Saucy!

Hey guys, ever been to Papa Joes or Papa Browns even Blue Chicago and had the Arizona chicken?  I just love the sauce that comes with it and have been experimenting somewhat and think i just about mastered it.  I know its great to go out for dinner but if your stuck for tasty ideas why not try it and it spices up any dinner rather than just having something like gravy which our taste-buds are ever so accustomed to.  Its a red pepper , tomato and basil creamy sauce that is really simple to make and goes really well with chicken.  you can also make it healthy if you are cutting back which is fabulous and it still tastes great.

Recipe: serves 4

2 Red peppers, thickly sliced
2 tomatoes halved
1/2 onion finely chopped
Olive oil/ fry light
Chicken stock cube
salt and pepper
1/2 glass white wine/ you can use half wine half water
50ml whipping cream/ natural yogurt
handful of fresh basil, finely chopped

Method:  Place the peppers, tomatoes and onion in a roasting tray, drizzle with oil or fry light (if you are choosing the healthier option), season and place tray in oven.  Roast at 180c for 15mins or until soft.

Place the peppers, tomatoes and onion in a pot and add the stockcube and wine and reduce by half.  add cream or yogurt and bring to the boil.

Blend the mix with a stick blender until smooth, pass through a sieve and check seasoning.  Add basil at the end to retain the flavour and voila!

Who likes chocolate cake?

Hey everyone,  hope you have not missed me too much these passed weeks!  I have been super busy including attending cooking classes.  That means lots of new and exciting recipes to go into the book of knowledge.  This is just one of the recipes so far that i wish to share as everyone needs chocolate in their lives and its just that little bit different to the usual chocolate cake you can get.  If you like chocolate you will love this!

 Flourless chocolate cake?  Yes I know, How? Same question I had too but this recipe totally works and is just lush! You can decorate it any way you like but the raspberries and mint give it that little professional look and a great taste. Give it a try and you will be making this cake more than once! Yum!

Ironic Cupcakes

Wondering how cupcakes can be ironic? Well maybe raising money for Diabetes UK by selling cupcakes might make them a little somewhat derisive.  However, its one way to ensure you will raise funds for any charity! 

 As my boyfriend has type 1 diabetes, we have been trying to raise money for Diabetes UK for a while as his Dad is attempting the Great Wall of China Trek next year and needs to raise over £3000, we are just about half way there.  It will help to research ways recognising the signs of type 1 diabetes before diagnosis as you need to have a near fatal event to be diagniosed at times.  

Mark's parents held a street BBQ last week with a great attendance and raising over £500 pounds, and the cupcakes helped a little along the way.  Making over 100 cupcakes was my first major challenge in itself plus trying to sell them which was actually the easy part as everyone loves them at the minute!  I made Strawberry, chocolate, white chocolate and owl face cupcakes, they were a real hit!  Pity Mark couldnt have many but at least he couldnt eat all the profits, :).  

If you are interested in donating to this worthy cause, you can log on to www.justgiving.com/Paul- Cinnamond or you can text the letters HOXA84 £5 to 70070 or replace the 5 with whichever amount you wish to donate.

Traditional Soda bread

Hey foodies, soda bread is a northern Ireland favourite, it's actually one of the only places you can get it.  I never knew how easy it was until a couple of weeks ago.  What a handy recipe if you live away from home too and fancy a bit of the good stuff!  It's basically 2 cups of soda bread flour which you can buy in most shops nowadays, 1 cup of buttermilk.  Bind the two together until to get a smooth dough. Roll out onto a floured surface about half an inch thick. Cut into triangles like a pizza. Then flour a griddle or frying pan and cook each slice on either side until it sounds hollow. The flour will turn a golden brown as well, Voila!

Diane xx

Rhubarb Seasoning!

Hey guys, hope everyone is well! Time for some indulgence.  As it is the season for rhubarb, I looked up a few recipes that include rhubarb in baking. Interestingly found that it goes really well with cinnamon or ginger. After browsing through a lot of recipes making my tummy rumble and mouth water, I decided upon rhubarb and cinnamon muffins.  It was so good to try something other than the usual blueberry or chocolate muffin. They are fairly simple to make and don't cost much as long as the rhubarb is in season.  If you love experimenting why don't you try different flavours like apple and cinnamon, ginger and rhubarb or savoury muffins with rosemary and raisin Yum!  Enjoy your experimenting foodies.

Diane xx

Tea cup cosy!

Hey everyone! I received a lovely gift from a very nice and talented lady a couple of weeks ago. A teacup/mug cosy to try out as I had seen one in a magazine and asked could she make one as she makes lovely handcrafted vintage style crochet pieces! I have used it with nearly every cup of tea, I love it!







It definitely keeps your hot drink that little bit warmer and you can hold your cup or mug around the sides without burning the hands of yourself or someone else! A definite must have if you enjoy tea, crochet or anything vintage really.

If you would like to indulge in one of these or would like to enquire about any item please contact Elizabeth McKinty via Facebook or email eliazabethmckinty@live.co.uk

pancakes!

Just a quickie today guys..if you fancy some brunch pancakes are the way to go..delish! As one of Jamie Oliver's recipes, these American pancakes are great! Instead of being thin and silky like French crêpes, they are wonderfully fluffy and thick and can be made to perfection straight away. Simple, simple, simple!

Ingredients

3 large eggs
115g/4oz plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
140ml/5fl oz  butter milk (or cows milk, butter is better :)

Method:

First separate the eggs, putting the whites into one bowl and the yolks into another. Add the flour, baking powder and milk to the yolks and mix to a smooth thick batter. Whisk the whites with the salt until they form stiff peaks. Fold into the batter – it is now ready to use.

Heat a good non-stick pan on a medium heat. Pour some of your batter into the pan and fry for a couple of minutes until it starts to look golden and firm. Flip the pancake over. Continue frying until both sides are golden.

You can make these pancakes large or small, to your liking. They are very versatile and you can flavour them how you like as well. Either Syrup, honey, creme fraiche, sugar and lemon, the list is endless,  Enjoy!

Diane xx