I remember making cheese straws in nursery. That's the level of difficulty we're working with here...except these cheese straws have an extra sophisticated twist to them! Easy to make and a definite crowd pleaser, you can't not have these on your spread this Christmas.

All you need is:

• an egg
• two sheets of ready rolled puff pastry
• grated mozzarella 
• a jar of green pesto ( I bet red would work just as well though!

Step One: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.

Step Two: Line a baking tray with some foil and then roll out your first sheet of pastry.

Step Three: Spread a generous layer of pesto across the whole sheet and then sprinkle on your grated mozzarella. 

Step Four: Lie the second sheet of pastry on top so you have made a sandwich with it. Then cut into strips of around 4-5cm width and as long as you like! 

Step Five: Twist the strips and then rub some egg over the pastry so that they leave the oven with a nice glaze. Pop  them in the oven for 25 mins.

They taste best served warm straight from the oven!

p.s. I now have a facebook page which you can find here

Instagram link

Bloglovin link

Twitter link

The Most Delicious White Chocolate and Raspberry Cake

It was one of my friend's birthday recently so of course, this called for a cake. But not just any cake, this one had to be super duper extra special! I searched far and wide on the internet (slight exaggeration but you get me) until I stumbled upon this gem of a recipe on BBC Good Food. White Chocolate and Raspberry...I mean you just can't go wrong with such a classic combination.

Enough babbling, this is what you'll need to make it:

For the cake

200g Unsalted Butter 

100g White Chocolate

4 Large Eggs

200g Caster Sugar

200g Self-raising Flour

175g Raspberries

For the Ganache

200g White Chocolate

250ml Double Cream

A little bit of Icing Sugar

Method:

(1) Preheat the oven to 180C and then grease and line two standard size cake tins. Chop up the butter into small chunks along with the white chocolate and then let it melt over a bowl of boiling water.

(2) When the butter and chocolate have melted into a heavenly bliss, allow it to cool for a couple minutes, before beating in the eggs and sugar with a whisk. 

(3) Sift and fold in the flour and raspberries.

(4) Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and place in the centre of the oven for 20-25mins. 

(5) Once the cakes are ready, allow them to cool whilst you get started on the ganache!

(6) Chop up your remaining chocolate and add 100ml of double cream. Place them over a bowl of hot water and allow the chocolate to melt into the cream. Once it's melted, allow it to cool before adding the remainder of the cream.

(7) Whisk the mixture until it's light and fluffy. Once the cakes are cool, spread the ganache between the two cakes, making a sandwich. I had so much ganache that I also put some on the top, chucked on some spare raspberries and dusted on the icing sugar.

Et voila!!!

Lazy One Pan Mexican Brunch

Sundays are made for brunching, but this can get pricey if you always eat out. I decided to throw a few delicious ingredients into a pan and make up my own! It's perfect for those of you who hate washing up (does anyone not hate it?) and you can use up pretty much anything in your cupboards.

My concoction requires the following ingredients (serves 2 very hungry people):

1 sliced red pepper
1/4 of a chorizo chopped
Tomato puree
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tin of chickpeas, drained
1 tsp honey
Spices (I used cumin and piri piri spice)
Mixed herbs
1 chopped red chilli
2 eggs
Grated cheddar

1. To start, heat some olive oil in a pan and fry your red peppers till they're soft and have a slight charcoaled edge to them. Then add your chopped chorizo and fry for about 2-3mins.

2. Add a squeeze of tomato puree and then chopped tomatoes, before mixing in all of your chosen spices and chopped chilli. Just use as much as you want, but I think this dish works well with lots of heat!!

3. Chuck in the chickpeas and then stir in the honey for a bit of extra sweetness then leave to simmer for 3 minutes.

4. Part the mixture and crack in a couple eggs and then cook for a further 5 minutes or until the eggs are cooked.

5. Sprinkle on the grated cheese and serve straight from the pan with some warm crusty bread for dipping!!!  I bet toasted tortillas would also work well here.

ENJOY!!! :)

If you're a big brunch fan then why not try my cheesy bacon and egg breakfast cups?

p.s. I now have a facebook page which you can find here

Instagram link

Bloglovin link

Twitter link

Chunky Chocolate Jazz Cakeies

I'm going to hold my hands up now and admit that these did not turn out how I wanted them to, They were supposed to be, well you know...normal flat cookie shape. They were an accidental tasty mistake so I thought I'd share exactly how to make these scrummy little chunks of goodness! They're texture is between a cookie and a cake, so we're going to call them cakeies!

You Will Need:

125g softened butter ( I used clover light which is maybe why they went like this)

100g brown soft sugar

1 medium egg, lightly beaten

225g Self-raising flour

2 splashes of milk

As much chocolate as you want, I used broken up easter egg

Lots of Jazzies!!!

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C

2. Cream the butter and sugar together, before mixing in the egg

3. Sift in the flour and mix well to form a dough, adding the 2 splashes of milk to help it all stick together

4. Break up your chocolate and Jazzies and distribute them through the dough. I'd give you a precise measurement but lets face it, you're probably going to eat half of it anyway

5. Roll the dough into walnut sized ball and place on a grease-proof paper covered baking tray and bake for around 10 mins, until the tops turn golden

Enjoy!!! Send me photos if you make some :)

p.s. I now have a facebook page which you can find here

Instagram link

Bloglovin link

Twitter link

My food diary: a healthy day

Well I'm sure like many others this Easter, I have gained a few extra pounds after indulging in chocolate rabbits, eggs, cake... basically chocolate anything and I regret absolutely nothing. BUT...I am only 5ft2 so even a few pounds can make my clothes fit a bit uncomfortably! 

I find it easier to eat healthily if I have a plan to follow or some recipes/ideas, so here's what I ate on one of my healthy days:

Breakfast: A glass of luke-warm water with the juice of half a lemon and then a small bowl of Muesli Crunchy Bran with semi-skimmed milk.

I read somewhere that drinking lemon water helps with digestion and should be drunk 15-30mins before eating. There are also lots of other claims such as that it freshens your breath, gives you an energy boost and keeps your skin blemish free!

Morning snack: 10 Almonds and a Kiwi

Almonds are packed with nutrients, antioxidants and Vitamin E as well as reducing hunger, thus your overall calorie intake!

Lunch: Spinach and Ricotta Tortellini with pesto.

 I ate 1/3 of a pack that was meant for two. I'd like to say this way because of my super good portion control but actually it was all we had left in the house so I had to share it with my parents!

Afternoon Snack: Soy seeds and a Banana, 1 cup of tea

Evening Meal: Chicken and White Bean Stew (pictured).

The stew was surprisingly filling and pretty tasty too! I have included the recipe below if you want to try it, it's really easy!

Chicken and White Bean Stew Recipe (serves 4)

You will need:

Fry light 1 calorie spray

400g chicken breast in chunks

1 onion, finely chopped

3 carrots, finely chopped

3 celery sticky, finely chopped

2 springs of thyme ( or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)

1 bay leaf (fresh or dry)

600ml chicken stock

800g of haricot beans

1) Spray a large saucepan with a few spritzes of fry light and heat it up, before adding your chicken and frying it until it goes light brown in colour.

2) Add all of the vegetables to the pan and fry for a few minutes

3) Stir in the herbs and stock and bring to the boil

4) Stir well and reduce the heat. Cover and leave to simmer for 40 minutes until the chicken is tender

5) Stir in the beans and simmer for a further 5 minutes

Each serving contains approx 291 calories, making it low in calories and fat!!

If you have any other healthy meal ideas let me know in the comments as I love trying lots of new things.

p.s. I now have a facebook page which you can find here

Instagram link

Bloglovin link

Twitter link

Pink Passion Cocktail

Ever since I got some rather fancy looking martini glasses for my birthday, having a cocktail or two or three is no longer a rare thing in my house. That's why when Corky's asked if I'd like to make my own cocktail recipe using their raspberry glitter schapps*, I jumped at the chance. 

I've only every experienced Corky's from a shot glass so it was quite fun experimenting with different flavours for a cocktail...any excuse for a drink ey!! 

Here's the concoction I liked the best. You should try it - it's berry nice ;)

You will need:

A couple handfuls of fresh raspberries 

1 Lime

50ml Corky's Raspberry Glitter Schnapps

100ml Raspberry and Cranberry Juice 

Soda water 

Lots and lots of ice cubes

Enough caster sugar and Grenadine to decorate the rim of your glass

I started off decorating my glasses by pouring some grenadine into a plate and then caster sugar in another plate. Slowly dip your glass into the grenadine and then into the sugar for a pretty frosted pink edge. 

Next, I made a purée by blending the raspberries (remember to leave a couple out for decorating) and then putting them through a sieve - no one wants to be picking seeds out of their teeth!

Add the juice of half a lime, 50ml of Corky's Raspberry Glitter, 100ml of Cranberry and Raspberry juice, your 'lots and lots of ice cubes' and give it all a good shake..

Pour carefully into your frosted edge glass, top with soda water and pop a raspberry and wedge of lime on the rim for good measure.

And you're all done!!!

My mum decided to top hers with Champagne which worked really well too :)

I love the girliness of the glitter and think these would be perfect for a girl's night in or out!!

They also would be perfect for a hen party! Corky's are offering a very lucky somebody a Hen Party of their choice worth up to £1000. All you have to do is tell them which Corky's flavour you'd want at your hen party! Click here to enter

Good luck if you decide to enter and if you decide to try out my recipe, let me know what you think!

p.s. I now have a facebook page which you can find here

Instagram link

Bloglovin link

Twitter link

Cheesy bacon and egg breakfast cups

You wake up and you're not sure you can sit up because your head is spinning and you fear you might just be sick if you move. Your mouth is dry and you have no idea what happened last night and keep finding unexplained bruises. You're hungover.You're hungry, you're thirsty and basically you want bacon. In fact, what you really want is cheesy bacon and egg breakfast cups which are oh so easy to make and will settle the bacon monster than lives within.... so lets get started!

You will need bread, grated cheese, eggs, bacon and black pepper....A glass of water will help you get through this too...
A glass/mug/something round that you can cut with and a baking tray with wells in

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and then grab a glass to cut the bread into circles that will fit into the bottom of the baking tray wells.

Cook your bacon however you like it - I grilled mine - and then cut it into slices to make a boarder around the bread.

Next add a layer of cheese...

Crack an egg on top...

Sprinkle on some black pepper and pop them in the oven for 15 minutes....it really is that easy!!!

I didn't set a timer and found the yolks had just gone hard so I'd try 12 minutes if you like your yolks runny.

And voila!!!! Really quick and super delicious.

I think you could play around and add all sorts to this recipe :) mushrooms, tomatoes, salmon? 

Let me know if you try these!!

p.s. I now have a facebook page which you can find here

Instagram link

Bloglovin link

Twitter link

Safari Supper!

So you may be wondering what on earth a 'Safari Supper' is..I was too! Basically they're a great way to spend the evening with food and friends so there's nothing not to like!

Last night, some friends and I all teamed together to hold our own. Here's how it works... You get three houses and allocate each one a course; starter, main, dessert...(you could get crazy and add as many courses as you want) and then eat each one at each person's house!! It's even better when you keep it all a surprise :)

My housemates and I were on starters and our doggies couldn't wait to welcome everyone in and get the night started.

Helen was excited too!

For our starter we made peppers stuffed with couscous, goats cheese, caramelised red onion and sun dried tomatoes..

As well as (yes there's more!) bacon and leek tart..

And  (last one!) Chicken and pesto tart...with a side of rocket and balsamic glaze which you can add to any dish to make it look fancy!

All ten of us managed to squeeze around the table and tuck in...wine was flowing too of course!

So I think they liked it...

Poppy certainly did!

Next we went to Laura, Hannah and Emma's house where devoured this gorgeous roast dinner..They're far too good to only have on a Sunday!

The great thing about sarafi suppers is that you only have one course to make so can make extra effort with it which was clear in all three courses!

Little touches like this made whole night extra cute!!!! I loveee candles 

There's always ALWAYS room for dessert....and why not have two?!

There's no better way to end a meal than with chocolate! Zeinab, Jess and Lizzie were kind enough to spoil us with two chocolately delights; mocha cake and chocolate muffins smothered in more chocolate mmmm...

We certainly didn't end the night feeling hungry and it was lovely to all sit round and talk over lovely home cooked food....n'awww :)

Have you ever done a safari supper or something similar? Let me know in the comments :)

The London Series Pt 3: The Duck and Waffle

The Duck and Waffle was somewhere I'd always wanted to go since coming across it on a blog, which I would link you to, but it seems to have vanished! (It was the Brunch Diaries)

It's located on the 40th floor of a mahoosively tall building!

You walk in through the doors and are greeted by the staff which point you in the direction of a glass elevator which whizzes all the way up to the top! 

The doors opened and we found ourselves in this funky looking bar which was playing trendy music I'd never heard of before. It wasn't what I expected at all..in a good way!

The views were spectacular! We were really lucky to be seated right next to the window. The menu is quite expensive because of the gorgeous views so I'd be a bit peeved off if  I was sat in the centre of the room!

There was a good selection of breakfast/brunch, including the classics and some less traditional options. 

Ice cream for breakfast anyone?

This was the calorific fest I went for. It was really nice but it was served cold and I think it would have been sooo much nicer hot!

Tom went for 'The Duck and Waffle' which was delicious. I'd go for this next time but then again, I am more of a savoury person.

This place would be ideal for a birthday brunch or any other type of celebration. My excuse was this was my first time ever in London ..that deserves celebrating doesn't it?

Where are your top recommendations for breakfast brunch? I like reading food posts so leave me any links in the comments :)

The London Series: pt 2. I pressed for champagne!

Eating out is most definitely high on my 'favourite activities' list..If you look at my instagram (@reils92) this is pretty obvious! I'd say the majority of my money is spent on food and in Harrods  I picked going to the food hall over the ladies accessories department first...So I like food basically. A lot.

Which is why I just had to share my experience at Bob Bob Ricard with you as it was without a doubt the best meal I have ever had!

The whole night felt very luxurious, starting with our warm welcome by the staff who took our coats and walked us to the Red Dining Room (there's also a blue one) where we would dine. It felt like we were making such an entrance, walking down those steps over the dance floor and straight to the bar! 

This place is out of my usual price range so was a very special one off, meaning we could justify splashing out with pre-dinner cocktails at the bar!

BBR is known for its 'press for champagne' button which I immediately pressed when we were seated  and as you can see, I was very excited about!

Literally, within seconds, the head waiter appeared at our table to take our champagne order. The service here was something I have never experienced before. Even when I went to the Ladies to 'powder my nose...' the waiter neatly folded up my serviette, which I had not so gracefully thrown onto my seat, and put it back on the table. Impressed  by their attention to detail, Tom nipped to the Gents just after to test them and again the waiter came over.

BBR serves both English and Russian food. I had no idea what Russian food was so I went for the Truffled Potato and Mushroom Vareniki for starters; traditional Russian dumplings, served with little onion rings on the top. That creamy sauce was amaziiiingggg!! 

Tom made an even bolder choice of Venison Steak Tartare! If that's what you're into, I'm sure it tastes fab..

For the main I had Crispy Pork Belly with Truffled Mashed Potatoes. The pork melted in the mouth and the crackling was crisped and seasoned to perfection.

Tom went for a rather fancy Macaroni with Lobster.

If you're a bit of a foodie, I'm sure you'll have come across loads of pictures and videos of this Chocolate dessert. Another thing that BBR is known for. Honestly, google them and you'll see photos of this and the champagne button! 

And this is the Eton Mess en perle - fancy name ey?!

Chocoholic heaven!

If you're going to London and want to go somewhere extra extra special then I highly recommend it here! For a fancy restaurant, the portion sizes weren't all teeny tiny like they are in many places so I can assure you, you won't leave hungry...I actually felt sick after this as I was stuffed!

Despite me putting this under my 'lifestyle' posts, I can only wish that this was my daily lifestyle *sob sob*