Monthly Archives: December 2012

The Best of 2012

December 30, 2012
It has been an amazing year. I started this blog, got married, and started a new job. Let’s just say I’ve been a busy busy girl!

Here are the most popular recipes of 2012, ending with your favorite recipe of the year! What did you lovlies enjoy most? Here are the Top 10 recipes of 2012…
Keep reading to see the Top 5!



And your favorite recipe of 2012 is…


Thank you so much for the support, I feel so blessed. See you with lots of new recipes in 2013! Happy New Year!
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Salted Rocky Road Fudge

December 22, 2012
I love marshmallows. I think I would have them every day if I could. They’re just so nostalgic, they truly take you back to being a child again. The sticky sweetness, the mess when they’re melted and the lighter than air texture that just melts when it touches your tongue. Be it S’mores, Krispie Treats or this delightful salted fudge, the marshmallow is the glue that holds these treats together, both literally and figuratively.

This fudge is delicious. There are some great textures from the crunch of the whole almonds, the gooeyness of the marshmallows and the creaminess of the fudge and it’s almost the perfect bite. Just sprinkle in a pinch of salt and voila! Perfection.

It also lasts for a week at room temperature (not that it will be around that long), so it makes a fantastic, thoughtful homemade gift for the holidays. Imagine being sat by the fire, passing around a beautiful vintage cake tin chock full of this stuff. People will think you’ve slaved in the kitchen for hours! Let them think it… you deserve it! Happy Holidays!

Salted Rocky Road Fudge adapted from Always Order Dessert
Makes about 3 dozen squares


14oz good quality dark chocolate, I used 76%
14oz (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp Kosher salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows (I used a pink and white mix)
1 1/2 cups roasted salted almonds, whole

Grease bottom and sides of a 9 inch square baking pan with butter and line with a long sheet of parchment paper that overlaps the sides. Set aside.

In a medium sized saucepan, combine the chocolate, the condensed milk, and the butter. Set over medium-low heat, and stir until the chocolate is melted. Remove pan from the heat.* Add the extract and salt and keep stirring. Allow mixture to cool slightly (just a minute or two) and then fold in the marshmallows and almonds.

*If you keep the pan on the heat, you run the risk of the marshmallows melting and not staying whole. Letting the mixture cool slightly helps them keep their shape.

Pour the warm mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Use the back of a metal spoon greased with butter to press down if needed.

Cover with a sheet of parchment paper and let chill in the fridge for 2 hours.


Remove from fridge and lift parchment paper to remove from pan. Use a sharp knife to cut into desired-sized portions before serving. Can be stored in an air-tight container at (cool) room temperature for 7-10 days.


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Bacon, Egg & Potato Casserole

December 16, 2012
There are days when comfort food is just necessary. Especially when the temperature drops and it’s been a very long week at work (which seems to be almost every week!) and cuddling up on the sofa is the only thing that seems important. Today is the kind of day where I long for a fireplace, hot chocolate and a Christmas movie marathon. Unfortunately my husband won’t indulge me in this dream quite yet, so I had to find a way to compensate.

This casserole is the ultimate in comfort food. Bacon, eggs, potatoes and cheese all thrown together and baked for a delicious breakfast or brunch to feed your family or a crowd. The smell of the bacon, onions and red pepper cooking away will rouse any sleepyhead from their slumber and entice them into the kitchen. As for the sun-dried tomatoes; I wasn’t sure about them at first, but they add that little bit of acid to cut through the richness of this casserole. All in all, a brilliant bite or two, or seven, or 24… Oh you get the picture.

I think I may just make this for Boxing Day (The day after Christmas here in the UK). I have a feeling this will go down well with the family! What more could you want in a meal?

Bacon, Egg & Potato Casserole slightly adapted from The Kitchn
Serves 6 as a main dish


6 slices thick bacon, cut into strips about 1/2-inch wide
1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, cleaned out and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 tsp salt, divided
8 large eggs
1 cup milk, fat content between 1% and 4% (whole)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp fresh-cracked black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 cups frozen diced potatoes, unthawed


Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13×9″ baking dish with baking spray or olive oil.

Put the bacon slices in a large skillet and turn the heat on to medium. Cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until it is crisp. Add the onion, yellow bell pepper, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook over medium heat until all the vegetables are fragrant and soft — about 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly and whisk in the milk. Whisk in the remaining teaspoon of salt, cayenne and the black pepper. Stir in the cheese, frozen potatoes, and the bacon and vegetables from the skillet. (Don’t worry; the frozen potatoes cook just fine!) Pour the whole mixture into the prepared baking dish. (At this point the casserole can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

When you are ready to bake the casserole, bake for 40 minutes, or until the eggs are firm and the top is slightly golden. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.

Serve immediately and don’t expect leftovers!
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Spicy Gingersnaps: Food Blogger Cookie Swap Recipe

December 12, 2012




I have really clear memories of trying tea for the first time. My grandparents are British, so of course the afternoon tea is a must, and when I was at their house I would remember hearing the whistle of the kettle and the steam curling up out of the oft used mugs. I guess it was appealing because of the routine. You sat down to watch afternoon TV and have your cup of tea, hopefully with a few biscuits and just enjoy it. A moment of calm in the vastly hectic and crazy day.

I usually just ate the biscuits. Gingersnaps were my favorite. After quite a bit of coaxing I finally, reluctantly dipped my beloved gingersnap into my Grandad’s tea. Had he known what a monster he was creating I am sure he wouldn’t have offered his tea so easily. Soon I was testing how long I could dunk the cookie in the tea without it crumbling away into a soggy mess at the bottom of the piping hot mug. I was never very good at Science.

But that memory is what made me love tea and everything that it represents. These cookies taste like the holidays. They fill your home with the spicy scents of ginger and cloves and freshly baked cookies, the scents that I want, no, that I need to have at this time of year. These cookies remind me of family.

Luckily, Christmas came early this year and I had the Food Blogger Cookie Swap, where I received a dozen cookies from different bloggers right on my doorstep! I also sent three dozen of these Spicy Gingersnaps to three lucky bloggers! Money raised went to Cookies for Kids Cancer and was matched by OXO. What a brilliant way to kick off the giving season!

A very big thank you to Steph at stephlechef.wordpress.com, Ffion at ffionmckeown.blogspot.com and Tash at thevelvetmoonbaker.blogspot.ie for the lovely cookies I have received in the post! Yummy! And of course, Lindsay at Love & Olive Oil and Jen at The Little Kitchen for setting up this delightful treat! Can’t wait till next year!
Hope these cookies warm your bellies this holiday season!






Spicy Gingersnaps
Makes about 4 dozen


4 cups flour
5 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp milk
turbinado sugar for rolling

Preheat over to 350ºF. Line or grease baking sheets.


In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt and set aside.

Using an electric mixer, mix butter and sugar on medium low 4-5 minutes, until light and creamy. Then add the eggs and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla and milk and mix well.

Reduce mixer to low add dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing just until combined.

Scoop dough by the tablespoon and roll into a ball. Then roll in sugar before baking, (optional). Bake on a cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden.

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Super Easy Nutella Brownies

December 2, 2012





























I have been super stressed the past few weeks. I have taken on more responsibility, and that means less baking. Not a good equation for a girl who has just received the birthday gift of her dreams. Oh well, I guess I need a new equation.

STRESS = BROWNIES (Sounds good doesn’t it?)

I love a good brownie. A good, fudgy, chocolatey brownie. Not a cake-like brownie. A dense, gooey, rich brownie that melts in your mouth. I don’t have brownies too often, because I fear that if I did I would (gasp!) get sick of them. I know it sounds crazy. Fortunately, these brownies are so delicious and SO easy that the fear of ever losing interest in the beloved brownie vanished into thin air.

My colleagues were begging me for this recipe by the end of the day. I truly enjoyed the look of shock when I told them how easy they were to make! Enough talk, go whip some of these babies up! Perfect Sunday afternoon snack with a big glass of ice cold milk…


Super Easy Nutella Brownies
Makes 24


2 cups Nutella
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking tin.


Mix together eggs and Nutella in a medium bowl until smooth. Add in flour, salt and half the chocolate chips and mix until just combined. Evenly spread into prepared tin. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips.


Bake 20-25 minutes, depending on how gooey you like your brownies. The edges of the brownies should start to come away from the sides of the tin.

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