A Year in Review and 2018 Resolutions

Each year I look back on the year in blogging (and a few aspects of my personal life) and my top 10 most popular posts, and think about what I want to tackle for the blog in the coming year.

The first half of last year was pretty normal; I made cakes for birthdays, reviewed restaurants, did some crafts, all the usual things. Then at the beginning of July I found out my husband and I are expecting a baby - and everything changed. We are really excited and looking forward to the new addition to our family; I've been lucky and not suffered from morning sickness or much else during this pregnancy apart from a few aches and pains (trying to get out of bed in the morning is quite difficult these days) but I have been extremely tired for several months, often needing a nap (or simply falling asleep wherever I am) which means I am not getting much done! I was also diagnosed with gestational diabetes right before Christmas, which should disappear as soon as the baby is born, but means I now have to watch what I eat a lot more and cut out most carbs as well as sugar.

Lack of time and the tiredness meant I blogged a lot less in the last few months of 2017 and my readership stats reflect that. It's been interesting to see what my top 10 most read posts were over the year:

1. Slow cooker butterscotch pudding - from a book called the Slow Cooker, you cook the puddings in a water bath and they set like custard - they tasted great. I have lots of other slow cooker recipes on my blog!

2. Vegan French apple tart - often people who are not vegan need to make a vegan recipe and this is where the internet rather than recipe books comes in! I found this on the Good to Know website and made it for last new year's eve where I was with friends including a vegan, and also entered it in the Food n Flix challenge. You can find lots more vegan recipes on my blog.

3. Chicken and chorizo filo parcels - I always have a few sheets of filo pastry left after opening a packet and this recipe from the Jus-Rol website is a great way to use them up.

4. Slimming World coronation chicken jacket potato - I haven't followed the Slimming World plan for a while but still have a lot of the recipe books and cook from them sometimes. This coronation chicken filling is low fat and really nice in a baked potato.

5. I'm glad to see that my meal plans, which I post every Monday, are popular, and hopefully useful. One of them - my very first meal plan of 2017 - made it into my top 10 most read posts.

6. Chocolate crumble - something I made for my husband while I enjoyed an apple crumble as he doesn't like apple. The recipe comes from the Tesco website and I recommend you check it out!

7. Weightwatchers Turkish pizza - another good recipe for people who are watching their weight. This Turkish take on a pizza has no cheese but is topped with minced lamb and spices and is really good.

8. A roundup of soup recipes I'd previously featured on my blog - soup is really easy to make and pretty much a fail safe lunch in the winter for me!

9. Super-moist vegan strawberry cake - a birthday cake for my vegan friend which she really enjoyed. If you like strawberry flavour check out these other strawberry recipes.

10. I'm pleased to see one of my card making projects made it into the top 10, even though this snow scene foil Christmas card is based entirely on a design from a card making magazine - if you want to see the other cards I've made click here.

In terms of goals for 2018, I'm not going to write a whole long list like I sometimes do - as I can't even begin to imagine how much my life will change when I have a baby. My resolution instead is to continue my blog, even if I'm not able to post often; I would also like to revise the layout and make some design changes which I've wanted to do for a while now but never seem to find the time to do. So I think given there is a baby on the way, blogging at all this year will be an achievement!

Eight Great Pancake Recipes: Sweet, Savoury, Gluten-Free, Vegan

 

 

It's almost Shrove Tuesday, otherwise known as Pancake Day - so here are 8 easy and delicious pancake recipes, from sweet to savoury and even vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free!

 

 

First up, because it's not all about being indulgent, are these buckwheat pancakes. These are gluten-free and don't contain any refined sugar. Delicious with smoked salmon and goat's cheese.

These sugar-free coconut milk pancakes are also great for people cutting out sugar who still want to enjoy some pancakes. They are made from a combination of coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut flour, shredded coconut and buckwheat flour - great served with apple sauce.

Now for something a bit more indulgent. This crepe cake or thousand layer cake takes a bit of time to make, though there are not really a thousand layers of course. The layers are sweet pancakes sandwiched together with crème patissiere and you slice it like a cake.

Savoury pancakes are great as a main course. Don't be put off by these Spam and mushroom filled pancakes - you can use any kind of tinned or chopped ham, and they taste really good.

When it comes to breakfast, how about these buttermilk pancakes with sausage gravy? I first had sausage gravy in America - it's basically diced sausage in a white sauce which makes a great alternative to a fried breakfast.

Who remembers Findus crispy pancakes? I used to love them when I was a kid so figured out a way to make my own ham and cheese crispy pancakes! The pancakes are coated in breadcrumbs and fried until they turn golden brown; cut into them and the ham and cheese filling oozes out. I'd forgotten how good these were!

 

 

But there's no need to complicate things and sometimes you want something simple. These American-style banana pancakes work for breakfast or dessert. I don't even like bananas and thought these were really good! The buttermilk makes them extra fluffy.

 

 And finally, here's a recipe for vegan pancakes - just because you don't eat eggs or milk doesn't mean you can't enjoy pancake day! These are really good and there are all sorts of toppings you could try, from fruit to the traditional lemon and sugar.

 

 What's your favourite pancake topping and what are you planning to make for Pancake Day? Let me know in the comments!

10 Reasons to be Addicted to Soup - Winter Soup Recipes

 

This time of year there can sometimes be nothing better than a steaming bowl of soup - especially if it's one you've made yourself. Whether you're using up leftover veg or trying to persuade yourself to eat more veg (it's much easier blended, trust me!) or you on a diet and looking for a low fat recipe, there is so much you can do.

Here are ten of my favourite soup recipes. Check out number 7, it's something a bit different!

1. Chicken mulligatawny - adapted from a Weightwatchers recipe, really filling and robust

 

2. Slimming World cauliflower cheese soup - like cauliflower cheese? Then you will love this!

 

 

3. French onion soup - a classic. I made this after watching a film called Delicatessen. Using cider in the stock is an extra treat!

 

4. Cauliflower soup - a summertime recipe that works well in winter. Moomin flask optional!

 

 

5. Butternut squash soup - a very simple recipe using only a few ingredients - and what's more it's Slimming World.

 

6. Broccoli courgette and Stilton soup - how to sneak some hidden veg into your food!

 

 

7. Zuppa Toscana - a hearty Italian soup that I adapted to make lower in fat. With the sausages it's easily a meal in itself.

 

8. Spiced pumpkin soup  - another very simple recipe that uses leftover pumpkin from Halloween. Admittedly you probably can't get pumpkin at this time of year but if you have any in the freezer you can make this now, otherwise it might have to wait!

 

 

9. Mixed vegetable soup plus a recipe for homemade chilli and cheese bread. This is the easiest soup you can possibly make!

 

10. Slow cooker ham and potato soup - you can also make this on the hob. A great way to use up leftover ham or gammon from a roast.

 

 

What's your favourite kind of soup?

Food 'n' Flix Round-Up: Burnt

In November I guest-hosted the Food 'n' Flix challenge and chose the Bradley Cooper film Burnt. The idea is that people watch the film and cook or bake something related to the film in some way - you can see my announcement post here.

The film is obviously full of food references and scenes, ranging from street food and Burger King right up to high end Michelin star dining. I was very impressed at what everyone made - there were some photos sent in that I think wouldn't have looked out of place in Adam's restaurant in the movie! Hosting this challenge also introduced me to lots of blogs I haven't come across before, though I ended up having a very busy month both at work and personally so didn't get to look at the blogs or entries straight away - apologies if you were expecting me to comment on your post immediately, but there just wasn't enough time in the day, and I did manage to visit everyone's blog eventually!

Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm was inspired by the beginning of the movie where Adam is undergoing a self-imposed penance of shucking a million oysters. Wendy only had to shuck eight oysters but said she found a good trick to do it; it was interesting for me to read as I've never eaten an oyster let alone cooked one! According to Wendy these are "mouth-wateringly delicious".

More oysters, this time from Heather at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen, who runs the Food 'n' Flix challenge. She was inspired by the same scene from the movie and as it was close to Thanksgiving, she made an oyster stuffing. She said: "Plump oysters, smoky bacon, and chewy French bread mingle happily in this classic Thanksgiving side dish."

For my own entry, I found some recipes on the official movie site for Burnt and decided to make one of those: a mascarpone and orange streusel slice. It was really complicated and took ages! I had to make a mascarpone mousse (which didn't set properly so I had to semi-freeze it), a blood orange gel, honeycomb (which didn't set at all) and a streusel biscuit layer which I overcooked a bit. I drew the line at making ice cream to go with it! It didn't turn out badly despite a lot of the elements not quite working and did taste really good, but it was far too much effort to ever make again!

I've never come across Japanese sea vegetables before so was intrigued by this recipe for Fishless Fish Free Japanese Sea Vegetable and Nori Cakes from Shaheen at Allotment 2 Kitchen. She was inspired by a scene at Billingsgate fish market in the movie but as she is vegetarian found a great way to give her own take on it. Shaheen says they make a fantastic light starter to a meal.

Kimberley from Coffee and Casseroles blended the Burger King scene (comfort food) with the part where Helene cooks her daughter fish over and over again until she gets it right, and came up with a dish of scalloped potatoes. This is one of those dishes that look like they take all day to make but is actually really quick.

Ali from Fix Me a Little Lunch said her favourite part of the film is where Adam suggests adding
chopped sage to a luscious looking bowl of cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper pasta).  Ali said: "I got to thinking about the combination of cheese and black pepper and then even more about food and how it can bring such comfort – whether one is taking care of a chef who has gone on a binge by cooking a simple omelette or if one is just trying to recover from the election hangover." She decided to use the cheese and black pepper to flavour some scones in these Cacio e Pepe Scones.

I'd been very tempted to copy a beautiful cake from the film but at that time had no need for a large cake and wanted to make a smaller dessert for just me and my husband. So I was really glad when I saw that Amy, from Amy's Cooking Adventures, had made this Buttercream Roses Vanilla Cake - it looks perfect! In the film, Adam won't give Helene the day off for her daughter's birthday so she brings the girl into the restaurant, and Adam (who isn't so bad after all) ends up making her a cake that looks a lot like this.

As if other bloggers could read my mind, I'd also wanted to cook turbot as I liked the scene where Helene practises over and over again, even giving it to her daughter for breakfast. But I couldn't find any turbot in the supermarket and don't have a fishmonger I can get to. Luckily Sarah at Chef Sarah Elizabeth was able to buy turbot and she made this fantastic dish: Butter Poached Turbot with Cayenne Mushrooms. The way it's plated up, it looks like it belongs in Adam's restaurant!

That beautiful birthday cake makes another appearance with Katharina from Pretty Cake Machine. She has introduced me to a flavour called 'isaphan' which is a combination of raspberry, lychee and rose, created for the famous macaron house Laduree. Katharina used those flavours in her cake which looks gorgeous, and must have tasted gorgeous as well!

Evelyne from CulturEatz took the title of the film literally and decided to look for recipes which are deliberately burnt. She finally settled on a Charred Broccoli Shrimp Pasta with Peanuts dish and proved that sometimes when food is burnt it can still taste really good!

 

An insult in the film inspired the dish made by Deb from Kahakai Kitchen. Adam disdainfully asks his friend Tony, maitre d' of a hotel restaurant, "You're serving seared tuna. What happened to your self respect?" Deb's Pistachio-Crusted Seared Ahi Tuna on Burnt Eggplant with Feta and Pomegranate Couscous is another recipe that involves charring, and has plenty of self respect!
 

 

Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla watched the movie several times while trying to decide what to make, and was eventually inspired by the fish market. She made Crisped Chanterelles Over Brown Butter-Braised Halibut and said: "This dish is definitely a testament to great ingredients making a terrific dish...and you don't have to be anything close to a Michelin chef to make it." It only uses six ingredients, and two of those are salt and pepper, proving you don't need to over complicate things to create a wonderful dish.

 



 

Debra from Eliots Eats made a luscious cocktail based on a recipe in the Official Burnt Movie Cookbook. Her Pineapple Confit Infused Rum can be drunk as it is, or diluted with tonic water. I know which I'd prefer!

 

 

Finally Elizabeth from the Lawyer's Cookbook made Scallops with Caper Sauce over Veggies, inspired by the various dishes that you can see Adam prepare in the film. This looks like quite a simple recipe where the flavours speak for themselves and is beautifully presented, rather like the food in the film!





 

Interestingly, opinions of those who took part in this month's Food 'n' Flix were divided - some people really enjoyed the film but several didn't like it at all! One thing is sure and that is there was plenty to be inspired by in the kitchen. Thanks to everyone who took part in Food 'n' Flix this month! If you would like to take part in December, Heather from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen has chosen a film called Krampus.

Alphabakes Roundup April 2016 - T

 

 

We didn’t have many entries for this month’s Alphabakes, but I’m certainly not complaining as wedding planning hasn’t left me much time! I have been baking a bit this month though as several people have had birthdays (myself included!). The letter we were using this month was T.

 

I took part in a chocolate truffle-making workshop with Farfetch a few weeks ago which was good fun (and the cocktails they made us were to die for), so I decided to share the result with this challenge. You can see my truffles and how I made them here.

  

 

The second entry into this month’s Alphabakes challenge was also one from me. My fiancé loves chocolate so I made him an indulgent chocolate birthday cake, filled and covered with chocolate ganache, and decorated with Cadbury Twirl Bites (which was my letter T). The cake contained some unusual ingredients – Coca Cola and melted marshmallows – and it tasted amazing!

 

 

  

 My mum Jacqueline made a tangerine pound cake, which she says is like an orange drizzle cake, with grated tangerine rind in the cake mix, and a drizzle of butter ,sugar,brandy and tangerine juice on top, which soaks into the cake.

 

Ros at The More Than Occasional Baker is my co-host for Alphabakes; she made these Toffee Crisp cookies baking one of my favourite chocolate bars into a cookie, and says they were so good she had to make two batches as they disappeared so quickly!

 

 

 

This Darjeeling pecan tea loaf comes from Shaheen at Allotment 2 Kitchen. She initially chose the recipe to use up some marmalade and substituted a different type of tea; she says the result is 'subtly scented'.

 

 

 

I’ve only used tahini when making houmous before so was interested to see this recipe for a date and tahini slice from Suelle at Mainly Baking. She says the slice was pleasant to eat, and the flavours of dates, coconut and sesame seeds blended together well, but the amount of ground ginger used was hardly noticeable, and it might have worked better as a cookie. Still looks good to me!

 

These mini Toad in the Holes are gluten free – Kate at the Gluten Free Alchemist used sorghum, tapioca and corn flours, which she said are easy to source. She also points out that gluten-free sausages tend to have a higher meat content!
 

 

 

 

Another savoury dish now from Charlottes Lively Kitchen – wild mushroom and garlic tagliatelle. It’s really quick to make so great for a mid-week dinner and under 250 calories per serving.
 

 

 

Finally we have these unusual purple matcha nanaimo bars from Stuart at Cakeyboi. Matcha is a type of tea which is where the letter T comes in. Nanaimo bars have a biscuit base, covered with coconut, cocoa and nuts with a custard filling; Stuart added the matcha into the custard which he says imparted a delicate tea flavour to the mix.

Thanks to everyone who entered; Ros at The More Than Occasional Baker is hosting our final alphabet letter in May - can you remember what it is?

 

Spiralizer Saturday Round-up and March challenge

Welcome to Spiralizer Saturday - once again I'm inviting you all to link up your spiralizer recipes (which could also be made using a julienne cutter or similar) - recipes of all types as there is no theme.

I don't have a recipe to share with you today as I haven't used my spiralizer for a couple of weeks, so I will go straight into the round-up from last month.

I made this rather unusual sweet potato 'pizza' which uses spiralized sweet potato as a base, topped with tomato puree and mozzarella - it made a delicious lunch!

Ros, who you might know from the More Than Occasional Baker, has a new blog at A Twirly Whirly Blog which is all about spiralizer recipes. She made a chicken and mushroom black bean stir-fry using spiralized carrot and courgette.

I used a similar approach in this spiralized Pad Thai, making one with chicken and a vegetarian one with tofu. Both had spiralized butternut squash, mooli and carrot.

 

And here's another one from Ros at Twirly Whirly Blog: spiralized butternut squash with pancetta, prawn and spinach in a creamy mascarpone sauce which sounds amazing! In fact I think I might have to cook this myself!