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I heart my kitchen

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Whenever I tweet a recipe or place a foodie pic on Instagram I get comments from friends/followers asking how I get the time or desire to cook different meals and desserts etc so often. I should clarify I don’t make 3 course meals every day. I don’t bake every week. However if I am having a bad week, if I’m sad or tired or unwell you will often find me in the kitchen, if I’m happy and planning something with friends or family again you will find me in the kitchen.

Cooking is my very favourite hobby. If I’m stressed then planning a meal or trying a new recipe will relax me, if I’m excited about an upcoming event such as a trip or party I will find a way to cook something for it. I took 48 homemade biscuits to Blissfields Festival in June. Everyone has hobbies, my other half loves surfing and if he doesn’t get in the water for a few weeks he gets a little grouchy. I imagine I would be the same without cooking but I very rarely have more than a few days before I am scrabbling around in the cupboard to see what I can make.

Making a cake is so much more than a sweet treat, it’s the smell wafting through you house on a rainy weekend or the smile on my dads face when I make his favourite Victoria sponge.

I cook to please, I love making dishes that I know my loved ones will appreciate and for more that is far more important than actually eating it myself.

Tonight I’ve made 12 mini custard tarts as well as a chicken and leek stroganoff. Of the tarts I will probably only eat 1, that’s enough for me (luckily).

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My kitchen is far too small but I love being in it. Every meal creates a memory and for me this blog is a great extension of it. Yesterday I went to hunt for a recipe online and discovered it in my own blog archives, it’s like an online recipe binder.

This may seem like random waffle. I apologise if so, however if like me you heart your kitchen I’m sure you understand.

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Baileys chocolate cupcakes

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Last week I was invited to my sister in laws baby shower, I was orderd by my mum to make cakes. I have a tried and tested chocolate cupcake recipe which I have used a million times and knew that I would use it again but I fancied something different. So I ended up making 2 different batches of cupcakes, one with a subtle orange flavour added and one with Baileys.. Well I’m kind of telling a lie here as what I used here and is Lidl Irish cream. It’s super tasty and only about £4 so I highly recommend it. I decided to make chocolate orange cakes also as my sister mentioned that not everyone likes Baileys.. Hmmm I am not convinced but hey ho I made two batches.

Anyway here is the Baileys cupcake recipe:

You will need:

For the cakes

100g plain flour
140g caster sugar
1.5tsp baking powder
20g Hershey’s cocoa powder
110ml whole milk
Pinch of ground seasalt
40g softened butter
1 egg
20ml of Irish cream/Baileys
1tsp of vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 (gas mark 4)
If I have time I cream the butter/sugar and gradually introduce ingredients as you would with a normal cake recipe but last time I did the all in method which pretty much meant throwing it all in a bowl and beating with a wooden spoon or a whisk if you are lazy. The all in method tasted the same as the more laborious traditional method so I know what I will do from now on. Once you have a smooth consistency with no lumps ( try not to over mix) spoon into 12 cupcakes cases and bake for 20 minutes. You can tell when they are done as they will spring back when lightly pressed.

For the buttercream

375g icing sugar
25g Hershey’s cocoa
125g softened butter
50ml Irish cream or Baileys
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the butter until soft and creamy, mix in your Baileys and vanilla before gradually sifting in your I icing sugar and cocoa together. You can pipe your buttercream to get a lovely swirled effect however my piping bag broke so I use a spoon and just swirled it myself and it looks ok!

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These were pretty delicious and would make a lovely gift for someone.

They taste best on day of cooking but the cake can be frozen and buttercream added when required. They freeze very well.

Enjoy xxxx

The BBC Good Food Show 2012 Photo Diary

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I am in the process of writing a review of the BBC Good Food Show but until that is ready I thought I would whet your appetites.. Quite literally perhaps with a photo diary.

I should point out that all of the good photos in this post were taken by my very talented friend Ceri, the other photos were taken by me or Chris Evans as in the Chris Evans – random yes. I’ll explain in my review 🙂

Just a few stalls….

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Watch out vampires

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A light refreshment to start

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I heart olive oil..especially flavoured olive oil

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Too pretty to eat pasta

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The crowds seemed to love this stuff..

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These curry sauces were soooo good

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I am not a fan of Gin but I thoroughly enjoyed a sampler of this

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Say Cheese

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I can’t believe I forgot to go back and buy a jar of this delectable goodness

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Michael Roux Jr

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My lovely man with the also lovely Pierre Koffman and James Martin

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Sampling

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Myself and Chris Evans after Saturday Kitchen Live – he’s a very funny man.

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My lovely friend Dora with Juan Sheet

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Cake

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If you have never been before I definitely recommend going to one of the several shows throughout the years, it’s so much fun!

What can your child do?

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If you have a baby or toddler there seems to be a few questions which get asked repeatedly by everyone you see, they also get debated on social media or snidely mentioned at playgroups:

1. Does he/she sleep through the night?

This is one which I got asked by pretty much every person I spoke to for the first 12 months of Izzys life. Sometimes by people without children who were curious, sometimes by my family depending on how knackered I looked but mostly by people who already had children ..perfect children who could put themselves to sleep and sleep 7-7 from an absurdly young age.. They asked me so that in turn I would ask them and then they could do the smug smile and tell me what I really did not want to hear.

Izzy is 14 months old. She has just started sleeping through the night and it’s still not a certainty. Most nights we climb into bed hoping and hoping for an uninterrupted night and luckily now.. Finally I’d say maybe 4 out of 7 nights we get it. Yay. I won’t gloat over that as I know it could change in a minute.

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Sleeping ..like a baby. Hahahahahaha hahahaha.

2. Is he/she walking?

This is something I have noticed discussed more and more at playgroups and more often that not it seems to be a very competitive subject amongst the parents. Why? It’s your child learning to walk not you. If they do it at 8 months or 18 months it doesn’t make you a better parent, yes be proud of your child but please don’t tell someone whose baby is just 16 months old that perhaps they should get them checked out because they aren’t yet walking. This happened at my local playgroup last week and the poor mum looked so upset.

Izzy took her first steps at 9 months, it was exciting and I think mainly happened as she is so damn nosey. She very quickly realised that she could get about crawling a lot faster and with less bumps so she gave up on it for a while before getting back into it around 11/12 months. Now she is too fast for my liking and can climb onto tables in the blink of an eye. This is scary so please enjoy your crawling baby a little longer. They only walk when THEY are ready.

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3. What can he/she say?

From reading some of the more popular baby forums you would think that all babies are putting together full sentences by the time they are one and can sign for everything they want or need. Is this really the case? Are there some super babies?

Izzy babbles A LOT but it’s mostly mam, dad, nanna or variations of and her very favourite word/sound Hiya. She doesn’t really say a lot more than that. She has learnt to say ta or mmmmm when she wants something be it food or drink and will occasionally say other words such as car, family names or a noise which sound like she is clearing her throat instead of tick tock (clock).
I don’t expect a lot more at this age and I don’t get frustrated as I know she is taking in so much. I do occasionally get a bit embarrassed by the Hiyas though. Anyone else have a baby who will not stop saying hiya.. Over and over again. Normally in quiet restaurants.

I haven’t taught Izzy any sign language and I know it’s a very popular method these days, she has learnt to point at what she likes, puts her arms up to be held or her best one of all ..going stiff and throwing her head back. I believe the last one is pretty common and pretty much just means she is peed off.

There are many more of these questions but they seem to be the most popular ones.

What can your child do? Do you feel under pressure by family/playgroupers/forumfriends/tweeters?

I’d love to know.

I’ve tried not to gloat too much about my amazing child but seriously how many of your children will do this when asked to do a trout pout?

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It’s her party piece 😉

Drum roll please. Special guest post & Maple Pecan cake recipe from Rachel Allen

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Earlier this year myself and Izzy won an amazing prize from Plum baby to attend a cookery course run by the very lovely Beverly Glock and one of my favourite chefs Rachel Allen.

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It was fantastic and I met some lovely mums including obviously Rachel Allen who is not only a great chef but a genuinely nice lady (and fellow mum) who has very very kindly agreed to share a recipe with us so I’ll stop waffling and leave you to read why Rachel likes this recipe:

Maple Pecan cake – perfect for Thanksgiving

I absolutely adore Maple Syrup, one taste of it always brings me right back to when I was younger and used to visit my grandparents in Canada. Maple syrup and pecans are a classic combination and work particularly well together in this delicious cake… I hope you enjoy:

Ingredients

200g (7oz) self raising flour
1/4 tsp salt
200g (7oz) soft light brown sugar
125ml (4&1/2fl oz) buttermilk
200g (7oz) butter, melted plus extra for greasing
50ml (2fl oz) maple syrup
2 eggs, beaten
75g (3oz) pecans, finely chopped

For the praline:

50g (2oz) caster sugar
50g (2oz) pecans

For the icing:

300g (11oz) cream cheese
25ml (1fl oz) maple syrup
200g ( 7oz) icing sugar, sifted

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/ Gas 4), then butter the sides of the cake tins ( 2 x 18inch) and line the base of each tin with a disc of baking parchment. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and mix in the sugar.
In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the butter, maple syrup and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the flour and sugar, mixing together to combine, then fold in the chopped pecans.
Divide the batter between the prepared tins and bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden on top and springy to the touch.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Loosen around the edges using a small, sharp knife and carefully remove each cake from its tin before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling down.
Meanwhile, make the pecan praline. First line a baking tray with a sheet of baking parchment, then place the sugar in a non-stick frying pan or saucepan and scatter the nuts over the top. Cook over a medium heat until the sugar turns a caramel colour.
Do not stir the pan, but carefully ‘swirl’ it to allow the sugar to caramelise evenly and to coat the nuts in caramel. Alternatively, you could just toast the pecans instead.

For the icing: Whisk together all the ingredients until smooth. Place one cake upside down on a plate and spread over some of the icing, so that it’s about 5mm thick.

Place the other sponge on top, right side up, then cover the whole cake with the icing, using a palette knife dipped in hot water to smooth the surface. Decorate with the caramelised or toasted pecans to finish.

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Thanks to Rachel for the above recipe which can be found in her new book called Cake, I bought mine from Amazon

You can also watch her new tv show Cake diaries on the Good Food channel, although its worth having a slice of cake to watch it with as you will get hungry!

For all you tweeters you can find Rachel on @rachelallen1 she’s very involved and seems to reply to every tweet she can so any baking questions you have it’s worth asking. She’s also pretty damn good at wordswithfriends 🙂

I will be trying this recipe out next week so I’ll let you know if mine turns out as well 😉

Loving your leftovers

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Every time I make Spaghetti Bolognese I make too much sauce, sometimes it’s unintentional but mostly not as I do plan to freeze it etc etc. The only problem is that my plan goes awry most of the time and I end up wasting more than I use as I forget it dwindling away in the freezer or worse I forget to freeze it at all. I have now started to use up my leftover sauce a day or two after I make it but rather than have another Spag Bol I make a tasty bolognese bake. I got the idea for this from Izzys grandfather who makes something similar but I’ve created my own somewhere along the line.

I’m sure you all have a favourite Bolognese recipe but here is mine which I have made with some additions or substitutions for years now:

Beckys Bolognese

Minced beef- of a decent quality is best as you can taste the difference
1 onion – diced
Passata
Tomato purée
3 or 4 garlic cloves minced or diced
Fresh chopped tomatoes ( I like cherry tomatoes on the vine )
Aunt Bessie’s finely chopped frozen veg
Olive oil
Fresh herbs ( think oregano, basil, rosemary, sage, thyme ) chopped. Dried is fine but fresh makes it special.
Seasoning ( seasalt and freshly ground black pepper)

Sauté your onions in the olive oil before adding your mince until browned then I literally add everything and cook for as long as I want.. The longer the better. I use the frozen mixed veg purely out of laziness but it really is great as it includes carrots, celery, onion and leeks which are all things I like in my sauce anyway. I haven’t included quantities as I never measure when making this which is probably why I always make too much!

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If I have them I also like to throw in some sliced red and green peppers.

Serve with spaghetti.

**Special tip – to give your dish something extra whiz up some breadcrumbs mixed with herbs in a food processor and lightly toast in a pan with some olive oil and crushed garlic. When you have dished out sprinkle some breadcrumbs and parmesan over your dish. So good.**

And so onto my bolognese bake:

A day or two after I make my bolognese I use the leftover sauce to make a special pasta bake.

You will need:

A bag of pasta ( I tend to use penne for this)
50g plain flour
50g Butter
1 pint of Milk
175g Cheese
1/2-1tsp Mustard
Leftover Bolognese sauce
Seasoning

Cook your pasta as per packet instructions whilst slowly reheating your bolognese in a large ovenproof pan or cazuela, during this time make up a basic white sauce. To do this create a roux with your plain flour and butter then add your milk and whisk until smooth, let your sauce boil stirring continuously and then add 100g of grated cheese, seasoning and mustard. When cooked, drain your pasta and stir into your bolognese sauce. Top with your cheese sauce and sprinkle with grated cheese and season.

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Place in a hot oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbling.

This tastes better than the original spaghetti bolognese. The flavours in the sauce have really come together and the cheese sauce on top is divine. It’s a cheats lasagne I guess and definitely good for those on a budget as you should have everything in your cupboard or fridge already.

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I serve this with a simple salad.

I love to hear your comments and I love it even more when you have tried a recipe out for yourself 🙂

* This post is part of the #FaveFamilyRecipes Competition with BritMums and Tilda Rice. Every pack sold will provide a meal to an expectant mum in Bangladesh.

The Hungry Caterpillar 1st birthday cake

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Firstly apologies, I’ve been meaning to write this post for weeks and Izzy is now 13 months old!

Anyway here it is! I had wanted to make Izzy a Hungry Caterpillar cake for her first birthday since spotting one on Pinterest when she was only 3 months old, when she was a little older her aunty & uncle bought her The Hungry Caterpillar pop up book and she LOVES it so it was definitely a go.

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The cake I saw on Pinterest is here and that’s more or less what I was planning to do. I made a batch of cupcakes and then my piping bag broke and well I got really annoyed and frustrated as it was the night before her party and ended up rethinking the whole idea and what I ended up with was this:

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And I actually preferred it this way in the end although as someone who is far more into the taste of food than the look of food I did find it harder than it needed to be but I enjoyed it.

Heres how I did it:

You will need :

The ingredients for one Mary Berry traybake ( recipe can be found here ) I added green colouring to my traybake to make a vibrant green flesh for my caterpillar.
500g of fondant icing sugar
Icing colour ( I bought red red and kelly green from Hobbycraft)
Basic buttercream using icing sugar and butter with vanilla extract (Nielsen Massey is best) – I used leftovers from cupcakes I was making for the party so unsure of quantity.
1 cake board or piece of cardboard covered in white paper.
Cadburys chocolate fingers
Chocolate sprinkles

Follow instructions for traybake and when cooked leave until completely cooled.
I cut out a basic caterpillar body and head from my traybake – reserve the leftover sponge in case of errors or just to munch on later.
Mix up 1/2 of your fondant icing following instructions on packet and split into two, using a cocktail stick put green colouring into one 1/2 of the icing and knead to mix the colour through making one a dark green and the other 1/2 paler. Roll out and cut into strips. Spread a little buttercream over your cut out caterpillar body and then wrap in your green icing alternating between the darker and lighter colours. Reserve any leftover icing for extra decorations such as fruit for your board.
Mix up the rest of your fondant icing and split into two, use your red colouring to make a very vibrant red icing for your caterpillar head and leave the rest white.
Spread some butter cream and wrap your caterpillar head in red icing and attach to body using more buttercream if necessary. Use cadburys fingers to make legs and antenna as well as the body for your butterfly. Use leftover icing to make fruit, leaves and a butterfly as well as to make name or message for cake. I used chocolate sprinkles to make the seeds on my strawberries and my apple stork. Use dark green icing to make eyes and a chocolate chip for the nose.

To make your cake have a little sheen brush on some lemon extract or juice with a pastry brush.

I used some leftover sponge and buttercream to make a patch of grass but I don’t think it’s necessary.

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She did like the cake although looked a little shocked at first, and kept wandering over to look at it every chance she got:

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All in all it was a success although far from perfect which you will notice if you look closely but I loved the fact that I made her a special first birthday cake. I’m guessing as the years go on I will have to become more elaborate!