My 'Ideal'o summer reads

My cookbook collection is getting a bit out of hand. With over 60 different books all piled up in my kitchen, you'd think i'd stop...but i can't.  There's nothing more therapeutic than having a flick through and gaining a bit of inspiration for the next meal.

So when Idealo suggested that i'd be interested in joining their Idealo Summer reads event this year, I wasn't going to be choosing anything but cookbooks obviously.

So with the £25 limit I was very kindly given at Amazon, I picked out the following to start flicking through and pulling some recipes out over the next few months.

Joy the baker cookbook £7.99

Fantastic book for those of us, like me, who have a sweet tooth. I've been following her blog for a while and had my eye on this book.  Some great inspiration for baking here. I'll let you know how some of the recipes turn out.

Lunch in Paris - A delicious love story with recipes £5.66

Something a little bit different. Part love story, part recipes. Looks like a goodie!

Good Food - Easy Baking Recipes £3.64

Classic, easy to bake recipes

Skinny Meals in Heels £8.99


Great recipes of real food for those watching their weight. It's all about proper food done in a healthy way.

Thanks very much to Idealo for the Amazon gift voucher to buy the above. Here's the link you asked me to add: http://www.idealo.co.uk/pcat/3935/cooking-dining.html which will lead you to some frying pans.

'Healthy' Oat bran muffins

Looking for a 'healthy' alternative to my usual baking treats, I stumbled across Nic Nutrition's recipe for Oat Bran muffins and whipped up a batch at the weekend.

Great as a snack with only 100 calories and with a low GI, it means they keep you fuller for longer. Sometimes baking can be healthy :-)

If you want to try out the recipe, follow this link:

http://nicsnutrition.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/cholesterol-lowering-muffins.html

Nic has some great healthy recipe ideas on her blog. Definitely worth a look!

Cookie Girl

Have you heard of Cookie Girl www.cookiegirl.co.uk? A regular supplier of cupcakes and sweet snacks to the stars, she's a pretty well known figure around the Kensal Rise way - back when i was living there, we used to receive a free magazine where she would have a column every publication.

So when an opportunity arose to spend 2 hours learning to improve my cupcake decorating piping skills for a mere £20 each via Time Out vouchers I jumped at the chance.

Held in the upstairs area of Idlewild http://www.idlewildmaidavale.co.uk/ (where we incidently had our dinner - sausages, squid, chips and other munchies - highly recommended), around 20 of us gathered round tight tables, sharing decorations and passing around coloured icing.

We learnt 4 techniques and took away a decent 8 cupcakes to share with friends and family (or to scoff on the way home).  Some of them were incredibly basic, and I was a little disappointed not to have learnt more detailed decorating technique (but then again, we had booked onto the 2 hour slot) and i'm sure some of the other classes were more detailed.

My friend and I had a fantastic time and the recipe for the icing was amazing, and i've been using it since on all my cupcakes.

I would definitely recommend a team bonding/friend outing/hen do event with cookie girl.

Book it!

Nice and spicy

I'm always up for a bit of a challenge, so was excited to receive an email from Sheba at the Absolute Indian Cookery School in Hertfordshire, announcing the new spice boutique where customers can buy authentic Indian spices direct online:www.absoluteindiancookeryclasses.com/spice-boutique

I've always wanted to be a dab hand at cooking Indian food. I never get to visit any Indian restaurants due to my nut allergy, so have to content myself with Anjum Anand's cookbook for whipping up recipes. As much as i'd like to think i'm okay in the kitchen, Indian cookery has me a bit stumped.

However, Sheba sent me some great recipe cards to have a go at and a few ingredients.  The recipe cards look easy enough to follow, so i'll be giving it a go shortly and will post the results.  And if not, I might end up going to one of Sheba's classes at the Absolute Indian Cookery School, to get a helping hand!

So, watch this space!

November nibbles

This month I've been trying to save money and cut back on eating out but I still managed to take the time (and expense!) to visit these places:

Vinopolis for a glass or 6 of wine and some food to soak it up
http://www.vinopolis.co.uk/

The Three Horse Shoes (St Albans) for a classic Sunday roast
http://www.vintageinn.co.uk/thethreehorseshoesstalbans/

Sketch for one cocktail which quickly turned into 5
http://www.sketch.uk.com/

The Gallery at The Westbury for a launch party
http://www.westburymayfair.com/?id=330&page=the

Dean Street Townhouse for lunch with two of my favourite bloggers
http://www.deanstreettownhouse.com/

Boulevard Brasserie to eat mussels and gossip
http://www.boulevardbrasserie.co.uk/

Scoop Gelato for a quick after dinner fix
www.scoopgelato.com

Cox and Cookies for a couple of boobs
http://www.coxcookiesandcake.com/

Wahaca for a little taste of mexico
http://www.wahaca.co.uk/

Winter Wonderland to enjoy a Bratwurst
http://www.hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/

So expect some reviews up soon! The worrying thing is, I thought i'd hardly eaten out at all this month - shocking isn't it...

My Kitchen Mess

Here's a quick picture just to show how incredibly messy I am when I bake. Note the complete chaos and mess which is my kitchen!

The Baking Bug

I've really got the baking bug at the moment and have pulled together a list of must make cakes etc.

Top of the list is a nice Lancashire Parkin cake which always reminds me of Bonfire night, when my mum would knock up a batch.

Then i'm going to try making a lemon tart (inspired by Mary Berry), a Sacher Torte (again inspired by the Great British Bake Off) and i've recently found an amazing recipe for cinnamon tear and share bread. 

So expect some baking updates over the next few weeks along with my usual restaurant ones!

All i need now is to invest in a Kitchen Aid mixer or Kenwood to help make my baking easier. It's almost Christmas....so Father Christmas, if you are listening...I've been a good girl!