Author: Bunny Eats Design

Honey grilled figs with prosciutto and blue cheese

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The following post is part of a series of recipes celebrating figs which are currently in season.  From my investigations into figs and ways to eat them, a prosciutto (pronounced: pro-SHOO-toh) and blue cheese combo seemed very popular. Most recipes I saw didn’t specify quantities and since I’d never bought prosciutto before, I bought way too much. Prosciutto is expensive and a little goes a long way. About 50 grams (just under 2 oz) will be enough for 10 figs. Similar quantities for the blue cheese. I used Mahoe Blue (pronounced: MA-ho-ee) which is an organic, semi-firm farmhouse blue with a sharp flavour but a creamy texture. I did consider Marin Blue which is a super creamy buffalo cheese, mild with only a hint of blue. These are award winning New Zealand blue cheeses, so use whatever local cheese you can get your hands on. With blue cheese, buy the best quality blue cheese you can afford. I made a version of this without the prosciutto for my vegetarian friend. It was still delicious. Honey grilled …

Tofu Tuesday: Moustache Mug

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Unlike some whimsical twee hipsters, Tofu the bunny was born with his hipster mo. A little while ago, when I heard that Moustache Milk & Cookie but might be facing closure, I was quick to put my money where my heart/mouth/stomach is and pledge to fund their latest venture. Deanna, the owner of Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar has her very own WordPress blog which you can check out over here. Her blog is incredibly sincere and her story is nothing short of amazing. Not only did I get to save a business I love dearly, but I also got a pledge reward of a moustache mug. I hate to say that I love inanimate objects, but I love this mug. It is ceramic with moustaches printed on both sides and a silicone top. Great for guzzling coffee at my desk. Also looks good with similarly-hued moustachioed rabbits. Kozik Labbit painted by The Koala, wearing dollar store stick on moustache. Tofu the bunny wearing model’s own moustache. Mug from Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar. Click here to see …

Rum From Below

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#NZbloggers are hosting a weekly blog post challenge. This week’s theme is From Below and you can check out other posts on this theme here. New Zealand is a small cluster of islands in the southern hemisphere. Rum conjures up scenes of pirates and our little island nation seems to enjoy rum as much as any other island nation. I think it’s time to celebrate with three rums from below. Rum from below: Stolen Stolen Rum is one of my favourite spirit companies and lives in Auckland. The company started in 2009 in a flat right here in Mt Eden and is now sold in the US and Australia with other markets on the horizon. They have clever marketing tactics and a smooth drop to back it up. The rum is made in Trinidad and available in golden, white, dark and “spiced”. My favourite is the golden rum, although the white rum is pretty smooth for mojitos. Stolen launched Coffee & Cigarettes in the US but renamed it to Stolen Spiced for NZ and Australian markets. It’s pretty polarising in flavour. I’m not 100% sold on it yet, …

Spiced duck with honey roasted figs

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  The following post is part of a series of recipes celebrating figs which are currently in season.  I’m in love with Saveur Duck (also sold under Gameford Lodge). I found these duck breasts in the frozen section of my local specialty food store. Pop them in your freezer if you like the idea of having duck breast on hand. They are very easy to work with, just thaw overnight in the fridge and you’re ready to go. Out of the four dishes at our four course fig feast, this dish was The Koala’s favourite. This recipe serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a starter. Spiced duck with honey roasted figs Serves 2 Ingredients 1 whole duck breast (2 halves) 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon 5-spice powder 4 figs, halved, stems removed Honey Preparation Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F). Pat the duck breast dry with a clean tea towel. If using a whole breast, cut into two halves. Using a sharp knife, score the duck skin diagonally both ways about 2 cm between cuts. Be …

Deli Man and For Grace – Documentary Edge

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I love food documentaries, don’t you? Documentary Edge is an international documentary festival and has just started in Auckland. The festival runs in Auckland from 20 May to 1 of June and in Wellington from 3 June to 14 June. There are a range of movies to suit different tastes. There are two food documentaries in the festival: Deli Man and For Grace. If you’re interested in one or both, also check out the free event held at The Vault, Q Theatre where directors from both films will discuss food and film. Food Talk Sat 30 May, 4.30 – 5.30pm The Vault, Q Theatre In Conversation with Erik Greenberg Anjou and Mark Helenowski Director of Deli Man, Erik Greenberg Anjou, and director of For Grace, Mark Helenowski, talk food and film in this discussion of their respective documentaries. Free event. Deli Man (USA, 2014) Directed by Erik Greenberg Anjou, Deli Man is a look into the history and the food in Jewish delicatessens. Rated a very healthy 7.6 on IMDB, this story follows Ziggy Gruber, a third-generation deli man …

Figs with soft goats cheese and balsamic syrup

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The following post is part of a series of recipes celebrating figs which are currently in season.  I visited Sabato in Mt Eden for advice on cheeses to go with figs. There were a few recommendations but I was sold on the value of the Pico Affinė, a soft goat’s camembert with a yellow rind from France. You could substitute this for chèvre or regular cow’s camembert. This recipe is gluten free, refined sugar free and vegetarian. Out of the four dishes at our four course fig feast, this dish was my favourite. Please check out my tips at the end of the recipe for alternate options.  = Figs with soft goats cheese and balsamic syrup Makes 20 pieces Ingredients 10 figs, halved 2 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons honey 100 grams (3½ oz) soft goats cheese Preparation Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F). Melt butter in a sauce pan and add balsamic and honey. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes until syrup is thickened. Line a baking sheet with parchment …

42 figs

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  Around this time last year, I started noticing fresh figs in my blog feed and on Facebook. Figs might have a rich and colourful history, but I didn’t grow up with figs. I didn’t know much about them so I bought a couple of figs at a crazy $4 each and cooked them up. I was naive and paid way too much for those figs, but I did enjoy them so tucked my fig love away for the day when figs were more affordable. Fast forward a year, I saw that Te Mata Figs in Hawke’s Bay were offering a special deal to their Facebook followers. One tray of figs for $27 delivered. I had no idea what a tray of figs looked like but it sounded like it would be more than 7 figs. I was in for a surprise. A huge tray of 42 figs arrived a couple of days later. Figs are highly perishable so I carefully moved them to a bowl and refrigerated them (the tray wouldn’t fit in our …

Edible Type

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#NZbloggers are hosting a weekly blog post challenge. This week’s theme is Type and you can check out other posts on this theme here. I am a typography geek. I’m the kind of typography geek who yells out font names during the opening credits of movies. It’s a annoying weird habit. When I saw this week’s Type theme, I knew it had to be something to do with my obsession with typography. Here’s a round up of edible type from around the inter webs. Sugar for Stefan Sagmeister “If I want to explore a new direction professionally, it is helpful to try it out for myself first” Credit: Marian Bantjes http://www.bantjes.com Salt to taste Credit: Kim Vu http://www.posttypography.com Type Is Sweet Credit: Danielle Evans http://www.marmaladebleue.com Humble Pie Credit: Danielle Evans http://www.marmaladebleue.com I Love You More Than… Credit: Danielle Evans http://www.marmaladebleue.com Hungry For Adventure Credit: Danielle Evans http://www.marmaladebleue.com I’m Just A Little Bit Chili Credit: Becca Classon http://www.beccaclasson.com Fresh Credit: Becca Classon http://www.beccaclasson.com Oats Credit: Becca Classon http://www.beccaclasson.com 3D type: Toasted Credit: Yani Arabena and Guille Vizzari (font) and The Six & Five Studio http://www.yaniguille.com, www.sixnfive.com Shit …

Dinner today, lunch tomorrow

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#NZbloggers are hosting a weekly blog post challenge. This week’s theme is Tomorrow and you can check out other posts on this theme here.     Leftovers I know some people that find leftovers disgusting, boring, lazy or common. Well, I am not one of those people. I love leftovers and plan my weekly menu to include leftovers. It saves The Koala and I time and money and who doesn’t want more time and money? One of the highlights of my work day is lunch. I know all the cheap places to eat around my office, but even those are generally push past the $10 mark. So instead, I’ve been making a bit extra at dinner time to take for lunch. I used to be the kind of girl who went out for lunch every day. Now I treat myself to lunch 2-3 times a month. Tips for leftovers: Cut up large pieces of food before packing so lunch can be eaten with a fork or spoon rather than a knife and fork. Avoid microwaving seafood …

Our Growing Edge – May Intro post

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It’s May already? As I type this, I can hear the rain pounding on the roof. Outside is dark and gloomy like night. The rabbit is inside today, there is nothing for us outdoors. This week I’ve been making soups and curries but those of you in spring are enjoying salads and lighter dishes. I can see them in my blog feed and on Instagram. April’s round up of Our Growing Edge is now live over on Everyday Life Mom. We have some gorgeous entries including dishes I’ve never heard of before. Perfect for Our Growing Edge! Check it out here. For those who are just joining, Our Growing Edge is a monthly link up that aims to connect and inspire us to try new things and to compile a monthly snapshot of what food bloggers are getting up to. Time to tick off some foodie bucket list items. More info here. This month is hosted is hosted by Jordan and Cindy from My Daughter and I. To join, click on the submission button below:  

Sage advice about social media

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#NZbloggers are hosting a weekly blog post challenge. This week’s theme is Sage and you can check out other posts on this theme here.   While I love cooking with some pungent sage leaves, this post isn’t about the herb, but about some wisdom I gained earlier this week. I wasn’t going to write about this, but I shared this event with #NZbloggers and then afterwards, there was so much interest in the event I thought it was a good idea to share what I had learned.   On Monday night (when everyone else was celebrating May the 4th be with you), down at GRID/AKL at Wynyard Quarter a group of men and women (but mostly women) gathered to hear Otis and Sara Frizzell from The Lucky Taco and AUT lecturer Anna Jackson talk, converse and answer questions about social media. As an avid taco devourer and alumni of AUT I felt like this talk was right up my alley. The talk is part of a series run by Women’s Collective. Check out their website and Facebook …

Love My City – April Round Up

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I’m pleased to be the host of Link Up event Love My City, which aims to connect bloggers and share spots and events in our cities. Whether it’s a review of an event or neat little place that you just discovered, Love My City is a great way to share your post. The event is open to bloggers world-wide and you can find out more or submit a post over here. I’ve lived in three vastly different cities in my life. Hong Kong (pop. over 7,000,000), Rotorua (pop. over 50,000) and Auckland (pop. over 1,000,000). I could tell you a thing or two about each of them. Coincidentally there were three entries to Love My City this month. All the bloggers currently live in Auckland and these are our city secrets… First I will start with Jule’s from The Kiwi Diaries who started this link up. When she and Le Boyfriend visited London, UK recently, they dined at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Union Jacks where they feasted on British classic of Fish and chips served with mushy …

A word about rants

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I work as a graphic designer and more recently a photographer. I trade service for cash. I might not be in “THE service industry”, but I certainly offer a service. I receive critical feedback from my clients all day, every day. It’s part of the job. Many clients want their projects to look how they want it to look. It’s not about me. “Change the colour, make it more sexy, can we try this font?” “Sure of course we can try that, that’s a great idea, I’ll send a new proof shortly.” I would never attack a client for their feedback on my work. Ever. Not in private, not in public. When Mr Duffy responded, he asked the woman to send through a photo of herself, so he could tell his staff what she looked like. “This will help us very much, making you easily spotted will make it way easier to tell you to f*** off in person…” That’s why I was horrified at how a Wellington burger owner took private constructive feedback and …

Anniversary Dinner at Odettes

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The Koala and I celebrated our anniversary over a decadent dinner at Odettes. Odettes is pretty new to the Auckland scene and a cafe by day, restaurant by night. Odettes was recently named “Best Room” (the interior design award) by Metro and runner-up for “Best All Day Restaurant”. The hand made tiles around the room are a lovely detail that caught my eye. Ex Ping Pong The space is the former Miss Ping’s – a ping pong bar (table tennis, not Thai style) but it has been completely transformed. The dining room is vast with super high stud, comfy banquet seating with plenty of throw pillows for comfort. The colours and textures of the decor are great and the lighting is dim and romantic. Like many cool places in the city, they don’t take bookings so we arrived before 6pm because we had a show to make later. There were not many diners when we arrived and while more arrived later, the dining room didn’t fill up like I had envisaged. How we roll The …

Tasting Menu with Matching Wines

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I was stoked to be invited to a Zomato Foodie Meetup at One Tree Grill last week. As much as I love food and wine (like, HEAPS), I have never experienced a tasting menu with matched wines. I was in for a treat. I was annoyingly early for our 6.30pm start. When I arrived I was greeted by Charlotte who I know from what feels like another era. About 8 years back we lived and breathed a restaurant and bar in Parnell called Blowfish. It was a funny time. Charlotte took my coat and set me up with a delicious Xanadu Shiraz on a comfy couch. We chatted about old times and One Tree Grill. There were 8 of us and it was a pleasure to dine with other foodies and we had plenty to talk about food-wise and about our experience. Bloggers at the dinner were Cecilia from Ultimate Om Noms, Amy from My Dining Journey, Tiffany from Heartshrooms, Jen from Mango and Beans. The decor is inviting with dark wood furniture, white tablecloths, neutral colours, a large …