Buttermilk chocolate chip waffles

Anyone that has been to America or Canada over the years will have experienced "the diner". With their gigantic laminated menus, and everything on the menu comes with a side of bacon or can whipped cream.

For me it's always a toss up between the all American pancake or the whopper sized waffles {topped with freakily glazed strawberries and cream}. My obsession with waffles started way back when I watched this movie called Don't tell mom the babysitters dead {I love odd movies}.

So iv been on the hunt for a waffle iron for the past year and to my surprise I couldn't find one..and then two months ago lidl had them for sale JACKPOT..

For this recipe you will need:

A waffle iron lol

1 cup of plain flour

1 cup of buttermilk

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate soda 

1 free range egg

1/4 cup of plain choc chips

1 teaspoon of vanilla paste

In your bowl beat your egg and pour in the buttermilk and vanilla paste. Next sift in the four and bicarbonate soda. Once your batter is smooth and frothy.

Slowly ladle in a small amount of the batter into each waffle section and close the iron down. When its ready the light will go off on your iron, I was able to get six waffles from this mixture which is amazing and extremely cost effective!!!

I dusted these bad boys with some icing sugar...DELISH...

Enjoy

Rebecca x

Scones glorious scones

 What is it about scones that gets people excited. Is it because they're bordering on a cake but its fully acceptable to have them for breakfast!!!!

Iv always had a soft spot for the little things and often tweet pics of gorgeous scones I come across, Kilashee Hotel been one scone Mecca that iv gushed about in the past. Their scones are so god dam good they are always so so fresh and have that lovely short crumbly taste to them. And just to tip you over the edge they arrive to your table with little pots of butter, jam and freshly whipped cream.

It's those little touches that make me come back time and time again. Unfortunately this is where some establishments fail to focus on, Fresh is always best!!!!

So last week as I made my recipe to do list scones were up there amongst other delectable ideas. Over the next few blogs there are some fantastic flavor combos

Firstly is my sultana + cranberry scone, for this recipe you will need:

230g of plain flour

45g of sugar

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 egg

3 tablespoons of milk

75g of real butter at room temp

40g of sultanas

40g of dried cranberries

Pre heat your oven @220'

In a bowl add all your dry ingredients and combine well with a whisk {this makes sure there are no lumps and everything is thoroughly mixed}. 

Next add in your butter and crumble together with your fingers and thumbs like you would if you were making short crust pastry. 

Once the butter has intermingled{HA} with the dry ingredients pour in your whisked egg + milk then with your hand fold it altogether then sprinkle in your dried fruit folding them in also.

Flour your surface a empty your scone mixture out sprinkle lightly with flour then gently and briefly roll out {the less you handle the mixture the nicer the outcome} try to keep the scone mixture quite thick. Cut out your scones and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, lastly paint on a beaten egg + sprinkle with sugar.

These only need to be baked for 15 minutes, the smell will be glorious so be strong and try not to eat them all the minute you take them out, I popped a few in the freezer to have on such a gloomy day as today!!!

Enjoy

Rebecca xx

My Pumkin pie

It's official when it comes to festivities I'm your only man for as long as I can remember  I just love the celebrations at the end of seasons...like HALLOWEEN.

When we moved to Canada earlier this year the thing that excited me was the thought of Fall all the gorgeous leaves in those multitude of jewelled shades. Then there's the pumpkin picking where you actually go and pick your own in Pumpkin farms not just from a giant box in Lidl {that still excites me by the way}

I had visions of my new front porch filled with all kinds of pumpkins in there crazy shapes and sizes. Anyway we are back home in good old Ireland + thanks to my obsession iv also found a pumpkin picking farm we can go to not far from ours so happy days.

So here we are in October so it's obvious this cake girl is gonna bake a pumpkin pie, for this recipe you will need:

9 inch short crust pie blind baked {in my blog}

1 can of Libby pumpkin purée

1/2 cup light muscavado sugar

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon of ginger

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon of flour

2 organic eggs

1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste

1 cup of condensed milk

In a large bowl add your pumpkin purée, sugars, salt , flour + spices then mix together. Next beat in your two eggs + vanilla paste. Then lastly mix in the thick condensed milk, at this point the smells are making you salivate but hang on in there my lovelies in less than an hours you'll be tucking in :).

By now your pie crust will baked so pull out the shelf in the oven + simply pour in the pumpkin filling making sure not to flood it.

Bake for 15 minutes @200' then turn down to 170' for 30 minutes, this will be gorgeous with vanilla infused whipped cream or even some yummy ice cream

Enjoy

Rebecca

Lavender honey rice pudding

As long as I can remember my family have been a clan who love their rice pudding, we didn't even need an excuse to make it there was always a big dish of the creamy stuff out on the table with the dark skin shielding it from busy fingers.

I myself much prefer making rice pudding in a pot than in the oven you get longer out of the dessert not that it will be allowed hang around long enough to check its freshness.

During the summer I ransacked my dads lavender garden + took bags of fresh lavender home to dry out for future recipes, there's something about lavender that puts a smile on my face my front door is surrounded by the purple stuff, nothing nicer when you walk out that door +  this is the first breath of fresh air you take in mmmmm.

So for this recipe you will need:

500ml of milk( whole or low fat your choice)

125g of short grain rice

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 1/2 tablespoon of lavender honey

Toasted flaked almonds

Firstly pour your milk in a pot and bring to the boil. Add your rice + sugar in and reduce the heat + turn your timer on for 25 minutes. Don't go far from your hob as you will need to stir this oozy goodness every now + again.

Once you are coming up to the time have a wee taste + if the bite from the rice has gone take it off the heat. While the pudding is still hot drizzle in the fragrant honey + then stir, taste again + add more honey if the flavour is to subtle.

When serving I like to add an extra drizzle of the lavender honey + then sprinkle with the toasted flaked almonds, these give a fantastic texture to the creamy pudding. I just hope you can control yourself when it comes to sharing lol

Enjoy

Rebecca

Tried + tested Glenisk's pop up shop

Back in the day I was in Dublin city 5-6 days a week doing my Leaving Cert and then on to a few years of college. But these days it's with a lump in my throat that i say that it's once in a blue moon that I get to saunter through St Strephens Green or ogle after the macarons in Brown Thomas.

So when I was up in town a few weeks ago for a foodie day out I knew there was a few foodie spots I had to check out while I had the opportunity. One place that has been buzzing on twitter in recent weeks is Glenisks pop up shop on Dawson street.

When I first walked into the pop up shop I was so impressed with the whole look it was so airy with big windows kitted out with fabulous old milk jugs that I would love for my own collection. Their organic products were displayed all on one wall it reminded me of Willy Wonka but for yogurt lovers HA.

Hats off to the girls working there they were incredibly inviting they couldn't have been more helpful, they went through every dish on their menu board I really couldn't decide.

One of the dishes that did excite me on the menu was their Irish smoked salmon for me that was a no brainer. 

This pot is so ridiculously More'ish il be ordering seconds next time. Firstly you have these chunky pieces of Irish smoked salmon along with  a small handful of capers, a sprinkling of freshly chopped dill, freshly crack black pepper and a drizzle of lemon infused olive oil YUM.

Now that combo alone is a match made in heaven but Glenisk go one further and rest this winning combo on top of a generous dollop of their organic Greek style yogurt. It's super light and velvety and doesn't have that overwhelmingly tangy aftertaste some Greek style yogurts can have ...

So put this altogether and you end up with a rocking little pot perfect for that impromptu picnic in St Stephens green or even better yet leg it in there for a lunch pot and don't forget they do dessert pots too..

Glenisks organic yogurts for Children are a winner with my wee girlies too and now that Lottie-daisy will be starting pre school next week the portion in the pots are perfect for her morning snack along with her fruit...

Well worth a walk up Dawson's street 

Enjoy

Rebecca xx