Stop what you’re doing and look at this!
Posted: May 24, 2012 Filed under: Just for fun | Tags: Aishwarya Rai, cakes, home, Jesus 1 Comment »Ridiculousness – Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai faces criticism in India for not snapping back to her pre-pregnancy weight
Decadent - Chocolate salted caramel cupcakes from the Brown Eyed Baker
Woo-hoo! - Good weather on the horizon!
Related – remember to slip slap slop on the suncream – don’t risk your health for a tan!
Super-cute – Cake and fruit kebabs! These are a great idea for summer bbqs
Interesting – Jesus’ workload in heaven must be super light right now as he keeps on showing up in the weirdest of places
Perfect for Summer – Lime and coconut ice cream by Two Peas and their Pod
Supersized – restaurant portions. This article is about the US portions are getting equally as ridiculous in the UK. Do you ask to take your leftovers home?
Retro – embrace the Queen’s diamond jubilee with a taste of the 1950s around blighty
It’s here – The trailer for The Great Gatsby. Digging the music.
Incredible – hazlenut macaroons with nutella filling by Annie’s Eats
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Confessions of a cookie dough addict
Posted: May 14, 2012 Filed under: Baking | Tags: cookie, cookie dough, cooking, home 5 Comments »This is real people. Cookie dough addiction is no laughing matter! In the last few weeks, I’ve made cookie dough brownies, some other cookie dough brownies and HUGE giant cookies and I’m beginning to fear that I can’t live without my weekly dose of cookie dough.
Since those of us who have a weakness for the stuff can’t really be eating big batches of it all the time, I devised this recipe which gives you a small portion of cookie dough – perfect for those days when you NEED cookie dough. You can also use it to make one big cookie, for those times when you have to have freshly baked cookie but don’t want a whole batch of them.
First, mix together one tablespoon each of soft unsalted butter and either white or light brown sugar. Then, add a tablespoon of milk (any kind) in lieu of an egg, and a little dash of vanilla extract or paste too if you’re feelin’ fancy! Next, add around a tablespoon of chocolate chips or chunks (or oatmeal and raisins, if you want a different kind of cookie) and then add your flour. I used plain flour and you’ll need between 2 and 3 tablespoons – add it gradually and stop when you get to a cookie dough consistency you’re happy with.
Thats it…… cookie dough in seconds! Now the decision is yours, eat the cookie dough or wait for the cookie….
I’ll leave you to guess which option I chose….
x Kerry
Related articles
- Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches (yesiwantcake.com)
- Cookie Dough Dip (balanceandblueberries.wordpress.com)
- Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies (thesmartcookiecook.com)
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Loving right now…
Posted: March 21, 2012 Filed under: Just for fun | Tags: avocado, cooking, home 5 Comments »
Source
I’m doing something new today! How exciting – are you excited?
Good!
Inspired by two of my favourite blogs, A Beautiful Mess and Rockstar Diaries, I’m going to start bringing you a new Kerry cooks feature of a Wednesday…. called ‘Loving right now’, featuring all of the things that I’m currently completely obsessed with.
Ready? Let’s go!
Just so addictive and I LOVE using it to help me catalogue recipes from around the interwebs that I’m dying to make. I also want to climb inside my dream home board and live there. I figure that if when I win the lottery, this board will save me a lot of time cause I can just hire a house builder/interior designer and point them towards the board. Here are a couple of pictures that just make me swoon.
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2. Baking for Spring/Summer
As I mentioned in my key lime pie post, I’m mad for anything fresh and zingy right now. And these blueberry and lemon cupcakes withlemon cream cheese frosting just jumped to the top of my to-bake queue as a result! They’re by the fantastical Annie of Annie’s Eats (she’s a doctor you know!).
3. Mashed avocado on toast
I LOVE avocado. You know how ridiculously healthy (and good for your skin!) it is right? Plus you can make guacamole with it, which is pretty much the most delicious thing in the whole world. Since I associate them with warmer months, I haven’t had any in the last few months, but now that the weather is warming up I’m chomping on them again… and avocado on toast with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper is the BEST SNACK in the world.
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4. Satchels and Trench coats
It feels that my quest to find the perfect satchel and the perfect trench coat may be never-ending. They come close…. but its never quite perfect. The satchel must be – cute, leather, roomy, and not extortionately priced (£100+). The trench must be pale khaki (NOT camel) and double breasted, the perfect length (above the knee) with a flouncy skirt. Not too much to ask is it?
This one comes close-ish
5. RAINBOWS!
I’m making attempting to make this rainbow cake on Sunday! But there’s no way on earth I’m making swiss meringue frosting with like 15 egg whites (what would I do with all those yolks!!) so I need to find another white frosting to use…… Wish me luck!!
x Kerry
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How to : 7 tips for baking great cakes
Posted: March 16, 2012 Filed under: Baking, How-to | Tags: baking, Baking and Confections, cake, cook, home 6 Comments »
The original title of this post was ‘Baking perfect cakes’ but I changed it! As you can see from the picture above, my cakes rarely turn out perfect, but they almost always turn out delicious.
Cakes can be really intimitidating for beginner bakers, so I’ve decided to do a series of posts covering the basics! I’ll cover some hints and tips and how to tell for sure when your cake is done in this post, and then move onto using food colouring to tint cakes and frostings next!
First, some tips for better cakes. They’re worth considering every time you set out to bake – if something goes wrong, one of these will be the likely culprit.
- Before you start, read your recipe. Then read it again
Skim reading a recipe as you go along while baking in a rush is a sure fire way to mess something up. Before you start, read the recipe twice and be sure you understand all the steps. You’ll thank yourself later.
2. Bring your ingredients to room temperature
Lush fluffy cakes are made with softened butter, and eggs and other ingredients at room temperature. The only exception to this is cream cheese for cream cheese frosting – you should keep it in the fridge right up until you’re ready to make your frosting.
3. Weigh your ingredients, ideally with an electronic scale, before you start
Makes it less likely you’ll ingredients in the wrong sequence, plus you can totally pretend you have your own cooking show. Don’t pretend you don’t do that.
4. Buy real vanilla extract
This stuff. For the love of god, not this stuff. Your cakes will thank you. Sadly your purse won’t, but you can make your own homemade vanilla extract and save yourself some money.
5. Use quality ingredients, sometimes
Flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda, sugar, cream cheese = buy the cheapest you can find. I’ve experimented with different flours and sugars and found not one jot of difference. Eggs = buy free range and ALWAYS check that none of them is cracked before you leave the store. Butter = be sure to buy a 100% butter and not a vegetable spread/butter mix. I favour Kerrygold and Country Life. Chocolate = buy according to what you’re baking. So for example, for chocolate chip cookies I’d happily use anything from dairy milk to supermarket own brand chocolate. For chocolate brownies, mousse or cake where you want a good depth of chocolate flavour, you need to be sure to use a chocolate with high cocoa solids like a 70% chocolate. You can get supermarket own brand versions that are fine for baking – there’s no need to spend a lot on Green & Blacks or Lindt unless its important to you such as for a special occasion. Do not even contemplate going anywhere near any cooking chocolate.
6. Move fast once the flour’s gone in
Once the gluten gets added to the cake, act fast. The gluten in the flour forms the network that holds the cake together. Its a ‘toughening’ ingredient to the ‘tenderising’ butter and sugar. The more the gluten in your cake mix is developed, the tougher and chewier your cake will be. To avoid a tough cake, make sure all your other ingredients are well mixed and then add the flour / baking powder / bicarb of soda at the end. Mix to just incorporate, and then put straight in the oven. Cake mix can’t hang around.
7. Don’t overbake
Pre-heat your oven for at least 20 minutes before you bake, cook your cakes on the middle shelf (or if making multiple cakes or cookies, rotate them between shelves) and start testing for doneness roughly two thirds of the way through the recommended cooking time.
The classic signs of doneness are – browning and pulling away from the edges
Cake bounces back when pressed down slightly
And the most failproof test – the skewer test. Use a knife, skewer, or cocktail stick and stick the centre of the cake. If it comes out with clean (apart from steam and a few crumbs) – the cake is definitely done. If there’s still some raw batter on your skewer, return the cake to the oven for a few more minutes. Try not to worry if your cake takes much less or more time than the recommended cooking time – ovens are all different and I’ve had cakes take twice as long as recommended! Just follow the tests above and you’ll be fine!
Happy baking!
x Kerry
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A quick & healthy weeknight dinner solution
Posted: March 14, 2012 Filed under: Healthy Eating | Tags: cook, Fishcake, home, tesco 1 Comment »I have become addicted…. to fishcakes. I’ve written a lot about healthy, easy and quick dinners on my blog in the past, from bean burgers to thai curry to quesadillas. Lately I’ve been trying to eat less carbs and make sure I get protein in, since I don’t eat meat, and fishcakes fit the bill! They’re
- healthy – low in fat and full of protein plus those omega 3s
- but not too healthy – breadcrumbs yea!
But I have a confession to make, I haven’t – yet – ever tried making my own fishcakes (I will be and have my eye on this recipe). The ones I normally eat are the Tesco ones that you can get in the fish fridge aisle. I’ve tried the cheaper freezer aisle/value ones but they’re more potato cakes than fishcakes! I’ve haven’t tried the fancy schmancy £5 a packet ones cause I’m not a gazillionaire.
These ones may not be homemade, but they’re tasty, convenient and cost just 75p per fishcake!
Fishcake + vegetables. Thats my solution for weekday nights when I have zero time to make dinner. What’s your best shortcut?
x Kerry
Getting the look for less : cute and ditsy shabby chic
Posted: February 15, 2012 Filed under: Home stuff | Tags: Cath Kidston, decor, home, shabby chic, shopping, style, vintage 4 Comments »I love the look of a lot of the stuff that Cath Kidston sell. Its cute, fun, quirky and adorable. I’m all about cute, fun, quirky and adorable and I’m pretty cool with that. I’ll never be described as minimilst or sophisticated and that’s just fine with me!
Though I love the Cath Kidston products, my purse feels differently. It’s so hard when we diverge on things. So for everyone else who’s a sucker for the floral empire, here are some places where you can get the look, for less!
Next
I LOVE this Cath Kidston Cutlery set. But its £60 (I’ve also heard pretty bad things about it quality – wise!) and I very much need to not become bankrupt. This Next one is a pretty great alternative though for less than a quarter of the price!
Next also have a ‘modern vintage’ range which sells other cute Cath-like products. They’re actually still on the expensive side if you ask me, but its worth popping into the Next homewares department, especially when they have a sale on.
TK Maxx/Homesense – TKMaxx is awesome for unique vintagey style home stuff. I’ve got so much stuff from there in the last few years, including great kitchenware and gifts, this cute lampshade (which was just £5 and is a dead ringer for massively more expensive ones sold at Laura Ashley)
I also got this cute print in a cream distressed (scratched!) frame for just £10 in the clearance section. TKMaxx evidently felt that the scratches meant it should be reduced, to me they looked intentional! Win win!
As well as this lovely noticeboard inside a lovely ornate white frame (this was £20)
It’s especially worth checking out their clearance area for bargains, and keeping your eye on the bedding section too which also has great bargains! I’ve even bought saucepans from there (and yes they were a massive bargain!). In short, TK Maxx rules.
Matalan – I looooove Matalan. My lounge mirror, which is literally identical to versions I’ve seen for sale for hundreds of pounds in John Lewis or Laura Ashley, is from there, and it was just £25!! I also got a red polka dot laundry hamper from there, and its also fab for really cheap but pretty photo frames – the kind that you see elsewhere for a LOT more money. Here are some of their products that I really like – what do you think?
My laundry hamper!
My door mat!
I love this vintage style teapot - its only £8!
How awesome is this massive collage photo frame? This would make a super personalised gift if you filled it with pictures and memories for someone of a special day or holiday…
Ikea - Again its much easier to get an idea of products in person than on their website, but you can get tons of shabby chic style bargains at Ikea. Their textiles and kitchenware are especially worth a look, as you can get stuff like cute Cath-style duvets and the Ikea version of kilner jars for a fraction of the price. Some of their furniture is very expensive for what it is but try their bargain (dented furniture) corner or their sale for some cheaper stuff.
One of my Ikea duvets
B&M Bargains – Its best to have a wander round one of their stores as their online site doesn’t give you a great idea of what they have in store. I got this full length white vintage style mirror from there for just £15! Well worth checking out their homeware stuff.
eBay – You can get a lot of Cath Kidston – alike products on eBay – I got this ironing board cover from there for less than £3 – better than paying £18 for one!
I also got this cute vintage style patchwork quilt from eBay – it was so long ago I can’t remember how much it was but it couldn’t have been a lot or I wouldn’t have it! If you love the look of patchwork quilts and blankets but don’t have the sewing skills to make your own (like me!) check out eBay! (The cushion I did actually customise myself!)
Charity shops
I wouldn’t say I’m the expert on this, but if you’re a leetle bit handy (able to apply a coat of paint with some competence), you can rescue and repurpose discarded furniture to fit your style and needs.
Check out this blog for some inspiration on upcycling vintage furniture and for more cute home decor project ideas check out A Beautiful Mess - sooo inspiring!
Wilko’s – Especially in their larger stores, you can find some great photo frames, kitchenware and light fittings that look way more expensive than they are. Here’s Milo modelling a polka dot cat bed from there (Cath Kidston do an uglier pet bed of around the same size for £38 – this one was £16).
Oh and I should say after slating them slightly, that there are a couple of products that I do buy from Cath Kidston and would recommend value for money wise – first their massive mugs which hold a pint of tea – heartbreakingly they seem to have stopped producing the polka dot versions which I love, but they still have plenty of other designs.
And second, their large shopper bags. I got mine at one of the stores in London and paid £25 for it. Its sturdy, easy to clean, and the wide handles make such a difference when it comes to carrying a heavy load. I would definitely buy another!
Phew! Long post – what do you guys think? What are your tips for getting the look you want for your home without spending a fortune?
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Home Tour : Our kitchen!
Posted: February 6, 2012 Filed under: Home stuff | Tags: cook, Cupboard, home, Kitchen, Laura Ashley, TK Maxx 5 Comments »If I were a cheesy motherfugga along the lines of the 90s pop star creeps you used to see on ‘Cribs’ (remember that show!!), I would say that this is where the [baking] magic happens.
Our kitchen is pretty compact and equipped with delightfully old-fashioned vintage style cupboards. We have one double cupboard to hold pretty much all our food which is a bit of a pain, so we also keep lots more extra supplies in our outside storage (a bit like a small garage) – including cat food, drinks and canned food.
I like collecting pretty containers and enamelwear. The polka dot tin is from Waitrose, the enamel fruit bowl is from TK Maxx (the best place for amazing kitchen BARGAINS) and the cake stand was from Laura Ashley. When its not being used for cake, I use it for holding spices and fruit and veg! It seems a shame to hide something so pretty away.
Lots and lots of baking supplies – I love the way food looks in these jars, and it is a great way of having frequently used supplies to hand. I keep in mine (from left to right), nuts, polenta, cous cous, sugar, muesli, oats, tea bags.
Over on the other side, I keep plain flour, more sugar, risotto rice, toasted flaked almonds x 2 and sunflower seeds!
So thats my real life kitchen! I guess my dream kitchen would look something like this one….
which I saw when the lovely Ruth of The Pink Whisk and the Great British Bake-Off gave us a peek into her kitchen on her blog! I honestly believed this was her kitchen for a few moments…
What would your dream kitchen look like?
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Help! Which cake to bake…
Posted: January 27, 2012 Filed under: Baking | Tags: Bundt cake, cake, cook, home, Lemon 3 Comments »Hey guys! I need your help to decide what cake to make for Cake Eaters Anonymous on Sunday! I’m torn between two cakes….
- My original choice, a citrus poppy seed bundt cake with orange, lemon and lime flavours and a cream cheese lemon frosting
Image source : The Baking Beauties
- And a chocolate version that popped into my head today – a vanilla bundt cake with large chocolate chunks and BOUNTY chunks, covered in melted chocolate and coconut! Its a bounty bundt cake!
Image source : Hersheys
So which one wins? Please help me decide!
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How-to : Shortcuts to quick and thrifty dinners
Posted: January 18, 2012 Filed under: How-to | Tags: cook, food, healthy, home, Lunch, thrifty, Vegetable 7 Comments »Wouldn’t it be great if a little prep work on a sunday could mean super easy lunches and dinners the whole week through? Read on my friends!
Life is busy when you work full time, (I’m sure this isn’t coming as a surprise to anyone!) and so I try to pack a lot into the 5-9. I normally get home from work at around 5.30pm (I work 9-5 and am very fortunate that I only live a 20 minute walk away from my work – yay!) and once I’ve sorted myself out, I do an hour of activity, usually running or Just Dance-ing. Then I shower before I make dinner.
Its best for me to make very quick dinners on weeknights, since by the time I’ve done all that I’m liable to be absolutely starving and start eating anything in the kitchen. I’ve mentioned before about how I tend to buy the same staples every week which I can then turn into a variety of different meals.
THEN the other week I took another step towards being organised in the kitchen – I spent 30 minutes on a Sunday evening (when I was making another meal anyway) roasting all the veggies that I love to eat. I coat with olive or vegetable oil, salt and pepper, and then roast up :
- 2/3 quartered red onions
- 1 large sweet potato, cut into medium chunks (say 1cm cubes)
- 1 large courgette, as the sweet potato
- 3 large peppers, cut into large strips (as you would to dip in hummus)
- 1 head of broccoli (Add about half way through the cooking time)
- 10 medium mushrooms (I buy the cheapest ones and add them with about ten minutes to go)
That amount of veggies keeps me going for five lunchtimes, plus probably 3-4 evening meals.
And once they’d cooled down I added some tomato pasta sauce (I guess making it similar to ratatoille) stored them in a plastic container in my fridge and dipped into them all week. Best idea ever! Another great thing about this is that you can stretch the veggies out even further with canned tuna or beans (I like butter beans, chickpeas, kidney beans and canneloni beans) and make them into lots of lovely meals! And its super healthy because you’re getting protein too!
Here’s what I made with them
-lunch every day, one toasted pitta filled with hummus, plus veggies (no morning chopping or faffing before work, plus its filling AND cheap. I keep pittas in my freezer so they’re always on hand)
-vegetable pasta – With your veggies already cooked, you can be eating this in the time it takes to cook your spaghetti (about 4 minutes!!)
-vegetable burritos – again, so fast!
-vegetable risotto – I fried newly chopped onion with garlic and added the risotto rice and stock, and then added my cooked chopped vegetables to warm up
-quesadillas – add tuna or some kidney beans for protein (as I’ve mentioned before, the flour tortillas you can buy last FOREVER, or around a month for me anyway)
-veggie curry – simply cook your rice and heat your pre-prepared veggies up with a bought curry sauce (I always keep a stash of mini-naans in my freezer)
-chickpea and vegetable casserole with cous cous – again, you simply have to eat things and add a tomato sauce. Oh and boil some water to make the cous cous!
Not particularly attractive but hopefully you get the idea!
In case of even more extreme laziness, I also keep certain foods in my fridge and freezer so that I can eat well in spite of doing literally no cooking whatsoever, such as
- lovely soup (Covent Garden or New York soup company are the best but I only buy when they’re on offer)
- frozen veggie burgers (we get the tesco ones, they’re packed full of veggies with a breadcrumb exterior)
- frozen fishcakes
- frozen pizza! – again to be thrifty I normally only buy when they’re on offer
I hope this post has give you some inspiration on eating relatively well in spite of busyness! Let me know if you have any other shortcuts or tips I should know about!
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Review : Tesco thin and crispy frozen pizza vs Sainsburys sourdough frozen pizzas
Posted: January 13, 2012 Filed under: Reviews | Tags: Cheese, cooking, food, home, pizza, Sainsbury, tesco 5 Comments »Pizza is definitely one of my favourite foods. I’m not entirely sure I could live without it. I love making homemade pizza, but its just so convenient to have some frozen pizzas stashed in the freezer for those nights when you just can’t face doing any heavy lifting in the kitchen. Here are a couple that I tried lately that I thought I’d give you a review on – they’re both similar nutrition wise at around 460 calories per half a pizza.
First up – Tesco’s thin and crispy pizzas. Their range includes the usual flavours, like four cheese, ham and pineapple, ham and mushroom, pepperoni, and vegetable. We got three and I tried both the four cheese and the vegetable, the above picture is the four cheese with added vegetables that I put on. They are 3 for £4!
This pizza was INCREDIBLY cheesy – possibly too cheesy for even me (gasp!). I would describe both this one and the vegetable one as average – they weren’t anything special. I would probably find another new pizza to try before I bought them again.
I much preferred this Sainsburys pizza I think – it had a better crust (I love the crust!!) and the goats cheese added a more interesting flavour than the standard pizza fare. Despite this one being ‘sourdough’, I can’t say that I could detect any difference in the flavour of the base than of any other pizza. The Sainsburys pizza was also frozen and they were 2 for £3.50.
Whats your favourite inexpensive frozen pizza? Are there any I should try?
