Mid Year Resolution

If you regularly read my blog you will know that I have posted very infrequently over the last month or so. I have been quite busy, as since I've been home for the summer holidays I've worked on average five days a week in a hotel restaurant, mainly doing breakfast shifts, which means lots of early starts. Although I am usually a morning person, not having an option to wake up when I want most days has taken it out of me and I feel like I've been zapped of any energy. (I don't want to sound too moan-y because I do enjoy my job and I definitely need the money!)  My general tiredness and mood of the past few weeks has made me completely lose interest in blogging. Because all I've done in the last few weeks is work and exercise (I'm on a bit of a get-fit mission) I haven't really eaten out anywhere interesting and I haven't cooked anything blog-worthy either.

 

I'm currently in Norwich for a few days (this is as exciting as my summer travelling will get) for a bit of a mini-break and I've already eaten at a few really nice places that I just have not been interested in blogging about. I think this is a shame as I used to really enjoy writing posts so I have decided to make a mid year resolution to write at least one blog post a week. Hopefully writing this in a post will mean that I won't break my resolution and it will give me something to look forward to each week. Also it might make me do more than just work and go to the gym if I think I can make plans to go out somewhere I could blog about.

 

I'm determined to keep my promise to myself and to recapture my passion for food and enjoyment of blogging!

 

If you live around or are visiting Norwich then first of all, lucky you! I never realised how lovely Norwich is and there are so many places to eat! I wish I could stay for longer so I could visit more places. Second of all, I thought I would list the places I've visited so far that, although I unfortunately didn't take pictures of,  I recommend.

 

Number 12 Norwich - a pub-type place, that although didn't have the greatest or most stylish interior, was relaxed and served really delicious food. I had the ribs and they were SO GOOD. I don't think I spoke for the whole time when I was eating (a rarity for me) because I was so entranced by the barbecue-y goodness. Also, the service was really excellent.

 

Casa Pato - a Spanish restaurant with a small but incredibly delicious menu. I had the Serrano ham, tomato and olive oil bocadilla (sandwich) which was perfect for lunch time, and lucky for me I got to try some of the meat paella on one of the tapas boards which was really flavoursome and filling. Again, the service was great and they also made perfect coffee (no coffee is as good as Spanish coffee)!

Pandora's Kitchen - a lovely café. We only stopped for a drink but the cakes etc. on show in the window looked very nice. They had a wide variety of teas and yet again, the service was excellent. Everyone in Norwich seems so friendly!

As I'm staying in the city centre, everywhere I visit is close by, and its been lovely to wander through the cobbled lanes checking out the endless amount of cafés and restaurants. I've got a few posts from Norwich which I'll put up over the next week or so that I've planned since making my mid year resolution, but for now I need to get ready to go out to dinner! 

Easy Homemade Lemonade

When its really hot there is nothing more refreshing than real lemonade.

Although you can just buy it, making lemonade is great because you can make it as sweet or as tangy as you like and this method is super easy. You can get the satisfying feeling of making something yourself but without much effort. Its win-win!

I based the method around this recipe but adapted it for my own preferences.

You will need:
5/6 lemons (depending on how big they are)
Between 10-20 tablespoons of caster sugar
Plenty of ice and cold water
A few mint leaves (if available)

Roughly chop up the lemons and throw them in a food processor. There's no need to cut the skin off, just cut the whole lemon into 3 or 4 pieces. Give them a little pulse until they've broken down a bit. Add half a litre of cold water and a few ice cubes and give the mixture another blitz until the lemons are broken into small pieces. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a jug and return the lemon back to the food processor. Add another half a litre of cold water and blitz again. Pour the mixture back through the sieve, making sure all the lemony juice is pushed through.

Top up the jug with another litre of cold water and slowly add sugar, one spoonful at a time, stirring as you go, and add as many spoonfuls of sugar until its sweet enough for your own taste. I like lemonade to be quite tart so only add 10 spoonfuls of sugar. 10 spoonfuls takes the edge off the sharpness of the lemons so if you'd prefer it to be pretty sweet you'd need to add between 15-20 tablespoons of sugar.

Serve in a glass of ice, add a few mint leaves and enjoy in the sun.

The perfect accompaniment for a sunny afternoon in the garden.

The only chocolate brownie recipe you will ever need

Now, I really mean it that once you've made these brownies you will throw out any other recipe you're holding onto. I've been making these for years and they are heavily requested by my family and friends. Easy to make, super chocolatey and insanely gooey - what more could you want from a brownie recipe?

As I said above, I've been making this recipe for years and I have no idea where I got it from. It was originally on a print out from the website I found it and tucked inside a big Mary Berry cookbook until I got this recipe folder for my birthday a couple of years ago. I promptly wrote it into the folder and threw away the print out.

I love this folder, I use it all the time and its from Paperchase (my favourite stationary shop)

Because I no longer have any clue where I found it I can't credit this recipe to anyone and I really wish I could for bringing this wonderful creation into the world. Anyway, on with the recipe!

To make 16 squares you will need:

200g dark chocolate

100g unsalted butter at room temperature

250g caster sugar

4 large eggs (beaten)

1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

60g cocoa powder

60g plain flour

1 square brownie tin (a silicon one is best to use so you can avoid the boring job of greasing and lining a metal tin)

First, preheat your oven to 180°c. Start by breaking up your chocolate and placing it in a heatproof bowl over a gently simmering pan of water. When melted, place to one side to cool slightly.

Next, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy using an electric whisk (or a wooden spoon if you don't mind it taking a long time and being tough work). Make sure the butter is soft and it will make it a lot easier to beat if its cut into cubes.

Slowly add the beaten eggs and beat in until its combined and then mix in the vanilla essence.

Mix in the cooled melted chocolate until its completely combined (and then lick the bowl the chocolate was melted in). Finally, sift in the flour and cocoa powder and carefully fold in until it is combined.

The mixture should be thick and glossy. Pour into your brownie tin and set it on a baking tray to make it easier to get in and out of the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes poke a skewer or the end of a fork to see if its cooked. If the skewer is completely coated in brownie mixture then stick it back in the oven for a few minutes, but if only a bit of gooey mixture comes up with the skewer then its cooked. The top of the brownies should be firm but still quite fudgy. 

Leave to cool in the tin for about half an hour before turning out onto a wire rack to cool for a further 20 minutes. When cool enough you can cut it up and enjoy when still slightly warm!

If you can see the knife in the picture above and the one at the top you will get some sort of idea as to how gooey these brownies are.

 Incredibly rich and enough to satisfy any chocolate craving. The top of the brownies are a bit crunchy so it provides another texture other than just chocolatey goo and they're firm enough not to fall apart or collapse.

Because of how rich and heavy these brownies are I think they're particularly good served as dessert, warmed up and served with vanilla ice cream.

Then again, they're pretty good on their own!

They can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days (if they last that long).

If you're a chocoholic and you refuse to try these then I'm afraid you'll be missing out!

Birthday Celebrations in Cosy Club - Cardiff City Centre

Last week it was my friend's birthday and to celebrate we went into town for some food and drinks. The birthday girl wanted to go to Cosy Club, which is part of the same group as the Lounges (read about the Fino Lounge here). Cosy Club is similar to the Lounges and there are few around the South of the UK in town or city centres and they are open all day, for brunch and coffee to dinner and drinks. Cosy Club Cardiff is located in the St Davids 2 centre and is on the first floor with huge windows looking over The Hayes so is really bright and helps to create a relaxed atmosphere. It has a similar feeling to The Plough - the quality and offering of food and drink and the layout of the restaurant makes Cosy Club a casual yet special place for a birthday meal.

I decided to splash out a bit and order a Raspberry Mojito. As I'm only a poor student I normally can't afford cocktails as they can be pretty pricey, and even though this one wasn't cheap it was definitely worth it.

Mojitos are my favourite cocktail and this one was beautifully made. The addition of raspberries made it even better than a standard mojito and the flavour came through nicely but didn't overpower the lime and mint. Very refreshing on a warm evening.

I wasn't particularly hungry and opted for some tapas. I think the menu has changed since I went last week looking at the website and two of the dishes I had have changed or been taken off the menu.

From left to right: chorizo cooked in red wine; broad bean, pea and mint paté; and honey glazed 5-spice pulled pork. I think its been made more expensive on the new menu but they still offer 3 dishes for cheaper than they would be individually and they are still served with ciabatta. If you're looking for traditional Spanish tapas dishes then this isn't what is on offer at Cosy Club but its still really tasty.

It was all delicious; the chorizo was very flavoursome and the pork was very juicy and tender. I really enjoyed the broad bean, pea and mint paté and I think its a shame that its no longer on the menu. It was fresh and was great spread on the ciabatta.

Three of the other girls also ordered tapas and I tried some of the falafels with cumin and coriander yogurt that my friend ordered.

They were really tasty and well spiced and are still available on the menu so I recommend trying them out.

The rest of the girls all had the falafel burger.

The service was wonderful in Cosy Club and our food came quite quickly after ordering. If you're looking for somewhere a bit more interesting than the standard coffee shop or chain restaurant for lunch or dinner in the city centre, then check out Cosy Club, you won't be disappointed!

A slice of tart and iced coffee in Snails - Rhiwbina, Cardiff

Last week I caught up with a friend in Snails in Rhiwbina, Cardiff. Although I live pretty close to Snails I rarely go there so it was nice going there for a bit of a change. The deli opened in 2006 and is a very popular location for a coffee or lunch in North Cardiff.

It was a very warm and humid day so a cold drink was definitely in order. They have a large selection of cans and bottled drinks on offer, as well as hot drinks and iced coffee. My friend chose a can of sparkling elderflower drink while I went for a caramel iced coffee. We sat in the little garden outside to make the most of the nice weather and it was a lovely little place to enjoy the sun for an hour with a few different pretty tables and chairs to sit on.

I can't say it was the best iced coffee I've had but it was nice and I would have it again next time I go to Snails. I think it was just a bit watery - I prefer iced coffee to be pretty milky. The caramel came through nicely though and it was a good choice for a warm day.

When we were ordering our drinks at the counter we were both a bit peckish and decided to share a piece of lemon tart. Lemon is my favourite flavour to enjoy in the summer and I absolutely love lemon tart.

This lemon tart was delicious. The pastry was light and crisp and the filling was smooth and had a beautiful balance of flavour, with it being very lemony yet sweet enough not to taste sharp. I've made a lemon tart before, a few of years ago now, and this has made me want to make one again soon. 

I recommend heading to Snails if you're looking for somewhere to go for coffee or lunch and make sure to sit outside in the garden (weather permitting) and sample some of the lemon tart if its there. You won't regret it!