Tag: easy

Cloudy ginger lemonade
06Apr

cloudy ginger lemonade

Warm weather fronts are here. This is when we jump for joy that the beautiful sea views are less than an hour away. Our lockdown summer was marked by long walks by the coast and lazy days sat on the cool grass in our garden, and with longer, warmer days here I have started to crave this lemonade. And with the go ahead for meeting friends and families in gardens and parks, this is the perfect mocktail for a socially distanced get together. It’s sparkling, refreshing and if you have a blender it only takes 10 minutes to make! . Cloudy ginger lemonade (makes around 1.5l) 6 lemons 2 tbsp caster sugar 400ml water 750ml non alcoholic ginger beer Mint to garnish Ice . 1. Cut lemons into quarters and remove seeds. Blend it lemons, water and and sugar. Pass it through a sieve and discard the bigger lumps of zest and pith. 2. Add ginger beer and serve it over ice. Garnish with mint. . . More summer recipes:
2 mins read
2705 Views
5 ingredient Nutella pie
24Mar

5 ingredient nutella pie

Easter is around the corner and you frankly can’t miss it over here, the mountains of chocolate eggs in the supermarket are overwhelming. Every year they bring more flavours, I swear! Sure I got the ol’ faithful bag of mini eggs, but when it comes to chocolate nothing brings me as much joy as a spoonfull (or two) of Nutella straight out of the jar. And if you’re reading this, you probably one too. And whether you eat it out of the jar or strictly spread it on toast, get on this because I bet you have most of these ingredients in your kitchen right now. Only 5 ingredients!!!! Death by chocolate does not get easier than this. 5 Ingredient Nutella pie (serves 6) 200g of white cake such as madeira (a couple of days old is best) 2 tbsp cocoa powder, plus extra for suting 50g melted butter 400ml double cream 150g Nutella 1. Lightly butter a 18cm loose-bottomed tart tin, and set aside. 2. Place cake in a food processor and blend it until you get fines crumbs. Add cocoa powder and melted butter, and continue to mix until all ingredients have combined. 3. Tip cake mixture into
3 mins read
1426 Views
06Apr

Orange tray cake

I have been wrapped up in childhood memories and knees deep in oranges over the last week. That and two very different Netflix series. The first was a dark one, which I devoured in about 3 days (you know, I had to pause it to go to work). I then had to cleanse my TV palate with something a little lighter, some mindless comedy thing. Binge watching series helps me get in the zone when I am in the kitchen. The zone to me means I have all my ingredients lined up, my wireless headphones for maximum freedom of movement and my tablet, propped up on top of my coffee jar with a series on. But I had questions after being in the zone this week. People say, word on the street is that binging is not good. We all know extremes can do you harm and moderation is key. I am a binger in all aspects of my life, from food to a new series. I got truly sucked into the fiction and then not only I have to snap myself back to reality after you feel a little lost after that last episode ends but also it completely
3 mins read
1152 Views
17Oct

Apple and caramelised salted nuts ice cream

The freezer situation in our house has caused a few arguments. We have a small apartment and therefore a small fridge-freezer. I am completely in control of all food related things in our household: the planning, shopping and making. Not because the husband is not interested, but because I take so much enjoyment out of it, and he obviously does not mind. Testing recipes for the blog means a lot of non-photographic worthy creations, but still edible. I hate to throw anything away, my husband knows this and to be honest he is often in a bit of awe about it. But having to create new dishes with leftovers is something that gets my creative juices flowing. This week, sick of seeing so many apples sitting in the fruit bowl, I started to panic that they would go off soon as the two of us would not be able to eat it all. I don’t eat apples, but am drawn to them when they are in a dessert. I first tried appleasauce as a substitute for butter on this banana loaf cake, and feel in love with the power of applesauce. I decided to have add this magic ingredient to ice cream, and
2 mins read
947 Views
28Jul

Cajuzinho (almond fudge)

My grandma left Italy in her early twenties to move to Brazil with her fiancé, my grandad. My grandad never stepped foot in Italy again, my grandma only went back a few times.  Although my grandma’s accent still has strong italian vowels, she has immersed herself  into the culture of her adopted country. She loves having papaya for breakfast, tends to her own jabuticaba trees and watches telenovelas. Her cooking has retained strong Italian roots, but most of her original recipes now often take typical Brazilian ingredients. I am now going through that same process, like her I moved to England still young, and I rejected the culture when I first arrived, but after a while I hated being and outsider. I made a big effort to refine the British accent, watch local shows, read the news, ask questions (beans for breakfast?!?!?). I now get the dry sense of humour and how to add just the right amount of milk to breakfast tea. A lot of natives now tell me they wouldn’t even be able to tell I wasn’t English, if it wasn’t for my looks. You would think that after 16 years of effort I would consider this a compliment, but it actually makes
3 mins read
984 Views
05Jul

Classic vinaigrette

Let’s not talk about Brexit today. Let’s talk about how to make classic vinaigrette.  I have always been confused when I have searched for vinaigrette recipes I get a liquid version of it, like a salad dressing. That’s not the version I grew up to love. I decided to recreate my family’s version of vinaigrette after I got a whiff of cheiro-verde.  Cheiro-verde is what we call the mix of parsley and coriander leaves in Brazil. You’ll often find the market sells this mixture together. The smell is a throwback one for me, if you add cumin and the noise of a pressure cooker, I am right in my grandma’s kitchen. So this is the recipe with the classic vinaigrette I have always known, with cheiro-verde. In my opinion it’s better than a salad dressing, you can add it to anything: rice, couscous, quinoa, salads and even as a side to grilled sausages. Classic vinaigrette (serves 4-6) 100g cherry tomatoes  1 small red onion  Bunch of flat parsley  Bunch of coriander  Juice of 2 limes 30ml olive oil Salt to taste 1. Finely chop the onion, tomatoes and herbs and place it all in a bowl 2. In a separate bowl
2 mins read
749 Views