Nice things

Cute calves, cat pikelets, Lego Cosmo, a trick with rice and... Neil Diamond?

Here is the best thing that’s happened to me in the last week:

A friend of ours is one of the custodians of these beautiful calves (and their older kin) and last weekend we went to help him feed them. In a very Wellington-esque twist, they’re fed spent grains from a local brewery (which is helping them thrive into big, bonny creatures). As far as wholesome activities that take your mind off global affairs go, this was a solid 10/10.

Because you can’t play at farming without a solid breakfast, we had pikelets before we set off. I have a particular nostalgia for pikelets, particularly the ones made by my great aunt Makiri (queen of the cat pikelet, not to mention the choux pastry swan). Once, when I was about five or six and on a class trip to visit a woolshed (peak rural New Zealand), I was delighted to discover my lunchbox was full of pikelets. I diligently set about eating them all, not realising that Mum had divided the shared morning tea and lunch fixings between several lunchboxes meant to feed me and my brothers. They were less impressed to be left with the sandwiches.

Yes, of course this is a cat!

Anyway, pikelets used to be a regular fixture for us in the pre-school and primary years and I always aspired to make the perfect cat pikelet in Makiri’s memory. I think I’ve still got the knack. It seems a bit silly to give you a pikelet recipe but in case you’re looking for a taste of a simpler, gentler time, here it is.

This not-particularly good photo is actually from 2020, when storm clouds of a different kind were gathering. Note the feijoa in the top right corner - we were inundated then and having to eat them at every meal.

Chocolate pikelets with spiced honey butter

A note on substitutions: use any sugar (white, caster, brown) – but don’t pack brown sugar into the cup. Use any milk and any flour – omit the baking powder if you’ve only got self-raising, use a little less if you’re using wholemeal (and be aware the pikelets will be a bit sturdier). Omit the cocoa if you’re a pikelet purist (replace it with more flour). If you don’t have honey, use golden syrup or molasses in the butter (brown sugar will do the trick, more or less, too).

Makes about 12 pikelets, serves 2-4 depending on greed, hunger, boredom etc

• 1 Tbsp melted butter

• 1 Tbsp sugar

• 1 large egg

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• ¾ cup milk

• 3 Tbsp cocoa

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 cup plain flour

For the spiced butter:

• ½ cup (125g) soft butter

• 2-3 generous Tbsp honey

• 1-2 tsp cinnamon

• a pinch of salt

Whisk together the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and most of the milk. Sift over the dry ingredients and stir together until just combined (don’t over-mix or the pikelets will be tough). Add the rest of the milk until the mixture is the consistency of pouring custard.

Set a large heavy frying pan over medium heat. Grease with a little butter or oil.

Drop dessertspoons full of the mixture into the pan (hold the spoon vertically to make the pikelets round). Cook until bubbles appear and pop on the top, then gently flip over and cook for another couple of minutes. Remove to a plate lined with a teatowel or a cooling rack. Remember the first one may be a dud - as the cook, you can decide to eat it (or discreetly get rid of it by other means).

To make the spiced butter, beat the butter, honey, cinnamon and salt together until smooth and fluffy.

To serve, pile the pikelets on a serving plate and accompany with the butter. Any leftover pikelets can be frozen and reheated in a toaster. Any leftover butter is great on toast.

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Good Things

“You’ll be Lightning and I’ll be… Thunder?” A still from Song Sung Blue

Song Sung Blue

Remember when the Sunday night TV movie was always some family melodrama? That’s the vibe of Song Sung Blue, which is based on the true story of Neil Diamond ‘interpreter’ Mike Sardina (Hugh Jackman) and wife Claire (Kate Hudson), who triumph over extreme adversity to become a much beloved tribute act. It’s obviously designed to push all your emotional buttons, and yet it’s hard to resist. You’ll need tissues.

Nice rice

Purists might be appalled by this, but should you find yourself in a situation where you don’t have quite enough of one kind of rice, I’m here to tell you that it’s perfectly possible to cook two varieties in one pot and be pleased with the results. Or so it proved when I mixed half a cup of sushi rice with some brown medium grain rice the other night. This, topped with eggs fried in butter and garnished liberally with chilli and sliced spring onions, is a very fast and comforting dinner.

Cosmo and his doppelganger

Art imitating life?

I know this is ridiculous, but this Lego dog makes me laugh to myself every time I walk past the shop (which is to say, at least once a day).

Do tell me the things that are keeping you cheerful this week, small joys need to be shared.