Pineapple & Basil Cocktail

It's hitting a balmy 37 degrees today, which means it's cocktail o'clock with this delicious combination: sweet pineapple and peppery basil! 

 

Ingredients

• 3 large basil leaves
• 1/4 of a lime
• 50g fresh pineapple
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 tsp brown sugar
• 1 1/2 oz gin
• soda water
• ice

Method

Muddle fresh pineapple, lime, basil and sugar in a glass with a wooden spoon or pestle. Add pineapple juice, gin, loads of ice cubes and top with soda water.  Garnish with slice of pineapple and a sprig of basil.

A Palette of Spreads

We thought you might like to surprise your guests using this fun and interactive plate at your next gathering. The dips were handmade and consisted of basil pesto, beetroot & feta, olive tapenade and pumpkin & ricotta.  Totilla breads were gently baked in the oven till golden for the "paper" element of the dish.

Brick Bay Vineyard

We decided to spend an afternoon at Brick Bay Vineyard, ten minutes drive from Matakana.  We indulged in a tasting of their range of handcrafted wines including Pinot Gris, Rosé, a Bordeaux style red and their premium red wine, Pharos.  We were drawn to the vineyard, not only for its selection of wine, but the sculpture trail carefully nestled within the surroundings.  The building is composed of glass veils and is  cantilevered over a lake of waterlillies.  Their freshly prepared Glass House Platter is not to be missed, along with a crisp glass of Pinot Gris in the warmth of the sun.

Have a happy weekend everyone! x

{ wild posies line the driveway }

{ the glass house platter }

{ pinot gris, perfect for a summery afternoon lunch }

New Years Eve Banquet

Our New Years Eve at Marble Bay included a few hours of prep in the kitchen to perfect our home-made Vietnamese and Thai inspired banquet.  The flavours were deliciously fresh and this has definitely encouraged us to create new dishes!

Our Menu

prawn rice paper rolls with cucumber, spring onion, mint & ginger

 

pork & chilli money-bags, tied with chives

 

thai green chicken curry

 

beef meatballs with peanut satay sauce

 

 beef salad

 

jasmine rice

 

beautiful Marble Bay looking out to the Arrow Rocks

Riley's 1st Birthday

We had such a wonderful day styling and attending Riley's Very Hungry Caterpillar themed first birthday!  Our highlight was watching Riley and all the other little kids exploring and interacting with their bright balloon garden!  Happy Birthday Riley xx

{ on our way, with a boot full of balloons }

 

{ suspended lanterns, butterfly nets & balloon gardens }

 
 {miniature hotdogs to compliment the book's cheerio and gherkin theme }

 

 



 

{ butterfly cakes & cherry pie }

{ little leaf letters, which guests wrote on and pegged up for Riley }

{ hungry caterpillar tea cakes with fondant icing }

 

French Toast

It's not easy getting back into the swing of things after a long summer holiday, but this may assist!  We made a great start to our morning today by making Omaha Blueberry French Toast with Bacon.  We soaked a mixture of egg and milk into Paneton french stick for thirty minutes and fried it till it was golden brown.

Blueberries make a healthy addition to your diet not only for their antioxidants which prevent damage to your body's cells and tissues caused by free radicals, but blueberries also boost immunity, are low in calories and  have also been linked to improving brain function.

Have a great day!

x

Hello 2013!

Hello 2013! We're loving our kiwi summer holiday, complete with sunshine and hokey pokey icecream! Looking forward to the year ahead ♥