Now the weather is getting a bit warmer I am wondering what to have for lunch.
If you follow the blog regularly then you will know that I am a little obsessed with soup, and bringing a hot flask of soup with me to work to have at lunchtime. However, I feel that it will soon be time to put the flask back in the cupboard and I am now wondering what to have for my packed lunch.
Please email me your ideas or recipes at info@chichestercookshop.co.uk and I can share them with everyone on the blog and look forward to some yummy lunches.
It has been a while since my last post and I am sorry for neglecting my blogging duties. To make up for it I am posting a lovely comforting Jambalaya recipe as an antidote for the cupcake binge.
In my absence from the blog I have eaten some yummy food, cooked with some new equipment and had some exciting adventures, so hopefully I will have lots to share with you.
Recently I went to a restaurant and ordered a Jambalaya. It might seem an odd choice to order, but I love jambalaya. However, as much as I love it I somehow have a mental block against cooking it. For some reason it always seems to take a long time or seems a bit faffy, which is why I eat it when I don’t have to cook it.
But wait. This morning I undertook a quest to find an easy and quick Jambalaya recipe (as I am in the need for comfort food but don’t have much time when I get home) and succeeded in finding this one on the BBC Good Food website. I am not too sure how authentic it is, but it sounds yummy and above all, it doesn’t take hours.
Chicken and Shrimp Smokey Jambalaya – BBC GoodFood
Ingredients
1 red chilli 1 tbls of olive oil 2 cloves of garlic 2 bay leaves Sprig of chopped parsley 1 tsp of cayenne pepper 1tsp of paprika 1 red pepper 1 large onion 2/4 sticks of celery 2 chicken breasts 1 can of chopped tomatoes 3 tbsp of tomato puree 3oz of Chorizo or smoked sausage cut into thin slices 1 cup of Long grain rice 12 shrimp or prawns 1/2 to 1 pint of chicken stock
Method Dice chilli and prepare the veg and the chicken, slice the sausage into tin slices
Heat oil up in a large none stick pot & add chilli & cook for 1 min
Add the chicken & stir fir in pot for 2 mins
Add the stock & tin of tomatoes and puree and bring to the boil
Add smoked sausage bay leaf, parsley, garlic, cayenne pepper, and paprika (adjust this 2 your liking) then add the veg & cook for 5 mins
When its boiling add the long grained rice and cook until most of the liquid has reduced & the rice is cooked then add the shrimp cook for 3 mins and serve
Tip: Adjust the liquid with stock or water until the rice is cooked and reduced.
Enjoy!
Sarah
P.S. I think this Nigella Flameware pot is ideal for jambalaya. The shape just exudes comfort and I love the idea of cooking in a ceramic casserole.
1/2 teaspoon almond extract, chocolate extract, or more vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder, Dutch-processed or regular
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for Frosting
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated margarine, we use Earth Balance
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted if clumpy
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper or foil liners.
Whisk together the soy milk and vinegar in a large bowl, and set aside for a few minutes to curdle.
Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and other extract, if using, to the soy milk mixture and beat until foamy.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Add in two batches to wet ingredients and beat until no large lumps remain (a few tiny lumps are OK).
Pour into liners, filling 3/4 of the way. Bake 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
Buttercream Ingredients
Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat for about 3 more minutes.
Add the vanilla and soy milk, and beat for another 5 to 7 minutes until fluffy.
Made by Duff Goldman of Charm City Cakes, the record-breaking cupcake is 18 inches wide and 12 inches tall.
150 times the size of a regular cupcake, the cake was baked in support of the Great American Bake Sale, which raised $10,000 and awareness for Share Our Strength, a charity working to fight hunger across America.
Red velvet cupcakes are one of my all time favourite cupcakes. I don’t know if it’s the colour, or the flavour, or the combination of cream cheese frosting and cake.
Who knows? Nevertheless, I love them and I hope you will too.
I found this recipe on the Food Network website, and like most cupcake recipes, it is written in American measurements. Don’t let this put you off, it is well worth the weight conversion!
One of the blogs that I love to follow is the Cupcake Project. I love writing when it is stylised and written with personality, and I love cake even more. This makes the Cupcake Project the perfect blog for me.
Stef who writes the blog is currently pregnant and thought it would be fitting to make a Pickle (Gherkin) and Ice Cream Cupcake. Now this sounds disgusting to me, but I was very intrigued and I thoroughly enjoyed this particular blog entry.
Whilst this doesn’t necessarily count as a fact, I feel it is an anecdote worth sharing.
Cookies and Cream is a flavour proving to be very popular amongst my friends at the moment. I haven’t tried to make them yet but I am going to give this recipe from The Appropriated Muffin a go.
Cookies and Cream Buttercream Frosting adapted from 500 Cupcakes 3C powdered sugar
2 sticks (1C) unsalted butter, softened
Pinch of Salt
Crushed Oreos
I made a quarter-recipe: (Could have made half-recipe)
3/4C powdered sugar
1/2Stick (4tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
Pinch of Salt
1/2 tsp Vanilla
Oreos (not crumbled yet)
* Notes: I used heavy whipping cream since I had it in the fridge. I don't know if it makes a big difference if I just used whole milk as the other recipe calls for. But this time, the cake cakes came out better. Can't say why though since there are so many changes I made. Also, I added in a bit more heavy cream than the recipe states- just added a bit more for a nice smooth batter.
Cake Mix
Preheat the oven to 350F / 180C / Gas Mark 4 and line 16 muffin cases.
Cream butter and sugar until pale pale yellow. Add vanilla.
Mix in flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add eggs. Beat well. (Batter will be thick.)
Add heavy cream. Use more if want to thin out batter even more.
Add crushed Oreos. I used the electric mixer and beat them in... this made the batter darker colored since I destroyed most of the chocolate cookies. You can fold them into batter if you prefer. I did a combo of mixer and hand. I didn't measure out how many Oreos I added either. I like Oreos, so I added a lot.
Pour 3/4 cup full and bake for 20 mins.
Frosting Cream sugar and butter VERY well, until white. Add vanilla extract. Add pinch of salt.
Scrape off Oreo centers from cookies and mix into the frosting. Then crush/crumble cookies and fold in. I liked to keep the frosting white.
Moving onto yummy chocolate, I found this recipe on www.JoyOfBaking.com. You will need some measuring cups for this one as it is written the ol’ American way.
I take out ¼ of the vanilla icing before adding the chocolate, and then pipe a cream coloured swirl on top of the brown frosted cake: just to make them extra special.
1 1/3 cups confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Chocolate Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly butter, or line 16 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a small bowl stir until smooth the boiling hot water and the cocoa powder. Let cool to room temperature.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Then in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.
Fill each muffin cup two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16-20 minutes or until risen, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. You can either spread the frosting on the cupcakes with a small spatula or if piping, using a large Wilton 1M open star tip to make lovely swirls.
Chocolate Frosting: Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 -3 minutes).
The cupcake (or cup cake) is believed to have originated in the early 19th Century.
Referring to small cakes the size of a teacup, the name ‘Cupcake’ is said to originate from the ramekins or china cups the small cakes were baked in, prior to the invention of the muffin tin.
Commonly known as the Fairy Cake in the UK, this traditional British sweet is slightly smaller than is American relative and is thought to have gotten its name from the whimsical idea of the cakes being small enough for a Fairy’s Tea Party.
In the bowl of an upright electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla for three minutes on the highest speed until light and fluffy. Sift the flour and baking powder two or three times (this stops tunnels forming in the crumb), then add to the butter mix and beat for 30 seconds.
Spoon into eight muffin cups placed in the pockets of a muffin tray, and set aside to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and firm. Leave to cool.
For the frosting, get the butter as soft as possible without melting, then put in a bowl with the other ingredients. Whisk until smooth and fluffy, then top each cupcake with a thick swirl. The sugar in the frosting means it will keep at cool room temperature.
Look back at the blog later today for the first cupcake fact!
Cupcakes are the baking trend of the moment. From weddings to children’s birthday parties, everyone is making cupcakes – I know I am!
I have been into my cupcake baking for a while now, and I am starting to get a bit of a reputation (mainly for my aptly named signature cakes). My cakes are so popular that I have been asked to bake for a friend’s birthday party.
Now, you have to understand that I have never HAD to bake before. I volunteer my services because I love baking and no one quite knows what they are going to get because I happen to bake whatever I am in the mood for. Somehow this takes away the pressure of the cakes having to be perfect.
However, the ‘commissioning’ of my cupcake service makes me somewhat edgy. Not because I am scared of baking for an event, but because I don’t want to let my friend down.
In preparation for the party cakes, I have been trawling through cupcake recipes to find different flavours of cupcake, and lets just say it’s been an eye-opener. So to help you, my fellow cakey bakers, I am going to post cupcake recipes everyday for a week. Ergo, Cupcake Week is born.
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