Christmas Tree Brownies

Tis' the season to eat, drink and be merry! These Christmas Tree Brownies are the best and the easiest season treat to make but oh so impressive!

Squash and Coconut Soup

Well if ever there was weather for a vibrant and warming soup, then this is it! We woke this morning to a cool and rainy weather and a chilling 1ºC not to mention the wind chill factor...burr! Time for some warming comfort food.

Pulled Pork Sandwich with Barbecue Sauce

In my last post I shared with you my favourite Pulled pork recipe - which is really easy to make by the way way - and this is one of my favourite ways to eat it!! 

I just love this BBQ sauce recipe,  it is too tasty for words! I have used it on Spatchcock chicken, spare ribs and now most recently on pulled pork.

One Year Older (but not wiser!!)

It is a funny thing getting older, people look to you for advice, expecting a pearl of wisdom to drop from your lips. I'm not sure that I am any older or wiser than I was ten years ago! My birth certificate says one thing but my mind says another, to be honest I feel like a teenager inside, a slightly giddy one at that.

Lorraine Pascale's Oreo Brownies

These Brownies are sooo good!! Okay so I thought that some spoil me baking was required and sure why not have a Brownie Bonanza!! I tell you the hardship of food blogging knows no limits (cheeky!!)
My last post was the fudgy and perfect Donal Skehan Super Brownies, which are amazing. To be perfectly honest, these are both really good recipes to have in your repertoire, however I feel they are slightly different animals.
Donal's brownies are what I call an everyday recipe, *sigh* if only! Easy to make using mostly store cupboard ingredients, whereas Lorraine's recipe takes a bit more preparation, skill and effort. Totally worth it if you are out to impress, their (extremely) gooey texture will melt any heart.

Donal Skehan's Brownies

This has to be my most favourite time of the year! I just love to catch up with friends after a beautiful summer of days out with our families. Part of this ritual is doing some home baking. These Brownies reign supreme on that front!! 

These are proper brownies, rich and fudge like that just melt in your mouth. In the past year I have tried all sorts of "healthy" brownie recipes and to be perfectly honest they varied from fair to a complete disaster. Now my quest still goes on for that good for you brownie (as if!!), but for now I'm going to stick to what works.

Donal Skehan's Banana Bread with Rich Fudge Frosting

I'm addicted to this bread! It all started when I won a copy of Donal's latest book Kitchen Hero: Great Food for less from my good friends at Irish Food Bloggers Association. Oh how I danced for joy when it arrived in the post, I nearly kissed the postman!!
All joking aside, this is a brilliant cookbook, I have been feeding my family from it since. It is photographed to perfection (what else would you expect from Donal), the recipes are mouth watering and varied.
I recently made the "Indian Chicken and Rice Bake" for my mother, whereupon she asked for the recipe and made it for lunch the following Sunday.
This book is crammed with money saving tips, using leftovers ideas and delightful recipes, that will have your family asking for more.
This bread has become a firm favourite in this house, because it's so light and moist, I gave a friend of mind a loaf  at the school gate last week and she's just loved it too.

Donal says:
This recipe comes from my auntie Ann who spent a lot of time in America over the years and has picked up some really great US inspired recipes. This banana bread is deliciously moist and is extremely easy to throw together. I add a little sliced banana on top before it goes into the oven, but if you want you sprinkle some nuts on top or even stir some chopped ones through.

 

Makes 2 loaves

 

Ingredients
110g Butter, plus extra for greasing
190g Caster sugar
2 Large free-range eggs
240g Self raising flour, sifted
1tsp Bicarbonate of soda
3 Large bananas
1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

 

For the fudge topping

220g Soft dark brown sugar

35g Butter

75ml milk

1tbsp Single cream

 

Method
Preheat the oven to 180oC/Gas Mark 4. grease two 900g (2lb) loaf tin. Cream the sugar and the butter in a bowl with a hand held mixer until light and pale.

 

 

 

 

Add one egg and a little flour and mix through.

 

 

 

 

Repeat with the other egg, the rest of flour and bicarbonate of soda, mixing until everything is combined and smooth. Peel the bananas and mash with the back of a fork.

 

 

 

 

Add to the bowl with the vanilla extract and mix through. Divide the mixture between the two loaf tins and place in the middle shelf of the oven for approximately 50 minutes.

 

 

 

 

If you need to, you can cover it with tinfoil after 25 minutes to stop it browning too much on top(really important that you do this). Insert a metal skewer into the centre of each loaf; if it comes out clean the banana bread is ready.

 

 

 

 

Remove from the tins and place on a wire rack to cool.

 

For the topping, combine the brown sugar, butter and milk in a saucepan. Place over a medium-high heat and stir continuously until the sugar is dissolved. Then cook without stirring for 10-15 minutes until a teaspoonful of mixture forms a soft ball when it is dropped in cold water. Put the topping into a small bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm, then beat until it begins to thicken. Add the cream a little at a time and continue beating until you have a spreading consistency. Spread onto the loaves straight away and enjoy a generous slice with a big cup of tea.

 

(I always have leftover bananas, so I've being experimenting and this recipe. The recipe above will make 13 large muffins or 18 buns. Make as above and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. These are great lunchbox fillers)

 

 

 

Donal Skehan's Sticky Barbeque Spare Ribs

These are just the most delicious ribs. For years I tried to imitate my local Chinese BBQ Spare Ribs but to no avail, but now I've found the answer. These pork ribs that are boiled in flavoured stock, as a result they melt in your mouth and are falling off the bone. Just so you know I sometimes double the sauce if I'm feeling extra greedy!!

Serves 6

Ingredients
3kg (6½lb) baby back pork ribs
2 onions, peeled and sliced in half
1 Garlic, Chopped
A generous pinch of salt

For the Barbecue Sauce:
60g Demerara sugar
4 tbsp Dark soy sauce
4 tbsp Tomato ketchup
4 tbsp Honey
4 Garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp English mustard
Tobasco Sauce (Optional)

Method

Cut the strips of ribs into manageable pieces, with about 3-4 ribs to each piece.

Then put the ribs in a large saucepan with the onions, garlic, a generous pinch of salt and enough cold water to cover.

Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 1-1½ hours until the meat is tender. Shortly before the ribs are cooked, preheat the grill to medium or light a barbecue. Whisk all the ingredients for the barbecue sauce together in a saucepan.

Bring to the boil over a high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until you have a thick sauce.

Remove the ribs from the pan and place in a large baking dish or roasting tray, then coat with half the barbecue sauce.

Cook under the hot grill or on the barbecue for 5 minutes on each side and then serve with the rest of the barbecue sauce (reheat if necessary) and devour!