recipe Kim found in one of her Mother’s Home Ec manuals for which you don’t need to beat the egg whites.

Kim has also simplified the process of how to make a buttery brioche. It’s going to be hard to choose between the caramelly flavoured cinnamon, date and walnut and the chocolate ones. Think of hot chocolate oozing out as you bite into them straight out of the oven!

Panforte filled with white chocolate, manuka homey, dried figs and walnuts would be just right to pass around with a coffee as an after dinner treat.

The raspberry and chocolate meringues promise to be crisp on the outside with a lovely gooey filling. I’d serve these for dessert with a berry coulis.

At the back of the book there are also some very useful finishings and fillings. Basics like cream cheese icing, tomato relish and lemon curd as well as some original recipes for caramelised beetroot and candied carrots.

It’s not just the recipes but the whole philosophy on which this book is based on which appeals. My granddaughter has been well taught at school, Words like sustainability and recycling come easily to her generation. She likes the idea that at Little and Friday many of the ingredients used in the baking are organic and locally sourced. And that the food scraps are not wasted but are swapped with an organic pig farmer for free range eggs.

This is one of those recipe books that won’t linger unloved on my recipe book shelf. My granddaughter will see to that!

Treats from Little and Friday by Kim Evans is published by Penguin Group (RRP $44.99)

I love India. I’ve travelled there four times over the last few years. On my first visit I arrived on a misty night with extremely low visibility. On the way to the hotel from Delhi airport a cow was suddenly caught in the headlights of the taxi. It looked like a ghostly apparition.

I almost screamed but the cow didn’t faze the driver at all as he swerved his way around her. I soon learnt that as cows are sacred creatures they are free to roam the roads and always have right of way. It was the beginning of a fascinating journey with my daughter around Rajasthan.

The 17th century historic palace hotel that was temporarily transformed into the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is actually in North West Rajasthan. But many of the location shots were filmed in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan. Jaipur is known as the pink city because in 1853 the whole city was repainted in pink as an extravagant royal welcome for the Prince of Wales.

The movie was never intended to be about the beauty of Jaipur’s museums, palaces and gardens. The actors don’t visit the famous city sights like the Palace of the Winds or mount regally decorated elephants to take a slow ride up to the Amber Fort as tourists do.

It’s the story of how a group of British pensioners, who have unexpectedly fallen upon hard times or feel unfulfilled take a daring leap into the unknown and retire to a more exotic and affordable location to put their lives back together.

On arrival the supposedly grand hotel they had expected turns out to be dilapidated, with leaky taps, nonfunctional telephones, some doorless rooms and plumbing problems. It does have a very charming but inefficient young man as a manager (who also starred in Slum Dog Millionaire.)

How could they have been so deceived? As one of the guests said “The hotel was obviously Photoshopped before being posted on the Internet.”

Nevertheless the star studded cast has no choice but to move in. They initially find Jaipur overwhelming but gradually make friendships, search out new opportunities and are transformed by their experiences of a new culture. For most of them, the tide turns in their favour and by the end of the movie their lives have taken a turn for the better.

It’s a feel good movie with plenty of humour. And it’s also refreshing to see a movie in which the stars sport a few wrinkles (well actually more than a few in some cases)

On a deeper level it makes you think that when you get old, even if life deals you a lemon, you can still take a risk, fall in love or start a new job. At least give it a try advises Judi Dench. If you don’t try you can’t win.

The two outstanding performances were by Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. At the beginning of the movie Maggie Smith is a whinging pain ridden old woman waiting for a hip replacement which is successfully done in India. Her racist one liners are so over the top they are hilarious. But against expectations she manages to embrace her new life, adopt a more positive attitude to Indian people and to use her talents to her best advantage.

Judi Dench plays the part of a woman who is recently widowed. After forty years of a meaningless marriage to a husband who mismanaged their financial affairs she heads to Jaipur, lands herself a job at a call centre and is open to a new relationship. In her late seventies now, she manages to look both amazingly demure and seductive riding sidesaddle on the back of a motorbike.

So if you have troubles should you pack them up and go and live in a faded but grand hotel in Jaipur?

“I think of India as a Marmite destination, you either love it or hate it, but there’s an awful lot to love” said Tanya Dalton, a director of Greaves Travel when interviewed by the Guardian about the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

My partner is not a big fan of India. He’s been once and for him that was enough. The dirt, the chaos on the roads and the crumbling monuments were not for him.

I love it there so would encourage you to go. But it’s worth knowing that water and power shortages are a fact of life in Rajasthan. So you do need to learn how to go with the flow. Don’t let a shower head which trickles rather than pours, or the occasional power cut faze you.

Seeing young children and mothers with babies begging in the streets can also be very disturbing and will pull at your heartstrings. It makes all your troubles pale by comparison.

Look beyond the negatives and you will find a vibrant India which is exciting and different. The spicy food, beautiful fabrics, street markets, and much incredible art and architecture will re- energize and excite you and may well make you feel (as the manager of the hotel keeps saying) that “Everything will be alright in the end, and if it’s not alright, it won’t be the end.”

And not just at Easter time. Now there’s a chill in the air a cup of hot chocolate is the perfect drink to enjoy last thing in the evening.

Here are two of my favourites. The first is fast and easy for those times when you urgently need a chocolate fix. And if you make it with skim milk and dark chocolate it’s low on sugar and fat so almost guilt free.

Simply chocolate

1. Pour a cup of milk into a large (4 cup) microwave jug.

2. Unwrap 3 Whittakers Dark Ghana (72% cocoa) chocolate squares. Add to the milk.

3. Heat the milk to boiling point in the microwave (start checking after 1 3/4 minutes, and then give it a few more 10 second bursts if necessary.)

4. Stir the mixture until all the chocolate has dissolved.

5. Pour into a mug and add if you wish add a small splash of Grand Marnier, or a pinch of chili powder.

Decadent Hot Chocolate

I asked the staff at Whittaker’s for their favourite hot chocolate recipe and back came this one from Jasmine Griffin, their brand manager.

Ingredients:

One Whittaker’s Sante Bar (either 50% dark chocolate or 72% Dark Ghana)
175 ml milk
50 ml cream

Method:

1. Break up the santé bar and place in a pot with the milk and the cream.

2. Whisk or stir continuously over a medium heat until melted. Pour into a cup and serve immediately.

Toppings:

Choose one or more of the following: grated chocolate, a sprinkle of cocoa powder, a dollop of whipped cream or ice-cream, marshmallows.

Serve with a cinnamon stick stirrer.

By Lyn Potter

But each time the marmite crisis flashes before my eyes on the TV screen I start to crave some of it. In my more delusional moments the thought has even passed my mind that this is nothing but a clever marketing ploy to make us eat more of it.

But as I walk past the empty marmite shelf in the supermarket the reality sinks it. Once the half pot of marmite in my pantry is finished there will not be more for quite some time.

Just as well that lately I’ve developed a passion for Indian. So this week I’ll be munching on roti or naan bread for lunch with some freshly made chutneys,

Homemade taste best but the packets of roti or naan bread from the supermarket also tasty and will last for a week or so.

You do have to reheat them and the best way to do this is on a lightly greased fry pan. Or whizz them in between paper towels in the microwave for about 20 seconds. They should still be pliable rather than crisp so don’t overdo it.

Fresh chutneys take no time at all to make. The first two are traditional recipes. The third is one I invented when I spotted a mango at the back of my fridge and decided to be creative.

There are also lots of chutneys available in the supermarket. One of my favourites: Barker’s beetroot chutney in which they have combined freshly shredded beetroot with a hint of ginger, chili and cloves.

Kachumber

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes (diced)
1 cucumber (peeled and diced)
¼ cup of red onion (finely diced)
½ green chili (seeds removed and finely chopped)
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
½-1 teaspoon of castor sugar
A few sprigs of coriander (chopped)
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Cucumber Raita:

Ingredients:

½ telegraph cucumber
150 g of yoghurt
The leaves from a couple of sprigs of mint
Method:
1. Cut a telegraph cucumber in half.
2. Scrape out the seeds and chop finely.
3. Stir into 150 gm of yoghurt
4. Add some finely chopped mint

Mango Chutney:

Ingredients:

½ cup of desiccated coconut
2.5 cm knob of fresh ginger (finely sliced)
1 green chili (seeds removed and chopped)
1 mango (finely chopped)
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
3 tablespoons of yoghurt
2 tablespoons of oil.
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Put the coconut, ginger, chili and mango in a blender/ food processor and whizz for about 1 minute. Add the mango and whizz again for a few seconds until all the ingredients are mixed to a coarse paste.

2. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the juice of a lemon /lime, 3 tablespoons of yoghurt and salt to taste.

3, Heat some vegetable oil in a small fry pan and add the mustard seeds. After a few seconds they will begin to pop. Hold a saucepan lid over the top to prevent them from escaping.

4. When they are popped stir them add them to the chutney.

Add salt to taste.

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Three of the main ingredients are:

Blueberries: A Superfood which is one of the richest sources of natural antioxidants, more than twice the level of other berries.

Quinoa: An ancient grain which has been cultivated for thousands of years in the Andes and was prized by the Incas. It has a nutty taste and aroma and is high in protein and fibre

Coconut Oil: Use virgin coconut oil which has not been chemically treated (other kinds of kinds of coconut oil have been partially hydrogenated which creates those nasty unhealthy transfats.) Virgin coconut oil contains about 50 percent lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid which is also abundantly found in breast milk. What’s good for babies is good for you!

Ingredients:

1 cup of quinoa
2 cups of cold water (check cooking and proportions)
1 punnet of blueberries (or more according to how fruity you would like this breakfast to be)
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of coconut oil (I used Celebes Virgin Coconut Oil)
1 tablespoon of honey
1 pinch of salt (optional)
1 lemon
Coconut cream ( 1-2 tablespoons per bowl)

Method:

1. Wash the quinoa in a sieve under the tap

2. Add it to 2 cups of water and bring to the boil.

3. Put a lid on the saucepan and leave it to simmer. Check after 10 minutes

4. Let it simmer on a low heat for about 10- minutes. It may need a little longer. Little tails will appear on each grain when they are done.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, 1 tablespoon of honey, the cinnamon and a pinch of salt.

6. Ladle into small bowls . Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over the top.

7. Then pour over 1-2 tablespoons of coconut cream.

8. Sprinkle blueberries on top.

Enjoy!
Recipe by Lyn Potter

We’ve been surviving on salads for much of the summer. On our skinniest days a crisp wedge of iceberg lettuce, some ripe red tomatoes and sliced cucumber taste good by themselves. Here are some of our other favourites: dressed barely with oil or not at all.

Tzatziki :

To make tzatziki peel a telegraph cucumber. Scoop the seeds out and discard. Grate the cucumber coarsely into a strainer.Salt lightly and leave for half an hour to let the liquid drain out. Squeeze it by hand to dry it out further. Then stir it into a cup or so of thick greek yoghurt . Add a pinch of salt, a teaspoon of olive oil, a crushed garlic clove and a squeeze of lemon juice. Finally stir through some chopped mint.

Tzatziki can be a light lunch scooped up with triangles of pita bread which have been brushed with oil and baked briefly in a moderate oven until crisp.

Tomato salad:

For this thickly slice ripe tomatoes, season with salt, grind over black pepper, drizzle with a splash of balsamic vinegar and little olive oil and sprinkle with torn basil leaves.

Beetroot, mint and pomegranate salad:

This ruby red salad is delicious. Peel and grate a couple of large beetroots. Stir in about two tablespoons of pomegranate molasses. You may like to add more but add small amounts at a time as its sweetness can overwhelm the salad. Stir in plenty of chopped mint.

Alongsideserve some slices of grilled haloumi and some toasted sourdough bread. This makes either a starter or a light meal

Couscous salad

Many of my salads just evolve as I rummage through fridge and pantry. I use whatever there is to hand, adding a little of this and that and tasting as I go. If anyone happens to be in the kitchen they are welcome join in. This is how Nick’s couscous salad took shape .

Although it looks more like breadcrumbs, couscous is actually a pasta which comes from North Africa. There it may still be made from scratch, a time consuming process which involves much rubbing and rolling but here the instant version is readily available. I like the wholemeal organic.

Couscous is incredibly versatile. As the mood takes me I soak it in water, chicken or vegetable stock, add different herbs, spices and vegetables, olive oil and citrus juice.

For the carnivorous this salad goes well with some barbecued chicken. For the vegetarians, falafel patties (made with a tub of falafel mix from the supermarket) will satisfy them

Leftovers will last in the fridge for a few days.

Nick’s Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of couscous
1 1/2 cups of boiling water
Olivani /butter 1 teaspoon
½ cup of craisins
1 packet of sliced almonds (lightly toasted)
2-3 spring onions
½ cup of chopped herbs (choose from parsley, mint, coriander or a mixture)
2 cups of roasted pumpkin ( cubed)
Juice of one orange
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste.

Method:

1. Pour boiling water over couscous. Stir in 1 teaspoon of olivani/butter.

2. Cover and leave for a few minutes until the couscous has absorbed the water.

3. Stir it lightly with a fork until fluffy.

4. Stir in the remaining ingredients and season to taste.

Once mixed for 4 minutes (no need to knead) the sloppy batter was lightly scraped out with a spatula and spread into an oven dish. Thanks to the humid hot summer weather it only took 25 minutes to double in size. Neville sprinkled it with Himalayan rock salt, freshly grated parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of chopped rosemary. Then drizzled it with olive oil. Another 25 minutes in the oven and it was ready to eat.

Shop bought gluten free breads have failed to tickle my taste buds. They are often dense and taste unusual. But this was the best gluten free bread I have tasted, with a light soft texture and a crisp crust. I’d happily serve this to everyone, not just the gluten free.

Neville and Judy Green had been invited to run a Gluten Free Made Easy Baking session at IE Produce in Takapuna. It was one of a series of seminars which Joyce from IE Produce holds on a regular basis to educate people about healthier lifestyles. These are her and the speakers’ gift to the community, the only contribution asked for is a gold coin for Hospice.

Neville’s challenge: to create both focaccia and French bread as well as pancakes from scratch within two hours. It seemed like a mission impossible but being an experienced chef he was unphased and calmly set to work fielding questions along the way.

After the focaccia the French loaves. A mixture of several gluten free flours, Xanthan gum, jam setting mix, gluten free baking powder and no egg replacer went into the mixer. The soft dough was then put in large piping bags (which are available in sets in the baking section in the supermarket.) Once filled you squeeze each loaf out in a line almost the length of the baking tray. With a bang at the finish it comes out nice and clean.

This bread also rose quickly and once baked it had a good texture and flavour. Like all French bread it is at its best eaten fresh but any leftovers could easily be made into crostini.

Although I’m a confident bread maker I’d been avoiding baking a gluten free loaf. The ingredients are much more expensive than baking ordinary bread, and I’d heard that it’s all too easy for home baked gluten free breads to turn out like bricks.

I am not gluten free so gluten free bread is something I’d like to make occasionally for my gluten free friends and relations. For coeliacs however eating gluten free is a necessity. It was to help them that Neville and Judy first started on the road to gluten free baking. A road which they have travelled for over a decade since. As Judy explained:

“We first got started on Gluten free cooking 12 years ago. It was because a lady came into our cafe and said that she could not eat anything in here. When asked why not she replied because I am a Coeliac. At that stage we had never heard of the illness.

It became an interest and then a passion and now an obsession as there is not a lot out there to help these people to bake and cook gluten free. There are plenty of things they can buy that is of very little food value and very expensive.

Many people have asked us to open up a gluten free shop but I believe in empowering people to look after themselves for the rest of their life instead of gratifying them for 5 minutes.

For us teaching people is very rewarding as we have achieved some amazing results with some very sick people, especially those with children on the autistic spectrum.”

They now hold regular cooking classes although at the time I am writing these were briefly on hold as they awaited the birth of their second grandchild.

The last recipe they made on the night was pancakes. This fast and versatile recipe is the one I would use most often.

The batter was mixed with a hand whisk. It was much more watery than the ususal pancake batter but this was the right consistency. Gluten free batter thickens when it comes into contact with heat.

Judy drizzled them with maple syrup, folded them into quarters and passed them around on a large white platter. They tasted so good they disappeared in a flash.

These pancakes can easily be adapted to make a savoury dish..

For a savoury version Neville suggests:

“Experiment with different fillings such as feta and spinach, chicken, or chickpeas.

Lay the pancakes on a bed of home made Italian tomato sauce.

Pour some white sauce over the top. Sprinkle cheese over all and heat in the oven.

These pancakes don’t go mushy and you can lift them out easily for individual servings. They can also be frozen with layers of glad wrap between them.

Here is the recipe:

Gluten Free Crepes:

Ingredients:

60g rice flour
20g potato starch
10 g tapioca flour
35 gram of sorghum flour
Pinch of salt
2 eggs (size 6)
1 ¼ cups of milk

Method:

•Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl
•Mix the milk and eggs together in a separate bowl
•Add the dry ingredients to the milk and egg mix. Beat till smooth.
•Use just under ¼ cup of batter for each crepe.
•Cook in a hot greased pan (Spray your frying pan with a vegetable oil)
•Swirl enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan and cook till brown and set. Turn and colour the other side.

Neville and Judy conduct Gluten Free Made Easy cooking classes in people’s homes or at their place. Check this out at www.glutenfreemadeeasy.co.nz

To find out more about the courses run at IE produce go to www.ieproduce.com

Do Christmas desserts and treats have to be loaded with calories or are there some which are relatively fat free and healthy but still delicious?

I had a chat about this recently with Julie Biuso, food editor of Taste Magazine and author of recently published “Sweet Feast”. It’s packed full of tempting desserts and baking, many of which first appeared in Taste Magazine.

This book has been luring me into the kitchen to try out lots of new recipes for the festive season. The evidence is already starting to show on my hips!

Julie likes to eat healthy and local. Six months ago she began raising chickens in her urban garden so she now has her own supply of free range eggs. She also grows many of her own fruit and vegetables.

She pointed out that quite a few of the recipes in Sweet Feast are relatively healthy. And when you bake them from scratch, unlike commercially produced products, you are in control of what you put into them.

“I do use sugar and white flour but there is some balance. In many of these I have added fruit so lots of antioxidants. And I have used heaps of nuts which are very nutritious and rolled oats to add a bit of goodness.”

Julie’s exotic fruit salad is fat free and would suit any weight watcher. For this a medley of chilled summer fruits (watermelon, peaches, plums, grapes, pineapple and cherries) is tossed gently with some muscatel vinegar and vanilla sugar. I would serve it with a scoopful of a fruity sorbet.

There is also a rhubarb, vanilla and ginger fool which is light and tangy with far fewer calories than a conventional fool made with cream and custard.

Her ricotta hot cakes are on my menu for Christmas brunch. Protein filled and light and fluffy they should sustain us until the main event later in the day. Drizzled with pure maple syrup, and served with strawberries, bananas and yoghurt they’re not too decadent.
“The ricotta should have a fresh milk flavour, slightly sweet, and be white coloured,” advised Julie

I made them on the weekend and they were easy to do but quite delicate so I had to turn them carefully to cook the other side.
So what’s on the menu for Christmas dessert in the Biuso family?
“It would have to be something with meringues,” she said.
Sugar laden they may be, but she has reduced the calories by two thirds by putting dollops of thick Greek yoghurt on top and instead of whipped cream and strews it with raspberries

“It might be hard to believe.” she says “But the yoghurt turns this pavlova into a luxurious velvety treat, and tastes sensational.”
Any Greek yoghurt will do but she especially likes the De Winkel Greek yoghurt which is flavoured with a little honey.

This one will be our Christmas dessert this year Pavlova is back in fashion. And to avoid piling on too much more weight in the weeks leading up to Christmas here are a few more of my resolutions:

Look rather than cook: There’s many a foodie out there like me who loves curling up on the couch with a stack of recipe books. Looking at pictures, and imaging how they would taste can be just as much fun as actually getting out in the kitchen and making them. Engaging in this kind of fantasy is absolutely calorie free.

Out of sight out of mind: Once made, hide your Christmas baking at the back of a kitchen cupboard. If you leave it within reach it’s more likely to disappear fast.

Little rather than big: If you do some pre-christmas entertaining serve small portions. Your guests (or you) may not be able to resist going back for seconds or third helpings, but at least you will have tried to prevent gluttony!

Share them around: Parcel some up to give away. There’s bound to be workmates or friends who don’t get round to much cooking themselves who would greatly appreciate a taste of your try outs.

Ricotta hotcakes with strawberries and maple syrup

This recipe is reprinted with kind permission from:
Sweet Feast
by Julie Biuso, photography by Aaron McLean
Publishing by New Holland Publishers (NZ) Ltd
RRP $45

Ready in 30 minutes | makes 24
Try these for a festive brunch – the lightness of fluffy ricotta hotcakes, strawberries and maple syrup makes them memorable.
4 large (size 7) free-range eggs
200g ricotta
pinch of salt
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
5 level Tbsp standard flour
2 Tbsp caster sugar
250g strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 Tbsp icing sugar
sliced banana, maple syrup, cream or yoghurt, to serve

1 Separate eggs, putting whites in a grease-free bowl. Put egg yolks in a large bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and liquid. Beat in ricotta, salt and lemon zest. Pour in melted butter, then work in flour.
2 Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form, then beat in caster sugar and continue beating for 2–3 minutes until glossy. Using a large spoon, mix 1 large spoonful of whipped egg whites into the ricotta mixture, then carefully fold in the rest.
3 Heat a lightly buttered non-stick frying pan over gentle heat, or preheat a lightly greased barbecue hot plate. Working in batches, drop spoonfuls of batter onto hot pan or hot plate, making hotcakes about 6cm in diameter. Cook for 1–2 minutes, until golden, then flip and cook the other side. Transfer to a cooling rack as they are done, and cover with a clean tea towel.
4 Mix strawberries with icing sugar. Serve the hotcakes with strawberries, banana, maple syrup and cream or yoghurt.

Here are some quick recipes which will allow them to spend most of the afternoon slothfully sipping a glass of wine and still turn out some sumptuous treats for other slack Mummies and their offspring.

Christmas Mini Mincemeat Pies
First the ingredients ( This does involve a drive to the supermarket )

1 packet of Edmond’s short sweet pastry ( which consists of 4 sheets layered between blue plastic)
1 jar of Anathoth Berry Fruit Mince ( Don’t even think about buying your own, it’s instantly delicious)

Leave the pastry sheets to defrost very briefly so they are pliable. Prise them apart and lay each one out on its little blue sheet when cutting out.This will save cleaning the bench afterwards.

For the mince tarts : Use a fluted cutter to cut pastry circles which will fit into greased mini muffin tins. There will be enough for 24.

Fill each one with a generous teaspoon of Anathoth Berry Fruit Mince.

Cut out some little star shapes to sit on top of the pies.

Bake the mince pies in a 200 C degree oven for about 12 minutes ( check after 10, you don’t want burnt edges)
Once out of the oven sieve generously with icng sugar.
And they’re done.

For the Cookies:
Use Christmassy cutters ( stars, trees bells and angels) to cut shapes out of the rest of the pastry sheets. Lay these onto an oven tray lined with baking paper and bake for about 10 minutes at 200 degrees C until a light golden brown. Kids will happily help with this but it’s less of an effort if you do it yourself and pop them in front of the TV or send them outside.

Other Mummies would lovingly decorate these cookies with icing and add some festive sprinkles. But Slack Mummies would never get round to this. In any case too much icing might send all the kids into a sugar rush and then they’d have to chase after them.

The slackiest of the slack Mummies might be tempted to simply open a packet of chips for afternoon tea but I suspect this would not go down too well. When all’s said and done Slack Mummies do have some style and a residual hostessing instinct.

They will probably leave the dishes in the sink till later while they sneak off to their computers to have some personal time out to write their blog at

http://slackmummyclub.com/