Baked egg and ham cups for breakfast.

Forewarning: Unfortunately these photos do not give justice to the deliciousness that is baked egg and ham cups. They taste a lot better then they look.

I came across this recipe from Chrissy Teigen's twitter account (@chrissyteigen) and I wasn't disappointed. Although Chrissy - you might be in my photography... they don't look as pretty as yours.

These are super easy and taste reallyyyyy good. I made some of these for a friend and I when she came for brunch and they went down a treat. They're a really yummy breakfast/brunch option and the beauty of this recipe is you can add whatever ingredients you want.


Baked egg and ham cups.
I am actually not even going to list out the ingredients because you can literally make this with whatever tickles your fancy.
I used whatever I could find in the fridge/pantry.
BUT the one thing you definitely need is ham/prosciutto. (I made a cup with both and preferred the ham - I found the latter a bit too salty).

I chose mushrooms, onion, leek, cheese, roasted capsicums and some beautiful onion/garlic/olive paste from the deli.

Grease the inside of your ramekins and cover in ham/prosciutto. Make sure there are no holes at all - otherwise the egg will seep through and it won't look pretty at the end (... maybe I should take heed of my own instructions?!)

Add your ingredients.

Crack your egg on top. Try not to let the yolk split like I did... (this is only for an aesthetic point of view).

Put ramekins into a low oven (mine was set at 150 fan forced) for about 10-15 minutes.

Allow to cool.

Serve up with fresh avocado and sourdough - yum!

See - simple and delicious! I've also attached some photos of other food I've been cooking lately but didn't think they were recipe worthy (particularly not my macaroons, which although they tasted good they looked like pancakes... no bueno).

Also - shout out to my brother in law and my dad who baked the breads and hot cross buns for our Easter lunch. Maybe they should be the ones blogging about cooking?

Bananas for banana bread.

So. Since I've been home from New York I seem to have been struck down by some mystery deadly virus (actually, I'm pretty sure it's just a bug) but I am getting really dramatic about it. Stabbing pains in my stomach. Vomiting every 15 minutes. Fainting about twice a day. Sore throat. Today was the climax of my illness and I was literally doubled over in pain. Somewhere during this... situation... I decided what would really cure me would be nice, sweet, homemade banana bread.

I had a quick shower to wash off that slimy feeling and started to prep for my recipe. This was really bittersweet. I would smell all of my favourite ingredients and dry wretch at the same time. I hope this doesn't trick my brain into hating these ingredients now. Because I actually live for chocolate and sugar.

It's kind of weird that I am prefacing this recipe by a kinda gross story... but I am jet lagged and want some sympathy. Also, speaking of jet lagged, I was in some kind of funk - and although normally a neat freak in the kitchen today I had a little situation. A sitch in the kitch if you will... I burnt my hand. I dropped half the mixture on the floor. I needed two (TWO!) shirt changes due to spilling things down my front. I got electrocuted by the electric mixer (it's been doing this for years, but who can be bothered buying a new one). And finally... I *almost* dropped the mixing bowl as it is so damn heavy holding it up in my left hand!

Anyway, I'm not really selling this recipe - but let me tell you - asides from the drama and sickness, this was the best tasting banana bread I've ever sampled (and that is a lot). Srsly. I wish computers had a smell-o-tron feature just so you could smell the goodness of this bread.

I have a weak spot for banana bread and this recipe is no exception. This is one of my favourite things to cook and it is exceptionally easy.

The best thing about this recipe is that you can add different ingredients - I add whatever is in the pantry or needs to be used before it's expiry. This recipe is actually a combination of a few recipes, but I've pulled what I think gives the best results.

Instead of the nuts, chocolate and spices I used you can easily add in any of the following (or whatever else takes your fancy):
Orange zest, 30mL coffee, sultanas, walnuts, rum, kahlua.... the list goes on.

I have struck gold though with what I added this time and I am sticking to it:

Banana bread
Makes one loaf.
1/3 cup (80mL) milk
3 browning bananas (about 250g or 1 cup) mashed with fork
250g softened butter
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 eggs
1 and 1/2 cup self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
30g finely chopped macadamias
30g slithered almonds
30g white choc chips
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
You'll also need a long cake tin...

1. Preheat fan-forced oven to 180 degrees

2. Heat the milk in a saucepan over a low heat. Add the mashed banana and cook (while intermittently
    stirring) for about five minutes. Cool well.

3. Cream the butter with the sugar and vanilla until the mixture is pale and fluffy (I use an electric mixer
    on low speed).

4. Beat in the eggs one at a time (electric mixer).

5. Mix in sifted flour and baking powder (electric mixer).
6. Add in macadamias, almonds, choc chips, nutmeg and cinnamon and fold in with a spatula.

7. Gently add the banana and milk mix and fold in.

8. Pour into cake tin and bake for approximately one hour. When a skewer comes out hot and clean the
    cake is ready.

9. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for approximately ten minutes in the tin and then remove from
    tin to cool for remainder of time.

Also, a hot tip - make sure the bananas you use are starting to brown. The will look a bit funky (not in a good way) but I assure you this is the tip to getting perfect banana bread. Ripened bananas will give a soapier taste, while brown bananas are what adds that sugary taste. Yum.

simple. easy. pasta.

I present to you the easiest, tastiest pasta. Honestly, this recipe is fool-proof (believe me), takes about 15 minutes from preparation to serving, requires simple ingredients and is so yummy. I cook this pasta regularly when I'm in a hurry, can't be bothered or entertaining at the last minute.

This meal is perfect for everyone - those who are time poor, singles, couples, those who can't be bothered... it's a recipe that caters to everyone.

What I love most about this dish, is you don't need to run out to your local deli to purchase exotic ingredients. This recipe boasts ingredients everyone has on hand. I admit, I have been guilty of only having a single mouldy cheese à la Bridget Jones, but I now make sure I always have these ingredients on hand. You can also cheat by using ingredients from the jar!

Simple pasta
Serves 1-2 

2 medium chicken breasts
1 heaped teaspoon of garlic
1 heaped teaspoon of chilli - SOS: cater to your tastebuds
1 dessert spoon of butter
lemon rind from a whole medium lemon (be careful not to get the pith)
a squeeze of lemon juice
1 packet of fettucini
parsley to garnish
1 tablespoon of oil

1. Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces and cook in oil until golden brown. Remove from the pan and
    set aside.
2. Boil lightly salted water (enough to suit the amount of pasta you're cooking). Once bubbling, add the
    fettucini. Cool til al dente.
3. While the pasta is cooking, add the garlic and chilli to a lightly oiled pan on low heat. Cook until
    heated through. (If using fresh ingredients, cook until soft).
4. Add the chicken to the garlic/chilli paste and simmer until the pasta is cooked.
5. Add the lemon rind, and parsley in portions to suit your taste. Do not over cook the lemon as it will
    become tart. Mix well.
6. Drain the pasta - keep a drizzle of the liquid to add to the garlic/chilli paste.
7. Add the pasta to the chicken and mix through. If it's dry, or hard to mix, add a drizzle of the liquid
    from step 6.
8. Add butter and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Stir well.
9. Garnish with parsley.
10. Viola! Serve immediately with a tall glass of wine and herb bread.

TIP: to cheek if the pasta is al dente, take one strip and throw it at your kitchen splashback. If it sticks – viola! If it falls straight off, leave to cook.

TIP: the butter adds that beautiful glean and an excellent (albeit naughty) flavour.