homemade dips with warburtons' escapes chips.

when i found out about warburtons' escapes chips i thought it'd be a great chance to try out making homemade dips. but these aren't just any old chip for dippin' - british bakers warburtons have stuck to their bread loving routes and created a pitta-based snack with 45% less fat than potato crisps. i was sent sea salt and cracked black pepper, sour cream and chive, spicy chilli jack and sea salt and malt vinegar.

for these i made an edamame and chilli dip and posh houmous - both found on bbc good food. i found the edamame and chilli had an expected kick which went well with the black pepper and sour cream (my personal faves!) and the stronger flavour of salt and vinegar and chilli jack (a little too spicy for me!) went well with the cooler houmous flavour. they were really light and were a great shape and texture for dipping (bit of snackology for you).

so how did i make them?

sticky sesame cod with japanese style broth.

lately i've been dreaming about the sesame seed, sesame oil and soy sauce combo - i just can't get enough of it. this recipe was inspired by bbc good food - slightly changed and using soya beans instead of peas. well they are more japanese afterall :) 

i used to just nibble on soya beans as a snack with a sprinkle of salt - then they somehow seemed to disappear from most supermarkets! so when i was reunited with them again in the freezer aisle my love for them was of course rekindled. so onto the recipe...

mushrooms en croute.

shopping list
♥ 375g pack ready rolled puff pastry
♥ 4 large white flat mushrooms
♥ 4 tbsp fresh pesto sauce
♥ 8 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
♥ 1 mozzarella cheese ball, sliced
♥ milk to glaze





i was recently contacted by the lovely people from more to mushrooms asking if i'd like to try out one of their mushroom recipes for national vegetarian week - starting today 20th may! this one really jumped out at me and i had to try it! it was so, so simple with minimal ingredients so thanks again for the recipe inspiration :) 

i also learnt that mushrooms are such an underrated vegetable. as well as being high in protein and low in fat and calories, they are a natural source of antioxidants, b vitamins and minerals, and full of fibre to aid digestion. perfecto!

beetroot and chocolate cake with orange zest cream cheese frosting.

so this was my first attempt at a baking with beetroot for my first clandestine cake club meet! :) the theme was "mind, body and cake" at the loughborough based ccc so i decided to go with something healthy (ish).

so what will you need?

the liebster award.

So I hadn't heard of this lovely idea until I was nominated myself by lucy scott bakes alot - a baker and a crafter who has some brilliantly indulgent recipes! You can also see her other liebster nominations here.

"The liebster award is for bloggers with under 300 followers and the rules of the award is that the nominee must link back to whoever awarded them, write 10 random facts about themselves, answer the 10 questions from the award giver, and then nominate other bloggers and make up 10 questions for them to answer. It's a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow."

I think this is a fab idea and couldn't wait to get going... so firstly I'll write 10 random facts about me.

♥ My initials are ELC like the toy shop Early Learning Centre.

♥ My favourite colour is green.

♥ I have a diastema in my teeth... also known as a gap tooth.

♥ I have an addiction to buying duvet sets. 

♥ When I was seventeen I met mark hoppus of Blink 182.

♥ I studied MA Print Journalism with NCTJs but have since forgotten most of the shorthand.

♥ I have three tattoos; a rose, a key and the letter E.

♥ My favourite karaoke song is Valerie.

♥ I always name my cars; so far Luigi, Freddie and now Felix.

♥ I am a total Japanophile and could probably live off the cuisine. especially sushi which I was lucky enough to write my dissertation on. Yum.

chorizo, chicken and chickpea casserole.

in terms of cuisine, i tend to lean towards either asian inspired dishes or italian with my new found love for pasta making! in the search for something new, i found myself using the handy "cuisine type" option on bbc good food and clicking on... spanish! here i stumbled upon simon rimmer's chorizo, chicken and chickpea casserole and instantly had to try it. 

i did slightly tweak as i didn't use sherry in mine (and probably a bit more than just a splash of red wine) but on the whole i stuck to the recipe - which was delicious! i also halved to make three portions.

 

the mill wheel, hartshorne, derbyshire.

based in the east midlands between derbyshire, leicestershire and staffordshire, this lovely little place is a must go for a top sunday lunch. the inside is full of character with exposed brick, fireplaces and an original restored 28ft mill wheel turning in the building. as well as the rosette restaurant, there is also a well reviewed 4 aa star bed and breakfast alongside.

making the trek to the mill wheel even more worth while is the countryside setting of calke abbey and staunton harold reservoir which are beautiful to walk around. plus you can have the whole three course then and not feel one bit guilty... you've earnt it!

so we began both with the chicken liver pate with homemade chutney and crusty bread. i'm so glad i chose this too as i would have been so, so jealous.

for main, we had slow roast top rump of beef and yorkshire pudding and roast loin of derbyshire pork with creamed onions. (check out that crackling!) the roasts came with veg and "broccoli cheese" which was really yum. probably cancels out my five a day on that one though...

for the two courses, it is £13.95. but we thought... nah let's go for the three for £17.95. gorgeous sounding sweets included dark chocolate and amaretto torte with a blackcurrant parfait, crisp brandy snap basket filled with homemade italian style ice cream, light vanilla cheesecake with a sweet rhubarb and ginger preserve. i know what you're thinking right... just give me three sweet courses! 

homemade haloumi burgers.

as a massive fan of haloumi, i've always wanted to make my own veggie burgers including the heavenly ingredient. these vegetarian delights are made up of chopped haloumi, mushrooms and spring onions - bound together with egg and breadcrumbs.