Julie's Boggle

This from 13 December.

This is the latest instalment in the ongoing quest for excellent coffee.  Last time I left you with the hope that I might one day become good at latte art.  I can now report that there’s been progress on this front.
The first major influence was our trip to Australia earlier this year.  I’d already been [...]

Many years ago in South Africa, we met the idea of an espresso machine and milk frother when visiting someone with a rather posh kitchen. The concept of coffee prepared especially under high pressure sounded so marvellous that we bought ourselves a machine, but really had no idea how to use it. After [...]

For a while now I have been trying to perfect my banana bread baking. According to the expert cook I consulted (my Mom), this is not the easiest because of the variability you get in one of the main ingredients – the bananas.
(The variation in banana size and stage of ripeness can make a [...]

After getting the coffee grinder for my birthday, cappuccino for breakfast has become a something of a staple. There comes a time when an aspiring amateur barista starts to think about presentation. Having passed that point some time back and finding ourselves in Oxford street on other business, we popped into Selfridges a couple of [...]

I ventured back onto the online supermarkets for another round of grocery shopping last week. This time it was Tesco who got the business. They offer cheap (not free) delivery, but in their favour they stock some very specific items that we were after.
It all went swimmingly. Two days later, [...]

One of the best Easter treats round here are the home-made hot cross buns that Tom knocks up with the help of the breadmaker (to do the dough).
He made the first 2006 batch when we got home from the Good Friday service today and we started on them straight out of the oven, [...]

I love my bread-maker – it’s been almost two years since I got it as a ’surprise’ birthday present and it still sees lots of use.
Although what it does is very straight-forward: mix ingredients and bake, it gives the opportunity for (a) being creative with new recipes and (b) adding the home-made touch, while still [...]