Friday Croissants

Right now I'm a little obsessed with warm chocolate croissants. They make me so happy, and so does Friday.

Happy Friday.

A Brownie and Nutella Weekend

After a long week, all I needed this weekend was to sit and indulge in something chocolatey. So naturally I had to bake brownies. But that wasn't enough, (like I said it was a long week), so I had to grab the Nutella jar too. And it was pretty great sitting and indulging in all that chocolatey goodness. In one hand I held a brownie, and in the other a spoon covered in Nutella. I think that pretty much sums up the amazing-ness of that. 

Lately, I've not been posting as much as I'd like to because things have been a little hectic with work, home, and just life in general. I'm really trying to find a balance. But sometimes it's not that easy and life gets in the way, and as much as we'd like for things to go our way, sometimes they don't. And we just have to deal with it right? So that's what I've been trying to do, deal with it. But most importantly to think/stay positive. Because to be honest if I didn't think positive I know I would never be able to deal with some situations and get out of that crazy maze of stress and over-thinking! I'd like to think of myself as a pretty optimistic person. I love a good quote to motivate me, and I generally like to think on the positive side of things. I know life isn't all 'rainbows and butterflies' and there's a lot of downfalls in life we have to deal with. But we can try to make things a little better for ourselves by having a more optimistic attitude, and thinking positive. And this quote, ('We can't choose our circumstances but we can choose our attitude') has been helping me deal with a lot of  those not-so-great days and situations lately. 

It's important to remember that only we have the power to choose our attitude in any given circumstance. That choice is ours. And I really believe by choosing a positive attitude we can deal with, and get through those not-so-great (in other words cr***y) situations in life a little easier. 

p.s chocolate also helps.

As for the brownie recipe. This is the recipe I use but I change somethings around to fit my liking. I'd say I'm more of the cakey-brownie person so I've substituted the plain flour for self-raising flour to get more of that cakey texture. And I used 100g of milk chocolate and 50g of dark chocolate.

Hope everyone has a lovely week.

Bread making

 

I think I may have discovered a new love for bread making. For a while now, I've been wanting to start baking my own bread because let's be honest nothing compares to the taste (and goodness) of freshly baked bread. When I was younger we had a few bakeries around our first home and each time I would walk past one, the wonderful smell of freshly baked bread would enrapture me. There was nothing quite like it. So, these past days have been spent in the kitchen, practicing different doughs and breads, trying different techniques and tricks, and hoping to master (one day) the art of bread making. I'm finding the whole process quite therapeutic. There's something very calming about kneading dough. It's like a big ball of love which you nurture, love, and shape in to something beautiful. It may take some time but the end result is worth it. And I believe my love affair with bread has now reached a whole new level.

Let the bread making adventures commence!

Marble cake

Yesterday I baked a childhood favourite, marble cake. (Anyone remember this from school dinners?) A simple recipe, yet so delicious. It has a beautiful soft sponge, which is a mix of vanilla and chocolate. Dribble some warm custard over a slice and that's a little bit of heaven right there.

Ingredients:

225g butter, softened// 225g caster sugar// 4 eggs// 225g self-raising flour 

3 tbsp milk// 1 tsp vanilla extract// 2 tbsp cocoa powder

-Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy.

-Add in the eggs one at a time and mix.

Add the flour, vanilla extract, and 2 tbsp of milk and mix until the batter is smooth.

-Divide the mixture in to two bowls.

-Add 2 tbsp of cocoa powder to one of the cake mixtures and mix in.

- Take two spoons and taking turns, add the two cake mixtures to a buttered or lined cake tin.

-Take a skewer and swirl it around in the mixture to create a marbled effect.

-Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes at 180c. You will know the cake is ready when a tooth pick is inserted in to the centre of the cake and it comes out clean.

I love the marble pattern.

Double choc chip cookies

What to do when craving something sweet and chocolatey? Make a batch of double chocolate chip cookies!

For this recipe I turned to the queen of home cooking Nigella Lawson. And it is one of the best double chocolate chip cookie recipes I have tried. The cookie dough is literally finger licking good! It could easily be eaten on it's own. These cookies are quick and easy to make and they are the perfect chocolatey treat to tame those late night cravings. You can find the recipe here.

I also created a short video along the way (thanks to my sister for being my little helper!) 

        

Morning goodness

Yesterday morning I had to rush out the house quite early which usually means no breakfast. When this happens I end up skipping breakfast, eating a small snack, and then waiting till lunch to have a proper meal (not good). But I knew it was going to be a good morning when I spotted this market outside selling crepes! Soon as I saw Nutella jars and the word Crepes my feet naturally rushed towards this stall. I have a real soft spot for this combo. Best breakfast ever.

Tabouleh Salad

Salad is definitely one of the best lunches for summer time (refreshing and healthy). Tabouleh is a popular Arab salad. I tasted this salad at a restaurant and I knew I had to make it at home. It's quick and easy to make and you can eat it on it's own or have it as a side with a meal.

Ingredients: 

1 bunch of flat leaf parsley  

5-8 leafs of fresh mint

2-3 large tomatoes

One large white/red onion

1 cucumber

Bulgur wheat (200g)

1 tsp. of dried mint

1/2 to 1 tsp. of salt

Black pepper to taste

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

All you need is a chopping board, a sharp knife and a bowl. Firstly soak the bulgur wheat in boiling water for 20-30 minutes and then drain (I just followed the instructions on the back of the packet). Finely chop the parsley and mint and dice the rest of the ingredients and combine together in to one bowl. I also removed the seeds from the cucumber and tomatoes as this reduces the water in the salad. Sprinkle over the drained bulgur wheat. Add in the dried mint, salt, black pepper, lemon juice and olive oil (you can add more or less of these ingredients according to your own taste or liking). Give it a good mix and refrigerate for an hour before eating. This will allow the bulgur wheat to soak up all the flavours.

And enjoy!

Pancake love

Nutella, Strawberry Pancakes. Need I say more?
This combination is just delicious. A fresh warm pancake, filled with nutella chocolate and freshly sliced strawberries..is definitely a little bit of heaven. I don't know if it's the exam and work stress but recently I'm constantly having pancake cravings. Or maybe I'm just in love with these pancakes. Since I'm on a pancake 'rave' at the moment I'd love to know what your favourite pancakes are? Any recommendations?

Have a lovely weekend.

Pineapple Green Tea

Yes, I'm back at Patisserie Valerie. I love the atmosphere of this Cafe and not forgetting the great food. Green tea is one my if not most favourite types of tea. I ordered the usual green tea and the waiter told me that their green tea now has pineapple bits in it. I had never tried or thought of this combo with green tea before but thought it'd be interesting to try. Once it arrived, i took a sip and it was love. It was absolutely lovely, I loved the tropical and fruity sweetness the pineapple added to it. If you find pure green tea too bitter, this might be a better option. Or if you're a green tea lover like myself then you're definitely going to love this. 

Do you enjoy green tea?

Shortbread cookies

I love shortbread biscuits they are so simple to make yet really delicious! I thought I'd try something different this time and dip them in some chocolate and sprinkles! 

All you need is: 

228g Butter

100g White Sugar

250g flour

1tsp Vanilla extract

Chocolate&Sprinkles

Follow my simple photo-tutorial below!

Pop them in the oven for 10-12 minutes until they are light brown. Take them out and leave them to cool. Melt some chocolate, dip half of the cookie in, add some sprinkles and refrigerate for a while.And there you have it!

I'm off to make my self a warm drink and munch on some now. England is going through a pretty crazy weather phase at the moment. Strong winds, rain and snow. It's Spring, yet it still feels like Winter.