food

Back to school, back to reality….

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

Summer holidays are officially over- for some at least!  Last week, The Child started Year 4.  Year 4 seems like a big deal- I mean it didn’t at first but now it suddenly does.  It feels like the last year of being a kid, and the first step towards becoming a tween.  He’s no longer the smallest kid in his school– the kids starting Kindy seem tiny, and we’re navigating the complexity of loosening the apron strings and taking on more responsibility and independence.   Being home alone, having a phone of some sort, possibly getting to school or home from school by himself, I can already see that this year is going to be a transition.  

Of course this year is already a transition for me- to what, I’m not sure yet but that’s part of what I need to figure out… when I’m not baking of course!  And I’m still baking.  As much as we are one month into a new year,  I’m still doing the same thing.  

Last week, I baked Lamington Cookies and Red Velvet Cookies with White Chocolate Chips. The Lamington ones were my favourite out of the two.

This week, I’m bringing back an old favourite, Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies, and trying something new, Dark and Stormy Sugar Cookies. The Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies are a perennial favorite- so much so that I’m even closer to buying Vaughan Vreeland’s Cookies Cookbook.  The Dark and Stormy Sugar Cookies were ok.  Very gingerbread cookie vibes, less on the rum and lime vibe that I was hoping for.   I might try a different recipe next time– although I did enjoy rolling them and cutting them out– a normally avoid cutout cookies but these were ok!  

Hello 2026!

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We’re 15 days into 2026 and I really don’t know what to say about it.   

I had a fabulous end to 2025- The Mom/Nana was over from the US and we had a fabulous fabulous fabulous trip to Tasmania, a place I highly recommend and can’t wait to go back to!  Thomas had a great birthday, and genuinely December was good.

But the vibes in January and, and for 2026 in general, seem off.  I mean there’s the macro picture and the US-related picture where everything there is cooked.  But even closer to home, things feel heavier, more uncertain, less hopeful than they did in 2026.  Or maybe it’s just a post-holiday comedown!

It’s hard to go from holiday mode of wine, cheese, and hotel rooms that you don’t have to clean to grocery shopping, laundry and unpacking the dishwasher.

Either way, there’s no point in avoiding it, 2026 is here.

 And I’m back to baking already… This week, I made Martha Stewart’s Alexis’s Chocolate Chip Cookies from her brand new, Martha 100 Favorite Recipes Cookbook. 

The highlight of Christmas for me is always getting new cookbooks.  This year didn’t disappoint.  I mean Martha’s cookbook is super aspirational– she is who I would love to be when I grow up.  I just need a few hundred million dollars to get me started on the way.  My absolute favourite cookbook that I’ve gotten so far is Caroline Chambers, “What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking”– absolute banger of a cookbook.  Everything I’ve made so far is SUPER easy and SUPER tasty!  HIGHLY Recommend.  The third one I got was “Cook Korean” by Billy Law which I’ll be testing out over the next few weeks.  Anyway, back to this week’s cookies. 

They’re not pretty, in fact they turned out VERY thin and nearly went into the bin– however they are actually delicious.  They’re crispy, chewy, salty and caramelly sweet, thanks to about a kilo of sugar but they are yum!  I’ve gotten EXCELLENT feedback on them including this gem!  I mean let’s be honest, if Martha Stewart puts them in her top 100 recipes, you know they’re good.  AND THEY ARE!

So maybe that’s my lesson for 2026, don’t give up.  Things might not look the one you think they should, and they might be pretty, but don’t chuck it all in the bin– things might be perfect and you don’t even realise it!

The quickest year ever

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

I don’t know if it’s all the cookies or if time is actually moving faster, but this has been the quickest year ever.  It’s November- NOVEMBER!!!  I forgot to write last week because despite not working, I’ve actually been SUPER busy.   Last week, I made the Gojuchang Cookies again and also Playdate Cookies from Dinner: A love story which I’m sure I’ve made before too.

I was in Melbourne on Tuesday for a fun fun fun secret squirrel day involving Millionaire Hot Seat (Say Less, Steph, SAY LESS!)  There were cookies involved and trivia and a stop at Higher Ground in Melbourne- a place that’s usually my favorite cafe in Melbourne, however it left me SUPER disappointed this time around.   I had a Miso Ham and Cheese toastie that was WAY overpriced and very average…. So now I”m looking for a new favourite Melbourne Cafe.  Any ideas???

We also had a very cute food experience- Le Petit Chef at the Intercontinental Hotel in Double Bay. It was very fun, very cute, very unique.

I’ve also been poling, pickleballing and tennis playing but the super exciting thing is that it’s November, which means Thanksgiving.  It absolutely does NOT mean that Christmas is 5 weeks away.  ABSOLUTELY NOT ready for Christmas.  But, Thanksgiving, yes please!!!

So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving and fall and pumpkins, I made Pumpkin Spice Latte cookies.

Full disclosure, I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin spice lattes.  I had one once and it was meh.  But I do LOVE pumpkin spice and often will season sweet potatoes with pumpkin spice and occasionally will put it into my ground coffee before I brew it.

What I do love is everything Thanksgiving, it’s the best holiday and one that doesn’t get nearly enough air time in Australia.  Maybe the next two weeks of pumpkin theme cookies will help.  Maybe not but I’ll enjoy it.

I also made Chocolate Sprinkle Birthday Cookies from Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar Kids Only Book.

Ok and since it is close to Christmas, it’s time to make my Christmas cookbook wishlist. What’s going to be on it this year?? Could I possibly find room for yet another Cookie Cookbook??? Only time (and Santa) will tell!

Wish me luck for another big week!

 

Happy Thanksgivng Y’all

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

It shouldn’t be a suprise that Thanksgiving is one of my all time favourite holidays. Food, family, friends, and football. What else could you ask for? Other than family, Thanksgiving is one of my favourite things about America. So this time of year, I’m always a bit sad to be here and not there.

And yes, tonight I am making a bit of traditional dinner. Corn Casserole, turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing and this week, I’ve baked Thanksgiving cookies. Honestly, I’m not sure about them. They’ve gotten good reviews so far from the usual suspects but something about them just isn’t right.

Could it be that they have veggies in them or could it be that I’ve never heard of a Thanksgiving cookie before this week? Or was it just homesickness making me a bit sad that I’m eating Thanksgiving in cookie form rather than pie form? Either way- I’m not sure how I feel about them.

I mean on paper, they scream Thanksgiving. And no, they’re not turkey flavoured or even turkey shaped. But they don’t quite taste like Thanksgiving.

Can you guess the flavour?

I made two types- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip– using Libby’s Pumpkin, of course and Sweet Potato Pie cookies.

The Pumpkin Chocolate Chip ones are interesting- the texture is quite pillowy and soft. Not the standard cookie texture but I think that’s why people are liking them. And they don’t taste like what they are. I also don’t think that they have a big punch of flavour. Not sure if it’s the recipe or just that Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are subtle. I mean I’m kind of happy they’re subtle because Aussies don’t always vibe with vegetable desserts (for good reason!). I’m not sure I’d make these again- not just because Libby’s canned pumpkin is expensive and hard to find in Australia, but they’re also just.not.a.vibe.

Sweet Potato Pie Cookies were different in a different way. They kind of were like Sweet Potato Casserole but in cookie form- because Marshmallows. And sugar. And cookies. These I would make again- but not all the time. Kind of like sweet potato pie casserole- and turkey. It’s fun once a year but not EVERY day.

So Happy Thanksgiving. I hope wherever you are, you’re with people that make you feel thankful and grateful and loved.

Hello Melbourne!

~ stephzuniga ~ Leave a comment

Believe it or not before The Runner was a runner, he was a tennis player- and if his accounts are to be believed he wasn’t half bad. I grew up playing tennis too, mainly because of the cute outfits, lack of contact with dirt and mud and lack of contact with other players– yes, I am a girlie girl! There’s no denying or hiding it.

Tennis has always been a favourite sport of mine, apparently my parents used to put my stroller next to the court while they played and when I could walk I had my first job as a target, i mean ballkid. When I was about 4 or 5, I remember my Dad buying me my first tiny wooden Wilson junior racket and trying to teach me the first principle of the game- bounce and hit. I got the basics but never really progressed further than that despite years of tennis camp and playing on the high school tennis team. The Runner, on the other hand, was ranked as a junior player and can do all sorts of things like hit with spin and control where the ball goes on the court– Every Time! The Mom still plays as well, weekly even- in fact everyone in my family plays.

So it is really exciting that one of the annual traditions for The Runner and I is to come down to Melbourne for the Australian Open. It’s a great weekend away not just because we get to see the best players in the world (Tomic v Federer tonight!) but also because the food in Melbourne is crazy good! Last year we went to an amazing Latin American/mexican place in Fitzroy that my taste buds are still excited for even though I’ve forgotten the name. We also went to Naked for Satan which was an awesome bar with great flavoured vodkas. And Hardware Society, an awesome spot for breakfast. In short, it’s a place I could eat my way through if money and personal appearance didn’t matter. There are also amazing shops and it’s a great place to hang out.

For the next 36 hours, we’re here for the tennis and for the food and I’m excited!!! There are two downsides- one, it’s super cold and two, The Runner has already banned me from a shop. It’s called Books for Cooks and sells nothing but cookbooks. Sounds like heaven, but I’ve been told I’m not allowed in! Oh well….. There are plenty of other places I can get into mischief… And they have a website!
books for cooks