Author: Bunny Eats Design

City of Gold at Films for Foodies – double pass giveaway

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My Perfect Storm Last Wednesday, I rounded up some passionate Auckland foodies (Carli from The Enthusiastic Cook, Bri from Food Adventures and Georgie from GeorgiEats) for Rialto Newmarket’s Films for Foodies. I’ve been to a couple of these events before but not for over a year. This event was the preview screening of restaurant/chef documentary NOMA: My Perfect Storm. NOMA is a restaurant in Coppenhagen, Denmark who won title of Best Restaurant in the World in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014. The documentary explains the journey to the top of the restaurant world, the expected ego and the surprising attitudes of those involved. Chef René Redzepi hails from Macedonia and struggled with the lack of a unified Scandinavian cuisine, the sourcing of local produce and personal prejudice. There are also interviews with critics, food writers and others and I loved the “time and place” ethos of the restaurant. Inspiring plating and interesting for those who enjoy cooking and eating locally and seasonally. Films for Foodies Films for Foodies is a regular event held at Rialto Newmarket. Guests …

Tofu Tuesday: bunny bouquet

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Last week, my friend Bri from Food Adventures blog picked a gorgeous bouquet from her garden for Tofu. Everything was bunny safe and Tofu loved it, especially the apple, cucumber and herb kebabs. The bouquet included silverbeet, borage, radish, radish greens, artichoke leaves, apple, cucumber, nasturtium, sage, thai basil, and mint. What a lucky bunny! I weighed Tofu on Sunday and he has surpassed the 2kg mark by 25grams. Yay! Click here to see more editions of Tofu Tuesday.

A new leaf

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A month ago, I handed in notice at my job of over 10 years. I’d been thinking about it for months and the time was right for me to take that step off the edge. I’m pretty conservative and risk averse and I don’t think you’re ever completely ready, but I was as ready as I would ever be. Over the past few weeks, I have written and posted a job description for my replacement, sorted through applicants, interviewed, selected and handed over my position to someone else. There was so much that I did without thinking that it was hard to define them all into step by step. When you have been somewhere for so long, it’s all automatic. Which was one of the reasons why I had to leave. I was no longer growing. I was a root-bound plant. 4 years ago, I started a design and illustration company with The Koala under the guidance of a business mentor. We got an accountant, registered for GST, made a website, and set up the …

7 years and 7 whiskeys

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The Koala and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary last night. I have been on the lookout for something special that we would both enjoy and stumbled across it when I read a date night review by Megan on She Said Yes blog about a whiskey bar called The Jefferson. Ribs? Tick.  Whiskey? Tick.  Nice setting? Tick.  Something out of the ordinary? Tick.  Down on the gentrified service alley of Fort Lane and beside freshly crowned Restaurant of the Year, Cassia, you’ll find the entrance to The Jefferson. A basement whiskey bar with 600 whiskeys on offer, this is a great spot to get comfy and let the staff share their nerdy whiskey wisdom with you. With a teal and brass colour scheme and old school glamour The Jefferson feels like home…if home happens to be cerulean lounge with spacious banquette seating, decent lighting and a long well-stocked whiskey bar. There is a small food menu which I suspect is a work in progress, but they have two varieties of rib which is was of the reasons for …

Tofu under goal weight

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A little update on Tofu’s health. Since dropping from 2.7kg to 2kg (and under) after surgery, I’ve been weighing him once a week and syringe-feeding regularly. Tofu weight ranges between 1.98 to 1.99 and I just want him to hit 2kg and stay over. Ideally, 2.2kg would be good. It doesn’t sound like much and perhaps I worry too much but a little weight gain and a better appetite would make me happy. Still, he does look quite handsome at this weight. Click here to see more editions of Tofu Tuesday.

Tofu Tuesday: Tofu and Bella

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The neighbours who share our building and backyard, got a puppy. Yes! A puppy! It’s like we got a puppy for our backyard. It’s awesome. These photos were taken a few weeks ago and the pup has since had a haircut and is looking very smart. She’s grown a little bit too.    P.S. All bunny puppy visits are are supervised. Please don’t leave new pups and bunnies alone together. Click here to see more editions of Tofu Tuesday.

Our Growing Edge April 2016 Intro

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I hope you didn’t all fall for my April Fools Hoax on Facebook on Friday! Now that we are in April, we have a new edition of Our Growing Edge. This month is hosted by Jordan from Vermilion Red. The theme is FLAVOURS YOU’VE GROWN TO LOVE.  Basically anything you didn’t like when you were younger which you now love, or are learning to love This is theme is close to my heart and something I enjoy writing about. When I started this blog, I had a list of foods I didn’t like, but over the last 5 years, my tastes have changed and developed and I can now consider those foods my friends. Foods I used to hate but now love include: blue cheese, courgette (zucchini), eggplant, mushroom. Foods I used to hate but don’t hate anymore (but not quite on the love boat just yet) include: pumpkin (squash), lentils. I think a big part of it is correct cooking. Finding flavours that work well with those ingredients so that you can incorporate them in rather than …

Booze and fire

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Last week I learned how to make a fireball from an orange peel. I might not disclose this on my CV but I hope it will come in handy sometime soon. Thanks to Zomato, I attended a cocktail class hosted by Bellini which is the bar at the Hilton on Princes Wharf on Auckland’s waterfront. Yeah, pretty swish. I’d never visited the Hilton before and it’s recent renovations make this a very inviting spot for drink. With over 130 cocktails on the drinks menu, harbour views and open fire features this was a wonderful place to spend a windy Tuesday night. Bellini Jonas the bar supervisor and mixologist had the expected showmanship required of his position. He started us off with bellini, traditionally made with peach puree and prosecco. My drink was made with Deutz, peach and pomegranate and we learned that we can change up the ingredients a little while still being able to call it a bellini.   Mojito The first cocktail was my all time favourite, the mojito. A mojito made properly is a beautiful …

Tofu Tuesday: Hot Cross Bunny

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From the archives: Like most bunnies, Tofu has a sweet tooth and adores raisins and bread. Neither are good for rabbits but can be viewed as occasional treats. Tofu goes crazy for hot cross buns and a single bun can transform this usually mild-mannered lagomorph into a common thief. One Easter, I left a plastic-wrapped hot cross bun in my handbag which was on a chair near our front door. The next morning, half the bun was found under our bed in our bedroom. Tofu had sniffed out the bun, foraged for it in my bag and carried his trophy to the bedroom to enjoy. Over the weekend, I visited Parnell Farmers Market and purchased a couple of these giant hot cross buns from Pukeko Bakery. They were delicious! These buns were much better than the buns we bought from a local cafe/bakery after reading a glowing review by a popular website. We paid $16 on 6 cafe buns! I guess everyone has different ideas on what constitutes as a good bun but the cafe buns were mushy, small and we decided were “very similar to …

Tofu Tuesday: Taste Mag bunny!

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It’s official! Rabbit world domination has begun. Cute lop eared rabbit spotted in pages of Taste Magazine. I’ve been subscribed to Taste for EVER. So it was lovely to see both a bunny and a bunch of lovely local bloggers featured in Taste Magazine this month! Tofu approves. Click here to see more editions of Tofu Tuesday.

Zomato Bloggers Meet Up: Le Chef

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The premise It’s been over a year since my last Zomato Meet Up and this week, I attended my first Zomato Blogger’s Meet Up at Le Chef on Vulcan Lane. We dined as guests of Zomato and Le Chef though all opinions are my own. The setting was romantic, the company was delightful, and other bloggers present were: Carli from The Enthusiastic Cook, Laura from Laura Laura, Maddy from Madicattt, and Georgie from Georgieats – all of who I’ve eaten with several times. I interviewed Le Chef owner Edouard Le Goff for my Auckland Restaurant Month series last year when they had their other branch (you can read it here) and it was great to put a name to a face (and a food to a belly). Edouard was exactly as I imagined, very French, very enthusiastic and answered all our questions with ease. The restaurant Le Chef is located in quiet spot on a charming, cobbled pedestrian-only lane in the city. Tucked away from the bustle of Queen Street, Le Chef channels rustic and romantic French charm. I’ve never been to France but it’s on …

Countdown CheeseFest 2016 – review

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Last week, my social media was stuffed with cheese. I had the pleasure of being a steward at the judging for NZ Cheese Awards and also attended the CheeseFest a few days later. It’s hard to pin down an exact number, but I tasted at least 50 of NZ’s finest cheeses. While I can’t share much about the judging process due to strict confidentiality regulations, I can say that it was a full day of cheese judging and I would do it again next year. I’ve never worked as a steward before, but it’s a bit like being a waitress only you’re handling cheese, and you get to sample a lot of cheese. I mean a LOT. I picked up a bunch of tips for my next cheese tasting event and while I don’t think I will be spitting cheese at tastings any time soon, I do understand why it’s done. If you love cheese and can spare a Sunday in February/March, I would recommend volunteering at the judging next year. PM me for details. …

Tofu Tuesday: Finding shade

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We took Tofu the bunny for another checkup on Saturday to see his progress now that he has finished medication. The vet was happy with his progress. His weight is up by 30 grams. Not heaps, but promising. We bought a set of digital kitchen scales and will be weighing him once a week. At his heaviest he was 2.7kg and now just 2.06kg. As my Mum pointed out, the difference is more than a block of butter! I think I will keep boosting his diet with 1-2 feeds a day until he gets to 2.3kg. Tofu is much more active than he was 2 weeks ago and yesterday morning, as I was chasing him around the house, I thought to myself, surely I should have the advantage? He might be old and blind, but he doesn’t act like it. Tofu is spending most of his days outside. It can get pretty hot in the sun but Tofu knows how the shade works. He knows that there’s a narrow strip of shade down by the fence. He’s so …

Our Growing Edge March 2016 Intro

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How is it March already? It’s officially the start of Autumn here in New Zealand. While today seems cooler due to the rain we’ve been having, it’s still balmy and the grassy area in the front of our house is like a swamp. I’m half expecting gators to snap at me when I need to visit the bins out front. With a new month comes a new edition of Our Growing Edge. This month’s host is Mr Fitz from Cooking with Mr Fitz – a blog about food adventures both at home and abroad. Check out Mr Fitz’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for yummy pics of food and the antics of his cute basset hounds Mr Wentworth and Cora Murley. There is no theme this month so pull out those bucket lists and get ticking! Don’t have a bucket list? Feel free to browse my foodie bucket list for ideas… Some new food adventures you could try this month (stolen from my list) Pickle or ferment something Partake in a progressive dinner Souffle something Shuck an …

Tofu Tuesday: Instagram edition

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Although Tofu doesn’t have his own Instagram, any Tofu-related post has always been popular there. I guess Tofu Tuesday just makes more sense on an image-heavy platform. A fluffy bunny just brightens up any foodie’s feed. I haven’t given Tofu a separate account so I can count his followers as my own. Ha! But if you do just want to see Tofu posts, I’ve given him his own hashtag #TofuTheBunny. It’s been exactly one year since I started using Instagram and I’ve recently reached a milestone of 3000 followers. Yikes! Thank you! Somehow I missed the 2000 milestone, I think it was sometime over the summer holidays but this time around, I’m ready to celebrate and reflect. I’ve written a list of 12 things I’ve learned about Instagram so far. One tip for each month I’ve been addicted to Instagram because let’s face it, this is addiction. What I’ve learned about Instagram so far: Experiment. Look at things differently. Shoot outside your comfort zone. See what happens. If it all turns to custard, you can delete your photos. Use …

CheeseFest 2016 double pass winner

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With special thanks to Countdown CheeseFest I am pleased to announce the winner for the double pass (worth $60) to the CheeseFest on Wednesday at The Langham. Drawn by Random.org the winner is… **drum roll please!** Alexandra Blair Congratulations Alexandra, I hope you and your friend enjoy all the amazing cheese! The CheeseFest runs from 5pm to 8.30pm and there are amazing sales tables so make sure you bring a chiller bag if you a serious about cheese. I had the pleasure of working at the judging on Sunday and I tasted more than my fair share of New Zealand’s finest cheeses. You’re in for a treat! For more info visit: New Zealand Specialist Cheesemakers Association http://www.cheeselovers.co.nz …and check out their Facebook page here to keep up to date with news and for more festival info.

Watermelon Summer

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Today marks the final day of NZ Watermelon Month and to celebrate, here’s a cocktail I whipped up over the weekend. Inspired in part by blogger meet ups where there are several distinct categories of bloggers present, two of which are food bloggers and beauty bloggers. Food bloggers got together and thought up how to bridge that gap and the Cocktail vs Nail Polish post was born. Bri posted her Polynesian Heat over on Instagram last week and here I am following suit with Watermelon Summer paired with Double Breasted Jacket by Essie. This drink is refreshing and isn’t too sweet as there is no added sugar. To make watermelon juice, I sliced some fresh watermelon, poked out and discarded the seeds and blitzed with a stick blended. Chill until required. Watermelon Summer Makes 2 drinks Ingredients 30ml Feijoa vodka 500ml watermelon juice with pulp, chilled A splash of pinot noir Ice Watermelon for garnish Preparation Fill two tall glasses with ice, add half the vodka to each, fill glasses to the top with watermelon juice. Stir to mix and top with …

Countdown Cheesefest is coming! Double pass giveaway

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Calling all cheese lovers! The very best of New Zealand’s cheeses will be carefully judged and ranked for the New Zealand Champions of Cheese Awards in a few days. To celebrate the winners, this year sponsored by Countdown, the CheeseFest will be hosted at The Langham Auckland’s Great Room, from 5pm to 8.30pm on WEDNESDAY 2 MARCH 2016. Taste, admire and purchase NZ’s best cheeses to your hearts delight and enjoy a complimentary Crossroads wine or Epic beer on arrival. Tickets are $30 +bf and available online here. Door sales from 4.30pm on the day $35.   Thanks to the CheeseFest, I have a double pass to give away (worth $60). To enter, simply fill in the entry form at the bottom of this post. There will be plenty of cheese samples and also cheese bargains to be found on their famous cheese sales tables. I attended my first CheeseFest last year and I was in awe of the cheese sales tables. Check out my rundown of last year’s CheeseFest here. Tips for CheeseFest: There are amazing specials on cheese. Clear your fridge and …