Cinnamon Buttermilk Crepes

Having used some buttermilk for my Granny’s Rusk recipe, plus some in the Irish Coffee cake… I still had some left in the bottle… so I googled for some inspiration and was very happy to find what I was looking for in these Buttermilk Crepes.

Slightly thicker than what I would consider to be “crepes” but delicious nonetheless and because of the cinnamon – I really feel that it is important to change the name!

A good “go to” recipe for breakfast and Girl #1 devoured them with Nutella, while I opted for sliced banana with caramel sauce!

Cinnamon Buttermilk Crepes

2 eggs
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 and half cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 Tablespoons butter (melted)

• Whisk together eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Then add sugar
• In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon and baking powder
• Whisk dry ingredients into buttermilk mixture and stir in melted butter
• Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes
• Heat a non-stick pan over a medium heat
• Using a soup ladle, pour into centre of a pan
• Cook for 2-3 minutes before flipping over for a further 1 minute

My Grans Rusk Recipe

Everyone has amazing memories of their childhood, right? And I have my fair share of food related ones!! Particularly those of my granny … from her amazing venison pie to her chocolate coconut biscuits… and of course her rusks!

For those who are not accustomed to the concept of “rusks” – it is essentially a type of biscotti – a dried cake/biscuit that you dunk into your tea/coffee (and can rarely stop at one!)

Sadly, my Gran, who turned 91 this week has spent the last 10 or so years suffering from dementia – but this recipe is a shout out to her!

RUSKS

1.250ml Cake Flour
15ml Cream of tartar
12,5ml Salt
500ml Sugar
250g Butter
250ml Buttermilk
10ml Bicarbonate of soda
1 egg

• Sift flour, cream of tartar and salt
• Add sugar
• Rub butter into mixture until crumbly
• Take 25ml Buttermilk and mix with Bicarb and add to dry ingredients
• Beat rest of the Buttermilk with egg
• Mix together to make a dough
• Divide dough and roll into pieces
• Bake at 200C for 30min
• Slice and dry in a low heat oven (90C) for 2-3hr until hard

Chicken and Butter Bean Stew

Every once and a while I make a little trip to the British Shop in Everberg called Stonemanor … mainly to stock up on decent pork sausages, good cheddar cheese and of course a range of English food magazines!

Flipping through the March 2019 issue of the Waitrose and Partners Magazine, I found inspiration for a Chicken, Chorizo and Butter Bean Stew. However, when it came to actually making the stew, I realized that the Chorizo that we did have in the fridge was old therefore it became a Chicken and Butter Bean Stew instead!

Also, I used deboned / skinless chicken breasts instead of thighs (as it was easier and less time consuming to shred etc.) and I didn’t have any celery – although I can believe that this would add a little extra. Next time, I would definitely include the chorizo or at least some bacon as it needs the extra “meaty-ness”

1 word => “YUM”

Chicken and Butter Bean Stew

1 Tablespoon of olive oil
4 chicken breasts (skinless / deboned)
1 onion (diced)
4 carrots (diced)
500ml chicken stock
500ml passatta
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 tin of butter beans (drained/ rinsed)

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and brown the chicken.
• Remove from the pan
• Add the onion and carrot to the same pan with a pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft
• Stir in the garlic and smoked paprika and cook for 2 minutes
• Add the stock, passatta and beans
• Bring to the boil and then reduce heat to a simmer, cooking for 20 minutes
• Return the chicken to the stew and cook for a further 10minutes

Irish Coffee Cake

St Paddy’s day has come and gone (our priest had even predicted Baby Girl #2’s arrival to be on that date… but she waited another week to join the world)… but I still had a can of Guinness in my fridge in the weeks after her arrival, just waiting for a worthy recipe!

Opening up the April 2019 issue of Olive Magazine… and there it was => “Irish Coffee Cake“… featuring not only Guinness Beer but also a good measure of whiskey as well!

I made the cake recipe as it was – but for the topping, I decided that a cream-cheese frosting could also work (and was in line with what I actually had in the fridge!).

OMG – Winner Winner!! This cake is super moist (and if it doesn’t get devoured in one go, can last for 4days easily). The smell and lingering taste of whiskey is noticeable, but not such that you would put down your fork and stop eating…

A definite make again.

IRISH COFFEE CAKE

50ml Whiskey
150ml strong black coffee
100ml Guinness Beer
250g Butter
75g Cocoa powder
400g sugar
3 eggs
150ml Buttermilk
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
285g Flour
2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

TOPPING
200g cream cheese (room temperature)
150g icing sugar (sifted)

• Place whiskey, coffee, Guinness and butter into a pan and heat until butter has melted (but liquid is not bubbling)
• Remove from heat and whisk in cocoa and sugar
• Beat in eggs, followed by the buttermilk
• Add the vanilla, flour and bicarb and beat until smooth
• Bake in a 23cm greased tin for 50-60 minutes at 180C
• To make the topping, beat together cream cheese and icing sugar and spread over cooled cake

 

Chocolate and Banana Galette

One of the positives of being on maternity leave is that there are moments of calm where baking and trying new recipes is actually possible, but only because you are generally housebound and under the clock with regards to feeding the newborn… so no Instagram-worthy images of new (elegant and stylish) mom holding a coffee cup while pushing a gorgeous looking child in a stroller… or at least not for me.

But I digress…

I was scrolling through Instagram (one handed) while feeding little one with the other – when I saw the yummy looking chocolate and banana galette that Delicious Magazine posted… I was drooling…. so the first moment that I had, I was in the kitchen.

 

The galette base was a bit difficult to work with as the dough was a bit wet… but at the end of the process, it made it crumble-worthy shortbread type base that was truly scrumptious!

And the combination of dark chocolate and banana is a match made in heaven! I omitted the hazelnuts as I didn’t have any – and it was still great!

A definite make again!

Chocolate and Banana Galette

200g flour
100g sugar
Pinch of salt
125g cold butter (chopped)
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 Tablespoons runny honey
100g dark chocolate (roughly chopped)
3 ripe bananas (sliced)
1-2 Tablespoons light brown sugar

• Using a fork, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt in a bowl to combine.
• Add butter to create a breadcrumb consistency.
• Add the egg yolks one at a time, to make a shaggy dough
• Tip on a workspace to knead briefly and shape into a disc.
• Wrap in plastic wrap and chill fro 30min
• Warm the honey in small pan and set aside
• Roll our dough between 2 pieces of parchment baking paper
• Mark out a ~5cm border around the edge and scatter the chopped chocolate evenly in the center, topped with slices of banana.
• Brush the bananas with the warmed honey and sprinkle the sugar on top
• Fold the border inwards, pleating and gently pressing to form an edge as you go
• Place on a pre-heated baking tray and bake for 30min at 180C

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

It feels like forever since I actually had time to sit down and write down a blog post… mainly due to the fact that our lives have changed a little bit and we are now expecting the arrival of our 2nd daughter (due next month) meaning that I am exhausted by the end of each day and weekends are pretty much about catching my breath. Add to this a very heavy work load including a lot more travel than before, PLUS HIM’s change in employment status (starting up his own bespoke bookbinding business – which means photography free time has been spent on his books and not on food/recipes).

I actually made these muffins in autumn last year and it was my first time using tinned pumpkin (!?!), having found the recipe in a magazine booklet called “Pumpkin everything”.

I have to admit that I was somewhat hesitant using a canned vegetable product – but they were truly delicious and I would happily remake them again! (In fact, I reckon that they would be great as a cake topped with cream cheese icing… Mmmm)

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

1 and half cups white granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup Greek yoghurt
1 and half teaspoons vanilla extract
3 and half cups of cake flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• In a large bowl, beat together both sugars, oil and eggs
• Add pumpkin, yoghurt and vanilla and beat to combine
• In a medium bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients
• With a mixer on a slow speed, gradually add dry ingredients to sugar mixture and beat until smooth
• Divide batter amongst greased muffin tin tray
• Bake for 30min at 180C

Ombré Berry Pancakes

Do you ever look at images on Pinterest or Instagram and marvel at the beauty of things that others can create? I do… particularly at the food images and I pretty much drool over my mobile phone screen as I like & scroll through the different feeds.

When I saw the Ombré Berry Pancakes from Wife Mama Foodie… I fell in love! Her pictures were so beautiful and I somehow convinced myself that if I made the same recipe, mine “could” look like hers… HA HA…

In reality, mine were a lot more grainy/spotty (maybe I should have put the berry puree through a sieve?)… but I can attest to the fact that they were so easy to make and absolutely delicious, that I would happily make them again!

Ombré Berry Pancakes

1 & 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
3 teaspoons of flour
a few pinches of salt
1 & 1/2 Tablespoons of sugar
1 & 1/2 Tablespoons of butter (melted)
1 & 1/4 cups of milk
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup of mashed blueberries (and/or blackberries)

• Take 3 medium mixing bowls and within each bowl place: 1/2 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 Tablespoon sugar, 1/2 Tablespoon butter
• Leave the 1st bowl plain. In the 2nd bowl, add 1 heaped Tablespoon of the berry puree and add the remaining berry puree to the 3rd bowl.
• Into the first bowl, add 1/2 cup of milk and mix until JUST combined (pourable batter)
• Into the 2nd bowl, add 1/3 cup of milk and 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar and mix until JUST combined
• Into the 3rd bowl, add 1/4 cup of milk and 1/4 teaspoon of vinegar and mix until JUST combined. You might need to add a little bit more milk to keep the consistency of all 3 bowls the same.
• Ladle 1/4 cup of batter onto a non-stick pan over a medium heat. Flip over when the bubbles begin to appear on the surface. Repeat until all the batter is used up

Coconut and condensed milk Cake

For HIM’s birthday in October, I wanted to make something different as a celebration cake… I know that he has a sweet tooth and likes coconut (desiccated)… so I searched within the world of Google and found this recipe on Manus Menu.

It was very easy to make and did last a fair amount of time – but my only negative would be that the cake is quite dense and heavy… but otherwise very tasty.

Coconut and Condensed Milk Cake

250g tin of condensed milk
4 eggs
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
50g butter (melted)
150ml coconut milk
30g desiccated coconut
2 Tablespoons sugar

• Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl with an electric mixer
• Pour batter into a greased spring form baking tin
• Bake for 40-50minutes at 180C
• Once cooled, dust with icing sugar

Introducing Madn77

The lovely Naina of Madn77 contacted me about testing out one of her tea boxes and I am so glad that I did!!!

The box itself provides a fabulous opportunity to mix your own blend based on your individual needs (and wants) – a mix & match combination as you are provided with

• 1 bamboo spoon for easy measuring
• 1 glass jar with bamboo lid to put your tea (or blend) into
• 2x 50g teas (I got Rooibos (my favourite) and Chamomile)
• 3x 35g blends (Fennel Seeds/Cardamom/Cumin and Lemon peel/Cardamom and Liquorice Root/Lemon Balm/Cardamom)
• 25 non-toxic, biodegradable single use teabags
• a sheet with some Tips & Tricks

This means that your combinations are only limited by your own imagination.

There are multiple types of boxes available – essentially broken down into 3 categories

1. Teas / Elixirs
2. Chai
3. Coffee

And within these categories – different box offerings!

Where can you find them? Directly from the website www.madn77.com or if you are in the Brussels Area on Deliveroo or even through their partnership with Cecile (which was previously known as Brussels Breakfast Delivery)

Happy Sipping!

If you haven’t already started to think about Christmas gifts… this is something to add to list (and if you are quick – you can still make use of their 10% off special off the 77 Boxes using the code 77Boxes10%)

They even have a Sinterklaas box where you can add Chocolate!!! Hello ?!?

Carrot Cake

Everyone has a few handwritten recipes handed down from friends and family members, which makes referencing the recipe back to an original source pretty difficult…. This is one of those recipes.

Carrot cake must be one of the most under-rated cakes in my books. I don’t normally think of it first when I think of baking a cake, but in reality, it is one of the easiest, moist and delicious cakes out there! (Ask my mom… it is her favourite.)

And this one is no exception! A definite make again

Carrot Cake

half a tin of pineapple pieces (drained and roughly chopped)
3 eggs
175ml sunflower or canola oil
200g sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
225g self-raising flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
50g desiccated coconut
60g walnuts (roughly chopped)
200g carrot (grated)

• Whisk together eggs, oil and sugar until creamy
• sift cinnamon, flour, baking powder & bicarb into the egg mixture
• fold in coconut, walnuts, carrot and pineapple pieces
• spoon into a greased baking tin and bake for 45min at 180C
• I topped mine with a cream cheese icing (300g cream cheese with 50g icing sugar) and some roughly chopped nuts (pistachio & walnut)