Butternut squash, spinach and blue cheese risotto

When I have the time to cook a risotto, this is my go-to recipe as it always manages to hit the spot and tastes delicious. The autumnal warmth from the squash, mixed with the acidic hit from the blue cheese works so well in this winter warmer.

Meatzza

For any of you out there also hooked on Nigellisima, you will have heard of her infamous Meatzza. It looks like a pizza, but the base is made out of meatball mixture which is pressed into a tin, rather like a big fat juicy burger!

Sticky Pecan Cinnamon Bun

Despite not having a KitchenAid (sob), I feel that when making my own bread, I have really achieved something so decided to embark on a yeasty and sticky adventure for these scrumptious pecan cinnamon buns:  

Nigellisima: Book Review

I am loving Nigella's new aptly named series, Nigellisima, airing on BBC Two at the moment. Within just 10 minutes of watching the first episode, I was already logged onto Amazon and buying the accompanying book.

GBBO: The Best Banana Bread

I am hooked on the marvel that is 'The Great British Bake Off'. What with Paul Hollywood's piercing blue eyes and style icon Mary Berry (for wearing that Zara silk bomber), there really is nothing better to watch on Tuesday nights. Oh, and of course for the baking.

I was gutted to see the wonderful Cathryn leave last week as I was really gunning for her to win. You can't help but love her down-to-earth attitude and of course for bringing back phrases such as 'Oh my giddy aunt' and 'Heavens to Betsy'.

After much inspiration, I decided to bake Shetland's finest James Morton's banana bread with some extremely overipe (practically black) bananas I had leftover in the kitchen. I made little individual loaves using these cardboard moulds from Lakeland.

Ingredients:

125g soft butter

250g caster sugar

4 over-ripe bananas

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

250g plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

Method:

1) Preheat oven 160°

2) With an electric whisk, mix the butter and sugar together until combined

3) Mix in the bananas, eggs and vanilla until you’ve got a lumpy wet mix.

4) In another bowl, weigh the flour and mix in baking powder.

5) Very slowly and carefully, fold the flour into the wet mix until no flour is visible but the mix is still lumpy.

6) Add in a large handful of sultanas into to the mix and pour into your moulds.

7) Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Melanzane alla Parmigiana

We have been going to the same Italian restaurant - L'Antipasto in Battersea - for as long as I can remember, and my parents for years before that. With half price food four nights a week and a whole chalkboard of daily specials, this is definitely somewhere to go after a hard day at work or for a quiet Sunday lunch.

I am a quarter Italian, and despite never having been to Italy before (I know), I will never get bored of this cuisine. You really can not beat a proper, homemade Italian feast.

One of the best starters there is Melanzane alla Parmigiana (aubergines, mozzarella, tomatoes all baked together) with home made garlic bread. So, I decided to make my own version of this on a lazy Sunday afternoon. 

Ingredients:

4 medium sized aubergines

4 cloves of garlic

1 onion

4 balls of mozzarella

2 tins of good quality chopped tomatoes

1½ jars Lloyd Grossman Tomato and Chilli pasta sauce

Method:

1) Slice the aubergine into around 1cm thick slices and fry in a tiny bit of olive oil until softened

2) Chop the garlic and onion and sweat in olive oil 

3) Add the chopped tomatoes and pasta sauce into the garlic and onion mixture and heat for around 10 minutes

4) Slice the mozzarella into around 2cm thick slices

5) In a deep rectangular baking tray, spread a thin layer of tomato sauce to the bottom

6) Add slices of aubergine so they are tucked in tightly

7) Layer slice of mozzarella on top of the aubergine and spread another layer of tomato sauce on top of that

8) Repeat the layering until all ingredients are used up and you are left with a topping of tomato sauce and mozzarella. Sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan for an extra crispy finish

9) Whack in the oven at around 180°C for 40 minutes or until golden on top. Top with fresh basil if you have it (I didn't)

10) Enjoy! 

Burger & Lobster - Mayfair

For a belated birthday present, my lovely boyfriend treated me to dinner at the much talked about Burger & Lobster. We walked around Knightsbridge after picking up my other wonderful present - Michael Kors rose-gold watch - and headed to the Mayfair chain on Clarges Street.

We opted for an early dinner to avoid hour long queues and were sat straight away. The staff were great and personally read out the menu consisting of only three items; a whole lobster with garlic and lemon butter, a lobster roll, and a burger. 

After hearing so much about the lobster roll from a colleague at work, I went for this one and Tom went for the 10oz burger with bacon and cheese. All the dishes are served with chips and a side salad.

My lobster roll

The lobster meat has been steamed and hand picked to make the roll and, once coated in a light wasabi mayo, is placed in a toasted brioche slice to be eaten like a hotdog. No frills and airs about this apart from a tender and juicy crustacean-filled piece of heaven. 

Tom and his mammoth burger

At £20 for each meal, it is quite dear and a treat only warranted after payday but for a whole lobster in Mayfair, I would say was very reasonable.

Can't wait for my next visit! 

T.G.I.F

Did you know that on a Friday in the UK, 20% of meals purchased outside the home are from a fish and chip shop?

Having worked in a fish and chip shop for the best part of 7 years, I would like to think I know what it takes to make a good dinner - triple cooked chips, beef dripping and by no means least, a gherkin. 

With just a week left in our east London office before the big move to Chiswick, we decided to head down to Kennedy's on Goswell Road for our last fish and chip team lunch. At just a fiver for your meal and glass of wine/cuppa cha, it is a right bargain.  

I went for my usual of cod goujons, chips and curry sauce - always a winner. Others went for scampi, fishcakes and a classic cod, chips and mushy peas which all looked delicious. Not a saveloy or battered sausage in sight!

Nom nom

Lunch time rush hour

Minced Chicken and Lettuce Wraps

This has to be one of my favourite Chinese dishes but I have never found the time or patience to recreate it myself. Having finished work a bit earlier than usual, I decided this was the perfect dinner for the evening so popped along to Tesco to get the remaining ingredients needed.

It is by no means a hard dish to make but the tedious preparation takes up the most time - not being able to buy minced chicken either was a bit of a bugger. I followed a recipe which just used chicken breast but decided to do a mixture of breast and thigh to intensify the flavour of the meat. 

So, after chopping up all the ingredients I was finally ready to start cooking!

Ingredients:

1 iceberg lettuce
3 chicken breasts (minced)
3 chicken thighs (skinned, boned and minced)
1 large onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
4 chestnut mushrooms (chopped)
thumbsize piece of ginger (peeled and chopped)
1 tin water chestnuts (drained and chopped)
1 bunch spring onions (thinly sliced)
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons Sriracha chilli sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Preparation:

1) Rinse lettuce leaves, trying to keep them whole and set aside to drain. 

2) Add tablespoon of sunflower oil and cook the chicken in a large wok over medium heat, stirring often to break up the meat. Add onion, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, ginger and chilli sauce. 

3) Cook until the meat is crumbled and brown. Add water chestnuts, mushrooms and green onions and cook until the onions begin to wilt, about 2 minutes and then stir in sesame oil. 

4) Spoon meat mixture into the centre of the lettuce leaf and eat like a taco. 

A Taste Of Vietnam

Affectionately referred to as the Pho Mile, myself and a group of friends ventured to Kingsland Road in Shoreditch to our favourite Vietnamese restaurant, Mien Tay. Located just around the corner from Hoxton Overground station,  this family-run restaurant is amongst an array of Vietnamese restaurants which I have yet to try but all look delicious. 

Having also eaten at the Battersea venue in Lavender Hill, do not be put off by the aesthetics of the restaurants as they do look a bit run down, but once you step in you will be blown away by not only the quick and efficient service - albeit a bit brisk - but more importantly the quality of the dishes.  

Now on to the food. For even the pickiest of eaters, there is something for everyone, and they cater to vegetarians superbly. Although I'm not brave enough, one of the guys in our group went for the salt and pepper eel which went down a treat. Personally, my favourite dishes have to be the Vietnamese spring rolls with nuom choc dipping sauce followed by rice vermicelli with tofu, chilli and lemongrass and their clay pot curries are to die for. With just the right amount of chilli and hit of ginger, this sumptuous curry beats a night down the Balti House any day. 

Ollie and his salt and pepper eel

Vegetarian spring rolls

Rice vermicelli (picture not doing it justice)

Steph and her chicken clay pot curry

Lemon Curd and Blackberry Loaf

Whilst whiling away the hours looking through some of my favourite bloggers this weekend, I came across this delicious recipe for a lemon curd and blackberry loaf. Being a recent lemon curd convert, I jumped at the chance of recreating this and bring to work on the Monday. Well, I have never seen something get demolished so quickly! 

The cake has a wonderful tartness to it, with just the right amount of sweet to balance it out, and was incredibly *cringes* moist due to the Greek yoghurt. A lovely summery cake that is perfect for the gorgeous weather we have been having. Long live British Summer! 

Ingredients:

175g softened butter

100ml Greek yoghurt

3 tbsp lemon curd

3 eggs

1 tbsp lemon juice

200g self-raising flour

175g caster sugar

100g blackberries

For the icing:

icing sugar

lemon juice

Preparation:

1) Preheat oven to 160°c/140°c(fan) and line a 2lb loaf tin.

2) Put all the cake ingredients, apart from the blackberries, in a bowl and beat together with an electric whisk until just combined. Don’t overdo it or you could have a heavy cake.

3) Pour the cake batter into the lined tin then sprinkle the blackberries on top. Bake for 1hr15min – 1hr30min or until cake has risen, golden and cooked through. Use a skewer to test it.

4) Once cake has cooled turn out of the tin. Mix icing sugar and lemon juice together until you think its about the right consistency and drizzle over the cake.

Virgin Blogger

So after toying with the idea of starting my own food blog for quite a long time, I finally caved in today and put this together. I have to say, coming up with a name for this was probably the hardest part - now I just have to remember to keep it updated!

If you love baking, cooking and everything in between and I hope you will enjoy following me on here and trying out some of my favourite recipes.

First proper post coming later tonight x