Tuesday 30 October 2012

RECIPE | PUMPKIN OATMEAL PANCAKES


Oats aren't just reserved for porridge you know!

Get your dose of this wonderful wholegrain in pancake format and take advantage of the multitude of pumpkins in the supermarkets at the moment.

For this recipe I used my home made Pumpkin Butter to add a bit of ZING.


PUMPKIN OATMEAL PANCAKES

Ingredients:

30g Plain Wholemeal Flour
30g Oats
3 tablespoons of Pumpkin Butter
100ml Milk (I used Alpro Almond Milk)
1 Egg
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
Extra seasoning (Cinnamon, Vanilla Essence) and Sugar/Sweetener to taste


Instructions:

1.  Mix the dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking powder, salt) in a bowl.

2.  Add the egg, milk and pumpkin butter to the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.

3.  Heat a non-stick frying pan (medium to high heat) and use either a spray oil or butter to grease the pan.
When the pan is hot start pouring the mixture into a pan (about a tablespoon of mixture per pancake).

4.  When the pancake starts to take shape and bubbles appear evenly across the uncooked surface (around a minute of cooking) then FLIP the pancake and cook for a further 30 seconds until both sides are nicely golden brown (and not charred like mine!).

5.  Repeat until you have used all the mixture and serve with some lovely toppings!
 

I topped mine with some greek yogurt mixed with cinnamon, pumpkin butter, melted peanut butter, chopped almonds and dessicated coconut.
I bet this would also be yummy with some banana and maple syrup on top!

Monday 29 October 2012

RECIPE | PUMPKIN BUTTER


My £1 "small" pumpkin from Tesco's has been a fantastic buy!
Not only have I made a delicious pumpkin curry and pumpkin stir fry this week, but I also found that I had enough left of this rather obscure vegetable to experiment with making pumpkin butter.

Pumpkin butter is a sweet and spicy pumpkin puree that smells like Autumn in a bowl.
It's really good for adding to porridge, pancake mixes, cake mixes and breads.
I am going to experiment using my pumpkin butter tonight by making some pumpkin oatmeal pancakes, so wish me luck!


PUMPKIN BUTTER

Ingredients:

500g of Pumpkin flesh cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons of Water
1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Essence
1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of Nutmeg
2-3 tablespoons of Sugar or desired Sweetener (you may need more or less according to taste)


Instructions:

1.  Place the pumpkin in a microwaveable bowl and cook in the microwave on full heat for 12 minutes.

2.  Mash the pumpkin until it is soft and add the water, vanilla essence, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar/sweetener to the mixture.

3.  Using a hand blender or food processor, puree the pumpkin mixture until it resembles a nice smooth "goo".



Saturday 20 October 2012

LIFESTYLE | WEEKLY ROUND UP

It's had its up and its had its downs but I've come out the other side almost in one piece.
I've finally just about managed to get my head around my dissertation topic, meaning I am now able to crack on with more productive research and planning - Hurrah!

Also,The Great British Bake Off has now finished (I'm having James withdrawals already!)
...taking myself to that dreaded question of "What do I do with my life now?".

The answer is BAKE AND MAKE AMAZING FOOD (obviously).
So that is exactly what I've been doing...

I created the best oatmeal concoction to date the other morning. It was more of a mismatched masterpiece fuelled on "I'm going to be late for my lecture but I need FOOD RIGHT NOW" inspiration.
It comprised of mashed banana, cinnamon with a few swirls of marshmallow fluff and peanut butter.

H E A V E N    I N    M Y    M O U T H .

* Unfortunately I have no picture for you...
I think it pretty much hit my stomach before my eyes even got a good glance - let alone my camera.
I will do my best to get a picture next time.

But I won't leave you without some wonderfully bad photography.
So here are some pictures (not taken on my good camera - sorry!) of a batch of banana pancakes we made last night...complete with vanilla ice cream, sliced banana and homemade peanut butter chocolate sauce.





P . S .

I've also started writing for the lifestyle section of the university newspaper, the Leeds Student.
Last week they used my Courgette Brownies recipe in an article on which you can read HERE.

I'm currently working on a double-page spread (hell yeah!) centred around a breakfast theme, with a particular focus on those bad ass OATS that I love so much. Watch this space.

Thursday 18 October 2012

RECIPE | "SPECIAL" ICE CREAM


Okay... so technically this isn't a recipe post. But I just had to share this.

For a good few years now "Special" Ice Cream has been in existence.
Thanks to the help of a special friend and an array of miraculous toppings it never fails to be a wonderfully different creation every single time.

Last night we created perhaps the best yet.

My two litre tub of Asda Smartprice Vanilla Ice Cream (a bargain 89p) was JAZZED up and dressed to the nines with a concoction of peanut butter, marshmallow fluff, cinnamon, banana, apple crumble granola, pecans, meringues, cookies and some puffed wheat. 


Tuesday 16 October 2012

INSTAGRAM | #4

The dissertation scare has kicked in.
I have had my first meeting and I am t e r r i f i e d.
I am really struggling to find a focus/angle which is narrow enough to tackle my topic.
I guess that's what happens when you try to assess US-China relations!

My last few weeks have been mainly work filled and making nice food and buying new things for my cupboard have been the highlights.

How wonderful final year is turning out to be...

Here are my last few weeks in INSTAGRAM (from L-R):


1.  An evenings worth of work... 9 pages just for one seminar which does not contribute to any final degree. Brilliant.

2.  Marshmallow fluff! This stuff is BAD ASS.

3.  Liquid lunch. Stewed apples and cinnamon topped with greek yogurt, and various crunchy bits.

4.  Apple Crumble and Custard Crunch. FREEZE DRIED CUSTARD PIECES. That is all.

5.  Essential late-night mid-dissertation crisis ice cream break.

6.  A spot of Sunday night DJing at a local pub.


8.  An impromptu DJ set at a house party a few weekends back.

9.  Weekend guilty pleasure. Sticky toffee pudding vs. Custard.


You can see more of my instagram snaps and follow me HERE.

Saturday 13 October 2012

LIFESTYLE | SATURDAY MORNINGS

To me, Saturday mornings are for lazing, strong coffee, and catching up on blogs and the world this week.
A good brunch doesn't go amiss either.

To me, Saturday mornings are rather inspiring.
They give me a chance to reflect on the ideas that I have had throughout the week.
I can go through my notebook full of random thoughts and ideas (which would make no sense to the common eye...and sometime's not even mine!) and then formulate them into concrete tasks/creations/actions.

P R O D U C T I V I T Y .


Image: Elv's

Thursday 11 October 2012

INSPIRATION | ALEXANDER WANG'S CAGE INSTALLATIONS

For when you need that hit of minimal perfection... you've always got ALEXANDER WANG.

Not only does he KNOW how to make understated yet sharp attire and accessories.
He's also got it spot on with his interior design for his shop installations.

Below is a collection of my favourite cage installations which have made their debut in Wang's flagship stores across the globe:

 Images: Alexander Wang 

Wednesday 10 October 2012

MOOD BOARD | OCTOBER



OCTOBER.

Time to start piling on the chunky knits and fur coats.

I am lacking a pair of decent booties this year and in desperate need of a good pair to get me through the Winter. I am loving this pair from Topshop, but alas...they are £95.00(!) and this is just an inexcusable amount to spend considering my student budget.
Plus...when did the high street shops get so expensive?

I saw my first pumpkin in Morrisons this week and I may or may not have squealed with a bit of joy. I couldn't bring one home though on top of my weekly shop, they were huge!
I am however looking really forward to overindulging in pumpkin EVERYTHING over the next month.
I will do a round-up of my favourite pumpkin recipes next week.
And mulled wine...oh mulled wine!

And if you want to find me this month I'm more than likely to be tucked away in the Brotherton Library doing dissertation research with a steaming thermos full of coffee or under my furry throws watching The Great British Bake Off sipping on a frothy hot chocolate.

Tuesday 9 October 2012

RECIPE | APPLE AND CUSTARD BREAD PUDDING


It's getting colder and this calls for comfort food.

Stewed apples are a regular staple for me.
You can use them in so many ways and in so many dishes.
Simple, cheap and oh so warming!

Last week I ended up concocting what shall now be named as...


APPLE AND CUSTARD BREAD PUDDING

Ingredients:

1-2 Cooking Apples
1-2 slices of Bread
150g Custard
1tsp Cinnamon
1tsp Mixed Spice
1tsp Vanilla Essence
Sugar or preferred Sweetener to taste


Instructions:

1.  Heat the oven to 200°C.

2.  Peel and chop the apple into small chunks. Place in a bowl and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Mush the apples with a fork and add some sugar and cinnamon.
You can leave them slightly chunky or continue to microwave until desired consistency.
Pour the apples into a small oven-proof baking dish.

3.  Slice the broad into small cubes and place in the microwave for 30 seconds. Once warm and soft then add some sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice and vanilla essence to the bread and mix.
Sprinkle the bread on top of the apples into the baking dish.

4. Pour the custard on top of the apples and bread and then season more with spices/sugar if desired.
Place the baking dish into the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the custard is bubbling.



Friday 5 October 2012

LIFESTYLE | WEEKEND


I love Friday's. I love weekends.

This is a new thing for me...

With my last year spent in Poland and then being back home over the Summer, all days blended into one with no real focus/purpose of having work to do or plans to look forward to. Life was a haze.

Sticking to this new routine back at university has being very rewarding so far - I just hope I can keep it up.
Working hard throughout the week with play time at the weekends.

Friday's are my day off university. Today starting with a nice lazy morning in bed with a copy of The Economist, Radio 4 and copious amounts of coffee. I then went into the City, had coffee with a friend and splashed out on a weekend treat, resulting in a jar of Marshmallow Fluff from good old Morrisons!


Now for some light reading, a nap, dinner and then...

...P A R T Y   T I M E !


Oh and here is some crazily good inspiration I stumbled across whilst looking for an amazing weekend brunch idea using my new pot of Marshmallow Fluff:




Wednesday 3 October 2012

RECIPE | CARROT CAKE OATMEAL


No, this is not a bowl of vomit.

It's a bowl of...


CARROT CAKE OATMEAL !

Ingredients:

30-50g of Medium Oatmeal/Scottish Porridge Oats
1 grated Carrot
2 teaspoons of Dessicated Coconut
A generous sprinkling of Cinnamon, Allspice and Nutmeg
3 drops of Vanilla Essence
200ml of Milk or Water (or more depending on your preferred consistency)
Sugar to taste


Instructions:

1.  Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Add the carrot, vanilla essence and the milk/water and leave for 10 minutes.

2.  Most of the liquid will have been absorbed by the oats. Stir the mixture well. You can then choose to cook it as it is or add more liquid.

3.  Place the bowl in the microwave on a high heat for 2-3 minutes...or if you've got time, pour the mixture into a pan and place on a stove on high heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring regularly. Add sugar to taste.


I have been drooling in my sleep and looking forward to waking up to a bowl of oatmeal every morning.
This Northern chill calls for the breakfast that sticks to your ribs.

I love experimenting with different variations and I have stumbled across quite a lot of "pudding inspired" oatmeal ideas from various blogs over the past few weeks.


And here are my current TOP 5 FAVOURITE OATMEAL inspirations which I will be trying out:

#1



#2
(This woman is insane...she even has a 'Tribute to Oatmeal' page HERE).



#3



#4



#5



Tuesday 2 October 2012

INSTAGRAM | #3


It's been a busy week for me.
University started up again and I was eager to get back into a good routine for the year ahead.
So far, so good.
Stress levels are HIGH and the pressure is ON.
I am managing to find a nice balance between work and play which is always a plus.


My week in INSTAGRAM (from L-R):


1.  A spot of bedroom DJing.

2.  A warming breakfast of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal with nectarines and brown sugar. 

3.  My friend Sam getting excited (and rightly so) over his set at Canal Mills on Saturday!

4.  Ice cream times.

5.  Club stamps.

6.  Hiding away in the Brotherton Library at the University of Leeds.

7.  The (not so) delightful view from my window most mornings.

8.  GOTHS playing a bit of techno music.

9.  An update of the leak from the previous instagram post... that room is slowly falling apart.


You can see more of my instagram snaps and follow me HERE.