Hot Spiced Apple at Home

 Last year, I was totally hooked on the Costa Hot Spiced Apple drinks, and this year, I've been loving the new Starbucks Mulled Spiced Apple drink, which is becoming problematic (you know that emoji of the flying wads of cash? Yeah, that), so I decided to have a little kitchen experimentation to come up with my own.

Turns out these kind of drinks are SO easy to make! And you can swap out ingredients as you please, so you're almost guaranteed to find a version you like.

You need:-

An apple drink: Bog standard apple juice is what I've used here and it works a treat, but I like this even more with cloudy apple juice. If you fancy a little tipple, you can also use apple cider, but I'd recommend dumping in a few extra teaspoons of brown sugar, because otherwise it'll be quite bitter. I've also tried this with a fruity white wine before, and that was delicious too!

Sweetner: I like to use Agave Nectar, but honey works, and brown sugar gives it a really lovely taste. You only need a teaspoon or two depending on your personal taste, but it really pulls the drink together.

Spices: You'll definitely want cinnamon sticks and star anise. I also found some Mulled Wine Spice bags that are a bit like tea bags, which are totally delicious in this too. I've also added Vanilla Chai teabags and that was awesome as well!

Fresh fruit: Apples are the obvious choice here, but oranges work really well too for some reason! 

It's literally as simple as dumping everything in a pan and heating it on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes. I like to drop the Star Anise in close to the end otherwise I find it a bit too strong, but you can go off your personal taste!

I think I'm hooked!

Easy Gingerbread Chai Lattes

 I like a pumpkin spice latte as much as the next girl, but my real weakness is Chai lattes. Thick, creamy, spicy and topped with whipped cream, preferrably. This time of year a chai latte habit gets expensive, so I've found the most simple way to create delicious chai lattes at home (you knew it'd be simple because I'm not a good chef!).

The key to this drink is the Drink Me Spiced Chai Powder, which you can pick up for a couple of pounds in most supermarkets (I got mine in Tesco) or on Amazon. This stuff makes much nicer lattes than just a chai teabag does, and it's got the perfect balance of spices!

Now I'm allergic to dairy, so I use a dairy substitute, but I often make this for the boyfriend using normal semi skimmed cows milk and it works just fine. I usually make this for myself with almond milk, but I use soy milk when I want a decadant treat, something about soy milk makes it extra creamy!

You want to fill your chosen cup just over halfway with your chosen milk, and then pour that into a saucepan, and gently bring to the boil on a low heat. While that's simmering, boil the kettle, and add three teaspoons of Drink Me Chai to your mug. Pour the boiled water into the mug, up to just under halfway, and stir until all the powder has dissolved. Take two or three teaspoons of Gingerbread Syrup (I like this one from Monin, which again you can get on Amazon or in supermarkets) and stir that into the milk, before pouring the milk into the mug. Give it all a good stir!

Then top with whipped cream (fellow dairy-free friends, or vegan friends, I like the Soyatoo Spray Cream), and cinnamon powder! It's also good topped with caramel drizzle, chocolate shavings and marshmallows, take your pick!

Autumn perfection!

Monday Meals: Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

It's been a while since I posted a recipe, mostly because I've done approximately zilch cooking over the last few months. What with being back home and travelling, I've been out of the kitchen and mostly in, well, Giraffe actually. However, last week I had a real craving for soup and I figured it was the perfect time to share this recipe with you! Not very seasonal I know, but sometimes you just want a big old bowl of comfort food (especially when the Great British Summer has arrived and the rain is lashing down). 

If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that I'm not much of a whizz in the kitchen. I like easy meals that preferably have under five steps and involve minimal washing up! This is a bit of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants recipe, I don't do exact quantities, but this will make three good servings (or two if you're really hungry).

It's really simple! You want to chop up eight tomatoes and three red peppers (I used two red and one yellow this time because it was all I had!) into big chunks, and chuck them in a dish that can go in the oven. Drizzle in olive oil, and add a big old handful of fresh basil, a generous shake of thyme, and a few bay leaves. Roast in the oven for around thirty minutes at 200c, and give them a good shake halfway through. Remove from the oven, and add to the blender, making sure you remove the bay leaves first. Blitz the lot, and add a splash of apple cider vinegar, a generous squeeze of tomato puree, and about a half cup of water, or as little as you need to get a good consistency. And that's it!

I like to serve it with a drizzle of olive oil, a few fresh basil leaves, lots of cracked black pepper and sometimes a handful of fresh spinach too! The Boy likes to add a good shake of Tabasco too. It keeps in the fridge for around 3 days, and freezes really well too! 

Deliciously healthy, and oh so comforting. Best consumed on a squishy armchair with a cozy blanket and a good book.

Monday Meals: Easy Tabbouleh Salad

I know quinoa is all the range right now, but I've gotten really into Tabbouleh salads, I slightly prefer them over quinoa I think! 

I like to make up a tabbouleh salad at the beginning of the week, and keep it in the fridge to bulk out salads for lunch. It's super filling and it lasts well throughout the week, and it's super tasty. I don't get bored of it either which makes a nice change!

It's also SUPER easy to make, you know I'm no chef, and technically there's no cooking involved!

It's really simple, you just take a handful of Bulgar Wheat in a bowl, and cover it with boiling water. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to stand for thirty minutes. After that time, use a sieve to drain the bulgar wheat, and place it back in the bowl. Add a handful of chopped parsley, and a handful of chopped mint, some cherry tomatoes chopped up super small. Add a crushed clove of garlic, three teaspoons of olive oil, the juice of one lemon, and some chopped cucumber if you're a fan of that too! Give it a good mix, and you're done! 

Super easy to make, and it's really filling!

Monday Meals: One Pot Turkey Chilli Cheese Mac

So, shall we talk about food?

I like cooking, but I don't have time to cook. I try to eat healthy, but I love junk food. I love fancy food, but I'm really freaking lazy.

You can see the issue here, right?

So I've kind of come up with a ton of meals that are easy to cook, tasty, not too bad for you, and that I make in bulk and freeze, or have for lunch later in the week too. 

Enter stage left, the One Pot Turkey Chilli Cheese Mac. Not the catchiest name I know, but it sums it up quite perfectly. It combines three of my favourite loves, Chilli, pasta and cheese. Good stuff.

The real appeal of this is that it can all be cooked in one pot (as the name would suggests) which means less washing up. Bonus.

There's no specific recipe for this, it's kind of a fly by the seat of your pants sorta dish (NEVER understood that phrase), which is a good thing, cause it means you can kind of add whatever you like/fancy/have in the house!

Essentially you need a GIANT pan, and start by frying off onions and mince, I like to use turkey for this recipe since it's lower in fat and somewhat healthier, but you can use beef or lamb too. Once all the meat is cooked, you want to add a BUNCH of liquid, because you're gonna cook the pasta in it. I generally like to use one tin of chopped tomatoes, one box of passata, a good old glug of red wine, and about 300ml of beef stock. Add in herbs & spices as you like, I normally use basil, oregano, cumin, coriander and hot chilli powder. At this point I like to add a random assortment of sauces too, usually barbecue, chipotle hot sauce and some worcester sauce too. Then add your fresh chilli peppers to taste, I like mine spicy so I add two or three whole chillis!

At this point you should have a TON of liquid! Then you want to add in your beans of choice (I love butter beans in this but kidney beans work well too) and pasta. I've tried this with normal pasta, wholewheat pasta and gluten free pasta, and it all works really well. I do generally make it with gluten free cause I find it less bloating, but it's totally personal preference!

Then all you do is give it a good stir, and leave it to simmer on a medium heat for around thirty minutes if you like it slightly al dente, or 40 if you prefer soft pasta! 

At this point all that is left to do is add a BUTTLOAD of cheese to cover it, and I like to add some fresh Coriander too! And serve!

This keeps really well in the fridge and freezes well, it's incredibly filling and it's tasty too!

Baking Mad: Doughnut Holes

I'm definitely what you would describe as a 'novice' baker, there's no extreme skill to be found in the baking department of my home, but it's something I really enjoy doing. Mostly because of my love of all things cake related, but also because I find spending an hour or two in the kitchen quite relaxing, in a weird sort of way. I was recently introduced to the site Baking Mad, which has fast become my new favourite website. The site is a fantastic online resource for different recipes, for all different skill levels. It's as easy as searching for 'easy' recipes, or 'biscuit' recipes, you can even search for recipes based on what ingredients you have in your kitchen, which I think is pretty neat.

This Saturday I got in the kitchen and made Doughnut Holes, using this recipe from the Baking Mad site, it was super easy and the result was incredibly tasty (I'm not ashamed to say they didn't last long!). Baking Mad were even kind enough to send me a goody bag of baking ingredients to use from Billington's and Allinson, as well as this adorable apron which definitely saved my clothes from being covered in dough, oil and sugar! I'd never made doughnuts before this, I'd always assumed they'd be super tricky to make, but this little ones were so easy!

Next on my list is Vanilla Star Cookies!

Easy Guacamole Recipe

Guacamole is my current obsession.

I'm spending a lot of time at my desk right now, and guac makes AWESOME brain food, perfect for snacking throughout the day!

I've tried a few recipes but I've finally got it down, and it's SO EASY.

Essentially, all you need to do, is chop up four plum tomatoes, a quarter of a red onion, one chilli (I like to use the green ones), and as much garlic as you like (I go for 4-5 cloves because I firmly believe garlic is God). Then mash up two avocados in a mixing bowl, and mix in all the chopped ingredients. Add a couple of grinds of black pepper, and a few torn up cilantro leaves and Bob's your uncle! Job done! It needs to be eaten the day it's made, it goes brown and soggy pretty fast, but it's bloody delicious, and takes all of five minutes to make. I like it on toast, on raw carrots, and when I'm being a little naughtier, Doritos of course! 

Are you a guacamole fan?

The Perfect Festive at Home Coffee

I hated coffee until I started Uni, when I had to learn to like it to survive. It's still not my favourite taste on it's own, but I've gotten into flavoured coffee's and lattes (cough cough, white chocolate mochas, cough), and when Starbucks bring out their gingerbread lattes I get a little giddy. Unfortunately, Starbucks is an expensive habit, so I decided to look for an alternative to have at home. Also, I'm allergic to dairy, and twice in the last month Starbucks didn't listen when I asked for soy milk, and I've ended up having an allergic reaction. Not ideal.

Aside from the caffeine factor, there's something really comforting about curling up with a festive
So there are literally three ingredients. I use the Nescafé Alta Rica Coffee cause it's really really strong, and I just make this up with about a spoonful of coffee and half a cup of water. Two teaspoons of Gingerbread finish added in, and then I use the Vive Soy Vanilla Soy milk, which in coffee, doesn't taste like soy milk at all, even my boyfriend will drink it. It's got a hint of vanilla but it's not overpowering, it's really good on cereal to! I heat this up and then fill up the cup! Super straightforward, easy peasy gingerbread latte!

I've worked out that this is about 40 calories, much less than a Starbucks coffee!

Now I just need a festive mug to drink it out of!

Smashed Strawberry Lemonade

We are starting to get hints of Summer sunshine here in England, and it's making me feel quite happy. I don't drink much but a week or so ago I was craving a sweet summery cocktail, so I worked with what we had in the flat, and we sipped these on the balcony in the sunshine. And if I do say so myself, they were delicious.

I started off by rimming the glasses with sugar, purely for decorative purposes. I then put a handful of chopped strawberries in the bottom of each glass, along with a sprinkle of sugar, and smashed them up with a spoon. I squeezed a quarter of a lemon between the two glasses and added a lemon slice to each and a couple of whole strawberries too.

Then I added a single measure of Limoncello, and a splash of Vodka, the great thing about this drink is that you can add as little or as much alcohol as you like, and it doesn't massively affect the taste of the drink! Then I simply topped it up with lemonade! You'll want to give it all a good stir, so that the smushed strawberries are all mixed up! Alcoholic Strawberry Lemonade, Delicious!

Perfect American Pancakes

 Now, I don't mean to toot my own horn so to speak, but I am pretty damn good at making pancakes. I posted a picture on Instagram of these pancakes I made on Saturday, and a few people tweeted asking for the recipe, so here you have it! 

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of baking powder

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of caster sugar

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons of soft butter

1 1/4 cups of milk

Basically there's no skill to making these, it's all in the ingredients. Just mix them all together in a gigantic bowl, I like to do it by hand. Then when it's all blended and lump free, transfer it to a jug. Then you're gonna want to heat a tiny bit of butter in a pan on a medium heat (I put mine on about 6/9). Once the butter has melted and coated the pan, pour in the batter. I just use a little because they do expand, around 3 tablespoons worth of batter, but I just guestimate! Allow to cook until the pancake has air bubbles round the edges, and then flip. Cook for thirty seconds and then it's done!

I like to serve these with yoghurt and then any fresh fruit we have in the house!

Let me know if you try this recipe!

Squishy Snickerdoodles

One of the things I miss most from the US, that you can't get here, is Snickerdoodles. Soft, sweet, cinnamon sugar cookies, they totally hit the spot of my sweet tooth. I don't really know why you can't get them in the UK, who knows why, we need them here! I've wanted to make them for ages, but you don't get the texture of a Snickerdoodle without Cream of Tartar, which for some reason has been sold out in all my local supermarkets for the last few months. Eating these takes me back to the chilly shores of Lake Tahoe, sat looking out across the lake, eating warm Snickerdoodles topped with Ice cream. Delicious. These ones are more like fat, chunky snickerdoodles than the flat

Sidenote, my boyfriend was very disappointed to learn that these don't in fact contain Snickers bars, and insists that in our house, they be referred to as Cinnamondoodles to avoid further disappointment. This hasn't however, stopped him eating over half.

So, once you get your mitts on Cream of Tartar, these are really easy to make! 

 Ingredients

1 cup of butter, softened

1 and 1/3 cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 egg

2 teaspoons of Cream of Tartar

2 and 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of baking soda

3 cups plain flour

For the topping

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

You'll want to preheat the oven to around 190, and line a tray with greaseproof paper. Beat the butter in a big old bowl, it's easier with a hand held mixer but I did it by hand since I'm on a desperate quest for arm muscles. Once it's totally soft and light mix in the sugar, and blend, before adding the egg and vanilla essence. Then in another bowl mix flour, cream of tartar, and cinnamon until totally combined. Add this slowly to the other bowl whilst mixing. By the time you've added half you'll probably have to start mixing with your hands, really kneading the dough. Then in a small bowl, mix the cinnamon and sugar for the topping. You're then going to want to break off bits of dough and roll them into balls, mine were about the size of a ping pong ball. Roll them in the cinnamon sugar topping, coating them completely, and then set them on the baking tray! Cook for 11 minutes, you may have to do this in two goes because this makes quite a lot! When you take them out of the oven, press lightly on each cookie with the back of a spoon to flatten them out a little, then allow to cool on a wire rack. Best consumed warm with ice cream or hot chocolate!

I'll definitely be making these again, although I may add a little more cinnamon to the topping, that's all down to taste though!