Chipotle Chili Chicken Burritos

Chipotle chili on the bottom, fresh jalapeno on the top

Okay, the blog has been leaning a little to the sweet-toothed side this last month, so I think this is the perfect time to post one of my favourite recipes of the last year.

My life has been transformed! And it’s all because of a roasted, dried, smoky chilli. For so long I have seen these in recipes and just subbed in a jalapeno because I didn’t know any better OR where to find the damn things. I was wrong. SO WRONG. I should have made it my life’s mission to find one of these suckers as quickly as my feet would take me.

And where did I come upon these little morsels of spice and flavour?  I picked up my chipotle chilis at my teeny local Tescos! High five for high-street grocery shops. So, there is no excuse.

Burritos are fast becoming my favourite food ever, and I order them whenever possible. Zapatista’s in Newcastle is my kind of fast-food. Forget a burger and ketchup, I want the burrito and guacamole. I thought I should have a go at making my own, and OH HEAVENLY FATHER they came out amazingly.

You need these in your life. You don’t know it yet. But you do.

Chocolate Coconut Icelollies

Okay, so it has been really hot in the UK these past few days, so I bought an ice-lolly mould. Don’t judge me, I needed it. It was warm! It is still warm! I'm not built for this kind of heat when I'm not on holidays.

Remember Mini Milks? They were my favourite lollies as a child (and now.. cough). These are pretty much the (simple!) homemade, coconut version of the chocolate one.

Well, why are you still reading? Go, make haste and get making these bad boys, before we all melt!

Chessboard Cake

OMG SO IMPRESSIVE.

Is what your friends will be saying about this kickass cake. Now, mine never turns out *quite* how it is supposed to, but c’est la vie. It is meant to be a well demarcated "chessboard" pattern inside when cut, but mine never looks like that. However, it looks cool and tastes amazing, I call it ‘lava lamp’ cake and everyone is happy.

..And it relatively simple to make, all you need is a couple of cake tins, some piping bags and the will to impress.

I had a teensy bit of cake batter left over which I would PERISH before throwing out, so I also piped a few cupcakes.

I would hope that this blog conveys the real way that I cook (ie: occasionally by the seat of my pants!). I don’t always have everything to hand, I improvise, there's flour everywhere, I photograph on auto and then I share and EAT.

The war/prep-zone

Peanut Butter Hummus

Hello Nigella fans!

I’m not going to lie to you, when I first read the name of this recipe I felt it was akin to using meat from a jar, or deep-frying a Mars Bar. Maybe something other people did, but not in my kitchen.

Strike me down for my folly!

I love hummus and could live on it. Easily, live on it all day. My main issue with making my own is that I can’t seem to source tahini paste. Not to be foiled, I have made my own tahini paste before, but that didn’t turn out amazingly and left a grainy texture to the hummus.

So, I turn to alternatives. If you think about it tahini paste (sesame seeds and oil) isn’t too far from peanut butter. I write that confident in the knowledge that my home economics teacher isn’t reading.

I love the texture of this; light without being frothy, and chunky without being gritty. I whipped this bad boy up 30 minutes before a picnic, and it went down a storm with the boyfriend! A fridge staple from now on, perfect for lunches served with tortilla wraps or crisps, or chopped veg (hah!).

Of course, you can buy chickpeas dried and soak them overnight, but I rarely have the foresight, and the canned stuff tastes grand to me!

Strawberry Icecream

All hail the strawberry!! So versatile. Of course they are perfect in a bowl with a sprinkle of sugar or cream, but if you’re willing to put a bit more effort in then you can create this sumptuous ice-cream. I'm currently on my jolly holidays in Bournemouth:

..and this icecream reminds me of the creamy deliciousness you can get on the pier.

My mother, who knows me very well, got me Nigella’s summer cookbook, and it is full of delicious light sweets and savouries. Of course, I flicked right to the ice-cream section. I’m only human.

It does take a bit of effort, making your custard-base (the only way to do ice-cream) and prepping the strawbs, then letting it cool, then churning in the good old ice-cream maker, then freezing. But I can’t think of a better way to spend my day, especially when the outcome is food perfection.

Chocolate Orange Brownies

Of all the food I bring into work (and I'm a feeder, so it's a lot), this is the one thing that people have requested (okay, begged) that I make again and again.

I do love a brownie, I’ve already done the classic and the mint, and when I had some leftover oranges, it seemed obvious to stick them in a brownie. That is how my brain works, don’t judge me.

Squidgy, dense, rich and sweet, studded with chocolate pieces – everything I want in a sweet morsel!

Garlic Pizza Bread with EVERYTHING

When you say "garlic pizza, with everything," this is what you end up with.

I normally make this at the same time as I make my Neapolitan pizza, because I always end up with tons of dough. Because "portion control" is just a fantasy phrase to me, like "getting up early to go to the gym." Who even knows what that means? Crazy.

I really really like pesto on my pizza. I like it on anything. Everything. But it works well on pizza and especially on garlic pizza bread.