These are our foodie bites for the weekend.
• How to make your own doughnuts
This week we found out that Krispy Kreme is coming to New Zealand. We will have to wait until March next year for our first store to open its doors so, in the meantime, we're making our own with Kristen Hartke's recipe for vanilla-glazed brioche doughnuts.
Taking the time to make a warm and comforting breakfast definitely makes winter weekdays more bearable.
Food writer Delaney Mes has shared two of her favourite oat recipes with us this week. Carrot cake oats is the breakfast form of the classic cake and in her second recipe she uses tamarillo, lightly poached and served with walnuts and honey.
• Baked vege chips with rosemary and aquafaba aioli
These vege chips are delicious fresh from the oven, and can be tossed through a salad for crispy texture or as a replacement for corn chips in a Mexican meal. Or, eat them on their own with homemade aioli. In this case, Megan May has made an aquafaba aioli using the liquid from a tin of chickpeas.
• Brunch at Vevo Foodstore in Titirangi
It's hidden at the end of a line of shops in Titirangi Village and has been for six years. Canvas writer Greg Bruce checked out the brunch menu at Vevo Foodstore and raved about the big breakfast and smoked salmon meal.
"The Vevo breakfast was a good size, with two particularly generous slices of oiled and excellent sourdough and a great-sized side dish of hollandaise."
Read Greg Bruce's full review here.
• Indulge in a treat from one of NZ's best bakeries
This week we asked our nzherald.co.nz Facebook fans what their favourite bakery in New Zealand was, thousands responded with their opinions.
Three bakeries reigned supreme, in Auckland, Clendon and Ohakune.
From humble cream doughnuts to chocolate eclairs, here's what you, the reader, revealed as the best bakeries around the country.
• The foods that make your metabolism faster
The human metabolism is very broadly defined but according to experts there are some foods that can (slightly) speed up your metabolism to burn calories faster. From the well-known metabolism-booster green tea to cayenne pepper, read on to see exactly how much you will need to get that boost.
• The teen who eats McDonald's for lunch 6 days a week
Palmerston North student Jack Aidem wrote a hilarious Facebook post to McDonald's after he was wrongly charged for his favourite meal: a double cheeseburger combo (with steamed buns, hold the onion and pickle). Aidem spoke to the Herald about his six-day-a-week habit which, after two years, has cost him an estimated $4,244.
Read the full story online here.
• Why men should eat more chocolate than women
It is one of life's guilty pleasures and according to the Daily Mail, experts at Harvard Medical School found the sweet treat slashes our risk of developing an abnormal heart rhythm by more than a fifth.
But while regularly tucking in to a bar of chocolate may actually be good for us, one gender should be eating far more of it than the other.
• Celebrate Russian culture and sample Russian fare
Experience Russian culture at Russian Days, a community-run festival set in the idyllic surrounds of Western Springs Garden. Sample traditional Russian teas and various fare from vendors such as Cinnamon Quills, Crepelicious and Paella Pan.
Entry is by gold coin donation. Be sure to have cash on hand for goodies.
See event details on Facebook here.
Apparently, World Brisket Day is a thing and we are more than happy to celebrate with a delicious Sunday roast. Chapel Bar and Bistro in Ponsonby will be putting on the finest tradition: For $20 you will get a plate of slow cooked beef brisket with jus, potato, kumara, pumpkin, peas and a Yorkshire pudding on the side. Yumbo.
For more info see the Facebook event page.
• Last chance: Dans Le Noir? at Rydges Hotel
It's your last chance to dine in complete darkness at The Rydges' Hotel's Dans Le Noir? dining experience. You'll have a choice of three delicious menus (vegan, seafood or a mysterious "trust the chef" option) and you'll be guided by experts who are blind or have low vision.
The new free open-air saltwater pool is already proving popular.