Baklava

You will need :

About 4 Ready-Made Filo Pastry Sheets
65g Pistashio Kernels
65g Walnuts
40g Soft Light Brown Sugar
 ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon 

¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg

For the syrup:  
225g Granlulated Sugar
150ml Water
Juice and Zest of 1/2 an Orange

Method:

Chop the nuts up to a coarse texture. (I did this by putting them in a plastic food bag and using a large knife to chop them, although it would be easier to use a food processor if you have one.)
In a bowl, mix the nuts with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut the filo pastry into rectangles about 20cm x 25cm (or a similar area to fit the baking tray you are using). Lay the first piece on a baking tray. Brush with melted butter before placing the next piece on top. Repeat until you have 4 layers of filo pastry. Spread the nut mixture over the filo base. Cover with a piece of filo pastry, and brush with the melted butter. Repeat until the top layer has 6 layers of filo pastry. Make sure the top is well brushed with melted butter and then cut a diamond pattern through the top layer of pastry. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 20-25 mins or until the top is golden in colour.

Meanwhile, prepare the syrup. Put the sugar, water orange juice and zest into a saucepan. Heat gently while stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Continue to simmer until the mixture becomes thicker in consistency, much like a runny syrup (it will become more syrup like when it cools down). This may take up to 20 minutes.

Let the baklava cool for 5 minutes after taking it out of the oven and then pour the syrup over the top, making sure to cover it evenly. Leave until it has completely cooled down before cutting into individual pieces.

Brownie Cheesecake Bites

Makes 14

You will need:

225g Unsalted Butter

100g Dark Chocolate (broken into small pieces)

2 Eggs

225g Caster Sugar

½ tsp Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Salt

1 tbsp Cocoa Powder

100g Plain Flour

For the cheesecake topping:

85g Cream Cheese

1 Egg Yolk

1 ½ tbsp Caster Sugar

Method:

Prepare a cupcake tray with 14 cupcake cases and preheat the oven to 180 C.
Place the butter and the chocolate into a microwaveable bowl and put in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well and replace in the microwave for short periods of time, stirring in between, until the chocolate has just melted completely.
In a seperate bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar using a manual or electric whisk.
Slowly mix the melted chocolate into the sugar and eggs mixture. Finally add the salt, cocoa powder and flour and stir until it is all combined.
Divide the mixture between the 14 cupcake cases.

Beat the egg yolk, sugar and cream cheese together. Divide this mixture between the cupcake cases placing a small spoonful on the top of each.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Spring Onion, Feta and Chorizo Couscous

This couscous salad is very simple to put together and is great as a lunch or light meal. The different flavours and textures work well together and I love how the oils from the chorizo give the couscous so much flavour.

Serves 1

You will need:

50g couscous

Equal volume of hot chicken stock

5cm of chorizo sausage, cut into small chunks

2 spring onions, sliced

2 slices of feta cheese, broken into small pieces


Method:

Put the couscous and the chicken stock into a bowl (can be the one used to serve). Stir once to make sure all the couscous is emersed in the stock and leave completely for 5 minutes.
Add the chorizo to a medium/hot frying pan while the couscous is soaking to release the oils.
Stir the couscous with a fork to fluff it up. Add the chorizo with all the oils from the frying pan, stir to combine. Finally add the spring onions and feta cheese to the mixture and stir once again to combine.
Serve immediately while warm.

Brown Rice and Chorizo Stuffed Pepper

Serves 1

You will need:

1 red pepper

35g brown rice, cooked according to the packet instructions

1/2 a small onion, diced

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

5cm of chorizo sausage, cut into small chunks

small amount of grated cheese, cheddar or parmesan

olive oil 


Method:

Start by preparing the pepper. Trim the very bottom of the pepper, just enough so that it will stand upright. Cut around the sides of the pepper near the top and pull out the center removing all the seeds. (Chop up any pepper leftover from what was cut of the top and bottom of the pepper and add to the filling.) Remove any of the white membrane from the inside of the pepper. Put the pepper on a non-stick baking sheet ready to be filled.
 Heat a small amount of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft. Add the chorizo, chopped red pepper and cook for a further 3-5 minutes before adding the rice. 
Make sure to mix all the ingredients in the filling well and then stuff the pepper until it is mounded slightly on the top (it will shrink down a little while cooking). 
Place in a preheated oven at 180 C for 30 minutes. Serve immediately and enjoy while hot.

Strawberry Smoothie

During the summer months I've been really enjoying all the fresh fruit that's now in season. We were given a lot of homegrown strawberries by our neighbor and a smoothie was the perfect way of using up the not so good or overly ripe looking ones. I find that a smoothie is the perfect refreshing drink on a hot summer day, and they're so easy to make.

Serves 1

You will need:

1/2 a banana

handful of strawberries

1/2 cup of almond milk


Method:

Blend all the ingredients in a smoothie maker or using a hand blender. Serve in a glass and enjoy. It's that simple!

I like to put the smoothie into the freezer for a short while to making sure it's nice and cold before drinking.

July Favourites

We've had a heatwave over the past month here in England. It's been super hot but I've not been out much. I'd never tried any kind of fake tan product before but thought I'd give this Garnier Summer Body Moisturising Lotion a try to add a bit of colour to my skin. I really like the colour it gives to my skin as it looks completely natural and slightly tanned.
On my face I've been using the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream everyday as a base. It blends in seamlessly to my skin, and although this is the lightest colour it adds a slight warmth to my skin. To give my face a sun-kissed look I've been using the Rimmel Natural Bronzer in the shade '022 Sun Bronze' on the high points of my face where I would naturally tan.
Sticking with the bronzed theme I've often been reaching for my Maybelline Color Tattoo in 'On and On Bronze' to sweep all over the lid and blended out at the edges. Also, almost everyday of the month, I've been using the Rimmel Scandel Eyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal to line the upper and lower waterlines.

Songs of the Month:

Always make the effort...

I think it's important that we always make the effort in every part of our life. It could be anything; our education, our job, our relationship, our goals. If we always know that we tried, did our best and put effort into everything we do we can never feel guilty about the outcome.
It's not easy to put the effort in all the time, not unless you really want something and are motivated. We feel guilty when we know we could have done better. I feel that way about many things, but I know there's no one to blame but myself.
It also goes that if you're going to do something you should do it well. If you choose to help some one you shouldn't do it half-heartedly, you should show someone that your happy and willing to help. If your working for someone, doing a job, you should be the very best of whatever that role is that you can be. If your in a relationship and you love someone you should never stop showing them that. If you've got a goal to achieve something, it's up to you put the work in to getting to your goal.