Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween Everyone!

Hope you are all having a great day!


Enjoy your weekend. See you soon

Halloween Treats

Halloween Sweets

Each year in the run up to Halloween there are many treats to be had. Many products only get a Halloween theme packaging but others gain a ghoulish twist.

Fiendish Fancies

Below is what I've picked up and enjoyed so far.

Fiendish Fancies. I love these. I buy multiple boxes of these each year as they are only available in October. They have an orange flavour and taste amazing. They are not overly citrus but with the sweet sponge and cream filling, its a great combination. In my opinion the best French Fancies.

Fiendish Fancies

Milky Way Ghost - a hollow white chocolate ghost, too sickly if your not a white chocolate lover.

Smarties Pumpkin - a hallow milk chocolate pumpkin filled with mini smarties. Nice sweet treat.

Zombie guts - sweet laces in lime and cinnamon flavour. If eaten together meant to taste like cola. The cinnamon overpowers these and taints the lime but do make a slight cola taste when combined. 

Zombie Guts

Spider Chocolate - milk chocolate with popping candy. Mine was light on the poppy candy but its sorts a chocolate craving.

Scream Egg - Cream Egg with a green filling. Tastes just like the original one but its a nice change for the season.

Lindt Ghosts

Lindt ghosts - milk chocolate and hazelnut cones. These do not have any hazelnut chunks just a hazelnut taste. Think Nutella in a sold form. These are very nice and Tesco are doing these as 3 for £1.20.

Lindt Ghost

So far the treats are good however there are many more to be had. Check back here soon for some Fall Food Baking.

BBC Good Food Show

This weekend I attended the Good Food Show and it lived up to it's name. I had a great time seeing what everyone had to offer and trying new products. I decided I would pop on here and share what I got and initial thoughts on these.

Interview with Paul Hollywood

Firstly, this year I attended the Super Theater at the show. This is where you can go and see chefs cook and talk about what they do.
I chose the hour with Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry. I am a fan of both from The Great British Bake Off (more for Paul). They have a interesting dynamic together and are funny to see.

Lemon Curd Cake, Little Round Cake Company

My first purchase was a cake from The Little Round Cake Company. It had a nice light sponge but being a lemon curd cake, it lacked lemon flavour. The butter-cream was also a bit too much for me and I have a sweet tooth. Once the cake was finished I did feel a bit sick. However to be fair the cake was nice and I would try more from their range as they had lots on offer.

Seed and Bean Chocolate

My next purchase was chocolate from Seed and Bean. I tried a sample of the SeaSalt and Lime and thought it was soo good I had to buy it. It has the zesty flavour of the lime first then you get the creamy chocolate taste come in after. A combination I didn't think would be good but is. The salt isn't as prevalent as the name may suggest but rather the combining factor. It brings out the flavours and joins them together. 

Steak Pies from Cedar Cottage Country Food

The Cedar Cottage Country Food stall is one I have bought from each time I see it and I haven't been disappointed yet.  They sell great fresh items. I bought their steak pies this time and they were very tasty. They are packed with filling, lovely big chunks of beef with a good thick gravy. The pastry on top is also nice and flaky. If you prefer homemade burgers and pies try them out. If you see their apple and pork burgers, definitely give them a go.

Snowdonia Cheese

Next purchase went to Snowdonia Cheese company. This is a highly repeated purchase for me. Their Amber Mist (whiskey cheese) is divine. My favourite cheese ever. My mum and bestie don't even like whiskey but I have converted them onto this cheese. Snowdonia Cheese to me is great, from the flavours, to texture and price. I won't go on about cheese too much but these are really good (I love cheese, OK I'm done now). The other flavours I got were the Red Devil (chilli cheese) and the Black Bomber (extra mature). Both are very good but the chili certainly gives a kick. I plan to use it in a recipe soon.

Perfick Pork Sausages

Salami and Chorizo

After cheese, came sausage, lots of it. First stop was the Perfick Pork stand where I picked up two packs of 6. Black Pudding & Strawberry Jam and Mediterranean. These when sampled at show were really good. I look forward to trying them at home, freshly cooked.
The next stand was the Continental Cottage, where you got the deal of a bag of 7 for £10. I gave decided to give them ago and even though I have only tried the Chorizo, I'm happy with it. I look forward to trying each of them.

Lastly was the White's stand where they were giving out samples of their Toasted Oats. I tried the Apple and Cinamon there and it wasn't overpowering but would be a nice warming breakfast on a cold day. I decided to buy the other two flavours, Strawberry & Banana (mainly a banana taste) and Wild Fruit crunch (still to try). These are good with milk and would be great with yoghurt.

I also decided to buy their porridge. I was never a porridge fan but with a new obsession with oats and the weather getting cold, I decided to give them a go. Hope they are tasty.

The show this year was a must for any foodie fan. I recommend it and look forward to the next one.

Fall Food - Winter Squash

After the experience of the Onion Squash I knew I needed to try something again. On a recent food shop I found a 'seasonal squash' and had to have it. I'm sure you can see a theme now on anything Halloween or fall related, if not, you will. :)

I decided on a similar filling as last time but wanted a bit more of a kick. I struggle with spice but I love chorizo. When I was at the Good Food Show I managed to pick some up and what a better way to try it out. 

Winter Squash

Just like last time I cut off the top of the squash and took out all the seeds and fibers.

In a frying pan I made a quick tomato sauce. Just canned tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic powder, sugar, salt. black pepper, paprika and a couple bay leaves. I let this cook down for about fifteen minutes until most of the liquid had reduced. I then added in the chorizo for a couple minutes.

Meanwhile, in another pan I had pasta cooking and when it was done, added it to the sauce before stuffing the squash.

I then put it in the oven for 40minutes at 150C, possibly could have done with being at 160C but it's good to practice.

The outcome was good, had a pumpkin seed roll as a side to scoop up some sauce. The squash could have done with being cooked a bit more but it was nice. The squash wasn't too soft and had a natural sweetness however I think I preferred the onion squash.

I would definitely eat it again but I am now going to try and find more types of squash for a taste experiment.

Halloween Krispy Kreme

Halloween box with Bat Mask

Krispy Kreme - Choose your own dozen.

This year I properly discovered the joy of Krispy Kreme.

Before I had only tried the Original Glaze, then after visiting a store and seeing them all on offer, I had to try more. These are very tasty with such a lovely soft dough. When I heard that they do Halloween theme ones I had to try them too.

Halloween Krispy Kreme

Last Monday was day the Halloween ones were first on offer, so my friend and I drove over to a store and picked up a box.

Halloween Krispy Kreme

You get one choice for a Halloween doughnut but it could be one of two flavours. Just like the season you will either get a Trick or a Treat.

The Trick doughnut is filled with a Fizzy Lime creme. This is nice, very zesty. If you are a citrus fan you'll like it.

Halloween Krispy Kreme - Trick

The Treat doughnut is a Chocolate mouse. This is a lovely light chocolate filling. Although very tasty and my favourite of the two, it's not as different as I was hoping for. With these being limited I was hoping for something a little more special. America are getting Ghost Buster doughnuts just now as well as a Pumpkin Cheesecake doughnut. I wish we were. 

Halloween Krisy Kreme - Treat

Hopefully one day the UK will get the same types of doughnuts in our Krispy Kreme but in the mean time we can enjoy these. 

Onion Squash - Fall Food

To get further into the Fall feel I decided to try an Onion Squash.

On reading up on the gourd, it says it is best to have it baked or in a soup. So I decided to have it baked and stuffed. I read some recipes and decided on a format then went my own way with the ingredients. 

First I preheated the oven to 180C (fan) and cooked some rice and made a tomato sauce.

Rice/Mushroom Tomato Sauce

The sauce was very simple, canned tomato, basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt and black pepper. I also added some sugar and tomato puree. Usually I let it reduce and cook it slowly but since I knew it was going in the oven I put it all together and let it combine. I also like to make more than I need as then I can have it over pasta the next day.

De-seeded Onion Squash

Once the rice was nearly cooked, I chopped up some mushrooms and added them to my sauce, continued cooking until the rice was done and then mixed the rice and sauce.

For the Onion Squash, it had a quick rinse and then the top was cut off and it was hollowed out.

I placed a bit of cheddar at the bottom of the squash and then stuffed with the rice/sauce. The squash  overflowed but can you have too much filling?

Onion Squash - Pre-Oven

I replaced the top of the squash and then popped it in the oven for 40minutes.

The squash could have done with being cooked at a lower temperature maybe 160C for 45-50mins but it was good none the less.

Onion Squash - Post Oven

The squash itself was cooked well and was nice and tender. The filling was nothing fancy but it went well with the squash.

Onion Squash - Before

Onion Squash - After

Overall it was tasty as my first fall meal. It needs some tweaks but I'm sure I'll practice before the month is over.

Would you try a Baked/Stuffed Onion Squash?

Halloween Sweets

It has finally happened, the Halloween Treats have arrived.

I will mention the below are not the first Halloween Treats I've had this season. The first was Mr Kipling Fiendish Fancies but with me being completely obsessed with these there has been no time for pictures, only eating.

Today I was well behaved and managed to refrain myself long enough for a couple pics.

We have a Smarties Pumpkin and Milkybar Ghost.

The pumpkin is a thin milk chocolate with mini smarties and the ghost is a hollow white chocolate ghost.

I preferred the pumpkin as the ghost was just a bit too sickly for me but if you love white chocolate it'll be fine. Both available in Tesco just now for 2 for £1.20.

I'll get a couple more pumpkins before the month is up and will post more Halloween Shops soon.

Lastest Baking - Cupcake Structure Issue

Apple Strudel Cupcake - Good Structure

Baking can be a tricky issue where measurements, temperature and timing are completely vital in the outcome.

Cooking is much more relaxed, where you add a bit of this and a bit of that, taste along the way and get a lovely outcome.

Baking, not so much.

Carrot Cake Cupcake - Poor Structure

What I am focusing on just now is the temperature of butter due to failed cupcakes.

A flaw of mine is being impatient, so when I want to bake I have at times not let the butter get to room temperature and then wonder why my cupcakes are a mess.

Apple Strudel Cupcake - Good Structure

Looking into this, for reasons why, I discover that room temperature not only makes creaming the butter and sugar together easier. It is also important in relation to the structure of the cupcake.

Carrot Cake Cupcake - Poor Structure

Think of the sugar and butter as your cake building block. The creamed butter and sugar are your cement the better the cement the better the structure. The better your creamed sugar and butter, the better the cake structure.

So be patient or prepared and make sure the butter is room temperature before you start baking.

I look forward to creating better cupcakes now and hope this helps anyone who may have had the same problem.

Happy First of October

Hello

This is just a quick hello to say "Woo it's October!"

As you can tell by the name of this blog I love this time of year. October is my favourite month and Halloween is my favourite holiday.

To start this month off I just wanted to say that the toffee apples are out.

You can get Toffee apples and Chocolate apples just now in Morrisons for 59p or two for £1.

Happy October!

The Raven

 


The Raven has been open for a couple months now and knowing it was a smokehouse I was very much looking forward to it.


I was sadly disappointed with the food.


We started with the nachos to share. These weren't bad, much bigger than you'll be used to. These nachos are noticably handmade, cut up totrilla wraps. Served with sour cream, salsa and guacamole they weren't bad but could have done with some more cheese.

Nachos

Side of Spicy Fries

For the mains, my friend had the half pulled pork and half ribs platter. The ribs were ok, put not as pull off the bone as you'd like and the pulled pork was overly sweet. With the pork here being served without a bun and that sweet not many people are going to finish all of it.

Pulled Pork & Rib Platter

The main I decided on was the three sliders. Chicken, pulled pork and beef. The pulled pork though too sweet was fine since  i got it on a bun and a crunch of lettuce. The chicken had been cooked too long and had crunch when you don't want crunch. Lastly was the beef slider, which I think had been forgotten about on the grill. One bite and it was like eating charcoal. 

Sliders

 We went for a pudding as I do love a dessert. I had the pecan pie, which smelt amazing but wasn't for me. My friend had the banana split, which had quite an artificial taste to the ice cream.

As you can see, I didn't enjoy the food and my friend was also disappointed. I wouldn't go back for food but the place is nice and relaxed and the service is good. Go in for a drink and a chill and somewhere else for dinner.