Happy Friday and have a strawberry bun
I revisited one of my old recipes for strawberry vanilla rolls last weekend and made them a bit more special. It’s worth taking a look if you’re in the mood for some spring baking! Have a sweet weekend all.
summerTag
Three bean chilli con carne
Just a quick post today to say I made a vegetarian chilli based on this one, packed full of beany goodness. It’s great for freezing and quick lunches and dinners, is vegetarian and vegan friendly and uses tins and things from the cupboard so is very economical and easy to put together. Oh and this chilli cheese[read more…]
Fig, honey & salted pistachio raw muesli
I know, I know, I posted a granola recipe a couple of weeks back but have I ever said on here how much I love salted pistachios? I’m a little bit obsessed actually. Give me a big bowl of dry roasted, salted pistachios and I’ll sit on the lounge happily shelling and eating them like[read more…]
Soft & fluffy wholemeal blueberry oat streusel muffins
These rustic muffins are relatively healthy and wholesome and I gave them a fluffy texture by using wholemeal cake flour (basically just cornflour added to plain wholemeal – makes for a really soft crumb but with added fibre and such). These are packed with blueberries and a bit spicy with a light crunchy topping; they’re just the thing for morning tea.
Fruit & sunflower seed chilli sea salt chocolate bark
This is stupidly easy but the end result is so gorgeously wicked. With just a few steps, you end up with a generous slab of chocolate studded with whatever treats you like. I loved the jewel like appearance and chewiness of the dried fruit with some crunch from sunflower seeds (well basically I used what I had[read more…]
Peanut butter chocolate chunk muffins
These are so easy to whip up. I love how the chocolate chunks were all melty warm from the oven. I used a friand tin to make them a bit fancier but a normal muffin tin will do.
Pizza Margherita (and a great pizza base recipe)
If I’m honest, my favourite pizza lately is really simple; home made tomato sauce with basil and mozzarella. A few kalamata olives scattered over add a welcome touch of saltiness. I’ve made pizza bases before although it’s not a regular thing; I’ve finally come up with a recipe I’m really happy with though – chewy and[read more…]
Cocktail Fridays: French martini
These are a great little drop. I originally made them as per the recipe, as in a bit stronger at 45mls voddie for each drink and with a lot less pineapple juice, but I was like, ok I’m drunk! after only a couple of sips so responsibly lessened the amount to a shot each and more juice. They are[read more…]
St Patrick’s Day Baileys Irish Cream chocolate mousse pie (egg-free)
This luscious, fluffy, super easy chocolate mousse pie with a sinful hint of Baileys (and a truckload of thick cream!) is just the thing for today. I used the original Baileys however if you can get your hands on some Baileys Chocolat Luxe, that would be brilliant! Happy St Paddy’s Day all 🙂
Cocktail Fridays: vintage champagne cocktail
We had these on New Year’s (revisiting a cocktail recipe from a few year’s back). Just add a splash of Limoncello to a champagne glass, top with whichever sparkly you like and add a glace cherry. Happy Friday!
On figs
I couldn’t let fig season go by without a couple more photos of the prettiest fruit around. And in case you’re wondering – the below is rolled oats, figs, raspberries, Greek yoghurt, salted pistachios & honey (although delicious, I genuinely felt bad about digging into this, it’s a natural work of art).
Chilli cheese baked rice
I made this impromptu rice dish one night to go with chilli con carne and now it’s a keeper! A bit crunchy around the sides and creamy and cheesy underneath, it has just a hint of chilli and goes with so many things.
Lemon cherry ricotta loaf cake
Ricotta makes a beautiful cake; soft with a delicate crumb. So I decided to use some to make a lemon cake with soft, sweet cherries dotted throughout and a thick, fudgy berry icing. Jam, preferably a decent, mostly fruit filled one, is perfect for whipping up a quick icing (I made this icing a while back) although this time[read more…]
Blackberry peach crumble (vegan)
I purchased some coconut oil ages ago and never know what to do with it! I was going to use my usual unsalted butter for this crumble but then thought I’d try the bottle of coconut oil sitting gloomily at the back of my fridge instead. Despite the fact that I’m not particularly paranoid about[read more…]
Shrove Tuesday: maple syrup buttermilk pancakes with bacon (Canadian pancakes)
This is actually one of my favourite pancake combos surprisingly, given that I mainly use fruit in/on my pancakes. I love to order pancakes with a side of bacon and a sea of maple syrup poured over when I’m out for breakfast and the first time I had them I couldn’t believe how good the combo was, just like salty/sweet[read more…]
Roast breakfast peaches
The fragrance of these roast peaches throughout the house while baking! Vanilla scented, sweet and caramelised – a lovely (and health conscious) breakfast, even if you do have to turn on the oven on a sunny morning. Totally worth it and their warm sweetness went so well with some cool Greek yoghurt.
Blueberry waffles
I haven’t used my poor waffle iron in ages so this morning I used some lovely, fresh blueberries to make waffles for a special Sunday breakfast. Although I’ve made waffles before quite a few times, they were usually a bit thinner and crisper and I really wanted to make higher, fluffy ones. They turned out really[read more…]
Herb & cheese Croque Madame Muffins
I was watching the Little Paris Kitchen one recent weekend and spotted Rachel’s Croque Madame Muffins which looked so easy I immediately jumped up to make them for lunch. I didn’t have any ham so used up some herbs and added heaps of cheese. This recipe was also serendipitous because my organic fruit & veg people sent[read more…]
Australia Day golden syrup scones with golden syrup butter
Golden syrup is my favourite syrup out of all the syrups. I mean I love maple syrup, treacle and honey and I know they’re probably way healthier (I don’t even really know how golden syrup is made!) but golden syrup is so thick and luscious with a sweet flavour which is difficult to explain, it actually tastes[read more…]
Nectarine raspberry crumble pie
I really don’t make enough pies. So I decided to whip up a rustic pie with some luscious summer fruit. Initially, I was going to use yellow peaches but they sent me nectarines instead in my shopping so I tried those. This lovely pie is packed full of fruit, as it should be in summer! And[read more…]
Cherry tomato, cream cheese & basil tart
The flavours of summer right here in this gorgeously cheesy, tomato & basil tart. I whipped up a quick, fragrant and rustic pesto to have with this and it was perfect for a light lunch.
Spiced creamy iced coffee
Blimey it’s hot here at the moment! So over Christmas I made some lovely iced coffee with spices and cream. I’ve always wanted to try coffee with cream from watching American movies and TV where they often ask for cream in their cups of coffee (it always sounds so lovely!). Anyway, it tastes wonderful but not necessarily[read more…]
Smoked salmon & spinach salad
This is a lovely, fresh and healthy salad I made recently. Now just to warn, it’s quite onion .. y so if you’re not into raw onion I would (Obv), leave out the red onion. The paper thin slices of vegetables aren’t mandatory but texture wise and as far as flavour goes, they do make this salad[read more…]
Lemon drop champagne punch
I love this lemony, fresh and sparkly cocktail; perfect for an aperitif (before dinner drink) around Christmas time. (Limoncello is a really lovely, intensely lemon flavoured liqueur which is great in cocktails (obv.), champagne or even baking and trifles)
Lime raspberry friands
I’ve been neglecting my friand tin lately. It’s really just the egg yolks left over that throws me a bit but it’s always a good excuse to make luscious, home made custard or crème brulee. Anyway, raspberry season is the best because I enjoy baking with berries more than anything and these look quite festive.
Chocolate, salted peanut & maple caramel slice
Are we sick of salty caramel things yet? I hope this particular trend isn’t over because this slice is pretty epic; a dialled up version of old fashioned caramel slice to which I added some salted peanuts and a bit of maple. This is a great recipe for Christmas because you can take it to work[read more…]
Black sticky rice antioxidant breakfast bowl
Remember the black sticky rice pudding I made a while back? Well lately, due to hot mornings and such, I’ve been cooking black glutinous rice and storing it in the fridge it for breakfasts for the next day or two and serving it with syrup, Greek yoghurt and berries. It’s a really convenient breakfast if you make the rice[read more…]
Spaghetti alla puttanesca
This classic Italian recipe, which I changed a bit by using cherry tomatoes, is amazingly flavourful. The trifecta (so unpopular when I was a kid but now I love them) of olives, capers and anchovies make for a delicious dish without being overpowering at all. I really enjoyed this!
Oven baked crispy spicy onion rings with lime chilli yoghurt dip
Sometimes I prefer fried onion rings to chips, sacrilege I know! I’ve never made them though because the take-away ones are pretty good. With our milk delivery the other day though, we received the quarterly magazine which had a recipe for onion rings in it so I spontaneously thought I’d give it a go and they were surprisingly easy,[read more…]
Cocktail Fridays: strawberry iced tea (non-alcoholic)
Iced tea is so lovely; for those super hot days when even I, a hard-core tea drinker can’t handle hot tea, it’s a refreshing drink to keep chilled in the fridge. I prefer mine only slightly sweetened but to enhance the strawberry flavour you do need at least a teaspoon per serving.
