Fantastic dinner at Piccolino Birmingham!

Had some fab food at Piccolino in Brindley Place I would definitely recomend the restaurant if you haven't been before! We both went for Chicken dishes :)

Nigella's Malteaser Cake

Chocolate Malteaser Cake!! Nigella Lawson

This is one of my favourite cakes to make because it looks so lovely and tastes amazing! I love Nigella's cookbook called Feast where this recipt is from because there are lots of yummy cakes in there (the chocolate guiness cake is also in there) and they always turn out perfectly! Definitely give this a go.... For the cake 150g soft brown sugar, 100g caster sugar, 3 large eggs, 175ml milk, 15g unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons Horlicks powder, 175g plain flour, 25g cocoa, sieved, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, For the icing and decoration 250g icing sugar, 1 teaspoon cocoa, 45g Horlicks, 125g soft unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons boiling water, 2 x 37g packets Maltesers, Take whatever you need out of the fridge so that all the ingredients can come to room temperature (though it's not so crucial here, since you're heating the milk and butter and whisking the eggs.) Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 3/170C. Butter and line two 20cm loose-bottomed sandwich cake tins with baking parchment. I usually use silicone tins which I don't need to line. Whisk together the sugars and eggs until light and frothy. Heat the milk, butter and Horlicks powder in a small saucepan until the butter has melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling. Beat the milk mixture into the eggs a little at a time. Fold in the dry ingredients thoroughly. Divide the cake batter evenly between the two tins and bake in the oven for 25 minutes, by which time the cakes should have risen and will spring back when pressed gently. Let them cool on a rack for about 5-10 minutes and then turn them out of their tins. Once the cakes are cold, you can get on with the icing. I use a processor just because it makes life easier: you don't need to sieve the icing sugar. So: put the icing sugar, cocoa and Horlicks in the processor and blitz to remove all lumps. Add the butter and process again. Stop, scrape down, and start again, pouring the boiling water down the funnel with the motor running until you have a smooth buttercream. Sandwich the cold sponges with half of the buttercream, and then ice the top with what is left, creating a swirly pattern rather than a smooth surface. Stud the outside edge, about 1cm in, with a ring of Maltesers or use them to decorate the top in which-ever way pleases you, I added some sparkles to mine! :) Makes 8-10 slices.

Chocolate & Hazelnut cookies

White Chocolate & Hazelnut cookies

This recipe is so EASY and it makes the most delicious cookies please give it a go and let me know what you think and mix is up a little by using different chocolate and nuts :) Enjoy....

Ingredients
175g plain flour
½ level tsp baking powder
¼ level tsp salt
125g butter, softened
125g light brown sugar
Few drops of vanilla extract
1 medium egg
115g Chocolate (I have used both ordinary white and milk chocolate in this recipe broken into small pieces)
30g whole hazelnuts, halved.


1.Set the oven to 190°C or gas mark 5.

2.Put all the ingredients into a bowl and beat together to mix. I used a stand alone mixer and it was great to place all of the ingredients together and just mix until combined.

3. Spoon level tablespoons of the mixture on to greased baking sheets, spacing them a little apart, to allow room for spreading while in the oven - you will need to bake in separate batches.

4.Bake in the oven for 12-15 mins or until golden brown. Loosen each cookie lightly with a palette knife, but leave them on baking sheets to cool. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.


I have baked these cookies a few times now and they are becoming a big favourite of mine because they are so quick and easy to do - I have attached a picture of the milk chocolate and hazlenut cookies I baked last weekend for a weekend away.....

Groupon deal at Riverbank Restaurant and Bar - Stratford-upon-Avon

Thought I would give a quick review on our visit to the Riverbank Restaurant and Bar which we visited on our weekend away in Stratford-upon-Avon.

We ate here through the Groupon deal for £18 which included nibbles, 2 starters and 2 main courses. We had Selection of deli breads with balsamic and olive oil dressing & Oven roasted garlic bread with extra virgin olive oil for nibbles, then we went on to have Crispy beef, oriental vegetables, sesame seed dressing and soy sauce for starters, the boyf had Tandoori marinated chicken supreme with pesto fettuccini & I had Salmon fillet with potato and vegetables for mains and they were all very nice!

We were too full to try the desserts. The food was excellent but the restaurant wasn't very busy and it was a little cold but this was a very cold Feburary night so I think its probably buzzing in spring & summer. We would definitely visit again! Check out the picture of my lovely Salmon fillet :) I will post some more pictures of our weekend in another post.



Swans Nest Lane, CV37 7LS, England

My Mothers homemade 60th Birthday Cake!

Hi Everyone!

Just thought I would post a picture of my Mom's 60th Birthday cake which had a blue & green butterfly theme... It looked AWESOME and tastes great too! My Mom spent a lot of time making this cake but it was the star attraction at the party. The butterlies were cut out using the PME Butterfly cutters which are really cheap to pick up and you can see them
by clicking here the edible glitter also added extra sparkles :)

Let me know what you think of the cake decoration! Have you made anything similar or are you planning to for your next special event?

View from the rooftop restaurant at The Cube Birmingham

Hi,

Here is one of the pictures I took when I went up to check out the new Marco Pierre White restaurant...It looks over to Bath Row and the Peace Garden.

Picture taken of The Cube - Marco Pierre White Steakhouse Birmingham

Hey,

Hope you like the picture, it was taken on the restaurants launch night....Have you been up to the restaurant yet? Let me know what you thought.

Tapas and cocktails at Bar 44 Leamington Spa

Tapas and cocktails at Bar 44 Leamington Spa

Although we are very lucky and find good deals to eat at nice places unfortunately sometimes we do get a bit of 'mehh' experience and I think the one disappointing experience that springs to mind for 2011 was Bar 44.


We had 6 dishes between two on a Groupon offer but it wasnt very good, the highlight were the nachos, the service was naff, the place was empty on a Saturday afternoon, one of the dishes we wanted (Calamari or prawns I think) was not available and the tapas wasn't great so I don't think ill be back on my next visit to Leamington Spa as there are loads of other places which must be nicer!

Afternoon tea at The Plough - Harborne

Afternoon tea at The Plough - Harborne

I am absolutely loving afternoon tea at the moment, I am constantly on the look out for places offering a cute afternoon tea and I was very happy to find that The Plough in Harborne offer an awesome one!
It was the perfect day in November, we had a lie in and had a slow walk into Harborne to do some shopping and then ended our trip with the afternoon tea at The Plough. The afternoon tea for two includes sandwiches, cupcakes, brownies and prosecco and it was all just NOMALICIOUS! and to top it off the teapot had a little tea cosy on :)

It came out on an adorable little cake stand and was filled with goodies that we couldnt wait to dive into.

Just gorgeous...

Go and check it out youself you'll be happy you did :)

Mayan Cheery Coffee Frappè at Cafe Blend - Birmingham

Mayan Cheery Coffee Frappè at Cafe Blend - Birmingham

Cafe Blend is quickly becoming my favourite coffee shop in Birmingham because of its large selection of drinks and chilled out comfortable atmosphere. They offer tea, coffee, alcoholic coffee cocktails, coffee martini's - plus LOTS more on their menu!

On my first visit I had just a regular coffee and a sandwich but I was eager to try one of their coffee cocktails so on my second visit I went for a Mayan Cherry Coffee Frappè which was Blended with Tia Maria, chocolate, cherry & vanilla topped with whip cream this was very delicious but I did find it a little sickly towards the end but thats my fault for going for the one topped with cream! haha. It was just what I needed to relax after a day of shopping.

If you haven't been you should go and check out the menu, its full of exciting flavours and you will definitely find something you like. Its such a great place to sit and chill after shopping. You can find Cafe Blend at the address below...

Orion Building, 90 Navigation Street, Birmingham, B5 4AA

Twitter@Cafe_Blend

Facebook.com/CafeBlend

Leave me a comment if you have been and ill get some ideas on what to try on my next visit!

Turkish Night at The Grill in Halesowen!

Turkish Night at The Grill in Halesowen!

Back in November I went to a Turkish night which was being held at The Grill in Halesowen in the West Midlands and it was a fantastic night! I just wanted to do a small post to thank The Grill for a great night and show you guys a couple of pictures from the evening. It was a night including a three course meal and a belly dancer which was great fun.

We had soup to start but unfortunately I didnt take a picture of that....The main course was Ottoman chicken which was delicious and reminded me of my many holidays to Turkey....

The dessert was something I hadn't tried before which was Baklava and this was definitely a winner! It was so sweet and yummy and I definitely need to try and make it because the next Turkish night might not be for a while!

and here is our lovely belly dancer who got us all up dancing with her :)

Everyone thouroughly enjoyed their evening especially the food! The Grill serves a wide selection of food, snacks and drinks and if your near Halesowen you should definitely pop in and have a read of the menu...even if your visit is only for a coffee go and check it out!

See you soon!! :)

4-6 Great Cornbow,Halesowen, West Midlands, B63 3AB
Tel: (0121) 550 5555