Cafe Sofia

Homemade baked beans with chorizo and sourdough bread.

Toasted bagel with turkey, brie, avocado and cranberry sauce.

My favourite meal of the day is definitely breakfast and to me there is nothing better than going out for a lazy brunch on the weekend. One of my favourite places is Cafe Sofia. The coffee is great, delicious food, generous portions and good value with most meals averaging $12 which is pretty good for an inner city cafe if you ask me. Now I have never been a big fan of baked beans...they seem a bit ordinary to me, but since having them at Cafe Sofia I absolutely love them! I'd also highly recommend the potato hash (side dish) and the potato and haloumi omelette. I love potatoes! Mi xo

Instagram Camera Cake

My sister loves cameras and all camera related items. I wanted to bake a cake for her birthday and a camera cake was an obvious choice! She loves digital cameras, vintage cameras and uses Instagram. I thought that a plain black digital camera cake might look a little boring so I made a cake that looks like the Instagram app! This cake was a bit of a challenge to make and I would call the end result "rustic". Let's just say that I have a new found respect for the folks on Ace Of Cakes.

The actual cake base is a vanilla sponge made using my favourite basic sponge recipe that I adapted from you guessed it, Nigella Lawson's How To Be A Domestic Goddess, but you can use any basic sponge recipe that you like for the base. Once the cake is baked and completely cooled it's time to decorate! Clear everyone out of the kitchen because things are about to get serious!

MiNa Softie Dolls

This post falls under the category of miscellany (that's for you Na), while not food related it is a project that was inspired by our blog. A few years ago, Mr Mi and I were at the art gallery shop browsing through some books when all of a sudden Mr Mi with much excitement shows me a book he has found Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals. Really? I mean sure, I thought it was a pretty cute book but had no idea that Mr Mi was interested in making hand sewn toys made out of felt! And so began our softie adventure.

Luxe Bakery

Mi and I recently had lunch at a wonderful little bakery in Newtown called Luxe. The sourdough bread here is amazing! Besides bread, they have a great selection of lunch time eats and a wide range of sweeties. We both had two poached eggs, a perfectly toasted slice of sourdough bread and the most delicious, crispiest potato hash. The hash had the right balance of crispy exterior and soft tasty potato interior. Thanks Mi for introducing me to it! After our lunch, we couldn't resist trying out the custard tart and orange flourless cake. I love custard tart and this one was particularly delectable with a crispy pastry shell, smooth custard and a sprinkling of nutmeg on top. The orange flourless cake was lovely and moist as well. Luxe has a really relaxed feel about it, like you're having lunch in someone's home. In fact, I think the building was once a home! The service is really friendly and welcoming too! What more could you ask for? Luxe is open 7 days and can be found at 195 Missenden Rd, Newtown, NSW.  MiNa xo

Spanish Paella

I love paella! Now I've never been to Spain nor am I an expert in authentic Spanish cuisine but we tried a recipe for Spanish Paella recently and it tasted pretty good. I halved all the quantities of ingredients as I was only making it to feed two people (Mr Mi & I) and made the following replacements: peas and chicken instead of green beans and rabbit. You had better be hungry as this recipe yields a lot of paella! As mentioned in the recipe directions, "patience is the key" resist the urge to continually stir the rice. If you do, it won't work trust me. Mi xo

Beetroot Cake Part 2

You may recall the beautiful beet cake video that I posted earlier well....today was the day that I finally tried it out. The actual recipe can be found in written form at the Tiger In a Jar blog. Having now baked and eaten this cake, I can say that it's essentially a chocolate cake with some beetroot in it, which makes it quite lovely and moist.

Chocolate Brownie Recipe

OK, so I'm just going to admit it...I've never made chocolate brownies before! There I said it. A few years back, I tasted the most amazing chocolate brownies made by a friend of a friend. I subsequently asked for the recipe but have never actually made them. I was rummaging through my recipe book the other day and came across it. I don't know the original source because she typed it up in an email for me, perhaps it was a family recipe? In any case, they taste really good and the glossy ganache is so decadent. Enjoy! Mi xo

Chewy Almond Macaroons

These tasty delights are perfect for afternoon tea with the family. They are as their name suggests, seriously chewy! The recipe can be found in a cookbook called "Feast" by the ultimate domestic goddess, Nigella Lawson. I love Nigella and I'm not afraid to say it! I can safely say that this will not be the last Nigella recipe that I will review on this blog so stay tuned! These macaroons are so simple to make, which means you can whip up a batch in no time at all. I do make a minor alteration to the recipe by boosting the cardamom factor. Half a teaspoon instead of a quarter. Cardamom has the most incredible scent that I just had to have more. Trust me and try it! Na xo

Jamie Oliver's Quick Portuguese Tarts

Mr Mi picked up this book: Jamie's 30 Minute Meals a while ago, we absolutely love it and cook recipes from it at least once a week. It's packed with great recipes that are easy to prepare and are written in a way that encourages multi-tasking to minimise total cooking time...hmmm...this is starting to remind me of my science experimental days! It's particularly good for those leading a busy work/social life (aren't we all?), I highly recommend this book! We don't always make the dessert component (need to be mindful of waistlines) however, I love Portuguese tarts so had to try Jamie's recipe. Now this is not your typical portuguese tart, it has a lovely sticky orange caramel which gives the tarts an extra lift! YUM! Mi xo

OK, I've had a request for the recipe so here it is.

Peas Please

It's funny how you live in a city for so many years and think you know a place inside out, then unexpectedly a hidden gem pops up out of nowhere. Peas please is such a place. While I haven't tried the food here, the coffee is excellent! Each cup of coffee is served up with a vintage souvenir spoon. So cute! I will have to come back and try the food one day. Mi xo

Beetroot Cake

Before you say "Ew!", hear me out. I found this video while perusing through the ModCloth blog. It was made by a creative group called Tiger In a Jar. I think it's a really interesting an unique way to showcase a recipe. It has an old-timey feel and the I think the music is quite relaxing. To be honest, my first reaction was also "Ew!" but I love beetroot and I love cake so why shouldn't it work? Carrot cake is delicious and that's made from a root vegetable! I hope to try this recipe out soon so I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, enjoy the video! Na xo