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Our family Chilli Con Carne

07 Apr, 2020

This is one of our son’s favourite dishes. There are so many recipes for Chilli Con Carne – this is one that I have used for decades, in fact since we used to cook the dish in my lunchtime restaurant in Parnell way back in the early 1980’s!! You can’t go wrong with this recipe and the only variable is how hot you want it to be. The key ingredient here is the cayenne pepper, so if you want the Chilli to be a...

Spaghetti with leeks, peas and pesto

27 Mar, 2020

Another simple and “light” pasta dish. If you have any basil still flourishing in your garden, suggest that you make some of your own pesto and try this tasty dish – our family loved it In case, like me, you have never made pesto, below is the recipe that I used, courtesy of Nadia Lim – I’m not into too much garlic in pesto, so this recipe was perfect for me…and you can of course adjust the ingredients...

Vietnamese Grilled Chicken with Salad

19 Mar, 2020

Fresh, tasty, light and very easy to cook- served with a Vietnamese inspired salad and rice, this dish is so tasty with wonderful cooking aromas as the chicken is being cooked. Big favourite both in our family and also when cooking for guests. You can cook this for large gatherings as well, so a very versatile dish The salad is simple and tasty with lots of coriander, mint and Nuoc Cham dressing which is very simple to make in 3 minutes!...

Martha’s Salade Niçoise

27 Feb, 2020

This is a huge favourite in our family and really is one of those dishes that you can enjoy all year round. Martha makes a superb version, so tasty but so quick to prepare and have ready to eat. Other ingredients can be added but we think that there is more than enough flavour using the ingredients below. You be the judge! Not much cooking, just small waxy potatoes, green beans and boiled eggs. Half our family love anchovies, the other...

Seniors@work Chicken Salad du Chef

08 Feb, 2020

I actually feel embarrassed to categorise this as a recipe as it is a “cheat!” recipe as there is absolutely no cooking to be done – it’s simply some very simple ingredients that make a very simple lunch or summer dinner. If it makes you feel better you could cook the chicken but for me, it’s so convenient to go and buy a whole chicken from your favourite supermarket This dish also is ideal to...

Older not Over

28 Jan, 2020

There’s a lot of talk about how to employ millennials and keep them engaged - give them wellness benefits, birthdays off, a chance to work according to their values etc. which is cool! But there’s a faster growing group in the workforce that we also need to focus on - older workers. Nearly 79% of New Zealanders aged 55 to 64 are employed and this number is on the up....

My summer/autumn Ratatouille

24 Jan, 2020

Lots of people cook a ratatouille and there are many different recipes. Unfortunately, to me, many end up being overcooked and "mushy" and some can be a tad bland. To me the secret is to find a way to cook the beautiful vegetables and herbs so that they don't stew yet allow the flavours to get along with each other and maximise the flavours. These vegetables are relatively inexpensive from mid-summer through to autumn and this...

18 reasons why companies should hire mature workers

15 Jan, 2020

I woke up this morning with the same neck pain that’s been plaguing me for two weeks. I developed the pain when I was toweling off after a shower and WHAM, it felt like someone stuck a knife in my neck. Sometimes life sucks getting older. I may be getting older, but I’m not too humble to say I’m good at what I do. I get to work early and often leave late. If it weren’t for the fact that I’m driving my...

Spaghetti with courgettes, chilli and parmesan

06 Jan, 2020

This is another simple and tasty light summer pasta with very few ingredients which come together for a lovely dish which is perfect for the warmer months- spaghetti, courgettes, onion, chilli, olive oil and parmesan So quick, easy and tasty -enjoy! Ingredients 125 gms spaghetti pasta – about quarter of a 500 gm packet, but don’t be too fussy! 3 courgettes, not too large – slice into ribbons 1 large onion...

Vietnamese barbequed pork fillet with peanut sauce

04 Jan, 2020

This is a very simple but so tasty meal that has great flavour and can be quickly cooked on your BBQ. If you don’t enjoy the taste of peanuts/peanut butter, don’t cook the dish! Key points for a successful dish is to carefully cook the pork and baste constantly and not overcook the pork, but allow to rest for the 5 minutes - husbands cannot leave this dish to cook while they have a chat or a beer/ wine or three!...

Festive season "easy" lamb with baby potatoes and peas

18 Dec, 2019

This is a Jamie Oliver inspired dish which I have slightly tweaked and which is quick, easy and ideal to serve up during the festive season if you can’t be bothered with all the usual trimmings – it is “no-fuss” and looks great when served We don’t use a leg of lamb but rather lamb fillet or lamb backstrap – both are cooked very quickly, then rested and ready to eat and so yummy and tender. If you...

How elders can reinvigorate the workforce

18 Nov, 2019

The world is ageing. But our oldest workers could help keep the economy afloat. By Zaria Gorvett 15th November 2019 The world is experiencing a mammoth demographic shift, as the post-war baby-boomer generation enter their sixth and seventh decades. In 1960, those older than 65 made up just 4.9% of the global population , but by 2050, they’ll account...

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