Christmas

Soft cinnamon pretzel with mocha dip
22Dec

Soft cinnamon pretzels with mocha dip

As teenagers our constant evening snack were soft pretzels. My mum used to make two flavours: pizza and cinnamon sugar. My parent’s home is always the central hub at Christmas for all of the sibling living far away. For us Christmas is not only about spending time in the kitchen but also trying new foods. Yep, Turkey is rarely the main dish for Christmas dinner, this year we are making steak with port sauce. But there is always space for the golden oldies and I am so glad that I tried this recipe when we were all together Even though my dad burst my bubble when he pointed out that my knots were a bit weird (a quick Google search showed that he was 80% right… however some people do knot like I do) it was so nice to hear my brother say that taking a bite of the pretzel took him back to 20 years ago. Isn’t that what every baker wants to hear? Soft cinnamon pretzels (yields 20) 300g plain flour 30g melted butter plus more for greasing 1 1/2 tsp of easy yeast 1 tsp salt 140ml warm water Cinnamon and caster sugar ( I used a
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Ginger and lime cookies, perfect for Christmas
19Dec

Ginger and lime cookies

I fell in love with ginger not so long ago. My husband urged me to try the famous Mcvitie’s Jamaican Ginger Cake and I was unable to stop at one slice only. It has since become my second favourite cake after the carrot cake from the Hummingbird Bakery which we had our wedding. After the Jamaican cake my views of baking with ginger changed dramatically, before I would never venture out of savoury dishes when using ginger. This recipe calls for ginger in syrup, don’t even try to use powdered ginger or any other form of ginger, you just wouldn’t get the fiery kick rounded up by chewy sweetness. And don’t be scared by the icing, it’s super easy, you only need 3 ingredients and a piping bag. It flows easily onto the biscuit and any mistakes on the design can be rubbed off with a dab of water on your fingers. Ginger and lime cookies (yields 20-25 cookies) Biscuit base: 200g butter 100g caster sugar zest of 3 limes 360g plain flour 180g stem ginger in syrup (drained), grated 1. Beat sugar and butter with an electric mixer, add grated ginger and zest. 2. Using a paddle attachment add
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23Jan

Dark chocolate and ginger cheesecake

I always set my alarm to give me a good hour for breakfast before I need to leave the house. It always amazes me when my work colleagues say they get out of bed 5 minutes before they have to leave the house and then have their toast in front of their computer. I’m sorry but that would bring my quality of life down by about 10 points. I can’t function properly for the rest of the day if my day starts in a rush. Having my eggs with a cup of coffee in bed whilst catching up on last evening’s Bravo is my happy place. Then I leave plenty of time for my makeup and hair. All sounds very regimented right? Not so much because I never really plan my packed lunch/dinner and have to rush last minute to try and make a mediocre salad to eat later that day. I never make that a priority and end up leaving with a cereal bar or maybe a smoothie for lunch. Not cool. This week I prepped like a boss, got a few bits of tuppaware and stacked them with a nice turkey fried rice in the fridge. In the
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14Dec

Orange, honey and pistachio biscuits

I am not embarrassed to say that a lot of my Christmas shopping has been done online. It has been hard to put off chores and to be able to do things that I want to, such as blow drying my hair or going for a run. I guess that’s adulthood. Adulthood also means more and more of my friends are now having kids, and my lack of time really holds no comparison to what all the mammas I know have to juggle on a daily basis. Karla, my co-blogger, told be that being a mum and being with her family did not leave her with a lot of time to dedicate to the blog. I visited her last month and she cooked me some amazing stuff: creamy soups and quinoa patties which were to die for. She is a pro at seasoning, and one of the most creative people I have ever met. Obviously I am sad that our partnership has come to an end, but our friendship is strong even with the Channel between us. This recipe is for her. Karla loves Christmas biscuits I bought the cutters that I used for this recipe whilst in Germany with
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