Yacht Cake

We were asked to make a birthday cake for a friend's 30th birthday a few weeks ago.

He likes sailing so we decided to make a yacht cake...

I was quite impressed with the final piece :)

Magic Mango Mess

Ingredients:

1-2 fresh mangoes

300ml whipped cream

100g meringues

50g white sugar

Method:

1. Peel & destone the mangoes and cut the flesh into centimetre squared pieces.
2. Whip the cream.
3. Crush the meringues.
4. Gently fold the sugar, crushed meringues and chopped mangoes into the whipped cream.

ENJOY on a summer's day as a lovely fresh dessert!!!

Adventures in . . . Fife

My husband and I went to Fife for a few days over our wedding anniversary, to stay with some of my friends who I did my gap year to Brasil with (they have featured in a few previous posts too: Old Adventures . . . Climbing Maraguape & Old Adventures . . . in Brazil)

It was a great few days and we were sad that Alison was unable to make it but perhaps another year?!

Here are some of the highlights...

...at St Andrews...

Us with the Brazilian flag at St Andrews

Chariots of Fire beach at St Andrews

St Andrew's golf course

...the view from our room...

Beach :)

...crossing the Forth Road Bridge (may be for the last time as they're building another bridge)...

Forth Road Bridge map

The blurry railway bridge from the road bridge

The road bridge

Leek and Bacon Pie

Ingredients:

Ready-made Puff Pastry (shop bought or have a go at making your own using the FOODY FRIDAY: Puff Pastry blog page recipe)

Finished pie

250g bacon

4 leeks

75g butter

2 tbsp plain flour

400ml milk

sprinkling of nutmeg

large handful of grated cheese

Method:

Add cheese, bacon & leeks to
the white sauce

1. Preheat oven to Gas 5 or 180C.
2. Roll the puff pastry into the shape required and about 0.5cm thick.
3. Place the bacon into a pan and fry for about 5 mins, then add the leeks to saute for another 5 minutes.
4. Make the cheese sauce: melt the butter gently in a pan and mix in the flour to make a paste. Add the milk, nutmeg and black pepper and turn the heat up to medium, constantly stirring.
5. Eventually the white sauce will begin to thicken, when it has reached its required consistency mix the leeks and bacon with the grated cheese and white sauce in the pie dish (I used a large round Pyrex bowl as I did not have a pie dish.
6. Place the pastry round on top of the dish and filling.
7. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.

Adventures at . . . Chester Zoo with the Otters, Meerkats, Giraffe, Camels, Zebra & Rhino

A good friend of ours celebrated his 30th birthday a few weeks ago and when asked what he wanted to do to celebrate, he said he wanted to go to the Zoo.

We waited for a lovely sunny day and off we went all packed into the car for a day out at the zoo. When we arrived this is what we found...

A giant otter

A tall Giraffe

A Scruffy Camel

An elegant Zebra

A blurry Rhino

A posing Meerkat

A mummy & baby Meerkat

Playing Meerkats

Kiwi & Apple Smoothie

I love the colour of this smoothie, it looks sooo green and full of vitamins :)

Ingredients:

4 kiwis

1 banana

splash of apple juice

1 tbsp honey

Method:

1. Chop the banana & kiwis into small pieces.
2. Put the chopped fruit, apple juice & honey into the blender.
3. Blend and serve as a nice refreshing drink.

Adventures at . . . Chester Zoo with the Birds and Fishes

A good friend of ours celebrated his 30th birthday a few weeks ago and when asked what he wanted to do to celebrate, he said he wanted to go to the Zoo.

We waited for a lovely sunny day and off we went all packed into the car for a day out at the zoo. When we arrived this is what we found...

Penguins

Flamigos

Colourful fishes 

Seahorses

Unusual looking fishes

Turtles

Pretty flowers

Easy Puff Pastry

Finished pie made with homemade puff pastry

Ingredients:

125g plain flour

140g butter

1/4 tsp salt

60ml cold water

Method:

1. Place the plain flour & salt into a mixing bowl.
2. Cut up the butter into small pieces and add to the flour.
3. Rub the butter in gently until the pieces of butter are no larger than the size of peas (do not totally rub in, make sure still lumps of butter in it).
4. Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon until it forms a ball of dough.
5. Sprinkle flour on the work surface and roll out into a long rectangle.
6. Fold a third of the rectangle in over the middle third of the pastry and then fold over the final third on top of the other 2 thirds.
7. Lift the square of folded pastry turn 90 degrees. Roll out again in long rectangle and repeat step 5-7 several times.
8. Place the folded square of pastry into a bowl and cover with clingfilm.
9. Place in fridge to rest for an hour.
10. After an hour roll out the pastry into the desired shape for whatever you're making.
11. Bake at Gas Mark 7 or 220C unless otherwise it says different in a recipe you're using depending what you're using the puff pastry for.

Adventures at . . . Chester Zoo with the Elephants, Monkeys & Lions

A good friend of ours celebrated his 30th birthday a few weeks ago and when asked what he wanted to do to celebrate, he said he wanted to go to the Zoo.

We waited for a lovely sunny day and off we went all packed into the car for a day out at the zoo. When we arrived this is what we found...

Elephant with it's babies

Elephants

A cheeky looking Monkey

I shall pose for the camera!

Sunbathing leopards

Lions enjoying a bit of shade

Can't remember what these were but they looked cute!