As always the weekend has flown by and Monday morning is already looming. I had such a great weekend though, and got lots of cleaning and cooking down. Today's recipe is another idea that I spotted on pinterest and something I thought I'd love to give a try.These cookies look incredible! When making them today Molly thought I they looked like playdough. He was right, the colours are a bit mad, but such a great idea for kids birthday parties or big kids parties. The cookie itself is a really nice, buttery chocolate chip cookie, with the perfect balance of chewy and crunchy. I used milk chocolate chips, but of course you could just as easily throw in some white or dark chocolate chips.
Rainbow Pride Cookies
Ingredients
100g sugar
180g butter (softened)
130g chocolate chips
170g self raising flour
80ml condensed milk
Pinch of salt
Selection of gel food colourings
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line 2 large baking trays with baking parchment and set aside.
2. In a free-standing mixer, mix together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next add the
condensed milk and incorporate into the mixture.
3. Mix in the flour until a dough is formed. Finally stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Divide the mixture into four separate bowls. Using a hand held mixer, add the food colouring
and mix until the colour is even and well distributed.
5. Place teaspoon sized balls onto a baking tray, and press down and flatten gently. Bake for
10-15 minutes or until slightly golden.
E-D's Notes
- To make the multi-coloured cookies pictured below, simply take a small amount of each of the
coloured doughs and form one ball. Place on a baking tray and flatten slightly.
- These cookies will keep well for 2-3 days if kept in an airtight container or biscuit tin.
My love affair with Thai food, started many years ago. It's one of my favourite types of food, and a trip to Thailand last year only strengthened my appreciation of this nations culinary genius. Whether in my favourite Thai restaurant or my delicious local Thai take away, Chilli Chicken and Basil Leaves is always my go to dish. I love the combination of the flavours and the when you make it yourself you can make it super healthy by controlling what you put in. Healthy doesn't have to mean tasteless, and this dish proves that.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 large red pepper (finely sliced)
100g mushrooms (quartered)
6-8 basil leaves (torn)
1 chilli (sliced finely) or alternatively 1 teaspoon of chilli flakes
2 large chicken breasts
1 small onion (diced)
4 tablespoons of oyster sauce
30ml water
Basmati or Thai Jasmine Rice
Method
1. Bring a pot of water to the boil and prepare rice as per the package directions.
2. Heat the oil in a large wok. Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes or until browned.
Season well with salt and pepper.
3. Next add the onions, peppers and mushrooms and chilli. Cook for a further 2 minutes or until
the onion has softened. Add the oyster sauce a little at a time, followed by the water. Finally
add the torn basil leaves and allow the mixture to simmer for 5-6 minutes or until the peppers
and chicken are cooked through.
4. Place the cooked rice on a plate. Top with the chicken mixture and juice. Garnish with a basil
leave and serve.
E-D's Notes
I made this dish with chicken breasts, diced into chunks. When I arrived to Thailand however I was somewhat surprised that in Bangkok this dish is actually traditionally served with chicken mince which I found a little odd at first but grew to love. Alternatively you can of course use pork, prawns or strips of beef.
It's been a long week, and all in all I haven't been feeling great, so apologies for the delay in posting. I had a marvellous long weekend with my better half, who treated me to a luxurious night away to celebrate our 9 year anniversary. We enjoyed some great weather, an amazing picnic and copious amounts of delicious food. The weekend felt really long, and I feel well rested and prepared for the week ahead. The start of a week means starting out with healthy intentions! Sometimes eating 'healthy' can be hard. Especially when you start out, it really feels at times like you are depriving your taste buds of all things delicious. In all honesty though, it doesn't have to be like that. Being healthy just means you have to think a whole lot harder to make things tasty if your trying to avoid certain foods. After a long weekend filled with eating out and over indulging, I'm looking forward to tomorrow so I can get back to eating some delicious vegetables, along with simple weekday dinners. This is one of my favourite way of preparing my vegetables for everyday dinners. Balsamic roasted veg, are simple, tasty and packed full of goodness.
Balsamic Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients
4 carrots (peeled and cut lengthways)
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
6 cloves of garlic (whole)
2 pink onions (or small red onions) quartered
6 mushrooms (quartered)
2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil
4 tablespoons of balsamic vingear
Method
1. Prepare the vegatbles and place in a large baking dish.
2. Pour the oil and balsamic over the vegetables and season well with salt and pepper.
3. Cover the dish with tin foil and place in an oven preheated to 190C. Cook for 40-45 minutes
or until the carrots are cooked.
E-D's Notes
- This is a really simple but delicious way of preparing vegetables. Perfect served with chicken
or beef.
- You can add a little extra oil or vinegar if desired. Any left overs will be delicious reheated for
lunch the next day.
When it comes to foundation, many of us girls have few qualms about spending 20, 30 or even 40 euro on a bottle of the stuff, if it's going to mean that we look like the best possible version of ourselves. Let's face it foundation is magical and can swiftly make you feel human again when your feeling a little worse for wear. I have tried and tested numerous foundations out there and have many go-to's in my make up varying in coverage and finish.
So why on earth do I need to use a skin primer? Well I asked that very question and so decided I needed to see what all the fuss was about and is there any need to bother. The answer is.....Yes. Skin primer is essentially a base that is applied before your foundation and comes in many different forms. Here are some of the reasons it's worth using one:
1. Primer avoids your make-up looking streaky.
2. It can better conceal very obvious or enlarged pores
3. Primer can better neutralise redness and blemishes.
4. Primer creates a smooth surface to apply your foundation on to.
5. Primer results in your foundation sticking better and therefore lasting longer.
Primers create a barrier between your foundation and skin, meaning that your foundation will look great for a whole lot longer. Make up artists have used the analogy of smoothing the canvas for your foundation to cling to. So now you know all reasons that a primer would be a welcome addition to your make-up bag, where do you start in finding one? Let's face it (excuse the pun) every cosmetic company seems to be churning out a primer at the moment, so what's worth picking up and which primers should be left behind. Luckily I have done a little work on this and here's what I came up with:
Perfect Primers
1. MAC Prep & Prime
I'm a big fan of this product. It leaves your face feeling smooth and prepped for foundation
application. There is no real smell, it is a white liquid that glides on easily. My make-up most
definitely sits better when I apply this primer and undoubtedly lasts better throughout the day.
This little black number would be a welcome addition to any make-up bag.
Rating: 8/10
Price: €26
2. Bare Escentuals PrimeTime
This is the first primer I ever used and so far is my preferred product. I really like the finish of
my foundation when I apply PrimeTime before hand. Similar to the MAC but this is a clear,
scent free gel which glides on easily and leaves your face feeling smooth and reduces the
appearance of blemishes or redness. Make-up lasts longer throughout the day and allows
you to achieve a great finish no matter what foundation you are using.
Rating: 9/10
Price: €25 (approx.)
3. Clarins Beauty Flash Balm
Beauty Flash Balm has been around quite a while and is raved about by many. It aims to
'brighten and tighten' skin and can be used as a prep before applying foundation. I am now
on my second tube of the stuff and if I went back for more, believe me that's saying
something. The colour is a little unusual (pale orange) and there is a typical Clarins scent, but
all in all I am a big fan of this product. It leaves your skin feeling refreshed and moisturised
and your make-up does sit much better when it has been applied. A little pricier than MAC or
Bare Escentuals and so loses a point or two in the value department.
Rating: 7/10
Price: €35
4. MUA Primer
I am a fan of MUA (Make Up Academy) products, but think it's a pity that in Ireland they
are only available in Superdrug stores which are very scarce. This product is a steal at just
€4.95 for those on a tighter budget. The second cheapest of the lot, this product is more
liquidy than the others. I prefer a slightly firmer gel like primer, however this clear liquid when
left for 2 minutes did leave my skin feeling and looking visibly smoother. My make-up sat well
throughout the day, but maybe not to the extent of the MAC or PrimeTime. A welcome
addition to my primer collection all the same and a useful and thrifty option for everyday
application.
Rating: 6/10
Price: €4.95
Pointless Primers
5. Essence 'My Base'
Rating: 2/10
Price: €4.79
I always like to explore the cheaper end of the marketplace where sometimes you stumble
upon a real find and other times you simply find, well rubbish. This primer is 'odd' to say the
least. It leaves your face bright orange and leaves a very strange residue. I tried it on two
occasions under my foundation and actually thought it did more bad than good. It may be
cheap and cheerful, but will make you orange and tearful!
Usually Mondays spark thoughts of misery and doom, but the sunny conditions along with the promise of a looming bank holiday weekend really have brightened up yet another manic Monday. Looking forward to the week ahead and have made myself a little meal plan of magnificent munchies for dinner each day this week. I'm starting today with a delicious dinner I whipped up last night with the limited food I had left in my fridge at the end of the week. The result was just lovely, and earned two thumbs up from Molly. This dish is a perfect quick and easy family dinner that doesn't take long to pull together and is packed with flavour. It's also a nice way of incorporating some greens into a one dish wonder.
Chicken and Broccoli Bake
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tablespoons of rapeseed or olive oil
1 onion (diced)
4 cloves of garlic (crished or finely chopped)
2 large chicken breasts (diced)
350g broccoli
30g butter
30g flour
40g parmesan cheese
40g mature red cheddar
200ml milk (low fat)
salt & pepper (to season)
4 slices of bread (made into breadcrumbs) (approximately 120g)
Method
1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the chicken and sear all over. Season well with salt
and pepper.
2. Meanwhile quarter the broccoli and place in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes until a bright
green colour. After 3 minutes remove the broccoli from the heat, drain in a colander and put
under the cold tap to cool for 10 seconds. This is called blanching. Set the broccoli aside.
3. When the chicken is seared on all sides, add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is
softened. Place the chicken mixture into a large dish or roasting tin (approximately
27x22cm). Arrange the broccoli around the chicken in the dish, breaking the broccoli into
smaller pieces if desired.
4. For the cheese sauce, add the butter to a saucepan and melt over a gentle heat. Next stir in
the flour and beat using a whisk until a paste is formed. Add the milk a little at a time until a
thick creamy looking sauce is formed, beating continuously. Finally add the cheese and
continue to mix until the cheese is melted. Season well with salt and pepper. If you find the
sauce is a little thick, add a little more milk. Add some herbs to the cheese sauce such a
thyme or torn basil leaves if desired.
5. Pour the cheese mixture over the chicken and broccoli and top with the breadcrumbs. Place
in the oven at 180C for 20 minutes.
E-D's Notes
Blanching is a process in cooking whereby a food, vegetable in this case is boiled for a certain amount of time before being removed from the heat and being plunged or placed into or under cold water to halt the cooking process. In this recipe the broccoli is blanched to prevent it becoming mushy in the dish and allows the broccoli to maintain it's texture. Asparagus is often cooked in this way as it becomes soggy very quickly during cooking.
After being so good all week, this morning I decided to bake something sweet for Molly and I to have with a cup of tea over the weekend. I had some condensed milk lurking in the cupboard that I was eager to use up so decided to start with one ingredient and see what I could come up with. I adore condensed milk and gross as it sounds could quite happily eat it from the tin. It's deliciously sweet and adds a lovely flavour and texture when used in baking. These cookies are the perfect combination of sweet and tart. I love eating cookies straight out of the oven with a hot chocolate or cup of tea.....weekend bliss!
White Chocolate & Raspberry Chewy Cookies
Makes 10 large cookies
Ingredients
110g butter (softened)
110g soft brown sugar
80ml light condensed milk
50g of good quality white chocolate (chopped)
50g raspberries (frozen)
170g self-raising flour
Method
1. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and condensed milk until smooth.
2. Add the white chocolate and sift in the flour until the mixture comes together to form a dough.
3. Line two baking sheets and place divide the dough into approximately 10 balls, and flatten
slightly.
4. Press two to three raspberries into the top of each cookie.
5. Place in an oven at 180C for 15 minutes or until crisp at the edges.
E-D's Notes
- These chewy cookies would be just as delicious with dark chocolate pieces instead of white if
that's your preference.
- These cookies will keep well for 2 days if kept in an airtight container.
- Using frozen raspberries makes pushing the raspberries into the cookies dough much easier
and won't result in a mushy mess!
I've been trying to be a little healthier than usual this week, eating less sweets and more veggies and opting to head for a walk in the evenings instead of the couch. It has been more than a little difficult and I'm craving cake like no mans business! But the weekend is drawing near and no doubt I will have to afford myself a cheat day....or two! This evenings dinner was something really simple and tasty that I thought I'd share for all those of you trying to adopt a few healthy habits! I absolutely adore southern fried chicken goujons, they are my weakness. So I was trying to think of a way of making a healthier option for everyday dinners and this is what I came up with. This recipe is ridiculously easy and entails very little work and very few ingredients.
Home-Made Cajun Chicken Goujons
Serves 4
Ingredients
500g chicken breasts
3 slices of bread (made into breadcrumbs using a food processor)
1 teaspoon of cajun spice
1 egg (beaten)
Salt & Pepper (to season)
Method
1. Cut the chicken into strips and set aside.
2. Place three slices of bread in a food processor to create breadcrumbs. Season well with salt
and pepper, add the cajun spice and mix well.
3. Beat the egg. Dip each piece of chicken in the beaten egg, followed by the breadcrumbs.
4. Place the chicken pieces on a lightly greased baking tray and place in the oven at 180C for
20-25minutes or until crisp.
E-D's Notes
- I like to serve these spicy chicken goujons with home made potato wedges and some fresh
veggies like spinach and cauliflower.
- As a treat I sometimes serve a delicious spicy tomato relish or garlic mayo on the side for
dipping.
