It's been a long time coming this newsletter - but that's what happens when you have a baby. Oh, those of you who know me, don't be alarmed. You can rest assured my real baby days are over. No, I'm talking about a book. Yes, the gestation period is around 9 months and the birth just as painful. I'm not done yet! But I have finished the bulk of the manuscript and all the photography, and have now just the end bits to write - the introduction, glossary, tips and index. So, I've come up for a breather... And, how could I not, because autumn (fall) is one of my favourite seasons. I'm an absolute fan of autumn fruit - feijoas, passionfruit, persimmons (I like the old-fashioned astringent type that you can't eat until the flesh turns into a gorgeous goopy jelly), golden kiwifruit, guavas, figs (except, am I alone in thinking $1.00 for an unripe fig is an absolute rip-off!), and apples and pears and nashi. If you want some feijoa recipes, check out my NATIONAL RADIO BROADCAST MARCH 27TH and my FEIJOA BLOG. And in next month's issue of Taste magazine, I'll be covering feijoas in-depth. You don't subscribe to Taste magazine? READ MORE. Just a comment about kiwifruit - there are more cases of allergic reactions to kiwifruit being reported these days. Read here for more info on KIWIFRUIT and the recipe for GOLDEN KIWIFRUIT SALSA. Easter also falls in autumn, and so does my birthday (there are just so many reasons to love this time of year!!!). I've included some great recipes for Easter with this newsletter. My rich chocolate nut cake has proved to be the MOST POPULAR CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER with thousands of hits per month on its YouTube posting. It looks so classy with its glossy chocolate topping and soft chocolatey crumb. It is a must for Easter. I love Easter baking and I've got a great recipe for a GORGEOUS CINNAMON CAKE. It's not really a cake at all. The yeast dough (and I use dried yeast for ease) is shaped into buns which are dipped in a buttery cinnamon and almond sugar. The buns are nestled together in a ring mould and join together as they cook. When the 'cake' is turned out, the buns can be gently prized apart. It's just the thing to show off your baking skills! If you're having a go at making your own Hot-cross buns this Easter read here about how to shape the buns. SHAPING HOT-CROSS BUNS. This year I made coloured eggs for my Easter table. Red eggs represent the blood of Christ and are a traditional feature of the Greek Easter table. But a bowl of eggs dyed blue, green, yellow and red is more striking. The easiest way to dye eggs red is using the skins of brown onions, but here are the instructions for DYED EGGS FOR EASTER TABLE. Easter is always family time in my house. Even though the children are young adults now we still hide Easter eggs outside for them to hunt. I think we enjoy it as much as they do! And we always have a family feast at some point. Sharing food around the table brings everyone together in good spirits (grumpiness is not allowed!). From ours to yours, then, have a great Easter break. Julie