Peanut Butter Cookies: My Mum's Recipe

It's not that long ago since I wrote about how much I love home. I have a wonderful relationship with my mum and my love of food very much stems from her. Ready meals were extremely rare, takeaways few and far between, and the importance of home cooking was very strong. My mum's baking remains legendary amongst my friends (AJ forever craves her apple pie, Phoebe misses her banana cake all the way from Australia!), and I like looking through the recipe book she made for me when I moved to university for inspiration on what to bake next.

Baking With Kenwood and Debenhams

So obviously I write this blog, but I've actually worked with bloggers for years. I've scared the crap out of them at the London Dungeons and danced like a loon with them at Bestival, because planning events for bloggers is always so much fun. When my own team were planning a night of baking with homeware designer Ashley Thomas I made the decision to not only help set up the event, but also to don an apron and get my hands dirty (after washing them first, of course!).

Degustabox: August

I love getting my monthly Degustabox*. It’s such a little treat to get post and not know what’s inside, as opposed to the unpleasant surprises bills can bring or another coupon for a dodgy local pizza place. August’s theme was ‘back to school’, with the box being full of products you can prep or pack for your lunch box. I try and take breakfast and lunch to work with me as many days as possible, so these were some great additions that I hadn’t previously thought of.

[Lifestyle] BBC Good Food Show 2014

The BBC Good Food Show is a foodie's dream. Floor to ceiling, wall to wall, the place is stuffed with stalls selling and sampling the widest variety of delicious things. I didn't go along with the intention of buying anything, but it's amazing what a breakfast of cheese and gin samples can do to a girl's willpower.

And oh my there was a lot of cheese. A couple of my favourites were the Snowdonia Cheese Company's Amber Mist, a mature cheddar made with whisky, and the Them Krystal six month mature from Danish company Jutland Highland Cheese. Just as I did at Wapping Market, I was pulled into the stand selling a range of obscure herbs and spices. The habanero chillies I bought there have gone down very well in my flat, so this time around I bought Naga Ghost Chillies. Dizzy on the excitement I stupidly tried one tiny spot of Juju sauce from Mushemi Fire. Good God. It is a heat that builds until my nose ran, my eyes were watering and I was unwittingly producing an abnormal amount of saliva. And I can't emphasise this enough, it was literally ONE tiny drop on a strip of flour tortilla. Thankfully there was a delicious apple juice sample next door to help me recover a bit quicker!

Speaking of drinks, there were some cracking choices to be had. I've seen Belvoir cordials before, but the apple, plum and cinnamon variety was served up with hot water instead and was amazing. I snapped up a bottle all ready for cold Winter evenings when I don't want all the sugar in a hot chocolate or the caffeine in a cup of tea. I also tried Rebel Kitchen's dairy free chocolate milks, which I've actually had before. Made with coconut milk and flavoured with cocoa, matcha green tea or chai, they are a great adult lunch box alternative, but they're not quite a tasty as a regular milkshake; my friends loved them though - I think it's because I don't like coconut.

On the upper floor of Olympia centre there were a lot of booze brands, including London's first winery, London Cru and some gorgeous packaging on numerous bottles. It was also packed with sweets and chocolates and cakes, but the stall that excited me the most was Spice Drops. This company creates concentrated extracts of spices from the real product, taking actual flavour not just creating an essence. I was intrigued and tried a few, sniffed many, and bought two: saffron and nutmeg. I'll report back here when I've used them.

The pièce de résistance though was a live cooking demonstration with the Great British Bake Off legends Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. When there was an opportunity to get up on stage with them I practically pimped out my friend to get a chance, but to no avail. It was really exciting to see them in person though, and their chemistry together on stage was great. Lots of taking the mick out of each other and lots of great tips on how to get a great bake. Paul Hollywood even went into detail about why they picked Nancy as this year's winner as he's clearly been on the negative end of the whole 'Richard should have won' camp.

All filled up on samples, star struck by my favourite TV chefs and lugging bags full of my own lack of willpower, I left the Show a very happy foodie indeed!

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[Food] What I've Been Cooking #2

This round of What I've Been Cooking includes a few new recipes, plus some experimental and safe baking. You'll see from this that my savoury cooking generally tries to go down a much more healthy route, unlike the sweet stuff! I live with two 27 year old men, and their idea of a hearty meal generally means meat and carbs, so I treat myself to better-for-me meals when they're not around and try to make the meals we do share as full of veggies as possible! I've recently given up a lot of carbs (which I'll be writing about soon) and I'm on a bit of a health kick so I'll be updating you all on that soon. Until then, let's have a little looksy at some proper food!

Strawberry and Mascarpone Swiss Roll

I've never made a swiss roll before as it's a pretty daunting task. I assumed it would basically just fall apart on my first go because that's what happens to amateurs who get ideas above their station. BUT somehow, miraculously, it stayed together! The sponge was probably a bit too spongy as it tore a little as it came off the baking paper, and I definitely played it too safe with the filling (a Swiss Roll demands the filling to spill over, really). Ultimately though, it held together, there's a decent roll within it and it tasted good, so all is well!!

I followed Lorraine Pascale's Strawberry and Mascarpone Swiss Roll recipe here.

Banoffee Pie

When I lived with AJ this was a staple favourite of ours, but I have to admit that she was always the one that made it and I just happily stuffed my face. It really is the simplest of desserts so if you're planning a dinner party and you want something quick and easy to whip up for afters, this can't fail. You can of course go the long way around and make the caramel, but I just buy the Carnation tinned variety which in my opinion tastes just as good as takes a tiny portion of the time to prepare. 

I followed the Quick Banoffee Pie recipe on the side of the Carnation Caramel tin here.

Shakshouka

Shakshouka is a Turkish dish made up of a thick tomato sauce and topped with eggs. I had it for breakfast at a little cafe in Hackney a few months ago and have been searching for a good recipe for it every since (not knowing the correct name for it made this a bit of a challenge!). The recipe I found said to poach the eggs within the sauce, but I didn't pay attention and started cooking it in a saucepan instead of a frying pan, meaning I didn't have the surface area for this. Instead I poached my egg separately, plonked it on the top and ate it with some toasted carrot and coriander bread from Cranks. A perfect brunch recipe!

I followed this Shakshouka recipe from the blog White On Rice Couple.

Moroccan Meatball Tagine

This was a bloody good find. Tucked within a little recipe book I have called 100 Healthy Meals, it was super simple to make and really delicious. There was a nice mix of veggies in there including courgettes and peas, plus meatballs made by own fair hands - basically it's shop bought mince mixed with onions, garlic and a little flour, then fried off and added to the tagine. Once the lid was on the dish it bubbled away nicely for a while and I then served it up on a some cous cous I'd made with vegetable stock and a shaking of turmeric and cumin to flavour it up a bit. This is fast becoming a flat favourite.

A similar recipe for Moroccan Meatball Tagine can be found here, and the book I used can be bought here.

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[Food] A Mexican Feast From the Wahaca Recipe Book

It's not very often that I get to make an extravagant three course meal. I mean, you need good reason to splash out like that, and hours in the kitchen is only worth it if you have people coming over who will really appreciate the hard work you put in. I couldn't have asked for better guinea pigs than the lovely Pink Julep and her fabulous husband! I got the Wahaca cookbook a couple of birthdays ago and I've only made a handful of things in there as most of the recipes require either a lot of prep time or some hard-to-find ingredients.

This time I made a starter and main from the book, and a dessert I found on one of my favourite food blogs, The Pink Whisk. On the menu was:

- Slow Baked Feta and Tortilla Chips
- Mexican Cheese Fondue with Chorizo (Queso Fundido)
- Pork Pibil, Pink Pickled Onions and Mexican Green Rice
- Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Tart

The slow baked feta was super simple, and just required some fresh oregano and thyme sprinkled over the feta, with some chilli for heat and olive oil to help the melting process. I put it in a small Le Crueset casserole dish and had it out of the oven as our guests arrived, ready for dipping with tortilla chips, sour cream and guacamole. I completely forgot to take a photo of this, but rest assured, it was delicious.

I have actually made the Mexican Cheese Fondue before. Like everything I made that evening, it was a case of plonking the dish in the middle of the table and letting everyone help themselves. I warmed some flour tortillas for dipping purposes and we dug in! I had the supermarket thinly slice the chorizo for me, but actually, I'd recommend cutting it into bigger chunks for easier sharing.

The pork pibil took a lot of advance preparing. I had to hunt down achiote paste which I'd never heard of before, but managed to find it in the little Wahaca owned store next to their Charlotte St branch. It's a great find for some lesser known Mexican ingredients, so I'll be popping back soon! The recipe called for pork neck, but as Waitrose didn't have any, I settled for pork belly and I don't think it made a huge amount of difference. I marinaded it over night and then it was slow cooked in the oven for five hours. I may have gone a little overboard with the habenero chillies but luckily there was plenty of wine to cool us down!

The Mexican green rice was a delicious side and super easy to make. It's essentially blended spinach and coriander, and even better is that you can make it in advance as it has to cook in the oven for a while too. I like to have as much made in advance as possible when making a big meal, so this was ideal and made me slightly less panicky! The pink pickled onions were basic too, and again I just left them to marinade in the fridge for a few hours to get them really tart and crunchy.

Finally, the dark chocolate and raspberry tart was so, so tasty. I had a bit of falling out with my pastry so it was a bit more crumbly than I'd like, but it held together just fine luckily. The filling was essentially a ganache, make with dark chocolate, cream and golden syrup, and raspberries chucked in to the mixture. No gelatine needed to hold it together, and no baking. In fact, it set in a couple of hours which was a big relief. I took the leftovers in to the office on the Monday and it was demolished in seconds so I think it might have tasted OK!

I'll definitely be making things from the Wahaca cookbook again, and especially the pork pibil which is really easy for a large group of people. Now I've conquered Mexican the next on my list is dim sum! I've spotted a few cookery classes that specialise in it and I'm desperate to give them a go so watch this space!

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The Cake and Bake Show

I'm wearing:
Leather jacket - Zara
T-shirt - T by Alexander Wang (on sale in the Coggles Outlet here)
Jeans - J Brand (amazing bargain in TK Maxx)
Plimsolls - Office

Like most of the country, I've been gripped by Bake Off fever. Every year it rolls around and every year I watch avidly, take notes, and update Pinterest boards. I love to bake and have tried to expand my repetoire from the standard Viccy Sponge for a while now, often imposing my experiments on my willing colleagues. I need to improve on pastry, and I've never given bread a go, but I'm damn keen and will keep practicing.

The Cake and Bake Show at Earl's Court is a baker's dream. Full of food stalls, free samples and demonstration kitchens, it's ideal for amateur and professional bakers alike to wander around and get inspired.

There were, of course, examples of truly mind-blowing edible works of art. Cakes to make your jaw drop from the intricacies and accurate creations made from flour and sugar, including a terrifying portrayal of Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. My favourite was the Lego cake - something I'd love to have a go at in the future, although I imagine it takes a lot more patience then I'd ever have. Decorating a cake is always the biggest challenge for me as I am not artistic at all. I can bake something that tastes good, but it might not look appealing on the plate!

As we walked around the stalls it was extremely hard not to buy everything I found. Do I really need something that makes my icing look like fine lace? Is it essential that I buy those Christmas cupcake cases? Luckily, good sense prevailed, but I did still get some great bargains including Blackforest flavoured icing sugar from Sugar and Crumbs (and I'll be buying some of their Salted Caramel flavour online too), a selection of natural flavourings from Neilsen-Massey, and two incredible knives. I know the latter sounds thoroughly boring, but I tried the Magic Knife out at their stand and was so impressed that I snapped up their two-for-£30 deal. I'm gradually replacing my kitchenware with higher quality products (next on my list: saucepans!), so this was the first step, and my boyfriend has been singing their praises every mealtime since. 

The most exciting part of the day though was spotting contestants from this series of The Great British Bake Off. I literally yelped and ran when I saw Iain and Richard; my two favourites. They were bombarded with fans so I didn't get to have a photo with them, but it was really fun just to see them. 

I'm normally skeptical of these types of events as I worried that it would be too much of a trade show for professional bakers. But this was much more fun and laid back, even though it was extremely busy. For a wannabe Lorraine Pascale like me, it was a lot of fun. We got our tickets from Wowcher for only £7 each, so it goes to show that searching around for a bargain is totally worth the effort!

Life: January 2014

One month in already! Isn't January the longest month in the whole year? Six weeks from payday, miserable weather, everyone detoxing; it's essentially a 31 day countdown to February. I didn't get up to much this month, but believe me I have some big plans coming up this year and I need to keep this blog going to record it. Watch this space!

T-R: It took 24 hours and a lot of elbow grease but my apple and cinnamon rolls actually turned out really well! You can find the recipe on my Pinterest board here
T-L: This month I joined my colleagues to volunteer at a homeless shelter and it was extremely eye-opening. I heavily encourage everyone to help out at their local shelter
B-R: I've fallen in love with a sofa. It's 'only' £10,000, would you like to buy it for me?!
B-L: My mum's tea treats are awesome. Homemade fudge and chocolate chip cookies, banana, honey and pecan bread, and rock cakes

T-L: Delicious salt beef bagel from Nana Fanny's in Borough Market
T-R: I finished all of Gossip Girl on Netflix. My new aim in life is to be Blair Waldorf
B-L: Dinner in one place and dessert in another - a habit I've got into with my wonderful friend Claire
B-R: Ultrabalm from Lush is the best thing for sore noses that have been spending too much time in tissues

Life: March 2013

Celebrating a nearly hitched colleague with drinks in Camden
Blackberry & apple crumble souffle at Hakkasan
My favourite song lyric
Damon Albarn's new band Electric Wave Orchestra with the star of Broken, Eloise Laurence, at the Broken UK premiere

My rainbow cake for the work baking competition
Getting my hair done
The Mother's Day card I got for my mum
An edible butterfly on my cocktail at Mash

The amazing beef ribs, pulled pork, bone marrow mash and sourdough bread at Pitt Cue Co
The best Soup of the Day I've ever seen
A yeoman at the Tower of London
The Cookie Monster cupcakes I made for a colleague

Tatty Devine and Making Gingerbread

A week today until Christmas! Our tree is up, the Spotify playlist is made, and a whole heap of baking has been going on in our little North London abode. I've never made gingerbread before (I don't actually like it!), but I wanted to make something Christmassy for my colleagues and this seemed the simplest option. It was pretty easy to make, once I re-started after forgetting to put sugar in the first batch that is! I used a really simple gingerbread recipe from BBC Good Food, recommended if you're a first timer like me.

Necklace: Tatty Devine
Cardigan: Vintage
Tshirt: Topshop £16

I'm verging on obsessed with my new Tatty Devine purchases, all of which will feature on here soon I'm sure. But this necklace is my favourite, I've been wearing it with everything. I can't believe I managed to get it for £10 at Clothes Show Live - what a bargain!