Nutella mug cake

It’s World Nutella Day (yeeeeeeeehah!) so I’ve whipped up a quick- ridiculously quick- Nutella mug cake to celebrate. To make this oozy, gooey, chocolatey, nutty delight all you need to do is mix together 1 large egg, 2 tbsp of plain flour, 1 + 1/2 tbsp of good quality cocoa powder, 1 tbsp of caster sugar, a teeny tiny pinch of salt and 2 tbsp of Nutella in a mug. Some recipes suggest mixing in a separate bowl and then pouring the mix in to the mug, however, I think half the fun of a mug cake is trying to keep the mix in the mug! Once combined, pop in the microwave and cook for 70 seconds. The aim is to have a spongey cake bit at the top and a gooey chocolate mess underneath, but if you want you cake cooked a little bit more then blast for another 10 seconds. Take out, allow to cool and serve- a dollop of whipped cream and some berries would work nicely on top- or another dollop of Nutella!

Enjoy!

Until next time,

J xx

 

Hash browns, corn and eggs

This breakfast is a bit of a treat, usually reserved for lazy weekend with the family; hash browns, sweetcorn and poached eggs with a sprinkling of sliced ham. I’d love to say that I make my own hash browns but I did say that this was a lazy weekend brunch! Really simple, really easy, really tasty.

Until next time,

J xx

 

 

 

Birds over water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pimp your porridge!

Breakfast need not be boring! Don’t suffer in silence, slurping down spoonfuls of sloppy porridge in the name of good health when you can be chowing down on this delicious, nutrient-dense pearl barley and coconut porridge served with mango, goji and raspberries. Pearl barley is a nutritional powerhouse, packed full of fibre and protein, helping you to feel satiated and keeping you fuller for long- this bowl of porridge is certainly satisfying, the barley has a gummy texture, which is a pleasant alternative to the texture of oats and there’s a generous spoonful of coconut oil stirred in once the porridge is of the heat which adds to the silky mouth feel. Fresh raspberries and dried goji berries and mango add flavour, texture and more goodness.

To make this breakfast, I leave the required amount of quick cook pearl barley in a saucepan of cold water overnight. In the morning, empty out the water and add milk- you can use dairy or nut milk, or even water if you like. Cook on a gentle heat for five minutes, stirring frequently to create the creamy texture of porridge. Take off the heat and add a generous tablespoon of coconut oil. Add toppings and eat. So easy and so tasty!

Enjoy!

J xx

 

 

Tequila toddy

A belated Happy New Year to you all! I hope 2016 finds you well. My Christmas and New Year were thoroughly enjoyable, a little too enjoyable perhaps, as I’ve found myself full of cold this week and suffering from lack of sleep and general malaise. To help ease the aching limbs and blocked sinuses, I’ve been warming myself from the inside out with a number of hot toddies- the perfect antidote to winter snuffles.

This particular drink is a twist on the traditional whisky toddy and is made with white tequila. To go with the Mexican theme, I replaced lemon with lime, used agave nectar instead of honey and threw in a few cloves, a couple of star anises and some orange peel.

To make this heady tipple, you will need the following ingredients (my shot measure is 1oz)

2 shots of tequila (gold or silver
1 shot agave nectar
2 shots of water
2 shots of freshly squeezed lime juice
2 star anises
3 cloves
a handful of bruised orange peel pieces

Add the agave nectar, water, star anises and cloves to a small saucepan, heat gently, never bringing to the boil, but just enough to allow the agave nectar to dissolve and the spices to release their fragrance. Take off the heat, add the orange peel and allow to cool slightly before  pouring in to a heat resistant glass, and topping up with tequila and freshly squeezed lime. Enjoy warm, allowing the heat to soothe your throat and ease your aches.

Delicious! Enjoy!

J xx

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate decadence

You know the days when you really, really just want to eat cake? I made this cake on one of those days……a rich, chocolate mud cake, sandwiched together with dark chocolate Italian meringue buttercream and then piled high with chocolate honeycomb and gold dusted Lindt Lindors and Maltesers. It was delicious but way too much cake for our little family of four- next time I’ll stick to the mini cakes!

Until next time,

J xx

 

Chocolate quince miniature cake

Here’s a little experiment from the kitchen this week. Seeing as I had a mountain of quinces to play around with, I thought that I’d better try mixing some cooked flesh in to a standard chocolate cake mix. The result was a moist sponge with the fragrant, tart quince contrasting nicely against the cocoa. I would definitely like to try this again but making a super-smooth puree from the quinces and adding that to an Italian meringue buttercream, now that would be heavenly.

Until next time,

J xx

 

 

Chamomile and goji brioche

Anyone for tea and toast? How about tea in your toast? This beautiful brioche is flavoured with chamomile tea and goji berries. Following the brioche recipe in my bread maker’s manual (I like baking but I’ll let a machine do the work on the bread front), I added the content of two chamomile teabags and a handful of pre-soaked goji berries in to the tin and then pressed go! Voila! A couple of hours later, you’ll have a perfectly formed, wonderfully flavoured, sweet brioche ready to be sliced, toasted and served with ……….a lovely cup of chamomile tea! Now, for a few minutes peace to sit back and enjoy it……….yeah, that’s wishful thinking : )

Until next time,

J xx

 

Chiaroscuro still life with pineapple

Pineapple? Check! Quinces? Check! Foliage from recently trimmed garden bush? Check!!

If you’re anything like me, sometimes you just have to take a photo of something; like the pineapple in these photos. Pineapples are beautifully kitsch, lending themselves well to design. I’ve wanted to style some pineapple shots for a little while, so I picked up a good-sized fruit from the supermarket and was waiting for a convenient time to arrange/shoot a still-life but my daughter, who is as persistent as she is irresistible, kept asking if she could eat some and it got to a point where I just couldn’t say no anymore, so I chopped up the pineapple, she ate tons of the stuff- more than a three year old probably should- and then I went out the next morning, bought another pineapple and styled the shot straight away, as to to miss the opportunity again!

The quinces are from a tree near my aunt’s house; they are large, pear-shaped fruits with gloriously golden yellow skin and hard, white flesh that is practically inedible raw but once cooked becomes soft, fragrant and blush-colour. They are exquisite- a jewel in the autumnal crown.

The aim of the shoot was to create images that looked like it oil paintings, reminiscent of the work of the Dutch Masters, with strong contrast between light and dark.

I hope you enjoy these pics.

Until next time,

J xx

Hazelnut-pear brownie cakes

It’s November already- how did that happen?! I hope you all saw October out in spooktacular style, we certainly did, but it’s back to the usual weekday routine now with the girls off at school/ nursery whilst I do my creative thing. The biggest little-one was on half-term last week, so I had the pleasure of her company for a full ten days, and it really was a pleasure;- she’s such a sweet, thoughtful, funny little girl who is super-interested in what I’m doing and very keen to help me with my creative projects, like these brownie cakes.

I make my brownies to the Hummingbird Bakery recipe because I like them really gooey and this recipe delivers on the goo front. I added a handful of chopped hazelnuts and some chopped, well-ripened pear and topped them with an amazing Nutella Italian meringue buttercream (yep, I know, it sounds so good you’re probably licking the screen right now) and finished with meringue toadstools.

The photos were inspired by our recent walks in nearby woodlands, with tree trunks covered in moss and golden leaves fluttering to the floor. If you look closely enough, you can see mushrooms shooting up from the undergrowth and the light streaming through the trees is truly magical, and I wanted to create a sense of this wonder in my photos.

Until next time,

J xx