Monday 29 February 2016

Lemon, Polenta and Almond Cookies





Hello my lovelies and a Happy Leap Year Day to you all! It's strange when ever I think of it to be a leap year the first thing that pops into my head is the fact that the Olympics will be running this year. I personally love watching the Olympics it seems to take over my life in the summer. It's the only type of sport I enjoy watching other then Wimbledon.

Ramble aside I have a new recipe for you all today. Recently it has started to feel a little more Spring like. Hallelujah. The spring bulbs are thriving and are full of colour and hope. I don't know why but I thing of lemons to be a spring like ingredient. Maybe because they are bright, colourful and refreshing. I love polenta cake and I recently saw a recipe combining lemon, polenta and almonds which are some of my favourite ingredients so I thought why not try a twist on the staple cake and try turning it into a cookie.

These cookies are really quick and easy to make and they also taste really light and refreshing. They have that staple cookie characteristic of a crisp edge and a lovely gooey centre. These are great to have in the biscuit tin and something that all of the family could enjoy baking together.

Ingredients - makes 18

75g polenta
25g rice flour
25g ground almonds
1/2 tsp baking powder
75g icing sugar
50g butter
1 egg yolk
grated rind of one lemon
25g flaked almonds

Method

1) Add the polenta, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and icing sugar into a large bowl

2) Cube the butter into small pieces and add to the large bowl. Rub the ingredients together in between your fingertips gently to form fine breadcrumbs

3) Add a beaten egg yolk and lemon rind to the bowl. Combine the ingredients together using your hands to form a dough

4) Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes

5) Preheat your oven to 180°C/ 160°Fan and grease and line two baking trays

6) Roll out your biscuit dough on a lightly floured surface and use a cookie cutter to cut out your biscuits. These could be any shape and size you like but I went for a traditional round cutter

7) Top your cookies with flaked almonds and bake in the oven for 8 minutes

8) Once golden and crisp remove the cookies from the oven and allow to crisp on the baking trays for 5 minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire wrack to cool completely

I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy baking recipe my lovelies. Let me know in the comments if you chose to give these a try. These could be a great biscuit to have in the house for Mother's Day if you feel inspired to bake.

XXX

Monday 15 February 2016

Valentines Day Vanilla Cupcakes




Good morning my lovelies, I hope you are all embracing that Monday morning feeling and the caffeine intakes are being topped up. As I'm sure you all know yesterday was Valentine's Day so I thought I would make some Valentines inspired cupcakes. Yet again any excuse to bake. I chose to bake vanilla cupcakes which I then coloured either pink or red. These are then topped with a vanilla buttercream and pink sugar sprinkles. I just think that these are a bit of fun and that they look really cute. They also taste really yummy which is an added bonus.

Ingredients - makes 12

110g unsalted butter
110g caster sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
110g self-raising flour
red food colouring
pink food colouring

Buttercream:
140g unsalted butter
280g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
pink sprinkles


Method

1) Preheat your oven to 180°C/ 160°Fan/ Gas mark 4 and line a muffin tin with cupcake paper cases. I used a combination of red and pink for Valentines Day (pink for the pink cupcakes and red for the red cupcakes)

2) Cream the butter and sugar together until light, pale and fluffy

3) Gradually beat in the eggs and stir in the vanilla extract

4) Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon

5) Divide the cake mixture in half amongst two separate bowls

6) In one bowl stir in red food colouring to the mixture and pink into the other bowl. These can be as bright or pale as you like it's just a bit of fun for Valentines Day

7) I then poured my pink mixture into the pink cases and the red mixture into the red cases

8) Bake the cupcakes in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the centre of the cupcakes. The top of the cake should feel springy when you lightly press on top of the cakes

9) Allow the cakes to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely

10) For the buttercream icing, beat your butter and vanilla extract together

11) Sift in the icing sugar in stages and beat this into the butter, you may find you need to add a splash of water if the mixture is too firm

I find that icing is quite a personal preference. I really don't like overly buttery icing, I prefer buttercream with a greater sugar to butter ratio. The sugar gives the icing that added sweetness and you then don't have the buttery taste or yellow colour that I don't like. I didn't actually use this recipe for the buttercream. I used the same method although the quantities and ratios of each ingredient will have varied. For me the icing is a bit of trial and error. I started off with a really small amount of butter maybe around 25g. I then gradually beated in more and more icing sugar along with splashes of water until I had made enough icing. If you are a bit unsure on icing I included the quantities above as a rough guide to making a buttercream. 

12) Once the cakes are completely cool you can pipe the icing onto the cakes using a piping bag and nozzle. I then decorated the cupcakes with some pretty pink sprinkles but you can be really creative with your decorations

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post my lovelies. I know Valentine's Day is now over for another year but you could make these all year round. You don't even have to colour the sponges. You could use this as a standard vanilla cupcake recipe which I have a strong belief that a good vanilla cupcake recipe should be a staple in every household. I hope you enjoy the rest of your days my lovelies.

XXX

Saturday 13 February 2016

Creme Egg Brownies








Good evening my lovelies and a big fat mahoosive Happy Saturday and weekend to you all. I know it's only February and it's actually closer to Valentines Day and Mother's Day then Easter but I couldn't resist this one. The shops are starting to get choco-bloc with Easter treats and goodies and seeing the return of the classic Creme Egg I thought some baking was in order. Yesterday I visited a friend from school who is at University near by. Knowing that she loves Creme Eggs I thought this would be the perfect thing to bake for her. Any excuse to bake. I have seen so many pictures of these and I have always wanted to try baking these myself. Even though Cadbury's is my favourite type of chocolate I don't really like Creme Eggs I find them a bit too sickly with the fondant. Saying that I adore the caramel versions so I might have to try this recipe using caramel eggs instead. Caramel is incredibly sweet so there is absolutely no logic in what I have just said but there you go.

These brownies were so quick and easy to bake and the house smelt incredible. Full of chocolaty yummy goodness. I love how these brownies get that classic chocolate crack on top. They have a thin crisp layer on and they are really gooey and squidgy inside. The perfect brownie in my eyes. If you love chocolate, love cake, love creme eggs and love Easter then these are the perfect creation to bake. Not only that they are really fun so I would highly recommend that you give these ago.

Ingredients- makes 12

185g unsalted butter
185g dark chocolate
85g plain flour
40g cocoa powder
3 eggs
275g golden caster sugar 
6 Creme Eggs 

Method

1) Preheat your oven to 180°C/ 160°Fan/ Gas mark 4 and grease a 20 cm square baking tin. At this stage you want to place your creme eggs in the fridge

2) Melt the butter and chocolate together, I did this by placing the ingredients in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water but you could also do this in the microwave

3) Once melted set to the side to cool

4) In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until you have a light mouse like consistency . The mixture should look pale and have almost doubled in size

5) Fold in your sugar and egg mixture into the chocolate bowl using a metal spoon. First beat in a small amount to slacken the mixture before folding in the remaining mixture

6) Sift in the flour and cocoa powder and fold into the mixture, again using a metal spoon

7) Pour the brownie mixture into your tin and bake for 30 minutes

8) Whilst baking you want to cut your creme eggs in half using a sharp knife. Lay the eggs flat on a plate and return to the fridge so they don't ooze out. The eggs will retain their filling and 'egg like' appearance

9) After the brownies have had their first bake press the creme eggs into the brownie mixture spacing the creme eggs evenly. Return your brownies to the oven for a further 5 minutes

10) Once baked allow the brownies to completely cool in the tin

I hope you enjoyed this recipe post my lovelies. Let me know in the comments if you chose to give these ago. I also want to try creme egg cupcakes but I wasn't sure how well these would travel on a train. Brownies seemed a safer bet. I think these will now become a staple of mine and I am planning on baking these again next week for another friend so they are in high demand. You could also try making these for Halloween using the scream egg versions that Cadbury's release. These are exactly the same yet green inside and would look really effective and spooky with the green fondant oozing out.

XXX

Monday 8 February 2016

Apricot, Ginger And Cashew Energy Balls




Good morning my lovelies. How are you all? I hope the Monday morning caffeine intake is being topped up as we speak. Today I have another healthy recipe for you all for some delicious and nutritious snacks. I got this recipe from Jamie Oliver's Everyday Super Food recipe book; I tried these yesterday with my Mum and we both loved them so I thought I would share them with you all. These are super healthy and good for you yet very delicious. Perfect for little snacks to keep you going. Think Naked Bars and Bounce Balls. Nutritious and Delicious. There are loads and loads of recipes for energy balls available in recipe books and online; the amount of different flavour combinations that you could try is endless. Once you have a basic recipe you can tweak it however you like whether thats using different nuts or flavours. These are so quick and easy to make and no baking or chilling is involved.

Ingredients - makes 12

100g unsalted cashew nuts
20g sesame seeds
80g dried apricots
20g puffed brown rice
a 4cm piece of ginger
1/2 tsp of mixed spice
2 tbsp honey

Method

1) Toast the cashew nuts in a saucepan over a medium heat string occasionally to stop the nuts from burning. Once the nuts are starting to appear golden add in the sesame seeds as these will toast faster. When golden tip the nuts and seeds onto a plate to cool

2) Blitz 40g of the toasted cashew nuts to a fine powder in a food processor and pour onto a plate to use as a dusting and coating at the final stage

3) Then blitz the sesame seeds, apricots, puffed brown rice and remaining cashew nuts in the food processor until finely chopped. Next time i make these I might try incorporating the puffed brown rice by hand rather then blitzing for a bit of crunch but it is totally up to you at this stage

4) Peel and finely grate your ginger into the mixture alongside the mixed spice and quickly mix so that both ingredients are incorporated

5) Add the honey and blitz for 1 - 2 minutes so that all of the ingredients are combined together

6) Divide your mixture into 12 balls and roll each ball in your cashew dust

You can store these little gems in an airtight container for up to two weeks if you can somehow find a way to make them last that long.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe my lovelies and let me know how you get on with these if you try making these. I would also love to know any of your own recipes for making energy balls and snacks similar to these. Enjoy the rest of your day.

XXX


Wednesday 3 February 2016

Homemade Nut Butters



Good morning my lovelies, I have a new recipe for you all today yet shock horror it's not an indulgent sweet treat. Instead it's something from the God's that is super healthy and very delicious. What more could you ask for? I'm really into healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle, of course including the occasional sweet treat or two. However, I am a firm believer of you are what you eat.

Ever since I was a little girl I have always loved peanut butter. We always used to buy the traditional one from the supermarket when doing the weekly food shop that has quite a solid and creamy texture. Last year me and my Mum discovered a new variety of nut butters from the brand Meridan. They have a huge variety of different butters to try including peanut, almond, hazelnut, cashew and even pumpkin seed butter. There are many more which also vary in texture as you can get some that are smooth or some that are crunchy. The thing that I like about this brand is that their butters are 100% nuts although some include the occasional pinch of salt but I think we can let them off that one. The ones that we were so use to buying contained palm oil. I'm not sure what palm oil is but I think it gives the firmer butters the more solid consistency that can sometimes stick to the top of your mouth and leave you with a funny after taste. In contrast these butters are much smoother and have no strange after taste in them. What is good to know is that they are 100% nuts.

To cut a very long and rambling story about peanut butter short; me and my Mum thought well if they are 100% nuts surely we can make our own.

Any excuse to bake or cook for me is a winner. I did a bit of research and cracked out our Jamie Oliver and Deliciously Ella recipe books who both include recipes on making your own nut butters. As well as being more cost effective as it's cheaper to buy a bag of nuts as supposed to a glass jar of the nut butter; it is a lot more rewarding and enjoyable making the butter taste that even bit more delicious. It is so quick and easy to make and it also leaves the house smelling incredible. I would definitely recommend at least trying it once as you will definitely be converted.

Ingredients:

Nuts

Simple, all you need is a packet of nuts. These could be any type and any quantity. You could even use a combination of different types. For my first attempt I made brazil nut butter. I found that 200g of nuts fills an empty Meridan glass jar.

Method

1) Pre-heat your oven to 200°C/ 180°Fan

You don't have to roast the nuts but I think it helps to release the oils for the butter. Not only that it gives the nuts a gorgeous golden colour and will therefore give some colour to your butter. It also leaves the house smelling amazing and homely. We toast seeds every Sunday to use throughout the week so the smell of toasted nuts and seeds smells like home to me; very comforting. 

2) Lay your nuts out flat on a baking tray and roast for 5-10 minutes until golden and brown. The smaller the variety of nut that you use the quicker this will be

3) Once golden remove the nuts from the oven and leave to cool down for 5-10 minutes


4) Place the nuts in a blender and give them a good blitz. You will see the nuts go from course to crumbs and then into a smooth butter paste. Once you have your desired consistency, add the butter to a glass jar.

There are so many different options that you can have with your butters. You could go for a smooth or a textured butter. For a textured butter you could add half of you nuts and blend to a smooth butter and then add the second half only blending until coarse. Alternatively you could add all the nuts at once and stop blending as soon as it goes from crumbs to a butter leaving you with a more solid texture. If you wanted to make a Healthy alternative to chocolate spread you could add a couple of teaspoons of cacao powder to your roasted hazelnuts when blitzing. The list of possibilities is endless.

Nut butters are delicious and healthy and there are so many varieties that you can make with so many uses. My current obsession is having nut butter inside a warm toasted wholemeal pitta bread. Once toasted you get a pocket of steam that just melts the butter it is incredible. You could also enjoy your nut butter on toast, in a sandwich, on top of a crumpet or waffle, on top of an oat cake or spread on top of fruit such as apples or pears as a fruit and nut snack. Alternatively you could also do what I like to do and curl up in your pyjamas on the sofa and eat the butter out of the jar with a spoon, what a perfect evening.

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post my lovelies and that you give this a try. It is so quick and easy I hope I am able to convert at least one of you into trying these. Nuts are so delicious but they're also incredibly good for you. They are good for your hair, skin and nails and general well being. I have seeds and nuts every single day and I wouldn't be without them. I hope you have a good day my lovelies.

XXX

Monday 1 February 2016

January Favourites 2016



2016! I cannot believe I just typed 2016. Hello my lovelies and welcome to the first monthly favourites post for 2016. There have been quite a few products that I have loved using this month so it was quite hard to narrow down my favourites to just five. I have been lucky enough to try lot's of new products this month after Christmas so just watch this space as I'm sure you will see them again in future monthly favourites posts.

Snowcake Soap By Lush 
If you have been following my blog for a while now then you will know that I have my own personal yearly tradition where I pretty much buy the entire Lush Christmas range. You can see my latest Lush haul blog post by clicking here from last Christmas. I go way OTT on the bath bombs, bubble bars, bath melts and shower gels and creams. It may seem extravagant but this batch will last me over a year and so if you space it out it really isn't that much. It also means that the bathroom always smells incredible and has a slight glitter tinge towards it.

Lush also produce really good soaps. They are fun, colourful and creative yet they are also really nice and creamy for your hands and they smell amazing. I wanted to add soaps to my Christmas purchase but whilst browsing through the shops and catalogues I realised that it would be a 'slippery soap' and I think there was all but one I wanted to try so I thought it would be best to save my money whilst I still had some left.

As one of my Christmas presents, Mum brought me the Snowcake soap which I was over the moon by. Snowcake shares the same luxurious marzipan and almond scent as the Snow Angel bath melt which is one of my favourite Lush Christmas products. It was the one soap that I was dying to try the most, she knows me so well. I would have included a picture of it but it is looking a little sorry for itself as I have used it so much and let's be honest we all know what a half used bar of soap looks like. What I will say is that it is the creamiest and most moisturising soap I have ever used. My hands always feel really soft and nourished after using it. As I mentioned it has a gorgeous scent which you can still smell on your hands a long time after using it; sweet almond marzipan is my all time favourite Lush scent ever created, thank you Lush. The soap is a beautiful white and creamy colour with specks of glitter yet your hands aren't left covered in glitter. The top of the soap was also dusted in beautiful gold glitter. It definitely feels like a luxurious product to me. Unfortunately for my bank account now I have been introduced to the world of Lush soaps I may have to add these to my Lush Christmas spend.

Fix It Shampoo and Conditioner By Lee Stafford
I'm a sucker for trying new products. Trying new hair care products can usually be a bit hit and miss. Usually I find that they are just okay or the formula doesn't suit my hair. I find it quite rare to find a really good one. Last year I discovered the Garnier Ultimate Blends collection which I have been obsessed with. In particular I would say my favourites were the Sleek and Strength repairers. Whilst shopping at the start of January I saw the Lee Stafford brand of hair products that I was drawn to. Maybe it was the pink bottles who knows. I hadn't seen his own collection of products before and seeing as he is a London stylist I thought they should be pretty good. Feeling spontaneous I had a cheeky splurge and mixed up my hair routine. Crazy I know.

I have been using these throughout January and I absolutely love them. I opted for the Fix It range which aims to fix, build and repair damaged, over-processed and breaking hair. Hair care is very important to me and seeing as I straighten my hair I want to look after my hair as best I can. Whether any long term improvements will occur I don't know yet but my hair is a lot shinier and it feels full bodied with greater volume and a lot softer. I think it just looks healthier after using these products. It certainly feels healthier that's for sure. The shampoo and conditioners are packed full of vitamins A and E which can  only be doing goodness to your hair. I love the quote on the back that says "have fun, look wicked and smell beautiful". I don't know how to describe the scent of these but they do smell really good I want to say slightly floral with a hint of caramel which let's be honest just sounds weird. I've also noticed the scent lasts in my hair which I find doesn't usually happen with other shampoos. I'm so glad I discovered the brand. I definitely want to go back and admire the full collection to see what other goodies I can discover.

MUA Eyeshadow Palette 
I received this palette in my last Glossybox and I have been obsessed ever since. Eyeshadow palettes are my current weakness and I sure was treated to some beauties over Christmas which I am obsessed with and enjoying using. I love combining different combinations for different looks. If you are new to make-up then the MUA eyeshadows are perfect. You could get one palette and be good to go with 12 gorgeous shades. They are really pigmented, creamy and blend-able yet they are also really cheap and affordable. The palette that I own is called Undressed and I find that I turn to it most week days especially if I'm rushing for work as I know I can rely on it. It is a gorgeous neutral palette and perfect for everyday use. The shades that I have recently been enjoying the most are: Puff (warm toned highlighter), Rose Ash (pale and shimmery rose gold pink shade that brightens your eyes) and Hazel (matte rich chocolate brown that is perfect for contouring in the outer corner of your eye). I have also loved using the golds and browns yet I have just found myself using the above three as a regular combination. This palette would also be perfect for travelling as it is nice and compact with endless possibilities.

Grandest Grape Chubby Stick By Clinique 
Now tell me this, who can say they don't love a lip crayon. I was absolutely obsessed with lip crayons back in 2014. I brought loads from different brands of similar colours yet I have and still do use all of them. This Christmas I was lucky enough to receive the Clinique chubby stick gift set. If you are interested you can read a full blog post on the gift set by clicking here. I can now proudly say that I am the owner of not one but four Clinique Chubby Sticks which are the Queen Bee's of all lip crayons and where all the hype began. My current favourite and the one that I have loved using over January is Grandest Grape. This appears to be a purple lipstick however it appears as a gorgeous dark berry shade on the lips that I adore. Berry lip colours are perfect for Autumn/Winter. Seeing as I naturally have red lips I always tend to wear berry shades all year round as nudes and pale pinks and peaches don't suit me, they make me look ill. The chubby sticks are really pigmented and moisturising and they last a long time on the lips. They also look really glossy; they are the perfect handbag essential.

Watermelon Nail Polish By Barry M 
You all know how much I love Barry M nail polishes and in particular the Gelly range. To sum it up for you all yet again they are shinny, thick, glossy and they last a long time without chipping. There is a huge range of colours and shades available to choose from, perfect for every season and every occasion. The best thing about Barry M is that it is also so cheap and affordable so you can definitely justify a multi purchase spending spree. Last November and December I mainly stuck to red nail polish. In particular Blood Orange from the Gelly range. I think it's because I think of red nail polish as a festive colour and essential for the Christmas period. It is so versatile it goes with everything.

However, over January I branched out and mixed up my colours a bit. I brought back some old nail polishes that I have had for a few years that are classics and still firm favourites of mine. Watermelon being one of them of course. It has been freezing throughout January which has seen me whack out the warm, wooly cosy knitted jumpers - heaven! In particular I have been wearing a dark green one from H&M that just so happens to match Watermelon perfectly. I really like dark nail polishes for winter and this dark green shade is rich and luxurious. The thought of dark green nail polish wouldn't normally appeal to me but this one just works. I can't stop smiling when I look at my nails. This was from the original Gelly collection and one of the first that I ever brought, tried and tested. It is therefore very special to me.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post my lovelies. I don't know about you but I love a favourites post. It's nice to look back and reflect over the past month; what you did, loved and enjoyed. I would love to know in the comments what your favourite products have been over January. I hope your Mondays are all bearable and if in doubt, just think coffee.

XXX
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