Sunny Sunday :)

Absolutely beautiful morning :)

Woke up with a big smile on my face so thought i'd do a spot of baking..

My 'famous' coffee cake :)

Unfortunately it didn't rise as well as i'd hoped so semi-circle cake it is!

Me and my lovely mom :)

Amazing weekend overall!

Bake Club - in association with Lurpak

Bake Club is a new website i found that allows you to submit your own recipes and ideas to earn yourself rating stars and prizes!

Every month, the Lurpak team working together with a famous cooking/baking face choose an original recipe as 'This Month's Challenge'. They then ask all members to cook the recipe whilst adding their own twist on the original and to take a picture of the finished product, submitting it along with a short description.

The top 20 winners are then chosen by the famous face and the Lurpak team and there is a different cooking/baking related prize every month!

As i absolutely love cooking, i thought this was a brilliant idea! As it encourages you to try out and practise traditional recipes but also to experiment yourself with flavours. Which i feel will make everyone - including myself - feel more confident when using variations and adding different flavours to make products your own.

Each month a description is provided of what is expected when entering along with some information about the famous face - so you can still learn whilst going along! It also provides the alternate recipe that the famous face uses so you can still try that one out for yourself too. Also provided is a 'Top 5 Tips' from the famous face which always help you along the way!

The challenges alternate between sweet and savoury recipes so there's something for everyone and even if you end up not submitting your recipe, it's still fun to give it a go!

This Month's Challenge:

Traditional Cottage Pie

The description:

February’s challenge has been set by Tim Anderson, 2011 MasterChef winner. His take on a traditional cottage pie combines hearty mince, spicy chorizo sausage as well as some surprising ingredients like stout and fennel –topped with a creamy mash. Tim says, “The mash topping is a blank slate for flavour, so customise it however you like! Garlic, celery salt, paprika, strong cheese, mustard, or bits of bacon can really liven it up.”

Feeling inspired? Get baking and submit your take on cottage pie for the chance to win one of 20 Falcon enamelware pie sets.

So nothing can be easier really.. the description is laid out as well as the rules..

So sign up and get yourselves to the kitchen!

Homemade potato wedges recipe

Homemade Potato Wedges

Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes - washed

1 teaspoon of Paprika

3 teaspoons of Mixed Herbs

1 teaspoon of Five Spice

1 teaspoon of Ground Ginger

sprinkliing of Salt

sprinkling of Black Pepper

Olive Oil

Lemon Juice

Butter/Margarine to grease

Recipe:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180'c - Gas Mark 4
2. Grease a baking tray using butter or margarine (pastry brush) and pout some olive oil into a small bowl
3. Chop potatoes into quarters, then into wedge-shaped slices
4. Pour all the herbs and spices into a small bowl and sprinkle half over the greased baking tray
5. Using a pastry brush, 'paint' the wedge slices with olive oil and lie them on the baking tray (on top of the herbs and spices)
6. Use the remaining herbs and spices to sprinkle over the wedges - this way they are coated both sides
7. Slide the wedges onto the middle shelf and cook for approx. 20 minutes
8. Remove them from the oven and squeeze lemon juice lightly over them, also sprinkle the Salt and Black pepper
9. Shuffle them a little to ensure they're not sticking
10. Pop them back in the oven for another 15-20 minutes until crisp on the outside and soft inside

Enjoy!

Happy Saint Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

The above picture is definitely me and my boyfriend in cartoon gaming form!

(i will now refer to my boyfriend as Sonic in all posts)

As i leave the house for work at 6:30am - i haven't yet had the privilege of receiving my prezzies from my Sonic.. i can't wait until i get home!

I know a lot of people say they don't see why love should be specifically celebrated on this day and that you should show it all year round.. but there's no reason not to make this day special.

I always say i'll never go out for dinner on valentine's day as the 'offers' always seem to be more expensive than if you went on any other day! So instead i plan special meals at home that we wouldn't usually eat and spend the day (or closest day to it) just being together.

My Menu

Starter: Homemade garlic mushrooms

Main: Sirloin steak served with homemade wedges and onion rings

Dessert: Homemade coffee biscuits or coffee cake

The main course is such an easy option to cook! Simply fry the steak, shove the onion rings in the oven. Then i have such an easy recipe for homemade potato wedges - i will post this next!

As for the starter using tiny mushrooms and cooking them in a saucepan with melted cheese and garlic YUM spread.. easy peasy and really quick!

Then the dessert is apparently my 'famous coffee cake' so i'm very used to making it

I've also managed to book the day off work tomorrow and luckily Sonic works from home so we'll have a special meal tonight but then we'll spend 'our valentine's day' together tomorrow so we have more time to make the most of being together.

Have a happy and Love-filled day!

Coronation Chicken Wraps!

Coronation Chicken Wraps

(Makes 4 wraps)

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breast Fiillets (chopped)

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1/2 a large Onion

1 tablespoon Curry Powder

300ml Chicken Stock

1 teaspoon Tomato Puree

1/4 Lemon, juice-of

2 tablespoons Mango Chutney

100ml mayonnaise

3 tablespoons Double Cream (whipped)

4 Tortilla Wraps

- Salad is optional

Recipe:

1. Chop the chicken breast fillets into small pieces and set aside
2. Chop the onion and then prepare chicken stock (in a measuring jug)
3. Heat the Olive Oil in a large saucepan or Wok and add onions
4. Fry onions for 5 minutes or until beginning to brown
5. Lower the heat slightly and stir in the curry powder, mixing all the while
6. Add the Chicken stock, Tomato puree, Lemon juice and Mango chutney
7. Stir until it begins to bubble, then lower the heat and cook for 5-10 minutes (it will thicken slightly)
8. Allow to cool (takes around 10 minutes) then stir in the Mayonnaise and Double cream
9. Return to the heat
10. Add the Chicken pieces and cook for 5-10 minutes until chicken has heated and cooked thoroughly
11. Use a slotted spoon to put into the centre of tortilla wraps then fold up and serve immediately

Enjoy! They're suprisingly filling!

Happy Ash Wednesday - Beginning of Lent!

I'd just like to start by saying HAPPY ASH WEDNESDAY to everybody!

So.. as it's the first day of Lent, what's everyone giving up?

Chocolate has to be the most common one!

I like Lent, it is a time every year in which to monitor your self-control which i find a warming experience. I feel proud of myself at the end of Lent that i have managed to give up something that i really enjoy for 40 days (and 40 nights) and it makes it feel all the more rewarding the next time you indulge in your chosen treat!

I gave up meat one year as my dad dared me that i wouldn't be able to do it, it was difficult as first but i soon got used to it and i suprised myself with how i managed to live my daily life quite easily without eating such a common food. Infact i got so used to it that i ended up not eating meat for over a year! I did feel much better for it but then when a special occasion came around a year later it really did feel good to indulge in a large sirloin steak! Yum!

I've decided to give up fizzy drinks. As they are such a 'normal' part of life for so many people i think it will be tough for me as it's so easy to just grab one when you're thirsty for convenience. So that's my challenge..

I couldn't have possibly given up meat this year.. the Coronation chicken wraps i've just made were to die for! Far too yummy to be waiting that long to indulge..

(I'm posting the recipe next if anyone's interested!)

Good Luck Everyone!

I've been very lucky this week!

This week i have been lucky enough to be selected for 2 product tests with separate websites!

I am especially excited about these as i love spreading the word about new products, sharing experiences and also spreading the word of the sites that i'm working with!

It makes me feel good that i can give something back :)

Viakal - Savvy Circle

I was lucky enough to be picked to help trial a New Viakal limescale remover with Savvy Circle. I am a big cleaner in my house and do find it especially difficult to keep my bathroom and sink areas clean. I will definitely be keeping you updated on how well the product works and how it suits my needs!

The project details ask me to firstly, use the product as i normally would any other. Then to continually give my feedback to the site over the length of 6 weeks, filling out reports and taking photos as proof. Best of all i get to keep the product and continue to use it as i wish afterwards.

The product description:

 Everyone wants their kitchen and bathroom to look clean and have a great shine, but limescale and watermarks can make surfaces appear dull and unhygienic. Viakal has developed a limescale remover with a unique polymer pro-shine technology. The Viakal formula has been specifically designed to efficiently remove watermarks and limescale, while improving appearance, shine and protecting surfaces from further damage.

The formula works in the following ways:

• An acidic system works to remove unsightly limescale and watermarks.
• A thick formula allows the product to remain in contact with the surface for longer.
• The surfactants remove bathroom soil.

I'll keep you updated with how it goes! 

Sure Compressed Deodorant - BzzAgent

I was also lucky enough to be chosen to review New Sure Compressed Deodorant for BzzAgent. As i have a very busy lifestyle with working full time and also running the blog, i thought that hopefully, i would be an ideal candidate to test a new deodorant that promises to keep the same length of protection but being in a smaller bottle.. luckily they thought the same!

I am very excited to be testing this product more-so because, i am very eco-friendly and very pro-recycling! I think the idea is brilliant to reduce packaging and in turn, reduce waste. I am having fun spreading the word through family, friends and colleagues and now i hope to pass the message onto all of you!

It is a brilliant size, especially if you go out straight from work and you need to keep deodorant in your work bag and don't want it to take up loads of space! So far i have used the product for 3 days and i am very happy with it! I think i will probably change my deodorant full-stop to this now as it helps to promote the eco-message which is very me! It has given me maximum protection for a great amount of hours too!

Product description:

Something big (or should we say ‘small’) is happening to Sure deodorants... They have compressed even more protection into a little can half the size! That’s right, after years of development and testing, Sure have managed to re-engineer their aerosol deodorants so that it sprays out less gas than before but delivers more antiperspirant ingredient.

I will definitely keep you posted as the week goes on!