PIMPED UP YOUR BREAKFAST

prep time: 30 seconds.

cooking time: 25 seconds!

ingredients: decent quality bar of milk chocolate, cheap supermarket bought croissants

Method:
1. fragment chocolate into small pieces. Taking care to eat some whilst your do this. 2. using a sharp knife, stab holes in the croissants and insert fragments of chocolate 3. eat another square of chocolate. Go on, you deserve it...
4. ...and another square of chocy
5. place croissants newly impregnated with chocolate on a baking tray for 5 mins at gas temp. 160 degrees/Or microwave for 25 seconds on full power
6. if microwaving, eat optional second bar of chocolate - after all, 25 seconds is a long time to wait when hungry
7. serve best and most delicious croissants ever.

Grape Cake

10 oz small red seedless grapes
2 oz butter (melted)
5 oz sugar
2 eggs
4 oz olive oil
6 oz milk
10 oz self raising flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
½ teaspoon salt
a squeeze of lemon

In a plastic jug put two dessertspoons of butter and melt them quickly in the microwave. Then add four dessertspoons of olive oil, six dessertspoons of milk, a splash of vanilla essence and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Put ten dessertspoons of white sugar in a mixing bowl and add two eggs. The eggs always work better at room temperature. Whisk them until they are thick and creamy and pale lemon colour. This is about two minutes with an electric whisk.

Now pour your melted butter, oil, vanilla essence and lemon onto the whisked eggs and sugar and whisk again briefly.

Take twenty dessertspoons of self raising flour, half a dessertspoon of baking powder and a good pinch of salt.

Fold the dry ingredients into your wet ingredients, then back in with the electric whisk and whisk until you have a smooth thick batter.

Take three handfuls of red grapes. Add two handfuls to the batter mixture and slowly fold them in until they are well covered in mixture.

Pour the mixture into a greased 8 inch cake tin and put in the middle of a medium oven around 150˚.

After five minutes scatter the remaining grapes over the top of the top of the cake. Return to the oven for another 35 minutes.

You may need to cover the cake with foil for the last ten minutes so the grapes don’t burn but the centre has time to set. Test with a knife, if when inserted it comes out clean the cake is cooked through.

Whilst still hot I scatter the top with brown sugar, some of which melts to form a glaze and some of which stays nice and crunchy for texture.

Recipe: Chocolate biscuit cake

200g Cadburys bournville chocolate melted
200g rich tea finger biscuits crushed
200g melted butter
2 tbsp light brown sugar
Chopped glacé cherries
Raisins
Teaspoon vanilla essence
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together, pour into a cake tin,cover with cling film and leave in fridge overnight to set.

Carrot cake with orange cream

Ingredients:

2 cups plain flour
1,5 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
4 eggs
3/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups brown sugar
salt
400g grated carrot
100g sliced almond
1 tsp ginger

Cream:
250 g mascarpone
1 cup icing sugar
the shell of an orange
70g soft butter
vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 180C. Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, pour in the oil and add the eggs then use an electric beater. When creamy and done, add the grated carrot and the sliced almond. Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and spices in another bowl, then add it to the mixture. Pour the mixture into a round cake pan and bake for an hour but make sure to check if it's ready.
While the mixture is in the oven, mix up all the ingredients for the orange cream.
When the cake is ready and is cooled, decorate the top of the cake with the cream. And you can also cut the cake in half and put some cream in the middle as well.

Shakshuka - A different and delicious way of eating eggs. Serve to a group in a large dish with fresh bread to dip in.

Method: fry the seeds, spices, onions and peppers in a frying pan - add tomatoes and simmer to make a passata style consistency. Break in the egss and bake - simple!

Ingredients:
cumin seeds ½ tsp
light olive oil or vegetable oil 180ml
large onions 2, sliced
red and yellow peppers 2 of each, cut into 2cm strips
muscovado sugar 4 tsp
bay leaves 2
thyme sprigs, leaves picked and chopped 6
chopped parsley 2 tbsp
chopped coriander 2 tbsp, plus extra to garnish
ripe tomatoes 6, roughly chopped
saffron threads ½ tsp

cayenne pepper a pinch
water up to 250ml
free-range eggs 8
salt and black pepper

Raw Asian Slaw

This is a wonderfully fresh, aromatic and spicy salad that takes advantage of local summer veggies and provide oh-so-needed hearty fibre to help things move along. It is suitable for all diets (e.g. gluten-free, vegan, raw). Friends have even used this slaw as an exotic topper for their summer burgers.

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the dressing:
1 cup of water
50 grams of untoasted cashews
1 tsp of sesame oil
1 tsp of tamari (or soy sauce, if you're not gluten-intolerant)
1/2 fresh red chilli

For the salad:

1 Courgette
1 Carrot
100 grams of red cabbage
100 grams of bean sprouts
2 stalks of spring onion
1 bunch of coriander
2 tbsp of sesame seeds

Dressing:

Soak the cashews in water for a minimum of 2 hours but overnight is preferable. Drain the cashews and place in a blender. Add the sesame oil, tamari, and fresh red chilli to the blender. Blend. Periodically stop the blender and add water until you reach the desired smooth consistency (akin to thick smooth peanut butter). Adjust the dressing to your preferences (e.g. if you want a saltier dressing, add more tamari etc). Put aside the dressing.

Salad:

Thinly juilliene the courgette, carrot, red cabbage, and spring onion. Place in a large serving bowl and top with the bean sprouts and chopped coriander. Incorporate the dressing into the salad. Top with the sesame seeds.

To make 10 (rather large) cookies you will need:

200g butter
300g caster sugar
1 large egg
275g self-raising flour
75g cocoa powder
A little dash of milk
A large bar of white, milk and dark chocolate

set your oven to 200 degrees celsius

whizz together your butter and sugar until it's a smooth consistency

need to crack in your egg

Then just put in all your dry ingredients

Now for the best part, the chocolate!

Just break up all the chocolate and throw it into your bowl!

line 2 trays with baking paper or foil and then prepare to get messy! Use your hands to separate the mixture into 10 blobs

pop in the oven for 11 minutes then leave them to cool for about 30 minute

Best Ever Guacamole

3 ripe avocados
1 tomato, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1/4 cup coriander, chopped
juice of 1 lime
sea salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all together and serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Puppy Chow Bars
INGREDIENTS
4 cups chex cereal
2 oz butter
10 oz marshmallows (the regular bigger ones)
200g chocolate bar
¾ cup peanut butter

In a large bowl melt together the marshmallows, chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter. Microwave power for 2 min. at a time, stirring in between. Stir in chex cereal once melted. Press into a 8x8 inch baking dish. Press well, so they stick together as a bar. Sift powdered sugar over the top. Let cool completely before serving. Store in the fridge for firm bars, room temperature for softer bars.

For the brave - Asian Jumping Salad...

Ingredients:

- live fresh water shrimp
- kalamansi juice
- tomato, chopped (optional)
- onion, chopped (optional)
- ginger, cut into thin strips (optional)
- salt

Method:

Wash fresh water shrimp and drain. Put fresh water shrimp in a deep bowl. Toss in all other ingredients in the bowl. Quantity of as per ones taste and preference. Cover the bowl with a glass lid to prevent shrimp from jumping all over the place. Serve immediately while the shrimp are still alive...

Roasted butternut squash with pomegranate and feta

1 butternut squash
Local honey
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Parsley
Mint
1 Pomegranate
1 pack of feta

Method

Peel your butternut squash and cut into small cubes about 10cms then coat with olive oil, salt and lots of black pepper. bake in an oven at 180 for about 30 minutes. After 20 minutes take out of the oven and pour over local honey. This makes the butternut squash golden.

Remove from oven and chop up all the herbs and mix well. Then scatter the pomegranate seeds and throw on the feta. Finish with more fresh mint leaves and then you have the most amazing salad. The colours make it look even more fantastic!

My favourite brownie recipe is goo.gl/JrBi2 it's seriously good!! I love making them.

* 300ml fresh lime juice (about 9 limes)

* 300ml water * a handful of fresh mint leaves

* 100g sugar

* 2 tbsp light rum (optional)

1. Pour the lime juice and water into a jug and leave for 5 minutes.

2. Add the mint, sugar and rum.

3. Blend all of the ingredients until thoroughly mixed.

4. Pour into the lolly mould and leave to freeze.

(not really) Corned Beef Hash

Do note that unless specified, the amounts of ingredients are to your personal taste

1 tin corned beef, cubed
Potatoes, cubed and parboiled
1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bag salad leaves (preferably something like rocket)
Worcestershire sauce
Soy sauce (optional)
Oregano (dried)
Chilli flakes (optional)
1 large onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, chopped (reduce if you don't like garlic)
Salt & pepper to taste

Heat a large skillet and add cooking oil - a neutral oil is probably the best, such as groundnut oil. Add the onions and the garlic and cook on a low heat until they start to caramelise.

Add the parboiled potatoes and wait until they have cooked a little further. Add the oregano, chilli flakes, Worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce and then add the cubed corned beef, and keep stirring - the corned beef will start to disintegrate.

Add the cherry tomatoes and continue to cook until their skins have started to wrinkle. If the mixture seems too dry then add some water or beef stock.

Finally, add the salad leaves and wait until they wilt. Season to taste.

Swineapple

INGREDIENTS
boneless country style ribs
1 pineapple
1 pound thick cut bacon
creole seasoning
Season salt

METHOD
Hollowed out pineapple then cut off skin. Stuffed with boneless country style ribs rubbed with homemade seasoning and wrapped in thick cut bacon and sprinkled with a light creole seasoning.
Bake in over at 120 c. average for 5 hours
Last hour Baste with bbq sauce