Showing posts with label breakfast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breakfast. Show all posts

Monday, 22 June 2015

make the most of seasonal fruits


Day 22 of my '90 days of summer 2015' posts; make the most of seasonal fruits. Don't strawberries just taste utterly heavenly at this time of the year? Delicious on their own, with cream or yoghurt. Our fridge is always full of berries; I put them on my breakfast, have them as a snack or as a dessert after a meal. 

How do you eat yours?



breakfast outdoors

Day 21 of my '90 days of summer 2015' posts; breakfast outdoors. This is definitely one of my summer loves. I love eating breakfast outdoors and taking the time to relax and enjoy every minute. I think this is such a great start to the day and I wish I could start everyday like this, but unfortunately the weather lets us down on a regular basis.

Coffee, croissants and jam; what could be better!


Monday, 1 June 2015

strawberry and blueberry smoothie

Day 1 of my '90 days of summer' posts; a delicious summer smoothie. It is a refreshing mix of milk, strawberries, blueberries and low-fat vanilla yogurt. A great way to start a summer's day!

It will be quite a challenge to post every day with something fun to do in summer, but it will certainly make sure I make the most of the better weather and longer days. 

Have a great day, lovelies.

Monday, 20 April 2015

a perfect way to start the day



As a lot of you know, or if you follow me on Instagram, one of my favourite parts of the week are my weekend breakfasts. It feels so good to be able to eat outside in the garden again. I'm sure food tastes better when eating alfresco! Croissants, fruit, smoothies and coffee! What more could a girl want!

My last post was all about choosing the right cafetiere and I'm really pleased to say we have found the perfect one. We chose the Bodum Chambord and we are so glad we did. It pours perfectly, no drips and spills, which makes it perfect for breakfast in bed. I definitely recommend it. I happened to be shopping in TK Maxx and I spotted it at the bargain price of £19 instead of the Amazon price of £44! Although, I still drool over the copper plated version of this one but it's quite a bit more expensive!

A good, hearty breakfast is always needed when a girl is busy looking for wedding dresses! It's exciting times ahead for us as we plan our summer wedding. This dress business is trickier than I thought!

Have a great week lovelies!



Monday, 13 April 2015

top ten cafetieres

If someone were to ask me what one of my favourite household items was, I would say without a doubt, my cafetiere. I use it everyday for my morning coffee. Until recently, I had two reliable ones and a cheaper back up (which doesn't pour very well.) But, in the space of a few days, I ended up dropping them both in the ceramic sink! 

So, I have been on the look out for a good quality, non drip cafetiere that gets all the coffee in the cup. These are a round up of ten of the best to suit most budgets that I could find. Have you got a favourite make of cafetiere? 

This is an amazing bargain from bpsalesdirect on Ebay right now. Not only is it incredibly cheap, but there is a fantastic range of colours to match anything in your kitchen.

A great value basic cafetiere, from M&S, for the price of the replacement glass for many others.

Very similar to M&S cafetiere, I love the colour of this one from Sabichi.



To celebrate their 70th anniversary, the Danish company Bodum have produced these unbelievably priced, funky coloured versions of their famous French press. The only drawback is that the colour combination you receive is random when you order. But hey, we all love a surprise.


Amazing value, this stylish cafetiere from Tesco has a
 double wall to keep the coffee warm for longer. A real bargain and no broken glass in the ceramic sink!


Another stylish, stainless and great value cafetiere. Made by ProCook, it is so pretty and sleek that I just want to stroke it. Again, the double wall means that you can take longer drinking your coffee.


This design by Sophie Conran, sold by John Lewis, is one of my favourites. Definitely one to whip out at a dinner party.

This is the one I really love. It is the Chambord, but with a shiny copper finish. I think it must be a limited edition because I could only find it on Amazon.

This modern, shiny stainless Bodum is an update, introduced a few years ago, on the traditional Chambord. It only pours when you press the lever, making it great if you enjoy breakfast in bed. It can be found on Amazon.

Finally, some real class! How gorgeous is this Guzzini stove top percolator at Red Candy. It is definitely the top end of the market, but I love it. It really makes a statement.

Which one do you like best?


Friday, 11 April 2014

figs in honey with yoghurt - a perfect breakfast


I am loving the fruit and veg that is coming into the shops right now. Just in time for the warmer spring weather and for thoughts of fresh and varied food after all the comfort eating of the winter.

Not long ago, I discovered the delights of a Turkish owned continental supermarket, which is full to the rafters of the most unusual and varied produce from all parts of the world. I spend ages in there, just looking, fascinated by it all. And don't get me started on the pastry section!

Whilst I was there I bought some figs, which are a lovely reminder of holidays in Greece, where we picked them off the roadside bushes to have on yoghurt for breakfast. With that in mind, I thought I would try something a little different with them. I wanted to make a delicious breakfast to eat outside in the long awaited morning sun; a little taste of Greece.

I poured three or four tablespoons of honey in a small frying pan and heated it gently. I halved the unpeeled figs, placed them face down in the honey and cooked them for five minutes or so. Whilst they were cooking, I lightly toasted a handful of walnut pieces. To finish, I flipped the figs over for a minute or so, to cook the outsides.

All that was left was to fill a bowl with delicious Greek yoghurt, lay on the figs and drizzle over the honey from the pan, which by now looks and tastes divine. The walnuts, sprinkled on the top of all this lusciousness, add a lovely texture. Perfect for an alfresco breakfast!



Have a great weekend!

Friday, 27 December 2013

a homemade, healthy muesli

I woke up this morning feeling slightly worse for wear, having eaten far too much over the last couple of days! I needed to eat something a little lighter for breakfast so I tucked into this delicious muesli. I made it a couple of days ago and it is full of Christmas flavours. It's so easy and quick to make and it tastes yummy!

Ingredients
400g porridge oats
75g unsweetened dessicated coconut
100g skinned hazlenuts
100g skinned Brazil nuts, roughly chopped
100g soft light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon or mixed spice
1 tsp ginger
180ml water
120ml groundnut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
75g pitted dates, roughly chopped
75g dried apricots, roughly chopped
75g dried cranberries
50g crystallised ginger, finely chopped 

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas Mark 3. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir well.
2. Whisk the water, oil, vanilla and salt together and then stir in the dry ingredients.
3. Spread the mixture out in two, large shallow roasting trays. Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring and swapping the trays occasionally, until the muesli is golden and crisp, checking frequently towards the end. Leave to cool.
4. Stir in the dried fruit and crystallised ginger. Store in an airtight container.
Makes about 1.3kg

It makes such a lovely breakfast. I had mine with milk but I'm sure it will taste great with Greek yoghurt too. 

Enjoy! I hope you have all enjoyed a very Merry Christmas!

Recipe taken from 'Christmas with Gordon'.


Monday, 7 October 2013

how to make the best eggs benedict

We needed an early start on Sunday morning, to do everything we had to do, so Steve decided we could make the most of the Indian summer and have breakfast outside. We are trying to get outside in the garden as often as the weather allows us.

I'm afraid I can't take credit for making this, as Steve is by far the best eggs benedict maker in our house. I have never tasted ones better than Steve's recipe; creamy, smooth and divine!!!!

It's a bit of a fiddle, but the more you do it the easier it becomes. It is my favourite breakfast or brunch by far, and it tastes even better when someone else makes it for you.

Hollandaise sauce
Ingredients
500ml of white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of peppercorns
a bunch of tarragon
125ml of melted butter that you then skim
a small squeeze of lemon juice

1) Add the vinegar, tarragon and peppercorns to a pan and boil, reducing it by half. Strain the reduction and keep it in a jar for use later.
2) Boil a large pan of water. Add the egg yolks and 2 teaspoons of the vinegar reduction to a bowl that will fit over the pan, and use a balloon whisk to beat.
3) Keep heating a little over the pan of water then removing to whisk, to prevent the sauce getting too hot. Scrape the sauce off the sides before you heat each time.
4) Whisk in the butter, a spoon at a time heating a little afterwards. Repeat until all the butter is added. The sauce should be a thick, mayo-like consistency.
5) Finally, whisk in the lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Poached eggs
Ingredients 
3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
4 large free range eggs
2 muffins (I used toasting muffins but I also use oven bottom muffins)
4 slices of Serrano ham (Parma or Torchon ham are tasty in this, too)

The secret to great poached eggs is using a large pan of water and stirring it quickly to make a vortex. The egg slides into the centre from a bowl, and it forms a tight shape.

1) Boil a large saucepan of water and add the vinegar.
2) Whilst that boils, crack the eggs into separate small dishes or cups and warm two plates.
3) Cut the muffins in two halves and toast them.
4) Swirl the water as described and poach the eggs, one at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, removing them with a slotted spoon onto a warm plate.
5) Spoon a little of the sauce on each muffin half, and curl on a slice of ham.
6) Carefully lay an egg on each and spoon on the hollandaise sauce.
7) Serve immediately and enjoy.

Friday, 16 August 2013

my healthy banana split

'A healthy banana split?' I hear you say! As I have slightly over indulged whilst on holiday, I thought I would try a healthier version of a banana split. It's something I have never made before, so I put it on my August bucket list as one of my things to do for this month.

I have to say I was really impressed with the results. It was delicious and I didn't feel I was missing out! It can be eaten for breakfast or as a dessert. I ate it as an afternoon snack in the garden.

This is the recipe in case you fancy making it.

1 banana
strawberries
blueberries
raspberries
low fat Greek yoghurt
sugar, to sweeten (if needed)

Blend some of the strawberries and blueberries into a puree, leaving some aside for decoration.
Add a little sugar to sweeten if necessary and blend again.
Cut the banana in half and place on a plate.
Spread the puree over the banana.
Then spread over the Greek yoghurt.
Place the remaining berries over the top for decoration.

If you have any puree left over, it's great to have on porridge, yoghurt or fruit.

Voila! Enjoy all the gorgeous flavours without the naughty calories.

Sunday, 20 January 2013

how to make perfect porridge

This is one of my favourite ways to start the day. A good bowlful of yummy porridge (sooo healthy too). I wanted to share the recipe with you as it is very quick and easy to do and is so filling.

You will need:
50g porridge oats
350ml milk or water, or like I do and have a mix of the two.
Greek yoghurt, thinned with a little milk
Clear honey to serve

Place the porridge oats into a pan, stir in the milk/water and a sprinkling of salt.
Bring to the boil, and simmer for four to five minutes.
To serve, put in the yoghurt and drizzle with the honey.

Voila, perfect porridge.