Goodbye to our friend Gunna

What a sad weekend it is for our family.

Our great canine friend Gunna, has passed away and the gap he has left behind, is huge.

Gunna was only 7 and a half years old. We discovered he had a cancerous tumour in his chest and numerous others appeared too. After several doses of chemotherapy, his kidneys failed, sealing his demise. While under the wonderful care of the staff at Vetspecs, he made more friends. They are a great bunch of caring people and so this week I have the need to bake for them.

So I found a recipe in the Treasury of NZ Baking book from Alexa Johnston called Dream Kisses.

This has a lovely soft brown sugar buttery base with a walnut and coconut moist topping.

I also threw together a double batch of chocolate chippie cookies that never go astray and that everyone seems to love.

So morning tea at Vetspecs tomorrow morning in on me to show my appreciation for their wonderful care and love for our Gunna.

Back in the Groove...

Well it has been a while since I last blogged, or even baked for that matter! I have been spurred on by the fact that the weather has turned chilly on us and the days are shorter, also because my daughter and number 1 food critic is about to head away for a while, leaving me as the sole food preparer in our ever decreasing household of eaters! (I am sure that is bad grammar, but this is a foody blog not an english lesson!)

With the southerly wind lashing the kitchen window, I donned the apron, took the butter out of the fridge and grabbed the Treasury of NZ Baking book and scoured the recipes for some comfort food to bake. It is our good friends' birthday today and what better gift than some homemade biccies. I made some afghans and chocolate chips, then attempted a lemon shortbread......it was a big fail as it spread all over the baking tray. The self-raising flour and baking powder was all just a bit much I think. Never mind, two out of the three looked presentable for delivery to his workplace at lunch time.

But it didn't stop there. Tomorrow a bunch of us girls are getting together for a yarn and a coffee so that calls for a Capuccino Date Slice from the same book. It is lovely and light and a thin delicate layer of coffee icing on top. It is a Jo Seagar recipe so it should go down a treat.

So, I hope you enjoy reading this very brief and trivial blog in your busy day. You can look forward to many baking stories as I bury myself amongst the butter and sugar as my dear girl travels the globe. Hubby and son will need to step it up as chief baking tasters.