September 28, 2019

Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Lasagne


Buffalo chicken wings are a pretty special thing to have for dinner. The same goes for lasagne. Anytime either are on the home-dinner menu, I'm happy. Now, combine all the best parts of buffalo wings (hot sauce, blue cheese and celery) and that of lasagne (pasta, a rich tomato sauce and mozzarella) and you've got yourself an excellent dinner situation. 

Get ready for the ultimate cross over dish! Comfort food at its best!


It's getting a little colder, the evenings are getting darker and it's coming up to that time of year where warmth and comfort is everything. Away with the BBQ and in with the slow cooker. 


July 28, 2019

Pear, Creme Fraiche & Chocolate Chunk Blondies


It's the beginning of another week tomorrow. That means it's going to be Monday again. You might need something to take away those Monday blues...enter these pear, creme fraiche & chocolate chunk blondies! Not only do they have the powder to lift your spirits, they'll also keep in the fridge for a week, wrapped well. Treats for the whole week! 


There were two ingredients that needed using in my house this week. Somehow we ended up with an excess of creme fraiche and pears. Two random things to have too much of! I considered cooking something savory, such as roast pork, with pears and a creamy-mustard creme fraiche sauce. But knew I wanted to do something sweet. 

I decided to make a pear and almond cake, so I turned to the internet for some inspiration. While browsing, I stumbled upon this recipe from Half Baked Harvest for creme fraiche chocolate chunk cookie bars. Immediately, I knew that the pear and almond cake idea was out the window! 


July 21, 2019

Loaded Rocky Roads


Go big or go home, right? I had such a craving for something obnoxiously chocolaty last week. Not just something with a little chocolate. Something so ridiculous that when I was buying the ingredients, the cashier would think I had just been broken up with, was PMS'ing or was due to be hit with a serious case of the munchies! 

And so these loaded rocky roads came to life. What makes them loaded you ask? Well, settle in and I will tell you. 


Any day of the week a rocky road is perfect. Crushed biscuits and marshmallows  mixed with melted chocolate. An ideal sweet treat. But when you get a craving, you have to satisfy it, correct? You owe yourself that at least. 

The loaded element in these rocky roads came from the addition of salted pretzels, peanut butter Kit Kat chunkies and peanut M&M's. These added so much flavour and texture. Making these rocky roads the OTT sweet and salty treat I had conjured up. 


June 29, 2019

Strawberry Cream Cheese Danish


It's Irish strawberry season and there is nothing quite like a sweet, fresh punnet all to yourself! They are everywhere and when they're about, it's a good idea to buy as many as you can. The 'real' Irish strawberry season is short lived so get 'em while you can. 

In the last two weeks, I have lost count of how many punnets of strawberries I have eaten in one sitting. Straight out of the punnet or if I'm feeling fancy with a some ice cream. Also, every breakfast features strawberries over Greek yogurt with some crunchy muesli. 


Frozen and ready to use puff pastry is one of the best inventions. It's so handy to have a packet in the freezer for whatever you might fancy. A savoury tart for dinner, hand pies for lunch and for dessert, a generous serving of this almond and blackberry slice

See, one of my favourite things to use in the kitchen. Now, I have another recipe to add to the puff pastry repertoire: strawberry cream cheese danishes. 



June 24, 2019

French Lentil Soup


This soup is one of my all time favourites. I love lentils and combined with lots of veggies, smoked ham and stock it makes the best soup. A simple recipe that does the trick every time - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. 

I wouldn't exactly say it's a summer soup but we're not exactly in the midst of a sweltering summer! If yesterday was anything to go by, you'll want this soup for dinner tonight with lots of bread and butter, in front of the TV with the heat on!

 
Has summer come and gone already? That can't be true, right? I know I shouldn't be surprised at the lack of summer we get in Ireland, yet every year it shocks me! The tease of a few sunny days is brutal! 

May 18, 2019

Baklava Granola


There are many recipes on the internet claiming to be the best for granola. Articles outlining the '3 Essentials Steps For Perfect Granola' or 'How to Make It Crunchy Every Time'. Am I adding another one to the internet?? Nah, I wouldn't make such a claim, as it would suggest that I had done extensive research, recipe testing, tasting panels and that is just not true. However, it is pretty damn good! 

The other day I was eating a piece of baklava with a yogurt on the side. The yogurt being cool and creamy with the impossibly sweet and sticky, yet crunchy, nutty baklava got my mind working on how to make this lovely combination into something else.  

My mind got to granola. Not a huge shocker as I have also been obsessed with overnight oats for a long time now. If you follow me on Instagram you will know this. 


This is a very simple recipe. It outlines a ratio of ingredients that can be used time and time again to create multiple granola flavours:

1.5 Cups Oats
1/2 Cup Liquid (50-50 sweetener-oil)
1 Cup Extras (dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips etc) 

It is a basic granola recipe that can be customised to suit your mood. Once you stick to the  above ratios-your imagination knows no bounds! 

It is a cup recipe rather than a gram recipe and this makes it so simple to make granola- anywhere! A mug, a glass, a bowl can be used-anything as long as you use it for every ingredient. 

April 14, 2019

Chicken Parmigiana



Something to live by-put cheese on it and then put more cheese on it. And if you're feeling it, grate more cheese on top. This recipe encourages that. It actually requires it. 

Breaded chicken breasts are sprinkled with grated Parmesan and topped with mozzarella then baked in the oven until melted and golden. Once removed from the oven, more cheese is grated over the top and lots of fresh basil is scattered over. 



A lot of recipes call for the breaded chicken in a chicken parmigiana to be fried and then baked. I skipped the frying step and just went for a full bake on the chicken. So you could say that this version of breaded chicken sitting in a rich tomato sauce topped with lots of cheese is a lighter version! And yes it is!