Fashionable Food

Red velvet cake is a relatively new concept to me, and as fashionable as macaroons. The bottom line is that I think I like colourful cakes, so the idea of a shocking red cake intrigued me. So, today was the day. I obviously opted for the Nigella's Kitchen version, in cupcake form, rather than a larger cake.

Dry ingredients were plain flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarb. In another bowl I creamed caster sugar, butter, red food colouring (you can use beetroot to do this too, but not for me), vanilla extract and buttermilk. I gradually mixed the dry and wet together with beaten egg and added cider vinegar. I poured the mixture between 12 cake cases and baked for 20 minutes.


The result was some rather topsy-turvy looking cakes - all different sizes. I do wish I had used muffin cases as I think they make for a more impressive cupcake but hey-ho. The frosting was butter mixed with icing sugar, cider vinegar and cream cheese. I decorated the cakes with chocolate sprinkles, but would have liked some red sugar, as suggested in 'the book', however, this delicacy was not to be found in your average supermarket on a Sunday afternoon.

We have had three of the cakes, and have delivered some to friends this afternoon as they are best eaten on the day apparently (we have a dozen). It would be rude of me not to have another tonight, would it not??

Goddess Mx

Back from my blogiday!

Hello *meekly*. I have loved doing this blog, but am ashamed to say I have neglected it of late. My reasons for this are many, but probably foremostly because I am still looking for a job since being made redundant at the end of March. I naively thought that I could just trot merrily into a job of my pleasing, but it has not quite worked out that way and blogging whilst career-searching has seemed a bit of a luxury. However, here I am, despite still being jobless (well, I am working my best Joan from Mad Men impression now and again as a temp). I figured, with some gentle coaxing from Master M, that it is 'good to blog' so I'm going to try and get back in the zone. Another reason was a couple of friends have said to me recently that they have enjoyed reading my blog (yeah, I know as mates it is kinda their duty)!

Although I have been a bit bluesy, my cooking has continued, and yes all of the Nigella variety (with the exception of some Royal Wedding themed canapes and cocktails where I strayed to alternative recipes - shock). I don't want this to be a long 'un, and I have cooked up a few dishes, so I'll keep each one short...


During the Easter break, I delved into Nigella's Feast book for some inspiration for a Good Friday supper. I wanted to go for something that we could all eat as a family, and fish on a friday seemed kind of apt so opted for the Blakean Fish Pie (named after William Blake's sunburst paintings). This wasn't so different to the usual one I make with cod, haddock and salmon, topped with fluffy mash. The piece de resistance was the addition of plump king prawns, saffron and single cream in the sauce. The boys went out for an hour or so to allow me to prep, ready to whack the dish in the oven when we were ready for it. Good Friday dinner was had in the garden with peas, and my son's satisfying 'nomnomnoms' which is the best compliment really.


Next dish was a fresh salad to take to a friend's BBQ so Nigella's Summer did the trick, opened at The Rainbow Room's Carrot and Peanut Salad. On reading the recipe I had one of those freaky moments reading about the Rainbow Room, where Nigella's mother used to take her kitted out in full sixties Biba fashion. I had only just been speaking with friends about maxi cardigans (yes please) and fabulous floor-sweeping Biba dresses, selling at House of Fraser. Anyway, the salad comprises thickly grated carrots, salted peanuts, groundnut oil, red wine vinegar and sesame oil. Takes about five minutes but is a great accompaniment to all things barbequed.


Another weekend, another bank holiday, but with a difference. The Royal Wedding. Hoorah! Off I went printing off DIY paper union jack bunting (austere times), masks of the lovely couple to cut up, along with a search for the perfect playlist, red/white/blue balloons and UJ napkins. We had a british themed menu - homemade cheese straws, earl grey cocktails, raspberry champagne cocktails, cornish camembert for starter and Heston's trifle for pud. The main was from Kitchen - Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic (a classic French dish, but shhh, really wanted to make it). Olive oil was heated in a large casserole dish, chicken thighs seared and removed, spring onions and thyme browned along with 20 of the unpeeled garlic cloves. The browned chicken was returned and topped with the remaining 20 cloves, salt, pepper and vermouth, and oven cooked for 90 minutes. A really tasty dish, but the best bit for me was counting the cloves - bringing out my OCD! - and the delicious aroma spread throughout our house.


The next day, in a mildly hungover fug, Little M and I made Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins to take to a housewarming BBQ. I love making muffins because you can do it quite quickly and then feel suitably smug and domesticated. These had the usual plain flour, bicarb, baking powder, caster sugar and egg in. Veg oil was used, along with buttermilk, blueberries and polenta (cornmeal substitute). The cakes were great, although not 100% sure about the grainy texture.


After a day meeting Bob the Builder, Peppa Pig et al at Harewood House, Sunday night called for a curry, so I opted for the Thai Chicken Noodle Soup from Kitchen. Chicken stock was heated up in a big soup pot, and in went some coconut milk, fresh ginger, fish sauce, chopped red chilli, tumeric, tamarind paste, soft brown sugar, lime juice, cooked chicken, stir fry veg and noodles. Once piping hot, I ladled the soup into bowls and sprinkled with the magic that is coriander. Slurp.


Last night I made Poached Chicken with Lardons and Lentils. I really enjoy the texture of poached poultry so this was ideal. Garlic oil was heated in a casserole dish, followed by chopped carrot, leeks, parsley, lardons, dried mint, lemon zest, chicken thighs, puy lentils and water. I seasoned and then let the pot simmer away for 45 mins before dishing up our fare - really comforting, and great heated up again for lunch, as I have done today!

So there you have it. I am sure I have missed some recipes, which I might add at a later date. Not too much later mind! Good to be back.

Goddess Mx

All brownied out

I feel like I am back into the swing of this Nigella challenge thingie again, having made quite a few of her dishes from 'Kitchen' of late.

Earlier in the week I made Chinatown chicken salad - an explosive dish with loads of red chilli, fresh ginger, rice vinegar, sesame oil and a touch of sugar as a dressing. The salad bit consisted of salted peanuts, iceberg lettuce, beansprouts, spring onions, red pepper, cooked chicken, coriander and tortilla chips. This salad is so crunchy that I had to go and sit in the kitchen to eat it, as hubby and I were annoying each other with the sound effects!


The next salad I made was not so good - chicken caesar. The dressing was raw egg beaten with garlic oil, extra-virgin olive oil, parmesan, lemon juice and salt. Romaine lettuce was torn up roughly onto plates with the chicken, seasoned, sprinkled with toasted pitta bread and drizzled with the eggy dressing. It was o-k but not as exciting as the chinatown. It tasted too healthy, which to me is a bit of a let-down.


My dad came to visit this weekend, and in 'nurturing' mode, I thought I would make something really wholesome - a kind of kitchen classic. I have flicked past risotto bolognese in 'the book' many a time, but it fit the bill for the purposes of this weekend. The meat sauce began with a mush (in the food processor) of onion, carrot, celery, garlic, parsley, bacon and anchovies which was heated in butter/olive oil, before adding minced beef to brown. Marsala was the next ingredient in alongside processed tomatoes, tomato puree, milk, bay leaves and beef stock (I was unable to source veal stock as the recipe suggested). The dish was put in the oven for an hour to work its magic. Once out of the oven, the dish was placed on the hob (low heat), arborio rice added, followed by ladleful after ladleful of stock until the rice was cooked. I then seasoned, added butter, parmesan and then served. I liked this dish a lot, but maybe it was trying too hard. Perhaps less is more.


I always think it is nice when you have guests to have a tin of something sweet to snack on, so I made everyday brownies. Double bonus here as they made the house smell like domestic bliss - hmmmm... I melted butter over a gentle heat, added light brown muscovado sugar, sifting in cocoa powder, plain flour and salt. I then whisked up some eggs and vanilla extract and mixed these through the mixture with chunks of milk chocolate. This heavenly pool of chocolate was poured into a foil-lined baking tray and baked for the required time whilst I did a mighty-fine job of scraping the bowls satisfyingly. Once baked and cooled, the sliced brownies were sprinkled with sieved icing sugar. I think I overbaked these a little as they lacked the gooiness within, but no matter as they were gooood anyway. I have packed my dad off with the rest as I have had more than my share and need to eat very healthily next week to achieve anywhere near my holiday body by next Sunday (hello francais)!

Goddess Mx

No spring chicken...

... yeah, that is how I have been feeling lately, but have also been racking my brain on what to entitle this post and this is the best I can come up with! You see, the subject of this post is chicken, as I endeavoured to make Nigella's mother's praised chicken.

The ingredients for this dish are pretty standard fare for a sunday roast really - a chicken and loads of veg. The actual prepping of the chook was a bit unnerving for me being a bit of a scaredy cat. You have to untruss it, lie it breast side down and lean on it until you hear a crack (to flatten it). The next bit involved cutting the ankle bones off with a pair of kitchen scissors. After my lesson in butchering, the rest was a breeze! The chicken was browned off in garlic oil, resting snuggly inside a casserole dish. Vermouth was added to the pot and reduced before adding chopped carrots, celery and leeks. The pot was topped up with cold water and I added sea salt, pink peppercorns and parsley stalks before bringing to the boil then simmering with the lid on for a couple of hours. Once done, the chicken was served alongside basmati rice and topped with wholegrain mustard (didn't have the suggested English version), parsley leaves and dill - my new favourite herb. My verdict on all of this is that it was pretty average, summed up by the photo. The best bit was the herbs. I think there was a distinct lack of stock.


Today I embarked on using the leftovers (as guided by 'Kitchen, of course!) which took me, oh all of five minutes to prepare, and was a much more satisfying meal than last night's - lunch was a mouth-watering chicken, bacon and avocado salad. I fried off a few streaky rashers of bacon in garlic oil and then prepared a plate of iceberg lettuce, cold cooked chicken, avocado chunks before making a lovely dijon mustard-rice vinegar-olive oil dressing. This was all thrown together, sprinkled with parsley (couldn't get chives in Waitrose) and eaten happily with pleasure. There is something about iceberg lettuce and salty bacon that works oh-so-well.

Back soon with more chicken left-overs, but until then I hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine.

Goddess Mx

A fluke but it worked!

I must have mentioned before that the making of a perfect Toad in the Hole in our house has been no mean feat. The batter has either been too thick, too thin, has failed to rise or risen way too much. So it was with reluctance that I bought some sausages to give it another go, already thinking that the whole thing was doomed to failure.

I whisked some eggs and milk together then squeezed the sausage meat out of six fine sausages to form twelve meat patties. These were then browned off in some olive oil and the batter added to the hot roasting dish with some sprigs of thyme to be immediately place in a hot, hot oven. Pondering over why I had too much batter, I realised to my distress that I had forgotten to add plain flour. I tried to whisk flour into the hot tin (I know stupidly dangerous) and the batter started to fly around my kitchen. I decanted the whole sorry mess into a mixing bowl and whisked before quickly chucking it all back together and into the oven before breathing a sigh of relief. Domestic goddess? Whatever!


Amazingly I was thrilled with my Toad in the Hole which looked not too disimilar to Nigella's in the book. Master M thought it was too doughy but I seriously thought it was perfect! Question to all you foodie bloggers: what consistency should Toad in the Hole batter be - light, or stodgy (in a good way)?

Goddess Mx

A birthday bonanza

I feel like I have been in a bit of a whirlwind lately with job-hunting and my son's second birthday. Blogging has gone out of the window a bit, but I have managed to cook up a few recipes from 'Kitchen' and feel it would be rude not to share my experiences!


I decided to make Nigella's traditional cheesecake so that there was a little something sweet in the house (the alternative was Annabel Karmel's magimix yoghurt cake that I made for my boy). I was slightly apprehensive about this after the banoffee cheeseake I made from Kitchen last year which I overbaked, so kept a close eye on it during the baking process. The base for this dessert was pastry rather than your usual biscuit base. A pleasant change. The filling comprised of curd cheese, double cream, seperated eggs, lemon juice and sugar. I made the mistake of using a tin the right size in width/length, but too shallow by a couple of centimetres resulting in me throwing half of the filling away (what a waste)! I got the consistency of the filling just right, but due to the tin mix-up, the balance was wrong and there was too much base to topping. I liked the flavours, but as I have a sweet-tooth, I think I am more of a biscuit-base kind of gal. If you want to read some amusing lyrics about a love of cheesecake, look no further than King Missile's 'Cheesecake Truck'.


For an accompaniment to lunch time quiche (shop-bought) I made tabbouleh. I had been meaning to make this for a while after sampling some of my sister-in-law's delicious Morrocan version. The dish was made with cold cooked bulgar wheat; oodles of parsley, mint and dill; olive oil; garlic oil; pomegranate seeds; tomatoes; lemon zest and juice. A lovely fresh dish, and beautiful too.


I have had a rising urge to cook something spicy lately, so a trip to our local continental supermarket was called for to pick up some seeds: fennel, black cumin, green cumin and black mustard. My mum bought us a fab new authentic indian spice container which I joyously filled with my new purchases and other colourful powders. The seeds, some hot chilli powder and turmeric were sprinkled over diced potatoes, olive oil and unpeeled garlic cloves to produce some fabulous roasties to be eaten with a lemony roast chicken. The final touch was some lime-doused raw red onion for added crunch. The perfect end to a brilliant weekend with family and friends to celebrate Little M's birthday.

Goddess Mx

A happy snowman and some cosy stew

On Saturday we awoke to snow which I hadn't seen coming. Little M and I built a lovely friendly snowman with stones for eyes, a plum nose, some food packaging for a mouth and a planter for a hat. To keep him warm we donated one of mummy's old scarves.


As an antidote to the colder weather, a stew was in order - chorizo and chickpea to be precise. Vermicelli was warmed in olive oil, followed by bulgar wheat, some warming cinnamon, salt, water and bay leaves before being left to simmer until the liquid had been absorbed. In another pan chorizo pieces were fried for a few minutes before being watered with amontillado sherry, snipped apricots, chickpeas and canned cherry tomatoes. Once done, I piled bulgar wheat into two welcoming bowls, topped with the stew and sprinkled some coriander on for some added magic. Absolutely delicious and I would recommend the tomatoes to everyone. They are not much more costly than your standard tinned toms and are definitely tastier.


On Sunday the snow had gone but the snowman was still there, grinning away.

Goddess Mx

Perfect Day

What would your perfect day look like?

I would be on holiday in Cornwall, in a beach chalet. I would wake up at sunrise in a bed adorned with Egyptian cotton sheets with Master M snoring gently beside me. There would be a gentle breeze blowing into the room, soft sunlight and a saltiness in the air. In the background I would hear Little M chatting away happily to himself in a room next door.

I would tiptoe out of bed and sneak outside to sit on the sandy beach and read for a while, followed by some yoga or meditation of some sort.

I would make some breakfast smoothies and croissants, wake up the boys, and we would all sit together in bed eating, laughing and looking forward to the day ahead.

We would leisurely get ready and go for a long walk along the beach to a wood where we would find a clearing to relax in for a couple of hours. We would eat a delicious picnic lunch. We would sleep under the sky.

In the afternoon we would browse around the local seaside shops, buying silly presents and postcards for our family. We would spend the rest of the afternoon building sandcastles, paddling in the sea and looking for crabs along the beach.

In the evening we would cosy up around a barbecue of delicious seafood, listen to some live folk music and meet new friends for an evening of good conversation and more laughter.

Bedtime would beckon early and we would all reminisce on what was the perfect day.

Today was far for perfect as I was made redundant. I knew it was coming but I feel pretty crushed. I know worse things can happen but it has rocked the world as I know it. I know things will be better soon, and 'when one door closes, another door opens'...


When I feel sad, cooking sorts me out so off I trotted to the kitchen, Little M on my hip, to make meat pilaff. I browned off some onion in vegetable oil and added coriander and cumin seeds along with dried thyme. To this I added basmati rice, chicken stock and left to simmer for 15 minutes. Cooked turkey was my choice of shredded meat to be added to the pot, followed by pine nuts, pomegranate seeds, coriander, parsley and seasoning (I figured the 'super foods' pomegranate and turkey would sort me out)! I then decanted to two bowls and we ate heartily. Very comforting food on a far-from-perfect day.

I have a couple of other tricks up my sleeve for the weekend aided by Dr Nigella so will be back soon.

Later peeps.

Goddess Mx

Precious Paella

Around six months after Master M and I got together at university, we had an insane moment when we decided that even though we were totally skint students, it would be an ace idea to go on holiday to Tenerife. It was a brilliant holiday that holds dear memories for me. We slept all day, went out all night and drank cocktails that were too strong. Twenty years old and not a worry in the world. One of the bits I remember most about the holiday was a special meal we went for towards the end, when we pushed the boat out and ordered an extra nice bottle of wine and a seafood paella. I have mentioned before that I am not great eating food with bones, and nor am I fantastic with deshelling shellfish (although I am miles better now than ever before). I was horrified when our paella arrived topped with shellfish above the normal size, reaching out over the plate at me. At the time we had a laugh about it and went on to enjoy the treat. After the holiday, Master M took a shining to calling me 'precious paella' (don't know why) and this stuck for many years! So it was with a smile on my face that I decided to make Nigella's pantry paella.

The idea with pantry paella is that you are supposed to use odds and ends that you have lying around your kitchen. I had some of the ingredients but bought others, including pork to cook and leave to cool, as if I was using it as 'leftovers'. Amusing. I heated some oloroso sherry (or cream sherry to you and I) together with some saffron threads and left to cool. I then fried off some sliced spring onions and garlic in olive oil. Next I added arborio rice, a bag of frozen mixed seafood, peas and the pork. Chicken stock and the cooled sherry mixture were poured into the wok and the whole concoction was left to simmer for twenty minutes. The dish was garnished with lemon wedges and coriander, with a little sea salt. I had never made a paella previously, but the ease at which I made this surprised me. I did think the end result was more like risotto than paella, but next time I would leave it to dry out a little more. It did taste delicious nevertheless. Like holiday dinner at a nice harbour somewhere.


Today we visited some friends that we don't get to see enough of, so at Master M's suggestion, I made up some choc chip cookies. These were easy to make too - melted butter mixed with a combo of soft light brown sugar/caster sugar, vanilla extract, egg, flour, bicarbonate of soda and milk chocolate chips. I used an icecream scoop to produce blobs of the dough onto a greased baking tray and baked. The result was a yummy smelling house, and a tin of yummies to take over to friends to be consumed with a nice cuppa. And more for later!


I was honoured to receive a Stylish Blogger Award from Yummy Chunklet - check out her blog, it is full of fabulous food and I am hooked on reading it.

There are four rules to taking part - thank and link to the blogger who nominated you; share seven things about yourself; award 15 new bloggers, and tell them you have done it. I will be passing the baton to:

http://usmasala.blogspot.com/
http://momzblotter.blogspot.com/
http://jeansheartbeat.blogspot.com/
http://knackeredmotherswineclub.blogspot.com/
http://bundance.blogspot.com/
http://bakingwithfrench.blogspot.com/
http://notesfromhome.com/
http://thesinglemumdiaries.wordpress.com/
http://bakeforhappykids.blogspot.com/
http://anniesfoodjournal.blogspot.com/
http://jbskitchen.blogspot.com/
http://diaryofditzymummy.blogspot.com/
http://curtainsforthewindow.blogspot.com/
http://cookingmanu.blogspot.com/
http://cupcakesmile.blogspot.com/

I have enjoyed reading lots of Stylish Blogger Awards on other blogs and am pleased to take part. The tricky part was thinking about what to write! Here is my best shot:

1. My maiden name was Livingstone and I grew up in a town called Livingston.

2. As a child I was an avid fan of all Australian soaps, especially Neighbours. So it was to my delight that my friend's dad was UK agent to the actors/actresses from Neighbours, as it meant that the likes of Jason Donovan and Natalie Imbruglia were often in our street.

3. I love music, but my all-time favourite band has to be The Levellers. I have seen this epic band so many times that I have lost count. One night when I was watching TV, my sister called to say that she, my two brothers and dad were backstage with the Levs as they had supported my brother's friend's band The Complete Stone Roses. The phone was passed to me so that I could have a chat with the band. I can't remember what I said but I think it was along the lines of 'I really loooove your music' (how corny)?

4. When I was twelve I ran away to Inverness, a three hour journey from home with only a pound in my purse for school lunch. My friend had genuine reasons to flee home, but I just went along for the ride. I liked a bit of excitement and apologise now for being a source of constant worry for my lovely parents (can I just add that we were delivered home by midnight on the same day we left).

5. My family are like the Von Trapps. They can all sing, my mum plays the violin and my brothers are keen guitarists. My brother Martin Livingstone has put his whole heart and soul into promoting his brilliant music - please take a look (sorry for the plug)! I play the saxophone (this has lapsed for quite some time) but sing badly.

6. I am a slave to advertising and have to try the latest fad. I get anxious if I have not yet tried a new chocolate bar, e.g Aero have an 'bubbly lamb' which I am itching to sample!

7. I would say I am an average looking gal, but I have modelled once. When I was seventeen and working at the local golf club, an entrepreneurial colleague asked me if I would model pyjamas that she had designed to be sold at upmarket department store Jenners in Edinburgh. I don't think I have ever been as flattered in my life. I very much enjoyed working with a gorgeous male model, and there was a life-size cardboard cut-out of me in Jenners for quite sometime, although the brand never took off (hopefully nothing to do with me)!

Until next time.

Goddess Mx

A girlie night in and a very chocolately cake

Last night Master M was out on the town, so I had the pleasure of my own company and Take That's Circus DVD. All I needed to add was a nice cosy dinner and some good red wine. Dinner was smoked haddock, an egg, tomato, parsley and frozen peas poached in milk (in a buttered dish) and sprinkled with oodles of pepper. I bought some nice white slice-your-own white bread to accompany my meal and buttered generously. I did find that I had to decant the fish, egg and tomato into another dish as the 'fishy milk' put me off a bit.

Today my mother-in-law came for a visit and we had lunch at Pizza Express, followed by some research at the Early Learning Centre on kitchens for Little M. I am a teensy bit smug about this as I have been trying to persuade Master M for quite a while that we should buy a tea-set/kettle/toaster/kitchen and now he is finally coming around to the concept. The thing is, once the idea is there, my hubby really throws himself into finding the best on the market. Maybe we have a little cook/chef in the making with our son...


We had some lovely flourless chocolate lime cake at home which was made up of melted dark chocolate mixed with caster sugar, unsalted butter, a lot of eggs, ground almonds, cocoa powder and lime (zest/juice). The cake was then baked for 35 minutes and was dusted with icing sugar. We then all devoured a slice each leaving enough for MIL to take some away and to stash in a tin for a treat tomorrow and the next day. Waste not want not...

Feeling weary about the week ahead due to some work uncertainties, but will continue to cheer myself up with my family and cooking away the blues in my kitchen!

Goddess Mx

A world made of chocolate

I often wonder what it would be like if the world was made of chocolate. I am not kidding, that is how much I adore the stuff. I love the Lynx advert when the guy walking down the road is made of chocolate. Now that is the kind of man I like - I don't wonder why he is eaten in the cinema, gets his bum bitten on the bus and has his arm ripped off. Hansel and Gretel was also one of my favourite books, probably because it gave me an excuse to daydream about a house made of sweets and chocolate.


It was no contest when Maison Cupcake challenged us with the latest Forever Nigella to 'Seduce with Chocolate'. Chocolate brownie bowls are not brownies as you know them. They are not gooey but more sponge-like so that they can hold whichever filling you wish to load them with. In Kitchen, Nigella strongly advocates using a special 6-Cavity Dessert Shell Pan. She does also say that you can use Yorkshire pudding tins instead, which I did (I do live in Leeds after all). My brownie bowls were actually saucers which I prefer as I was able to fill more ice-cream into mine!


I added horlicks, cocoa powder and boiling water to melted butter mixed with sugar. To the mix I poured in some yoghurt, flour, bicarbonate of soda, egg and vanilla and whisked up. The mixture was then poured into a couple of Yorkshire tins and oven-baked for just over ten minutes, pressing down on them with a teacup to get the 'saucer' effect, and voila, perfect little holders for a never-ending list of fillings. My choice du jour was good quality vanilla ice-cream and chocolate sauce.

The great thing about these puddings is that they can seduce just about anyone with chocolate because the bowls are not rich so you can really go to town with the topping. Master M reckoned they would be good with poached pear or stewed apple, and even suggested a Black Forest brownie bowl (eighties chic)! Nigella's dried cherries soaked in cherry brandy (from her Christmas book) would work a treat for this. I like 'death by chocolate' so would go for choc ice-cream, sauce, sprinkles and might even add a cheeky flake.

One last fab thing about these bowls is that you can make up a batch and freeze them to seduce yourself whenever you have the urge. Now if you will excuse me, I have a date with a brownie saucer...

Goddess Mx

A little slice of Carribean magic

I first tried jerk chicken with rice and peas at Leeds West Indian Carnival a couple of years ago. I liked the rice but struggled with the chicken, probably because I am a bit of a baby with bones. I do however love the concept, especially all of the different flavourings, and who can argue with chicken dowsed in rum?? Last night I made Nigella's version and was glad I did.

Nigella suggests using chicken breasts with the peg bone still in, but I couldn't source these so just went for the regular bone-free option. These are marinaded in a long list of spices and other ingredients which I whizzed up in the food processor, namely:

allspice
dried thyme
cayenne pepper
ground ginger
ground nutmeg
ground cinnamon
garlic cloves
root ginger
muscovado sugar
dark rum
lime juice
soy sauce
cider vinegar
whole (yup hot!) red chillies
onion

The chicken was then cooked in the oven for an hour in total until it looks worryingly charcoaled on the outside.

For the accompanying rice and peas, I fried off some chopped onion in vegetable oil, added chopped red chilli, garlic, long grain rice, coconut milk, stock, kidney beans and let simmer for 15 minutes. To serve I added some thyme and seasoned a little with salt.


All-in-all a pretty decent dinner for a Wednesday, but very spicy so is not for those who can't handle a bit of heat. The chicken wasn't tender inside but I'm not sure it is intended to be. All that was missing was a can of Red Stripe, some live louder-than-loud music, dancing and a procession of colours.

Looking forward to this year's event. It is second only to the Notting Hill Carnival which to me says it is pretty special, and something that we Yorkshire folks should be shouting about!

Goddess Mx

'There's no place like home'

This weekend we strayed from the usual routine at home, and visited friends in Redhill. After a few hours singing ‘Tommy Thumb’ and ‘the wheels on the bus’ we arrived at our destination. It was well-worth the journey to meet our friends' 18 month old son, and to see their sprawling period property that they moved into shortly after his arrival (jealous, moi)?

On Saturday we went to Godstone Farm – the one that was affected by E.coli a couple of years ago. The boys loved wandering around chatting with the animals (Little M was particularly taken by the huge amount of tractors and diggers onsite). The highlight of the trip for the adults was a cosy hot chocolate in the play barn where the children ran off some steam. I was a little on-edge about all of the posters reminding us to wash our hands, and the notice that said to assume that all of the larger animals have E.coli. I guess it was an exercise in learning to not continually wrap Little M up in cotton wool (although it might have been warmer)! Back home, we had some delicious lamb shanks cooked with chickpeas and harissa, followed by ginger bread and butter pudding (a la Nigella, but not cooked by me for a change). We attempted to watch The Social Network on DVD, but embarrassingly Master M and I fell asleep midway through. We do like our early nights.

Sunday was spent driving home, with a stop at Heathrow to watch the planes take-off and land from the top of the car park. Little M loved this and aeroplanes are now his new favourite topic of conversation. All-in-all we had a thoroughly good weekend - great company and food. I think we had both forgotten how nice it is to get away for a few days.


The really great thing about going away for the weekend is coming home. Once in the door I made a batch of Buttermilk Scones, which we had with some of the Jumbleberry Jam I made at Christmas. The scones are so easy to make – flour, cream of tartar, butter, vegetable shortening, buttermilk, caster sugar and bicarbonate of soda; all mixed together, rolled out, cut into discs and egg-washed. The scones are then popped onto a greased baking sheet and baked for 12 minutes. The result is a nice light scone with a lovely bronzed topping. They taste plain yet tangy but the slight sourness really works well against the homemade jam. We all couldn’t resist going back for more.

Looking forward to a trip to the cinema tonight to see a chick flick – perfect start to the week. Happy Monday everyone.

Goddess Mx

PS - didn't get the 'Britain's Best Dish' gig. Their loss not mine! Happy that the pressure is off in a way as now I can get back to what I like to do best - work my way through 'Kitchen'. What shall I make next??

"Better the devil you know..."

"... than the devil you don’t", or so the saying goes, meaning that sometimes it is best dealing with someone or something you know (but find difficult) than with the unknown. Is this true? The other school of thought is ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ which can open doors for you aplenty. Which one sways you? Do you thrive on change and live on the edge or are you more of a home-comforts kind of person who likes the here-and-now and would happily stay there?

Last night I made Devil’s Food Cake for a colleague who is turning forty this weekend. The ingredients of the cake are made in three different bowls. Firstly, cocoa was mixed with boiling water and muscovado sugar, mixed and set-aside. Secondly, butter and caster sugar were mixed in another bowl with some vanilla extract. Thirdly, the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda were mixed in a further bowl. All of the ingredients were then gradually mixed alternately with eggs. The batter was poured into two lined, buttered sandwich tins and baked in the oven according to Nigella’s recipe.

Once in the oven the frosting was made by melting butter with muscovado sugar and boiling water, adding chunks of dark chocolate and then mixing until melted. This mixture was then left for an hour to become spreadable. I never thought it would - it seemed quite oily and like it would just slide off the cake. However, it worked its magic and the overall result was a devilishly good chocolate cake, filled and covered with the dense topping. This takes rich cake to a whole new level!


I attempted to decorate the cake with smarties, in a 4-0 fashion, but gave up and went for a more random approach. It was also adorned with 40 candles which I felt added a certain special something (dontchathink)?

Goddess Mx

An ambulance, a new bed and an audition

Well, my weekend has kept me on my toes, that's for sure.

Little M was suffering with a cold last week - the umpteenth this year. On Friday he developed a rash, so, to be on the safe side, I made an appointment with our GP to check it out before the weekend was on us. He did all the usual checks which were fine, but when looking at the rash he seemed more concerned and mentioned 'suspected meningitis', words that no parent wants to ever hear. At this point I felt all of the colour drain out of my face. Before we knew what was happening, Little M was overjoyed during the journey to hospital shouting 'ambulance, nee-naw'. I'm glad he enjoyed the ride! To cut a long story short, we spent the rest of the night in hospital so that Little M could provide urine samples and have blood taken. Let me tell you it's not easy to get blood out of a tubby toddler. After a long and anxious night, we were told it was viral, and that we could go home. Phew!

The following day, at lunch time, I tried to put Little M in the cot for a nap, listening outside his bedroom door as I normally do. Seconds later I heard the little pitter-patter of his feet running towards the door. So he had climbed out of the cot. When asked to show us how he had done it, he proudly obliged prompting Master M to build Little M's 'big boy bed'. It was a bit of a toss-up between keeping him in the cot a while longer and risking him abseiling down the side; or going for the bed option with the worry of him roaming around at his leisure upstairs. We went for the latter. I spent the rest of the day in a frenzy racking my brains on how to make sure everything was as toddler-proof as could be. Master M was out on Saturday night, so I didn't sleep too well listening out for little feet, but gladly, Little M only fell out the bed once and it didn't wake him. He just carried on sleeping on the floor. Bless. I think he loves his new bed.

On Sunday I had my big audition for Britain's Best Dish so we all traipsed off to York for the day. The audition was a bit long-winded - lots of waiting around - but basically consisted of a screen test, a chat with the programme producers and then another conversation with the ITV food team. The last two bits were absolutely fine, but the first bit was awful! I had to pitch to camera about my dish in quite a gimmicky fashion which I suppose is what telly is all about. The producers gave me some ideas of how I can make my dish more special, and I should hear more this week. It was a good experience, if nothing else comes of it.

Fast-forward to today and I have been off work sick for a couple of days. I've just been to the docs who have confirmed it is a throat infection so I am currently on the sofa under my duvet, drugged up on penicillin and linctus. Think Little M may have given me his poison!


Apart from my Britain's Best Dish pudding, the only thing I have made in between all the commotion is Anchovy, Egg and Pepper Salad. The saltiness of the anchovies complemented the creaminess of the eggs and sweetness of the peppers. I had this as a dinner for one and would quite happily have it again either as a solo supper, or for the rest of the family.

More cooking soon.

Goddess Mx

PS - happy birthday Robert Burns, and to those of you celebrating, enjoy your haggis, neeps and tatties.

'Caravan of Love'

What could be more appealing on a Tuesday night than Slut’s Spaghetti? The title of this dish is the English translation of Spaghetti alla puttanesca, and was invented by Sandro Petti, co-owner of a famous Italian restaurant in the 1950s. One evening Sandro was low on ingredients to cook for friends, so they insisted he “Facci una puttanata qualsiasi", or “make any kind of garbage” which he did (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaghetti_alla_puttanesca). Nigella doesn’t mince her words and breaks this down in ‘Kitchen’ to say that it is a pasta dish that might be made by a lady who can’t be bothered to shop for her ingredients fresh, so uses jarred goods from the pantry. Sounds good to me!

The method for the pasta sauce is as follows: heat olive oil, add chopped anchovies, crushed garlic, tomatoes, chilli flakes, olives, capers, season and leave to simmer for 10 minutes while the pasta cooks. Once the spaghetti is al dente, combine, plate up and sprinkle with chopped parsley. All that was left to do was slurp greedily (is it possible to eat spaghetti without making a mess)?

Next up was some good old telly – One Born Every Minute which never fails to make me cry (and start planning the birth plan of my next not-conceived-yet baby); and Big Gypsy Weddings which fascinated me no end, and got me thinking again about my dream to have my own vintage chintzy caravan in the garden. Let’s call it my special ‘summer house’ to escape to for chocolate eating, reading and general ‘I love me’ stuff.

Goddess Mx

PS - might not do much more cooking for the rest of the week from 'Kitchen', as I have been called for an audition on Sunday for ITV's Britain's Best Dish - need to practice! Making a pudding and will keep you posted :)

Music I want my Son to Listen to (whilst eating Speedy Seafood Supper)!

This post is inspired by ghostwritermummy who, like me, loves the fabulous Ben Folds. To enter your link read her post on Daniel Johnston.

I love music. It makes me happy when I am sad, soothes me when I am tired, celebrates with me when I am on a high, and provides a constant soundtrack to my life. As I type this, the Black Eyed Peas track 'I've Got a Feeling' is playing on the radio which never fails to make me smile. I like to say I have good taste in music across a broad spectrum of genres. However, my guilty secret is now out that I enjoy a bit of Alexandra Burke or Cheryl Cole when I am doing some cleaning around the house, the volume cranked up high. In particular, songs that have impacted on me, or hold dear memories are:

Levellers – 'One Way' (reminds me of my first music festival – T in the Park - back in the early nineties where I bounced along to bands like the Manic Street Preachers and Rage Against the Machine);

The Smiths – 'There is a Light that Never Goes Out' (very romantic albeit a bit morbid lyrically, and reminds me of dancing around our tiny flat when we first moved to Leeds with friends);

Fleetwood Mac – 'Go Your Own Way'; Cat Stevens – 'Matthew and Son' (again reminds me of parties in the flat, and happy times with friends who we have now lost touch with);

Orson – 'No Tomorrow' (reminds me of a job I had working with substance misusers, one of the best and most rewarding I have ever had);

Radiohead – 'Anyone can Play Guitar' (memories of when I first realised that I wanted to work in the arts/events industry);

Desree – 'Kissing You' (memories of Master M and I when we first got together, and our ‘first dance’ song);

Wes – 'Alane' (memories of a holiday in Western France as footloose and fancy-free young lass);

Morrissey – 'First of the Gang to Die' (saw him three times in the year he released ‘You are the Quarry’ – mucho respect. The most rowdy gigs I have ever been to);

Teenage Fanclub – 'Radio' (the first band I have ever truly loved. This is my most played track ever. I used to listen to it up-loud lying on the sofa with headphones on. One of the best bands ever, in the same genre as the fabulous Belle and Sebastian; Camera Obscura and BMX Bandits);

Ben Folds Five – 'Song for the Dumped' (memories of teenage angst, and a soul-searching night with Master M at their gig);

I would be delighted if Little M liked any of the above-mentioned, and really can’t wait to find out what he is into, whether it is classical music, heavy metal, reggae or hard-house! The only indication I have so far is that he liked me listening to The Script album when I was pregnant (could feel him ‘dancing’) and has a penchant for ‘Away in a Manger’ several times a day which has now been prohibited until next Advent.


I also hope he likes seafood! I made a glorious seafood supper last night consisting of a bag of frozen seafood added to spring onions heated in garlic oil, saffron-infused boiling water, vermouth, tomatoes, tarragon and seasoning. This genius soup was devoured alongside some doughy granary bread. I recommend that everyone tries this, while listening to any of the music above for a night of happiness to brighten up a dreary January evening.

Goddess Mx

Pasta galore, clams and South Indian curry

On Thursday night we had pasta yet again - papardelle with blue cheese, pinenuts and butternut squash. I would never have thought to use squash with pasta but it worked well. The recipe also uses sage which I have only ever used in casseroles but it added a punch that I liked. The meal was really good but I am feeling a bit stodged out again. Think I will have to take a pasta rain-check this week.

On Friday night I made clams with chorizo. Am enjoying a weekly outing to the market to get some fish or seafood, although this was a pricey meal for this late in January when payday is calling. The clams were plunged in ice-cold water and I chucked away any that didn't close. Sliced chorizo was fried off for a few minutes in our huge new Le Creuset pot until it gave off it's bronze oil, and then placed in a foil packet whilse the clams were steamed in sherry. I then reintroduced the chorizo, choppped in some fresh chives and clattered the results into bowls, accompanied by some crusty bread to sponge up the sauce. Lovely.

We went out on Saturday night to see some friends who were hosting an Italian meal. I immediately started planning in my head the Frangelico Tirimasu dish from 'Kitchen' but was pipped to the post by another guest who was coming who was bringing Tarte au Citron. As a starter we had delicious anti pasti followed by, yes, you have guessed it more pasta - spaghetti bolognese! It was worth it though - slow cooked all afternoon. I usually just whip up a bolognese in 20 minutes or so but as my friend V proved, it paid to cook it slowly.

After four lots of pasta last week, I was adamant about walking my 8-10000 steps a day so headed out for a half-hour brisk walk, pedometer clamped on. Thirty minutes later I had only done a measley 4000 - how on earth do normal working mums manage to do anywhere near 8000 steps a day! On top of the 4000, I did another 2200 just doing everyday stuff. The Waitrose reckons that you should do 16000 for maximum fitness - how anyone would fit in a couple of hours walking every day is beyond me!

Crying out for some vegetables, I made South Indian vegetable curry on Sunday night. I heated up some garlic oil, fried off some onions (half-moon slices), green peppers, ginger; added ground cumin, coriander, turmeric and ginger; tamarind paste; then added broccoli and cauliflower florets to bubble for around ten minutes. More veg - fine green beans and baby corn - were then added for a further five minutes, followed by sugar snap peas. The curry was served with noodles (a nice change from rice) and sprinkled with chopped dill, instead of the usual coriander.

Looking forward to making more puddings this week as last week was a bit of a main meal-fest.

Another project for the week is a little think about starting a herb garden - reckon I spend a fortune on shop-bought stuff. I think I am going to start with mint and rosemary as they flower, so are bee-friendly too - bonus!

Goddess Mx

The world's most expensive spice

Last year, my sister-in-law and her fiancee came to stay and gifted us an original tagine dish from Morocco, along with loads of spices - cumin, coriander, turmeric and some saffron threads. They gave us a great lesson on how to cook a Tagine the proper way (J is originally from Morocco so somewhat an expert!) and I think it is a brilliant dish to cook up for friends, or a dinner party as some may call it (I personally don't like this term, don't know why)! I like meals when you can stick a big pot in the middle of a table and all can just dig-in. When we were students in Leicester, I can't count the number of fondue nights we had sitting chatting and grazing all night around a cosy, candlelit table - happy days...

... anyway, I digress! Last night Master M inspired me to make a risotto with saffron that K and J had given us last year. I have often wondered what uses saffron has and have since discovered that it is the world's most expensive spice - see What's Cooking America. This website also claims that 'saffron is especially good when used in cooking seafood dishes such as bouillabaisse and paella. It is also used in risotto and other rice dishes'.

Nigella's Kitchen boasts a Saffron Risotto which was a joy to make (glass of wine in hand). I used fresh chicken stock and simmered with a tsp of saffron threads in one pot; in another I melted butter, olive oil, added risotto rice, marsala and ladled the stock in gradually for around 20 minutes until the rice was al dente. The final step was to add a bit more butter, some seasoning, parmesan and then I piled into pasta bowls (with a final dusting of parmesan). A very satisfying meal I must say. It seemed quite plain to begin with (I am used to Master M's divine prawn and pea risotto), but it really worked and felt like a bit of a mid-week treat.

Have a nice day all.

Goddess Mx

Thanking our lucky stars

Us Brits are terrible at complaining about stuff, and the weather probably tops the bill - either too hot/cold/wet/snowy. When you look at what is going on in Australia it all pales into significance. Today in Leeds the ground is wet but the temperature is rising and the sun is smiling in the sky. Let us be thankful for what we have and spare a thought for those struggling down-under.

I was chuffed yesterday arriving home to see that Master M had bought some ingredients for me to make Pasta with Spinach, Feta and Pinenuts. While the pasta was cooking, I heated up some garlic oil and added some sliced onion to cook on a slow-heat for 10 minutes before adding a touch of mixed spice. I then added some toasted pinenuts, spinach, feta, salt and pepper, tossed together et voila - a delightful cosy meal a deux. I always feel good once I have had some spinach. Popeye eat your heart out!

To top the day off, my lovely huz made me a Green and Blacks hot chocolate with a shot of Kahlua which means I have fallen off the wagon, 11 days into January. Predictable! Heavenly and worth it though.

Goddess Mx

PS - next dish won't be pasta as have made it twice in one week now. Carbelicious.

Pasta like you would have on holiday

No matter which way I look, I am surrounded by talk of holidays - our friends have just come back from sunny Sydney, a friend's family are off to Barbados and various other friends are booking at least a week in the sun to look forward to. We went on our first family holiday to Menorca last year and paid above the odds for a package deal. I think we made the right decision as we needed to build confidence in travelling with a toddler and booking last minute has its own stresses, but this year we have opted for a late deal. I am reading 'Eat, Pray, Love' at the moment by Elizabeth Gilbert, and this is as close as I am going to get in terms of holidaying for now, so I have let my mind take me to Italy, India and Indonesia quite happily.

So where is all this talk of foreign shores leading? Calamari of course! I may have mentioned before that calamari reminds me of holidays - Greece in particular, sitting in a beach cafe in my bikini with a bowl of fried calamari rings with garlic and lemon. In Samos (Greece) I have also had a delicious dish of stuffed whole squid which was heavenly which would be interesting to re-create. Now, Leeds Market is brilliant and I can easily by ready to eat baby squid (with tentacles) for around £1 to feed two which I think is a bargain. Nigella suggests buying pasta to replicate the calamari rings that the squid are cut into, and I went for some expensive large tubes which look nothing like the seafood rings but was nice anyhow. The pasta is cooked as normal and the sauce comprises olive oil, vermouth, butter, red chilli, spring onions and parsley. The rings are fried off first for a couple of minutes and then left to simmer in the sauce for a bit. As the pasta shapes were so big therefore meaning the cooking time took longer, I overcooked the squid but it was still tasty and the texture was fine.

Exciting news that I promised on my last blog is that I have applied for Britain's Best Dish on ITV and have a couple of recipes up my sleeve which I hope the programme producers will like. My only worry is that they are simple recipes, not like last year's dishes on the programme so I hope this doesn't go against me. They are my own recipes (crikey!) and the flavours are great. Should hear this week whether I will be called for an audition - fingers crossed!

Goddess Mx

Light at the end of the post-christmas blues

Well, today was the day that I packed away the rest of our christmas decorations. Yes, I know that I am probably later than most other peeps, and our lovely christmas tree did come down on 6th January. But who says it should have? Well, from a religious point-of-view the 6th is The Epiphany, the revelation of Jesus. To me that would say that the tree should stay up a bit longer, and adorn even more lights, but no, my living room is going to become as grey and January-ish as the rest of my life at the moment.


So, let's do a little trot back down memory lane, December-stylie, remembering some of my glorious christmas fodder. I am also going to submit this post as part of the Forever Nigella blogging event - http://blog.maisoncupcake.com/forever-nigella/.

There was the jumbleberry jam (from Nigella Kitchen), which was a raging success. I am still enjoying it now on toast with comforting tea, and the berries make me feel like I am kind-of being healthy (no need to mention all the jam sugar). I also gifted some of the jam to some friends who were pleased recipients.

My steeped christmas fruits (from Nigella Christmas) were well-worth the wait as the plump Grand Marnier-drenched golden sultanas made a scrumptious marriage with some good quality vanilla ice cream - posh rum n raisin at its best, and a lush pudding on christmas eve for the family. I also made vanilla sugar which was a nice treat in my coffee, and will be for months to come.

The festive salt (from Nigella Christmas) was dished up with our boxing day feast and used sparingly, and today we used it on our roast chicken, although I can't say I really tasted it - don't think it helped that I bought a cheap chicken (skinto). Looks pretty and christmassy though and makes me feel like a domestic goddess if my salt is in a special jar.

Winter isn't the same without some cosy soups to curl up with, and Dr Lawson's Cuban Cure Soup (from Nigella Christmas) was no exception. A robust soup with chorizo and black beans, this warmed the cockles no end. I think I am going to make more soups this year, but wholesome ones to get excited about. No pic here I am afraid.

My chilli jam (from Nigella Christmas) was a failure then I triumph all at once, due to reheating it a day later to help it set. Not been able to sample it yet as I am waiting for it to mature at the end of this month. Grrr... Another thing (along with pay day) to work towards. C'mon!

My marinated feta (from Nigella Christmas) was great, but am dissapointed that it has set in a conjealed murky oily mess in the jar (refrigerated). At least I tried it. This always happens to anchovies for me too. Anyone relate and how can you stop it happening?

Double blue crostinis (from Nigella Christmas) were a nice little bring-along I took to a party for the toddlers. The mummies seemed to like and I surprised myself with how easy it was to make a yummy dip. You can't go wrong with blue cheese. Well maybe if your friend announces at the party that she is preggers. Oh well!

I had a little pre-detox before christmas - for all of half a day - eating homemade chicken broth (from Nigella Christmas). Really bland but kind-of in a good way and it blew my cold out of town, which I had been carrying for months on end beforehand.

I knew at the start of December that I had to make Nige's puddini bonbons (from Nigella Christmas) and I am glad I did. They brought instant christmas cheer (when I was eating the mixture whilst making) and gorgeous little gifts but note to self to make them smaller next time to fit more in gift boxes.

The making of Peanut Butter Cups (from Nigella Christmas) was a lesson in 'don't judge a book by its cover'. They looked ghastly but tasted immense. Peanut butter and chocolate are meant to be and I have been addicted to the former since.

My solitary addition to christmas dinner was redder than red cranberry sauce (from Nigella Christmas), with cherry brandy. I really enjoyed it but think it is sweeter than your standard stuff. I would advocate never buying this again though as it is no trouble at all to make.

This year marked the beginning of christmas eve eating. We had previously been fans of takeaways but it was nice to get family around the table to eat Ginger-glazed ham and Macaroni (you guessed it, from Nigella Christmas). I will now be making a christmas ham every year whether it is cooked in ginger ale, coca cola or pineapple juice, this is a must-have of the festive season. Unfortunately I am missing a photo of the magnificent ham.

Nigella I salute you - I feel like you were almost with us this christmas, what with all of the delights you have inspired me to cook. Who needs Jamie Oliver? One thing that seemed to be all the rage this time with Jamie and all of the celebrity chefs was leaving your turkey to rest for hours after cooking. Seems bonkers but it really works and makes for juicy, tender turkey. Who knows what they will come up with next year. I do hope Heston's christmas pud with the candied orange in the centre comes back. Well worth the media frenzy and £15, but perhaps not worth the crazy ebay bidding on them when Waitrose ran out. Maybe I will try making my own - Nigella's of course? New project!

Happy 2011 to all - cooking and doing whatever else makes you happy. I know that's what I will be doing.

Goddess Mx

PS - my hubby also cooked some Nigella stuff this christmas and I am trying to persuade him to do a guest post. Watch this space!

PPS - normal blogging will resume tomorrow as I am aware this is a review of previous cooking, therefore posts. I cooked a FIERCE meal on Friday which I am excited about sharing and maybe somethine else cooking related to chat about which is potentially quite exciting!