a quick update...

...as you can probably tell i havent had much time to blog this last week or so. i have been at work since last tuesday and havent really done anything blog worthy.

some sad news though, which some of you may have heard about on the news if you live in somerset/bristol area.

the man who gave kindly gave me his camera collection a few weeks back sadly passed away last week. he was walking back to his boat with his wife and somehow they both ended up in the water at the harbour side. his wife managed to get out of the water but he was found the following day by the police diving team.

such a tragic accident and so very very sad.

i didn't really know Alan that well but dad went to school with him and his brother and i know he is very upset by it all.

its made me realise how quickly life can be taken away from you, but its also made me more determined to get on with my dreams and also get one of the camera's he gave me repaired to capture these amazing adventures.


more to come soon!


Alex

marshmallow mountain and pub fun...

....yesterday was the day i had to face my fear and take on the task of the mammoth marshmallow mountain chocolate cake!

because of the stress levels i didn't actually do the normal guide to making, instead i took a picture of the finished cake and i have to say i was quite pleased with it. it is in no way like the choccywoccydoodah cake but its not bad for a first attempt.

it's a chocolate mud pie cake with chocolate frosting, topped with marshmallows and covered in a white chocolate ganache.

after ruth and i made the delivery (which was probably the worst part as the cake itself would fit in none of my containers!), we decided to go out for dinner at one of the local pubs!

we decided to go to the captains cabin which is right on the sea up by the old pier in weston super mare. 

as we arrived the sun was low in the sky so i decided to snap a few photos before going inside. that little whale like island out at sea is Steep Holm...or Eamon Holm as we renamed it last night.  

we entered the pub and ordered a drink and quickly felt a bit on edge. it was extremely quiet at the bar and it was unusual for that pub, usually its full of merry pub goers.

we went through to the next room as we wanted to order food and we realised that we were actually the only 2 people there!

we ordered our food and sat there wondering if we had missed a health scare of something but when the food came all worries vanished! it was beautiful!

on a slightly different note i would like to introduce to you all my cousins new puppy, Buster! 
hes a little cockapoo and is 9 weeks old! i get to meet him next week and i'm really excited! hopefully his pressy will arrive before hand.

£600

+£300 Work Bonus

Total Saving

£900

Grown up cookies...NONE FOR YOU....

...these cookies are not for children! they are for adults only and if i was to find a child eating one i would snatch it and stuff it in my mouth quicker than you could yell NONE FOR YOU!

chocolate, chocolate, chocolate and Kirsch soaked cherries...yum!


the inspiration for these cookies came from Nigella Lawson's comfort cookies but i wanted to add a little something to them. i love an experiment!

you will need:


125g dark chocolate (70%)
150g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarb of soda
half tsp salt
125g softened unsalted butter
75g soft light brown sugar
50g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
350g chocolate chips (Dark, 70% or milk if you prefer)
hand full of kirsch cherries

start by placing the dark chocolate in a bowl and melting over a pan of water.

whilst the chocolate is melting cream together the butter and both kinds of sugar.

once the chocolate is melted add it to the butter and mix well.

add the vanilla extract and egg and mix again. sift the flour, cocoa, bicarb and salt into the mixture and beat until everything is incorporated.

this is where i wanted to add something extra. take a hand full of kirsch cherries and chop finely.

mix the cherries in well and get ready for more chocolate...

add the chocolate chips into the bowl and give it a really good mix, you will find that it seems like ALOT of chips (thats because there is alot!) but just make sure its all stuck together and it will be fine!

using an ice cream scoop and a palette knife form little mounds of cookie dough but DO NOT FLATTEN!
pop the tray into the fridge for 10-15 minutes to allow the dough to firm up slightly. this allows the cookies to retain some of their shape and stops them expanding to much in the oven.

whilst they are chilling preheat the oven to 170ºC or gas mark 3.

pop them in the oven for 18-20 minutes and when they come out they will look like heaven in cookie form! 

the smell of them fresh from the oven was to much to resist so i had one straight away! i think i am in love!

if i was to make these again i think i would reduce the chocolate chips by half and replace with more cherries and they seemed to get lost in all the chocolate.

i would also recommending leaving them over night before cracking into them as the chocolate seems to mellow slightly, they can be a bit bitter when first baked.

cake mountain and a farewell...

after a lovely week off work i decided i had better show my face...
i had enjoyed my time off so much that i actually felt quite sick at the thought of returning but it had to be done. so after pulling myself out of bed and getting myself ready i made the journey in.
it wasn't as bad as i had been expecting and it was nice to see the familiar faces, that and the fact i knew it was only a day before my next day off haha.
when i arrived home i had received a private message from a friend asking me if i could make a cake for her sons first birthday next week. the cake is obviously aimed for the guests of the party rather than the baby.

they asked me to make something they had seen on the choccywoccydoodah website. It's basically a chocolate cake bathed in chocolate topped with marshmallows and even more chocolate.. at first i wasn't sure i could do it...but then i thought heck! i can try!


Deans funeral was today, i went with some other work colleagues and it was a lovely service. there were no hymns but lots of his favourite songs including Barcelona by Freddie Mercury.


RIP Dean
x

a tasty treat: cinnamon butter...

so as i may have already mentioned i visited bath for the day on Thursday. rather than doing the normal thing and going to Sally Lunn's for breakfast i decided to get a couple of buns to go and have them as a treat over the bank holiday weekend.

 

one box contains one beautiful bath bun and let me tell you, they are amazing!

in the restaurant they serve them with a variety of thing including: chocolate spread, cinnamon butter and even scrambled eggs!

my personal favourite has to be the cinnamon butter bun, it's sweet, inviting and is served with a slice of orange! beautiful!

as i am having these as a treat at home i decided to make my own cinnamon butter. most recipes i found require you to chill the butter back down after making it but i wanted a quick fix!

you will need:

butter (unsalted)

caster sugar

ground cinnamon

you will notice i haven't put any quantities, this is because it really depends on how much you want to make, how sweet you like it and how much you like cinnamon.

start by placing some soft unsalted butter into a bowl or jug (if like me this was a last minute thing, microwave the butter for 30 seconds)

give the butter a mix and then add a good sprinkling of cinnamon.

next add a sprinkling of caster sugar and then give it a good old mix.

and there you have it! no need to chill it down before using it, but of course if you have left overs pop it in the fridge.

i spread a generous amount on each half of my slightly warmed buns (cheeky!) and to give the butter a chance to melt i took my blow torch to it.

and there you have it! glouriously gooey and incredibly tasty. sadly i couldn't add the slice of orange as i used it all in a pitcher of pimms last night!

 

Kung Po chicken and egg fried rice...

so today i set myself a mission to cook a meal for the family. after watching Ching-he Huang's Chinese food made easy i decided to be adventurous and make something from scratch rather than getting a takeaway.
i ended up making Kung Po chicken with egg fried rice and ohhhhhhhh my gosh it was good! i don't think i will ever have another takeaway after making it.
most cooking program's make it look really easy and then it turns out to be quite difficult. this however was simple and so easy to do!

you will need:

4 chicken thighs, cut into ½-inch slices
Salt and ground white pepper
1 tbsp of corn flour
1 tbsp of Ground nut oil
2 tbsps of Sichuan peppercorns
4 dried red chilies or 2 tsp of chilli flakes
1 tbsp of Shaohsing rice wine or dry sherry
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
2 spring onions, chopped into 1-inch lengths
Handful of dry-roasted cashews

for the sauce:

7 tbsps of cold vegetable stock
1 tbsp of light soy sauce
1 tbsp of tomato ketchup
1 tbsp of Chinkiang black rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp of hoisin sauce
1 tsp of chili sauce
1 tbsp of corn flour

start by cutting the chicken into small strips and place in a bowl along with a pinch of salt and white pepper. mix that in my hand and then add one tbsp of cornflour, this allows the chicken to remain juicy..i was a bit unsure at first but it really works!

place your wok on a high heat and allow it to get really hot, mine is a non stick tefal which has a heat spot in the centre showing you when it's ready to cook. once it's hot put the groundnut oil into the wok. once the oil starts smoking throw in the chilli flakes/dried chillis and the Sichuan peppercorns. to stop these from burning quickly toss them in the oil.

after a few seconds throw in the chicken and stir fry for 2 minutes.

once the chicken loses its raw pinkness add the rice wine and stir fry for another 2 minutes.

now add the "sauce" and bring to the boil.

once boiling add the red peppers and stir fry for another 2 minutes.

next add the spring onions and stir fry for another minute.

finally throw in a hand full of dry roasted peanuts and give it a good stir.

now for the rice.


you will need:
1 tbsp ground nut oil
500g jasmin rice (cooked, drained and cooled completely)
3 eggs
2 spring onions
light soy sauce
A little sesame seed oil

heat up the ground nut oil and allow it to smoke then add the eggs. allow it to sit still for a few seconds and then stir it to scramble.

then add the rice, it may be a tad stuck together but the heat will help loosen it back up. add the onions and stir fry for a few more minutes. add some light soy sauce and a touch of sesame oil and give it a good stir.

and there you have it, Kung Po chicken with egg fried rice...
i for one will never eat Chinese take away again!


and to make today even more exciting, the creator of this amazing recipe retweeted my picture and started following me! A massive thank you to Ching-he Huang for this.

Summer is coming...

...so i finally found an iPad app for blogger that allows me to change type faces and add pictures without having a fit and crashing! really happy now so i'm sat on a comfy chair outside in the sun blogging! good times!

i love this time of year, just before it becomes unbearably hot we get a period where we can happily potter around the garden or lie in the sun without sweating enough to fill a paddling pool.

 

even Ringo decided it was a good time to become a tiger and lounge about! he chose a good spot as well..allows me to show off my herbs! they are still alive!

 

another reason for loving this weather is that it's a great time to get the sunglasses out. over the years whilst at college and university i wasted a lot of money buying cheap aviators and such like, which lasted a few days and then broke or got mislaid.

when i went to New York in 2011 i spent some money on a pair of Ray ban in Macy's. because they cost quite a bit i am very careful when taking them out..but they are to cool not to show off!

 

the main reason i love the is because of the typographic print on the inside. they are limited edition #5 frames, when i got them there was a choice of black or white frame. i had a little look online for them the other day and there is a rare purple pair available and you can still find the black pair.

on Thursday i went out for lunch with my mum and auntie, nothing special just a sandwich in a pub. but afterwards we went for a walk along the beach and along the new pier.

a few years ago now Weston's pier sadly burnt down but the council and the owners got to work quickly and had it all rebuilt and it does look nice from the outside but i really don't like the inside of it! the "old" pier was full with old machines and was a really fun place, now it's all very organised and modern..feels very clinical.

all that being said though you really can't find nicer views than at the end of the pier. there was even a jet ski on the water!

 

lemon meringue cupcakes...

now a lot of people have been asking for this recipe here on the blog and also over on twitter.
i was quite worried about doing these for a charity bake sale as i have never had any luck with meringue but thankfully it all turned out brilliantly.

you will need

for the sponge:
80g of unsalted butter
280g caster sugar
240g plain flour
1 table spoon baking powder
1 quarter teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of lemon zest (or if you are a bit of a lemon fiend like myself...2-3)
2 eggs
240ml of while milk

for the filling:
a jar of lemon curd

for the frosting:
4 egg whites
200g of caster sugar
150ml water


start by preheating the oven to 190ºC or gas mark 5 and line your cupcake tin with your favourite cases.

mix together the sugar and butter until no large lumps remain.

sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. its always best to sift even if a recipe you are following doesn't say to.

throw in the lemon zest and then mix until all is well combined, it will look a bit like sand but dont be tempted to make castles...this is for eating not for playing!

after i added the lemon i got a bit over excited by the smell and forgot to take any more pictures..so prepare yourself for a mountain of type!

whisk the eggs and milk together in a jug and begin to add the mix into the other ingredients, whilst beating on a slow speed.

once all of the wet is added, turn up the mixer to a medium speed and allow all the ingredients to come together until smooth.

using an ice cream scoop begin to fill the cases, i found this mix made 14 full size cupcakes and one small one. i like to call this small one the taste test!

bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, the sponge should bounce back when pressed or you can use a trusty cocktail stick to check the core.

allow these to cool for a few minutes in the tin and then place onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

once they have had time to cool completely its time to give them an extra burst of lemon loveliness. if you have a cupcake corer feel free to use this but i went for a teaspoon. simply cut out the center of the cupcakes and put them to one side (do not be tempted to eat any! you will be using them as lids shortly!).

once thats done, take a jar of your favourite lemon curd and place a spoonful into each cupcake. replace the lid and push down slightly.

dont' worry to much about putting the right top on the right cupcake as the meringue topping will cover this!

next you want place 200g of caster sugar into a saucepan and cover with the water. bring this to the boil and allow it to sit on the heat for 5-10 minutes, by which point it should reach its soft ball stage (if you take a spoonful of this and place it into cold water you should be able to pick it up and form a soft ball).

whilst the sugar and water are boiling away place the 4 egg whites in a bowl and whisk until it just begins to foam.

once at the soft ball stage turn the mixer up to medium and add the sugar to the eggs. you will find that the whites will instantly start to grow and it should increase in size. once all the sugar has been added increase the speed to high and whisk until the bottom of the bowl is lukewarm.

next for the fun part!

place the meringue on top of each cupcake, you can do this however you see fit really. for example you could try piping it onto each cake to give it a swirly effect.

i opted to spoon it on and used a palette knife to cover the entire cake and give it a peak.

if you have a blow torch, turn it on and with fluid motions go back and forth over the top of the meringue, this will give it that golden colour commonly seen on a meringue. just be very careful as this mixture will burn very quickly.

don't worry if you don't have a torch, just pop them under the grill but make sure you dont take your eyes off of them as they will burn quickly!

and there you have it! lemon meringue cupcakes!

i hope you enjoy them as much as i did!

another charity bake sale...

so im on holiday :D which is lovely as i look to have chosen a great week off, the sun is shining and my sun glasses are out!

sadly though before finishing work, we were told that one of our regulars had passed away.
he had a rare genetic disorder called friedreich's ataxia and he had gone down hill over the last 8 weeks.

the funeral is next thursday so a group of us are going to go and pay our respects, he was a lovely man.

his mother was his carer and she took him out every day. she's asked that no one donates flowers, but instead donates money to the friedreich's ataxia charity as that would be what he wanted.

so yesterday i got out my mixing bowls and set to work making some baked goods to sell to raise some money for the charity.

these are lemon meringue cupcakes, i was a bit unsure about these at first as i haven't had much lucky with meringue before but they came out perfectly and were delicious! i will post the recipe later in the week.

i also decided to use up my chocolate covered coffee beans from Hotel chocolat and made Espresso cupcakes. again i was a bit worried they may be a tad strong but my god they were good!

and finally...i almost wet myself the other day when i realised that waitrose sell pumpkin puree! i have been looking for it for months and could only find it on really expensive american sweet shop websites. but this was a steal! 
i went ahead and made pumpkin cheesecake. now i know what you are thinking..."Pumpkin cheesecake..really!?"...really...it was goooooooooood!

i was expecting to take a lot of it home after the bake sale because its pumpkin but also because i rushed it at midnight whilst buzzing after eating an espresso cupcake (to check it tasted good obviously...)

to my amazement everything sold!

the bake sale itself raised £61! im fully chuffed and i'm so happy i did it for such a great cause.

i decided to treat myself, after all the sun was shining and i had done my good deed for the day. so i got myself a few bottles of wine to enjoy over the week.. (one bottles already gone so i apologise for any shlurring/typos...hic..)

mount riley is a lovely wine..an easy drink shall we call it? one that you can sip on without thinking its wine.

also as i am so into my cooking at the moment i decided to treat myself to "Kitchen" by Nigella Lawson. i have been watching her programs on TV a lot recently and find myself making sex noises when cooking...so wrong but so right...ummm!

one last thing before i leave you in peace...someone tweeted this on thursday and i literally wet myself and just had to share it.. the tweet was something like "Tomorrow..." and then the picture... brilliant!