Healthy and cheap meal.

I was watching Giada at Home tonight and for dinner she was making breakfast foods, which I don't usually like, but tonight I really fancied it. She made the most delicious looking omelette I've ever seen, so I decided that's what we were going to have for dinner tonight with a simple in a little bit of regular olive oil for about 3 minutes until they were soft, then I added about 2 teaspoons of crushed fennel seed, and a bit of salt and pepper. When the onions were I soft, I added 1/2 a pound of regular sausage meat and broke that up and cooked it until it was all brown and well cooked, abut 5-8 minutes; set the pan aside and let it cool. I then preheated the oven to 425, greased an 8x8 baking dish with butter, and whisked together 8 eggs with 1/2 a cup of whole milk or half and half (I used half and half because we don't buy whole milk) and a little bit of salt and pepper. I then chopped up one bell pepper and stirred that through, but I HATE bell peppers so I think next time I would try something else that I do like, like asparagus. Giada used gruyere cheese, but we had a lot of english cheddar so I used that instead, you want to grate 1 1/2 cups, but only stir 1 cup into the egg mixture. Add a bit of salt and pepper, maybe some tabasco if you like spice, and then stir in the cooled sausage and onion mixture. Pour that into the baking dish, sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of left over cheese, and bake in the oven until the top is golden brown and the eggs are cooked, about 20-25 minutes. We had ours with a side salad, but Giada had hers with cinnamon and pancetta waffles (not too sure about those?), but I think it would also be nice with hashbrowns, toast, fries, crusty bread...

Bad Recipe!

So last week-end was Easter and my family came over for dinner so of course we had a big dinner and for dessert I decided to make this cake because I thought it looked amazing.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/408615/chocolate-orange-and-almond-simnel-cake

I decided to use some cocoa powder that my sister bought me back from Bali when she went there on her honeymoon so it added a different twist then regular cocoa powder. It was a really nice cake batter, and next time I would use deeper cake tins so that when I sliced each layer in half, they were thicker. But what I really want to talk about is the AWFUL frosting recipe. First off I knew this already, but some people may not, the mascarpone needs, NEEDS, to be at room temperature and no where does it say that for people who don't know. Second there is way too much orange juice needed, orange extract would give you a very orange-y flavor and you would only need about 1-2 teaspoons, not 100 mL of orange juice. It also doesn't say that you should add the icing sugar, a cup at a time, and beat after each addition, and slowly add the orange juice. It splits even before you add the orange juice, and when you do add the orange juice it just gets worse and worse, and there really is no way to save it. So it's a very bad frosting recipe, every comment I read on this cake, afterwards, said their frosting split as well, so I decided to do an orange cream cheese frosting instead which was really nice. Give the cake part a try, but forget the frosting and make your own. Mascarpone isn't cheap and it's somewhat an expensive frosting for it just be ruined. I mean you can try it, but I can guarantee that it will split, just like everyone else's. So here is the frosting recipe I used instead.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) soft butter

3 bars (8 oz each) soft cream cheese

3 cups sifted icing sugar

1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest

2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger

(if you prefer less ginger and more orange reverse the amounts)

and a pinch of salt

1) Cream the butter until its soft, pale, and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese, and beat into the butter until it's fluffy, about another 2 minutes. Add the sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating in after each cup. Then add the zest, ginger, and salt and beat for about 5 minutes.

Pink Buttercream Frosting

My neighbor's daughter is having her 3rd birthday party and I decided to make her cupcakes for her because the ones at places like wal-mart or kroger are so ugly and full of crap. Apparently she loves pink, of course, so I tried to do the girliest cupcakes I could. I even put pink sprinkles in the batter to turn it pink so when she bites into it, everything will be pink! It was really hard trying to tie the ribbon around them, and I'm not sure if I would it again...we'll have to see. The sugarpaste flowers are actually really easy to make, if you know how to work with sugarpaste, and you know how to make proper royal icing. But I'm going to give you the recipe for my buttercream, which it is soooooooooooooooooo much better than the stuff you get in tubs, or the stuff on cakes at kroger which is all made from shortening or lard, which in other words is just fat. For this one, I used, 3 sticks of soft, really soft, unsalted butter, 1 bag (1lb) of sifted icing sugar, 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, about 3 tablespoons milk, and some pink food coloring gel (always try and use the gel food coloring because it doesn't change the consistency of things such as frosting like the liquid does). Beat the butter until it gets really soft, and beat in the sifted icing sugar 1 cup at a time, add the vanilla and beat through with the milk, (you may need more or less milk depending on how you want your frosting; I used 3 tablespoons), add a pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness and then I added some of the pink food gel. If you dip a toothpick in and grab a little bit of to put in the frosting it works well, I usually do one at a time so the color doesn't go crazy and you can have it who you want it. Beat the buttercream until creamy and smooth. (Instead of vanilla you could use different extracts such as orange, almond, lemon, etc..)

Crêpes

My mum got me a crêpe maker the other week-end because I had been talking about how much I wanted one, and there was a one cheap in Tuesday Morning. (Originally she had said no cause I'm leaving in a couple of months and it won't work in Europe) I LOVE crêpes, they're one of my favourites food. Especially when I've made them and they're so easy and you can put anything you want in them. They're also not as heavy as American style pancakes, they're a lot lighter and less stodgy which is why I love them! This is the one she got me: http://www.jardenstore.com/productdetails.aspx?BrandId=501&pid=1302 ; only mine was a lot cheaper, like $10 and I like it because you dip the top into a pan of batter which I think sounds easier that way you get an equal amount of batter everywhere. For a basic crêpe batter which makes about 6 22 inch crêpes : -4 large eggs -1 1/2 cups milk, more as needed -1 1/2 cups all purpose flour -1/4 teaspoon of salt -2-3 tablespoons of butter for rubbing on the cooking plate. 1)combine flour and salt in a large bowl and then make a well in the middle. break the eggs into the center and in 3/4 cup of milk. whisk in a small circle in the middle to blend the eggs and milk. whisking constantly, slowly draw in the flour until you have a thick mixture and then add another 3/4 cup of milk, and whisk until smooth. 2)strain to remove any lumps and let the batter rest at room temperature for atleast 30 minutes. 3)melt the butter, and brush onto the cooking plate, or into the bottom of a frying pan before dipping into batter. (if you don't have a crêpe maker, just take a ladle of batter and pouring into a very hot frying that you've coated with a little bit of butter, and then when it start's to bubble and comes up at the sides, if you can lift it up to see if it's golden, give it a flip for about another 30 seconds.) TIPS: Using butter to brush on the cooking plate or frying adds flavor but also oil can make the crêpe stick. Don't stack crêpes because the steam that comes off of them will make them become gummy. They can be eaten hot or cooled, and even frozen for later.

Fillings: The fillings for crêpes are endless! It all depends on what you want. You can make them either savory or sweet. Try curried chicken or chicken and mushrooms, or fresh shrimp, a vegetable filling would be nice. For sweet I love fresh lemon juice and icing sugar and then in another one nutella, because the hot crêpe will melt the chocolate :P The possibilities are endless pretty much and they're so easy and cheap to make. You can also cook off some alcohol like cointreau to pour over the top which is what Crêpes Suzette is; a very popular french dessert. You can really do anything with them and they're delicious. Enjoy :)

Clams

I suppose I need to get back in the habit of doing this blog!! This past week-end I went to the Urban Harvest Farmers Market on Richmond which was a really nice day out with my parents and granny who is in town! It was such a lovely day, and the market wasn't too big for us to walk around. There was everything from fresh vegetables,eggs which we got a lot of because they were so fresh and way better than store bought (the ones we bought were fed twice as much flax seed which made the yolks so yellow) strawberries, lots of fresh lettuces, herbs, homemade breads, soaps, cheeses, I managed to get some fresh culinary lavender, lavender sugar, and a lavender rub, and there were stands selling homemade foods to eat while you were there. You really should check out local farmers markets and support your local growers. It will always be organic, affordable, and so fresh! So Sunday was then Mother's Day in England, so of course I had to do something because we're english and my granny was here. I made a lovely breakfast of Mimosa sunrises ( 1/2 oz grenadine, 1 oz orange juice, and then topped off with champagne and an orange slice), eggs benedict with my speciality of hollandaise sauce which I will never give the recipe out for, I made my mum's and granny's with smoked salmon, and ham for my dad and I because we don't eat seafood, and a fresh fruit salad which we ate outside by the pool. For dinner, I did clams for mum and granny my mum ended up having all of them which made her very happy because my granny was being weird? health wise and was sleeping during that part. For my dad and I, I made tricolore which is tomato, avocado, and mozzarella drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper and some fresh basil from my garden. Then roast pheasant, roast potatoes, roast parsnips and brocollini. For dessert I made chocolate mousse with cointreau. The recipe I'm going to give you is for the clams. First off buy your clams either the day before or the day that you're going to use them, they shouldn't be older than that. Also to keep them overnight if you do buy them the day before NEVER put them on ice, in water, or in an airtight container because they will die!! Keep them in container with the lid open a little bit, covered with a damp cloth (I used just kitchen towel). So where I bought them they only came by the dozen, not by ounces or pounds, so I got 24 clams. If you get them in a good grocery store, they should be cleaned up already, and make sure they smell like the ocean, if they smell funky to you, don't risk it. So then in a large stock pot I softened 2 shallots in about 2 tablespoons of oil (sunflower or just olive will be fine). Then when they were soft I tossed in some chopped thyme, about 1 tablespoon, a splash of dry white wine and the clams. Immediately put the lid on top of the pan, give them a quick shake in the pan, and let them steam for 4-5 minutes. Also I should mention, if you find any clams that are open slightly, give them a little tap and if they close they're still alive, if they do not close they're dead and you should throw them away. Now after about 4 minutes lift the lid slightly to see if they've opened cause that's when they're done and if you cook them too long they'll go horrible. Scoop the clams out with a slotted spoon (one with holes) and put in a bowl. In the sauce a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley, a little bit of salt and pepper, and about a tablespoon ob aioli. I made my aioli by taking about 3 large spoons of mayo, 5 chopped garlic cloves (very finely chopped), some orange zest, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a tablespoon of milk or half and half, and some salt and pepper. Stir some of that into the sauce and pour over the clams. Serve with the rest of the aioli and some nice crusty bread. This is a very healthy and light meal ,but in the summer it will be hard because shellfish should really only be bought in months that have an R in them, but you can ask your fishmonger.

Herbs

First off I'll start by letting you know where the farmer's markets are in Houston, and I really hope you get a chance to check them out. It's much better supporting your local farmers livelihood and produce, it's going to be fresh mostly, if not all, organic, and homemade. There is one called the Urban Harvest Farmers Market and it's located on 3000 Richmond Avenue, but apparently you cannot see it from Richmond. It is in a parking lot, between Kirby and Buffalo Speedway; the cross street is Eastside; for more information visit http://www.urbanharvest.org/programs/market/index.html. Next up is the Houston Farmers Market located at 2100 University BLVD in Rice Village; for more information visit http://farmersmarket.rice.edu/. One more is the Midtown Farmers Market located at 3701 Travis St, in and outside of T'afia Restaurant, http://www.localharvest.org/farmers-markets/M14420. Most of the farmers markets are only open either Saturday or Sunday, rain or shine, for about 4 hours in the morning. The one in the rice village has a late evening market on Tuesdays as well. But check them out!! You're always sure to find much better stuff than in somewhere like Kroger at much better price as well.

Now on to herbs! We were going to build me a big herb garden in the backyard that I would be able to use for my cooking instead of buying the expensive stuff at HEB. ( I don't think there's anything nicer than cooking with herbs you picked straight from the garden ) However, I'm leaving Houston in June, and that's just about when everything will be ready for picking so I won't be here...so all in all there is not point building a HUGE herb garden that I'm not going to be around to use. So instead we got a small rosemary plant, some chives, thyme, and spicy basil, and planted them in pots. Herb gardens can be tricky because each herb might be different. For instance some like full sun all day, while others might need shade part of the day, some may need lots of water, while others don't. I believe that the best way is to know what herbs you cook the most with, and then go based on the climate of where you live. I'll talk about some of the most popular herbs.

1) Cilantro, very popular in Mexican and Indian cooking, is best grown in cool climates (not so good for Houston summer weather!) It doesn't like to go over 75 degrees. It needs sun either in the early morning or late afternoon, but should be shaded at the hottest part of the day.

2) Chives are members of the onion family and you can eat the whole thing, they also don't take up that much space. They're great because they can be grown in any type of soil, like direct sunlight, or partial shade, and although they can withstand water for awhile, it's best not to plant them in a dry place.

3) Thyme is a very popular herb to pair with chicken and full of fresh flavor. Thyme can be grown in sunny environments, and can also stand up to harsh winters. It's very important that you don't over water thyme. It should do very well in Houston climates, but during the summer, I wouldn't keep it in direct sunlight during the hottest parts of the day.

5) Rosemary is extremely popular in cooking used with beef, lamb, soups, stews, potatoes, vegetables, and even some desserts. Rosemary doesn't do so great in cool climates, but more like ours, more of a mediterranean one, with plenty of drainage.

6) Basil is also another very popular one, and probably everyones favorite. Basils great because it can grow in direct sunlight with partial shade. They can grow in dry soil conditions, and they really only need to be watered once a week, when it's been dry.

7) Bay is not a herb you eat, but one you infuse with, such as pasta sauces, soups, stews, inside of chickens, but always removed before eating. Bay bushes absolutely hate the cold and like rosemary originated in mediterranean climates so it does like sun and heat.

These are just a few of the thousands of herbs out there, but these are really the most popular ones in cooking, and the ones that will do best in Houston, maybe not so much cilantro but if your garden gets a lot of shade give it go. If you don't want to run the risk of building a herb garden and having everything die, or your not sure because each herb acquires different soil, or amount of water, or amount of shade or sunlight, start off in pots, one for each herb, and see how that goes. Gooooood luck! :)

Over the week-end I thought it would be a good start to sell my cupcakes at local farmer's market - I never realised Houston has as many as it does...still not as many as most cities, but it's pretty good. I got my health and hygiene certificate while I was in England, which is 1 of about 5 different things you need to have so I thought I would tell you about it, whether you're selling food from home already and don't have the proper paperwork, or you've been thinking about starting about a food business from home, or selling your products to restaurants or cafes, or stores or at farmer's markets. It's not as easy and just making the product and selling it off thinking 'what a great job'. If someone where to get sick and they traced it back to your food and you did not have the proper paperwork, you would be in hell!! So first off a good thing to have is a health and hygiene certificate, they're not at all hard to get and can be finished in a few days on the internet. Basically all it is is the program will review safety procedures and hygiene codes, such as which way you should arrange your fridge, or how bacteria grows and things like that, and then after each section you have a quiz; pretty simple and self-explanatory but you must remember that one certificate doesn't last the rest of your life, you do have to update them so remember to keep up with that. The next thing is based on where you live because each city, town, state, or country is going to be different in their regulations. Contact your city department that deals with giving licenses to business and ask to speak for the home-based licenses. Before you get a license someone will come and inspect your kitchen to make sure that it is up to code and safe enough to produce goods for the general public. I can tell you right now that you must have 2 sinks, close to each other because you are not allowed to wash your hands in the same sink that you do washing up or wash foods in. I can also say that if you have an open kitchen that you can't close off with a door and you've got animals running around - their bowls are on countertops, or they spend a lot of the time in the kitchen, you more than likely will not pass because it's not hygienic. If you pass, you'll get a stamp of approval and you can then apply for your license, but be warned, they do show up to check your kitchen just like they do in restaurants, and they also go to farmer's markets to check as well. It may be that you have to go and take a course on food handling to receive a permit. The easiest way to do it is to call your cities offices and find out exactly, don't bother googling because it can lead to so much confusion and as I said it's different everywhere you go.

Well I haven't done a blog in ages, mainly because I've been pretty sick lately...ear infections, bad sore throat, a bad cough and lots of headaches, and when I'm sick...I have no energy or desire to cook. I also haven't done one in a while because I'm thinking no one reads this... is anyone reading this?? Even if you aren't it's nice to talk about cooking and food, it's my true passion in life. Like Julia Child said when asked what she liked to do...'eat!' and I most certainly like to eat :) Over the weekend I decided as we had so many empty ball jars in the cupboard to make same jam. It's pretty cheap to make and you can get so much of it from one batch; great to give away to friends and family. Strawberries were on offer so we got plenty of them, but just plain strawberry jam is boring too me and sometimes way too sweet, so I decided to make it strawberry and rhubarb. If you don't know what rhubarb is you are missing out!!! I've had a long debate over it because I really don't know if it's a fruit or a vegetable or a root or what it is but it's delicious and my favourite thing in the entire world!! I could eat rhubarb forever :) It's very long and it starts off green but then it turns it a very dark red colour when it's ready to use, and it's sweet but also quite tart and I love love love love tart things. yummmmmmmm :) I used about 3 1/2 cups of chopped strawberries, 3 cups chopped rhubarb, 7 cups of sugar, juice of 1 lemon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger and one packet of pectin. Pectin = a thickening agent and is a natural thickening agent found in fruit. The acid from the lemon will react with the pectin and make sure your jam sets properly. (you can find high pectin sugar which means you wouldn't need to use that liquid pectin) So I started off on a low heat, with the everything in a large pot, EXCEPT THE PECTIN, and let that slowly start to simmer and dissolve the sugar. One tip, don't start it off at a high heat thinking it will save time, if you do that your jam won't set properly and the sugar will crystalize. Gradually stirring, and raising the temperature of the pot, let it start to boil and once it starts boiling and the sugar is dissolved, add the pectin, and let it boil for a few minutes stirring a little while. To test if jam is done, put a saucer into the fridge for around 30 minutes, and then after the pectin has been added for a while, take a teaspoon onto the cold plate, let it stand for about a minute and then push your fingernail through it, if the surface wrinkles then it's done. If you don't want to do that, after the pectin has been added, remove from the heat, let it stand for about 30 minutes stirring every so often and then ladle into sterilized jars (to sterilize jars place in a hot oven for about 15 minutes, then turn the oven and let them sit in there until needed, or fill with boiling water). Seal with the lids, and let them cool down completely and store in the fridge until needed :) Delicious!! Make sure you make plenty of jam on toast, try making some lovely english scones, or a traditional english victorian jam sponge :) enjoyyyyy

This is what I think would make the perfect Valentine's Day Home-cooked meal

For an appetizer start off with a dozen fresh oysters on the half shell served with a traditional Mignonette sauce:

3/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup freshly minced shallots

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black or white pepper.

Combine all ingredients into a bowl, chill covered in the fridge until needed. For a varied sauce, try adding a few dashes of tabasco, or some freshly diced chili pepper for some heat. For a more tropical taste, add some freshly chopped mango, or some freshly chopped cilantro (coriander). It's really up to you and your imagination. Also pair with a cold crisp white wine.

For main course Pappardelle pasta with slow-cooked meat:

1 lb 12 oz braising meat

olive oil

a handful of fresh rosemary and thyme, with the leaves removed from the stems and finely chopped

1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

2 wineglasses of red wine, such as shiraz or chianti

2 x 14 oz tins of plum tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

14 oz (400g) fresh or dried pappardelle pasta, if you would rather try it with linguini or penne, but something big and hearty, not like a thin spaghetti

3 1/2 oz butter

freshly grated parmesan

1) In a large casserole type dish, fry your meat in a little bit of olive oil, until golden brown and then add the herbs , onions, garlic, carrot, and celery. Turn down the heat and continue to cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables become soft. Add the red wine and simmer until nearly all the liquid is gone. 2) Add the tomatoes, and just enough water to cover the meat but 1/2 an inch. Cover the pan with a piece of greaseproof paper that has been run under the tap and then rubbed with a little olive oil, then place the lid on. Cook slowly on a very low heat for 2-3 hours, depending on the tenderness and type of meat used. It's ready when the meat literally slides from the bone with a fork. Season carefully to taste . Pull the meat apart with 2 forks, discarding the bones or any skin. Put the pot back on to low heat. 3) Cook your pasta according to the packet in boiling salted water (to make your pasta not stick together while cooking add a little splash of olive oil to the pan) drain, reserving some of the water, remove meat from heat, stir in butter and some parmesan with a little of the cooking water just to loosen everything. Toss with pasta and serve with a nice glass of red wine, some crusty bread, or a simple side salad and extra parmesan.

For dessert try something chocolatey like homemade truffles and a glass of cold rosé cava:

to make the ganache:

1 quart of heavy cream

3 pounds of bittersweet chocolate, a good quality one (or white chocolate for white ganache)

1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons

a pinch of salt

Some flavorings:

1 1/2 tablespoons dark

4 teaspoons pure peppermint oil

2 teaspoons instant espresso dissolved in 2 teaspoons of water

1 teaspoon ground caramom

First make the ganache: 1) In a large saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer- little bubbles around the outside of the pan. In a large bowl, combine chocolate with butter and salt. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Let it sit until the chocolate and butter have melted, do not stir it, about 5 minutes. Whisk it until smooth and shiny. 2) Divide between 4 bowls, and add the flavorings, or any flavor of your choice, maybe some orange liquor, or amaretto, or lemon zest. 3) Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using a 1 - tablespoon size ice cream scoop, drop levels of the ganache onto the baking sheets. Chill in fridge until firm, about 1 hour. 4) Coat the truffles. Spoon coatings of your choice - see list below, into bowls. Moisten, not drench, your hands with ice water, keep a bowl next to you, and roll the ganache into balls, then roll into the coatings.

Toppings: Melt some good white chocolate or milk chocolate, dip the balls into the chocolate using a fork, let the truffle sit and get hard, and then re-dip into the chocolate and while its hardening sprinkle with nuts, or sugar that has lemon zest in it, or crushed toffee. Whatever you can think of. If you just want to roll the toppings in coatings there is crushed toffee, crushed mints, nuts, coconut, cinnamon-sugar, cocoa powder, whatever you can think of.

I am very tired tonight, played lots of wii today with my parents showing them how to do the wii fit and tennis and all that stuff, but it was very fun :) Today I thought I would teach you the differences in flour because sometimes recipes all call for a different type of flour, which can mean you end up with 1/2 a dozen different flours in your pantry!

1) Cake flour = lowest in gluten, suitable for soft textured cakes and cookies

2) All-purpose flour/plain flour = blended wheat flour, acceptable compromise for most household baking needs

3) Buckwheat flour = used in pancake recipes, soba noodles, blinis, and crêpes

4) Cornstarch = refined cornflour, usually used to thicken gravy and sauces

5) Pastry flours = higher gluten content than cake flour, lower than all-purpose, suitable for fine, light-textured pastries

6) Self-raising flour = sold premixed with chemical leavening agents, ratios are: 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder and a pinch of salt.

Recipe of the day:

Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies:

- 2 large eggs

- 1 cup soft unsalted butter

- 1 teaspoon salt

- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

- 1 cup chopped hazelnuts

- 1 teaspoon baking soda

- 2 cups good quality chocolate chips

- 1/4 cup good quality cocoa powder

- 3/4 cups packed brown sugar

- 3/4 cup granulated

- 1/3 cup nutella

- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1) Preheat oven to 350F. 2) In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt 3) In a mixer, or by hand, cream the butter and sugar, add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla , lemon zest and nutella. 4) Slowly add the flour until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts. 5) On an un-greased baking sheet, place heaping tablespoons 3 inches apart. Bake for approximately 12 minutes. Let cool on tray for 5-10 minutes, then serve slightly warm so the chocolate is nice runny with a cold glass of milk :) ENJOY!

First off here are some pictures of the banana cake I made today.

And today my tips are going to be just basic cooking tips that I've acquired:

Basil does not like the cold, put it in some water and keep it in the sun. When cooking with mussels, first off only buy them when there is an R in the month, but keep them in a shallow bowl of water with some porridge oats, BUT NO LONGER THAN OVERNIGHT. The porridge acts like plankton and the mussels feed on it expelling all the sand from inside them out. Shellfish stock is not as strong as fish stock so it's best for things such as fish soup. Use lotus leaves to cook in instead of banana leaves. Lobsters need to die instantly, if they are killed slowly they'll release adrenaline throughout their body causing the meat to become tough. When cooking with powdered gelatin, allow it just to sit in the water first so that it resembles wall paper paste before you stir it, and try really hard to get any on the sides of the pan. Mushrooms that are few days old have much more flavour than perfect white mushrooms. Egg amounts for pastries vary on the size of the egg. When making choux pastry, the kind for profiteroles, if the batter is too runny you cannot add more flour to it, you must start again. Yolks of an egg do not last, so never crack into an egg just for white. When cooking recipes that only call for yolks, freeze your egg-whites for later use. When making caramel, just melt the sugar, with no water, until it is a woody brown colour, and avoid stirring so that the sugar doesn't get stuck to the side of the pans - also only stir with a wooden spoon. Do not put salt or pepper into stocks when making them homemade, instead infuse the stock with whole peppercorns. Green bacon = unsmoked. Don't brown meat that has come straight from the fridge all at once, it's best to let it come to room temperature. Extra virgin olive oil doesn't go to high heats, instead use light oil or sunflower oil. Cook with chocolates with a 48% coco percentage and up, in the summer use 50% and in the winter use 70%, but always think about what else you're serving for your dinner, if it's heavy don't use a very high coco. Do not melt chocolate in the microwave, it can cause hotspots. Typically one egg white = 1 fluid oz. When cooking meat, the more you touch it , the firmer it will get, and do not poke meat with forks, all the juices will escaping making it dry. When cooking mussels, they must be closed, if it is slightly open give it a light tap to check if it's alive and it will close up, if not throw it out! IF IN DOUBT, THROW IT OUT! You will get sick from bad mussels. Just ask my sister ;) If you're cooking bread, it should sound hallow when you tap it, then it's done. When you're melting chocolate for things such as mousse, try to avoid stirring the chocolate, it's called tempering, and it will cause a grainy texture with the chocolate. And always bake your pastry blind from frozen. I hope these will help you out!

Recipe of the day :

BANANA CAKE :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. baking soda (add to pureed bananas)
3 pureed bananas, very ripe

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 box powdered sugar (1 lb.)
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13" baking pan or two 9" layer cake pans.

2. Cream butter, sugar and eggs. Sift flour several times, then add the salt and baking powder to the flour.

3. To the creamed butter mixture, add the milk and flour (alternating, beginning and ending with flour).

4. Add vanilla and mashed bananas (with the baking soda added to the bananas) to this mixture.

5. Bake layer cakes (9") for 25-30 minutes, oblong (9x13") for 35-40 minutes.

Frosting Directions:

1. Mix cream cheese and butter until smooth, add sugar and vanilla and blend well - if it's too sweet add a pinch of salt. Spread on cooled cake.

If you would rather, you can serve this with a sticky toffee sauce instead of cream cheese frosting which is delicious!!

Yummmmmm. Just had dinner :) Tonight I did home chicken parmigiana with a side of spinach fettucini tossed in cream, olive oil, and some garlic, and a very simple salad :) - deliciousness. Today I'm going to talk about cakes/baking because that really is my passion. My sister got married this past December and I made her wedding cake - my first ever! I've made cakes and cupcakes all the time, but this was my first proper, important cake. This is what it looked like: It was a christmas wedding with a theme of mistletoe. It was a Genoese sponge, with spiced buttercream and dark chocolate rum mousse for the fillings, and it went down a hit!! I had some trouble with the english fondant and gum-paste which is very different from the american stuff but we got there in the end. I've been making a lot of cakes and cupcakes the past year trying to practice different techniques and things and I have learnt a lot.These are my baking tips for you to make sure that your cakes turn at really airy and delicious. If you can it's always better to make your cake batter by hand because then you can work a lot of air into the batter which is key for getting a light spongy cake. Sometimes standing mixers don't get to the bottom of the batter, so it doesn't get enough air into it. Always always always!! I can't stress it enough that your ingredients are EXACTLY the correct amount. With the cooking it doesn't matter, but with baking it is essential that your quantities are exact! It's also important, that your butter is soft, not so its runny, but so it is easy to cream and not rock hard so it get it out a few hours before you start cooking and let it get to room temperature - the same with eggs as well. If your ingredients are room temperature, your cake will be better. Speaking of ingredients, always go for top quality ingredients, especially if your cake is for someone else or for a special occasion, always use a very good quality vanilla, free-range organic eggs, organic unsalted butter, a good flour, and if you're adding things such as chocolate, which you should always use with a coco percentage of 48% or higher, but other things such as lemon zest or whatever, always make sure that it's good quality. Here are some baking tips for the summer : if the temperature is above 20 degrees celsius, DO NOT MAKE SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM. stick to just basic buttercream. make cakes bake quicker by using 2 tins instead of 1 because sometimes the top can cook a lot faster than the middle. avoid using fresh cream as a topping, and try fresh fruits instead of fondant decorations. And here are basic rules for baking : it's very important that you do not over-mix your cake batter or it will turn out tough-just until its all incorporated, or over-bake it. alwayssss read the recipe before you start cooking, all they way through just incase there is an ingredient not mentioned in the list or a step you may not know how to do, it's also nice to have a good idea of what you're going to need to do before you begin. Always make sure you use metal cups for dry ingredients and glass for liquids. Preheat the over about 10 minutes before you're going to need it ready. Use metal nonstick pans, ones made from glass are better suited for pies. Never remove your cake from the tin as soon as you take it out of the oven, it needs to rest a while just like meat does. Leave it for about 10 minutes in the tin and then remove it letting it sit on a wire rack. Always wash any fruits you may be using, and ling or grease your tin so that the cake doesn't stick! Never ever fill a cake tin more than 1/2 full or you cake will rise and not be flat, it will be like a dome. Place the tin in the centre of the oven so it can bake evenly, and for my last one, never open the door to the oven until 1/2 - 3/4 of the cooking time is over or you just release all the hot air and your oven will have to heat up again taking your cake longer to cook. I hope these tips can help you and bring success to your baking!! :) Here are some pictures of things I've baked:

Hi there!

Today's blog will just be my introduction: First off hi :) I'm Emily and I'm 19 years old and from England. I went to Culinary School and have always had a passion for cooking. I've never done one of these before so I'm not expecting much from it. Basically all I want to do is share my kitchen experiences, my tips and tricks that I've acquired, and leave you tasty recipes to hopefully cook and enjoy!! I've always had a love for cooking, most people say they got it from their mum or their grandma, helping out in the kitchen, but I don't ever remember doing that. I just remember falling in love with everything about it and I hope I can help, even if it's just one person! :)