Annabelle's 1st Birthday - Pink Packed Lunchbox

Well, hello!  I apologise for the prolonged absence, but life has certainly been a juggle for me of late.... More of that to come in future posts.  For now, I wanted to post about the lunchboxes that I did for Annabelle's party, as I know lots of you have been waiting for the details!  So here we go....

Chicken & Snow-Pea Sprout Baguettes Recipe

I have a recipe to share with you today... and it is a great one for an outdoor event.  This makes a great sandwich or baguette filling, which is fabulous for a picnic or a snack that you want to make ahead of time.  It is a nice twist on a chicken sandwich, which is packed with flavour and lots of veggies too!

Choc-Cherry Slice Recipe

As promised, here is the link to a super easy recipe to make the delectable choc-cherry slice that I shared yesterday which I have given as my Valentine's Day treats this year.  I got this recipe out of one of my Super Food Ideas magazines - the online link to the recipe is here.

Mangoes

This year we have been lucky enough to have a bumper mango crop!  We have 5 mango trees in our yard, and after a dismal season last year, we have been so excited with the hundreds of mangoes that have popped up this year.  Anyone who we see has been given bags of mangoes, as there are so many to go around - and we like to spread our good fortune :)

For the first time, this year we bought a net for one of our trees.  Lots of the fruit get picked at by the birds, and this year we wanted to trial minimising our loss.  As it is now the end of the season, we are thrilled with how the net kept the birds off the mangoes, and will definitely be investing in more nets before next summer.

Mini Oreo Cupcakes

You all know that I love a cute cupcake, these ones are really easy to make - and don't they just look adorable?!

Lemonade Scones

I made these quick and easy scones yesterday morning - they were light and fluffy and yummy!

A Super Salad

I love making salads!  They are so tasty and also so healthy.  There are so many different ingredients that you can add, and I love experimenting with new salads.  I am usually the one who brings salad to a party or bbq, it has kind of become 'my thing'.

I also love experimenting with different ways to 'present' salads.  I often use large platters to serve my salads, as opposed to bowls - this allows me to be creative with the presentation.  It also means that all 'the good stuff' doesn't fall and get lost at the bottom of the bowl!  We all know what it is like digging into a salad bowl and pulling out a whole lot of lettuce, while all of the other goodies are hiding way down below!

Pictured here is a salad I made for my niece's naming ceremony/first birthday - I thought that it looked pretty special, and it was so easy to put together.

Meal Planning Inspiration

I was feeling like I was in a bit of rut with my meal planning recently.  I felt like we were having the same meals over and over, and I don't know about you, but I get tired of cooking the same foods...

Last night I decided to search for some insiration the old fashioned way - not online, but with some recipe books!  I picked out half a dozen books from my collection and sat down for about an hour of browsing pleasure!

Easter Bunny Biscuits

I know Easter is now done and dusted, but I have one last egg-cellent idea to share ;)  And since you are all probably chocolate-d out, this is a nice sweet treat that isn't chocolate.

I decided to make these Easter Bunny biscuits for something new this year!  I think they turned out so cute!

Cafe Cassadiva - Beef Wrap Kebabs

In our younger days, my husband and I always used to love getting a kebab on our way home from a night out on the coast.  We always stopped at the same kebab shop, and always ordered the same thing - beef kebab with lettuce, tomato, cheese, tabbouleh, tomato sauce and tahini sauce.  Then we moved away from the coast, and away from our favourite kebab shop!  So, we decided to make our own kebabs, and it has been one of our favourite dinners ever since... (note it has changed from a midnight snack to a dinner snack - we are too old to go out now ;)

Cafe Cassadiva - Gingernut Caramel Tarts

While I love to bake, I also love a good recipe that consists of lots of 'packets'!  It usually indicates that the process will be easy and the outcome will be delicious!  So, today I thought I would share with you how to make Caramel Tarts using Gingernut Biscuits as the 'base'.

Cafe Cassadiva - Mango Champagne Cocktails

These would have to be the easiest and most delicious cocktail ever!  My lovely sister makes them on Christmas Day for the family, and we just love them!  They are perfect in warm weather, so refreshing!

Cafe Cassadiva - Tic Toc Teacup Biscuits

These are the sweetest little teacups I have ever seen!

Cafe Cassadiva - Mini Quiches

This is one of our family's favourite recipes.  I think back to many parties, picnics and moving days where these Mini Quiches have really hit the spot!  It is also a great way to get rid of your excess Christmas ham, or if it isn't Christmas time, I always keep some diced bacon in the freezer so that I can make these without having to leave the house...

Packet Perfection - Carrot Cake

Today I want to share another one of my favourite packet cake mixes!  Carrot Cake!

Cafe Cassadiva - Recipe for Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Tortellini

Winter is certainly here and a delicious soup is a great way to warm up!  I love this Pumpkin Soup recipe that my mum found years ago, as it has a fantastic flavour with the spices, but it is also quite filling due to the tortellini.

Packet Perfection - Chocolate Cupcakes

I will be the first to admit that I love to use Packet Mixes when baking.  Baking from scratch is wonderful, but life is busy and packet mixes work a treat :)  Today I am going to share my secret ingredients for these gorgeous, easy cupcakes, which I took to a very special friend's place for morning tea this week...

Cupcake Stands

Everyone is crazy about cupcakes at the moment, so I thought that I would do a little review on the Cupcake Stands that I have.  They all have their benefits and disadvantages, so hopefully this will help you to see which style of stand might just suit you :)

Pink Wire Three-Tiered Cupcake Stand

Note - cupcake toppers are leaning out away from wire on tier above

Cassadiva likes...
+ Pretty pink!
+ Stands tall and proud, looks very appealing on the buffet table
+ Holds large muffin-sized cakes, ideal for catering for large groups of people (or hungry people!)

How To Keep Shallots Fresh...

Years ago my beautiful sister-in-law shared this amazing tip with me about shallots...

We all know that if you buy a bunch of shallots at the supermarket, within days of having them home and in the fridge, they are limp, turn brown and are quite useless.  Even the magical Tupperware Fridgesmart containers can't keep shallots fresh much past 3 or 4 days.

Cafe Cassadiva - Jam Drops Recipe

Here is another recipe - tried and trusted by my family for many years... Jam Drops