Countdown to Christmas: A Taste of Christmas...from Ikea?!

When friends and family visit around Christmastime I like to have drinks and nibbles to offer them. With mince pies, mixed nuts and other seasonal treats abounding the food part is usually very easy, but when it comes to what drinks to serve things can be a little trickier. Mulled Wine and Eggnog are traditional but not everyone drinks alcohol or wants alcoholic drinks in the middle of the day, and tea and coffee can seem a little mundane. So when I spotted these two drinks Glögg Alkoholfri and Glögg Apple (£1.85 each) in Ikea’s Swedish Marketplace I knew they were just what I was looking for. The Glögg Alkoholfri is a non-alcoholic mulled wine, with a rich, spicy flavour. I found I liked it best served warm with a slice of orange. Glögg Apple meanwhile has a lighter, fruiter taste that works well chilled. I’ve been experimenting with dipping the rim of a wine glass in orange juice and then in sugar which has gone down really well with my guests. So if you’re looking for something a little different and memorable to serve this year then I highly recommend these festive drinks from Ikea!  

Belgian Waffle with Blueberries and Banana

A friend popped around for brunch earlier in the week, unsure what to make I whipped up some batter and made Belgian waffles for us both. We then had fun experimenting with different toppings from honey (too sweet) to dried fruit (too boring) to melted chocolate (mmm) finally my friend hit upon the idea of combining blueberries and bananas with just the smallest drizzle of maple syrup. The resulting waffle was a culinary epiphany; sweet, fruity and healthy utterly delicious. I snapped a quick pic of my plate before I polished off the waffle. Yummy!

Don’t forget to check this post for my basic waffle recipe.

Little Luxuries: GÜ Desserts

For those unfamiliar with the brand GÜ (pronounced ‘goo’) is a British-based company who make the most deliciously decadent desserts, all served in mini pots of elegant glass ramekins. Their recipes range from simple mousses to more elaborate creations like ‘After dark Passion Fruit Soufflés’, ‘Hot Chocolate Melting Middles’ and ‘Raspberry & Chilli Chocolate Pots’.

I first came across GÜ on a flight to the US a couple of years ago (easily the best airline meal I’ve ever had!) and I’ve been hopelessly addicted ever since. These are two of my favourite varieties; Chocolate Ganache Mini Puds, an incredibly rich, smooth chocolately dessert, and Mango & Passion Fruit Mini Cheesecakes, one of GÜ’s latest forays into fruity desserts consisting of a crumbly biscuit base topped with a light, fluffy cheesecake and tangy mango and passion fruit compote. The portions may be small but because the desserts are so rich and creamy there is more than enough to satisfy even the most sweet toothed. Calorically there compare favourably to other desserts too, with around 200 calories for the smaller pots versus 250 in an average slice of chocolate cake. GÜ is available in the UK from selected supermarkets as well as some Boots, Nisa and Ocado stores. To see more of the GÜ range visit the official website gupuds.com. Have you tried GÜ? What did you think of them?

Snapshots from My Phone

Photography is one of my passions, I don’t always have my DSLR with me though so when I want to snap a quick picture I usually reach for my mobile phone camera. Due to my extra-ordinary ineptitude with touchscreen phones that camera is a 2mp point-and-shoot housed within my increasingly ancient LG Shine (that’s right, I’m the proud owner of possibly the coolest phone of 2007! Hehe) Over the last five years it has served me well and I’ve amassed a huge collection of mobile phone snapshots, here are some of my favourites, collaged together like Instagram for the non-smart phone user: 

From left to right

~ A burnished silver Buddha from Next 

~ Ice lolly shaped sponge and other bath goodies from M&S 

~ The shape of a horse leaping from the flames at last year’s bonfire night 

~ The new Northumbria University campus at Newcastle

~ Giant butterflies suspended from the ceiling in a local shopping centre 

~ The spectacular fountain at Alnwick Gardens 

~ A gorgeous rose bouquet I was gifted for my birthday

 ~ A cute display of cupcake shaped lip balms, scented wet wipes and Russian dolls in Accessorize 

~ A single pink rose 

~ Guildford castle, Surrey

~ Criss-crossing escalators and skylight in Debenhams 

~ Canada…or is it? The Florida version at the world showcase, Epcot 

~ The undisputed king of doughnuts…a Krispy Kreme with limited edition orange glaze

 ~ Key Lime pie on board the Oasis of the Seas cruise ship 

~ An old fashioned (but still fully working!) petrol station in Barnard Castle, County Durham 

~ A shoe shaped cake at the Cake International show NEC Birmingham

 ~ An adorable cake and patisserie shop in London 

~ ‘The Village’ luxury designer shopping in Westfield, London 

~ Another amazing cake creation at the Cake International show 

~ A patriotic Union Jack shop display

 

Sweet Treats: Belgian Waffle with Strawberries

If like me you live in the UK the type of waffle you’re probably most familiar with is the potato variety from Birdseye. Belgian -sometimes referred to as ‘American Style’- waffles on the other hand are sweet, made from a pancake-like mix and absolutely delicious served with fruit, syrup or even ice cream. They’re one of my favourite deserts (or breakfasts if I’m feeling particularly decadent) and best of all they’re super quick and easy to make.

What I used   

~ 115g/4oz of plain flour

~ Tbsp of sugar

~ Tsp of baking powder

~ Pinch of salt

~ Two eggs separated

~ Splash of milk

~ A little olive oil

~ A handful of fresh strawberries

~ Maple syrup

~ Waffle iron

The hardest part of this recipe is actually finding a waffle iron! I bought mine several years ago from a German based company although you can now find them on Amazon or Ebay for around £30. Once you’ve tracked down an iron the rest is easy!

I started by pre-heating my waffle iron, using an oil spray to lightly coat the plates to stop the waffles from sticking. Next I combined all of the dry ingredients -flour, sugar, baking powder and salt- in one bowl. In another I mixed the egg yolks with the milk and about a tablespoon of oil. When I had a nice, even liquid I added it to the dry ingredients and mixed them together until I had a smooth and lump-free consistency.

Finally I whipped up the egg whites until they were light and fluffy and carefully folded them into the mix. Now the batter was ready I used a ladle to spoon a small amount onto the centre of the iron, closing the lid and letting it cook for 30 or 40 seconds. When my waffle was cooked I threw on some chopped strawberries and drizzled over a generous helping of maple syrup. Delicious!

Grand Designs in Gingerbread

A few days ago a friend asked me about the Gingerbread house in the post below...

here's what you saw...

...and here's what you didn't!

Erecting the walls

That’s right, I admit it, I cheated and used a (gasp!) pre-baked kit. This included a (near useless) cardboard base, four gingerbread ‘walls’ and two ‘roof’ pieces, an industrial quantity of icing and some sweets to decorate. The first thing I did was ditch the flimsy base in favour of a solid cake board and replace the garish sweets with some tubes of my favourite treats, Jelly Tots and Fruit Pastilles. Next I mixed up a small amount of the icing adding water a little at a time until I achieved a stiff, toothpaste-like consistency. Assembling the house was the trickiest part of the project so I tackled it in several stages. First I applied a line of icing with a pallet knife to the edges of the walls and attached them to the front and back of the house, tidying up any icing that squashed out with a clean knife for a neat finish. I left the base to set for a couple of hours before attaching the roof in the same way. I joined one side under the other rather than at the edges for extra stability (using what I’m reliably informed is a butt joint rather than a mitre joint- see I told you there was engineering involved!).

Creating a lattice work roof

Now for the fun part- the decoration! I mixed up some more icing and filled the piping bag provided, I didn’t like idea of just spreading the roof with icing so I piped a series of straight lines at 45 degree angles creating a pretty lattice effect. Where the lines intersected I put a Jelly Tot. Around the edges of the roof and walls I piped a series of dots, applying even pressure then pulling sharply up and away leaving a little point. I created the icicles that line the bottom of the roof using a similar technique only pulling down and away more slowly to form an elongated tip. This step is a little tricky so it's a good idea to practice first.

Decorating the front & back

I created the front and back of the house by roughly sketching out the design I wanted and transferring it freehand to the gingerbread. I drew the windows and doors applying steady, even pressure to the piping bag and finished them off with a mixture of Jelly Tots and Fruit Pastilles. Around the base of the house I piped some more dots and stuck Jelly Tots around the base, I finished the whole thing off with a light dusting of icing sugar through a sieve. And it was as arduous simple as that! Now for the totally gratuitous 360 degree photos! 

Ta-da!

Graze Review + Grab Your Free Box Now!

A few days ago a friend gave me a promotional code for a free ‘Graze box’. ‘A grazing what?’ I thought confused as an image of a crate of grass popped into my head. It turns out Graze is an online company who send out healthy, nutritious snacks by post. The ‘box’ is simply the environmentally friendly packaging they come in. The service works much like a magazine subscription; you create an account on the Graze website, giving your address and billing details and for a little over £3 a week you’re sent a Graze box containing four of their specially selected snacks.

The Graze Box

Inside, the four punnets of nibbles

They currently have over a hundred different foods grouped into categories like ‘crackers’, ‘natural treats’ and ‘dried fruit’. Although many of the options have similar ingredients –for example I counted 53 out of 113 snacks that contain nuts– so maybe it’s not for you if you’re picky or have allergies. You’re invited to rate each snack, choosing from ‘bin it’ if you don’t want to receive it at all, ‘try it’, ‘like it’ or ‘love it’. How you rate a snack determines how often you’re likely to get it in your box. There’s also a ‘send soon’ tick box for when you really want to try something. You don’t have complete control over the nibbles you get but you can roughly tailor it to your requirements. It’s great if you like most foods and enjoy surprises, which luckily I do!

My first box arrived on my nominated day with the normal post. I was impressed by how generous it was –about the size and shape of an A5 notebook– compared to similar healthy snacks Graze doesn’t score too badly in the value-for-stakes. The box came with a couple of leaflets, one with the usual nutritional information and one extolling the Graze philosophy, including what seems to be their mantra “eat more healthy things, fewer muffins”, as a confirmed cake-o-holic I’m a little sceptical but I’m prepared to give it a try!      

Ready to start snacking

Inside the box there were four individually sealed plastic punnets that lifted out of the cardboard base, so if you wanted to you could easily slip one in your handbag or lunch box. The first tray Greek Halkidiki Olives contained eight plump olives in a delicious basil and garlic marinade that added a really nice subtle flavour but didn’t overpower the taste of the olives. The next two trays were both dried fruit mixes, Fruit Sangria a medley of super-sweet juicy strawberries, physalis and orange sultanas -if you don’t know what a physalis is you’re not alone, I looked it up and according to Wikipedia it’s Pronounced /ˈfaɪsəlɪs/, ˈfɪsəlɪs, faɪ'seɪlɪs, faɪˈsalɪs Physalis is a genus of plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), native to warm temperate and subtropical regions throughout the world. The genus is characterised by the small orange fruit similar in size, shape and structure to a small tomato, but partly or fully enclosed in a large papery husk derived from the calyx.  a posh gooseberry basically. It added a nice tart flavour that contrasted perfectly with the sweetness of the strawberries. Oh the strawberries, I could have eaten a box of those on their own! The second fruit mix Beach Bum was less successful, I found the dried mango and banana pretty tasteless and the coconut a little like eating shredded cardboard. On the up side the final carton contained three scrumptiously moreish Apple and Cinnamon Flapjacks. I loved the rustic home-made taste these had and the fact they contained real juicy pieces of apple, delicious! Overall I was very impressed with the Graze website and the variety and quality of the food. It’s a great idea for people who would like to eat more healthily but perhaps don’t have the time to prepare nutritious snacks themselves. Personally I may not be ready to renounce cake yet but I could definitely see myself grazing through one of these yummy boxes everyday.

To try Graze for free, go to Graze.com and enter the promotional code RZM8GKW3. Credit or debit card required, for full terms and conditions please see the Graze website

A Taste of Thailand

I love travelling. I love visiting new places, I love learning about the culture and I love trying the local cuisine. Last week I got to experience a little taste of Thailand at home when a friend invited me over for what turned out to be an epic four-course Thai feast. This wasn’t Thai food as we are most familiar with it- the kind of dishes you may be served in a restaurant- but the real food that is cooked and eaten everyday on Thailand's bustling streets.  

Thai Pork Skewers cooked on the barbeque

Prawn Cakes with Chilli & Peanut Sauce

The culinary tour began with delicious marinated pork skewers, cooked on the barbeque to seal in the flavour and give them a wonderful smoky taste. Next came crunchy prawn cakes -succulent fresh prawns covered in a light rice batter and deep fried until crispy and golden- accompanied by a feisty sweet chilli and peanut dipping sauce. These were unlike anything I’ve ever tasted and so simple to make. They’d be perfect as a canapé, a starter or even as a side dish with your summer barbeque, I really can’t recommend them highly enough. 

The main course was a more traditional arharn gap kao (food eaten with rice) dish. A fiery chicken curry that combined rich spicy and tart flavours served with the Thai staple glutinous rice, so called because it has a slightly sticky texture. I love the traditional bamboo steamer it was cooked in!

We finished off with a roti. Unlike the savoury Indian version, in Thailand these are often served with banana and drizzled with condensed milk as a desert. Like the prawn cakes, roti are delicious but super easy to make. First a pancake-like dough is made from wheat flour, an egg, a little melted butter and a pinch of salt, this is then kneaded together and allowed to rest before being rolled out as thin as possible and fried until golden on both sides. The filling is added to the middle and the roti folded in around in. A quick drizzle of condensed milk finishes it off.  If you have a sweet tooth like me this would be a great alternative to the traditional British pancake for breakfast. Click here for a great quick and simple roti recipe you can easily recreate at home.

Bamboo rice steamer with traditional Thai Glutinus Rice & Banana Roti

The recipes for all the dishes can be found in David Thompson’s Thai Street Food. Available here from Amazon.co.uk I hope I've inspired you to give Thai food a go!