Caramel apple and blueberry tart

I know that I am not the only Capetonian who did a little dance of joy when the rain started on Sunday night. It was such a relief after the heat wave that has been stifling us. You could almost hear the garden greedily slurping up those much needed raindrops! It is still pretty warm though, and that got me thinking about this dish which my family loves to enjoy when that summer feeling is in the air and also in the colder months.

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Cranberry and white chocolate crunchies

There is a very simple story behind this one. Last weekend we were invited to a Christmas picnic with some playgroup friends and I was asked to bring a plate of sweet eats to share. “Fantastic!” I thought, right up my alley. Crunchies are usually always a hit with adults and children, and the fact that I was having a crazy weekend and needed something I could make in a jiffy made them even more perfect. I have a wonderful basic crunchie recipe which I have previously adapted to make chocolate crunchies and today I wanted to share the Christmas version that I made for the picnic.

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Cinnamon bread with cream cheese glaze

 

Goodness me, when did December sneak up on us? It has been busy as usual here at Cupcakes and Couscous HQ – rounding off campaigns, finishing up the school year and gearing up for a new school next year, Christmas shopping, not mention all the end of year get-togethers which are lovely but make for a very busy time. It is go go go and sometimes you just need a few carbs to keep you going! Today I bring you carbs, and then some.

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Macadamia and cranberry chocolate squares

I made these sumptuous squares of chocolatey goodness over the weekend and they were just too good not to share! The original recipe comes from “Ottolenghi – The Cookbook” and I adapted it to use ingredients that I had to hand. In the Ottolenghi version they included chestnuts and dried figs (which sounds utterly delicious!), but I opted for creamy macadamias and tart cranberries as these also taste fantastic with white chocolate. I also used chocolate coated digestives instead of the regular ones just to up the chocolate even more – go big or go home, right?

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The ultimate chocolate cake and October cake round up

November already and it feels as though we are hurtling towards the end of the year now. Hearing Christmas jingles on the radio, seeing mince pies on the shelves and receiving school newsletters reminding us that there are only five weeks (what?!?) left of this term do nothing to help quell the hysteria!

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Lemon and pistachio cupcakes

Fresh lemon cupcakes with pistachios.
Spring seems to have settled in properly now, in fact it feels more like summer this week. Sunny skies, short sleeves and (ah-choo!) hay fever – happy days! Except for that last point, hay fever – feel free to be on your way any time now. That biting morning chill that we became accustomed to in the winter months has all but gone and the promise of a glorious summer is quite literally in the air.

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Nutella and peach braid

I may have overdone it this time… dieters, look away now! I was recently invited to participate in a Mystery Box Challenge, and last week when I received my hamper full of tempting ingredients from the lovely folks at Today I just had to squeeze them all into my dish.

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Brie, fennel and tomato tarts

A few weeks ago I started buying a weekly fruit and veggie bag from an organic shop close to home. This is something I have been intending to try out for a very long time. Having small children has made me more aware of what we as a family are eating and this has been my main motivating factor for giving the weekly organic bag a go. I love that we are getting seasonal, locally grown produce and enjoying food without any nasties in it.

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