Cookbook Challenge Update - May part 1

I cooked a lot of recipes from Lorraine Pascale's cookbook whilst I was at home over Easter, so many in fact that I am splitting this post into two otherwise it will be ridiculously long. Yet again, Lorraine is hitting it out the park in nearly every recipe - I love having a cookbook that I trust so completely! Ready to see what we've been eating?...try not to get too hungry looking at these pictures (I know I will)

Speed: This took a little while but it wasn't massively labour intensive so it was okay

Taste: I liked the mushroomy-ness and of course the pastry, I am just not a massive beef fan so I didn't really enjoy the hunk of steak inside.

Repeat: Not likely

Speed: This was fairly quick and easy - I have never made soup from tomato juice and it made a nice change from tinned tomatoes

Taste: A little bit spicy for me but otherwise this was a tasty soup

Repeat: Probably

Speed: The jam took a little while but it was fairly low maintenance so I didn't mind at all, the toastie itself was very quick

Taste: Delicious! Absolutely the ultimate comfort lunch! I loved it!

Repeat? Yes!

Speed: This was a slower cook meal but it was also a put it in and leave it so very little effort involved

Taste: Absolutely delicious! I really enjoyed it - very comforting with mashed potato, a real warmer of a meal!

Repeat? Absolutely!

Speed: Fairly quick and easy to make

Taste: Absolutely gorgeous - I love cauliflower cheese so much - absolutely the best way to eat cauliflower!

Repeat: Yup!

Speed: Another slower cook meal but definitely worth it, low effort

Taste: Delicious and comforting with mashed potato and the lovely wine sauce!

Repeat? Yes!

What have you been cooking this month? Any favourite recipes?

Love Rebecca

CookBook Challenge April Update

Another month has gone and I am making good progress with my Cookbook Challenge. Having cooked over a quarter of the recipes in Lorraine Pascale's 'Home Cooking Made Easy', it is fast becoming one of my favourite recipe books. 

Here is what I have been cooking over the last month...

Speed: ** - roasting the squash takes some forward planning but it is fairly low effort

Taste: Delicious! Lorraine says that this is the recipe that converted her from a model to a chef. I must admit I was sceptical that a soup could do this, but this soup is heavenly! Its is seriously delicious and I cannot wait to make it again!

Repeat? Absolutely

Speed: Takes 6 hours! But 100% worth it and fairly low effort

Taste: Delicious - I love how cooking the meat for this long makes it literally just fall apart - no need for carving this meat - it just falls apart

Repeat? Yes - the only change I would make would be to add parsnips to the vegetables

Speed: ***

Taste: Delicious chocolatey taste, dense cake but light at the same time - my first flour free cake and I really enjoyed it!

Repeat? Yes 

Speed: *** This had a lot of components but it was fairly easy to make

Taste: Absolutely delicious! The mustard mash is perfect with the the apples and caramelised onions and rosemary pork - a delicious autumnal meal

Repeat? Yes

Speed: ***

Taste: Delicious - the combination of the lamb and herbs was divine - these are very flavoursome burgers. The buns were delicious too although they did not turn out floury and soft like the recipe, instead they were crusty - I am going to try the recipe again in my oven at home and see if they are softer!

Repeat? Yes

Speed: ** - Rising time

Taste: This was a yummy crusty bread that looks impressive due to its shape

Repeat? Probably

Have a great week

Love Rebecca

Healthier Peanut Butter and Jam Banana Ice Cream

Have you heard that Ben and Jerry's have released a new core flavour here in the UK - Peanut Butter Me Up? Well, I haven't tried it yet but it did inspire me to experiment and make some PB&J ice cream myself.

I am sure you know the banana ice cream trick by now, it has been all over pinterest - it is when you freeze a banana in chunks and then blend it and it turns out like soft serve ice cream - it seriously works - I love my healthier ice cream and also enjoy thinking of ways to jazz it up a bit!

So I present to you the peanut butter and jam banana ice cream - probably healthier than the Ben and Jerry's version and I really enjoyed it! Just 3 ingredients and this ice cream will help satisfy any PB&J cravings you may be experiencing!

Ingredients

1 banana, frozen in chunks

1 tbsp Peanut Butter

1 tsp jam

1. Blend banana until the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Remember to scrape down the sides as you go to get all of the banana in.

2. Add peanut butter and blend until combined, if not combining, scrape into a bowl and mix until combined

3. Top with jam and enjoy!

Fancy something a little less healthy? Why not try these PB and J crumble bars

Have a great day

Love Rebecca

Springtime Biscuits

At the start of the year, I set myself the challenge of cooking and icing a batch of royal-iced sugar cookies every month for the year. When I planned this I figured March would be the perfect time for some springtime biscuits. Unfortunately spring hasn't shown itself here; we have had snow, hail and ice this past week, much to my disappointment! But at least spring did appear in my kitchen with my latest batch of sugar cookies!

Daisys and Tulips

I am now home in Cheltenham for my 5 week Easter break.

 I am so ready for this break - I have been running on empty this past week!

I may have been slightly optimistic in my packing but I am fully equipped with sunglasses and flip flops, just in case spring decides to make an appearance whilst I am home!

Have a great week!

Love Rebecca

Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam Crumble Bars

I have been having cravings lately. Cravings for peanut butter and jam. The classic combination that is just comfort food all over! So when my Mum told me she had baked these peanut butter oatmeal bars from Sally's Baking Addiction, I decided that I wanted to get creative, I used that recipe as a base and developed by own Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam Crumble Bars - made with real strawberries!

So I played around topping ideas and decided to top the oatmeal bars with a layer of fresh strawberries and jam, topped with a crumble topping

My housemates - both not peanut butter fans - raved about these so I think it is safe to say they were a hit. And the certainly satisfied my PB and J cravings!

Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam Crumble Bars

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bar Base

adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Cup Peanut Butter

2tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Plain Flour

1 Cup Oats

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 Cup Milk

1 Cup Sultanas 

Topping

250g Fresh Strawberries, chopped

100g Strawberry Jam

Crumble

40g Butter

40g Brown Sugar

90g Flour

1. Line a 7x11" baking tray with baking parchment, preheat the oven to 170C

2. Mix the peanut butter and brown sugar with an electric hand whisk for about three minutes until light coloured and fluffy

3. Add vanilla, mix. Add flour, oats, baking soda and mix together. Slowly add the milk until the mixture forms a dough. Fold in sultanas.

4. Press the peanut butter bar mixture into the lined dish making sure to get it into all the corners.

5. In a bowl, mix the strawberries and jam and spread on top of the base, covering it all

6. Rub together the crumble ingredients until you have a powdery crumble mixture, cover the strawberries with crumble

7. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the crumble is browned. Leave to cool completely before cutting into pieces.

 Makes about 14

Peanut Butter ...Love or hate?

Love Rebecca

Funfetti Birthday Cupcakes

What says happy birthday better than homemade cupcakes topped with decadent buttercream and a bucket load of sprinkles?

It was my friend Tori's birthday a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to bake her something but I knew her housemates would be making her a cake so I went for something smaller. Cupcakes. 

I used the recipe for Funfetti Cupcakes from Sally's Baking Addiction

They were delicious although I don't think my sprinkles were bright enough to create the wonderful colours in the actual cake that she gets!

Pink Polka dot cupcake liners to satisfy Tori's pink obsession

And sprinkles galore!

I must say this has to be the best buttercream recipe I have ever tasted - the addition of cream makes such a difference - I don't think I will make it any other way again! I piped it liberally piling it high on top of the cupcakes like a mini mountain!

And as part of Tori's present....a pretty box to take her own set of cupcakes home! 

I love these boxes - they add an element of professionalism to homemade cakes that really looks great!

I will be sharing the other part of Tori's present in a couple of days!

Love Rebecca

Heart Shaped, Chocolate Dipped, Sprinkle Covered Brownies

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you all have a lovely day spending time with someone you love!

And if you would like a treat to give to someone special how about...

Heart shaped, chocolate dipped, sprinkle covered chocolate brownies 

Now that is a mouthful if ever there was one! 

But they are seriously good! And festive! And chocolatey - oh so chocolatey!

These are inspired by Sally's Chocolate Dipped Brownie Bites.

How to make these bites of chocolate heaven....

1. Whip up a batch of your favourite brownies - box or homemade, whichever you prefer. I used this delicious recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction (can you tell I am addicted to this blog!)

2. Let your brownies cool. While they are cooling, put your heart cutter in the fridge - you will need a deep metal cutter in order to cut out your brownie shapes.

3. Cut off the top of your brownie - the crust bit - with a knife

4. Using your cutter, cut hearts out of your brownie (I got 12 hearts out of an 11x7" pan - and one of mine broke so it would have been 13) - don't forget to try some of the scraps to make sure it is delicious!

5. Put your brownies in the fridge for an hour

6. Melt a 200g bar of dark chocolate in a bowl over a pan of boiling water

7. Dip your chilled brownies in the chocolate and immediately top with festive sprinkles

8. Put back in the fridge to set

9. Devour with someone you love!

Have a wonderful day!

Love Rebecca

Amazing Jumbo Blueberry Muffins

If your mouth isn't watering having seen this picture then who are you? 

And this picture doesn't even do these muffins justice - they were HUGE! 

I am completely in love with Sally's Baking Addiction - her blog is full of heavenly recipes accompanied by pictures that make me want to run to the shop to get ingredients even if it is 6.30am!

I decided to go all out for these jumbo blueberry muffins and bought myself a jumbo muffin tin for the occasion - I was so glad I did - they are epic! I served them for my Dad's birthday breakfast with a fresh fruit salad - my Dad declared it was the best breakfast I had made him - high praise! 

Sally herself is absolutely lovely and always takes time to answer my e-mails which I love! So if the sound of these muffins has tempted you ... be sure to head on over and check out her other completely awesome recipes!

Love Rebecca

Cookbook Challenge - Progress Report!

I am thrilled to say that several people liked the idea of the Cookbook Challenge and have found their cookbook ready to start cooking! If you are new to this no worries, its never too late to start! Just pick a recipe book and challenge yourself to cook every recipe in it!

I started while I was home for Christmas and have cooked about 10 of the recipes so far.

 I must say, I don't think that there is a recipe in there that I don't like the sound of which is great!

I have decided to share pictures of my dishes followed by a three step rating system that you may recognise from my recipe-a-week challenge last year...

Taste - 

Time/Effort - 

Repeat? - 

So without further ado, here is a round-up of my efforts so far...

Taste - Delicious - especially warm from the oven with soup

Time/Effort - A lot of kneading (this was actually very therapeutic) and rising time was needed 

Repeat? - Yes - they were fairly simple and delicious

Taste - DELICIOUS! We used ours for eggs Benedict by adding ham, poached egg and hollandaise sauce!

Time/Effort - Again kneading and rising. 

These were cooked first on the hob and then in the oven which I really enjoyed!

Repeat? - Yes! I am an eggs Benedict convert and love it all the more for using my own muffins

Taste - I love anything with puff pastry but the bacon here added a really nice taste to these - I served them with tomato soup

Time/Effort - Very easy and fairly quick

Repeat? - Yes :)

Taste - this salad had a very sophisticated feel to it - it was a yummy starter for our New Year's Eve meal

Time/Effort - This was really quick but I found it quite full on - a few hot pans to watch 

Repeat? - Possibly

 Taste - Carrots were delicious; really simple and I was surprised at how tender they were considering I used whole carrots!

Time/Effort - Easy, minimal effort

Repeat? - Yes!

Taste - I wasn't sold here but I think this is partially because I didn't cook them long enough - I would definitely try it again to get the crispy edges to the broccoli

Time/Effort - Easy, minimal effort

Repeat? - I would try it again to try and improve it

Taste - Seriously Amazing (this is my title, not the one given in the book!) I love lasagne, it is the dish I always request when I go home and this recipe is awesome - it replaces some of the mince with sausage meat and is just generally scrumptious

Time/Effort - It is fairly hands on but not in a difficult way, more that there are lots of components to make - it is so totally worth it anyway!

Repeat? - I am cooking it next week!

Taste - Really good - and from a gal who isn't very partial to fish, this is high praise! I really enjoyed the combination of salmon, sweet potatoes and herbs

Time/Effort - This was a really easy dish because you boil the salmon and sweet potato together then just drain and mash with the other ingredients. I really liked this method of making them as it didn't feel as fiddly

Repeat? - Yes

Taste - A. Maze. Ing. Seriously this is good - luxuriously so! We left it cook for about 4 hours and came back to a beautifully tender piece of lamb with a gorgeous casserole of vegetables and chorizo. A very special meal

Time/Effort - Takes a long time to cook but actual effort wasn't huge - just preparing vegetables and things

Repeat? - Yes - this is a great special occasion meal

Taste - Chocolate heaven! I love cheesecake. I adore chocolate. Therefore this dessert is divine! And I love the professional look of the top

Time/Effort - A bit of effort involved, and chilling time but nothing too fiddly - even the fancy looking decoration on top was fairly easy!

Repeat? - Yes please!

So there you have my efforts so far. I realise that I have given fairly high praise for nearly all the recipes.

 This is completely genuine and 100 % my opinion! I really enjoyed all the recipes I have cooked so far. The instructions are clear and easy to follow and the recipes themselves create delicious meals!

I am looking forward to cooking some more recipes out of this fantastic book!

How are you getting on with the 2013 Cookbook Challenge?

Love Rebecca 

January Sugar Cookies - New Year's Eve

One of my resolutions this year is to bake a batch of sugar cookies a month for every month of the year. 

I started with New Year's Eve...

Although time consuming, I love the '2013' words the best! I cut out each number with individual cutters and then joined them together to make the full number.

The clocks have a hidden surprise too...

...open up and there is confetti inside...inspired by these great biscuits over at Repeat Crafter Me.

I am sending them off with my Dad to work today...otherwise my new resolutions will be out the window!

Next month...Valentine's Day!

Love Rebecca