The other night I had a craving for some chicken and pasta so I roasted some Cajun spiced chicken breasts in the oven and served up a creamy, velvety rigatoni on the side. There’s no getting around it, this is the perfect way to cook chicken breast; it might be a bit easier to slice up the chicken and toss it around[read more…]
I’ve never appreciated the appeal of bread pudding – I always thought it would taste bland and I just couldn’t understand how bread belonged in a pudding. While shopping for Christmas I came across some brioche loaves which looked gorgeous and fluffy and sweet, thinking I would have some toasted with tea or something. But then for[read more…]
I made a pretty cake yesterday to celebrate my other half’s birthday. Happy birthday to my darling Ant. We’re on holidays at the moment and it’s wonderful. This cake was dreamy .. I really loved the chocolate flavour combined with a surprising fluffy cloud of vanilla frosting; kind of unexpected, like brown eyes with blonde[read more…]
I was thinking recently, there just isn’t enough spice around when it comes to baking. It’s not that easy to find ready made spice biscuits or cake in Australia and it’s not a favourite flavour for most people I know. Personally, I love the warmth of spice baked goods and they seem so comforting and[read more…]
If you haven’t tried this refreshing, very English drink, you really should. One cool but bright Sunday afternoon we went for a walk in the Spring sunshine, enjoying the heat on our skin … Then we had Pimm’s and Limonata, picking strawberries out of the glass afterwards. Just perfect.
I’ve come to realise I really enjoy the change of seasons even more than the actual seasons themselves. You know, that first hint of coolness in the air signalling Autumn, or after a long, coldish winter you walk outside and have to take your jumper off because it’s too warm and you can smell spring, feeling the[read more…]
This is such a calming, simple, fresh soup recipe by Beth from allrecipes.com. Well, I mean, soup is calming isn’t it? It’s difficult to eat soup in a excited way unlike say, fried chicken or pizza for example where crumbs tend to fly everywhere. This soup is especially therapeutic though. This is the type of soup you[read more…]
I love this pasta dish. It’s my go-to recipe when my loved ones or I need a quick pick-me-up, comforting meal. It’s quite rich and satisfying and you don’t need a huge amount. It’s best with long pasta; either linguine or spaghetti. You can add as much or little garlic as you like. My other[read more…]
I made a batch of waffles for breakfast this morning, using this simple recipe with a couple of adaptations. Nothing fancy required yet they were perfectly fluffy inside and crisp on the outside as waffles should be; the mixture made the perfect amount for my waffle maker (I really hate it when the mixture slops over the[read more…]
One of the simplest, healthiest and low carb meals. A mushroom omelet made with sliced sauteed Swiss browns and greens dressed with homemade French dressing. Sometimes I add slow roasted cherry tomatoes with the mushrooms to fill the omelet and they add a lovely sweetness. There were around 4 ingredients used for lunch today and it was lovely (all it was missing[read more…]
Like Nigella, I’m all for an easy chocolate fix. Nobody should have to wait very long for chocolate on those days when it feels necessary. The iconic Nigella dessert, chocohotopots – easy, luxurious, charmingly named little treats, remind me of a cross between chocolate brownies and pudding. Honestly, despite the kid friendly nature of them (Nigella’s son naming this dessert when he was[read more…]
I have Irish heritage – you might realise this when you meet me by my blue eyes and freckles which I inherited from my late grandmother. It’s also apparent by my surname which, while it doesn’t sound obviously Irish, is distinguishable by it’s spelling (people often misspell my surname by leaving off the ‘e’ on the end which annoys me a[read more…]
I loved these rustic, sweet pancakes. They were served with butter melted over the hot pancakes and cinnamon sugar sprinkled over the top, like cinnamon toast. I used a bit of wholemeal spelt flour for texture, if you don’t have that, use all white flour.
Blondies are becoming so diverse now with many different flavours; butterscotch, toffee and pecan, cherry and white chocolate, and now, peanut butter. I don’t need much of an excuse to use peanut butter – slathered between fresh bread for an impromptu lunch is fine by me and has been since I was little. Peanut butter just makes my day better.[read more…]
I made a south west style salad tonight from blogger Jacqueline at tinned tomatoes. I added corn kernels because I had some fresh ones I’d frozen previously which I wanted to use, I also only had the French puy lentils, and tweaked the amounts a bit to suit 3 people. This is Jacqueline’s own recipe and I’m really pleased I[read more…]
I know, I know. Big deal, lettuce, avocado and dressing. But do you know what? This is what I felt like for lunch today – a simple salad made with fresh organic ingredients and a classic home made French dressing. Plus I wanted to share so you could all see how healthy I’m being (I[read more…]
So here’s a lovely, classic banana bread with that moist, soft texture and banana flavour we all love (I know I haven’t exactly invented the wheel what with posting approximately the 30 millionth version of banana bread but everyone thinks their own is the best). Also, why must the surface of my loaf cakes crack? Every.time.
What little delights these are. Crunchy and sweet, perfect for having with espresso – which has given me a genius idea so stay tuned for a lovely dessert soon. I didn’t have enough almonds so I used some macadamia nuts to make up the difference and they were perfect so I would probably do this again.
I know everyone has their own way of making pasta sauce, and there’s no wrong or right way but I thought I’d post my own recipe, which I make regularly and freeze. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with tomato sauce in a jar, and god knows I use it when I’m whipping up a quick lasagne,[read more…]
