Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
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The other day I was feeling making something tasty and effortless for me and my little brother when we had a day stuck in the house waiting for deliveries. Neither of us wanted to go out (read - change out of our pyjamas) so I went a-searching online for what I could whip up with what he had hanging about in our kitchen cupboards to keep us going through our grueling day of video-game playing, movie watching, (Gladiator with Russell Crowe, NOM) and halfheartedly doing chores our parents had set us (one of the down sides of being home for Easter).
I came across this little recipe for salted caramel popcorn bars and it was just the ticket! It was pretty easy and only took about 35 minutes from start to ready to eat. I made some changes to adapt it to a UK recipe, e.g swapping corn syrup for golden syrup but there was no problem and they came out wonderfully and really tasty! I also don't have a candy thermometer like the original recipe calls for but there are ways around that which I'll get to. Definitely give these a try if you like the sound of them, they were really delicious, even for my picky little brother!
I came across this little recipe for salted caramel popcorn bars and it was just the ticket! It was pretty easy and only took about 35 minutes from start to ready to eat. I made some changes to adapt it to a UK recipe, e.g swapping corn syrup for golden syrup but there was no problem and they came out wonderfully and really tasty! I also don't have a candy thermometer like the original recipe calls for but there are ways around that which I'll get to. Definitely give these a try if you like the sound of them, they were really delicious, even for my picky little brother!
Ingredients
4 cups popped popcorn
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup golden syrup
2 tbs flour (any kind)
1 tbs Vanilla extract
Chocolate chips to taste
Coarse salt to taste
01. Heat the butter, syrup, sugar and flour in a pan over medium heat stirring occasionally. You want it to get to something called hard ball stage. To figure this out without a thermometer I had a mug of ice cold water and, every few minutes dropped a tiny amount of the mixture into it. You want it to form a ball that is hard but mouldable with your fingers (be VERY careful, unless it's cooled it will burn you and it will be horrible) for me this took about eight minutes. This picture was taken just after it reached the perfect consistency.
02. Drop in the vanilla essence and some of the salt and give it a quick stir before adding the popcorn and mixing thoroughly making sure all the pieces are nicely coated in the mixture.
03. Into a tray lined with baking paper tip the mixture out and pat down evenly. I sprinkled on a little more salt at this stage, then let it start to cool until you can sprinkle over the chocolate chips without them melting.
04. Pop it in the fridge for a while and let it cool and harden before cutting into slices. Then keep an eye on them if, like me, you have a little gannet for a brother because they might just start disappearing.
So that's the recipe, not hard at all! Let me know if you give these a try or if you've got any similar recipes to recommend.
04. Pop it in the fridge for a while and let it cool and harden before cutting into slices. Then keep an eye on them if, like me, you have a little gannet for a brother because they might just start disappearing.
So that's the recipe, not hard at all! Let me know if you give these a try or if you've got any similar recipes to recommend.
>> On Repeat . Oh Darling - Plug In Stereo <<
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You may have seen a post I did a few weeks back on Nakd Bars, I really enjoyed finding a yummy alternative to sugary, fattening treats! So I was delighted when the lovely people behind Frank Bars got in touch and asked if I would like to try out their products. Never one to turn down free food I said yes please!
Frank bars are 100% natural and free from gluten, nuts and dairy. Most healthy bars including Nakd bars contain nuts so this would be ideal for anyone who is allergic and can't have them! They are also vegan friendly, high in protein and pretty low in fat and they all clock up at around 120 calories which is really good! So full of goodness then, and at the moment a case of 20 is available online for just a tenner and shipping is free. That's considerably less than a lot of similar products so that's absolutely brilliant, particularly as they're pretty sizeable bars! But on to the really important thing: How did they taste?
I received four of the five flavours, you can see what I got above, the only one I didn't get being a strawberry and chocolate bar. I'll get this out of that way first, I didn't really enjoy the blueberry one, but that's ok, I'm not a blueberry fan in general so I can't say I was surprised. Aside from that I was very happy with the others. The bars are dense and a little chewy, to me the consistency was reminiscent of a brownie topped with a thin chocolate-y layer. The flavour was very rich and probably the most convincing chocolate taste I've ever gotten from a dairy free product. The richness and denseness meant that the bars are very satisfying and make a fab cheeky mid-afternoon snack to beat any cravings.
I don't think these have completely replace Nakd Bars, but I'm definitely going to purchase a mixed case (Little Brother can have the blueberry ones) and have both to choose from. I really recommend giving these a try. Unfortunately you can't buy them individually, only in cases but they really are very yummy and great for anyone trying to wean themselves off unhealthy treats.
Let me know your healthy alternatives, would you be interested in trying these?
Frank bars are 100% natural and free from gluten, nuts and dairy. Most healthy bars including Nakd bars contain nuts so this would be ideal for anyone who is allergic and can't have them! They are also vegan friendly, high in protein and pretty low in fat and they all clock up at around 120 calories which is really good! So full of goodness then, and at the moment a case of 20 is available online for just a tenner and shipping is free. That's considerably less than a lot of similar products so that's absolutely brilliant, particularly as they're pretty sizeable bars! But on to the really important thing: How did they taste?
I received four of the five flavours, you can see what I got above, the only one I didn't get being a strawberry and chocolate bar. I'll get this out of that way first, I didn't really enjoy the blueberry one, but that's ok, I'm not a blueberry fan in general so I can't say I was surprised. Aside from that I was very happy with the others. The bars are dense and a little chewy, to me the consistency was reminiscent of a brownie topped with a thin chocolate-y layer. The flavour was very rich and probably the most convincing chocolate taste I've ever gotten from a dairy free product. The richness and denseness meant that the bars are very satisfying and make a fab cheeky mid-afternoon snack to beat any cravings.
I don't think these have completely replace Nakd Bars, but I'm definitely going to purchase a mixed case (Little Brother can have the blueberry ones) and have both to choose from. I really recommend giving these a try. Unfortunately you can't buy them individually, only in cases but they really are very yummy and great for anyone trying to wean themselves off unhealthy treats.
Let me know your healthy alternatives, would you be interested in trying these?
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I've recently started to try and get serious with my bid to eat healthier... it's something that happens every few months when I pull on a pair of shorts and feel like they're slightly tighter that they used to be... It rarely goes very well but I think I've found something that's really going to help me stay on track and avoid unhealthy treats.
I knew Nakd bars existed but I wasn't really convinced by them. The ingredients are essentially dates and raisins, various nuts and natural flavourings like cinnamon and cocoa all blended together and then just pressed in to bars and left to set. Realistically I think you could probably make your own if you had a food processor. I don't so for now I'll stick to buying them.
They come in a wide variety of flavours. The two I'm showing are probably my two favourites, Banana Bread and Chocolate Orange. While the texture is very different to a standard chocolate or snack bar the taste of both is pretty much spot on. I love the Banana Bread ones as an on-the-go breakfast before work as the blend of dates, nuts, bananas and oats means it contains a whole lot of good, natural, slow releasing energy to keep you going through the morning. The Chocolate Orange ones are more of a guilt free treat maybe mid afternoon or as a dessert after dinner. It's hard to believe that the rich gooey treat isn't some sort of indulgent calorie and additive riddled delight.
I knew Nakd bars existed but I wasn't really convinced by them. The ingredients are essentially dates and raisins, various nuts and natural flavourings like cinnamon and cocoa all blended together and then just pressed in to bars and left to set. Realistically I think you could probably make your own if you had a food processor. I don't so for now I'll stick to buying them.
They come in a wide variety of flavours. The two I'm showing are probably my two favourites, Banana Bread and Chocolate Orange. While the texture is very different to a standard chocolate or snack bar the taste of both is pretty much spot on. I love the Banana Bread ones as an on-the-go breakfast before work as the blend of dates, nuts, bananas and oats means it contains a whole lot of good, natural, slow releasing energy to keep you going through the morning. The Chocolate Orange ones are more of a guilt free treat maybe mid afternoon or as a dessert after dinner. It's hard to believe that the rich gooey treat isn't some sort of indulgent calorie and additive riddled delight.
Of course these can't completely replace a big slab of carrot cake or a tub of Ben &Jerry's but they don't have to. I find that with these the aforementioned indulgences can be enjoyed once a month or so, and these can be eaten on a more regular basis, to keep me eating healthy without feeling like I'm missing out on what I enjoy. They're not dirt cheap but at £2.29 for a pack of four or around £0.75 for individual bars in most supermarkets they are affordable, particularly if you use the money that would normally get spent on chocolate and other treats.
Other flavours I've tried are Chocolate Mint, Cashew Cookie, Pecan Pie and Cocoa Delight. All were nice, there were none I really didn't like but the two featured here are definitely my favourites.
What do you do to keep yourself motivated to stay healthy? Share your own tips below!
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Way back in January the lovely folks at Deluxebite offered to send me their January box to sample and, being a bit of a closet foodie and student who doesn't pass up free food, I said a very enthusiastic yes!
Deluxebite is a really interesting company. A monthly subscription of £20 gets you a box of luxury food items sent to you once a month. While £20 seems like a lot, all the products are full sized and very decadent so if you've got the cash and love experiencing new foods it would certainly be a good deal.
This particular box featured the following:
Raman's Handmade Butternut Squash Relish
Great Glen Game Venison Chorizo
Coffee Factory Black Label Coffee
Nim's Kiwi and Apple Fruit Crisps
Bracken Hille Fine Foods' Sugar Free Chutney
The reason this review has taken me a while is because I actually don't like chutney and I don't drink coffee but i know someone who does: My fabulous mummy. So I gave her those, along with the butternut squash, as part of her Mother's Day present. She absolutely loved all three items and actually the coffee's already gone and the chutney's well on it's way out and she's thinking of buying more!
As for the items I tried: The fruit crisps were delicious. I had them one day as a mid morning snack and they made a nice change from my usual cereal bars or dried cranberries. The venison chorizo was a little more complicated to figure out what to do with but I eventually sliced it up and threw it, with some chicken and sliced peppers into a tomato pasta dish. It was a bit strange but I actually really enjoyed it, very smoky and gamey.
I don't think I would subscribe simply because I can't justify £20 a month on a student budget. However as I said if you've got the cash to blow it would be a lovely treat for yourself and even if you don't fancy something in the box it could easily be used as a gift. Also worth remembering is that for each box bought, Deluxebite funds a meal for a family living in poverty in the UK.
Deluxebite is a really interesting company. A monthly subscription of £20 gets you a box of luxury food items sent to you once a month. While £20 seems like a lot, all the products are full sized and very decadent so if you've got the cash and love experiencing new foods it would certainly be a good deal.
This particular box featured the following:
Raman's Handmade Butternut Squash Relish
Great Glen Game Venison Chorizo
Coffee Factory Black Label Coffee
Nim's Kiwi and Apple Fruit Crisps
Bracken Hille Fine Foods' Sugar Free Chutney
The reason this review has taken me a while is because I actually don't like chutney and I don't drink coffee but i know someone who does: My fabulous mummy. So I gave her those, along with the butternut squash, as part of her Mother's Day present. She absolutely loved all three items and actually the coffee's already gone and the chutney's well on it's way out and she's thinking of buying more!
As for the items I tried: The fruit crisps were delicious. I had them one day as a mid morning snack and they made a nice change from my usual cereal bars or dried cranberries. The venison chorizo was a little more complicated to figure out what to do with but I eventually sliced it up and threw it, with some chicken and sliced peppers into a tomato pasta dish. It was a bit strange but I actually really enjoyed it, very smoky and gamey.
I don't think I would subscribe simply because I can't justify £20 a month on a student budget. However as I said if you've got the cash to blow it would be a lovely treat for yourself and even if you don't fancy something in the box it could easily be used as a gift. Also worth remembering is that for each box bought, Deluxebite funds a meal for a family living in poverty in the UK.
This post features products sent to me for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
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I made yumminess! I'd had red velvet cake before and absolutely loved it so I thought I'd try my hand at making my own! I used this recipe, it's supposed to be for a full sized cake but the recipe works fine separated into muffin cases and cooked for the same amount of time. I got twelve pretty big cupcakes!
They're really tasty, the sponge is light and full of flavour and the frosting is rich and creamy. I added some Sainsbury's bought sprinkles. (I can get my head round a cake but making my own sprinkles is a bit much.)
They can last about a week kept in a cool dry place, but honestly with me and my family they didn't last past three days!
Let me know if you try this! Also if you have any favourite cake recipes I'd love to know!
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