Food Cloning...

I recently discovered (via a mate) a series of books by supremo FOOD CLONER; Todd Wilbur. The bloke basically gets into the nitty gritty details of what makes a TGI Friday burger rock, and what makes The Cheesecake Factory white chocolate cheesecake taste so good... and then he creates a clone recipe for Jo Public to recreate in their own kitchens.


It is a stroke of brilliance (albeit US restaurant recipes) and although there can be niggling issues with laying your British Hands on some of the ingredients... but it is still worth a nosey, and even adding to that ever growing Christmas Wish List (start early to give the poor boys a chance ;)

SPOTTED: Today I was at a trade event, and got to drool over the delicious Lucy Cromwell designs (from Hallmark) which you can sneak a limited peak at HERE. They are this stunning soft (yet vivid) watercolour type images... just delightfully classic, like a modern traditional touch of chic. I also spotted Lily of the Valley & Jolly Nation (decoupage lines for those non-UK'ers) exhibiting - so lots of cross overs! One of my fav booths was BORN TO SHOP! How many of us adore their sassy phrases, and have fridge magnets aplenty reminding us that "Kids get colds, Men get Flu, and Women just get on with it..."

Off to polish my shoes, I have visitors from the US coming tomorrow and I need to be looking dapper ;)
Becks xxx

....delicious!

I tell you... nothing beats Sundays! A friend of mine owns CAKELATIER... and she makes THE BEST cakes... and cupcakes! She asked me to play with some of her pics (as she also gets her artwork published... and she wants the pics to be a little different - all hail photoshop actions!!)

Anyways, in return I get to gorge on chocolate-surprise cupcakes (she brought some sample testers... and DH & I had to *guess* what the surprise was... and it was a centre of choc-chip cookie dough!!!) Anyone who knows me... knows that I am now officially in Sunday Heaven and off to scoff my sabbath spoils ;)

xxxx

Kits N Cake...

I am a BAD person... I eat Chocolate cake for breakfast. It is *not* helped when I eat healthily and then pop to a friends who then presents me with a taste of her NEW chocolate cake discovery... the Chocolate Sheet Cake. It has ingredients that are not worth knowing before you put it to your lips and savour the rich (yikes that means BUTTER!!) texture and flavours. I was doing really well until she offered me a big slab to take home... a calorie shared is ALWAYS better ;)

The recipe is from this *fab* site which I am adding to my fav links. The Pioneer Woman is a little treasure on the Internet. Dig deep and you find some perfect gems... like this *to die for* cake...

So after feeling all angelic for being good, and then letting the halo slip so drastically... I came home to find a box of goodies that lighten the load (or at least my bank balance.) I have just subbed to a few kits... as I like the feeling of stash falling through my letterbox. I can't be the only one?! I have some UK ones - just to get a feel for what is out there... and have to say that I *love* them. There is no guilt involved (or none that I take notice of) as I am supporting British retailers... a worthy cause ;)

I also got some *great* news that finally draws a line under everything from last year. I guess it is time to move on and get stuck into dispelling a few urban legends...

Later, Becks xx

Lemon MMMMMMMMeringue

I will say that Delia's Shepherd's Pie was not 100% d-lish.
LOVED the leeks-layered-on-mash and then cheese dripping in between... but that tinned mince?!! Well you can shove that to the back of the cupboard....never to make me endure its insipid taste again. BLAH! I am a meat freak - I love *good* (usually organic) meat and will eat less of it, to just spend a little more and eat well. Maybe higher standards led to a wee bit of disappointment... BUT - I persevered with the Lemon Meringue recipe... and Delia is redeemed.



I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with this desert. I LOVE it... it is in my top 3 favs all time. I can basically eat a whole one without letting anyone as close as a sniff. BUT I hate the fact that all my attempts to replicate this desert in any sensible format have been met with disaster. So after the Shepherd's Pie lack lustre result, I was a little wary of forking out £1.75 for a jar of TIPTREE'S Lemon Curd & £2.29 for the M&S Pastry Case recommended...

I can tell you though I am now close to evangelical about how GREAT this recipe is... The smell and taste were heavenly... and being the Sabbath, I felt ultra angelic devouring (and sharing) it. All you need is one egg, a lemon (zest and juice), a jar of Tiptree's lushous Lemon Curd (worth EVERY penny) and 2 tbls of Creme Fraiche. I now have a Lemon Meringue worthy of my MIL visiting... and quite simply the best thing I have tasted.

D-lish Delia D-lights...

I have not had the time in the last few weeks to indulge in some DELIA, but hallalujah for V+! Late last night (once I had dusted off some pages for issue 1 of Creativity! LIFE) I sat down and watched back to back Delia's CHEATING in the kitchen ;)

She has been critisced for 'dumbing down' the cookery process - yet when you watch her it is like pure poetry. She is so easy in front of the camera (actually, she is comedy at moments...) and she loves food. My kind of gal...

What I *loved* was when she was standing with her DH after a spirited (aka argumentative but passionate) TV reporter session (all on Norwich City sacking their Manager) and she turned to him and said that she wishes she was more demure, more soft spoken, more quiet and unassuming...like him - BUT she isn't.

She is firey, passionate and will say what comes into her head... which can get you into trouble (even laughing about the "Let's be 'aving you" legendary moment.) It made me smile, and want to plant a big kiss on those schoolmistress cheeks, as I think this is EXACTLY my relationship with my husband. He says that passion works two ways. I make things happen... I get off my backside and start a company, start a magazine, start an event... start a fight! It is nice to see that it isn't just me, and it certainly isn't just scrapbooking ;)

So I am off to M&S to stock up on those tart cases... and dare I say it, TRY a can of that mince (!!)

Later, Becks x

Manic Monday!

...seriously 52% of you (as of today) have been published! That is amazing... (although only a few folks have fessed up and clicked to vote.) Still good stats...


Monday rears its ugly head - and some great things to look forward to this week (... like SMAC!) I *love* this show. I think it is more fashion and parisian charm than anything that sets it apart. A huge wealth of inspiration (colours EVERYWHERE) and you have the most creative displays that I have seen at any trade event.

I know it is not for the average 'Jo Public' (except on the last day) but it is so worth a quick eurostar trip into gay Paris for a mosey. If you can beg borrow and steal a reason to go... then do!






Quick Tip for the day... if you don't want to feel sick by 11am, then try to avoid dipping your finger in a tub of Betty Crocker frosting (repeatedly.) IT tends to have the same sickening affect as starting your day with a Mars Bar (although Julia in the office swears by it...)


Later, Becks x

Happy Mother's Day (retrospectively...)

To all Mothers everywhere... I hope you awoke to the sounds of singing children, the smell of burning bacon and the scent of flowers as they were thrust in your face - at the bright and breezy hour of 6am.

I however was very spoilt and had a gentle wake up call after 7.30... followed by hugs, *said singing* and Delia's CHEATS cookbook (seriously happy...!!) I now am frantically making a list of must have ingredients that are sadly lacking in both my freezer and larder/store cupboard (urm... that will be just my cupboard then!?!) I do *dream* about a walk-in larder probably as much as some folk *dream* of a scraproom... it shows that food comes first; and paper knows its place ;)

I also was bequeathed yogurt cranberries (I was a little hesitant too... but am now munching my way through them as I type) as well as flowers, a mini salt-pig to coordinate with my beasty salt-pig (I am amazed at the eye for detail my wee ones have under the ever watchful eye of a top-notch DH... plus how DID their pocket money spread so far :) Love you MR F xxxx

Anyways, I have a tonne of emails - and some exciting things to be cracking on with this morning - so I will list the lucky 100 successful entrants to our first ever blog-a-view... and then I will be *needing* addresses to send you lucky ladies (and maybe gents) a little something for you to try. WATCH THIS SPACE for the announcement and details of the product heading your way...!

Later,

Becks x

The Secret Ingredient...

In every good recipe there is like this 'secret ingredient' that gives it the umph factor (or the mmmmm-what-the-heck-is-in-that appeal.)

This morning I am making Carrot & Corriander Soup (...like masses and masses of the stuff; just so I can freeze it and my husband can eat something 'nutritious' in my CHA absence... the kids can live off pizza!) I have had several recipes for this soup - and all have been so-so... that is until I discovered that the best soups always have a secret ingredient (which isn't so secret if you listen to the right kind of cooks!) Marigold, rather than being snug fitting yellow rubber, is actually the best little pot of pure heaven that any soup lover can buy. It pretty well rounds flavours and makes a soup devilishly yummy.

I was sat in front on MasterChef last night - and loved the MUD PIE created (in her head... and then perfectly on a plate) by the 18 year old (who then went on to the semi's... you go girl!) I wish I could remember her name... because she made a classic comment about cooking being creative. It is about texture, taste, aroma and look - it is about bringing together all these elements...

So I started thinking about Scrapbooking (or really anything creative.) There are secret ingredients (a Heidi Swapp Mask or a Ranger Ink) as well as some core essentials (usually a good slice of Bazzill) as well as those finishing touches (a smattering of Doodlebug Glitter or a BasicGrey rub-ons...) So really we are all just cooking up a storm in our own kitchens - and it is up to our own tastes to how we like our scrapbooks served. Personally I like the paper blogging mentality... that it can contain everything mundane and everyday... and it is all just thoughts and feelings, words and pictures.

Later,

Becks x

Easy Peasy Pizza

If you are not joining me in the Gordon-Fest aka bakathon tonight (see HERE), then you may already be debating what to cook tonight. Let's face it... for most women this is one of those thankless annoyances that follows us like a dark cloud all day. It isn't like we are cooking for fun; it is purely functional... We are cooking to have it either 'yucked' at, masticated whilst talking over each other, or (if we are really lucky) swallowed whole without tasting.

Well I have a quick suggestion (totally not my own - and I endow all credit on a good friend... thank you good friend!) You could ALMOST class it as cooking (my quick cheat philosophy) and the Family Factor is included...

Ingredients
4 Small French Bread style Baguettes
Tube of Tomato Paste
Grated Cheese (whatever is in your fridge!)
Optional: Slices of Salami (the German Peppered kind kicks**)

Basically you surround your children around the table (amid moans that they want to watch TV, play on their DS... anything but do homework and help) and then you give them chunks of baguette which you have cut and then halved (hot dog style.) They smear the flat open baguette with the tomato paste whilst trying to aim it at each other and threaten missile launch at any moment. Scold quickly and remove paste from hands to replace with a plate of grated cheese for generously spreading over the tomato-y mush. Finish (if you want, and are not taking any notice of said children's loathe of anything with flavour) with some salami and then pop them into the oven (the garnished baguettes and NOT the children.)

Only a few minutes later and you can gather your happy children back to the table for the now legendary remarks that prelude all family dinners. On this occasion you can retort (and please have it to hand, Blue Peter style) "Well, you made the dinner, so if it is yuck then it is all your fault."

Suitably muted by the strength of your argument, you will have a peaceful 5 minutes whilst they inhale their food and then excuse themselves from the table. You sit smugly knowing that the last laugh is on them, as you dig into a bowl full of Mars Bar Treats and leftover Cheesecake. Oh if they had only stayed for desert ;)

Another dinner down, only a few more zillion to go...
Becks x

P.S. This is what our Pizza really looked like - not some photoshop sampling (so who says image is everything?!)

Just Deserts

I am having a rivival in the kitchen dept. (having never really been one to have the time or inclination to slave over a hot stove all day.) I am however flawed in my approach. I relish desert and am happy to focus all my attention on the delivery of this element in my menu.

Case in point:
I had friends over on Saturday and had a Cheesecake, Mars Bar Treats, French Cheeses, Crackers (my favs are Carrs Cheese Melts...well worth rooting around the supermarket top shelves with your t-shirt riding up leaving knickers nicely showing as you reach to the back), Honey Chashews all ready... JUST the little matter of what the heck to cook as the 'main' part of the meal (you don't count Cheese Melts as fully satisfying; but they DO say a Mars-a-day?!!)

For anyone who wants to be forgiven for the earlier offering at dinner... create in minutes some Mars Bar Treats and you will be absolved wholly (and rightfully so!)

Here is what I deem as the entertaining essential must-serve recipe...just DON'T count the calories (and let the blokes eat more... so they absorb the lion share of fat - which looks better on them anyway!)

Mars Bar Treats
Melt:
4 oz of unsalted butter
4 Full-Size (size here matters ;) Mars Bars

Stir constantly and remove from heat BEFORE it boils or starts to get too hot. The Mars Bars will still be lumpy and you just need to keep stirring (off heat) until they make a shiny gloopy paste...

Stir in:
4 oz of Rice Krispies (although I opt for Tesco's own label which are crunchier for some strange reason!)

Serve:
If you want to spread the chocolate slavvered krispies out onto a sheet of Bake-O-Glide and eat with hands, then you get brownie points for creating no dishes and extra wife points for serving up a treat that they can eat like cavemen... You can wait to cool; but in our house they NEVER last that long.

Enjoy!
Becks x

Frustration

Grrrr....

If you have ever endured the frustration of driving 30+ minutes to a shop, only to find the ONE thing you made the journey for is not in stock - well THIS is a similar feeling ...

Double thumbs down to you IKEA.

So I had my evening in with one of my longest bestest buddies (I have known her since I was 8 - and she recently moved down 'souf and lives just a stones throw away from me) and I managed to complete 4 12x12 layouts - unfortunately ALL FOR HER. (Which begs the question, WHY am I way quicker when it comes to playing with someone else's pics?!) Anyways, as is tradition I baked, and it turns out there is more than one way to skin a cat (sorry all cat lovers!)

I have long been a Rice Pudding fan - and cook mine from store cupboard stock items that means NO shopping;

I use a 1 ltr carton of UHT Semi-Skimmed milk, 1 smallish Cup of Basmati Rice (no need to go and buy 'desert rice' which is IMO no better than the regular rice you use) and then Sugar to taste and a glug from my Costco Madacascan Vanilla bottle (again, buy it once, stick it in your store cupboard and it will last forever!) I simmer the milky mess on the top of my cooker in a big saucepan and when it looks done (this is a technical cooking term) then I turn the heat off and leave the lid on to rest. Always turns out wonderful, and tastes better once refrigerated and eaten cold the next day.... Mmmmmmm!

So my bestest friend says - "WHAT, you cook it in a saucepan?! I have never heard of cooking Rice Pudding anywhere other than in the cooker in a casserole type dish."

Whilst this was a revelation to me {HAD I BEEN DOING IT WRONG ALL THESE YEARS????} it did make me think that it is exactly the point that is debated about Scrapbooking. Is there any right or wrong way to do it - if the result is a page that you are happy with? WHO cares if you use one photo, three photos - no Prima *shock* and loads of writing... or if you just whack photos down and get on with making dinner... who I am (or anyone else) to tell you that it is WRONG?! ...if the rice pudding tastes great (and it did) then it is all good in my book!

Later,

Becks x

I'm not the only one DOING IT...

See HERE

Becks x

Boiling Condensed Milk and CHEATING...

Seriously - have you ever discovered the best cheat and like thought...WHY DID I NOT FIND THIS EARLIER?!!

My DH craves Banoffee Pie.

It is his all-time favourite desert - and whilst the rest of us can stomach only half a serving, he can clear his own plate and then start working on the leftovers around the table.

So not being one to ever slave over a hot stove for more than an hour (and that is pushing it) I have never ONCE (in all our 11 years of marriage) had the guts and determination to boil condensed milk to create his perfect after-dinner gorge fest desert.

So imagine my delight at finding the ultimate Banoffee CHEAT! With a little help of this average looking tin of Carnation Caramel I was able to serve up a little helping of heaven over Christmas.

I was duly awarded bonus WIFE POINTS (...you all seriously need to have a gander at the hilarious 'Don't for Wives' book - and please read the 'Don't for Husbands' alongside so you don't get too overwhelmed...)

CHEATING definitely has a FEEL GOOD factor!!

So onto Scrapbooking... and why on earth there is this fascination on creating a Picasso-esk original everytime that we sit down to scrap. CHEATING works ladies (and any gents that may also be dabblers!) It FEELS GOOD. Not only do you save hours of valuable TV watching time (I would say ironing, but that would be pushing the realms of reality a little too far); BUT you also complete something *victory, hurrah* and have not had to bust a brain cell doing it.

{Fair dos if all you ever scrapbook is going to be published and you need to be the Elsie, Donna, Heidi, Jane and co of our generation... but for the remaining 99.99999% of us - scrapbooks are just personal LIFE albums. They get pulled out by our kids, or mates - passed around and photos get laughed at, prompting 'Do you remember?' conversations. They are not the Mona Lisa...}

For me, when I sit down with my pen and paper (photos come after the story telling in my book) then I also grab a layout that I have spotted that I like, and replicate it with my own wicked twist. I do not reinvent the wheel...and I certainly do not boil condensed milk.

Try it, it's liberating!
Becks x

Best Cheesecake...and other Triumphs!

I am not sure about you, but Christmas has a host of family gatherings (being 1 of 7, and DH 1 of 11.) They can be a little terrifying (early married life) but now the only trauma is the FOOD LIST that goes round to all the gals... and the ensuing pressure to produce the award winning (aka it gets eaten and finished first) edible contribution.

This year I got stuck with/alloted the Chilli & Cheesecake. I have to say that I thought Chilli would be easy - but I managed to fluff it when I mistakenly listened to some 'sound expert advice' and poured some cocoa powder into the mix. Talk about unservable... I tortured it to death and eventually didn't even allow it to be placed on the altar of all that is eaten. BUT, they do say that with disasters come delectable victories. Such is the story of my {totally eaten first, folks begging for more} cheesecake. I cannot take any of the credit, beyond page 81 of Nigella Express being served on a stunning cake stand that I picked up on my last trip to the US (from a shop that I adore - anthropologie)


If you are in the mood for some culinary adoration from any desert lovers you know... then just try this:

300 grams Philidelphia Cream Cheese
60 grams Icing Sugar
1 teaspoon Madagascan Boubon Vanilla (you can taste the difference believe me, and I get mine in bulk from Costco)
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice (I use lime just for a kick)

Mix together and put to one side
Whisk by hand (until whippy and creamy - but not overkill and crumbly...you know when you have gone toooo far!) 250ml of Double Cream

Fold the two mixtures together and layer gently over a biscuit base. If you need tips on the biscuit base, the idea of NOT FRYING the butter first seems to work wonders. Rather blend softened (room temp) butter (75 grams) with digestives (any old kind will do - shop own is what I prefer: 125 grams)

Seriously... yummy!! I actually had to recreate one this morning for my MIL who babysat whilst I attended my Gran's funeral yesterday. So if my MIL (Queen Chef) adores this cheesecake, it is a fitting stamp of approval ;)

OKAY - food triumph dutifully trumpeted...

So 2008

A triumph has to be seeing the beginning of scrapbooking to the masses. My personal journey started 5 years ago. I began life as an agent for Pebbles Inc. having scrapbooked/photo journalled for over a decade and wanting to find (branded aka quality) product more readily available over in the UK. When I started ScrapGenie, it really grew out of the natural progression to wholesale... and now I find myself taking one much bigger leap. My main desire to see products more readily available (and at a great price) is finally finding some wings... and I think 2008 will be a HUGE year for scrapbooking in the UK.

For ages this has been a niche market, misunderstood (I mean who the heck gets 'scrapbooking' when you say it to them?!) and totally under serviced. Product has been pricey, random, late, sporadically available and the main champions have been scrapbookers opening websites to get hold of product they want to personally use. Our UK pure scrapping magazines went from 5-6 to just 2 - and I have walked into my local 'craft shop' to see Tim Holtz ink pads piled on the floor *gasp* with loose patterned papers shoved into a knitting pattern rack *gasp* and the owner ushering me out with my daughter to the joyous news that "scrapbooking is over" *large intake of breath and count to 10 slowly* (Did I mention that I was also with the owner of a US scrapbooking company at the time... I think she was traumatised!!)

Which is why there are changes a foot... there HAS TO BE. Oh and Apples to Apples is a GREAT game amongst friends!

More later, Becks x