Simple Breakfast Ideas

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so here are two simple easy to rustle up recipes for you to sink your teeth into...

Up first is my favourite of the two - One cup pancakes, a classic Jamie Oliver recipe that requires no measuring, all you need is a mug. Here are the deets -
One cup of self raising flour
One cup of milk - you can use skimmed if you're being health conscious.
One large egg
Whisk the three ingredients well and heat a non stick frying pan, use a ladle to spoon the mixture into the pan, wait until you see little bubbles appearing on the batter and then flip over, cook for the same amount of time on the other side and you are done, this recipe makes a lot, definitely enough for two hungry people at breakfast time. I served mine with sliced banana and agave syrup and it was delicious.

Next is a real basic - scrambled eggs, this is definitely more of a mid week breakfast as it is super healthy and leaves you feeling full until lunchtime, I served mine with crispbread. All you need is -
Two eggs
One tablespoon of ketchup
A sprinkling of black pepper
A small hand full of spinach
Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk together, add the spinach, heat a non stick frying pan and add a little butter, next pour the mixture into the pan leaving it to cook for about thirty seconds, then slowly stir the mixture using a wooden spoon making sure the eggs are all cooked. Take off the heat and serve, easy! Top with your ketchup and sprinkle on the black pepper for added flavour.

What are your favourite recipes for breakfast time?

Orange, Pistachio and White Chocolate Sponge Cake

I visited a lovely cafe in Worthing called Green Cuisine not long ago and tried their Orange, Pistachio and White Chocolate cake, and I fell in love. The flavour combination is to die for, it may not be one of the healthiest things on their menu but it sure is the tastiest. I decided to recreate this cake at home using a basic sponge tray bake recipe and altering it a little. For this cake I used a deep rectangular oven tray and an electric whisk and set my oven to 160 degrees.

You will need:
225 grams of softened unsalted butter
225 grams of caster sugar
275 grams of self raising flour
2 level tsp of baking powder
4 large eggs
4 tbsp of whole milk
Zest and juice of one orange
Large handful of pistachios
2 bars of white cooking chocolate
300 grams of icing sugar
200ml of water.

In a large mixing bowl add your flour, eggs, butter, sugar, baking powder and milk and combine all these ingredients to make to cake batter, once the mixture is done add half of the chopped pistachios and all of the orange zest and juice. Transfer the mixture into your lined oven tray. Bake in the oven for approximately 40 minutes. You will know when the cake is cooked when you put a knife into the centre and it comes out clean, set aside to cool. Once the cake has cooled down fully then you can start on the topping. Melt the white chocolate in a glass bowl over a simmering pan of water. In a separate bowl mix the icing sugar together with a little of the water, once this is runny add it to the bowl of melted chocolate, this mixture will go hard very quickly so you will need to add around 200ml of water, keep mixing and adding water until you have formed a thick glossy chocolate topping for the cake. Once the topping is reading smooth over the cake and the sprinkle on the remaining pistachios. I think it is best to do this whilst the cake is still in the tin. Once the topping is completely set then you can slice up the cake into squares and remove carefully from the tin.

Pop this into a cake tin and it should last for a couple of days. Let me know if you give this a go!

Raspberry & White Chocolate Cheesecake

Everybody loves cheesecake right? Well I actually thought I didn't but oh how wrong I was, I wanted to make something special to celebrate my first wedding anniversary, and I know how much Luca loves cheesecake so on went the apron and out came the mixing bowl. I chose to make raspberry and white chocolate one with a dash of mint. I thought I would share the recipe with you as it was such a hit.

You will need:
Half a packet of digestive biscuits
2 tubs of Philadelphia
1 punnet of raspberries
White chocolate buttons - 2 share bags
Unsalted butter - 90 grams
Extra thick double cream - 500ml
Handful of fresh mint
Caster sugar 150 grams
Spring form cake tin
Vanilla paste - an eighth of a teaspoon

Begin by putting the digestives into a bowl and smashing them up making sure not to make them too fine, next melt the butter and stir into the biscuits. Melt one packet of white chocolate buttons by putting them into a glass bowl and placing it over simmering water. Push the crushed digestive mixture into the bottom of the cake tin making sure it is all nice and compact, then put this in the fridge. In a separate bowl whisk the double cream until it holds its shape. In another separate bowl mix the Philadelphia, vanilla paste and caster sugar together, slowly pour the melted chocolate in making sure you are beating the mixture the whole time, take three large handfuls of raspberries and crush them, then add them to this mixture. Add the whisked cream to the Philadelphia mixture and fold the two together. Now you can spoon the mixture into the cake tin making sure to fill all the air holes then smooth the top. Now it is time to decorate, take your second bag of buttons and your leftover raspberries and get creative, don't forget to add a little fresh mint to finish it off.  Leave in the fridge for at least two hours and then you can enjoy!

Have you tried any new recipes recently?

Cooking, Cooking and More Cooking

I have been doing so much cooking this past week, I made the Death by Chocolate cake to take to the in-laws, I also made Nigella's Christmas Rocky Road which didn't last very long, Luca made a lovely dinner Christmas Eve, he followed Delia Smith's recipe for Roast Gammon and cooked it with roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips and cauliflower cheese. I am returning to the gym this week after eating my entire body weight in Celebrations, easing myself in not so gently with a 5km run ... wish me luck!

Delia's Scones

I had to work on Christmas Eve and when I came home I was surprised by homemade scones and afternoon tea. My little sister and the boy had set the table beautifully, they followed the Delia Smith recipe for the scones and they were the nicest I have ever had, we had them with strawberry jam and cream. Since we got Delia's Complete Cookery Course Book we have used it for so many different things, it is so well written you really cannot go wrong with a recipe, she explains things so well and breaks every step down making it really simple.

Here is a link for the scone recipe online if you fancy having a go at making these.

What is your favourite thing to bake?

Death By Chocolate

When it is drizzling outside and your all snuggled up in doors with the heating on, this is the perfect time to do a little bit of baking. After watching the latest series of the Great British Bake Off I felt so inspired I purchased the GBBO recipe book which is full of naughty treats, one of which is the 'Death by Chocolate' cake, I mean how could I resist with a name like that? So after roping in Luca and making a quick ingredient stop at tescos we got started...

'Death by Chocolate'
You will need an electric whisk. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Grease and line a 22cm cake tin.
Ingredients for the sponge:
300g dark chocolate
150g unslated butter, diced
5 medium free range eggs, at room tempurature
half a teaspoon of vanilla extract
100g caster sugar
Ingredients for the topping
200g dark chocolate
100ml double cream
Decorations (we used white and milk chocolate buttons)

Over a pan of simmering water place a heat proof bowl and melt your butter and chocolate together, once melted start to whisk the five eggs and the sugar in a large mixing bowl, this will take about five minutes, it will double in volume and go a very pale yellow, when you lift the whisk out it should form ribbons that are visible for five seconds. Next slowly pour your melted chocolate into the bowl with the beaten sugar and eggs, fold the chocolate in gently, take your time mixing the two, the chocolate can settle at the bottom of the bowl. Once combined place in your greased and lined cake tin and pop into the oven for around 35-45 minutes. Unlike a normal cake you don't stick a skewer into the centre to see if it is ready, the cake needs to come out before it is cooked all the way through as it continues cooking out of the oven, I left mine in for 45 minutes and found  it to be perfect but you may need to take it out a little earlier depending on your oven. The recipe also mentions the cake will rise a lot in the oven and then sink whilst cooling so no need to worry. When ready take out of the oven and place on a cooling rack to cool and sink. Once cool turn upside down as the flat side will be easier to ice. To make the icing, over a pan of simmering water place the chocolate and cream into a heatproof bowl and half melt. Then take off the heat and mix until thick and glossy. Now you can take the mixture and cover your cake then decorate. The topping will need to set so leave for a few hours before devouring if you can.

Would love to know if you try this!

A Simple Balanced Tuna Pasta Bake

Carbohydrates? Check, Protein? Check, Vegetables? Check!

This is such a simple and quick recipe that you don't need to use any bought sauces which can contain a whole load of rubbish. To feed two hungry people I used:

400 grms of Rigatoni pasta (wholewheat would be even better)
2 cans of chopped tomatos
1 can of Tuna
1 red onion, diced
A squirt of tomato puree  
4 medium sized mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, cut into chunks
2 gloves of garlic, finely chopped
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Cheddar cheese (optional)

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.
Prepare all your vegetables, chop, dice and slice! Heat some oil in a pan and pop in the onions and garlic. Once softened add your chopped carrot. Add the chopped tomato to the pan along with some puree and the sliced mushrooms, after five minutes add the tuna. Boil some slightly salted water in a large pan, once boiling add your pasta and cook until soft or al dente. Season the sauce to taste. Drain the pasta and combine the two in an oven proof dish, sprinkle with grated cheese and pop into the oven for around twenty minutes.

Not only is this a balanced meal it is really cheap and easy too!

Detroit Mac N' Cheese

If you are reading this and you are slightly peckish then look away now! .... As I may have mentioned before, I am trying to eat healthy but I do believe a little indulgence once and again can't hurt that much, that's where this post comes in .. it was definitely indulgent!

I like my diet to be 80 % healthy, and 20 % naughty so Mac N' Cheese on a Sunday is allowed! After looking for something yummy to rustle up Luca stumbled across a recipe for Clarkston Union Bar in Detroit's recipe for their famous Mac N' Cheese (apparently it is one of the best places ever for this dish!)

Adapting it slightly to our tastes he created the nicest Mac N' Cheese I have ever eaten, here is a rough recipe if you fancied giving it a go:

Luca's Mac N' Cheese (with pasta instead) 

Ingredients:

Butter 40grms
Plain flour 5 heaped tablespoons
Milk 3 cups
Double cream 1 cup
Romano cheese 150grms
Cheddar cheese 150grms
Asiago cheese 150grms
Large pasta shells 500grms
Handful of breadcrumbs
One large tomato
Handful of parsley

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.

Firstly grate all three types of cheese and put a small amount aside for sprinkling later, boil some water for the pasta and once boiling add the shells to a large pan, next get a medium size pan and melt the butter, add the flour slowly and stir into a roux, add the milk and cream and whisk until the sauce starts to bubble, you may need more liquid if too thick or more flour if too runny. Take off the heat and stir in the three cheeses.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain, and then stir into the sauce, once you have combined the two, pour into an oven proof dish and garnish with breadcrumbs, the remaining grated cheese, some sliced tomato and some chopped parsley. Season as necessary with salt and pepper.

Pop into the oven for half an hour, slice a fresh baguette, pour yourself a cloudy lemonade and wash up;)
After half an hour check to see if the cheese on top has gone golden and crispy ... if it has you are done!

If you wanted a more traditional Mac N' Cheese then use macaroni, but I much prefer these huge shells.

So there you have it, a lovely indulgent dish, Detroit style!