So I dropped off the face of blogworld for 6 months ….for 2 very good reasons ! Firstly I finally took the plunge and set up my own celebration cake business which I called Daisychain cakery ..which I love and am pleased to say has had a steady stream of business flowing through ….and secondly , I got a place in the London marathon so my life became swamped in cake and running …! Those of you who know me will know this body of mine is more befitting of a russian shotputter than a lean , mean running machine but I did it for charity, mate !!!! I crashed out at 17 miles with back & hip problems but I did raise over £1600 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust …woohooooo !!! So although bitterly disappointed with my traitorous body , I am amazingly chuffed and forever grateful for all the support I’ve received !!

So anyway , the marathon is over  , the business is growing , the sun is shining ( well not right now ..with it being almost 11pm ) ..and Juju is quite happy with her little lot in life …..

Maybe tomorrow I’ll treat you all to a recipe or two ….who knows ?? All I know is that the world is my lobster …tomorrow is another day and I’ve got a song in my heart x

See you very soon my lovelies xx

But for now I’m putting the twins in the bath , I’m sorting out the packed lunches and I’m nursing a rotten cold !! ! I just wanted to say ..I’m coming back with all my news very very soon ….

Missed you all xxx 

It’s been a while   ! It seems I took an impromptu blog break to coincide with the kids being off school .. but now they are back I really have no more excuses .. and a head full of blogs !!

Now the weather seems to have taken a turn .. the wintry winds and cold night chills have not crept upon us but have made a spectacular entrance with a huge “TA-DAAAAAAH” … so I decided to throw caution to the  wind and see the summer out in style by treating the men in my life to a great big fruit laden pavlova ! The summeriest (is that a word) of puddings  I could possibly think of … so with wanton abandon I whisked eggs and sugar with a drop of lemon juice … baked the glossy eggy beauty .. then filled it with sweetened whipped cream , strawberries , peaches , figs and kiwi fruit ..

A splendiferous confection of fruity loveliness !!

Take that you quickening Autumnal days  .. Yah Boo sucks to you big black rain clouds …..

If my summer is over .. then I’ll finish it in style !!!!!!

It’s good to be back folks … See you very soon

So here’s a little look at what I’ve been up to … and I’ll see you really, really soon with tales of trials , tribulations , tears and hysteria in the kitchen and beyond ….

My choices were ..

It’s been an extremely tough and challenging fortnight here in this wannabe’s life … Very sadly & tragically I lost  a dear friend -God rest her soul . A very sad  time . The people of my hometown have also faced the very tragic loss of 8 of it’s children … all gone to be angels . So a very , very sad people you will find here in Derby.

This week has seen me fall foul of my old adversary , depression. A condition I have lived with for almost 20 years . Thankfully I have an amazing support network and 3 very brilliant children to pull me though and bring me back into the light when the darkness tries to claim me . I will be forever grateful to all of those around me , everyday.

What on earth am I rattling on about ? I hear you cry .. Well .. a few weeks ago my partner in crime & wine , Helen from www.thecrazykitchen.co.uk recommended me to receive one of her favourite books The Hummingbird Bakery- Cake Days  as part of the Tots 100 book club in association with Tesco . Now I have chosen a book to review .. this being “Saved By Cake ” by Marian Keyes.

In this bright and vibrant book Marian gives us a candid account of her own nervous breakdown , her own descent into the depths of dark, dark depression . A very vivid account that struck a chord with me most intimately. her writing style has always delighted me and to read a piece writen by Marian about Marian was wonderful. Her hinesty and ability to make us see into her mind , to understand and appreciate the depths she fell to before starting the long , hard climb back to the surface was mindblowing. So truthful , so honest , so real Marian’s way of dealing with depression was /is to bake – bake anything , everything .. and lots of it !! You’ll be hard pressed not to smile at how she describes her mania ! Believe me .. just when you think you shouldn’t laugh .. a great big guffaw will escape !!  So in her avid passion for baking .. Saved by Cake was born ….

This book is full of real recipes , recipes from the heart , borrowed recipes from those she loves .. her own support network , recipes that have been stumbled across  and long loved recipes full of memories and happiness.

The book is broken down into chapters and she writes a little introduction to each one to explain why it’s there and what it means to her ( in fact she does this for virtually every recipe )

The chapters include

Classics

Cupcakes

Cheesecakes ( My husbands favourite chapter)

Liquid Cakes

Pastry

Meringues & Macaroons

Biscuits & Cookies

Fruit and Veg

Chocolate ( Well .. It would be rude not to …)

No pomp , no ceremony, no fiddly faffy unheard of ingredients . Just easily accessible good cooking to lighten the mind & soothe the soul !!

I decided to try out a few of the recipes and try something new .. so I made the Blokey Snickers Cheescake (YUM) , the Cola cake ( great if you like SWEET) and the cranberry macaroons .. although I had no cranberry sauce so they were in fact cranberryless macaroons …..!! I can honestly say , the recipes are easy to follow and the results … well .. take a look ….

All in all , a very enjoyable , not just another , cookbook – something for everyone! Bringing the important issue of taking care of your mental health into a forum whereby more people may try to understand – whilst eating really good cake !!!!!

I have recommended this book to fellow blogger & good friend Janine at www.chouxchouxbedoo.blogspot.co.uk to take up the Tots 100 book club baton !! Janine is a friend who I met through social networking and our mutual love of cake ! She will appreciate this book as she embarks on her brand new cake adventure  , realising her dreams .. opening her own coffee shop !!!  Go J Go !!! xxx

As some of you may or may not know .. I set up & run the Derby Clandestine Cake Club ! This is a club where we meet once every couple of months … and share cakes that we’ve baked at home ! It’s not just any old cakes though .. hell no … we bake big cakes .. cakes you need to slice into ! Is there a better feeling that delving the knife deep into a rich moist freshly bakes cake … then gobbling it all up ! We bake , share , chat and eat .. It’s all about the cake   You can find out more information here www.clandestinecakeclub.co.uk

This month I set the theme to Sparkle & Shine …. Everyone deserves their chance to shine .. and this was the perfect platform !! The cakes bougt along by other members were absolutely fabulous .. we had Strawberry & rose petal cake ( tasted like turkish delight .. absolutely gorgeous .. well done Tereni) , chocolate cake with caramel frosting , cosmopolitan cake , sachertorte (x 2) , blackout cake , strawberry & vanilla marble cake , Swedish Princesstarta , red velvet , coffee and walnut ( with immense shards of toffee … a topic of great joy and a focus for toffee shard pickers ) and then my simple offereing of The Silver Backed Grasshopper Cake ! Why silver backed? Well I had to make him shine …. there’s not much sparkle in a bright green cake !!!

All the cakes were absolutely gorgeous ….I only managed 3 small slices (and a couple of glasses of wine !!) .. but our champion caker is Leila who managed an impressive 9 slices … !! Yup .. Derby .. we have a contender !!!!

I decided to share my recipe with you all so you can all try this fantastic cake ..think Mint aero in cake form

SILVER BACKED GRASSHOPPER CAKE

250ml milk

1tbsp lemon juice

280g SR Flour

2 tbsp cocoa

1  tsp Bicarbonate of soda

100g butter

225g caster sugar

2 large eggs ( free range)

100g plain chocolate , melted

Frosting:

200g butter

250ml double cream

400g icing sugar

1 tsp peppermint extract (or 2 tsp creme de menthe for an alcoholic version)

Green food colouring ( I used Sugarflair Party Green)

Preheat your oven to 160 oC/ gas Mark 4.

Grease and line an 8″ round , deep cake tin.

Put the milk in a jug & add the lemon juice. Out aside for 15 mins. the milk will curdle (thats meant to happen   ! )

Put the flour , cocoa and Bicarb into a big bowl. Add in the butter caster sugar, eggs and milk. now Beat with a mixer until completely combined. Then add in the melted chocolate and stir .

Put the mixture into your tin and place in the oven for 1 hr 15 mins ! Check the cake is cooked with a skewer. then leave to cool in the tin for 20-30 mins before turning out onto a wire rack to cool fully.

Meanwhile make the frostibng …Put all the ingredients in a bowl and beat until a smooth butter icing is achieved .. do not over beat though as the cream will stiffen the frosting. Add the colouring until you get the desired green effect.

Now slice the cake into 3 equal rounds ( I actually only sliced into 2 .. as I found the layers too thin) sandwich the layers together with the frosting and then smother the cake in the remaining frosting ! Decorate at will … I used Dr Oetker Silver shimmer spray .. and silver & gold balls & dragees ..

Now all thats left to do is stick the kettle on and .. ENJOY xx

Now I need to decide the theme of the next CCC … thinking caps on ….. get set .. go …….

//

I have actually eaten here before with th’usband .. an impromptu platter before heading off to watch a movie ( probably something to do with Zombies knowing us )  so I had a inkling of what to expect ….! The young waiter was very very polite and helpful .. couldn’t do enough for us ! Which always add a little joy to any eating experience …. ! The restaurant was clean and bright with a cream leather seating area and a funky cream pattern adorning the walls ! The bar area was clean , fresh and appealing ! Overrall opinion of the actual eating space & staff … just grand !

After ordering drinks .. a diet coke for The Boss and The Boy each .. and a large glass of Pinot Grigio for me ( well it would be rude not to ) we set about perusing the menu … The choice on the menu is great ! Not too much choice yet not too little .. a mixture of starters , mains , deserts and sharing platters  .. with a separate kids section ! I chose the Vegetable Pakora followed by the Cheese & Vegetable tart with a large salad . I’m not vegetarian but felt that the vegetarian choices were rather appealing on the day . The boy chose a Margharita pizza  and The boss opted for Japanese Torpedo prawns followed by Chicken and steak skewers.

My pakoras arrived and although ever so slightly overcooked  were very tasty and packed a spicy punch . the soured cream dip was very welcome . The Bosses Japanese Torpedo prawns whilst promising a tantalising experience were a bit of a dud with the sweet chilli dip being the star of the show !

My main course arived and I entered with gusto …. however the vegetable part of the name was slightly exaggerated finding minamal veggies  and maximal cheese  tomato sauce giving the entire dish a distinct pizza in pastry feel , this disappointed me but the enermous salad it was served with was a joy .. fresh  , vibrant and a cornucopia of colourful , flavoursome vegetables ( I was particularly taken with the addition of raw mushroom …. Just like my Mum used to do in salads) the dressing was divine and complemented the salad fantastically . The boss had his chicken & steak skewers .. and whilst the meat was perfectly cooked , there was an overall feeling that perhaps a little seasoning might have done them better justice . The boy had his pizza .. and I’m sad to say . as a self professed pizza connoisseur , he wasn’t overly impressed .. “not enough cheese”  and “not enough flavour” .. although he did munch his way through the lot .. and a fair few of the square cut chips we’d ordered as a side !

Feeling quite full at this point , The boss and I declined dessert but The Boy held no fear … ordering  a Chocolate & Ice cream combo ! It arrived , a grand affair of pink chocolate piggies , flakes , chocolate brownies and chocolate sauce with 3 handsome scoops of Ben & jerrys ice cream  ( you get to choose your flavours) !! The Ice cream was yummy .. I know this as I did feel the need to give a helping hand ( for research purposes you understand) however the accompaniaments left alot to be desired .. a flake is a flake at the end of the day …. but the sauce was .. indescribable , the only connection to chocolate that had was it’s colour .. the brownies could have done with being more moist and the pink choc piggies .. were cheap chocolate   So sadly , not the triumph we wanted it to be … Good work on the Ben & Jerry;s though

All in all the restaurant is adequate for a quick bite before heading to see a movie , but it’s not a venue I would choose to go for a meal given a choice …!  There are parts of the menu I would recommend and others I would steer you clear of …However , the staff and venue itself are tip top So work on the execution and get yourselves top of the shop ….. I may come back and see you again sometime ……

** I would like to thank Studio One , Westfield , Derby for inviting us to their restaurant & providing us with a meal “on the house” .

A few weeks ago I was very kindly invited to attend an evening of wine and food at the Birmingham Mal ! This was a Banfi wine dinner hosted by the charming Dante Cecchini of Castello Banfi , a vineyard in the beautiful Italian region of Tuscany,  and the amusing David Manson of Bidendum … Well you all know me .. and after ascertaining that th’usband could come along too .. well a girl needs a chaffeur .. I jumped at the chance ! Ever ready for a good feed and a glass or 2 (or 3 .. 4 .. 5 …eeeek) of good wine !

So with babysitters in situ , lippy on and  a tummy ready for feeding we headed off down the motorway towards Birmingham for a very rare classy night out !! We arrived at the Mal in good time which was a good job as Chris and I then attempted to find where we should actually be and  a very amusing Benny Hill style chase ensued .. involving Chris and I zipping up and down in lifts , staircases  and reception areas ! All our own fault for being a bit dim at times … as the staff were extremely helpful ! So we arrived where we should be .. ever so slightly  early … to be greeted by  a lovely young man , Greg, who offered us a drink and chatted easily about the evening and the wines ! Having visited the vineyard himself he was most enthusiastic about the evening ahead ! And so it began , me with a crisp , excellently chilled Pinot grigio in my hand .. I knew this was going to be a great night !

After meeting up with Jules from www.butcherbakerblog.com  and finally meeting the butcher of the combo , and Jo & Stuart from http://joskitchen.wordpress.com/ we took our seats and eagerly awaited the evenings charms

The menu was as follows :

Canapés; Pinot Grigio Toscana San Angelo – an easy drink , crisp and refreshing . perfectly mayched the cold meats and vegetables which were light & refreshing with a lemony kick.

L’ antipasto; Mediterranean vegetables & cured meats

Le Rime Chardonnay/Pinot Grigio – This wine was a heady combination of the two grapes and complimented the expertly made pasta ! The pasta was soft and light , with a sensationa; pumpin & sage filling  sitting in a foam .. It was quite simply BELLISIMO !

Il primo; hand made pumpkin & sage tortellini

Rosso di Montalcino & Beinero Sangiovese/Merlot _ Here we were given 2 different wines  to drink with our main course an absolutely stunning Osso Bucco .. the meat quite literally fell off the bone and melted in your mouth ! Sensational … everybody agreed and there was more that an little bone sucking forthe marrow going on at the table ! Superb .. a dish to be very very proud of !

The wines were both red .. Now I’m not a red wine drinker ( Let’s just say I got put off after a very drunken Passover feast with a gaggle of Nuns … Sister Bridie in particular )  but I decided to give it a go … I much preferred the beinero Sangiovese/Merlot .. again a mix of two grapes to create a smoother finish !

Il secondo; Veal ‘osso bucco’, puré de patate, olio d’olivia

Brunello di Montalcino – Another red , expertly complimented the amazing Bra Formaggio .. a strong cheese with a look similar to parmesan but with a taste which is out of this world … A cheese you just have to keep returning to ! Served with a selection of bisvuits , bread and chutneys .. a most welcome addition to the menu ! The wine  for me was too red .. if thats possible  and was perhaps just a little too strong for my uneducated palette .

formaggio corso; Italian cheese board/ Bra formaggio

Florus Moscadello di Montalcino Vendemmia Tardiva 50cl – The dessert was Tiramisu .. a moist sponge with an excellent  hint of coffee ! I tasted the wine without dessert and an involuntary shiver occured at the intense sweetnes .. similar to a favourite liquer of mine, cuarenta y tres … however paired with the dessert , it’s magic began to work .. a perfect combination !

Il dolce; classic tiramisu

By the time we had eaten , drank and listened to the wonderful tales and slightly predictable jokes of our hosts  , it was time for us to hit the road … I needed my beauty sleep as I was to be transformed into a star of the screen the very next day … but that’s a whole other story !!

We had a fantastic evening with great food , superb wines , fantastic hosts and lovely lovely company …..

Malmaison Birmingham holds many events like this throughout the year and if you get a chance I would definitely recommend  attending ! I for one will be looking out for more and perhaps treating me and himself to another night out …… You can check out their website at www.malmaison.com

Many many thanks to the team at Malmaison Birmingham for this complimentary evening .

Oh Ok .. It’s a lovely concept blah blah blah …. But surely if you love someone you can tell them anytime without any OTT expensive and downrighted commercialised displays of affection ! Bah Humbug …..!!! However , I do have friends who are newly madly in love and who have asked me to whip up some lovey dovey creation for their beau …. I don’t mind that ! It’s just me who’s an old misery guts ( and will still expect some display of affection on the day …. Double standards … MOI ? !!!!!) I think as age has wizened me and life beaten me to a pulp, Valentines just pales into insignificance .. as my boys show me they love me every day but their actions , hugs , kisses  and snuggles ! Love is as Love does ……

But for those of you who are in a bit of a quandry and want to show how much you love your man or woman … or son/daughter/Mum/Dad etc etc .. Here’s a fantastic little creation  .. Small enough to show you care .. easy enough not to cause palpitations in the kitchen ….

Lovey Dovey Choc Fudge cake

Cake : 100g caster sugar

100g butter softened (I use stork)

100g SR flour (then remove 3 tbsp flour and replace with cocoa)

3 tbsp cocoa

2 medium room temp eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking powder

1-2 tbsp milk

Fudge : 50 ml evaporated milk

50g granulated sugar

75g good quality dark choc

25g butter

Preheat oven 180 degrees.

Mix all cake ingredients together until smooth and glossy.. . pour into two greased & floured moulds and bake for 20 mins  (recipe actually says 15 but mine took 23 mins to be precise) (my moulds are small heart shaped moulds so this mix isn’t enough for a large cake but double the quantities if need be and lengthen cooking time)

Fudge: Put evap milk and sugar in a pan. Dissolve sugar at a low heat . Bring to the boil and let it simmer for 2-3 mins (don’t stir when simmering) remove from heat . Add in the chocolate and stir into the sugar mixture  . pop in the butter and stir until you have a glossy fudge. Put into a bowl and leave to go completely cold !

When cakes & fudge are completely cooled sandwich the two hearts together with the fudge , then smooth the rest of the fudge over the outside of the two cakes .. how smooth is up to you ! I like a finish that shows you’ve spent time on it but still has imperfections !!!

I then handcrafted a sugarpaste rose with leaves that I places on the heart cake ! For that hidden romantic in me …

I hope you all have a fantastic day tomorrow …. promise not to be too gnarly !!!! Lol !!

Happy Valentines Y’all …. LOve YOu xxxx