Monday 23 June 2014

BBQ CHICKEN

23 JUNE 2014




So much sunshine! Tom and I just had to make the most of it and have a barbecue yesterday. Not wanting to indulge too heavily, we stayed true to form and invented our own recipe for BBQ chicken using only herbs and spices that we already had in the cupboard. Just marinate for a couple of hours before throwing on the barbecue!


INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp onion granules
1 tbsp garlic granules
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
1 tsp sea salt/pink salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
A pinch of freshly ground black pepper


METHOD:

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Rub into your chicken pieces (leave the skin on!) and leave to marinate for a few hours before barbecuing.

Sunday 15 June 2014

PHOTO CHALLENGE: MOTION & HORSES

15 JUNE 2014

A slightly unusual photo challenge last month with two aspects: motion/speed and horses (or both together if your that smart). I took my photos in various places: a dog park, Solihull Arden Club squash courts, and a small farm down Salter Street in Earlswood. I played around with different shutter speeds to try and capture speed and motion in various ways, and as for the horse? I just thought he was cute! 

Next month's challenge is 'the colour blue' and an additional challenge to change the background of an image using photoshop. This could be very interesting...





HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

15 JUNE 2014


Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there! Dad, even at the age of 23 I still need you to hold me up. Love you always. X

Sunday 8 June 2014

LAZY SUNDAY: PIZZA

8 JUNE 2013


Another beautiful sunny Sunday and early morning gym session left me with an annoying carb craving this afternoon. I adore pizza, but a bed of cheese and meat supported by pure carbohydrate, isn't the healthiest of options. 

Sometimes though it's just too good to resist, and one way of ensuring that this carb binge is slightly more guilt free than the shop-bought of takeaway version, is to make it yourself from scratch. So this is my boy and I did today. We kept the calories to a minimum by making a wholemeal pizza crust, topping it with low fat ricotta and fresh rocket leaves. Scroll down to find out how we did it...


INGREDIENTS: (makes one large pizza)

250g strong wholemeal bread flour
7g fast action yeast
1 tsp salt (we used himalayan pink salt but you can use any kind)
12.5g butter
125ml water
Tomato puree
Toppings of your choice: we used rocket leaves, sun dried tomatoes, ricotta cheese and prosciutto

METHOD:

Place the flour in a mixing bowl and rub the butter in with your fingertips. Add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Make a small well in the middle and pour in the water, bringing the mixture together with your fingers until it forms a dough (you may need a little extra water to bring all the dough off the bottom of the bowl).

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead for approximately 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. Place back in the mixing bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to prove until the dough has at least doubled in size (this is usually 1-2 hours).

Once doubled in size, turn the dough out and roll into your desired pizza shape and thickness. Place onto a baking sheet and start adding your toppings. Start with a base of tomato puree and your choice of cheese, then add the rest of your toppings.

Bake in the oven at around 200 degrees Celsius for approximately 15-20 minutes, or a little longer if you don't have a fan oven. Remove from the oven and enjoy.


I really recommend making your own pizza. They're so easy and fun to do, and there are so many flavour combinations you can try. You can even experiment with several flavours on one pizza. Try doing a rectangular base and doing a different topping in every corner!

Sunday 1 June 2014

HOMEMADE SCONES & RASPBERRY JAM

1 JUNE 2014


Happy June everyone! And what a beautiful start to the summer today has been. With the sun shining and flavours of summer in the air, we felt like indulging in something delicious and quintessentially British. A quick scout around our fridge uncovered a punnet of raspberries, and with it came my inspiration for a home-made cream tea of raspberry jam and freshly baked scones.

This was a double-team effort by myself and my boy. Whilst I tackled the jam, he donned his apron and got baking! As recipes go, I definitely got the better end of the deal with the jam as scones are notoriously difficult to perfect. Good job my boy is good at baking because these scones were delicious - well done baby!

Fancy your own summer cream tea? Have a look at the recipes we followed from the Women's Institute and Paul Hollywood. Simply follow the links and enjoy.