Lottie's favorite cookies

When it comes to your children you automatically wantfi  the best in life for them and that includes nutritionally too. My eldest Lottie-daisy is not big on sweets or crisps (thank god) but she does have a soft spot for cookies, iv mentioned this in past blogs. This is her little treat she loves to go to the press take out the cookie tin then ask for a cookie + now her mini me Lillie-b does the same (il have to find a better hiding place).

Now I have no problem with cookies as a treat everything in moderation but its frightening when you actually look at the back of the pack + see the amount of "ingredients" that go into a little chocolate chip cookie or a custard cream. 

So as my blogging buddy Laura always encourages us all to do I decided to get the girls involved in making their own cookies. And what's a bomb proof cookie that everyone can't resist  a chocolate chip cookies, the chewy gooey jammed full of chocolate chips kind!!!!

For this recipe you will need:

2 1/2 cups of plain flour

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 cup of butter

1/2 cup of caster sugar

3/4 cup of light muscavado sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips(1/2 dark, 1/2 white)

Firstly cream the butter and sugar together until light in colour next add in the vanilla bean paste and when combined add your eggs one by one.

In a separate bowl sift together your dry ingredients add the chocolate chips then mix into your wet bowl, it's a good idea to add the chocolate chips to the flour as it coats them and prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the mixture. 

Once the mixture is ready lay out some baking parchment onto your baking trays and one by one scoop out the cookie dough with two small spoons and plop them down on the trays. I spaced them 4 down and 3 apart as they ooze out when in the oven.

Now pop your trays in the oven and bake @160" for 10 minutes they need to be soft to the touch when they come out and left ALONE to cool completely other wise they will fall apart, as Lottie found out. 

This recipe will easily make 32-36 cookies and they freeze really well but also keep fantastically in the fridge or even sandwiched around a blob of Ice-cream lol

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

Wicklow farmhouse cheese

A few weeks ago I got imvited to a cheese making day in one of Ireland's successful cheese makers the Wicklow farmhouse cheese. I automatically accepted as a prior foodie day out had gone so successfully and really got me fired up 

Then reality kicks in Rebecca aren't you slightly afraid of cheese, stinky mouldy ones to be precise. I felt maybe this wasn't the right day out for me but then I thought no this is ideal for you, go and educate yourself on cheese get out of your comfort zone and do it. I think I even described it to one of the bloggers as my version of I'm a celebrity get me out of here{slightly dramatic don't you think}

So on the bus we got and headed off to Clodagh McKennas new restaurant in Blackrock where we all got to catch up with familiar faces and got aquatinted with new colleagues. And what a treat it was stepping in to Chlodaghs restaurant was refreshing it was bright and airy but with a very welcoming feel. There was so many little private areas where you could escape to with friends or family and sit for hours indulging on her seasonally well thought out dishes.

I chose the crab cakes for my main which were jam packed with crab meat which was refreshing as it  is common for a fish cake of any kind to be bulked up with potato. This was accompanied by an amazing chili spiked guacamole, for me chili and seafood is a match made in heaven. All in all that dish was divine.

After a relaxed chatty lunch we bid fair well to Chlodagh and  headed on our way to Arklow where the family farm was. 

After some time we pulled into the dairy farm which has been run by John and his family for decades. John took over the farm from his dad in '73 when his dad became ill it was then and there he decided to reclaim the surrounding land which in time had to be developed and drained. John realized quickly that this was going to be a full time job.

They decided to focus on one thing and do it well, milk was the answer but unfortunately financially it was paying bad and certain companies were solely in control of 1/3 of the milk in Ireland.

Not afraid to look outside the box John decided to approach the Enterprise board where they mentored and work with him. He went on to do a start your own business course with them which helped him realize their was a niche in the market for farm cheese. Wicklow did not have anything like this so it was perfect and there the Wicklow blue was born.

They Initially started with farmers markets where they basically made the cheese to order, there they learned from the customers what people wanted from a cheese.

But the only way to grow the business was to go to the supermarkets. Which worked out for the better, this company has grown organically and has gone from strength to strength. They have 9 employees in the factory and the farm.

Mary Johns daughter took charge of making the cheese and over looks the quality for the past two years and John was pleased to tell us that thanks to Mary they received their BRCA grade last week which is a huge accomplishment for a small cheese company. Samples of the cheese are taken away every 5 to 6 weeks but in Johns factory they do positive release everytime, which means no cheese is released without the all clear.

From now until the end of November they are making cheese for Christmas. You can find their amazing cheeses inTesco, Dunnes , Aldi and Petits Supervalue.

We were lucky enough to be able to sample some cheeses at the end of the day and after listening and seeing what goes into the cheeses I can tell you as a novice I felt confident to sample the different flavors they had. 

My fave was a tie between the seaweed infused cheddar{ the seaweed comes from Mayo} 

and the tomato and basil mature cheddar. Amazing flavors that melt in your mouth, and a wee tip for you a good cheddar should always melt in your mouth. 

So the next time your out shopping restrain yourself from picking up the easy singles and go for a home grown creation like the Wicklow farmhouse cheeses.

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

L'officina @ Kildare village

This week after dropping Lottie-daisy off to Montessori I decided that I was in need of some self Indulgence. But not just anything would hit the spot, my mé féin moment had to be chocolate + of the highest quality.

So seeing as Kildare village is only minutes from our home it would be down right rude to pass it by...

Right in the corner of the "village" by the fountain homes Dunne + Crescenzi's gorgeous Italian eatery L'officina which in Italian means workshop just incase you needed to brush up on your Italian.

With their high wood clad ceilings + large chalk board menus it is quite easy to be transported to a different time + place where quality + flavor is paramount.

Iv eaten here on many occasions with family or even for a quick coffee fix with my friends + I can honestly say iv been pleased with my dish every time. So this time round it was still early in the day + with two wee children I needed a coffee fix but when I studied the morning menu there was no way I could pass up a "dense" Italian hot chocolate + even though it was €4 for a hot chocolate I said feck it go wild.

And I'm so happy I lived life on the edge that morning because what came out was what I can only describe as chocolate soup it was glorious completely over the top but that's what I needed at that point in time. I don't know why I'm evening telling you this but I might have even been spotted dipping pieces of my pain au chocolat in it...don't judge I've been eating carrot sticks ever since to try balance out this devilish delight HA

 

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

Chocolate, cream cheese + blackberry brownies

I love when a recipe slaps you in the face right out of the blue. I gave myself yesterday to concentrate and enjoy the task of recipe writing, the hubby pottered off to our local insomnia coffee shop with his Mac book to send off a few cvs + brought Lottie-daisy with him. I put lillie-b down for her snooze and away I went on my baking tangent.

Like anyone who is juggling a thousand things in their daily life when a notion hits I have to write it down quickly as it flithers off just as smart, in the full knowledge that a window will arise that I get to give it welly in the kitchen.

It could be one ingredient that sparks a whole idea or it would have to take a few jotted down notions to compile to one eureka moment. It just so happened it snowballed with me yesterday, half way through one recipe test another popped in so that got made + then written down. And sure here we all are  for this ridiculously good baked goody you will need...

100g butter

200g 70% chocolate

250g caster sugar

4 eggs

70g gluten free flour( or normal)

50g cocoa

Cream cheese layer

175g cream cheese room temp

3 tablespoons of butter room temp

50g sugar

1 egg

3 table spoons of Flour

1 cup of fresh blackberries

Firstly make your brownie batter. Over a double boiler melt the chocolate + butter, while that's melting beat the eggs until light in colour + then add the sugar. Whisk this until all the sugar is dissolved.

By now the chocolate and butter should be completely melted so take it off the boiling water + leave to the side. In another bowl sift together the dry ingredients then add to the eggs. Once fully folded in pour in your melted ingredients.

Now in another bowl add your cream cheese + butter and cream together thoroughly until smooth. Add the egg + sugar in next + mix well. Lastly add your flour.

So lets put this altogether, firstly line your shallow brownie pan with baking paper this makes it so easy to take out the brownies. Pour in the brownie batter first next pour over your cream cheese batter evenly over the chocolate you can even spread it slightly with a spatula. Lastly evenly place your fresh blackberries on top of all this gooey goodness, pop it all in the preheated @180' for 30 minutes + I mean 30 minutes don't even check it when the timer goes take it out any longer + the whole thing loses its gooey ness...

Once out of the oven let it sit for a few minutes before cutting into slices you should easily get 18 squares out of this recipe.

Now this can be devoured on its own or you can up the anty by pairing it with some of my country creme fresh{ you will find this in my blog}

Enjoy

Rebecca xx

Instant Salty chocolate prezels

Sometimes there's nothing nicer than a "ready in moments" treat with all the flavour + none of the effort. Well the other night was one of those moments that I needed a quick fix of indulgence but couldn't think of anything I had in the press that would do the trick.

When we lived in Canada for the summer the shop shelves were jammed with every sugary sweet going but one thing that always caught my eye was chocolate dipped prezels but me being me never bought them as you could only buy jumbo bags of them + You know yourself once you open the ptack sure it would be rude not to finish it HA...

So back to my munchie dilemma I had a craving but didn't think I had anything to hit the spot until I copped I had a "normal" size bag of little prezels + a big bar of dark chocolate stashed up in my baking press, you gotta love the 74% coco solids for baking....

So for this uber quick quick + rewarding snack you will need

175g bag of prezels

100g 74% dark chocolate

1 teaspoon of butter

Baking parchment

Firstly in a double boiler melt your chocolate. Once melted add the butter making sure it's fully combined.

Take the chocolate off the heat + one by one dip half the prezel into the choclate, then shake the prezel gently to remove any excess chocolate. Place it onto the baking parchment. 

 Once all the prezels have had a dip and are chilling out on the paper leave them for a while to set, don't be tempted to pop them in the fridge this will coz the chocolate to lose its shine.

I stored these bad boys in a large jar so there was no chance of them going stale , that would just be cruel now wouldn't it.

The combination of the salty prezel with the bite of the dark chocolate is a match made in heaven, I will be tucking in these with a vino tonight to watch the Great British bake off...it's the sime things people....

Enjoy

Rebecca xx

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

A celebratory summer pie

This summer has been so unbelievable my garden has never looked so good Lottie-daisy has had some serious fun on Victoria plum( that's the ponys name don't ask) and we have hit the beach proper Irish style, flasks of tea ham sandwiches and ice creams on the way home.

But something that I have really loved this summer is going for long walks with the hubby and our wee ones along the country lanes around our house foraging for blackberries. It reminded me of when I was a young'un and my Nanos + Jackie(the grand parents) would come down from dublin and stay with us in the sticks for weeks on end. One of the things we used to do with Nanos was go for long walks, well they seemed long for our little legs...and on the long long walks apart from getting stung by nettles and having to spit on dock leaves to get rid of the sting was pick what felt like a million blackberries to make tarts for my dad and Jackie to devour.

So this summer has definitely added a bunch of happy memories to my little family's lives. And in celebration of this summer iv come up with this celebratory pie, for this recipe you will need:

THIS RECIPE MAKES 2 PIES!!!

Pie base:

175g plain flour

25g icing sugar

100g of cold butter

1 table spoon of cold water

1 egg yolk

Pie Filling:

6 sweet apples

200g Irish strawberries

200g of fresh Irish blackberries

1 cup of sugar

Vanilla batter:

3/4 cup of butter 

3/4 sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup of glenisk whole milk

1 1/2 cups of odlums flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Serve with glenisk creme fresh 

 Firstly begin to make the pastry crust. I like to combine it by hand but if you have a food processor be my guest.  In a bowl pop your flour, icing sugar and diced cold butter. next rub the contents through your fingers and thumbs basically until all the butter has reduced into teeny tiny pea like crumbs. Next I pour in the tablespoon of water and one egg yolk and combine . Once its come together plonk it out on your board and knead it briefly so as it rolls out perfectly but not to much that makes it tough as old boots!!!

Next roll it out nice and thin making sure its large enough to fit in your flan tin. A little trick I saw on the telly box one time was if you get a scrap of left over pasty roll it into a ball it works as the perfect tool to press your pastry into the sides of your crinkly tin.

Pop tinfoil over the pastry leaving the pastry uncut over the sides, then pour some baking beans over that. Pop in your pre heated oven at 190' for 10 minutes. After that trim edges and pop back in uncovered for a following 8-10 mins. Once thats done take out and let cool.

Next for the filling peel and slice the apples into even pieces, chop the strawberries in half but leave the blackberries as they are. Evenly pop them all round the pastry base then sprinkle over your sugar.

Now for the vanilla batter cream the sugar and butter together then add the eggs one by one and mix for for a few minutes. Next add the vanilla and butter milk before adding the flour and baking powder. 

Once your batter is made dollop the mixture speradically around the pie filling when baked this sponge mixture will have oozed in and around the apples and berries..

Pop the pie in the oven @ 180' for 35minutes. When baked the berries will be bubbling in delight the vanilla sponge will be golden in colour, oh and your kitchen will smell divine  that's a sure sign your pie has baked to perfection...

A generous dollop of avenmore whipped cream is a match made n heaven. This pie is amazing hot...

Enjoy

Rebecca xx